SPANISH MOON MOTH
Graellsia isabellae
©REGIS56
The Spanish Moon Moth, Graellsia isabellae, is a gorgeous moth of the silkmoth family Saturniidae. The moth is native to Spain and France.
At the end of April and beginning of May the moth begins to hatch after overwintering in the cocoon. Normally moths from the same line don’t copulate, so it is the condition that different lines are in a not too wide range. After copulation the female lays about 100 to 150 eggs on its favored food plant, pines. The larva hatch after 1 to 1.5 weeks a still begin to eat from the very hard pine needles. It takes about 1.5 month to see the last instar of the caterpillars. In the last instar the caterpillars go down from the tree to pupate under leaves on the ground. In this phase the pupae in the cocoon overwinters until next springtime.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graellsia_isabellae
The Moon Moths are among my favorite Moths, they are just beautiful and elegant, wonderful colors and such nice variety among them. Enjoy!
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NORTHERN TAMANDUA
Tamandua mexicana
©Kotbaum
Tamandua is a genus of anteaters. They live in forests and grasslands of Central and South America. They are somewhat-arboreal, and possess partially prehensile tails. They prefer ants and termites, but they occasionally eat bees, beetles, and insect larvae. They have no teeth and depend on their powerful gizzard to break down their food.
When aggravated, tamanduas communicate by hissing and farting — well, releasing an unpleasant scent from their anal gland. If threatened while residing in the trees, it grasps a branch with its hind feet and tail, leaving its arms and long, curved claws free for combat. If on the ground, it backs up against a rock or tree and wrestles the opponent with its powerful forearms.
Tamanduas have small eyes and poor vision, they rely more on their sense of smell and hearing. Tamanduas are able to extract their prey by using their extremely strong forearms to rip open nests. They lick up insects with their elongated snouts and rounded tongues, which can reach up to 40 cm in length.
These animals, though widespread, are uncommon. Claiming that they kill their dogs, tamanduas are often killed by hunters. They are also hunted for the thick tendons in their tails, which are used to make rope. Tamanduas are sometimes used by Amazonian Indians to rid their homes of ants and termites.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamandua
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MOSSY LEAF TAILED GECKO
Uroplatus sikorae
©Gregory and Mary Beth Dimijian
It may look like this lizard has been overrun with moss, but save your sympathy — that’s its skin. This is the mossy leaf-tailed gecko, a master of disguise found only in the forests of Madagascar
Since these geckos live in trees, they’ve evolved moss- and bark-colored skin, complete with “dermal flaps” that break up their outline. But they also have another trick up their sleeves: Much like chameleons, they can change their skin color to match the background. Despite these hiding skills, however, the species is still considered vulnerable to extinction, due to habitat loss as well as hunting for the international pet trade.
Source: http://www.mnn.com/
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RED-BEARDED BEE EATER with Cicada*
Nyctyornis amictus
© Mike (NO captive birds) in Thailand
The Red-bearded Bee-eater is a large species of bee-eater found in the Indo-Malayan sub-region of South-east Asia. This species is found in openings in patches of dense forest.
Like other bee-eaters, they are colourful birds with long tails, long decurved beaks and pointed wings. They are large bee-eaters, predominantly green, with a red colouration to face that extends on to the slightly hanging throat feathers to form the “beard”.
Like other bee-eaters, they predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps and hornets, which are caught in flight from perches concealed in foliage. They hunt alone or in pairs, rather than in flocks, and sit motionless for long periods before pursuing their prey.
Like other bee-eaters, they nest in burrows tunnelled into the side of sandy banks, but do not form colonies.
*Cicada = Cryptotympana aquila (female)
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-bearded_Bee-eater
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COMMON BARON CATERPILLAR
Euthalia aconthea
©WohinAuswandern
Look closely — there’s a caterpillar on that leaf…now that’s excellent camouflage!
If you’re a hungry bird in western Malaysia, good luck finding any common baron caterpillars. Plenty of other butterfly larvae blend in with local plants, but few can vanish into vegetation like the baron. Baron caterpillars evolved their elaborate shapes and colors for that single purpose: hiding from predators. This boosts their odds of becoming common baron butterflies, and therefore reproducing. Native to India and Southeast Asia, barons often feed on the leaves of mango trees, like this one in a Kuala Lumpur garden. That can sour their relationship with mango farmers, though — yet another reason camo comes in handy.
