Tumblr For Some Reason Is Not Letting Me Publish Asks But Anyway…

Tumblr for some reason is not letting me publish asks but anyway…

The fuzzy fur-like stuff that covers a lot of moths is actually modified scales, like the scales on their wings, made of a substance called chitin, rather than keratin as in mammal hair. Chitin also makes up their exoskeleton. Wing scales are used to absorb heat, possibly to assist with flight, and to display colors/patterns as defense/camouflage or to attract a mate. The fuzz on their body is thought to muffle the sonar of predatory bats as well as keep them warmer in the chilly night air. Unlike mammal hair, though, these scales are not continually growing and cannot be replaced if lost or damaged.

Here’s a fun extreme macro photo of a sunset moth’s wing scales and longer modified hair-like scales:

Photo via Johan J.Ingles-Le Nobel

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leafyfern

5 years ago

hand over the cursed Sphenodon facts.

sure, but PUT THE GUN DOWN.

the Tuatara is a medium-sized reptile native to New Zealand.

it looks like a lizard but it IS NOT- the Tuatara is actually a very basal reptile related to snakes and lizards but belonging to an entire different branch of the tree of life, of which it is the sole surviving member.

and it may look like a lizard on the outside, but the inside is what really counts! and on the inside, the Tuatara is basically a reskinned amphibian.

they only have a single lung, their heart is the most basic of all reptiles, and their nervous systems shares more in common with our friend the axolotl than with its lizard kin!

so if you happen to see one at the zoo, take a moment to stop and really appreciate the uninterrupted 240 million years of reptilian history you’re lucky enough to be looking at!

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leafyfern

2 years ago

In ‘Wild Design,’ Vintage Illustrations Expose The Patterns And Shapes Behind All Life On Earth

In ‘Wild Design,’ Vintage Illustrations Expose the Patterns and Shapes Behind All Life on Earth

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leafyfern

4 years ago

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leafyfern

5 years ago

loxocemus bicolor / mexican burrowing snake

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leafyfern

5 years ago

im really drinkin my love and respect reptiles+amphibians juice today, so if u have a pet of the reptilian or amphibious type, rb and add pics pls

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leafyfern

5 years ago

A Newspaper Publication in 1912 Predicting the Effect of Burning Coal on the Warming of the Planet.

The idea of the Greenhouse Effect goes back even further than this - and in fact, is something that we should all be thankful for as without Greenhouse Gases, the Earth would be a chilly -14C (0F).

Joseph Fourier, known for his famous Fourier Transform as well as his theories of heat exchange, questioned why it is that the Earth stays warm even when the Sun has set for the night. If the Sun was the only source of heat, wouldn’t it rapidly become unbearably cold? This was all the way back in 1822.

From there, Swedish Scientist Arrhenius theorised in 1896 that a rise in CO2 concentration within the atmosphere would cause a warming of the globe.

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leafyfern

4 years ago