Reblogged mothprincess
“Second hand books are wild books, homeless books; they have come together in vast flocks of variegated feather, and have a charm which the domesticated volumes of the library lack.”
— Virginia Woolf (b. 25 Jan 1882), Liberty
Asian or Chinese Water Dragon (Physignathus cocincinus), family Agamidae, Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam
photograph by James Holden
Four-eyed Cambrian fish fossils hint at origins of vertebrate pineal complex
New fossil evidence from China suggests that some of our vertebrate ancestors had four eyes. The study, published in Nature, takes a closer look at a structure found in multiple 518 million-year-old fossils, which appears to have the same features of other fossilized eyes, and may be linked to the pineal complex in modern vertebrates. The research team analyzed ten fossil specimens of early fish called myllokunmingids, which consisted of two distinct taxa: six specimens of H. ercaicunensis and four slabs, each with several individuals, of an unnamed myllokunmingid. These Cambrian period fishes are considered some of the earliest known vertebrates. All fish in the fossils possessed lateral eye-like structures, as well as a similar-looking structure in the center of the face...
The Birds of the World Phylogeny Viewer, a groundbreaking ornithological tool!
The new illustrated Birds of the World Phylogeny Explorer lets users trace any bird’s lineage, compare species relationships, and explore major evolutionary milestones with a click of a button.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology announces the release of a new tool for studying biodiversity and the evolutionary relationships among birds: the illustrated Birds of the World Phylogeny Explorer. Available on Birds of the World, the Phylogeny Explorer offers a captivating experience for exploring avian evolution, discovering closely related species, and grasping the timescales at which they evolved. Understanding avian ancestry, called phylogeny by scientists, is a fundamental aspect that underpins most ornithology research. But with more than 11,000 bird species in the world, organizing the available phylogenetic trees into a single synthetic depiction, and keeping it current, has long challenged ornithologists. The Birds of the World Phylogeny Explorer uniquely addresses these challenges by staying current with the latest research...
Read more:
Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri), GETTIN' PUFFY!, family Corvidae, order Passeriformes, Yellowstone National Park, WY, USA
photograph by Anna Knaeble
White-lined Leaf Frog (Phyllomedusa vaillantii), family Hylidae, found in a large swath across northern South America
photograph by Unbound Expeditions
Parson’s Chameleon (Calumma parsonii), male, "green giant" variety, family Chamaeleonidae, Madagascar
- The heaviest chameleon, weighing in at up to 700 g. One of the longest chameleons, growing to a length of up to 65 cm (26 in) in total length.
photograph by Thorsten Negro
Antimena Chameleon (Furcifer antimena), family Chamaeleonidae, SW Madagascar
photograph by Thorsten Negro
hi Paxon, wanted to say thanks for all you do. i've been going through a tough time, and your posts always make me feel better.
do you have any absolutely goofy looking snakes to share? something that perhaps rivals the sand boa? ❤️
ONE OF MY FAVORITE SNAKES...
Elephant Trunk Snakes aka Javan File Snakes (Acrochordus javanicus), family Acrochordidae, found in SE Asia
Photos by Rupert Grassley, Starshine reptiles and inverts, Bryce Trevett
AND
Arafura File Snake aka Elephant Trunk Snake (Acrochordus arafurae), family Acrochordidae, Northern Territory, Australia
photographs by Brother-Nature & Greg Watson & Matt
there is the stink turkey and the water turkey... are there any other birds that are very much not turkeys but named as such?
Well, let's give the people some background, just in case, and then add one to the list...
Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) aka “Stink Turkey”, family Opisthocomidae, order Opisthocomiformes, Peru
- This leaf-eating bird uses foregut fermentation, in its enlarged crop, to help break down its food. (The ferementation is where the smell comes from, which gives it the name “Pavo Apestoso” or "stink turkey".)
photograph by Shreyas Rao
Anhinga aka "Water Turkey" aka American Darter (Anhinga anhinga), male, family Anhingidae, order Suliformes, Costa Rica
- The tail looks very turkey tail-like, especially when the feathers are spread.
photograph by Tim from Ithaca
Australian Brushturkey aka Gweela (Alectura lathami), family Megapodidae, found in eastern Australia
photograph by Jim Bendon
do you have any birds known for their songs? was thinking about the musical poem written about musician wrens
One of the first birds that comes to mind is the...
Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos), family Muscicapidae, order Passeriformes, nests across Europe and western Asia, overwinters in central Africa
- Known for both singing prodigiously, and throughout the day and night.
- The name is an Old English word meaning "Night Songstress".
photograph by Tania Araujo
You also might consider the following birds...
humbly requesting your most strange and offputting snakes — i keep trying to redesign an old snake hybrid oc but cant think of any niche snake features to give them 😔🐍
I do not find any snake to be off-putting, but perhaps these are strange enough for you...
Spider-tailed Horned Viper (Pseudocerastes urarachnoides), family Viperidae, from Eastern Iraq and Western Iran
Venomous.
- The tip of the tail mimics the appearance of a spider or camel spider, and is used as a lure to attract prey, birds and lizards. (Some observations suggest that it may be mimicking centipedes.)
photograph by Omid Mozaffari
Tentacled Snake (Erpeton tentaculatum), family Homalopsidae, found in SE Asia
- Aquatic and piscivorous
- Rear-fanged, mildly venomous
- The tentacles have a mechanosensory function, able to detect small movements in the water.
Photographs by Dick Bartlett & Jonathan Hagström
Arabian Sand Boa (Eryx jayakari), family Boidae, found on the Arabian Peninsula and nearby countries
photograph by Omid Mozaffari
hey you got any more of them pheasants
HAVE I GOT PHEASANTS FOR YOU!!!
Bornean Crested Fireback (Lophura ignita), male, family Phasianidae, order Galliformes, Borneo
photograph by Subir Chatterjee
Reeves’s Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii), male, family Phasianidae, order Galliformes, China
photograph by Dev Panda Photographer (@devz_photography)
Himalayan Monal (Lophophorus impejanus), male, family Phasianidae, northern India
Photograph by SarwanDeep Sing
Blood Pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus), male, family Phasianidae, order Galliformes, India
photograph by Krishnamurthy S
Common Pheasant or Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), male, family Phasianidae, order Galliformes, Finland
- This bird is native to parts of Asia, but has been introduced into Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand
photograph by Teemar Vaino (@teemar72)
Golden Pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus), male, family Phasianidae, order Galliformes, China
photograph by Lin hillside
Silver Pheasant (Lophura nycthemera), male, family Phasianidae, order Galliformes, Fujian, China
photograph by Lin hillside
Swinhoe’s Pheasant (Lophura swinhoii), male showing off a little too enthusiastically to a female, family Phasianidae, order Galliformes, Taoyuan, Taiwan
photograph by Susheng Yeh
Koklass Pheasant (Pucrasia macrolopha), male, family Phasianidae, order Galliformes, northern India
photograph by Abhay Kewat
Elliot’s Pheasants (Syrmaticus ellioti), male, family Phasianidae, order Galliformes, China
Photograph by 乐金金 (@jxjinjin)
Saw this not so little guy at Rueda Verde, Ecuador. This October. Any ideas? Was it unwise to get this close?
YOU WILL DIE IN 3 DAYS!!!
No, you're fine...
Bug ID - Ecuador:
This is a leaf-footed bug in genus Pachylis, family Coreidae.
Its not potentially harmful like the kissing bugs.