HomesickAlien
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10 October 2016 Monday Eastern Quoll The eastern quoll is a medium-sized carnivorous marsupial with thick, soft fur that is fawn, brown or black and covered in small white spots, except on the tail. The tail is long and bushy, and sometimes has a white tip. The eastern quoll tends to live alone, foraging mainly for invertebrates such as beetle larvae and corbie grubs (Oncopera spp.). However, it is an opportunistic carnivore and will also hunt small mammals such as rabbits, mice and rats, as well as birds, lizards and snakes. It also scavenges on larger prey and occasionally feeds on grass and fruits. The eastern quoll may even compete with the larger Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) for food, darting around its kills to take small pieces of flesh. A nocturnal species, the eastern quoll shelters in a den by day, usually in an underground burrow, fallen log or rock pile. The eastern quoll is mainly terrestrial, moving across the ground with a bounding gait and only occasionally climbing. The eastern quoll breeds in the early winter, between May and August, with the young being born after a gestation period of around 21 days. After about ten weeks, the young eastern quolls leave the pouch and the female leaves them in a grass-lined den in a burrow or hollow log, allowing the female to hunt and forage. If the female needs to move to a different den site, she may carry the young on her back. Weaning occurs when the young eastern quolls are about five months old. The eastern quoll reaches sexual maturity within its first year, and may live for around three to five years in the wild. The eastern quoll once occurred across southeast Australia, from South Australia, through Victoria to the central coast of New South Wales. However, after reductions of between 50 and 90 percent in its historical range, the eastern quoll now exists in the wild only in Tasmania. http://i.imgur.com/tZAhuYj.jpg?1 Have I done this entry already? It seems familiar, but that may have been the Western Quoll. -
I always thought it was the name of your first pet and the street you lived on when you were a kid, in which case mine would be Fluffy Johnson. In accordance with this thread it would be Blue Cottage Cheese. I think I prefer the former.
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09 October 2016 Sunday Ceres Featherlegs Damselfly Thought to be extinct for many years, the incredibly rare Ceres featherlegs (Spesbona angusta) is a tiny damselfly that occurs in South Africa. Although the Ceres featherlegs was first described in 1920, it was not seen again until 2003. The male Ceres featherlegs is bold blue and black. The female has more extensive blue areas, but the blue is typically much paler. Like all damselflies, the Ceres featherlegs has four wings that are all of much the same shape and size. The clear wings are held along the length of the slender abdomen when at rest. This separates damselflies from the more robust-looking dragonflies, which hold the wings away from the body during rest. Damselflies are carnivorous, aerial predators, which feed on smaller insects. Sometimes their diet may include other damselflies and dragonflies. Damselflies are prey themselves for many species, particularly birds, such as swallows and bee-eaters. When mating, the male damselfly grasps the female on the neck with grasping appendages situated on the end of the long abdomen. Mating can last from a few seconds to several hours, depending on the species of damselfly. All damselflies lay their eggs on plants that are submerged in water. The emerging larva (damselfly nymphs are voracious aquatic predators) then undergoes several moults before climbing out of the water at night, ready to make the final, dramatic transformation into the adult form. In the early morning, the larva swallows air, which expands the body so that the larva’s ‘skin’ splits, revealing the adult body. Blood then enters the delicate wings, which expand and harden before the damselfly takes to its maiden flight. Although originally recorded from the Ceres region in South Africa, the Ceres featherlegs is today known from just one pool near Villiersdorp in the Western Cape. Despite intensive searches, this species has not yet been found anywhere else. http://i.imgur.com/NSVIkDv.jpg
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08 October 2016 Saturday White-throated Monitor Growing to a length of 2 m, the white throated monitor is one of almost 60 species of powerfully built lizards belonging to the genus Varanus. All monitor lizards are recognised for their elongate bodies, strong limbs, muscular tails and robust claws. The body pattern of the white throated monitor comprises dark rosettes with a cream coloured centre that gradually merge with age to give the impression of bands around the ribcage. While the head is solid grey or brown above, the throat is much lighter, hence this species’ common name. The snout of this monitor lizard is also distinctively blunt and bulbous, particularly in adults. Although primarily a terrestrial species, the white throated monitor will climb trees to hunt for prey, to reproduce, and to avoid predators. If confronted on the ground by a predator, such as a honey badger, it will puff up its throat and body, lash out with its tail, and bite violently. During the summer it is active throughout the day, except during midday in regions where temperatures are extremely high. It hunts for a wide range of prey and will eat just about anything it can subdue, from snakes, birds and eggs, to snails, millipedes and grasshoppers. Although the white-throated monitor remains alert during the winter months, it is far less active and generally remains in its overnight refuge, which usually takes the form of an earth burrow or hollow tree trunk. During the breeding season, receptive females almost always climb into trees. Once a male locates a female, the pair will mate for one to two days before the male goes in search of another female. Each year, a female may lay two clutches of up to 50 eggs. The white throated-monitor has a wide distribution through south-western, south-central, and eastern Africa. http://i.imgur.com/XxgQudY.jpg
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Not sure what happened here... it looked fine in the post preview. Try again later.
