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23 August 2014

 

Paleontology Saturday

 

 

Dimetrodon

 

Dimetrodon is mistaken for a dinosaur more often than any other prehistoric reptile—but the fact is that this creature lived tens of millions of years before the first dinosaurs had even evolved. It flourished during the Permian period, living between 280–265 million years ago.

 

Although it looked superficially like a dinosaur, Dimetrodon was actually a type of prehistoric reptile known as a synapsid pelycosaur. The pelycosaurs were themselves more closely related to the therapsids, or "mammal-like reptiles," than to the archosaurs from which dinosaurs evolved—which means that, technically speaking, Dimetrodon was closer to being a mammal than it was to being a dinosaur.

 

Dimetrodon was a dominant carnivore, the largest one of the Permian period. Its diet could have included freshwater sharks, amphibians, as well as smaller synapsids. The dental arsenal of Dimetrodon included sharp canines in the front of its snout, ideal for digging into quivering, freshly killed prey, and shearing teeth in the back for grinding up tough muscle and bits of bone.

 

The most distinctive feature of Dimetrodon was this pelycosaur's giant sail, the like of which wasn't seen again until the late Cretaceous Spinosaurus. Since this slow-moving reptile almost certainly had a cold-blooded metabolism, it may have evolved this sail as a temperature-regulation device, using it to soak up valuable sunlight during the daytime and dissipate excess heat at night.

 

One of the primary features that distinguished true dinosaurs from the archosaurs, pelcyosaurs and therapsids that preceded them was the upright orientation of their limbs. That's why we can be sure that Dimetrodon wasn't a dinosaur: this reptile walked with an ambling, splay-footed, crocodilian gait, rather than the vertical posture of comparably sized quadrupedal dinosaurs.

 

 

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/ZhUgy8W.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/5YAZoER.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Kx88U1r.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ZgrfOSv.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/G3ZeTHQ.jpg

 

Not a dinosaur, and apparently not a reptile:

 

I think I had a plastic one of those when I was a kid

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24 August 2014

Sunday

 

 

Bumblebees

 

The Bumblebee is a widely distributed social insect known for its ability to collect nectar from flowers and pollinate plants. There is variation in coloration among bumblebees, and some species have bands of red, yellow, and black. They have stocky bodies that are covered with many hairs to which pollen adheres. They are found primarily in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, often ranging farther north and higher in altitude than other bees.

 

Bumble bee colonies are usually underground in a deserted mouse nest. In the spring, each new queen selects a nest site and starts a new colony. She lines the cavity with dry grass or moss and then collects pollen and nectar to produce a stored food called "bee bread". Her first brood of offspring, (5 to 20), will all be workers (daughters) who take over the colony responsibilities of nest enlargement, food gathering and storage, and feeding and caring for the larvae. The queen continues to lay eggs throughout the summer. By late summer, new reproductive males and females (kings and queens) are produced. These mate on the wing and the fertilized females move to hibernation sites in the shelter of loose bark, hollow trees or other dry, protected places to lie dormant through the winter. The males and workers still in the colony die with frost or the first hard freeze.

 

Bumble bees are important pollinators of many plants. Both queens and workers collect pollen and transport it back to the colony in pollen baskets on their hind legs. Workers are small if born early in the year, and large if born later in the year. Also, some species of bumble bees are larger than others. Differences in body size, and especially in tongue length, are important in determining which flower species a bumble bee will visit for nectar and may determine which flowers it can pollinate.

 

Bumble bees have long been recognized as vital to the production of certain seed crops. In recent years, scientists have developed a means to cause queens to skip their winter hibernation and produce colonies year-round. This has made certain species of bumble bees available for use in pollinating crops they did not before. Bumble-bee colonies are now used extensively in greenhouse pollination of crops such as tomatoes and strawberries.

