Organisms
pharyngula | April 15, 2016The guards should have known. Inky had just been biding his time, planning patiently. And then he scurried down a sewer pipe late at night, to freedom!
If I'd been guarding him, I would have been suspicious of that poster of Ursula from The Little Mermaid that he'd requested, too, and would have regularly checked behind it.
pharyngula | April 11, 2016We had a job candidate pass through today. They were from New Orleans. The phrase "crawfish boil" came through on the interview. Now guess what I can't get out of my head?
Arkiv
pharyngula | April 4, 2016Mostly, the killer whales native to Puget Sound are salmon eaters. But there are also transient orca who cruise through the Sound, and their diets may be a bit more adventurous. And then this week the gray whales were passing by, and…uh-oh. Gang fight.
It's that time of year.
The Great Migration of 22,000 Eastern North Pacific grays is well underway. As spring approaches, these massive creatures, which can reach 50 feet and 40 tons, begin an epic journey of between 5,000 and 6,800 miles from the warm-water calving lagoons in Mexico’s Baja Peninsula and Gulf of California to the Bering and…
pharyngula | April 1, 2016The Squid Scientists take a photo of their baby animals, and unwittingly reveal what they're actually doing.
Look behind the squid -- I know it's hard, why would you want to look past cephalopods? -- and what do you see? That blurry poster in the background? It's a space shuttle launch.
And now you know. This is a top secret program to train Euprymna scolopes to pilot spacecraft. They'd probably be better at 3-dimensional thinking than us, so it's only natural. Quick, reboot Star Trek with a more appropriate cast!
Oh, I think it's been done--the Thermians from the Klaatu Nebula in Galaxy…
pharyngula | March 28, 2016This is a Minke Whale, in life.
FactZoo
Unfortunately, it's going to be a little harder to see them in life. The Japanese whaling fleet has just returned to base with a lot of carcasses that will be destined for cans and pet food.
Japan's whaling fleet has returned to base with the carcasses of 333 minke whales, in apparent violation of a ruling by the International Court of Justice.
Reuters quoted a statement by Japan's Fisheries Agency that said 103 male and 230 female whales were caught during the fleet's summer expedition to Antarctic waters. Ninety percent of the mature females were…
pharyngula | March 25, 2016 The Australian Giant Cuttlefish aggregation is truly one of nature’s great events. Thousands of cuttlefish congregate in the shallow waters around the Spencer gulf in South Australia, to mate and perpetuate the species. The cuttlefish like alien beings, display an array of patterns, textures and colours to indicate their intentions. As male courts a female or wards off other males, and entourage of suiters stay poised for an opportunity to mate with the female. A visual delight and a rare glimpse of nature in all its glory. Scott Portelli
pharyngula | March 21, 2016What do rattlesnakes do when they have the urge to punch someone?
I'm pretty sure the loser was slinking away at the end.
pharyngula | March 14, 2016A guy finds a hole in his wall, and behind it, a strange leathery brown mass. He pulls it out -- first mistake. He cuts it open -- second mistake. Within…
It's a wasp nest stuffed full of dead spiders, each with an egg planted in them. It's just adorable. There are more photos. I was kind and picked the least horrific.
pharyngula | March 11, 2016
They're adorable! And you could watch them chase down, capture, and bloodily devour guppies!
But they're also delicate and demanding, and I sure wouldn't rush to try…and I'm an experienced aquarist. But if you really must, here's a discussion of a standard protocol.
pharyngula | March 4, 2016A strange new octopod has been discovered deep in the ocean.
There's also a video.
pharyngula | March 2, 2016Needs more milkweed.
DFW Urban Wildlife
By the way, my colleague at UMM, Margaret Kuchenreuther, was recently on our local gardening show,
Prairie Yard and Garden, to talk about the plants and the monarchs. You can watch it here!
pharyngula | February 29, 2016Clearly, the best place for the mysterious island lair of a super-villain who likes invertebrates has to be Christmas Island. So cuddly!
I wonder if I could swap our cat for one?
pharyngula | February 26, 2016This is a recently caught specimen of Onykia robusta, the third largest species of squid in the world. Everyone knows the colossal squid and the giant squid, which can get to be about 15 meters long, but the Robust Clubhook squid is #3 at 4 meters.
Humboldt State University Marine Laboratory
pharyngula | February 19, 2016No restraint or decorum, they just go at it out there in public. It's good to be the squid.
Brian Skerry