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08 October 2016 Saturday
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That is one strange plant.... http://i.imgur.com/gYbHuty.gif http://i.imgur.com/d9uXapo.gif
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That doesn't look very appetizing. And if it attracts flies then the smell can't be very good :D Many aroids have evil-smelling inflorescences. I once made the mistake of growing Sauromatum venosum as a houseplant. When it flowered the room smelled like a dead animal that had been out in the sun for a few days. The stench was overwhelming. :| The tubers themselves may not taste bad at all. I'm guessing they're similar to taro (Colocasia esculenta), which is in the same family.
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07 October 2016 Friday Elephant Yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius) Elephant yam is a striking aroid with a flower spike crowned with a bulbous maroon knob and encircled by a fleshy maroon and green-blotched bract. The solitary leaf, which emerges after the flowering parts, resembles a small tree. Amorphophallus paeoniifolius has been in cultivation throughout tropical Asia for centuries. The tubers are the third most important carbohydrate source after rice and maize in Indonesia. They are also consumed widely in India and Sri Lanka, although elsewhere they are seen as a famine crop, to be used when more popular staples, such as rice, are in short supply. It is also sometimes cultivated in greenhouses for its bizarre inflorescence. It should not be confused with Dioscorea species, which are also known by the common name yam, but belong to a different plant family (Dioscoreaceae). Amorphophallus paeoniifolius is considered to be native to southern China (including Taiwan), Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Borneo, Java, Peninsular Malaysia, Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatra, New Guinea, northern Australia, Fiji and Samoa. It is found in secondary forest or highly disturbed areas, up to 800 m above sea level. Elephant yam has medicinal properties and is used in many Ayurvedic (traditional Hindu) preparations. The tubers are considered to have pain-killing, anti-inflammatory, anti-flatulence, digestive, aphrodisiac, rejuvenating and tonic properties. They are traditionally used in the treatment of a wide range of conditions including parasitic worms, inflammation, coughs, flatulence, constipation, anaemia, haemorrhoids and fatigue. http://i.imgur.com/YTlSyLN.png
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One wonders if Gollum was modeled after the nocturnal primates? http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/OK0AAMXQS6pRv5Q2/s-l400.jpg Tarsiers also come to mind. http://i.imgur.com/e7iebPB.jpg
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02 October 2016 Sunday Grey Slender Loris The grey slender loris is a small (24cm), nocturnal primate that hunts primarily using vision, and therefore has remarkable eyes that are adapted to this life. A special layer at the back of the eye reflects light back through the retina, resulting in increased stimulation of the photoreceptors, and allowing vision in very low levels of light. The grey slender loris feeds primarily on insects, particularly ants, although the gum from trees is also eaten. This arboreal species remains in the trees to hunt insects, and adopts acrobatic positions in order to capture its prey. Often, the grey slender loris will silently stalk its prey before reaching out to grab it, in a hunting manner that has been compared to a cat. Although this species often forages alone, it is actually a social primate that sleeps during the day in groups of up to seven individuals, and interacts within the group throughout the night; physical contact and grooming are reported to be essential components of slender loris behaviour. Each group typically comprises one female, her dependent offspring and one or more males. The males, which have home ranges almost twice the size of those of females, act aggressively toward any male from outside their own sleeping group, while adult females rarely interact with each other. Females may give birth to twins, twice each year. The grey slender loris occurs in southern and eastern India and Sri Lanka, and has been recorded in a range of habitats including forest, plantations, and dry shrub jungles. It appears to prefer degraded forests, rather than primary forest, and is often associated with areas near human habitations. Numerous human activities threaten the grey slender loris throughout its range. Habitat loss has impacted this species in both Sri Lanka and India; the plantations that the loris can be found in are an unstable habitat, as they can be harvested at any time. This nocturnal primate is also killed by road traffic. The implementation of speed breakers on roads that run through critical loris habitat in order to reduce the number of road deaths, plus the planting of trees to link forest patches which will reduce the chance of a loris travelling across a road have been recommended. http://i.imgur.com/0aRCCuD.jpg?1
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I prefer my food/drinks without bugs in it, thankyouverymuch. tough crowd