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/FFpr7Bc.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/vs1RmWA.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ZWsrJtY.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/qYLcmSq.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/aUtHlUo.gif

http://i.imgur.com/suyrWgW.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/BFhruQK.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Bxau7ic.jpg

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24 August 2014

Sunday

 

 

Bumblebees

 

The Bumblebee is a widely distributed social insect known for its ability to collect nectar from flowers and pollinate plants. There is variation in coloration among bumblebees, and some species have bands of red, yellow, and black. They have stocky bodies that are covered with many hairs to which pollen adheres. They are found primarily in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, often ranging farther north and higher in altitude than other bees.

 

Bumble bee colonies are usually underground in a deserted mouse nest. In the spring, each new queen selects a nest site and starts a new colony. She lines the cavity with dry grass or moss and then collects pollen and nectar to produce a stored food called "bee bread". Her first brood of offspring, (5 to 20), will all be workers (daughters) who take over the colony responsibilities of nest enlargement, food gathering and storage, and feeding and caring for the larvae. The queen continues to lay eggs throughout the summer. By late summer, new reproductive males and females (kings and queens) are produced. These mate on the wing and the fertilized females move to hibernation sites in the shelter of loose bark, hollow trees or other dry, protected places to lie dormant through the winter. The males and workers still in the colony die with frost or the first hard freeze.

 

Bumble bees are important pollinators of many plants. Both queens and workers collect pollen and transport it back to the colony in pollen baskets on their hind legs. Workers are small if born early in the year, and large if born later in the year. Also, some species of bumble bees are larger than others. Differences in body size, and especially in tongue length, are important in determining which flower species a bumble bee will visit for nectar and may determine which flowers it can pollinate.

 

Bumble bees have long been recognized as vital to the production of certain seed crops. In recent years, scientists have developed a means to cause queens to skip their winter hibernation and produce colonies year-round. This has made certain species of bumble bees available for use in pollinating crops they did not before. Bumble-bee colonies are now used extensively in greenhouse pollination of crops such as tomatoes and strawberries.

 

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/FFpr7Bc.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/vs1RmWA.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ZWsrJtY.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/qYLcmSq.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/aUtHlUo.gif

http://i.imgur.com/suyrWgW.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/BFhruQK.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Bxau7ic.jpg

In recent years there hasn't seemed to be many Bees around, but in the last couple of years there seems to have been a resurgence...which is nice, because I like Bees. They're good...unlike Wasps, who are just dicks.

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26 August 2014

Tuesday

 

 

 

Groundhog

 

The groundhog, or woodchuck, is one of 14 species of marmots. These rodents live a feast-or-famine lifestyle and gorge themselves all summer to build up plentiful reserves of fat. After the first frost, they retreat to their underground burrows and snooze until spring, drawing their sustenance from body fat. While hibernating, the animal's heart rate plunges, and its body temperature is not much warmer than the temperature inside its burrow.

 

Groundhog hibernation gave rise to the popular American custom of Groundhog Day, held on the second of February every year. Tradition dictates that if a groundhog sees its shadow that day, there will be six more weeks of winter, though such a prediction seems a sure bet over much of the groundhog's North American range.

 

Groundhogs are the largest members of the squirrel family. Though they are usually seen on the ground, they can climb trees and are also capable swimmers. These rodents frequent the areas where woodlands meet open spaces, like fields, roads, or streams. Here they eat grasses and plants, as well as fruits and tree bark. Groundhogs are the bane of many a gardener. They can decimate a plot while voraciously feeding during the summer and fall seasons.

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/RKUbaO7.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/rLInaMw.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/gyiA6mM.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ys6FTal.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/dBCtljM.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/L6iOQh2.jpg

 

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24 August 2014

Sunday

 

 

Bumblebees

 

The Bumblebee is a widely distributed social insect known for its ability to collect nectar from flowers and pollinate plants. There is variation in coloration among bumblebees, and some species have bands of red, yellow, and black. They have stocky bodies that are covered with many hairs to which pollen adheres. They are found primarily in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, often ranging farther north and higher in altitude than other bees.

