#water fauna

[loudlylovingreview]

Lauren Magliozzi: Urban wildfires disrupt streams and their tiny inhabitants − losing these insects is a warning of bigger water problems

A tiny, vibrant world thrives along the rocky bottom of most streams. As sunlight filters through the water, mayfly nymphs, no larger than your fingernail, cling to algae-coated cobbles. Their brushlike mouthparts scrape the greenish coating, leaving faint trails as they feed. Six spindly legs anchor them against the current, while feathery gills wave gently, drawing oxygen from the flowing…

[niurd]

instagram.com/p/C9uG9Dhv7JP/?igsh=MXZmbHlkZzhpNTd0NQ==

[fortunatelyperfectcreator]

[uncharismatic-fauna]

A Dive into the Diving Spider

The diving spider, or water spider (Argyroneta aquatica) is perhaps one of the most unique arachnid species on Earth, noted for living almost entire life completely underwater. This species is found throughout northern Europe and Asia in clear freshwater ponds, lakes, wetlands, and slow-moving rivers with lots of aquatic vegetation.

Like other spiders, the water spider does breathe air. When submerged, specialized hydrophobic hairs create an air bubble attached to its abdomen, which allows the spider to store oxygen while moving around underwater. In addition, these spiders build a web known as diving-bell webs. These webs, constructed of spider silk, are constructed underwater, and supplied with air bubbles from the surface. A. aquatica spends most of its time in these webs, leaving only to replenish its air supply-- about once every 24 hours-- or to find prey.

The diving bell spider's prey are, unsurprisingly, primarily insects. In particular they feed on water fleas, aquatic isopods, insect larvae, and small crustaceans like shrimp. Individuals catch their prey by hiding inside their webs until prey trips one of the trip-wires constructed in the surrounding vegetation. They then surge out, seize their prey, and drag it back into the air-filled web where the spider can digest it. Predators of water spiders include aquatic beetles, dragonfly larvae, and frogs. Fish can also predate upon water spiders, but they are usually scarce due to the low aquatic oxygen environment in which the spiders live.

Ordinarily, A. aquatica is a fairly plain, brown spider. Males are slightly larger than females; 18.7 mm (0.74 in) to their 13.1 mm (0.51 in) in length; this is a rare phenomenon in spiders, as females are typically larger. Males also have a longer pair of front legs. However, females were found to construct much larger nests, as they must also provide space for their eggs and young.

When a male is ready to mate, which occurs during spring, he will construct several sperm packages that he holds in his palps, or mouth appendages, while he seeks out potential mates. If he finds a receptive mate, the two will engage in a swimming ritual around her web before he gives her one of his sperm packages. Afterwards, the female constructs a sac with 50-100 eggs; she may do this up to 6 times throughout a single year. The eggs hatch 3-4 weeks after laying, and the offspring remain in the nest for another 2-4 weeks. Individuals typically become sexually mature not long after, and may live up to 2 years in the wild.

The water spider can deliver a painful bite, with symptoms of inflammation, vomiting, and fever lasting 5-10 days. However, the bite is not known to be fatal to humans.

Conservation status: The diving bell spider has not been evaluated by the IUCN. The primary threat is likely habitat destruction, although at least one area in South Korea has been designated specifically as protected habitat for the species.

Want to request an uncharismatic critter? Just send me proof of donation to any of these vetted fundraisers for Palestinian refugees!

Photos

Stephan Hetz

[noseysilverfox]

November 2024

The everyday life of Caspian turtles, striped-neck terrapin (lat. Mauremys caspica)🐢

Будничная жизнь каспийских черепах (лат. Mauremys caspica)🐢

[lovehina019]

[lnocencia]

[shanks]

WaterRing

[kayoshibe]

Goth Fauna REAL

[visionsofpandora]

The not so lil baby zakru in the heart of the plains 😍

[kimlion1313]

Big pelican love

Sebastian Inlet, FL - Nov 24

[eywaseclipse]

Neytiri’s Selfcare Day Headcanon

Authors Note: Found this in my drafts with some dust collecting lol

Neytiri’s self care day:🦋✨🌱🥭🌲🍯

It’s rare enough for Neytiri to get a day of solitude let alone the time to take extra care of herself away from the kids

She feels guilty at first when she leaves Jake alone with all of them, but he constantly reassures her to go for the day and enjoy herself

She starts off with a hunt. Nothing makes her feel more exhilarated than going back to her roots as a hunter

She typically cleans herself in the communal hot springs on busy days with the clan, even though the family of the Olo’eyktan has a private spot

She makes use of the privacy for once and brings all her salves and scrubs

She loves exfoliating her scalp with a homemade scrub, and then lathering her braids with liquid from the Panopyra plant

She decides that if she’s going to really take care of her hair, she might as well just unbraid her luxurious locks and really get into it

