The Flickr pool Bad Signage displays signs found all over. Some are merely misspelled, and some are downright Freudian. Link -via J-Walk Blog
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The Flickr pool Bad Signage displays signs found all over. Some are merely misspelled, and some are downright Freudian. Link -via J-Walk Blog
There are over a million described species of insects, and even more that haven’t been studied. A little research indicates they are all strange in different ways. It was not easy to pick a dozen for this list, but these are all pretty weird.
The Longest Insect.
The Borneo walking stick (Phobaeticus kirbyi) can grow to up to 32 centimeters long, with another 14 centimeters if you measure the legs stretched out! But you might not see one, even if you are in Borneo and looking for them, since they closely resemble the slender tree branches they live on.
The Biggest.
(image source: KVUE)
Goliath beetles (Goliathus) are the largest insects in terms of bulk and weight. They can reach over 4 inches long, which doesn’t sound like much, til you look at the picture. The beetles are native to the African tropics, where they subsist on tree sap and fruit. Goliath beetles can be kept as pets, just feed them dog food (but don’t expect them to come when called).
Strongest animal on earth.
The Hercules beetle (Dynastes hercules) is a species of rhinoceros beetle that lives in South America. It can grow to over 6 inches in length (counting its horns), but its claim to fame is its strength. The Hercules beetle can support 850 times its own weight on its shell! This beetles eats only vegetation and is not aggressive, except to other Hercules beetles, when males fight each other over females.
Weird Lifecycle.
(Image credit: Hans Pohl)
The twisted-wing parasite (Strepsiptera) is an order of insects who display a gruesome lifestyle. The larval stage parasite will climb a flower and wait for an insect pollinator (bee or wasp) to come along. They climb aboard the bee, burrow into its body, and change into a second-stage larva. They feed off the blood and organs of the host. An adult male parasite will emerge from the host and search for a mate -a process that takes such little time that he never develops a mouth. The adult female remains in the host’s body for the rest of her life, never growing legs or wings. She mates by pushing only her reproductive organs outside of the bee’s body! Her offspring will emerge and look for new hosts.
Violent Sex.
The gruesome behavior or the male African bat bug (Afrocimex constrictus) is directed at other bat bugs. Instead of copulating via the female’s sex organs, he will stab her abdomen to release sperm directly into her bloodstream. So the females have evolved paragenitals, a “spongy reservoir of immune cells” as a defense against these tactics. But since male bat bugs are not particular when it comes to mating, some male bat bugs have also developed paragenitals to defend themselves against sexual attack!
Bizarre Body Parts.
Seed Beetles have rough sex, too, but in the conventional manner. What is very unconventional is the male seed beetle’s penis (shown in above picture). He can do some damage with that thing. So female seed beetles have developed thicker, more padded reproductive canals over time as self-defense against their paramour.
Trap and Torture.
Tree ants (Allomerus decemarticulatus) in the Amazon contruct elaborate traps for other insects they feed upon. They build these traps from tree fibers reinforced with fungus. When an unsuspecting insect encounters the trap, the ants emerge from hiding underneath and pull the prey’s legs to immobilize them, almost like a torture rack. Then they dismember the victim and carry the parts off to the colony. This method of “drawing and quartering” allows the ants to dine on insects much larger than themselves.
Unstoppable Swarmers.
(image credit: Mehmet Karatay)
Driver ants (Dorylus) or siafu are the masters of the swarm. Dorylus includes several species of army ants, primarily found in Africa. Colonies can contain 20 million ants! When the column is on the march looking for food, people can avoid them just by stepping aside. But there have been cases where invalids have been killed (by asphyxiation) when a column of ants marches through the house. They have been known to kill and eat animals up to the size of small zebras. The soldiers of the colony flank the column. Their bite is so strong and persistant that they are sometimes used to suture wounds; just apply an ant while you hold the wound together and let it bite, then rip the body off. It should hold for a few days. Male driver ants are so much larger than the rest of the colony that they appear to be a different species. Males lead a solitary life until sexual maturity, when they approach the colony for mating. When a male is detected, the workers of the colony tear off his wings and take him to be mated with their queen. You can watch this process on video.
Gruesome Bloodsuckers.
Assassin bugs use a mouth tube to inject toxin into their prey. This toxin acts as an anaesthetic and also liquifies tissues, the easier to suck you dry with. There are thousands of assassin bug species; some eat only other insects and some attack reptiles, birds, and mammals. This assassin bug is turning the tables on a vampire bat. Notice how you can see the blood entering the young insect.
Deadliest of all.
The mosquito (Culicidae) causes the deaths of millions of people every year. They spread yellow fever, dengue fever, encephalitis, West Nile Virus, and malaria from person to person, without being affected by the diseases themselves. They also transmit the debilitating filariasis worm, which can lead to elephantiasis in humans. Mosquitos are nasty business.