 

Bumble bee colonies are usually underground in a deserted mouse nest. In the spring, each new queen selects a nest site and starts a new colony. She lines the cavity with dry grass or moss and then collects pollen and nectar to produce a stored food called "bee bread". Her first brood of offspring, (5 to 20), will all be workers (daughters) who take over the colony responsibilities of nest enlargement, food gathering and storage, and feeding and caring for the larvae. The queen continues to lay eggs throughout the summer. By late summer, new reproductive males and females (kings and queens) are produced. These mate on the wing and the fertilized females move to hibernation sites in the shelter of loose bark, hollow trees or other dry, protected places to lie dormant through the winter. The males and workers still in the colony die with frost or the first hard freeze.

 

Bumble bees are important pollinators of many plants. Both queens and workers collect pollen and transport it back to the colony in pollen baskets on their hind legs. Workers are small if born early in the year, and large if born later in the year. Also, some species of bumble bees are larger than others. Differences in body size, and especially in tongue length, are important in determining which flower species a bumble bee will visit for nectar and may determine which flowers it can pollinate.

 

Bumble bees have long been recognized as vital to the production of certain seed crops. In recent years, scientists have developed a means to cause queens to skip their winter hibernation and produce colonies year-round. This has made certain species of bumble bees available for use in pollinating crops they did not before. Bumble-bee colonies are now used extensively in greenhouse pollination of crops such as tomatoes and strawberries.

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/FFpr7Bc.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/vs1RmWA.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ZWsrJtY.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/qYLcmSq.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/aUtHlUo.gif

http://i.imgur.com/suyrWgW.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/BFhruQK.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Bxau7ic.jpg

 

I like bees - they're important for pollen and honey, and yet, as beautiful as they are, they scare the f*** out of me, I get into a flap and I make a run for it..!

:scared:

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26 August 2014

Tuesday

 

 

 

Groundhog

 

The groundhog, or woodchuck, is one of 14 species of marmots. These rodents live a feast-or-famine lifestyle and gorge themselves all summer to build up plentiful reserves of fat. After the first frost, they retreat to their underground burrows and snooze until spring, drawing their sustenance from body fat. While hibernating, the animal's heart rate plunges, and its body temperature is not much warmer than the temperature inside its burrow.

 

Groundhog hibernation gave rise to the popular American custom of Groundhog Day, held on the second of February every year. Tradition dictates that if a groundhog sees its shadow that day, there will be six more weeks of winter, though such a prediction seems a sure bet over much of the groundhog's North American range.

 

Groundhogs are the largest members of the squirrel family. Though they are usually seen on the ground, they can climb trees and are also capable swimmers. These rodents frequent the areas where woodlands meet open spaces, like fields, roads, or streams. Here they eat grasses and plants, as well as fruits and tree bark. Groundhogs are the bane of many a gardener. They can decimate a plot while voraciously feeding during the summer and fall seasons.

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/RKUbaO7.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/rLInaMw.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/gyiA6mM.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ys6FTal.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/dBCtljM.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/L6iOQh2.jpg

 

 

Babies..! :heart:

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27 August 2014

Wednesday

 

 

Flying Fox

 

Little red flying foxes are tree-dwelling bats. In daytime they can be seen roosting in giant camps that may include as many as a million individuals. The bats are indeed efficient fliers, as their name suggests, but time in the trees has also made them excellent climbers. Little red flying foxes use their feet and jointed thumbs to move nimbly about treetop branches. Despite the old “blind as a bat” axiom these and other flying foxes have excellent senses of both sight and smell, which enable them to find plenty of their favored foods.

 

Little red flying foxes are pollinators, like bees, and thus critical to the health and reproduction of flowering tree species. They are known to haunt many different habitats, including swamps, mangroves, and bamboo stands. Eucalyptus trees seem to be their favorite—they follow the trees’ flowering over great distances and farther into the Australian interior than any other bat species.

