It's Like An Echinoderm Settled Itself Into The Sand One Day And Decided "Imma Be A Cycad".

It's like an echinoderm settled itself into the sand one day and decided "Imma be a cycad".

Despite looking more like some sort of scaly tubeworm, Rhenopyrgus viviani here was actually an echinoderm, distantly related to modern starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, crinoids, and sea cucumbers.

It was part of an extinct Paleozoic echinoderm lineage known as edrioasteroids, which lived attached to the seabed or on hard surfaces like the shells of other marine animals, using the tube feet on their five arms to catch food particles from the water around them.

Living during the Silurian, about 435 million years ago, in what is now Quebec, Canada, it stood around 3-4cm tall (1.2-1.6"), firmly anchored into the seafloor sediment by a bulbous sac-shaped base. Its long stalked body was somewhat flexible, and it was able to partially contract the top feeding region down under a “collar” of large scale-like armor plates.

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I'd like to introduce my new son, baby Rambo. He's a goober.

I thought their feathers were naturally red! Goddamn birds and their birdy makeup!

are there animals that use cosmetics? ya know, not for stuff like protection, but actually for the ✨looks✨

bearded vultures deliberately dustbathe in the reddest dirt they can find to give themselves a bloody appearance that others of their kind find attractive!

this is also the most on-brand animal fact I think I've ever written about, BOY HOWDY.

*DEATH METAL SCREAM*

Hmmmm

Say “hi” to the rhinoceros iguana (Cyclura cornuta)!🦏🦎

This large, heavy-bodied lizard can grow to be 4 feet (1.2 meters) long. As you might guess, its common name refers to the horn on its head, sported by both males and females. Bigger in males than females, horns may be useful in combat among males and in displays such as head-bobbing. This animal is found only on Hispaniola, the Caribbean island that’s home to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Its diet consists of plants and insects, but it may occasionally feed on carrion.

Photo: Josh More, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, flickr

#AnimalFacts #RhinocerosIguana #iguana #rhino #dyk #FunFacts #nature #AnimalKingdom #reptiles https://www.instagram.com/p/CcwNCpZrx6X/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

...you know what? I can kind of see where the concept of feathered serpents came from.

A snake in Thailand spent enough time sitting still in the water to grow moss and turn into a dragon, apparently.

More video at the source account!

Is there a word that describes finding something both horrifying yet delightful?

Photographer Nicky Bay Documents Mirror Spiders Adjusting their Silver Plates to Appear More Reflective