7 Amazing Transparent Animals – Wonders of Nature
Nature is fascinating and often weird, it surprises us when we least expect. Some creatures use the camouflage techniques as a hunting and defense mechanism, others show everything they have - like transparent animals. Despite of what we are inclined to think, transparent and translucent animals live also on the ground, not only in the abyss of the ocean and we have visual proof of it. Nothing is photoshopped!
1. Transparent Frog
Umm, not so fast, prof… have you seen the “glass frog” (above), native to the Venezuelan rainforest? Like the transparent frogs selectively bred in the lab from generations of pale-skinned Japanese Brown Frogs, the Glass Frog’s internal organs and eggs can be seen without too much trouble. Word to Professor Sumida: take the grant money and run!
2. Transparent Cave Crayfish
Caves are some of the darkest places on the planet – even sophisticated light-gathering instruments are unable to register a single photon in the deepest, darkest caves. Under these conditions, creatures including fish, spiders, insects and crayfish have evolved into “troglobites”: animals so precisely adapted to living in darkness that they cannot survive outside cave environments. Under such conditions, neither eyes nor pigmentation are necessary.
3. Transparent Sea Cucumber
Slow moving, soft bodied bottom dwellers for the most part, Sea Cucumbers are an ancient lineage of sea creatures who have evolved a variety of ways to survive and thrive over hundreds of millions of years of evolution. For some Sea Cucumbers, being transparent allows them to fly under the radar, as it were, of predators in search of a quick & easy kill.
4. Transparent Icefish
Fund in the cold waters around Antarctica and southern South America, the crocodile icefish (Channichthyidae) feed on krill, copepods, and other fish. Their blood is transparent because they have no hemoglobin and/or only defunct erythrocytes. Their metabolism relies only on the oxygen dissolved in the liquid blood, which is believed to be absorbed directly through the skin from the water. This works because water can dissolve the most oxygen when it is coldest.
5. Transparent Amphipod
Called Phronima, this unusual animal is one of the many strange species recently found on an expedition to a deep-sea mountain range in the North Atlantic. In an ironic strategy for survival, this tiny shrimplike creature shows everything it has, inside and out, in an attempt to disappear.
6. Transparent Squid
Found on the southern hemisphere’s oceans, the Glass Squid (Teuthowenia pellucida) has light organs on its eyes and possesses the ability to roll into a ball, like an aquatic hedgehog.
7. Transparent Siphonophores
Siphonophores belong to the Cnidaria, a group of animals that includes the corals, hydroids, and true jellyfish. Marrus orthocanna, a deep sea siphonophore. The combined digestive and circulatory system is red; all other parts are transparent.
Weird, Creative & Funny Animal Hairstyles
August 19, 2010 by admin
Filed under Animals, Art and Design
Fancy wearing animals on your hair? Animal hairstyles are what you will need. These hairstyles are amazing creative, cool, funny and of course super weird too! These are the amazing creations of Japanese hair artist Nagi Noda. Asian hair will look cool with animal hairstyles. Go on, try these hairstyles if you dare…
LEGO Creatures of Habitat at The Philadelphia Zoo
August 17, 2010 by admin
Filed under Animals, Art and Design
At the Philadelphia Zoo premiered a collection of 31 different animal sculptures, all rendered in Legos, by certified Lego artist Sean Kenney. The exhibition is called Creatures of Habitat and is in place to promote awareness about vanished habitats.
Ten different animals and their habitats have been places around the Zoo. Visit all the stations to learn about why these creatures were chosen for the exhibition as well as what role the Philadelphia Zoo plays in protecting and preserving these animals and their habitats. The Lego animals will be in place until October 31, 2010, so do make sure to get over there between now and then. This is one not to be missed!
My Pet – My Best Friend Forever
Many people have found there best friends that belong to other species, we call them our pets. A pet if loyal, cuddling, cute and loving…No wonder some find in their pets their best friends forever. For many of us pet lovers, losing a pet can be as heartbreaking as losing a person whom we have shared a close relationship. This awesome photo gallery depicts the kind of cute loving relationships that exists among people and animals.
Funny Animal Shaped Cars
Have you ever seen any strange car designs? These are probably the strangest examples. Design of these cars is inspired by animals forms. Here are a few examples of interesting animal shaped cars, which stand out from the normal & make their presence felt on the roads. Check them out!
Cat cars
Lobster car
Dragon cars
Dog cars
Animals Which Enjoy To Be Photomodels
This photo collection is a set of portraits of animals where they behave like real photo models. It isn’t really that surprising, because animals often try to imitate people. On the other hand, man evolved from animals, so similarities are inevitable. Enjoy these amazing animals shoots!
What Happens When Animals Behave Like People?
Regardless of the continent animals come from , no matter if they are wild or domestic, animals sometimes tend to behave like people. A fact that can produce very entertaining and funny animal photographs, kind of photographs that will make you see animals in a whole new light.
Who knows, if animals keep copying human behavior it might lead them to a new level of evolution and take the title of dominant species from human beings. These photo gallery features the best photographs that show what happens when animals behave like people. Check them out!
How Animals Kiss and Make Up?
Animals know the importance of kissing and making up after a fight, an audience will be told at a Scottish university. Professor Frans de Waal will discuss the importance of reconciliation in repairing social relationships in the animal world. He said research among primates and non-primates had suggested that such behavior was “widespread”. The eminent scholar will deliver the Irvine Lecture at St Andrews University on Monday.
Professor de Waal said: “Reconciliation – defined as a friendly reunion between two individuals following conflict – has been confirmed in many different primate species, in both captivity and the field, both experimentally and observationally. “Chimpanzees, for instance, kiss and embrace after fights. “Reconciliation has also been demonstrated in non-primates, suggesting that the phenomenon is widespread indeed.” He said there was good evidence that it led to the repairing of social relationships. (sours: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3183516.stm)
Funny and Lazy Cat: Genuine Real Life Garfield
I guess you have heard about Garfield, the world’s most famous lazy cat. Well, this is his real life brother. This cat makes Garfield look like a very lively and energetic pet. I envy this cute animal, eating and sleeping all day. Sounds like an ideal life style. Its owners must enjoying this, too; having a lazy fur ball of a pet. Just see this funny photo gallery of this lazy cat.
Great White Shark Hunting: Fearsome Predator in Action
July 31, 2010 by admin
Filed under Animals, Featured, Places and Nature
Predation is one of the most fundamental and fascinating interactions in nature, and sharks are some of the fiercest predators on Earth. However, their hunting pattern is difficult to study because it is rarely observed in the wild. As a result, shark predatory behavior has remained much of a mystery. Researchers have found that sharks hunt in a highly focused fashion, just like serial criminals.
In an awesome display of power and acrobatic prowess, white sharks attack prey with a sudden vertical rush that propels them out of the water. “They hunt solitary juvenile Cape fur seals when light levels are low, stalking them from near the ocean floor to remain undetected, before launching a vertical attack,” Hammerschlag said. “This strategy maximizes a shark’s chances of catching a seal unaware thus initiating a fatal first strike. Stealth and ambush are key elements in the white shark’s predatory strategy.” This hunting strategy of great white sharks can best be observed in these fascinating photographs and artistic CG images of these marvelous animals. More info about white sharks can be found here