 

In fact, these flying foxes are rather nomadic as a rule. They migrate seasonally from rain forests to arid or coastal areas—roosting wherever their favored flowers and fruits are in season at any given time.

 

The main threat to these bats is the loss of trees and thus the flowers and fruits on which they depend. Little red flying foxes remain relatively common, however, and are actually regarded as pests by some farmers because they will feed in orchards when other food sources run short.

 

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/3RRuLtK.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/neppIg7.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/CElaSoV.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/no6rVPt.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Wpwvsrm.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/p2qzYhe.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/fDiYbM6.jpg

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28 August 2014

Thursday

 

 

Platypus

 

The platypus is among nature's most unlikely animals. In fact, the first scientists to examine a specimen believed they were the victims of a hoax. The animal is best described as a hodgepodge of more familiar species: the duck (bill and webbed feet), beaver (tail), and otter (body and fur). Males are also venomous. They have sharp stingers on the heels of their rear feet and can use them to deliver a strong toxic blow to any foe.

 

Platypuses hunt underwater, where they swim gracefully by paddling with their front webbed feet and steering with their hind feet and beaverlike tail. Folds of skin cover their eyes and ears to prevent water from entering, and the nostrils close with a watertight seal. In this posture, a platypus can remain submerged for a minute or two and employ its sensitive bill to find food.

 

These Australian mammals are bottom feeders. They scoop up insects and larvae, shellfish, and worms in their bill along with bits of gravel and mud from the bottom. All this material is stored in cheek pouches and, at the surface, mashed for consumption. Platypuses do not have teeth, so the bits of gravel help them to "chew" their meal.

 

Platypus reproduction is nearly unique. It is one of only two mammals (the echidna is the other) that lay eggs.

 

Females seal themselves inside one of the burrow's chambers to lay their eggs. A mother typically produces one or two eggs and keeps them warm by holding them between her body and her tail. The eggs hatch in about ten days, but platypus infants are the size of lima beans and totally helpless. Females nurse their young for three to four months until the babies can swim on their own.

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/vT1UYlv.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/x9IFG03.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/0eg4KJd.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/KllOKIB.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ZQXkyi1.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/AkyHW4L.jpg

 

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27 August 2014

Wednesday

 

 

Flying Fox

 

Little red flying foxes are tree-dwelling bats. In daytime they can be seen roosting in giant camps that may include as many as a million individuals. The bats are indeed efficient fliers, as their name suggests, but time in the trees has also made them excellent climbers. Little red flying foxes use their feet and jointed thumbs to move nimbly about treetop branches. Despite the old “blind as a bat” axiom these and other flying foxes have excellent senses of both sight and smell, which enable them to find plenty of their favored foods.

 

Little red flying foxes are pollinators, like bees, and thus critical to the health and reproduction of flowering tree species. They are known to haunt many different habitats, including swamps, mangroves, and bamboo stands. Eucalyptus trees seem to be their favorite—they follow the trees’ flowering over great distances and farther into the Australian interior than any other bat species.

 

In fact, these flying foxes are rather nomadic as a rule. They migrate seasonally from rain forests to arid or coastal areas—roosting wherever their favored flowers and fruits are in season at any given time.

 

The main threat to these bats is the loss of trees and thus the flowers and fruits on which they depend. Little red flying foxes remain relatively common, however, and are actually regarded as pests by some farmers because they will feed in orchards when other food sources run short.

 

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/3RRuLtK.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/neppIg7.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/CElaSoV.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/no6rVPt.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Wpwvsrm.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/p2qzYhe.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/fDiYbM6.jpg

 

Aren't they adorable..? :wub:

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28 August 2014

Thursday

 

 

Platypus

 

The platypus is among nature's most unlikely animals. In fact, the first scientists to examine a specimen believed they were the victims of a hoax. The animal is best described as a hodgepodge of more familiar species: the duck (bill and webbed feet), beaver (tail), and otter (body and fur). Males are also venomous. They have sharp stingers on the heels of their rear feet and can use them to deliver a strong toxic blow to any foe.

