earth-song:

The goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni) is a deep-sea shark, the sole living species in the family Mitsukurinidae. The most distinctive characteristic of the goblin shark is the unusual shape of its head. It has a long, trowel-shaped, beak-like rostrum or snout, much longer than other sharks’ snouts. Some other distinguishing characteristics of the shark are the color of its body, which is mostly pink, and its long, protrusible jaws. When the jaws are retracted, the shark resembles a pinkish sand tiger shark, Carcharias taurus, with an unusually long nose.

Mitsukurina owstoni is found in the deep ocean, far below where the sun’s light can reach at depths greater than 200 m. They can be found throughout the world, from Australia in the Pacific Oceanto the Gulf of Mexico in the Atlantic Ocean. They are best known from the waters around Japan, where the species was first discovered.  Goblin sharks feed on a variety of organisms that live in deep waters. Among some of their known prey are deep-sea squid, crabs, and deep-sea fish. Very little is known about the species’ life history and reproductive habits, as encounters with them have been relatively rare. As seemingly rare as they are however, there seems to be no real threat to their populations and so they are not classified as endangered species by the IUCN. [read more] 

And this explain why the fuck i have fear for sharks. JESUS!

debunkingthemichelle:

Blue-Ringed Octopus

“With its fascinating coloring and delicate curling arms, the blue-ringed octopus may be a beautiful creature, but this small cephalopod is also deadly. The blue-ringed octopus appears grey or beige with light brown patches when it is at rest, but when agitated its 50 or 60 bright blue rings appear and pulsate with color, as a warning. Inside the salivary glands of the blue-ringed octopus live colonies of bacteria that produce tetrodotoxin, the potent neurotoxin found in pufferfish and other animals. A bite from a blue-ringed octopus can completely paralyze and kill an adult human in a matter of minutes. There is no known antidote. The octopus itself is not affected at all by the toxin-an evolutionary prerequisite for the symbiotic relationship that has developed between the blue-ringed octopus and the toxin-producing bacteria.  

The blue-ringed octopus is commonly found in shallow, sandy areas surrounding the coastal reefs of Australia and the western Indio-Pacific. It is most active after dark, and spends most of its day hidden in its nest.  Like most octopods, the blue-ringed octopus has no skeleton and thus is very flexible and maneuverable.  It can squeeze into tiny crevices and make dens in bottles, aluminum cans, or mollusk shells.  The blue-ringed octopus is also known to burrow into sand or gravel to conceal itself.

The blue-ringed octopus feeds primarily on crabs and mollusks, ambushing from behind and enveloping prey with its eight arms. Using its bird-like beak, the octopus bites a hole through its victim’s shell to inject toxic saliva. With its arms and beak, the creature tears soft pieces from the prey, sucking the rest of the meat from the shell once it becomes partially digested by the saliva.

Packets of sperm rest in the grooved tip of the male’s modified third arm, called a hectocotylus. When mating, the male slips this grooved tip under the mantle and into the oviduct of the female through a gill slit, and transfers multiple sperm packets, or spermatophores. The female lays her eggs in several unattached clumps, which she carries in her arms until they hatch. After the young emerge from their eggs, the mother dies.

Did you know: The blue-ringed octopus, like all octopuses, has three hearts and blue blood.”

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/interactives-extras/animal-guides/animal-guide-blue-ringed-octopus/2177/

Just did a scientific poster on this guy and we won! So interesting!!

earth-song:

Meet the Inch Worm From Hell: the Predatory Hawaiian Caterpillar

The Predatory Hawaiian Caterpillar (Eupithecia orichloris) has evolved to fulfill a niche normally occupied by insects like praying mantises. Since there aren’t any on the islands of Hawaii, something had to step up and become a super insectivorous predator. This guy! It blends in almost to perfection amongst the dense foliage of its habitat and waits patiently until an unsuspecting insect wanders by. You see, these Predatory Caterpillar’s have long, thin appendages on their abdomen which act as sensory organs. When something touches these sensory appendages, the sinister caterpillar will bend back and quickly strike the confused insect. To make matters worse (for the insect) these guys are equipped with raptor-like claws to tightly constrain their squirming meals. The little animation below shows just how deadly these things can be.

earth-song:

Glass frog (or Glassfrogs) is the common name for the frogs of the amphibian family Centrolenidae (order Anura). While the general background coloration of most glass frogs is primarily lime green, the abdominal skin of some members of this family is translucent. The internal viscera, including the heart, liver, and gastrointestinal tract are visible through this translucent skin, hence the common name.

(Read more)