Nature's Children

[Mark]

http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-photos/giant-squid-eye

[Mark]

"Both are nearly circular in shape, the most round disc of any of the current tally of approximately 200 known species of stingrays. The genus was named Heliotrygon, a combination of helio – sun – and trygon, which means ray."
New to Nature No 37: Heliotrygon stingrays
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/ ... ray-amazon

[Mark]

And so it goes ...
Ant vs Spider
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnkhR9Edoj4

[Mark]

"Thermogenesis is rare in plants, but does occur in several species of Arum, and in the philodendron, as well as the skunk cabbage. The heat generation of these thermogenic plants is not trivial, either. Recent measurements of the titan arum “Ted”, at UC Davis, showed the inflorescence– the flower-like structure of the arum– could maintain a temperature of 32 degrees Centigrade (90 F), well above the surrounding air temperature of 20 C (68 F). The skunk cabbage can do even better, maintaining temperatures as high as 35 C, even when the air temperature is below freezing."
http://www.damninteresting.com/warm-blooded-plants

Skunk cabbage is protected as a state endangered plant in Tennessee.[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_skunk_cabbage

http://www.beardedman.net/science/aroids/

[Mark]

"In the new study they revisited that experiment, again mating A. exsanguis with A. inornata. This time, it conclusively worked. Six eggs were recovered and incubated, producing four hybrid females. All went on to clone themselves. Those offspring are now into their fourth generation, fully healthy and representing “a proof of principle” for how new parthenogenetic lizards could evolve in nature."

All-female lizard species created in the lab
http://arstechnica.com/science/news/201 ... he-lab.ars

[Mark]

"To fuse correctly the three sections must grow and meet at precisely the right time in the womb. If the timing is out, by as little as an hour, the baby may grow up with a cleft lip or cleft lip and palate, which can be extremely disfiguring. Around the world one in 700 babies are born with clefts."
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2011 ... _faces.php
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13278255

[MelissaDaisy99]

I love that one!

[Mark]

Scientific Illustration
http://scientificillustration.tumblr.com/archive

[Mark]

List of dinosaurs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dinosaurs

[Mark]

"By all accounts, jellyfish are creatures that kill people, eat microbes, grow to tens of meters, filter phytoplankton, take over ecosystems, and live forever. Because of the immense diversity of gelatinous plankton, jelly-like creatures can individually have each of these properties. However this way of looking at them both overstates and underestimates their true diversity. Taxonomically, they are far more varied than a handful of exemplars that are used to represent jellyfish or especially the so-called "true" jellyfish. Ecologically, they are even more adaptable than one would expect by looking only at the conspicuous bloom forming families and species that draw most of the attention. In reality, the most abundant and diverse gelatinous groups in the ocean are not the ones that anyone ever sees."

There's no such thing as a jellyfish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HzFiQFFQYw

[Mark]

Hagfish Sliming Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb2EOP3ohnE

[Mark]

Is it worth it?
Piglets have their genitalia ripped out of their bodies so we can enjoy bacon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBR4FlrWVk4

[Kool]

Here in the netherlands is it also a hot item. However it is here greatly exaggerated and out of context.
I not know much about pigs in foreign countries, but the images show its not very good there.

Unstunned castrating is forbidden in the Netherlands, but the piglet has for more stress and pain when it is stunned. Castrating is pretty simple, but on the film it is done by bunglers. Castrating IS THE CONSUMERS DESIRE!!!! otherwise the meat will have a boar taint.
Mother saws lay down in metal wickets, because otherwise the pigs will death lay their piglets.

Consumers have to know this is not common on al farms.

[Mark]

Leptocephalus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee7lhNOCGhY

[Mark]

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
http://www.arkive.org/osprey/pandion-ha ... eo-00.html