 

Platypuses hunt underwater, where they swim gracefully by paddling with their front webbed feet and steering with their hind feet and beaverlike tail. Folds of skin cover their eyes and ears to prevent water from entering, and the nostrils close with a watertight seal. In this posture, a platypus can remain submerged for a minute or two and employ its sensitive bill to find food.

 

These Australian mammals are bottom feeders. They scoop up insects and larvae, shellfish, and worms in their bill along with bits of gravel and mud from the bottom. All this material is stored in cheek pouches and, at the surface, mashed for consumption. Platypuses do not have teeth, so the bits of gravel help them to "chew" their meal.

 

Platypus reproduction is nearly unique. It is one of only two mammals (the echidna is the other) that lay eggs.

 

Females seal themselves inside one of the burrow's chambers to lay their eggs. A mother typically produces one or two eggs and keeps them warm by holding them between her body and her tail. The eggs hatch in about ten days, but platypus infants are the size of lima beans and totally helpless. Females nurse their young for three to four months until the babies can swim on their own.

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/vT1UYlv.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/x9IFG03.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/0eg4KJd.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/KllOKIB.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ZQXkyi1.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/AkyHW4L.jpg

 

 

Sweet little fella..! :)

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26 August 2014

Tuesday

 

 

 

Groundhog

 

The groundhog, or woodchuck, is one of 14 species of marmots. These rodents live a feast-or-famine lifestyle and gorge themselves all summer to build up plentiful reserves of fat. After the first frost, they retreat to their underground burrows and snooze until spring, drawing their sustenance from body fat. While hibernating, the animal's heart rate plunges, and its body temperature is not much warmer than the temperature inside its burrow.

 

Groundhog hibernation gave rise to the popular American custom of Groundhog Day, held on the second of February every year. Tradition dictates that if a groundhog sees its shadow that day, there will be six more weeks of winter, though such a prediction seems a sure bet over much of the groundhog's North American range.

 

Groundhogs are the largest members of the squirrel family. Though they are usually seen on the ground, they can climb trees and are also capable swimmers. These rodents frequent the areas where woodlands meet open spaces, like fields, roads, or streams. Here they eat grasses and plants, as well as fruits and tree bark. Groundhogs are the bane of many a gardener. They can decimate a plot while voraciously feeding during the summer and fall seasons.

 

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/RKUbaO7.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/rLInaMw.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/gyiA6mM.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ys6FTal.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/dBCtljM.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/L6iOQh2.jpg

 

 

Very Cuddly

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27 August 2014

Wednesday

 

 

Flying Fox

 

Little red flying foxes are tree-dwelling bats. In daytime they can be seen roosting in giant camps that may include as many as a million individuals. The bats are indeed efficient fliers, as their name suggests, but time in the trees has also made them excellent climbers. Little red flying foxes use their feet and jointed thumbs to move nimbly about treetop branches. Despite the old “blind as a bat” axiom these and other flying foxes have excellent senses of both sight and smell, which enable them to find plenty of their favored foods.

 

Little red flying foxes are pollinators, like bees, and thus critical to the health and reproduction of flowering tree species. They are known to haunt many different habitats, including swamps, mangroves, and bamboo stands. Eucalyptus trees seem to be their favorite—they follow the trees’ flowering over great distances and farther into the Australian interior than any other bat species.

 

In fact, these flying foxes are rather nomadic as a rule. They migrate seasonally from rain forests to arid or coastal areas—roosting wherever their favored flowers and fruits are in season at any given time.

 

The main threat to these bats is the loss of trees and thus the flowers and fruits on which they depend. Little red flying foxes remain relatively common, however, and are actually regarded as pests by some farmers because they will feed in orchards when other food sources run short.

