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Let’s Talk About Animals (Part Two)

The second part of the series features a few of my favorite invertebrates from selected phyla (selected only because I don’t have any favorite flatworm, nematode, sponge and so on) and, again, why I like them.

A. Velvet Worms

Actually, velvet worms have a phylum of their own. Just featuring them because they’re like the superheroes of worms, shooting out a glue-like substance at a high pressure. Plus they're cute and happy.

B. Arthropods 

Where do I even begin? This is such a large and common classification that it’s hard to choose only a few.

1. Insects

a. Death’s Head Moth

Yes, the Silence of the Lambs moth. Often referenced in literature and movies, this moth used to be a symbol of bad omen, death and madness because of its skull-like markings. (See King George III’s death bed in 1801)

b. Orchid Mantis

Been a fan of mantises ever since. It’s actually one of the few insects I can touch. We already know the sharp, quick scythes plus the post-mating murder going on, but also, look at its flower-like appearance!

c. Nessaea Butterfly

Not a big fan of butterflies, but this species is something else. She made me realize how special the color blue is. To give you a background, blue, apparently, is very rare in nature. Unlike other animals that appear to be blue, this butterfly is the only one that has blue pigmentation. All the others are blue because of their molecular structure that allows only blue light to reflect (see Morpho Butterfly).

d. Tortoise Beetle

I have a thing for gold-tops. I saw this once in my college campus and I just never forgot about it.

e. Pink Katydid

Pink Katydids are kind of rare, but just imagine if a swarm were flying all at once. It would be so pretty.

f. Glow Worm

Nothing too special about this insect, except that in their larva form, they emit light. Conveniently so, they come in hordes and dwell in dark caves, creating such a sight.

2. Arachnids 

I personally hate anything eight-legged despite many cool species of spider, scorpion and amblypygi (okay, eww, maybe not amblypygi). I don’t have a favorite, but...

a. Ladybird Mimic Spider

For PSA purposes, just so people know that just because it looks like a cute ladybird beetle, doesn’t mean it actually is. (Btw, the ladybird beetle is not a bug! See: bug vs. beetle)

Honorable Mentions: 

Pistol Shrimp - it snaps with such great force, thus, the name.

Deathstalker Scorpion - small but deadly AF.

C. Mollusks

1. Blue Sea Slug or Sea Swallow

This tiny, art-masterpiece of a creature that seems to just float along with the waves actually feasts on the notorious Portuguese Man-O-War. Aside from being the “personification” of Lugia the legendary pokemon, of course.

2. Humboldt Squid

One of the most punk rock animals out there, the Red Diablo (yes, it’s got that nickname, and rightfully so) fears no creature and attacks fishermen unremorsefully. And it bioluminescently flashes between red and white.

3. Mimic Octopus

No picture can ever do justice to the majesty, intelligence and wonder of this creature. One of my absolute favorites. And as if it’s not sufficiently equipped for the offense, it is also quite the master of defense. 

See video [https://youtu.be/Wos8kouz810] as it mimics different species such as sea snakes, sole fish, lion fish, etc. 

4. Nautilus

...As I am a sucker for fibonacci occurence in nature, vortex mathematics and the like.

Honorable Mention:

Vampire Squid - a deep sea creature. You have to see it.

D. Cnidaria

Cannot really judge a favorite by appearance since many species are such eye candies, so a different criterion.

1. Irukandji Jellyfish

It’s the size of a fingernail. It’s nearly invisible. It’s definitely one of the deadliest.

That wraps up the two-part “Let’s Talk About Animals” series. Will definitely post again when I finally have a favorite from other Kingdom Animalia phyla.

*See Part One: http://thecoolestanimalblog.tumblr.com/post/178720395070/lets-talk-about-animals-part-one

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Let’s Talk About Animals (Part One)

October 4th–

For this year’s World Animal Day, allow me to enumerate a few of my favorite animals per chosen classification–or at least some of the animals I want to feature at the moment at the top of my head, because it’s really hard to pick favorites.

The first of the two-part series of “Let’s Talk About Animals” shows my top animals from the Phylum Chordata and why I personally love each of them.

A. Bird

1. Southern Giant Petrel

Petrels are such messy, carnivorous eaters that they stick their entire heads inside the dead prey, and I find it so cool.

2. California Condor

One of the tallest raptors, this New World Vulture is scary, majestic and sadly, at the brink of extinction.

3. Kakapo

It’s a weird, flightless parrot native to New Zealand. There’s something about endemic creatures, really.

Honorable Mentions:

Wandering Albatross - has the largest wingspan of any bird

Peregrine Falcon - is the fastest bird and the fastest animal

Harpy Eagle - I mean look at it.

B. Fish

1. Anglerfish

I’m not really big on fishes, but my pick among vertebrate-fishes is the Anglerfish. Only a few have been seen in actual, and these deep water fish don’t even look the same in the high-pressure depths of the sea. But what we do know is that the size difference between a male and female Anglerfish is remarkable.

C. Amphibian

1. Olm

This blind salamander is one of the most perplexing amphibians. I mean–look at its translucent fleshy skin, not to mention it can go up to ten years without eating!

Honorable Mentions:

Golden Poison Dart Frog - it’s gold. And poisonous.

Caecilian - ‘cause it’s just weird and yucky.

