Cool Animals - Tumblr Posts
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New art edition to the alter
Devonshire cup coral (Caryophyllia smithii) By: D. P. Wilson From: Éditions Rencontre Cards 1978
Octopuses can fit through any gap larger than their beak.
On this day in 1936, the last known thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) died at the Hobart Zoo in Tasmania. The animal’s passing marked the extinction of its species. Also known as the “Tasmanian wolf,” the thylacine was Australia’s largest marsupial predator. It sported a dog-like form, with distinctive stripes, and a jaw that could open up to 80 degrees—one of the largest gapes of any mammal.
The thylacine fed primarily on small mammals and birds. Nocturnal and shy, it was seldom seen by humans. However, beginning in the 19th century, settlers believed the animals threatened their livestock and, spurred on by a bounty offered by the government, hunted them relentlessly. Attempts at protecting the species in the wild came too late: Despite numerous unconfirmed reports of sightings in recent decades, no definitive sightings have occurred since the 1930s.
Aye aye’s are cool
Have you ever seen something so ugly but so cool and cute at the same time? That’s what i feel about the aye aye.
Wild Cats That Look Like Domestic Cats!
European wild cat (Felis silvestris), sometimes erroneously listed as the ancestor of the domestic cat:
African wild cat (Felis lybica), the actual ancestor of the domestic cat:
Black-footed cat (Felis nigripes), it may be cute and very small but it has a 60% success rate when it comes to hunting, which is more than any other cat:
Sand cat (Felis margarita), this is kind of loose, as they’re basically the Felid version of the fennec fox:
Chinese mountain cat (Felis bieti):
Geoffrey’s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi):
Leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis):
And rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus):
EDIT: Adding a couple more here.
Southern tigrina/tiger cat/southern oncilla (Leopardus guttula), once thought to be the same species as the oncilla pictured further down, but nope! Different species entirely, and it turns out we know more about this one than the og:
Manul/Pallas cat (Otocolobus manul), I didn’t initially include these guys because they’re so distinctive, but it’s come to my attention that someone has indeed mistaken one for a housecat and raised it as one:
Jungle cat (Felis chaus), the largest member of the genus Felis, and a fair size larger than a housecat, which is why I hadn’t included it. But if someone didn’t know what it was they’d probably think it was just a large breed of housecat:
Oncilla/northern tiger cat/tigrina/little spotted cat (Leopardus tigrinus):
Don’t try to pet them! I’m sured they’d love a box to sit in, though.
I've just lost myself for a couple of hours reading about siphonophores... I swear that before Tumblr, the only siphonophore I'd ever heard of was the classic Portugese Man o' War... Some of these critters use jet propulsion!
In short, siphonophores are colonial animals related to corals and jellyfish. They consist of a colony of connected, interdepentent individual zooids, which individually are often highly specialised (for instance, for feeding, reproduction, or propulsion). Because they are not just a single organism, they can get pretty big...
Top one is an Apolemia, not sure of the species, this one was spotted off the coast of Western Australia, estimated at over 100m long...
Second one, not sure but may be the same as the 6th one below...
Third one, not entirely sure but the bioluminescence looks similar to one spotted by the Hercules remotely operated vehicle in 2005, I believe...
Fourth one is Nanomia.
Fifth one from the top (Bell-like float at the end, with tentacles hanging from the stalk) is Praya dubia, the 'giant siphonophore', up to 50m long... Note that this is an illustration by a furry artist (Kolossus154 - note I do not believe that the siphonophore is a fursona, though I could be wrong), rather than a photo or video, still cool though
Sixth picture, can't ID but looks similar to one spotted by Nautlius live in 2014
Believe that last one is Bathyphysa conifera (aka the Flying Spaghetti Monster...)
(please anyone, correct me if I'm wrong!)
siphonophores will never not freak me out. stop doing that its SCARY but also please don't ever stop doing that you ethereal marine cryptid
Hot Girl Xiphosuran Summer!
Green Shell Semi-Slug: the researchers who discovered this species originally wanted to name it "Ibycus felis," because it often rests with its tail curled around its body, which reminded them of a sleeping cat
The Latin name of this species is Ibycus rachelae, but it's also known as a green-shelled or long-tailed semi-slug. The species was first described in 2008, and it is found only in the montane forests of Sabah (Borneo) and Peninsular Malaysia.
