Your Sunscreen Is Contributing To The Decline Of Coral Reefs

Manatee

Big sister drops to her knees to show affection to newborn Photo by James Irwin

(image credit to Dan Hoare on twitter)

I ONLY JUST LEARNED ABOUT THE EXISTENCE OF THIS MUSHROOM????? WHICH ERUPTS FROM AN EGG BEFORE UNCURLING HELLISH ARMS, EXPOSING ITS STICKY MASS OF SPORES TO BE SPREAD BY FLIES ATTRACTED BY THE SCENT OF ROTTING FLESH???

Admittedly, I am easily won over by all organisms that attract flies with the scent of rotting flesh. But the octopus stinkhorn (Clathrus archeri) also has tentacles, a freaky egg stage, and blackish goop, so it’s my favorite now.

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don’t 👏🏼 go 👏🏼 to 👏🏼 the 👏🏼 disco 👏🏼 if 👏🏼 you 👏🏼 won’t 👏🏼 panic 👏🏼

7 types of fog you didn’t know had names

Fog comes in several distinct varieties that are influenced by nearby bodies of water, landscape features and other local factors. Here are some of the most impressive forms of it on the planet.

A study of Saurian morphology: Pseudosuchia (part 2)

Look at that. It’s a croc. With flippers. Yes it did actually exist.

Note to self: learn to schedule these things better. Coming back home after a long day of work to find out I had to do something with a ton of scales is NOT. AT. ALL. FUN. I’ll have to fix dem legs one day but right now I just can’t be bothered.

Edit: oh hey that sucker doesn’t look as bad as I originally had in mind.

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Will Art for Science · Find me elsewhere

Sharks are fucking metal!

Meet the orchid mantis.

Orchid mantises—particularly juveniles—seem aptly named. They’re predominantly white with pink or yellow accents, similar to some orchids and other flowers, and their four hind legs are lobed, like petals. But if you search for an exact floral counterpart, as behavioral ecologist James O’Hanlon did, you probably won’t find one. “I spent forever looking for a flower that they look just like,” he says, to no avail.

As it turns out, rather than mimicking one floral species, the insect instead may embody a “generic or an average type of flower” in order to attract bees and other pollinating insects as prey.

What’s more, as far as O’Hanlon can tell, it’s the only animal on record that “takes on the guise of a whole flower blossom” as a predatory strategy. 

Learn more here.

Zoos prevent extinction. This is why I support zoos. This is why the world should support zoos.

Meme credit goes to the zookeepers at www.facebook.com/ZoosSavingSpecies @zoossavingspecies