The Prettiest (discounting butterflies).
The Orchid mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) is a variety of flower mantis usually found in Malaysia and Indonesia. Doesn’t the mantis pictured look just like an orchid? They hide in the flowers they resemble, waiting for other delicious insects to alight. See a beautiful picture of a pink flower mantis here.
The strangest of all.
The weirdest insect of all is the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera). That may surprise you, but the only reason they don’t seem strange is because we are familiar with them. But think... how many insects produce a delicious food product enjoyed by bees, bears, and people? In addition to honey, bees produce beeswax, honeycombs, royal jelly, and venom. Bees communicate with each other, coordinate colony activities, determine the fate of the next generation, and are master architects, chemists, and engineers. Bees are crucial to food production as they pollinate billions of dollars worth of crops each year. Just don’t step on one barefoot!
The Longest Insect.
The Borneo walking stick (Phobaeticus kirbyi) can grow to up to 32 centimeters long, with another 14 centimeters if you measure the legs stretched out! But you might not see one, even if you are in Borneo and looking for them, since they closely resemble the slender tree branches they live on.
The Biggest.
(image source: KVUE)
Goliath beetles (Goliathus) are the largest insects in terms of bulk and weight. They can reach over 4 inches long, which doesn’t sound like much, til you look at the picture. The beetles are native to the African tropics, where they subsist on tree sap and fruit. Goliath beetles can be kept as pets, just feed them dog food (but don’t expect them to come when called).
Strongest animal on earth.
The Hercules beetle (Dynastes hercules) is a species of rhinoceros beetle that lives in South America. It can grow to over 6 inches in length (counting its horns), but its claim to fame is its strength. The Hercules beetle can support 850 times its own weight on its shell! This beetles eats only vegetation and is not aggressive, except to other Hercules beetles, when males fight each other over females.
Weird Lifecycle.
(Image credit: Hans Pohl)
The twisted-wing parasite (Strepsiptera) is an order of insects who display a gruesome lifestyle. The larval stage parasite will climb a flower and wait for an insect pollinator (bee or wasp) to come along. They climb aboard the bee, burrow into its body, and change into a second-stage larva. They feed off the blood and organs of the host. An adult male parasite will emerge from the host and search for a mate -a process that takes such little time that he never develops a mouth. The adult female remains in the host’s body for the rest of her life, never growing legs or wings. She mates by pushing only her reproductive organs outside of the bee’s body! Her offspring will emerge and look for new hosts.
Violent Sex.
The gruesome behavior or the male African bat bug (Afrocimex constrictus) is directed at other bat bugs. Instead of copulating via the female’s sex organs, he will stab her abdomen to release sperm directly into her bloodstream. So the females have evolved paragenitals, a “spongy reservoir of immune cells” as a defense against these tactics. But since male bat bugs are not particular when it comes to mating, some male bat bugs have also developed paragenitals to defend themselves against sexual attack!
Bizarre Body Parts.
Seed Beetles have rough sex, too, but in the conventional manner. What is very unconventional is the male seed beetle’s penis (shown in above picture). He can do some damage with that thing. So female seed beetles have developed thicker, more padded reproductive canals over time as self-defense against their paramour.
Trap and Torture.
Tree ants (Allomerus decemarticulatus) in the Amazon contruct elaborate traps for other insects they feed upon. They build these traps from tree fibers reinforced with fungus. When an unsuspecting insect encounters the trap, the ants emerge from hiding underneath and pull the prey’s legs to immobilize them, almost like a torture rack. Then they dismember the victim and carry the parts off to the colony. This method of “drawing and quartering” allows the ants to dine on insects much larger than themselves.
Unstoppable Swarmers.
(image credit: Mehmet Karatay)
Driver ants (Dorylus) or siafu are the masters of the swarm. Dorylus includes several species of army ants, primarily found in Africa. Colonies can contain 20 million ants! When the column is on the march looking for food, people can avoid them just by stepping aside. But there have been cases where invalids have been killed (by asphyxiation) when a column of ants marches through the house. They have been known to kill and eat animals up to the size of small zebras. The soldiers of the colony flank the column. Their bite is so strong and persistant that they are sometimes used to suture wounds; just apply an ant while you hold the wound together and let it bite, then rip the body off. It should hold for a few days. Male driver ants are so much larger than the rest of the colony that they appear to be a different species. Males lead a solitary life until sexual maturity, when they approach the colony for mating. When a male is detected, the workers of the colony tear off his wings and take him to be mated with their queen. You can watch this process on video.
Gruesome Bloodsuckers.
Assassin bugs use a mouth tube to inject toxin into their prey. This toxin acts as an anaesthetic and also liquifies tissues, the easier to suck you dry with. There are thousands of assassin bug species; some eat only other insects and some attack reptiles, birds, and mammals. This assassin bug is turning the tables on a vampire bat. Notice how you can see the blood entering the young insect.
