Subject |
Comments |
Views |
Author |
Date Written |
A Chinese mystery, can you guess what these are?
|
view preview
The photo shown below was taken at a market in Shanghai, China. Can you guess what they are?If you guessed, water caltrop 菱, you're right! Water caltrops ( Trapa natans) are the seeds of a floating annual aquatic plant that's native to warm temperate parts of Eurasia and Africa. The plant grows in slow-moving water up to 5 m deep, and bear an ornately shaped fruit that resembles the head of a bull or the silhouette of a flying bat. Each fruit contains a single very large, starchy seed. T. natans and T. bicornis have been cultivated in China and the Indian subcontinent for at least 3,000 years for the edible seeds that are used in pastries, served steamed or boiled from street vendors, and even as a remedy for inebriation. ...
|
|
|
0 |
15216 |
bio_man |
7 years ago |
One long snout
|
view preview
The aardvark's outsize snout is tailor-made to house a foot-long, sticky tongue that's the perfect tool for extracting termites from their mound nests. Bush-meat hunters are fond of eating aardvarks, but the "antbear" ( Orycteropus afer) is still relatively common across sub-Saharan Africa.
|
|
|
0 |
3070 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
This animal's tongue is connected to its pelvis
|
view preview
Pangolins, often called "scaly anteaters," are solitary, primarily nocturnal animals, are easily recognized by their full armor of scales. If that's not impressive enough, their tongues are attached near its pelvis and last pair of ribs, and when fully extended is longer than the animal’s head and body. At rest a pangolin’s tongue retracts into a sheath in its chest cavity.
|
|
|
0 |
13277 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
This strange disease turns one's skin into bone
|
view preview
Known an fibrodysplasia ossificans progressive, or FOB for short, this disease can suddenly turn a person’s tissues and muscles into bone, thereby permanently immobilizing parts of the bodies. Joints such as elbows or ankles may become frozen in place; jaw motion can be impeded and the rib cage fixed, making eating or even breathing difficult. Currently, no cure exists to combat this rare condition.
|
|
|
0 |
7939 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
Our ancestors never really noticed the color blue
|
view preview
Our perception has heavily depended on how well we can accurately describe our surroundings. And this description relies on our language. Our ancestors apparently were not capable of perceiving the color blue. If they did, they were not capable of noticing it, simply because there was no term in language for blue. The first civilization to document and affirm the color blue was the Ancient Egyptian Civilization. In fact, the Ancient Egyptians were the only ancestors that were able to produce blue dyes! Moreover, philologists have compared Hindu, Chinese, Arabic, Hebrew and many more languages only to find no mention of the color blue. However, just because the term for blue did not exist, does not mean our ancestors did not perceive blue. T ...
|
|
|
0 |
2838 |
ehd123 |
8 years ago |
The Ozark cavefish has no eyes
|
view preview
The Ozark cavefish ( Amblyopsis rosae) is a small subterranean freshwater fish native to the United States. The fish has no pelvic fin; the dorsal and anal fins are farther back than on most fish. It has only rudimentary eyes and no optic nerve.
|
|
|
0 |
4727 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
The rainbow eucalyptus tree has its name because of its vibrant colored bark
|
view preview
Eucalyptus deglupta, commonly called rainbow eucalyptus, is a very large, fast-growing, broadleaved evergreen tree that is native to moist humid tropical forested areas with high rainfall in New Guinea, Indonesia and the Philippine Islands (Island of Mindanao). It is perhaps best noted for its smooth orange-tinted trunk bark which peels in summer to reveal a unique and sometimes stunning multi-colored bark (as described by the common name of rainbow eucalyptus) consisting of streaks of pale green, red, orange, gray and purple-brown. ...
|
|
|
0 |
26073 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
This strange animal can drink through its feet
|
view preview
The thorny dragon ( Moloch horridus) is an Australian lizard that grows up to 20 cm in length, and it can live for up to 20 years. Not only is it covered entirely with conical spines, it has the uncanny ability to suck in water from all over its body - including its feet - through capillary action.
|
|
|
0 |
32029 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
This blind bird's eyes look like miniature galaxies
|
view preview
This is Zeus, a blind Western Screech Owl whose eyes look like forming galaxies. The stellar effect is likely caused by chunky vitreous strands in his eyes. The handsome owl was found injured in Southern California and now lives at the Wildlife Learning Centre in Los Angeles.
|
|
|
0 |
5987 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
This turtle has a pig's nose
|
view preview
This strange little guy is the aptly named pig-nosed turtle. Native to the Northern Territory in Australia and parts of New Guinea, it uses that odd, piggy snout just like a double-barrelled snorkel.