D. Mammal

1. African Wild Dog

Seriously, the videos and pictures do not do justice to the beauty of this animal in actual. Not to mention it has a relatively strong bite force and quite a successful predator considering its medium size.

2. Eurasian Lynx

I chose this for aesthetic reasons, primarily.

3. Amazon River Dolphin

It is like the Unicorn of dolphins, and it can only be found in the Amazon–the most biodiverse forest.

E. Reptile

1. Snake - I am such a snake lover so it was difficult to choose.

a. Boomslang

Its hematoxin is delivered quite effectively relative to other venomous snakes. Its toxin also stops the blood from clotting, causing the victim to bleed out (yes, externally as well). It’s just freaky and hardcore.

b. Blue Malaysian Coral Snake

I think it’s common knowledge that coral snakes are pretty venomous. Add that fact to the exceptional beauty and rarity of the Blue Malaysian Coral Snake.

 2. Gila Monster

One of the venomous lizards, the Gila Monster has an infamously painful bite. Its jaws clamp down and chews on the victim when it bites.

Honorable Mention:

Komodo Dragon - for many, really cool reasons.

*Plus infinite other snake species

On the next post: my favorites among the invertebrates

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A request was made for me to post any cute centipedes I might know of.

Centipedes pretty much all fall under a “sleek and lethal” aesthetic but to me one of the cutest things of all is when a tough fierce predator gets gentle and protective. A mother centipede will stay wrapped around her eggs and babies not only to keep parasites at bay but to hold them up off of the ground and keep them clean of any fungi or bacterial infections! Some studies find that if the babies are already hatched, the whole family will scatter and fend for themselves when disturbed (such as by a huge human uncovering them), so the babies don’t “need” the mother’s protection, but she’ll still hold onto them for a long time if she can. Every extra day that they get a little more time to grow under her watch probably makes a difference.

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Happy Snow Leopard Day.

Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) by © Jean-Claude Sch.

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IF A BANANA BUTTER BALL PYTHON ISN’T THE CUTEST THING Then I don’t know what is.

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I am totally in love with reptiles (except for the fact that my favorite animal is a mollusk). Let’s talk about the fastest reptiles: the marine iguana and the leatherback turtle.

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The Spider that has a pokemon for a butt: Arrow-shaped micrathena, Micrathena sagittata

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The Kingfisher, though not uncommon, is still a wonder to spot on a regular day. I saw one in our village (I live in an urban city) last week and it was just lovely.

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The Goliath Bird-Eating Tarantula is the largest spider. Its bite is not deadly to humans.

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THE FOSSA ( Cryptoprocta ferox) is the largest carnivorous mammal on the island of Madagascar. They can reach nearly six feet in length, with half of that due to their long tails.

They look like a cross between a cat, a dog, and a mongoose. Fossas have slender bodies, muscular limbs, and short, reddish-brown coats. They have small, cat-like heads, short, dog-like muzzles, and large, rounded ears. (from https://www.wired.com/2015/01/creature-feature-10-fun-facts-fossa/)

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Red lionfish (Pterois volitans)

The red lionfish is a venomous coral reef fish in the family Scorpaenidae, order Scorpaeniformes. P. volitans is natively found in the Indo-Pacific region, but has become an invasive problem in the Caribbean Sea, as well as along the East Coast of the United States. Adults in this species can grow as large as 47 cm in length, making it one of the largest species of lionfish in the ocean, while juveniles are typically shorter than 2.5 cm. The average red lionfish lives around 10 years. As with many species within the Scopaenidae family, it has large, venomous spines that protrude from the body, similar to a mane, giving it the common name lionfish. The venomous spines make the fish inedible or deter most potential predators.

photo credits: Alexander Vasenin, Jens Petersen

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So I’m also thinking that this guy

Passimian, is based on a lemur, rather than a true monkey. 

First of all, the collective name for a primitive, non-monkey or ape primate, i.e. lemurs, tarsiers, lorises etc. is Prosimian so we have the name similarity already

Then, take a look at these guys. We have the closely related Sifaka

and Indri

and other lemur species such as the black and white ruffed lemur

So, the name, the long snout, the colouration, the yellow eyes, the floofy arms and legs, and even the appearance of the big toe, to me, points to a lemur pokémon

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Ravine Trapdoor Spiders

This is the cyclosmia (or ravine trapdoor spider), and its incredible abdomen looks like an ancient coin! This genus of spider lives in burrows, and it uses the hardened disc at the end of its abdomen to clog the entrance when it’s threatened. They live in the Western U.S. and Mexico, and Eastern Asia.

Images: jylppy69 via Biologia com o Prof. Jubilut and Eigenes Werk

(via:Science Alert)

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Two Tiny Emerald Moths (family Geometridae) observed in Northern Australia

T - Comostola laesaria; B - C. pyrrhogona

photographs by Ian McMillan | Flickr

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PHILIPPINE EAGLE (endangered species; endemic to the Philippines)

“Amidst the nation's corruption, misplaced idealism and struggling economy that constrains us all, at least we can quite literally say that we still have Freedom; even just in the form of our beautiful National Fauna.

Our pet. Our companion.

So let's take care of her, yes?

"Freedom" by Karlo Pasamba

Colored Pencils and markers on 30.5 cm x 45.5 cm white paper (12" x 18" sketch pad)”