Deadliest of all.
The mosquito (Culicidae) causes the deaths of millions of people every year. They spread yellow fever, dengue fever, encephalitis, West Nile Virus, and malaria from person to person, without being affected by the diseases themselves. They also transmit the debilitating filariasis worm, which can lead to elephantiasis in humans. Mosquitos are nasty business.
The Prettiest (discounting butterflies).
The Orchid mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) is a variety of flower mantis usually found in Malaysia and Indonesia. Doesn’t the mantis pictured look just like an orchid? They hide in the flowers they resemble, waiting for other delicious insects to alight. See a beautiful picture of a pink flower mantis here.
The strangest of all.
The weirdest insect of all is the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera). That may surprise you, but the only reason they don’t seem strange is because we are familiar with them. But think... how many insects produce a delicious food product enjoyed by bees, bears, and people? In addition to honey, bees produce beeswax, honeycombs, royal jelly, and venom. Bees communicate with each other, coordinate colony activities, determine the fate of the next generation, and are master architects, chemists, and engineers. Bees are crucial to food production as they pollinate billions of dollars worth of crops each year. Just don’t step on one barefoot!
Nissan unveiled its new Pivo 2 concept car last week in Japan. It has no axles; the four wheels operate independently. Both the wheels and the cab can rotate, eliminating the need for reverse gear. Sure makes parking a breeze! The car also features an onboard robot who can help with navigation and will check to see if you are too sleepy to drive. Push play or go to Live Leak. Link to story. -via Arboath
The world is a very dangerous place. Here’s a collection of safety posters warning you about the dangers of various animals. http://www.unc.edu/~landy/Public_Safety/becareful.htm -via the Presurfer
Karenika is collecting photographs to share the beauty of all 50 states. You can submit a photo from your state! Click the state name at the side to see the photographs. This picture is Main Street in Telluride, Colorado, submitted by Dinah. Link -via Grow-A-Brain
A research team led by Christian Rutz of the University of Oxford mounted tiny cameras on the tails of crows to study their behavior in the wild. The study found that crows use tools (sticks, leaves, blades of grass) more extensively than previously thought. Crows were even observed carrying their favorite tool from place to place! Of course, now crows are using cameras to help researchers, too, which is strange enough in itself. Link
Update 10/4/07 by Alex: Here's the video: Link - Thanks Marilyn Terrell!
You would have to be totally insane to ride this amusement park ride. I bet they waited in line, too! Push play or go to Glumbert. -via Gorilla Mask
Vanessa Woods studies Bonobos. She is a researcher with the Hominoid Psychology Research Group, and is currently in Africa doing field work.
You can follow Wood's adventures and research (with videos) on her blog Bonobo Handshake. Link -via Metafilter
Bonobo share 98.7% of our DNA, equal to our more famous cousins, chimpanzees. But unlike chimps, we know hardly anything about them. Part of the reason for this is that there's been civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo for the last 10 years and bonobos don't live anywhere else. The other reason is that to see wild bonobos, you have to be prepared to canoe for 4 days up the Congo River through malaria infested swamps.
You can follow Wood's adventures and research (with videos) on her blog Bonobo Handshake. Link -via Metafilter
Stephanie Keith met a Vodou priest at a Buddhist interfaith event in New York. He invited her to photograph and experience the religious world of his Haitian culture. Ten ceremonies later, she offers her images and reflections on these late-night rituals.
Produced by Trent Gilliss and Mitch Hanley
Push play or go to Vimeo. -via Metafilter
Young kids will enjoy this: Click the buttons to change each feature of a funny face. The features are mainly composed of random objects that fit just enough to make a recognizable face. Link -via Everlasting Blort
It’s a home that floats! Up to six people can live in it. There are five levels, both above and below water level. Equipped with electrical generator and water storage. It can be yours for only $2.5 million! http://www.sub-find.com/jellyfish.htm -via Metafilter
Boris Tsikanovsky had a cat named Flo, who sometimes brought prey into the house. To stop this, he rigged up a Practical Image Recognition System. A profile image is taken as soon as the cat begins to enter. If the image is not the cat’s normal recognizable profile, the cat door will not open. So if the cat is carrying something in her mouth, she cannot come in the house! This system also keeps other critters from entering. The explanation is a bit technical, but the pictures tell the story. You can also track the activities of his current cats, Squirrel and Alexia, at the “Flo Watch†page. Link -via Reddit
If you really want to retire from the world, live in a really inaccessable place! Dark Roasted Blend takes a pictorial tour of four monasteries built on top, clinging to the side of, or inside mountains. This one is Sigiriya, in Sri Lanka. Link
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