She loves using the healing rose oil to care for her braids and rub gingerly onto her scalp helping to lock in the moisture

She uses the humid air to air dry her hair which is quite wavy out of her braids

She’ll go and find a giant tree branch in the canopy after collecting some fruits and just sit there for a bit enjoying the sounds of the jungle

She snacks on bananafruit, bladder polyps she packed earlier, and some episoth seeds

She can’t help herself and thinks about the kids so she ends up collecting a bunch of rocks that remind her of them

She will take her time rebraiding her hair gently weaving it all together. After she’s done she’ll finish up with some more oil like Lionberry oil to keep her hair shiny and healthy

She loves the Forest Hive Nectar. Clear in color and floral in scent, it makes an excellent moisturizer when combined with some ground up dried Vineshrooms to make a paste, and will rub it into her skin all over her body and face which acts as a nice moisturizer. It has a nice minty smell to it

After a little nap she collects some herbs for her mother and Kiri smiling about it as she harvests them and makes her way back home feeling relaxed and rejuvenated

[helluvatimes]

An Open-And-Shut Case

Nymphaea rubra blooming in the Symphony Lake. Photo credit: Jonathan Chua.

They were all brilliantly opened when we passed by them in the morning. But some hours later in the hot afternoon when we walked by again, all of them were already closed up.

[nemfrog]

African fauna. The winners in life's race. 1891. Book cover.

Internet Archive

[noseysilverfox]

Flowering rush or grass rush (lat. Butomus umbellatus).

A perennial herbaceous plant growing along the shores of reservoirs among other tall marsh grass. Dry rhizomes contain 60% starch, 14% protein, and 4% fat. From one kilogram of rhizomes, 250 grams of flour are obtained, from which bread or tortillas are then baked. 

I would also like to note that flowering rush is an excellent honey plant, and its flowers can have a pleasant vanilla aroma.🌿

Сусак зонтичный, хлебница, ситный хлеб (лат. Bútomus umbellátus).

Многолетнее травянистое растение, растущее вдоль берегов водоёмов среди другой высокой болотной травы. В сухих корневищах содержится 60 % крахмала, 14 % белка, 4 % жира. Из одного килограмма корневищ получается 250 граммов муки, из которой потом пекут хлеб или лепешки.  Также хочется отметить, что сусак является отличным медоносом, а его цветки могут иметь приятный ванильный аромат.🌿

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Surprising Black Swans

A popular ornamental waterbird in Europe and North America, the black swan (Cygnus atratus) is a species of swan endemic to Australia and New Zealand. In both their native and introduced ranges they can be found near bodies of fresh or salt water, especially lakes and wetlands with plenty of aquatic vegetation. The species is highly nomadic, and migrate based on yearly rainfall patterns.

Black swans are the second largest swan species, with a maximum weight of 9 kg (19.8 lbs) and a wingspan of 2 m (6.6 ft). Despite being smaller, black swans have the longest neck of any swan. Males, also known as cobs, are slight larger than females-- aka pens. As their name suggests, C. atratus has black plumage, although the flight feathers on their wings are white. The beak is a bright red with a white stripe, thought to be indication of an individuals health and sexual maturity.

Like all swans, the black swan mates for life. In addition to their high fidelity rates, C. atratus is also unique for its high rates of homosexual couples; about 25% of pairings are between individuals of the same sex (primarily males). These mates are known to steal eggs from other nests or form temporary ‘throuples’ with a member of the opposite sex, and some research has shown that homosexual couples are more than twice as likely to successfully raise their young as heterosexual couples.

The mating season for black swans occurs from February to September. While pairs are generally solitary, groups will nest in the same area to increase the chances of finding a mate and decrease the risk of predation. Pairs form when one an individual approaches another and initiates a ritual known as the Triumph Ceremony, in which the individual extends their wings and calls out. If the mate is receptive, they will repeat the gesture, and the pair will then go through a synchronous dance to solidify their pairing. This ceremony is repeated multiple times throughout each breeding season to strengthen the pair’s bond and affirm that between parent and chick.

Females lay 5 or 6 eggs in a clutch, and will alternate incubating them with her partner for 35 to 48 days. After hatching, the young- also known as cygnets- are fairly precocial but will stay in or near the nest for 2 to 3 weeks. It takes up to 6 months for them to completely lose their grey down and grow their adult plumage, though they remain with their family units for up to 9 months. Once they have fully fledged, juveniles join groups of other cygnets for 1-2 years, at which point they become sexually mature.

Black swans can present an intimidating threat to potential predators, so there are few animals that attack fully grown adults. However, eggs and young cygnets can be a target for ravens, birds of prey, and rodents. C. atratus themselves are herbivores and feed primarily on aquatic vegetation.

Conservation status: the IUCN has classified the black swan as Least Concern, and their native populations are stable.

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Photos

Damian Shaw

Richard Tommy Campion

Susan Marley via iNaturalist