UNUSUAL THINGs: Nature

Showing posts with label Nature. Show all posts

10 Amazing Species First Discovered in 2011

Posted by Unknown on 1:14 PM

This year has some incredible specimens in the Top 10 New Species list, as provided by the International Institute of Species Exploration and a team of taxonomists. Ranging from a tiny bacteria to a 6-foot monitor lizard, these are just some of the new species found. And there are many more yet to be discovered.

10. Darwin's Dark Spider

9. Pancake Batfish

8. Raspy Cricket

7. Mycena luxaeterna (eternal light)

6. Walter's Duiker

5. Psathyrella Aquatica

4. Jumping Cockroach

3.Tyrannobdella rex (Tyrant Leech King)

2. Varanus bitatawa

1. Halomonas titanicae

Unusual Colored Animals

Posted by Unknown on 4:51 PM

7 Wonderful Transparent Animals in Nature

Posted by Unknown on 1:58 PM

Nature is fascinating and often weird, it surprises us when we least expect. Some creatures use the camouflage techniques as a hunting and defense mechanism, others show everything they have - like transparent animals. Despite of what we are inclined to think, transparent and translucent animals live also on the ground, not only in the abyss of the ocean and we have visual proof of it. Nothing is photoshopped!

1. Transparent Frog

Umm, not so fast, prof… have you seen the “glass frog” (above), native to the Venezuelan rainforest? Like the transparent frogs selectively bred in the lab from generations of pale-skinned Japanese Brown Frogs, the Glass Frog’s internal organs and eggs can be seen without too much trouble. Word to Professor Sumida: take the grant money and run!

2. Transparent Cave Crayfish

Caves are some of the darkest places on the planet – even sophisticated light-gathering instruments are unable to register a single photon in the deepest, darkest caves. Under these conditions, creatures including fish, spiders, insects and crayfish have evolved into “troglobites”: animals so precisely adapted to living in darkness that they cannot survive outside cave environments. Under such conditions, neither eyes nor pigmentation are necessary.

3. Transparent Sea Cucumber

Slow moving, soft bodied bottom dwellers for the most part, Sea Cucumbers are an ancient lineage of sea creatures who have evolved a variety of ways to survive and thrive over hundreds of millions of years of evolution. For some Sea Cucumbers, being transparent allows them to fly
under the radar, as it were, of predators in search of a quick & easy kill.

4. Transparent Icefish

Fund in the cold waters around Antarctica and southern South America, the crocodile icefish (Channichthyidae) feed on krill, copepods, and other fish. Their blood is transparent because they have no hemoglobin and/or only defunct erythrocytes. Their metabolism relies only on the oxygen dissolved in the liquid blood, which is believed to be absorbed directly through the skin from the water. This works because water can dissolve the most oxygen when it is coldest.

5. Transparent Amphipod

Called Phronima, this unusual animal is one of the many strange species recently found on an expedition to a deep-sea mountain range in the North Atlantic. In an ironic strategy for survival, this tiny shrimplike creature shows everything it has, inside and out, in an attempt to disappear.

6. Transparent Squid

Found on the southern hemisphere’s oceans, the Glass Squid (Teuthowenia pellucida) has light organs on its eyes and possesses the ability to roll into a ball, like an aquatic hedgehog.

7. Transparent Siphonophores

Siphonophores belong to the Cnidaria, a group of animals that includes the corals, hydroids, and true jellyfish. Marrus orthocanna, a deep sea siphonophore. The combined digestive and circulatory system is red; all other parts are transparent.

10 Most Incredible Natural Fireworks on Earth

Posted by Unknown on 6:17 PM

Photo: Hot Flashes

Happy Independence Day, America!

Fireworks are commonly seen in the United States on the Fourth of July as a celebration of independence.

"And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there."
- The Star Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the US

So here are 10 sparkling shots of starburst fireworks in nature.

The word daisy mean "day's eye", because they open at dawn (like the one seen top). They symbolize innocence and purity.

Man-made fireworks open at dusk and are more than just innocent bursts of light.

Consider this: when you watch stunning fireworks burst above you, some harmful chemicals may find their way into your body, while many of these chemicals settle on the earth, where they reside for quite a while.

Photo: laszlo-photo

The underwater photo above is a Pink Christmas Tree Worm taken in Bonaire, in the Netherlands Antilles. These worms are born as larvae which must immediately find their own homes.

Until recently, it's been a mystery as to how they find their way. Scientists now believe these underwater worms dance their way in pursuit of sound from the reefs where they eventually land.

Fireworks, too, can be said to dance in the air. When released over water, scientists believe the bangers and Roman candles, squibs, torpedoes and other-named firepower creations release pollution into the water.

Photo: mauroguanandi

The above picture is a money tree flower. This name strikes me as something lacking a good heart. In actuality, 'Pachira Aquatica' trees are most likely named for the five fundamental Feng Shui elements - metal, wood, fire and earth - which strive to bring harmony and balance to the world.

My grandmother has one to symbolize money and good luck. Neutered fireworks sent into the air today symbolize the independence so celebrated in America. France uses them to mark the anniversary of the French Revolution. In India, fireworks are used as part of their festival of lights. Most people believe fireworks were first used in China.

Ah, the wonder of organic fireworks: