Reevaluate

You arachnophiles and creepy-crawler-lovers are about to have your hearts melt. Even I, an avowed arachnophobe, find it almost endearing (almost).

Behold a mother giant whip scorpion tending to her brood. Isn't that too much? Look how pearly green they are. Awe, that's so...no...no...must not let my arachnophobia fail me now. I must leave and reevaluate my feelings.

Thanks for the photo, Mary.

Above the Leviathan

This bird is thinking the same thing I am. It involves a question word, a definite article, a muffled expletive, and a question mark. But I have the good fortune of sitting in the digital glare of my computer screen, not floating above the scaly leviathan.

Are there any ichthyologists out there that can ID this for us? The answer to that question is yes, so let me rephrase. Are there any readers out there that can ID it?

Photo source: Knuttz

A Place of Their Own

You're looking at the puckered face(s) of the lamprey, or lamprey eel. These jawless parasites aren't actually truly representative of lampreys in general--most lampreys aren't parasitic. In fact, these nasties (I've gone fishing for them before, so I know!) aren't truly representative of fish in general, due to differences in morphology and physiology.

These differences include: no scales, no paired fins, and a single nostril on the top of the head. And since they are cartilaginous (no bone skeleton), they strictly aren't even vertebrates.

These fish (or whatever they are) have no true taxonomic home. That's why, I believe, they have turned to latching themselves onto whatever host they can find, if for no other reason than to find a place to belong. Much like an obnoxious younger sibling.

Tarsus to Tarsier

I've had a hard time finding an ugly photo of the tarsier. Most of them are cute, what with their petiteness and binocular vision. So I had to go with freaky.

Anyone care to guess whey they're called tarsiers? It's because of their elongated tarsus bones (the bones in your foot that join to your toe bones). I'm not sure why their hand bones became the basis for their name. I would think those eyes would take precedence. I'm just glad that I've been named 'wise man' by those who dish out Latin names.

Photo source: LinkInn

Big Pair

This little beauty comes to us from ICanHasCheezburger.com via Kritter. It's a big pair of snails.

I don't think any less of the man wearing gloves while handling these monsters. But it looks as though he has become a bit distracted; he didn't notice that the fore-most snail has pick pocketed a quarter and is about to stuff it up its shell. How many times must I say that mollusks cannot be trusted?

A little FYI: this globe seems to favor invertebrates. While we have only been given about 264 species of monkey, there are an estimated 35,000 species of land snailes alone. That's a lot o' gastropod.

Thanks for th giant snail photo, Kritter.

A Pat on the Back

Would Shelob have been more or less scary colored like this leaf spider? I'm guessing less, but the image of Sam driving Sting into that neon-yellow abdomen is intriguing.

The next time you come across a bonafide spider expert (some of them are readers and commenters on this blog), be sure to give them a pat on the back. There are more than 37,000 species of identified spiders, with estimates that the number is twice that. There far fewer species of mammals (less than 5,000 catalogued) than spiders. That makes for a lot of Latin names to know, spinnerettes to identify, and venoms and urticating hairs to endure (not to mention webs and heebie-jeebies).

Photo source: Photo Freak

Hissy and Frilly

You're looking at the frilled lizard, complete with fully deployed frill. These Australian reptiles are arboreal, but when out on the savannah, this is their defense mechanism. If a meanie gets too close, they rear up on their hind legs, unfurl their scaly nimbus, then open their mouth and hiss (my brother does something similar whenever my mom asks him to do the dishes).

If the threat doesn't work, and the meanie continues showing an interest in wanting to eat the frilled lizard, the reptile turns tail, knowing the jig is up, and runs for the nearest tree, hissing and frilly the whole way (again, much like my brother, when my mom persists).

Photo source: Knuttz.net

Seafood Monster

The giant isopod has given me a new-found respect for rolly pollies. I've always gone out of my way to scoop up stray ones and deposit them somewhere warm and dank and decomposey. But now that I live in fear of their bigger, deep-sea-dwelling cousins, I'm extra considerate.

For you seafood enthusiasts, these critters can get to be 3 lbs, and they are often served in the Orient (like every other oddity seems to be). They have delicious white meat,very much like crab. For you horror film enthusiasts, here's your next monster.

Thanks for the photo, Danielle.

Photo source: Zoom Critic