#tropical forest

[viagginterstellari]

Biotopo del Quetzal, Purulhá, 2024

[tropicalyxx]

Monica Abreu

[uncharismatic-fauna]

The spinybacked orbweaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis) is a small species of spider found throughout South America, Central America, the Caribbean islands, and the southern part of North America. They can reside in a variety of habitats, but their main home is in woodlands and dense brush. They are mainly solitary, but will sometimes coexist with other colonial orbweaver spiders.

G. cancriformis is notable for its striking appearance. The head and thorax are small and , while the thorax is quite large and lined with six sharp spines. The coloration can vary throughout the spider's distribution; generally the head and thorax are black, while the abdomen can be white, black, orange, yellow, or even blue, and the spines can be red or black. Females tend to be between 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in) long, while males are much smaller at only 2 to 3 mm (0.1 in) long.

As an orbweaver, spinybacked orbweavers build large webs to catch their prey-- mainly small insects. Every evening, a female builds a new web and a male hangs by a single thread close by. The following morning, after consuming any insects she has caught, the female will either take down or eat the web so that a new one can be constructed the following evening. Depending on the size of her prey, she may either paralyze it with a mild venom or wrap it in webbing before consumption. There are few known predators of adult spinybacked orbweavers, due to their small size and prickly defense, but the eggs are known to be parasitized by wasps.

Spiny orbweavers only live for one year, and only mate once during that period. In the spring, males court females first by drumming on her web. If she does not become aggressive, he approaches and allows her to strap him down with silk. Following copulation, the female lays an egg sac with 100 to 260 eggs on the underside of a nearby leaf, and then dies. The male typically dies several days later; it is unknown whether he mates with other females during this period. Incubation takes 2-5 weeks, and the young mature quickly over the summer.

Conservation status: The IUCN has not evaluated the spinybacked orbweaver. However, the species has a large, widespread population, and is highly adaptable to living in urban areas, and so is generally considered stable.

Photos

Scott Nelson

Judy Gallagher

Kimberlie Sasan

[shuaver]

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀: ❀ ⠀better things to do with my time ⠀⋆ . ⠀@iuyunji 𓇼⠀

[ochretreemoss]

Pandora's forest biome/Kinglor forest moodboard by me. (only with real world pictures)

[indigenouscr]

[vestaignis]

Прекрасная Малая райская птица.

Малая райская птица (лат. Paradisaea minor) — вид воробьинообразных птиц из семейства райских птиц. Птица может достигать 32 см в длину. Малая райская птица обитатель высокогорных тропических лесов Новой Гвинеи, а также распространена на близлежащих малых островах Мисоол и Япен.

Оперение Малой райской птицы отличается очень яркими цветами. Половой диморфизм у вида выражен сильно. Самцы более яркие и имеют широкий хвост, а самки меньше по размеру и окрашены в коричневые тона. Из-за яркого оперения эти птицы часто становятся добычей хищников. Они были практически истреблены людьми, которые охотились на них из-за дорогостоящих красивых перьев.

Пар эти прекрасные создания не образуют. Держатся обычно поодиночке.Оседлы или кочуют в ограниченном районе. Сооружение гнезда, насиживание яиц и выкармливание птенцов происходит без какого-либо участия со стороны самца. Во время тока на вершине дерева, имеющего мало листьев, собираются сразу 20-30 самцов этого вида и демонстрируют красоту своего оперения. При всех своей красоте райские птицы совершенно не способны издавать трели, хотя бы отдаленно напоминающие трели соловья или зяблика. Их пение напоминает скорее карканье вороны. Основы питания этих птиц составляют спелые плоды фруктовых деревьев. Нередко малые райские птицы ловят насекомых. 

Beautiful Lesser Bird of Paradise.

The Lesser Bird-of-Paradise  (lat. Paradisaea minor) is a species of passerine bird from the family of birds of paradise. The bird can reach 32 cm in length. The Lesser Bird-of-Paradise  is an inhabitant of the highland tropical forests of New Guinea, and is also common on the nearby small islands of Misool and Yapen.

The plumage of the Lesser Bird-of-Paradise  is distinguished by very bright colors. Sexual dimorphism in the species is strongly expressed. Males are brighter and have a wide tail, and females are smaller in size and colored in brown tones. Because of their bright plumage, these birds often become prey to predators. They were almost exterminated by people who hunted them for their expensive beautiful feathers.

These beautiful creatures do not form pairs. They usually live alone. They are sedentary or wander in a limited area. The nest is built, eggs are incubated and chicks are fed without any participation from the male. During the mating season, 20-30 males of this species gather at the top of a tree with few leaves and display the beauty of their plumage. Despite all their beauty, birds of paradise are completely incapable of making trills that even remotely resemble the trills of a nightingale or a chaffinch. Their singing is more reminiscent of the croaking of a crow. The main food of these birds is ripe fruits of fruit trees. Lesser Bird-of-Paradise often catch insects.

Источник:/t.me/+fxNu20lM26MwYzhi,/www.darwinmuseum.ru/subprojects/exposition/ ?hall=3&showcase=3&zone=1&id=100113, //normpost.ru/8773-malaya-rajskaya-pticza.html,//poknok.art/4262-rajskaja-ptica-samec-i-samka.html,/web-zoopark.ru/ ptitsi/ malaya _rayskaya_ptitsa.html, /artchive.ru/res/media/img/oy1200/ work/ 1e3/[email protected].

[tinylongwing]

One week on Rota, dry season 2025.