Dakotornisis our last miscellaneous Neornithean! Known from the Bullion Creek Formation of North Dakota, it lived sometime between 61 and 56 million years ago, between the Selandian and Thanetian ages of the Paleocene of the Paleogene. Known from very limited remains, it was first thought to be another wading bird - but it can’t be definitively assigned to any sort of group or lifestyle.
Sources:
Mayr, G. 2009. Paleogene Fossil Birds. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
Many fossils of the long-tailed pterosaur Rhamphorhynchushave been found in marine deposits - so much that it has been theorised to be primarily aquatic - like a grebe or a cormorant.
I took the “aquatic rhamphorhynchoid” idea to its logical conclusion and illustrated Ichthyopteryx sp. a fully-aquatic descendant of this lineage. It looks quite plausible; I can picture heaps of them flopping about on beaches of remote islands. I wonder which lengths this line of evolution would extend to - if it was real. Just to clarify, this is not a real animal, but the product of an exercise in speculative-evolution.
BOTTOM TRAWLING IS DESTROYING DEEP-SEA FISH POPULATION
A new study using reconstructed catch data reveals that in the past 60+ years, the practice of towing giant fishing nets along the sea floor has caused the extraction of 25 million tonnes of fish that live 400 metres or more below sea level leading to the collapse of many of those fish populations. The study is published in Frontiers in Marine Science.
Deep-sea fish species are targeted globally by bottom trawling. The fishspecies captured are often characterized by longevity, low fecundity and slow growth making them vulnerable to overfishing. Also, bottom trawling is known to remove vast amounts of non-target species, including habitat forming deep-sea corals and sponges.
Researchers examined the state of 72 deep-sea fish species caught by bottom trawlers around the world, many of which were exploited to unsustainable levels.
The fisheries were found to be overall under-reported by as much as 42%, leading to the removal of an estimated 25 million tons of deep-sea fish. Besides depleting deep-sea fish stocks, bottom trawling of deep fish does not generate much in the way of marketable fish. Immature individuals are thrown overboard because they generally don’t meet minimum size requirements, while non-targeted species caught as bycatch are also returned dead to the sea.
While quite fearsome up close, tailless whip scorpions[Paraphrynus laevifrons] possesses no venom and are harmless to humans. They’re said to be quite timid. Photographs taken at the Armonia Nature Preserve, Limon Province, Costa Rica by Troy Bartlett.
Teeny tiny! These fellows are Prokoenenia wheeleri, a type of microwhip scorpion belonging to the order Palpigradi. They measure no more than 3 millimeters in length and are commonly found in moist environments such as underneath rotting logs. Not much is known of their behavior, but it’s been theorized that they may be predators in their micro-environments. Images by Lynn McCutchen.
Flying pseudoarthropods come in many shapes,the countless micro-habitats and biomes of the Mundodendralis are a great canvas for mother nature. The C-fan, Aemulopterus flabellifera, is one of these creatures. It belongs to a group that lost its middle pair of wings and is more build for mobility than speed. They are also characterized by their modified tails that are used to distract and scare of predators but also to impress the opposite sex in skillful “scarf dances”. Both lateral and the dorsal jaw work together as a sucking pipe while the ventral jaw is actually used as a weapon. The animal feeds in the juice of the largest trees, it is however not powerful enough to pierce the bark of the gigantic lifeforms. Instead they live in symbiosis with a family of cuspipods that usually lives under large branches where they glue themselves to the bark once they reach maturity. At that point both animals depend very much on each other, the Aemulopterusget the surplus of juice from the cuspipods, which even offer places to rest by stretching out some of their legs so that the pseudoarthropods can grab them with their anal trunks. On the other hand the Aemulopterus protect the cuspipods and take care of the reproduction of the immobile creatures by carrying spermatophores between the individuals of their colony.
Different species of these pseudoarthropods and cuspipods have evolved to coexist together, they differ in form of their “beaks”, colors of their tails and the preferred location of their feeding grounds. Some cuspipods even offer a second tread to their protectors by producing a venomous cocktail that the Aemulopteruscan carry and inject with their lower jaw.
