Real Monstrosities

Real, live MONSTERS! from realmonstrosities.com

[notmusa]

tiddy

[cephalopodqueen]

…I was unprepared for this, somehow

[rslashrats]

the lesser mole rat is an absolute fucking unit

[kolkwitzia]

[l-ile]

[vladtheunfollower]

absolute madman

[maeborowski]

self portrait

[theoctonation]

“The cockatoo squid, Taonius sp. has large eyes bulging from its head and photophores, or light organs, under the eyes.

Many deep-sea animals have specialized eyes for seeing in the dim light.

This squid is found in the deep midwater below 300 meters, often hanging motionless with their arms above their body”

@mbari-blog

Shared Via: OctoNation- The Largest Octopus Fan Club - Instagram.com/OctoNation

[sinobug]

Giant Bark Mantis (Theopompa sp., Liturgusidae) by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr. Pu'er, Yunnan, China See more Chinese praying mantids on my Flickr site HERE…..

[end0skeletal]

Stegodyphus mimosarum by Gianmarco Spagnoli

[bevvy-yt]

Horrifying! Repulsive! Downright stomach churning…

For our daft monkey brains, the sight of a the tailless whip scorpion of the order amblypygi certainly isn’t a pleasant one. But fear not! These critters are completely harmless and fascinating. 

Lacking venom, they pose absolutely no threat to humans. However, arthropods and even the small vertebrates that occupy the leaf litter and fallen logs of the world’s tropics should certainly fear the mantis-like grabbing appendages of this predator.

Similar to its other arachnid relatives, including spiders and true scorpions, amblypygi have eight legs. Only six of these are grown for walking though, the anterior pair have become specialised whip-like sensory organs that act as antennae, and are the structures that give these animals their name.

Most interestingly, these creatures are among the few arachnids to exhibit social behaviour. A female and her backpack nest of tiny young riding along for the adventure communicate through their antennae-like front legs, although for now the exact purpose of this is a mystery. Perhaps they just enjoy a nice chat?

[sinobug]

Horned Leaf-rolling Weevils (Lamprolabus bihastatus, Attelabidae) by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr. Pu’er, Yunnan, China See more Chinese beetles on my Flickr site HERE…..

[ecuadorlife]

Stick Grasshopper, Apioscelis sp., Proscopiidae, freshly molted by Andreas Kay Via Flickr: from Ecuador: www.flickr.com/andreaskay/albums

[bunjywunjy]

KSJDFKJSDHGKSLGFSD

[anudibranchaday]

The Hypselodoris obscura is a dorid nudibranch that feeds on only sponges. Growing to be about 6cm long, it lives from southeast Australia to south New South Wales.

[coralmorphologic]

Phymanthus crucifer

[anudibranchaday]

This nudibranch, a member of the Tritonia genus, has a very interesting body shape and colour. It is not a Dorid or Aeolid nudibranch, as most are, but rather a Dendronotid, meaning it is closely related to the Melibe genus (the ones with expandable mouths). Tritonia is a very large genus, consisting of over 80 different species!

[psychedelicinsects]

Derbid Planthoppers are easily recognizable by their googly eyes and their habit of holding up their oversized wings. These cute little creatures eat mosses and fungi and create a waxy substance that allows them to have a better grip on leaves. These insects are not only beautiful, but still quite mysterious, considering not much research has been done on them.

Order: Hemiptera Family: (Derbidae) Photograph taken in Malaysia, courtesy of Simon Shim

[proboscismonkey]

Some very close-up pictures of some proboscis monkeys.

Primates can identify each other because every individual has a unique face. If you look closely, you can see what makes each of these monkeys special, too!

[wehaveproof]

via: cephalopoda North Pacific Giant Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini)

Photo by: JcRowland

[sinobug]

Fruit Piercing Moth (Eudocima aurantia, Calpinae, Erebidae) by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr. Pu'er, Yunnan, China See more Chinese moths on my Flickr site HERE…..