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Jellyfish by Joel Filipe

Genus Tridacna (Giant Clams)

Tridacna contains what are some of the most beautiful bivalves. Many bivalves feed by filtering the water for microscopic animals and detritus. They take in water through their inhalant siphon, and out their exhalant siphon. After water passes through the gills, it is filtered for edible particles through its mouth. Though, when it comes to feeding, Tridacna have another strategy. Tridacna are both heterotrophic and autotrophic. While they can consume organic particulate matter, they can also photosynthesize sugar through symbiotic algae that live within their tissues. Tridacna stretch out their fleshy mantles to collect sunlight, like so many oceanic solar panels.

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Genus Sobralia

Found in much of South America but most notably Brazil, Ecuador and Peru. Sobralia is a genus of terrestrial orchids. The majestic flowers appear at the ends of tall bamboo-like leafy stalks. Although breathtaking, their beauty is ephemeral; The blooms can live as long as 3 days or as short as 8 hours, depending on the species. Sobralia flowers contain digestive enzymes that cause the flowers to be extremely short-lived.

Sobralia contains a great range of size. S. altissima (The Very Tall Sobralia) is the world's tallest orchid, having been recorded a dizzying 13.2 m tall. In contrast, S. callosa (The Callous Sobralia) reaches a humble 35 cm.

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Chaetodon trifascialis (Chevroned Butterflyfish)

Subgenus Megaprotodon

The Chevroned Butterflyfish, like many other butterflyfishes, is a corallivore (predator of coral). Unlike other butterflyfishes, it sports a streamlined elongated body. Adults create territories on colonies of Acropora spp.. They are haremic, with a male's territory often overlapping several females'.

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Grammatophyllum speciosum (Tiger Orchid)

The largest known orchid, G. speciosum can take 10 years to bear its first flowers. The smell is said to be strong and pleasant, bearing resemblance to the fragrance of the Ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata). It takes immense energy to create the large sprays of blooms, and is known to refrain from blooming some years in situ. In cultivation, artificial fertilization encourages it to bloom regularly. Specimens have been recorded to be over 2 metric tonnes in mass. The plant occurs as an epiphyte and rarely as a terrestrial. It occurs in New Guinea, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

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Nymphaea gigantea (Gigantic Waterlily)

Subgenus Anecphya

One of the Australian waterlilies, it has evolved to live in waters that regularly reach 32 °C. Although its 75 cm leaf span is large among Nymphaea species, it is dwarfed by the 3 m leaf span of Victoria amazonica (Queen Victoria's Waterlily).

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Nembrotha cristata (Crested Nembrotha)

A strikingly colored nudibranch. Many nudibranchs incorporate the toxins of their prey into their bodies to become injurous or unpleasant to eat. N. cristata prey mainly on tunicates, but occasionally prey on jellyfish. This species stores the jellyfish's nematocysts (stinging cells) within its own body to sting and deter predators.

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hi i’m tolkien here are my ocs. i call them Elves (not elfs!!! if you call them elfs i will block you) they look like humans but they’re tall, live forever, and have pointy ears. that’s it bye

Brunswick Centre. London, August 2017.

Tolumnia Jairak Flyer ('Lady Gaga' x 'Kona')

A miniature Oncidiine orchid with a red-spotted white lip, each flower is approximately 130 mm tall. Took me 2 years to achieve a bloom.

Albino Turtle. (Bulldackel)

Dumpling Squid by Peninsuladive Mornington Peninsula on Flickr.

Tong0o

Rufous Hummingbird by ~Schpakowski

Fog on the West Hill

Olive-Backed Sunbird (Cinnyrus jugularis)

Sunbirds are small birds in the family Nectariniidae. Most of them are small nectar-feeders. They hail from the Old World, evolving to a form strikingly similar in both color and behavior to hummingbirds of the New World. Heliconia spp. are a favorite nectar source of C. jugularis.

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Mareanie and Corsola 

Paintberri poliwiggles!

I’m slowly getting the hang of this.