Source: http://www.mnn.com/common-baron-caterpillar
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GREEN BANDED URANIA
Urania leilus
©Eric Hovarth
The Green-banded Urania, Urania leilus, is a day-flying moth of the Uraniidae family. It is found in South America and the Caribbean, including Trinidad, Surinam, French Guyana, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, St. Kitts and Dominica.
Its habitat consists of riverbanks in primary and secondary rainforest at elevations between sea level and about 800 meters.
The wingspan is about 70 millimetres (2.8 in).
The larvae are believed to feed on Omphalea species.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urania_leilus
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Teal Butterfly - anyone know the ID on this one?
Thermoregulation in SAILFISH, SHARKS and other fish — for @yuribosch
Pictured:
ATLANTIC SAILFISH
Istiophorus albicans
©OceanwideImages.com
There are some sharks that are homeothermic, which implies that their body temperature is always slightly higher than that of the water of their environment. This extra heat is generated by a strip of red muscle (as opposed to white muscle) that runs along the center core of the fish’s body. This aerobic muscle is surrounded by the ‘rete mirabile,’ a web of veins and arteries around the muscle that uses a countercurrent flow of blood within its complex to exchange heat, gases and ions faster and better. The blood that has been warmed by increased muscle activity is carried through this network and the heat is exchanged back into the blood traveling to the muscles. Heat is thus generated and maintained regardless of the temperature of the water outside the body; it is constant. This is unlike poikilotherms, whose body temperature is dictated largely by the water in which they are swimming. The Great White Shark, Porbeagle and Mako Shark are common examples of homeotherms.
Some sharks and other fish (like Sailfish and Tuna) are even able to keep certain areas of their body (such as their eyes and brains) warmer than the others so that their functionality is not negotiated even when their muscles and metabolism slow down.
The warmer the body needs to be kept, the more the animal needs to eat. This is to increase its energy stores. As the body temperature increases, the muscles work stronger and harder, the heart beats better, the gut’s digestion improves and the rate of metabolism increases.
Source: http://www.sharks.org.za/thermoregulation.html
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BLUE SOLDIER FLY
Family: Stratiomyidae
©artour_a
Shot in Guyana
The soldier flies (Stratiomyidae, sometimes misspelled as Stratiomyiidae. From Greek στρατιώτης - soldier; μυια - fly), are a family of flies (historically placed in the now-obsolete group Orthorrhapha). The family contains about 1,500 species in about 400 genera worldwide (I couldn’t find any as pretty as this one but it was photographed by artour_a in Guyana).
Adults are found near larval habitats. Larvae can be found in a diverse array of situations mostly in wetlands and damp places in soil, sod, under bark, and in animal excrement and decaying organic matter. They are diverse in size and shape, though they commonly are partly or wholly metallic green, or somewhat wasp-like mimics, marked with black and yellow or green and sometimes metallic. They are often rather inactive flies which typically rest with their wings placed one above the other over the abdomen.
Fact: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratiomyidae
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Stalk-eyed Fly - pushing eye distance from the head to new limits (also video)
By Request - Animals that begin with Q
I love this question, especially as the letter Q figures prominently in my name and as the quiet, quirky, questioning Q gets so little attention compared to the the rest of the alphabet.
Pictured:
a pair of Australian EASTERN QUOLL
Dasyurus viverrinus
By Michael J. Barritt
True Q Animals (that are not extinct)
the underscored names are animals that we have covered on this blog.