|
|
|
2 |
9829 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
Unworldly looking mushrooms
|
view preview
Phillipsia subpurpurea is a species of fungus in the family Sarcoscyphaceae. It is found in Australia where it grows as a saprophyte on wood. It's cup-shaped fruit bodies lack stipes and have purplish interior surfaces.
|
|
|
1 |
9164 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
|
1 |
4676 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
Heart-shaped watermelons
|
view preview
Japanese farmer, Hiroichi Kimura, has perfected growing the heart-shaped watermelon.
|
|
|
3 |
8959 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Butterfly tongue
|
view preview
This is a coiled butterfly tongue magnified 60 times.
|
|
|
1 |
5247 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Albino alligator
|
view preview
Bino, an albino alligator that lives at the Sao Paulo Aquarium in Brazil. Read more on albinism.
|
|
|
1 |
5843 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Getting paid to sleep
|
view preview
These are the ‘pillownauts,’ and they just got out of bed for the first time in 21 days. The paid volunteers for the European Space Agency laid with their feet up in a medical facility while scientists poked and prodded them to try to understand the effects of spaceflight on astronauts’ bodies. One of the subjects who took part in this investigation said: “The first days of each session were the worst. The body needs to adapt and I had migraines and backaches."
|
|
|
3 |
7859 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Prickly crab
|
view preview
This is the porcupine crab ( Neolithodes grimaldii), found in the deep sea bed along the continental slopes of the Atlantic Ocean. A member of the king crab family, its carapace, or body, can stretch up to 18 cm long, and it can weigh over 2 kg. But that's nothing compared to the blue king crab ( Paralithodes platypus) from Alaska, which weighs a whopping 8 kg. ...
|
|
|
0 |
9138 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Someone is selling air on Ebay
|
view preview
Could someone talk some sense into the five people that have bid on this item, please? According to the description, this is one litre of bottled air from the area affected by the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
|
|
|
1 |
5148 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Gold comes in many different forms
|
view preview
The Golden Tortoise beetle is found in the Americas. They feed on the leaves of plants related to the sweet potato, including the morning glory and bindweed, though they rarely eat enough to cause serious damage to the plant.
|
|
|
1 |
5274 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Imagine being able to draw while you're sleep
|
view preview
Artist Lee Hadwin has a unique talent - he can only produce his artwork in his sleep, as shown above. Lee cannot remember doing anything while he is asleep, and cannot recreate his work while he is awake. He says he has no real interest in art, but has been producing his own work since a small child.
|
|
|
2 |
4793 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
You big fat 'sea' pig!
|
view preview
Sea pigs are marine animals around 15 cm long that live about 1,000 metres down on the deep sea floor. They are scotoplanes (sea cucumbers) and their 'legs' are actually elongated feet which are used to push food into their mouths. The apparent antennae on the front of the head are also feet, used to tread the deep sea water. They feed on deep ocean mud and thrive on the organic material present there. The sea pigs are not considered as a threat to humans and they are not an endangered species. ...
|
|
|
2 |
4036 |
savio |
10 years ago |
Baby blue eyes
|
view preview
Waardenburg Syndrome is a rare autosomal genetic disorder that has possible bright blue eyes as one of its qualifying criteria, along with possible deafness (common). Actually, the cause of the blue eyes is a form of albinism that may include patches of non-pigmented skin or forehead hair, regardless of ethnicity. There are four types of Waardenburg Syndrome, with a mix of possible characteristics as the determinant. Medical challenges increase with type. The boy in the picture is displaying two major symptoms of type 1; bright blue eyes and dystopia canthorum, a condition where the inner corners of the eyes are set more widely apart, but with normally distanced eyes. ...
|
|
|
3 |
3935 |
savio |
10 years ago |
If Squidward were real
|
view preview
The Banded Piglet squid is proof that not all deep sea creatures are nightmare-inducing. They swim "upside down" compared to other squid, leaving him resembling a Muppet with his tentacles as the hair, the syphon as the nose, and his patterning appearing to be a smile. These guys live at least 100 m below the surface. Because of those incredible depths, it has to create its own light from the photophores underneath its eyes. Unfortunately, because it lives so far down, not much is known about its life cycle or eating habits. ...
|
|
|
0 |
3228 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Leafy Seadragon
|
view preview
This is the spectacular Leafy Seadragon. Its dangling skin disguises the vulnerable species as floating seaweed. Like seahorses, the male Leafy Seadragon carries the eggs, which are bright pink when the female first deposits them, but turn purple or orange when they're ready to hatch after nine weeks.
|
|
|
2 |
2190 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Dumbo Octopus
|
view preview
The Dumbo Octopus belongs to the genus Grimpoteuthis, and is given its nickname based on its resemblance to the large-eared Disney elephant. They can live up to 7,000 meters below the surface, though many are found between 1,000 and 4,000 meters. It feeds unlike any other octopus, by skimming the surface of the sea floor looking for crustaceans to swallow whole. The largest specimen on record was 1.8 m (6ft) long, weighing 5.9 kg (13 pounds).
