Jan 16
KITCHEN ORCHID
© Laura Quick
This orchid has been blooming in the kitchen window since before Thanksgiving. The light was pretty this afternoon when I walked by.
Jan 16
AFTERNOON DUST BATH
Colinus virginianus
© Laura Quick
Nothing makes our resident quail happier than the delivery of a big bucket of dirt. They spread it around with their feet, then roll around in it for awhile before napping - with estatic smiles on their little birdie faces
Oct 06 Reblogged
![muslimerican:
Dazzling truck art from Pakistan.
[image source]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmk43chMtW1qeyymko1_500.jpg)
Sep 14 Reblogged
Say AHHHHHHHHHHHH ——then run
SHOEBILL STORK - Yikes!
Balaeniceps rex
© Zdeněk ChalupaI couldn’t resist - these pre-historic looking birds never cease to amaze me :)
This species was only classified in the 19th century when some skins were brought to Europe. It was not until years later that live specimens reached the scientific community. However, the bird was known to both ancient Egyptians and Arabs. There are Egyptian images depicting the Shoebill, while the Arabs referred to the bird as abu markub, which means one with a shoe, a reference to the bird’s distinctive bill.
Shoebills feed in muddy waters, preying on fish, frogs, reptiles such as baby crocodiles, and small mammals. They nest on the ground and lay from 1 to 3 eggs, usually during the dry season.
The population is estimated at between 5,000 and 8,000 individuals, the majority of which live in Sudan. BirdLife International have classified it as Vulnerable with the main threats being habitat destruction, disturbance and hunting.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoebill
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Sep 03 Reblogged
A little something to brighten your Satuday. It’s gorgeous here, I hope it’s nice where you are. I’m of to a pot-luck/bbq/water balloon fight…hmm, what does one wear to such an event, well, other than a see-thru top? Anyway, my favorite Queen.
QUEEN ANGELFISH
Holacanthus ciliaris
©djhinrichQueen angelfish get their royal title from the speckled, blue-ringed black spot on their heads that resembles a crown.
Decked out with electric blue bodies, blazing yellow tails, and light purple and orange highlights, Queen angels are among the most strikingly colorful of all reef fishes. Their adornments seem shockingly conspicuous, but they blend well when hiding amid the exotic reef colors.
They are shy fish, found either alone or often in pairs in the warm waters of the Caribbean and western Atlantic. Fairly large for reef-dwellers, they can grow up to 18 inches (45 cm) in length. They have rounded heads and small beak-like mouths.
Their diet consists almost entirely of sponges and algae, but they will also nibble on sea fans, soft corals, and even jellyfish.
Source: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/queen-angelfish/
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Aug 29 Reblogged
See, Nature does have a sense of humor
SILVER PHEASANT
Lophura nycthemera
©Tamara KenneallyThe Silver Pheasant is a species of pheasant found in forests, mainly in mountains, of mainland Southeast Asia, and eastern and southern China, with introduced populations in Hawaii and various locations in the US mainland. The male is black and white, while the female is mainly brown. Both sexes have a bare red face and red legs.
This is a relatively large pheasant, with males of the largest subspecies having a total length of 120 to 125 centimetres (47 to 49 in), including a tail of up to 75 centimetres (30 in), while the males of the smallest subspecies barely reach 70 centimetres (28 in) in total length, including a tail of about 30 centimetres (12 in). Females of all subspecies are significanlty smaller than their respective males, with the largest only reaching about 70 centimetres (28 in) in total length.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Pheasant
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Aug 28 Reblogged
My favorite creepiest sea anemone EVER - works like a venue fly trap (hence the name) - BTW, in case its confusing - its big “foot” is attached to the thin stick…(also check out the Electric Flaming Scallop)
VENUS FLYTRAP SEA ANEMONE*
Actinoscyphia aurelia
©NOAA Photo LibraryThe Venus flytrap sea anemone is a large sea anemone resembling a Venus Flytrap. Like it’s plant namesake, it is believed to close its tentacles to capture prey or to protect itself. It is found in and around the Gulf of Mexico.
Flytrap anemones grow up to 30 cm (one foot) across attaching themselves to exposed rock outcrops on seamounts and deep sea ridges, where currents are relatively strong. Some scientists have suggested that flytrap anemones eat bits of debris carried on the ocean currents, their body shape suggests that they feed on small animals, such as shrimp, that happen to swim by. Flytrap anemones were recently discovered to release bioluminescent slime when disturbed.
Source:
http://www.mbari.org/news/feature-image/flytrap.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_flytrap_sea_anemoneOther posts:
*Looks like the carniverous plant from the movie Little Shop of Horrors
Aug 27 Reblogged
Love this fish - the color and pattern are amazing, plus the lines by its eye are recall the tattoos of New Zealand natives and give it the name of Maori Wrasse. The enormous bulbous head it grows when it’s older gives it its alternate name of “Napolean” Wrasse.
MAORI WRASSE, Napoleon wrasse, or Napoleonfish;
Cheilinus undulatus
by Luc ViatourThis fish is chock full of win - the patterning is gorgeous (even better in the shot on the other posts link) males grow to SIX FEET in length and 300 pounds.
The humphead wrasse is a wrasse that is mainly found in coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific region. It is also known as the Māori wrasse, Napoleon wrasse, Napoleonfish; or “So Mei” 蘇眉 (Cantonese) and “Mameng” (Filipino).