 

 

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/3RRuLtK.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/neppIg7.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/CElaSoV.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/no6rVPt.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Wpwvsrm.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/p2qzYhe.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/fDiYbM6.jpg

 

 

Interesting face...and nice big eyes...funny sleeping arrangement

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28 August 2014

Thursday

 

 

Platypus

 

The platypus is among nature's most unlikely animals. In fact, the first scientists to examine a specimen believed they were the victims of a hoax. The animal is best described as a hodgepodge of more familiar species: the duck (bill and webbed feet), beaver (tail), and otter (body and fur). Males are also venomous. They have sharp stingers on the heels of their rear feet and can use them to deliver a strong toxic blow to any foe.

 

Platypuses hunt underwater, where they swim gracefully by paddling with their front webbed feet and steering with their hind feet and beaverlike tail. Folds of skin cover their eyes and ears to prevent water from entering, and the nostrils close with a watertight seal. In this posture, a platypus can remain submerged for a minute or two and employ its sensitive bill to find food.

 

These Australian mammals are bottom feeders. They scoop up insects and larvae, shellfish, and worms in their bill along with bits of gravel and mud from the bottom. All this material is stored in cheek pouches and, at the surface, mashed for consumption. Platypuses do not have teeth, so the bits of gravel help them to "chew" their meal.

 

Platypus reproduction is nearly unique. It is one of only two mammals (the echidna is the other) that lay eggs.

 

Females seal themselves inside one of the burrow's chambers to lay their eggs. A mother typically produces one or two eggs and keeps them warm by holding them between her body and her tail. The eggs hatch in about ten days, but platypus infants are the size of lima beans and totally helpless. Females nurse their young for three to four months until the babies can swim on their own.

 

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/vT1UYlv.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/x9IFG03.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/0eg4KJd.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/KllOKIB.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ZQXkyi1.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/AkyHW4L.jpg

 

Now that IS a weird face...I'm not surprised scientists thought they were a hoax

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29 August 2014

Friday

 

 

Gelada Monkey

 

Gelada monkeys live only in the high mountain meadows of Ethiopia—an environment very unlike those of their forest or savanna-dwelling primate relatives. This high-altitude homeland is replete with steep, rocky cliffs, to which geladas have adapted. At night, the animals drop over precipice edges to sleep huddled together on ledges.

 

These baboon-size animals are the world's most terrestrial primates—except for humans. As grass-eaters, they are the last surviving species of ancient grazing primates that were once numerous. Geladas spend most of their day sitting down, plucking and munching on grasses. They have fatty rear ends, much like human buttocks, which seem well adapted to this activity.

 

Gelada live in small family units of one male and three to six females. Though males are larger and more colorful, females dominate gelada societies. When an aging male begins to decline, the females in his family decide when he will be replaced by a younger rival—though the male will do all he can do to drive off such competition.

 

Gelada family units often combine to form large foraging bands of 30 to 350 animals. When food is abundant as many as 670 geladas have been seen together.

 

About 100,000 to 200,000 gelada monkeys survive, but even their remote mountain locales are feeling the effects of encroaching agriculture that threatens the grasslands. Indigenous peoples also hunt gelada and use their impressive manes in traditional coming-of-age ceremonies.

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/4r3QA3V.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/OKUo6tD.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/VRruvv8.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ZW3xfEK.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Bw6LQpA.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/1KWM2Q5.jpg

 

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29 August 2014

Friday

 

 

Gelada Monkey

 

Gelada monkeys live only in the high mountain meadows of Ethiopia—an environment very unlike those of their forest or savanna-dwelling primate relatives. This high-altitude homeland is replete with steep, rocky cliffs, to which geladas have adapted. At night, the animals drop over precipice edges to sleep huddled together on ledges.

 

These baboon-size animals are the world's most terrestrial primates—except for humans. As grass-eaters, they are the last surviving species of ancient grazing primates that were once numerous. Geladas spend most of their day sitting down, plucking and munching on grasses. They have fatty rear ends, much like human buttocks, which seem well adapted to this activity.

