The Nature Chaser @thenaturechaser - Tumblr Blog

Random fact: Although jumping spiders can't move their eyes, they can move their retinas to change their field of view. It's as if they're looking through a window.

If the spider is clear enough, you can even see the retinas moving through the cephalothorax:

Image sources: Melvyn Yeo, M.F. Land, and wmaddisn

aesthesiamag

Glass Frog Looks Like a Glowing Constellation in the Rainforest

The Slope-snouted Glass Frog (Cochranella euknemos) is a species of spotted glass frog considered rare in both Costa Rica and Panama but common in Colombia. It gets its name from the extra wisp of white skin that flanks the outlines of its smooth, greenish-blue body. When it comes time to conceal itself, the extra skin comes in handy. The frog is able to almost adhere perfectly to a leaf by pressing its body flat against the surface. The yellow spots that fleck its tiny body are supposed to look like dots of sunlight streaming onto the “nothing-out-of-the-ordinary-here” leaf. It almost looks like it’s a constellation within the dark rainforest.

The fringe-limbed tree frog’s skin is so translucent that its intestines and heart can even be seen when you view the creature from below.

adulthooliganism

im sorry he just literally looks like a little pizza

bunjywunjy

Spare some albatross facts?

albatrosses of all species mate for life, which is a big honkin' deal for a bird that lives for well north of 60 years!

when an albatross reaches sexual maturity, it will attend a yearly gathering of other single albatrosses of its own kind, whereupon it will perform a long, complicated, and EXTREMELY bizarre courtship with its chosen paramour until they seal the deal! TILL DEATH DO US PART.

(not all mated pairs are male-female, either! there's also a fair number of male-male and female-female pairs out there who just decided they liked each other better than the opposite sex, and baby, that's just natural.)

the albatross pair will spend most of their time apart, drifting gently around the world on the ocean air currents thousands of miles apart. but when the time comes around to make another, smaller albatross, they'll return to the same place they first said their vows to find each other and get crackin'!

they then proceed to create and raise a beautiful baby muppet together, and the circle of life goes on.

bunjywunjy

Can I have some facts for the truly cursed vampire bats?

all bats can fly, but vampire bats are the only bats that can also run!

these tiny bloodslurpers can use their wing forelimbs to do kind of an awkward bounding sprint, like a gorilla in a hurry.

they can scoot around at nearly 3 mph like this, which might not seem like much- but remember that we're talking about an animal that's only a few inches tall, here, and that other bats are limited to a hurried crawl if they encounter a sticky situation on the ground.

yes, if you want the ability to fly, but ALSO want to retain the power to perform an Ominous Strut, best to be a vampire bat!

marlynnofmany

I am so glad I can appreciate the adorableness of these little weirdos. If I was creeped out by bats, these ones would probably be right off the freak-o-meter. But look at that cute little run! Like itty bitty bitey pterodactyls.

wizardhecker

Hey heads up Buglr! Hopefully we get more information from Bioquip directly about this soon but if confirmed this will be a devestating loss to the entomology world, and if you've been putting off buying supplies you should get that in now.

bunjywunjy

So I was at a zoo today and came across an animal that was new to me.

The gelada. The sign said they were herbivores but the picture showing the truly impressive canine teeth gave me pause. Why would a monkey have such teeth if they don't eat meat?

for the most pants-shittingly terrifying threat display in the entire animal kingdom, of course!

(also the lady geladas really dig 'em.)

freefallingup13

By chance, does their diet consist of hard fruits? I always figured that was the reason for any herbivore having sharp teeth.

bunjywunjy

no actually, they mostly just eat grass! like a fuckin cow.

man, imagine if cows came preloaded with that set of fangs.

oarfjsh

as a vegetarian with anger issues, this is an entire Vibe

moth-a-day

Interesting moth for today!

The Rusty tussock moth

The interesting part of these things is the fact that this is a male

And this is a female

The female doesn't have wings and is very fat

Very cool moth not much to say other than that

(Images credit)

lichenaday

Usnea longissima

Old man’s beard, Methuselah’s beard lichen, bearded lichen, hanging hair

This lichen is on my list of things I wanna see before I die! U. longissima is a fruticose lichen and is the longest lichen in the world! No surprise there. It can grow to be over 30cm long. Besides its shear length, it is characterized by light yellow-green coloration, short side branches along that long stem, and tendency to hang pendulum like down from conifer branches. U. longissima is found growing in boreal and coastal forests in the northern hemisphere, though its range used to be entirely global. Usneas are known to be very nitrogen sensitive, so are only found growing in areas with little air pollution, and populations have been decreasing in recent years because you know, air pollution and deforestation and all the other stuff we are doing to the environment. There are other fruticose lichens that can also look fluffy like this guy, but if you want to know if the beardy lichen near you is an Usnea, give the central stem a gentle tug, and if it feels elastic, you have yourself an Usnea, and if it is longer than you are tall, it is probs definitely U. logissima.