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01 October 2016 Saturday Mezcal Worm A mezcal worm is an insect larva found in some types of mezcal produced in Oaxaca, Mexico. The larva is usually either a gusano rojo ("red worm") or a chinicuil ("maguey worm"), the caterpillar of the Hypopta agavis moth. The red worm is typically considered tastier. Contrary to the popular belief of many, a true tequila does not contain a worm. It is only in tequila's brother, mezcal. Although the custom is relatively recent, larvae are used frequently by several brands of mezcal to give flavor to the drink. A whole larva is deposited in the bottle, normally after having previously been cured in pure alcohol. When not pickled in booze they are coral in color but fade when preserved in alcohol. The “worms” are a common food without mezcal in Mexico. Hypopta agavis likes to lay its eggs on the agave plant. Somewhere in the 1940s, this gusano, or “worm” became inextricably linked with mezcal when some enterprising bottlers began including a gusano to prove the mezcal was authentic. A marketing ploy, to be sure, but soon the worm became a symbol of mezcal’s potency. The larvae are not a traditional part of the recipe. They are usually a sign of a cheap mezcal aimed at drinkers who don't know better. Makers of fine mezcal have lobbied, unsuccessfully, to have the worm banned entirely because they feel it denigrates the entire category. http://i.imgur.com/F2RTf3O.jpg?1
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30 September 2016 Friday Jabiru (Jabiru mycteria) The Jabiru is a large stork of swamps and marshes from Mexico south to northern Argentina. While not migratory, it does disperse seasonally, and sometimes is found some distance from its usual range. It has a massive black bill that curves slightly upwards, a bare black neck with a large red patch at the base, and entirely white plumage. They feed on fish, small crustaceans and amphibians. Most prey is caught by the bird jabbing and seizing it with its large bill, some food by lunging forward with a large stride or by leaping in the air. Feeding birds move about actively in shallow water, splashing with their bill to flush prey. Pairs of Jabiru bond for several years, perhaps for life. Their nest is a large platform of sticks and other vegetation, which is placed in a tall tree standing in or near water, and is used for consecutive years, each year growing in size and sometimes attaining a diameter of over 2 meters. Birds are secretive and nest in isolated pairs; it is one of the few storks that is strongly territorial while breeding. The range of the Jabiru has been reduced with the modification of flood plains and tall reed beds for agriculture, mining, and human settlement. http://i.imgur.com/fqZLKSQ.jpg?1 http://i.imgur.com/RNAbX5t.png
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Flushing an amphibian's stomach or the article in general? http://youtu.be/9v3wG28FIqM
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28 September 2016 Wednesday Devil Frog Vomits A New Ant Species Scientists have discovered a new species of ant in a totally unexpected place. It was in the belly of a poison frog. http://i.imgur.com/01teZTD.jpg The new ant species, named Lenomyrmex hoelldobleri, belongs to genus Lenomyrmex. The genus was previously comprised of six ant species, which are only rarely collected. The latest discovery contributes to expand the number of ant species in the genus and it was not possible without a frog called diablito. Diablito, or little devil frog (Oophaga sylvatica), found in Ecuador, feed on ants and often go hunting for bugs and insects in places which are hard to access for humans. So there is always a possibility that something unusual is hiding inside their bellies. When researchers captured a wild devil frog and flushed its stomach, they found an ant specimen dipped in its puke. The ant was already dead when it was taken out of the frog’s stomach and researchers were completely unaware of its identity. Researchers found that the specimen was less than a quarter of an inch long and did not look like any ant species documented before. After thorough analysis, the ant was officially declared a new species from the genus Lenomyrmex and was named Lenomyrmex hoelldobleri to honor a German evolutionary biologist and ant expert, Bert Hölldobler, for his 80th birthday. http://i.imgur.com/VDfEGYy.jpg Because the only known specimen of L. hoelldobleri is a dead one from a frog's stomach, scientists know almost nothing about it. Because many amphibians are endangered—the International Union for the Conservation of Nature lists O. sylvatica as near threatened—any research with wild frogs must be done carefully, and only by trained experts. To flush the stomach, scientists insert a soft tube into the amphibian’s mouth and gently fill it with water, prompting whatever the frog has eaten recently to flow out of its mouth and onto a tray. The frog can then be safely returned to its natural habitat. http://news.national...ts-new-species/
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http://i.imgur.com/WZuD2ip.gif
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Too soon.
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http://www.therushfo...lmer-1929-2016/ Time to pull that Xarelto commercial.
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.3
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http://i.imgur.com/nacvPxy.jpg
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http://i.imgur.com/D4GVP5D.jpg
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http://i.imgur.com/f5xILPA.gif
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Some "colourful" language may be used in TOST occasionally, but most regular posters there are familiar with each other and know it's good-natured fun. I doubt anyone is offended. Much ado about nothing...