This critically endangered Stub-foot Toad or Harlequin Toad, family Atelopidae, is native to the cool montane forests of NW Columbia and Southern Panama. The female is larger than the male, with maximum lengths reaching 36 mm - males, females - 48 mm. Like the other frogs in this genus, it lays its eggs in strings beneath rocks in fast moving streams. The species has declined considerably due to climate change, habitat disturbance, and the chytrid fungus. A population has been taken into an assurance colony in Panama for breeding and protection from the frog killing chytrid fungus.
photographs by Brian Gratwicke | Smithsonian Tropical Research
Isn’t he just the most adorable little guy ever? It’s like someone put a sweater vest on a swiss roll. I bet you just want to pick him up and give him a pat on the back for being such a cutie pie, right? …Right?
WRONG.
DO NOT DO THAT. DO NOT. NOPE.
Do not let the sweater vest fool you, this guy does NOT MESS AROUND. You see all those spines? They are jam PACKED with venom and will break off and lodge into whatever was daft enough to touch it. It will even arch is back around to get as many spines into you as possible.
The venom in the spines can cause migraines, nausea and a painful, swollen rash. Which is never something you want.
Native to the eastern USA, the saddleback caterpillar also secretes a semi-fluid silk, providing a super-adhesive bond to what it’s standing on.
So,a) It won’t budge from whatever it’s on, and b) It will literally turn around and stab you with venomous spines if you try.
These caterpillars are pretty intense. Do not touch them, because nobody wants to explain to their friends that the reason their hand has blown up like a balloon is because a caterpillar(wearing knitwear) stabbed them.
Look at the majesticness that is this bird. IT’S SO GRAND.
Let’s talk about how kick-ass the bearded vulture is.First up, the natural diet of these birds is BONES. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Yeah, bones, but small ones right?”
NO. THIS BIRD WILL PICK UP MASSIVE FREAKING BONES, FLY UP INTO THE SKY AND REPEATEDLY DROP THEM UNTIL THEY BREAK. THIS BIRD IS SO PUNK ROCK.
Secondly, you see that beautiful red colouring in the second picture?Makeup.
MAKEUP.
According to biologist Antoni Margalida of Spain’s Bearded Vulture Study and Protection Group, “It is the only bird that utilizes cosmetics to dye its plumage.” At about age 7 (the vulture equivalent of a teenager), the birds begin to use red, iron-rich mud pits to dye their naturally white breast, neck, and head feathers.
It’s believed that the colour is used as a status symbol. Females, the dominant sex, are brighter than males. Colour intensity also grows with age. They will also handle conflict by struttin’ their stuff and displaying their snazzy new feather do in the process.
So this is a bird with a 2.5m wide wingspan, a diet that is 85-90% bones and LIKES TO WEAR MAKE UP.
If you don’t think they are the greatest thing ever then get out of my face.
LOOK AT ITS MOUTH. LOOK AT IT. Those impressive jaws are armed to the teeth(ba dum tshh) with multiple rows of super sharp, kickass, three-pronged porcelain plaques of bright and glorious wonder. Even though the teeth are kind of small, there are more than 300 of them, making that just under one thousand sharp hooks for any unfortunate prey to get past. Yikes.
Because of its deepwater habitat, very few observations of the frilled shark have been made in its natural environment. Looking at it’s stomach contents however, indicates that it mostly preys on deep water squid and a variety of fish, including other sharks. While it is unclear exactly how the frilled shark feeds, the fact that its jaws can open extremely wide suggests that it may actively take prey over one and a half times its own length.
SO NOT ONLY DOES THIS GUY HAVE WHAT CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS A NIGHTMARE CHEESE GRATER FOR A MOUTH, BUT IT TAKES ON OTHER SHARKS THAT COULD BE ONE AND A HALF TIMES ITS OWN BODY LENGTH.
The ladybird spider is one of the rarest spiders found in the UK, but are also found scattered across the rest of northern and central Europe.
The males are just unbelievably snazzy (he looks like he’s got a teeny tiny apron on). They have a bright orangey-red back with four large black spots just above two smaller ones - hence where they get their adorablename.
Females and juvenile males are all black and quite a bit larger. Although the females may not be as flashy as the adult males, they deserve an award for mum of the year without a doubt.
The female will rarely leave her burrow and the male only emerges for two weeks in May to breed. After mating, the female lays up to 80 eggs in an adorable little cocoon and guards them until the spiderlings (cutest name for a baby animal EVER) hatch in July or August. She feeds them entirely on her regurgitated food, until finally the spiderlings eat their own mother.