The term "semi-slug" refers to an intermediate stage of evolution as a snail evolves into a slug. These snails still have shells that are at least partially visible, but they have been reduced to the point where the shell can no longer accommodate the snail's whole body. There are many different species of semi-slug, but most of them have a noticeably reduced, receding, and/or transparent shell that is partially concealed beneath the mantle.
This article describes another peculiar characteristic of semi-slugs (including Ibycus rachelae):
... semi-slugs don’t just look weird, they act weird, too. They employ sharp projectiles called love darts in their courtship rituals, by shooting several of them at a prospective mate. The mate, in turn, shoots several love darts right back.
Researchers have found that if semi-slugs are able to lodge love darts into one another, the subsequent copulation tends to be much more successful. It’s thought that the mucus distributed by the love dart ensures greater survivability of the sperm
This is what the "love darts" look like (when magnified under SEM):
The tiny, harpoon-like structures are made of calcium carbonate, and they transmit certain hormones (via mucus) that help to increase the likelihood of reproductive success. Semi-slugs are not the only gastropods that use "love darts," however; they are also used by some other land snails and slugs.
Sources & More Info:
World Wildlife Fund: Borneo's New World (PDF)
Basteria (Journal): The Slugs and Semislugs of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo (PDF)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia: Introduction to the Land Snails and Slugs of Malaysia (PDF)
Malay Peninsular Terrestrial Molluscs: Ibycus rachelae
Live Science: World's Longest Bug and 'Ninja' Slug Discovered in Borneo
Australian Geographic: Meet the Semi-Slug, a Snail without a Home
just a little guy
do you have an opinion on vampire squids from hell
i love cephalopodssssss i love them so MUCH!!! they're so WEIRDDDD and their anatomy is so fucked up. like did you know squids have donut brains so their esophagus can pass through them?! ANYWAY,
i especially love the vampire squid... definitely top five squids (as if i could ever narrow down my favorites that concretely)
my favorite thing about them is that even though they have the most badass common name AND scientific name ever (for the uninitiated, Vampyroteuthis infernalis literally means "vampire squid from hell"), they still look like adorable little red sausages with big innocent baby-blue eyes... they're just like those octopus hot dogs.
well, until you flip them over, anyway!
Hydrosaurus. Look gang if I'm being real with you I think they missed a dinosaur. c'mon asteroid you had one job Rory pros - • Is a Dinosaur and you cannot convince me otherwise • They're so fucking pretty • Look how big they get • Is it a Dragon or a Dinosaur, we will never know. Rory cons - • Could possibly be plotting to kill you in your sleep Actual Rory talking about an animal time - Hydrosaurus! Look at them! not as silly as the butterfly ray but they're still really fucking pretty. They're also known as the Sailfin dragon, which imo is the coolest name any lizard I've seen has had. save some badassery for the rest of us please. The Google states that they're 'omnivorous; devouring whatever animal it can overpower plus consuming a variety of vegetation and fruit.' which only further enhances my theory that they're plotting to kill you in your sleep. 'cause like, if you're awake obviously not, but I feel like maybe if you're asleep, suffocate ya' with them lil grabby hands and the blanket? idk what I'm on about but be warned, murder by Hydrosaurus is quite a serious cause of death my friends. honestly I expected them to be bigger, like wasn't thinking as big as butterfly ray but a bit bigger than their actual size ig. they're like 3ft long, which is still huge for a lizard but I kinda was expecting bigger in my head? probably because I can't envision the ray being bigger than this guy. They're kinda aggressive, and relatively asocial. but for some reason they're buddies with iguanas that are bigger than them? lil confusing to me but whatever floats your boat lil dragon-dino dude. Hope you enjoyed Rory ranting about another animal they thought was cool on the interwebs, until we meet again.
what is it about capybaras that attracts groups of small animals to them? Its not just mammals either its like birds and turtles and frogs too
I can’t stop thinking about crocodiles for some reason so here’s some cool pictures I found of probably the second largest one in captivity, his name is Utan:
isn’t he beautiful
listen to the SOUND when he bites
and that’s not even a real power bite, that’s mostly just heavy bone falling on heavy bone from his jaws and the air rushing out from between them
Today I feel like a Palea Steindachneri.
Do you ever feel like a wattle-necked softshell turtle (Palea steindachneri)? You are not alone. Found in parts of Southeastern China and Vietnam, this rare reptile’s carapace, or shell, can grow up to 17 in (43.2 cm) long. It inhabits freshwater pools and feeds on fish, insects, and small invertebrates. Unfortunately, this species is critically endangered and is threatened due in part to habitat degradation and being hunted for the food trade.
Photo: randall_f, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist