Another favorite TED talk. David Gallo shows video footage of luminescent deep-sea creatures and camouflaging cephalopods. Have I mentioned lately that I can’t stop thinking about cuttlefish?
Vodpod videos no longer available.
Posted in Nature, Science, Animals, Earth
Tagged animals, camouflauge, cephalopods, cuttlefish, David Gallo, ocean, octopus, squid, TED, Underwater Astonishments
Macropinna Microstoma is a deep sea fish that has adapted to its dark habitat with tubular eyes, encapsulated in a transparent head. The eyes can rotate around inside the skull as needed to catch its prey. The two dark spots that we would recognize as eyes are actually its olfactory organs. If there is a god, he’s wicked creative.
Here is an article by The Monterey Aquarium with more details. And below is a video.
Apparently I accidentally deleted my post about the Ching Farm Animal Rescue & Sanctuary from last week.
Here’s a summary.
1. Geese are bullies.
2. Emus are assholes.
3. All of the other farm animals are wonderful little critters and can be fabulous pets.
4. They’re doing wonderful work at the sanctuary but its expensive and laborious. You can help by volunteering, adopting, sponsoring an animal or donating money.
Posted in Causes, Nature, Science, Animals, Earth
Tagged animals, Ching Farm, volunteering
Today is the 200th birthday of the father of modern biology, Charles Darwin. Darwin introduced us to a new human history. One in which humans are not divine creatures, created and chosen by god, but just another species of animal that evolved from a common ancestor. This, of course, was incredibly influential in how we view ourselves today. Hopefully, with Darwin’s help, we can fully realize the importance of other animals and help to preserve them instead of continuing on this path to an inhabitable world.
To aid in this realization, I’ve posted a few pics of some creatures that have evolved in very strange ways. I’ve spruced-up a few of the “less attractive” characters (to help them in the process of mate selection, of course). I think Chuck D would be proud.
Orchid Mantis
Sperm Whale
Siamang
Blobfish
Gerenuk
Bald Uakari
Pygmy Seahorse
I’d also like to recommend a wonderful book by one of my heroes, E.O. Wilson. The Creation: An appeal to save life on earth is a plea for the religious and scientific communities to find the common ground that will be imperative to breathing health back into our planet and stopping the mass extinction of plants and animals that is happening today.
Battle Bunny 