Curious (and Terrifying) Creatures in Zoology, Plus One Obscure Christmas Gift Idea
‘Travellers see strange things,’ more especially when their writing about or delineation of them is not put under the microscope of modern scientific examination.
Stories by Becky Crew
So Skinny, So Bright: How Colour Change Predicts the Odds of a Chameleon Battle
When it comes to male-on-male chameleon battles, sometimes its not all about whos the biggest or the strongest. Sometimes its about mastering what chameleons do best changing colours.
Meet the Enormous King Ragworm, and its Adorable Offsider, the Slender Ragworm
Behold: the king ragworm. Underwater photographer Alexander Seminov was kind enough to let me to post some of his photographs, and they really are something special.
Australian sea slugs have sex by stabbing each other in the head
Everyone remember not to have sex with hermaphrodite sea slugs, because they’ll want to inject prostate gland fluid into your forehead.
Colourful Lizards Reveal the Pros and Cons of Being a Hideous ‘Bearded Lady’
When it comes to human ‘bearded ladies’ – named for a condition known as hirsutism, which causes them to grow an excessive amount of bodily hair – you’re going to have a tough time coming up with enough pros to match the cons. But if you’re a bearded lady lizard, you just might have some aces up [...]..
Happy Halloween – Here’s Your Ocean Werewolf
What better way to kick off Halloween morning than with the werewolf of the sea… This is the Atlantic wolffish (Anarhichas lupus), very appropriately and otherwise known as the ‘devil fish’, and also more adorably the ‘sea cat’...
Prepare to Die… from Cute, Because Photos of Olinguito Cubs have been Released
Just look at this thing. How does it exist? Back in August, a team from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History led by curator of mammals, Kristofer Helgen, announced the discovery of the olinguito – the first new species of carnivore discovered in the Western Hemisphere in 35 years...
Legendary stag Pokémon Xerneas has a prehistoric doppelgänger
A couple of weeks ago, new Pokémon games X and Y were released. A big difference between the two is the ‘legendary Pokémon’ you’ll eventually have the opportunity to catch...
You’re about to get the stink bugs, America. But no, they won’t be man-faced.
This is Catacanthus incarnatus, otherwise known as the Man-Faced Stink Bug. Discovered in 1778 by British entomologist, Dru Drury, the species hails from Southeast Asia and India, where it congregates in dense groups of several hundred on fruit trees and flowering flame trees...
The Smallest and Deadliest Kingslayer in the World
“How’s it feel, Kingslayer, to have all the gold in the world but it won’t buy your sword hand back?“ “A minor setback, if truth be told.
Beetle Battles: The Secret World of Leg Wrestling and Abdomen Squeezing
This is the frog-legged leaf beetle (Sagra buqueti), and there’s a good chance those gigantic gams are his weapons. Found in the jungles of Southeast Asia, this brightly coloured, iridescent species can grow up to 5 cm long...
Photographer Nicky Bay’s Purple Centipedes and Singapore Blues
I spend a great deal of time looking at weird insects on the Internet, and time and time again, Nicky Bay has the best shots of many different species and behaviours.
Animal or Vegetable? Legend of the Vegetable Lamb of Tartary
As Food Week comes to an end here at SciAmBlogs, I thought it important to consider that which sits on the precipice of the animal and the vegetable: The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary.
Photograph of the World’s Rarest Dog Sparks a Quest to Save the Species
An elusive, endangered dog may be saved by dint of a recent photograph
First Footage of Deep-Sea Squid Solves Mystery of Lame Tentacle Club
Say what you want about squids – too many arms, pointy head, not enough elbows: 2/10 would not take dancing – but when it comes to killing things, they certainly aren’t lacking in creativity...
Wandering Ponies August: Puffin Census, Monster Pyrosomes, an Unfortunate Crab Moustache and more
An important part of running a blog about weird/new animals is the part where you beat yourself up about all the great stories you miss. Whether it’s because I’m too slow, too busy, or just quietly decided to watch Pretty Little Liars and waste hours winning Shining Force battles in the bath instead, it all [...]..
Move Over, Mexican Jumping Beans – There’s a New Jumping Caterpillar in Town
Many adult insects jump to get around, but for most insect larvae, their hardened exteriors make this virtually impossible. There are some notable exceptions though, such as the larvae of the Mexican jumping bean moth (Cydia deshaisiana) that jump inside the seeds of the Sebastiania plant, and the larvae of the Emporia melanobasis moth from [...]..
In North American Katydids, Green isn’t the Dominant Colour, Pink is
Recent breeding experiments have revealed that bright pink, not green, could be the most genetically dominant colouring of the North American oblong-winged katydid.
Evolution
Lavasoa Dwarf Lemur is Cuddly and New
Look at this soft, fluffy bundle of newness. This little man is the Lavasoa dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus lavasoensis), a newly described species of dwarf lemur from southern Madagascar.
Evolution
New Species, Thor's Hero Shrew, Will Back Itself in Any Feat of Strength
A new species of shrew has been found in Africa, and it has the mightiest, most extraordinary backbone of all the mammals.A little more than a century ago, the first species of African hero shrew ( Scutisorex somereni ) was found in Uganda by British zoologist, Oldfield Thomas...
