Look, we’re not saying smoking is good, but tobacco can confer the superpower of breath so toxic it keeps away spiders. Take a quick breath and come meet the tobacco hornworm, a caterpillar that has managed to hijack a plant’s defense system for itself.
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For an insect trying to avoid becoming dinner, the consequences of bad camouflage are clear. What’s less obvious is how the effects then ripple like an aftershock through an entire ecosystem, subtly changing which shrubs are eaten and which critters thrive. For example, the consequences of a single species of badly camouflaged walking stick insect can cascade throughout the California hills.
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How do you top a couple that recreates movie scenes with their adorable baby? By recreating famous scenes with a dog. Yeah, it’s beautiful inspired work that should make us all want to grab our pet best friend in a warm embrace like Gosling did to McAdams.
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Let’s end the year on a happy note. And happiness is this photo series by photographer Lara Jo Regan. Called Dogs in Cars, it’s photo after photo of well, dogs sticking their heads out of moving cars. Is there anything in the world more joyful than seeing that? I don’t think so.
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There’s a great, bloody shark war going on in Western Australia right now. After six deaths in two years—making Western Australia the deadliest place on earth for shark attacks—the state has ratcheted up its side of the war by deciding to kill sharks. Lots of ’em. Any shark within one kilometer of the beach will be trapped and shot according to their controversial cull strategy. Remember, humans can be a vengeful species.
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It might not be bright red, but Rudolph’s nose really does go glow. These thermal images of reindeer acquired by scientists show that Santa’s flying friends have incredibly warm noses.
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Humans have their dynamite; wind and water have time on their side; but animals, too, can reshape their landscape on a massive scale. None of these are the work of a lone gopher or even a single mighty elephant, but generations and generations of animals slowly chipping away.
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Feisty parrots, alien cockroaches, crazy ants, and cats bearing frankincense and myrrh. It’s an all-animal edition of What’s Ruining Our Cities!
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If you’ve ever wondered how animals view the world, this video should satisfy your curiosity. It shows how five different animals—cats, dogs, rats, hawks and bees—see the world.
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This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
