WHEN PENGUINS ATTACK Photograph by M/S Expedition on Twitter/Gap Adventures In this amazing capture, we see a Gentoo penguin about to take a big bite into a GoPro camera in Antarctica. The image was shared on Gap Adventure’s M/S Expedition twitter account earlier this week. The M/S Expedition is Gap Adventure’s cruise…
Visarute Angkatavanich is a commercial photographer currently living in Bangkok, Thailand. In an ongoing photo series, Visarute takes breathtaking portraits of Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta splendens). Many of the portraits capture these popular aquarium fish in motion, accentuating their large and vibrant fins. Siamese Fighting Fish typically grow to about 7 cm in length…
Alexey Kljatov (aka ChaoticMind75) is an artist and photographer from Moscow, Russia. In an ongoing series entitled Snowflakes and snow crystals, Alexey takes macro shots of natural snowflakes, snow and hoarfrost crystals right outside of his house. In a detailed blog post Kljatov explains that he shoots with a Canon A650 with a custom-built…
OWL EYES Photograph by Tony Hisgett Seen here is an intense close up of an Indian Eagle-Owl’s eyes. The Indian Eagle-Owl, also called the Rock Eagle-Owl or Bengal Eagle-Owl (Bubo bengalensis) is a species of large horned owl found in the Indian Subcontinent. The species is often considered a subspecies of the…
A CANYON OF FIRE ON THE SUN Photograph by NASA/SDO NASA/SDO – A magnetic filament of solar material erupted on the sun in late September, breaking the quiet conditions in a spectacular fashion. The 200,000 mile long filament ripped through the sun’s atmosphere, the corona, leaving behind what looks like a canyon…
THE SKELETON LEAF Photograph by Dietmut Teijgeman-Hansen In this interesting close-up by Dietmut Teijgeman-Hansen, we see what remains of a leaf that was likely consumed by an insect and is now slowly decomposing. According to reddit’s resident biologist Unidan: “The reason this skeletal like pattern remains in the leaves is due to…
SUNSET FIRE OPAL Photograph by Jeff Schultz | gemstoneJEFF on Flickr In this beautiful close up by gemstone hobbyist Jeff Schultz, we see a stunning Mexican fire opal. When illuminated just right, it looks like a sunset above the clouds. According to Wikipedia, fire opals are transparent to translucent opals with warm…
SNAIL WITH SEMI-TRANSPARENT SHELL DISCOVERED Photograph by Jana Bedek In a paper published on 30 August 2013 by the International Society for Subterranean Biology, Dr Alexander Weigand of Goethe-University Frankfurt, Germany, has described a new species of cave-dwelling snail from the Lukina Jama–Trojama cave system. The new species, Zospeum tholussum, is a…
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton (external skeleton), a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods include all insects, arachnids, and crustaceans. Their body plan consists of repeated segments, each with a pair of appendages. Their versatility has enabled them to become one of the most species-rich members on the planet. [Source]…
Photograph by TROY ALEXANDER Rainforest Expeditions | Tambopata Research Center Chemical ecologist Troy Alexander recently returned to the US after a 3-month volunteer position for the Macaw Project. The project was based out of the Tambopata Research Center (a joint research center/tourist lodge run by Rainforest Expeditions), one of the most remote Amazon Rainforest…