 

Gelada live in small family units of one male and three to six females. Though males are larger and more colorful, females dominate gelada societies. When an aging male begins to decline, the females in his family decide when he will be replaced by a younger rival—though the male will do all he can do to drive off such competition.

 

Gelada family units often combine to form large foraging bands of 30 to 350 animals. When food is abundant as many as 670 geladas have been seen together.

 

About 100,000 to 200,000 gelada monkeys survive, but even their remote mountain locales are feeling the effects of encroaching agriculture that threatens the grasslands. Indigenous peoples also hunt gelada and use their impressive manes in traditional coming-of-age ceremonies.

 

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/4r3QA3V.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/OKUo6tD.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/VRruvv8.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ZW3xfEK.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Bw6LQpA.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/1KWM2Q5.jpg

 

Wow! They look so calm and relaxed with their mouths closed...but with them open, that's one impressive set of scary teeth.

What a transformation!

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30 August 2014

 

Paleontology Saturday

 

 

Arthropleura

 

Arthropleura was a genus of giant arthropod, related to centipedes and millipedes, that lived in North America and Scotland during the Carboniferous period, between about 340 and 280 million years ago.

 

Arthropleura is the largest known land invertebrate of all time, and was between 1 and 8½ feet long (0.3 to 2.6 meters). It was able to grow larger than modern arthropods, partly because of the greater partial pressure of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere at that time, and because of the lack of large terrestrial vertebrate predators.

 

Arthropleura is believed to have mostly lived on land (fossil tracks are relatively common), in a forest environment, but may also have been capable of travelling under water. Fossilized footprints from Arthropleura have been found in many places. These appear as long, parallel rows of small prints, which show that it moved quickly across the forest floor, swerving to avoid obstacles, such as trees and rocks.

 

No fossil mouth parts of Arthropleura have ever been found, so it is not entirely clear what it ate. It was once assumed to have been a carnivore , but the discovery of fossilized pollen in the animal's gut now suggest it was probably a herbivore.

 

 

 

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/ljPPHGJ.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/lCkAUkT.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/yp0Z2Pf.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/MsSyBUE.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Hh6utfk.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/oCd10Y4.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/VFu7WhA.jpg

 

 

Edited by substancewithoutstyle
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30 August 2014

 

Paleontology Saturday

 

 

Arthropleura

 

Arthropleura was a genus of giant arthropod, related to centipedes and millipedes, that lived in North America and Scotland during the Carboniferous period, between about 340 and 280 million years ago.

 

Arthropleura is the largest known land invertebrate of all time, and was between 1 and 8½ feet long (0.3 to 2.6 meters). It was able to grow larger than modern arthropods, partly because of the greater partial pressure of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere at that time, and because of the lack of large terrestrial vertebrate predators.

 

Arthropleura is believed to have mostly lived on land (fossil tracks are relatively common), in a forest environment, but may also have been capable of travelling under water. Fossilized footprints from Arthropleura have been found in many places. These appear as long, parallel rows of small prints, which show that it moved quickly across the forest floor, swerving to avoid obstacles, such as trees and rocks.

 

No fossil mouth parts of Arthropleura have ever been found, so it is not entirely clear what it ate. It was once assumed to have been a carnivore , but the discovery of fossilized pollen in the animal's gut now suggest it was probably a herbivore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/ljPPHGJ.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/lCkAUkT.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/yp0Z2Pf.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/MsSyBUE.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Hh6utfk.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/oCd10Y4.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/VFu7WhA.jpg

 

 

Wow! That a BIG bug!!! I think it deserves a monster movie made in it's honour

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31 August 2014

Sunday

 

 

Matschie's Tree Kangaroo

 

Tree kangaroos are found only in the rain forests of Australia, West Papua, and Papua New Guinea. Six of ten species are found in Papua New Guinea, in some of the last undisturbed rain forest habitat in the world.