Follow for more cool lichen stuff!

Source | Source | Source | Source

lichenaday

Hey-yo! Name update! Reintroducing:

Dolichousnea longissima

It’s funny how long a name update can take. This new epithet has been recognized since 2004, and still lots of information isn’t quite up to date.

Just spectacular, aren’t they?

images and info: source

angelnumber27

Me and my mutuals

is-the-bug-video-cute

This photo itself isn't terrible, though I question why you would put together a Deroplatys lobata and (presumably) a Hierodula patellifera, both of which appear to be female. It's not bad, as long as it's just for a quick photo op, but it is weird. As most mantises are territorial, it's presumed that they would be stressed out by the close proximity of other mantises.

In any case, this photo is clearly staged. The mantises have been posed by the photographer - likely through physical force.

The photo was taken by Riza Arif Pratama, a pseudo-nature photographer who buys animals from pet stores and forces them into humanoid, or otherwise 'whimsical' poses. He also has a fondness of staging unsafe or stressful interactions between different species. Here are some examples:

Methods employed by these pseudo-nature photographers (other than buying exotic animals, instead of finding them in the wild) include photoshop, using dead animals, putting animals in the fridge so they enter a torpor, and tying the animals up with string.

Let's not normalize touching and manipulating animals who don't enjoy it. Put a silly hat on your dog and do a fun little dance with your cat all you want - just leave the fragile, anti-social, wild, easily stressed prey animals out of that nonsense.

Further reading:

http://heejennwei.blogspot.com/2013/08/pseudo-nature-photographers-of-indonesia.html

https://petapixel.com/2015/03/05/a-frog-riding-a-beetle-is-this-a-real-wildlife-photo-or-a-bunch-of-bs/

onenicebugperday

I just assumed it was photoshopped since there’s no reason for these two species to be together and “holding hands.” I’m definitely familiar with that photographer and his dubious ethics, though. Hopefully no mantids were hurt during the photoshoot!

only-tiktoks

bogleech

This mating method is actually not the norm for other slug species and this is possibly better footage than has ever been taken for science.

onenicebugperday

I recall a David Attenborough doc with great footage of it, but I forget which one.

For those who don’t know, leopard slugs are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female sexual organs. They can self-fertilize, but they can also reproduce sexually, which is preferred for genetic diversity. They use this mating method to swap sperm. The big white things they evert from their bodies and intertwine are their penises. They would have a hard time everting them without hanging as they are very large :)

noisetank01

@bogleech @onenicebugperday

One of my all-time-favorites!!

onenicebugperday

Yes, that’s the one I was thinking of :)

libutron

Ornate Sapsucking Slug (Ornate Elysia)

Elysia ornata is a sea slug in the Family Plakobranchidae (Order Sacoglossa). Its body is a translucent leaf-green in color with speckles of white and black. The parapodial margin is black with a yellow or orange submarginal band. The green rhinophores are usually black-tipped, but can also have orange bands (as shown).

It is also known as Ornate Leaf Slug. They feed on green algae (Bryopsis sp.), and reaches a length of 5cm.

This species is circumtropical and can be found both in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean.

Reference: [1]

Locality: Off the coast of Paradise island Beach Resort, Samal Island, Philippines (less than 10m depth)

onenicebugperday

Bunny harvestman, Metagryne bicolumnata, Cosmetidae

Harvestmen are arachnids, but not spiders. They have no venom glands and are harmless to people.

Photos of this species posted here if you’d like to view or reblog.

Recorded in Ecuador by Andreas Kay

onenicebugperday

Could you post some ant-related things in honor of E.O. Wilson? I just read that he passed away :(

I heard! RIP, Ant Man.

I can look for some nice ant photos to post in the future when I have time, but in the meantime, here are some full-length documentaries on ants that are free on youtube. I have watched both and both are super interesting!

And also if you're interested youtube has a ton of speeches and interviews from E.O. Wilson if you search his name that are definitely worth listening to. He has some great insights.

And here's a PBS documentary about E.O. Wilson you can watch for free on PBS's website (with commercials).