Fantastic Critters #17

[Cerys]

This is my favourite fantastic creature so far today.



What's yours?

[Blumf]

Pull them flaps apart, yeah!

ahem...

Peacock spider:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GgAbyYDFeg

He's cute!

[Consignia]

[Cerys]

Peacock spider

Beautiful.  I first heard of them a few weeks ago, in the midst of a load of people freaking out about how terrifying it looks.  Idiots.

[Kane Jones]

Pull them flaps apart, yeah!

ahem...

Peacock spider:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GgAbyYDFeg

He's cute!

I love the 'logo' on his back.  He looks like a hippy Spider-Man.

[Clatty McCutcheon]

Aw, tiny leveret.

[303]

[Blumf]

I love the 'logo' on his back.  He looks like a hippy Spider-Man.

I think he's an Earth, Wind & Fire or maybe Sun Ra fan.

[Jemble Fred]

Um, I first saw that webby dragon lizard thing for the first time yesterday – on a faked picture blog. I didn't have time to read it though, so maybe it is genuine?

[the midnight watch baboon]

The Galapagos marine iguana... wonderful swimming lizard with fantastical armour... proof that the human imagination when it comes to drawing aliens etc, cannot surpass Earth fauna!

[Jemble Fred]

=proof that the human imagination when it comes to drawing aliens etc, cannot surpass Earth fauna!

How foolish do you feel now, TMWB? EIGHTY, that's how foolish.

[Gradual Decline]

At the moment it's this lovely Mark E. Smith-ish Sloth. Ah bless...



Though the swine could probably disembowel me with those nails. All I want is a hug, Mark, for Christ's sake.

[Jemble Fred]

Cerys can carry on making 'coo' noises:

This just in: researchers have discovered a tiny dragon. OK, it's not a dragon, but it is a newly discovered species of lizard living in Indonesia. And it has wings!

You don't say. I'd imagine that this meme's popularity has something to do with the baby dragon in Harry Potter or the flying creatures in Avatar.

Fact: the lizard in this photograph is real, it does have wings (sort of), and it lives in Indonesia. But there are some untruths surrounding the photo:

Myth #1: scientists have just discovered lizards that can fly.

Not true. The genus Draco comprises several species of lizard endemic to Southeast Asia, all of which are characterized by small fans of skin that allow them to glide short distances. They're certainly not a recent discovery. I already knew about them, and I'm surprised by the number of people who don't. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draco_%28genus%29

The description beneath the photo actually acknowledges that this isn't the first flying lizard; however, it's buried, and from the comments, no one seems to notice. Elsewhere on the internet, the prevailing assumption seems to be that this is the first flying lizard ever discovered. It's not.

Myth #2: this PARTICULAR SPECIES of flying lizard, Draco Volans, was just discovered.

Wrong; it's been known about for years. Check out this photo, which dates back to 2000: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0010/feature4/zoom4.html And this photo, dated 1999: http://www.wildherps.com/species/D.volans.html

I would imagine the lizard was known about well before then, too.

[the midnight watch baboon]

^^^heh heh... it's the shorts that've left me well and truly zinged!

[doppelkorn]

Must repost this

[SetToStun]

This amazing sea-snail:



It has an iron-plated shell, for heaven's sake. What's not to love?

[BlodwynPig]

[Blumf]

Tell 'em about the honey mummy!

[mook]

mother nature my arse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv14vZx6jvU

kop that you toe nipping get.

[303]

[Blumf]

Oh, No! It's the Pathetic Sharks![nb]Not all sharks[/nb]

Spoiler alert

Mekong Giant Catfish

[close]

Spoiler alert

Giant Barb

[close]

Spoiler alert

Goblin Shark

[close]

Spoiler alert

Spined Pygmy Shark

[close]

[ZoyzaSorris]

Flying lizards is 'ok', but what about the flying snake?

Even more of an overachiever given lack of any limbs.
The evolutionary explanation as to why the south east asian rainforests have so many gliding animals compared with other moist forest regions is one that interests me.

I found a toadlet on the cusp of metamorphosis in my pond this morning, that was my favourite for today.

[Neville Chamberlain]

Check out those seductive come-to-bed eyes!

[303]

[doppelkorn]

Cor!



Lumme!

[ZoyzaSorris]

Its like a seaslug ON ACID!

[Koant]

You might be wondering how Cerys' lizard (yes it's your now) can have 3 pairs of limbs. Well, they don't: the wings are attached to an extended pair of ribs. Nature's tinkering job again.
-
Cool animals: diatoms! Look at those beauties:

They are unicellular organisms with a hard cell wall made of silica. Let me repeat that: just one cell with a wall made of glass.

[Mr Eggs]

Some wierdo ones are utter cunts. Lost umpteen pints of blood to these mad-eyed bitches today

Fuck 'em all.

[Johnny Yesno]

You might be wondering how Cerys' lizard (yes it's your now) can have 3 pairs of limbs. Well, they don't: the wings are attached to an extended pair of ribs. Nature's tinkering job again.
-
Cool animals: diatoms! Look at those beauties:

They are unicellular organisms with a hard cell wall made of silica. Let me repeat that: just one cell with a wall made of glass.

They're all mine! Hands off my lovely treasure!

[ZoyzaSorris]

diatoms are algae, very cool though :)