|
|
|
1 |
4082 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
White eyeless leeches
|
view preview
This is Croatobranchus mestrovi, a leech that lives 1.3km below sea level and doesn't want to suck your blood. The leech's milky colour and lack of eyes comes from living exclusively in the freezing groundwater and darkness of one of the deepest caves in the world, located in Croatia. They were found in shallow water attached to rocks, with their extra-wide, tentacle-surrounded mouths facing the current.
|
|
|
3 |
2456 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
A human confused as an alien
|
view preview
This bizarre looking thing is "Ata the humanoid", a mummified corpse found in the Atacama Desert ten years ago. It's strange appearance led to many calling it an "alien", claiming it as proof that extraterrestrials have visited Earth. Well, it's finally been submitted to a battery of tests and the results show it to be fully human. DNA analysis has even managed to pinpoint the location and nationality of its mother. The results do suggest that it was once alive and human, not a hoax, and so asks more questions than they answer. The bone analysis suggests that this is not a fetus, but a child between the ages of 6-8. The specimen has just ten ribs (as opposed to 12), is just six inches long and has severe facial deformities. These symptoms do ...
|
|
|
1 |
4515 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
A bird with a moustache
|
view preview
Inca terns are unique and beautiful birds—slender with white-tipped gray feathers, a white curly moustache, yellow lips and a bright orange-red bill. They have a distinctive call that sounds like a high pitched laugh, which is often accompanied by bowing gestures. Inca terns are natives of the western shoreline of South America and the islands located offshore. They are especially abundant in northern Chile and Peru in the summer. They migrate in winter, venturing to Ecuador and central Chile. Inca terns swoop down and pluck fish from near the water’s surface. They also sometimes get scraps left behind by whales, or flock to where sea lions are eating on rocks, to steal stray bits of food. A male who is interested in a female will perform aer ...
|
|
|
2 |
2950 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
A marine animal that looks like you know what
|
view preview
This is Urechis unicinctus, a species of marine spoon worm. It is also know as the fat innkeeper worm or (I bet you'll never guess why) the penis fish. They live in burrows of sand and mud and are commonly eaten raw with salt and sesame oil in Korea and parts of Japan.
|
|
|
1 |
7608 |
duddy |
11 years ago |
Flowers that look like monkeys
|
view preview
These are monkey orchids ( Orchis simia). This species can be found in Europe, the Mediterranean, Russia, Asia Minor, and Iran.
|
|
|
4 |
3675 |
duddy |
11 years ago |
Anyone heard of a Hoopoe?
|
view preview
A Hoopoe (pronounced who-poh, scientific name: Upupa epops) is a colourful African bird which has a distinctive ‘crown’ of feathers. The species is highly distinctive, with a long, thin tapering bill that is black with a fawn base. The strengthened musculature of the head allows the bill to be opened when probing inside the soil. The hoopoe has broad and rounded wings capable of strong flight; these are larger in the northern migratory subspecies. The Hoopoe has a characteristic undulating flight, which is like that of a giant butterfly, caused by the wings half closing at the end of each beat or short sequence of beats. Listen to it sing: ...
|
|
|
0 |
3080 |
duddy |
11 years ago |
The kiwi bird
|
view preview
The kiwi is a flightless bird found only in New Zealand. They're around the size of a chicken, and lay the largest eggs in relation to their body size of any bird in the world. Their eggs can be up to 20% of the females body weight - the equivalent of a 130 pound woman giving birth to a 26 pound baby. ...
|
|
|
1 |
5492 |
duddy |
11 years ago |
A cat the size of a mouse
|
view preview
Mr. Peebles from Pekin, Illinois, USA was claimed as the world's smallest cat. Mr. Peebles is two years old cat weighing just three pounds and measuring 6.1 inches in height. This anomaly is caused by a genetic disorder.
|
|
|
0 |
9145 |
duddy |
11 years ago |
|
2 |
6038 |
duddy |
11 years ago |
Sunda pangolins
|
view preview
Sunda pangolins have become the most frequently seized mammal in the illegal wildlife trade in Asia, as smugglers sell the creatures to meet culinary and medicinal demand. These gentle insectivores are now on the endangered species list.
|
|
|
1 |
6494 |
bio_man |
11 years ago |
Halla tree fruit
|
view preview
This is the fruit of the Halla tree ( Pandanus tectorius). The tree grows to 4–14 m (13–46 ft) tall and is found from Port Macquarie in New South Wales to northern Queensland, Australia and Indonesia east through the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean to Hawaii. The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked and is a major source of food in Micronesia. ...
|
|
|
2 |
7078 |
bio_man |
11 years ago |