These are (in my opinion) cheaters - the type of Horse is a quarter horse…the type of Angelfish is a Queen Angel…and so on…
Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_some_animals_that_begin_with_the_letter_Q#ixzz1UxjjLYde
VARIABLE BUSH VIPER
Atheris squamigera
by Thor Hakonsen
Atheris squamigera is a venomous viper species found in west and central Africa. Grows to an average length of 1-1/2 to 2 feet in length (46–60 cm), with a maximum of at least 78 cm (30”). Females are usually larger than males. The head is broad and flat, distinct from the neck. The mouth has a very large gape. The head is thickly covered with keeled, imbricate scales. Bites from this particular species have resulted in at least one report of severe hematological complications as well as two deaths.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheris_squamigera
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Bleeding HORSESHOE CRABs to Save Lives
Limulus polyphemus
Chances are you owe your life to the horseshoe crab. In the 50s, scientists discovered that LAL (Limulus amoebocyte lysate), a clotting agent found in the critter’s blue blood, binds to fungi and endotoxins, coagulating into a gel around such invaders. The result: a simple way to detect impurities in pharmaceutical drugs. Drug developer Charles River harvests crabs (and their blood) without killing them. In the photo their body is folded so that a needle can be inserted.
Valued at over $10,000 a liter, Charles River sells LAL-based tests to clients who use them to check everything from the fluid in an IV bag to medications for soldiers.
The crabs are bled and returned to the sea in the same day - 85% survive the ordeal.
Source: http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2011/08/start/catch-drain-release
—-
It’s blue, comes from a creature more ancient than dinosaurs, and saves countless human lives. +
I had heard their blood was used medically before but not how efficient it was… Live “crabs” are returned to the sea and there is about a 15% mortality rate.
Horseshoe crabs are not crabs, not even crustaceans, but members of the subphylum Chelicerata, which also includes scorpions, spiders and mites.
Okay, this is a post on SHARKS so…what’s up with the cute PIG photo? Well, let’s put things into perspective - more people are killed globally by pigs each year (40 in the US and Canada alone) compared to only 8-12 who are killed as a result of a shark attack.
Photo Credit: ©http://www.swineservices.ca/
SHARK FACTS:
Source: http://www.dailyscubadiving.com/all-about-sharks/
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SEA GOLDIE*
Pseudanthias squamipinnis
By doug.deep/Doug Anderson
The sea goldie is found in the western Indian Ocean including the Red Sea, and in the Pacific Ocean as far east as Japan and southeast Australia. It is absent from the Persian Gulf and Oman
This species shows marked sexual dimorphism;
Like other anthias (Anthiinae) the sea goldie is a protogynous hermaphrodite; a male retains a harem of 5-10 females, but when the male dies one of the females will undergo sex reversal and take the place of the missing male.
*Doug had this labeled as Jeweled Fairy Basslet but the scientific name links to the Sea Goldie and the description matches pretty well. Anyone?
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_goldie
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ASIAN PARADISE FLYCATCHER
Terpsiphone paradisi
© junis_sp
Asian Paradise-flycatchers are noisy birds uttering sharp skreek calls. They have short legs and sit very upright whilst perched prominently, like a shrike. They are insectivorous and hunt in flight in the understorey. In the afternoons they dive from perches to bathe in small pools of water.
The breeding season is from May to July. Three or four eggs are laid in a neat cup nest made with twigs and spider webs on the end of a low branch. The nest is sometimes built in the vicinity of a breeding pair of drongos, which keep predators away. The eggs are incubated by male and female. Chicks hatch in about 21 to 23 days. A case of interspecific feeding has been noted with Paradise Flycatcher chicks fed by Oriental White-eyes.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise-flycatcher
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LONG-TAILED SKIPPER
Urbanus proteus
by PrimevalNature.com
The Long-tailed Skipper is a butterfly found throughout tropical and subtropical America, south to Argentina and north into the southern part of the United States of America. It cannot live in areas with prolonged frost. It is a showy butterfly, with wings of light brown tinted with iridescent blue, and two long tails extending from the hindwings. The robust body is light blue dorsally. It has a large head, prominent eyes, and a wingspan between 4.5 and 6 centimeters.
The caterpillar of this skipper is a common pest of crops, especially beans, in the southern United States. For this reason, it is sometimes called the bean leafroller in that area. The caterpillars are also known to attack ornamental plants in the legume family. The caterpillars feed on leaves and then roll the leaves around themselves, lining the cavity with silk, to pupate. The adults feed on nectar from flowers.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-tailed_Skipper
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