So, just to clarify, she sits and guards her eggs for two/three months in a dusty burrow, then gives them all of her food,
THEN LETS THEM EAT HER.
Female ladybird spiders - taking one for the team.
Everybody stop what you’re doing and look at this sneaky little son of a gun.
First up; what a name. I mean, seriously, satanic? Most badass name in the history of names.
Second of all, 11/10 for disguise, my good sir. How it’s possible for a lizard to resemble a dead leaf so perfectly is beyond me.
The satanic leaf-tailed gecko is endemic to Madagascar, and although individuals vary in colour, it is often mottled brown. Small black dots on the underside help distinguish it from similar species.
Not taking into account their impressive mimicry, the satanic leaf-tailed gecko is somewhat of an expert at avoiding predators through a number of other behaviours. They can completely flatten their body against whatever they’re sitting on to reduce the body’s shadow, open their jaws wide to show a frightening, bright red mouth (I’ve seen it, and yes, it is actually quite frightening), and voluntarily shed their tail in order to trick a predator.
I have legitimately never been so terrified in awe of an ant in my entire life.
Harpagoxenus sublaevis, commonly known as the slave-making ant, is an ant species found across Europe, that literally enslaves ants of other species to provide workers for it’s own colony.
What.
To begin the whole enslaving shenanigan, a queen will locate the nest of some Leptothorax ants, and releases a sexual pheromone which attracts males of her species, stimulating them to mate. Once mated, the queen will invade the nest, and literally decapitate any worker ants that try and stop her. She also secretes a sticky substance which, when smeared on Leptothorax workers, causes the defending workers to attack each other.
EACH OTHER.
And because the stuff is so sticky, it quickly spreads from worker to worker - so the queen can just casually stroll on through all the insanity and chaos she’s created, and begin her final assault on the Leptothorax queen.
Once all adult Leptothorax ants have been killed or driven away, the Harpagoxenus sublaevis queen remains with the Leptothorax brood. When they hatch, these new workers accept the Harpagoxenus sublaevis queen as their own, and start undertaking all routine tasks such as foraging, nest building and caring for the queen’s new brood.
But wait, it goes on..
The Harpagoxenus sublaevis workers that hatch from this brood will then go on to in raid new nests to keep replenishing the ‘slave’ worker force.
I’m really not sure what to even do with myself now.
The grey slender loris is a pretty odd looking primate, with its big ol’ eyes and weirdly lanky limbs.
Despite its name, this loris is not always grey and some individuals can appear quite reddish (surprise, surprise - humans mess up on the naming, AGAIN). The eyes are surrounded by a black ring, and a white line that extends down onto the nose separates the eyes.
The grey slender loris is a tree-dwelling species that moves along branches on all fours. It has adorable tiny hands, that enable it to grip the smallest of branches. It also has a special network of blood vessels in the wrists and ankles allow it to grip tightly for a few days without suffering anymuscle cramp. Pretty impressive, if you ask me.
The gray slender loris occurs in southern and eastern India and Sri Lanka, in a range of habitats including forest, plantations, and dry shrub jungles. It appears to prefer degraded forests, rather than primary forest, and is often associated with areas near human habitations
I find it very hard to take these animals seriously a lot of the time; I know from above they’re really impressive and “scary” and like WOAH DUDE.But the second you see them from below…
They’re all like OH HEY NEIGHBOUR HOW’S IT GOING I BROUGHT TACOS!
I mean, seriously guys. Just look at that face. Look at the wave.
I feel like he should be called Herman, or something.
Anyway, back to the post, (incase you hadn’t noticed) the largetooth sawfish gets its name from its long, flattened, snout, covered in a series of long, thin teeth. This may measure up to a fifth of the total length.
Sawfish are classed in the same group as sharks, skates and rays (the elasmobranchs), and despite their appearance, are actually more closely related to rays than sharks, having their gills located on the underside of the body and not on the sides.
Sawfish generally feed on small schooling fish, but are also reported to feed on crustaceans and other bottom-dwelling animals. They attack fish by slashing their ‘saw’ sideways through schools, impaling fish on their teeth (not so friendly now…).
The largetooth sawfish is found in the tropical eastern Pacific, from the Gulf of California to Ecuador; the western Atlantic, from Florida to Brazil; and the eastern Atlantic, from Portugal to Angola. It is classified as critically endangered.