The humphead wrasse is the largest living member of the family Labridae, with males reaching 6 feet (2 m) in length, while females rarely exceed about 3 feet (1 m). It has thick, fleshy lips and a hump that forms on its head above the eyes, becoming more prominent as the fish ages. Males range from a bright electric blue to green, a purplish blue, or a relatively dull blue/green. Juveniles and females are red-orange above, and red-orange to white below. Some males grow very large, with one unconfirmed report of a Humphead Wrasse that was 7.75 feet (2.29 m) long and weighed 420 lbs (190.5 kg).
Individuals become sexually mature at 5 to 7 years and females are known to live for around 30 years whereas males live a slightly shorter 25 years. Humphead wrasse are protogynous hermaphrodites, with some members of the population becoming male at approximately 9 years old. The factors that control the timing of sex change are not yet known. Adults move to the down-current end of the reef and form local spawning aggregations they concentrate to spawn at certain times of the year.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humphead_wrasse
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Aug 27 Reblogged
Mother Nature, you are such a show off!
AUSTRALIAN SPOTTED JELLYFISH or WHITE SPOTTED JELLYFISH
Phyllorhiza punctata
©cheesekidThis gorgeous shot was taken at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Phyllorhiza punctata is a species of jellyfish, also known as the Australian spotted jellyfish or the White-spotted jellyfish. It is native to the southwestern Pacific, where it feeds primarily on zooplankton. P. punctata average 45-50 cm in bell diameter but there had been a maximum reported size of 62 cm. However, in October, 2007, one 72 cm. wide, perhaps the largest ever recorded, was found on Sunset Beach, NC. In July 2007 smaller ones were seen in Bogue Sound much further north along the North Carolina Coast. They have only a mild venom and are not considered a threat to humans. However, their ability to consume plankton and the eggs and larvae of important fish species is cause for concern. Each jellyfish can filter as much as 13,200 gallons of sea water per day. While doing that, it ingests the plankton that native species need.
True jellyfish, Phylum Cnidaria, go through a two stage life cycle which consists of a medusa stage (adult) and a polyp stage (juvenile). In the medusa stage male jellyfish release sperm into the water column and the female jellyfish gathers the sperm into her mouth where she holds the eggs. Once fertilization occurs and larvae are formed they leave their mother and settle to the ocean floor. Once on the bottom a polyp form occurs and this form reproduces asexually by “cloning” or dividing itself into other polyps. Jellyfish can live for up to five years in the polyp stage and up to two years in the medusa stage.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllorhiza_punctata
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Aug 22 Reblogged
I had NO IDEA deer grew fangs, but musk deer have fangs instead of antlers…weird for an animal that’s an herbivore.
SIBERIAN MUSK DEER
Moschus moschiferus
Posted by: fishytania.blogspot.comMUSK DEER, maybe they should be called Tusk Deer? These little beauties resemble small deer with a stocky build, and hind legs longer than their front legs. They are approximately 80 to 100 centimetres (31 to 39 in) in length, 50 to 70 centimetres (20 to 28 in) tall at the shoulder, and weigh between 7 and 17 kilograms (15 and 37 lb). The feet of musk deer are adapted for climbing in rough terrain. Like the Chinese water deer, a cervid, they have no antlers, but the males do have enlarged upper canines, forming sabre-like tusks.
The musk gland is found only in adult males. It lies in a sac located between the genitals and the umbilicus, and its secretions are most likely used to attract mates. Musk deers have been hunted for their scent glands which can fetch up to $45,000/kg on the black market. It is rumored that ancient royalty wore the scent of the musk deer and that it is an aphrodisiac.
Musk deer are herbivores, living in hilly, forested environments, generally far from human habitation. Like true deer, they eat mainly leaves, flowers, and grasses, with some mosses and lichens. They are solitary animals, and maintain well-defined territories, which they scent mark with their caudal glands. Musk deer are generally shy, and either nocturnal, or crepuscular.
Males leave their territories during the rutting season, and compete for mates, using their tusks as weapons. Female musk deer give birth to a single fawn after about 150–180 days. The newborn young are very small, and essentially motionless for the first month of their life, a feature that helps them remain hidden from predators.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musk_deer
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Aug 21 Reblogged
The Australian butterfly is stunning, and certainly rivals the South American Blue Morpho for pizazz points :)
ULYSSES BUTTERFLY
Papilio ulysses
©wildphotos4u / Sandy CThe Ulysses butterfly, Papilio ulysses, also known as the Blue Mountain Butterfly, or the Blue Mountain Swallowtail is a large swallowtail butterfly, endemic to Australasia.
This butterfly is used as an emblem for Queensland tourism.
The Ulysses butterfly typically has a wingspan of about 14 cm (5.5 inches), but depending on subspecies there are some variations in size. The upperside of the wings are an iridescent electric blue; the underside is a more subdued black and brown in colouration. The colours are produced by the microscopic structure of the scales.
The female of the species is different from the male in that she has little crescents of blue in the back, upside sections of her hind wings, where there is only black for males. When the butterfly is perched the intense blue of its wings is hidden by the plainer brown under side of its wings, helping it to blend in with its surroundings. When in flight the butterfly can be seen hundreds of metres away as sudden bright blue flashes. Males are strongly attracted to blue objects which they mistake for females.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papilio_ulysses
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Cluster of Blue Morpho Butterflies