 

The Matschie's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei) is endemic to the Huon Peninsula on the northeast coast of Papua New Guinea. It is classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2004 Red List as endangered.

 

Matschie's tree kangaroos live in mountainous cloud forests at elevations of up to 11,000 feet (3,350 meters). They spend most of their time in trees. Tree kangaroos primarily eat tree leaves. They also consume flowers, grass shoots, ferns, moss, and bark.

 

Little is known about the social behavior of wild tree kangaroos. Researchers believe that Matschie's tree kangaroos are fairly solitary animals. Females and males have non-overlapping home ranges, but a male's range will overlap several females' range. Researchers also believe that Matschie's tree kangaroos are polygamous and that males interact with several females. Males, however, appear not to establish harems, and females remain independent. The only strong social bond these animals form is between mother and offspring.

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/aaqCPRh.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/rNBzRGL.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/hun2ekp.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/nrQlqEV.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/dWRoPIz.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/q9yiq00.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/OX2aNDO.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/vEURm3x.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/9s0RxdS.jpg

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31 August 2014

Sunday

 

 

Matschie's Tree Kangaroo

 

Tree kangaroos are found only in the rain forests of Australia, West Papua, and Papua New Guinea. Six of ten species are found in Papua New Guinea, in some of the last undisturbed rain forest habitat in the world.

 

The Matschie's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei) is endemic to the Huon Peninsula on the northeast coast of Papua New Guinea. It is classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2004 Red List as endangered.

 

Matschie's tree kangaroos live in mountainous cloud forests at elevations of up to 11,000 feet (3,350 meters). They spend most of their time in trees. Tree kangaroos primarily eat tree leaves. They also consume flowers, grass shoots, ferns, moss, and bark.

 

Little is known about the social behavior of wild tree kangaroos. Researchers believe that Matschie's tree kangaroos are fairly solitary animals. Females and males have non-overlapping home ranges, but a male's range will overlap several females' range. Researchers also believe that Matschie's tree kangaroos are polygamous and that males interact with several females. Males, however, appear not to establish harems, and females remain independent. The only strong social bond these animals form is between mother and offspring.

 

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/aaqCPRh.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/rNBzRGL.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/hun2ekp.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/nrQlqEV.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/dWRoPIz.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/q9yiq00.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/OX2aNDO.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/vEURm3x.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/9s0RxdS.jpg

Cute fella...but those are still some massive claws

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01 September 2014

Monday

 

 

Golden Eagle

 

This powerful eagle is North America's largest bird of prey and the national bird of Mexico. These birds are dark brown, with lighter golden-brown plumage on their heads and necks. They are extremely swift, and can dive upon their quarry at speeds of more than 150 miles (241 kilometers) per hour.

 

Golden eagles use their speed and sharp talons to snatch up rabbits, marmots, and ground squirrels. They also eat carrion, reptiles, birds, fish, and smaller fare such as large insects. They have even been known to attack full grown deer. Ranchers once killed many of these birds for fear that they would prey on their livestock, but studies showed that the animal's impact was minimal. Today, golden eagles are protected by law.

 

Golden eagle pairs maintain territories that may be as large as 60 square miles (155 square kilometers). They are monogamous and may remain with their mate for several years or possibly for life. Golden eagles nest in high places including cliffs, trees, or human structures such as telephone poles. They build huge nests to which they may return for several breeding years. Females lay from one to four eggs, and both parents incubate them for 40 to 45 days. Typically, one or two young survive to fledge in about three months.

 

These majestic birds range from Mexico through much of western North America as far north as Alaska; they also appear in the east but are uncommon. Golden eagles are also found in Asia, northern Africa, and Europe.

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/Fj8yFaN.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/VbdS6Fe.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/J4mXZaK.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/u03KsjO.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/2b735T0.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/BvilYEz.jpg

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