Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Snottite
Sunday, 27 January 2013
Bathysaurus
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| Image: NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, INDEX-SATAL 2010 |
Friday, 25 January 2013
The Hidden Life in Pond Water
ALIENS! They're all aliens! Aliens from outer space! Either that or pond water. I always get outer space and pond water mixed up. It's probably the main reason why my astronautical ambitions have been so thoroughly frustrated all these years. There are only so many times you can ruin a good spacesuit before the powers that be lose all confidence in you. That's what I've discovered.
But enough about me.
Do you remember Daniel Stoupin and his fantastic video Microscopic Worlds: Life That We Don't See? It was an amazing glimpse into the ridiculous otherness of microscopic life.
Well, he's only gone and done it again!
Daniel Stoupin
A little more about The Hidden Life in Pond Water
Check out his microscopic photography!
There are lot's of our old friends, too!
Water Fleas, those transparent crustaceans in all their jittery, hyperactive glory (unless and until they get eaten alive);
Bryozoa, colonial filter filters who are perhaps the closest any non-cnidarian can get to the weirdness of coral;
Ostracods, those crustacean heroes in a whole-shell;
Hydra, those Towers of Malice, stinging hunger and expandable gut. You even see them eat! Horror.
There are also Water Mites, which we barely touched on a million years ago (rounded to the nearest million), with their flailing, feathery legs;
Insect nymphs, larvae and pupae in all their abhorrent detail;
and Ciliates, those protists with their cilia waving away to draw food toward them.
And of course, glittering baubles of algae. Where would we be without glittering baubles of algae? Probably on a moonbase, staring down at a dead and desolate world. But we're not! So I guess I don't need to be an astronaut after all. I can just go to the pond.
But enough about me.
Do you remember Daniel Stoupin and his fantastic video Microscopic Worlds: Life That We Don't See? It was an amazing glimpse into the ridiculous otherness of microscopic life.
Well, he's only gone and done it again!
Daniel Stoupin
A little more about The Hidden Life in Pond Water
Check out his microscopic photography!
There are lot's of our old friends, too!
Water Fleas, those transparent crustaceans in all their jittery, hyperactive glory (unless and until they get eaten alive);
Bryozoa, colonial filter filters who are perhaps the closest any non-cnidarian can get to the weirdness of coral;
Ostracods, those crustacean heroes in a whole-shell;
Hydra, those Towers of Malice, stinging hunger and expandable gut. You even see them eat! Horror.
There are also Water Mites, which we barely touched on a million years ago (rounded to the nearest million), with their flailing, feathery legs;
Insect nymphs, larvae and pupae in all their abhorrent detail;
and Ciliates, those protists with their cilia waving away to draw food toward them.
And of course, glittering baubles of algae. Where would we be without glittering baubles of algae? Probably on a moonbase, staring down at a dead and desolate world. But we're not! So I guess I don't need to be an astronaut after all. I can just go to the pond.
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Chocolate Chip Starfish
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| Image: wildsingapore via Flickr Protoreaster nodosus |
You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!
Stroll, stroll as slow as you wish,
I barely move, I'm the Chocolate Chip Starfish!
Sunday, 20 January 2013
The Blues II
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| Image: Pierre Dalous Alcedo atthis |
It's Blue Monday! Mathematically proven by some PR guy to be the most miserable day of the year because it's cold, Christmas is gone and you've already failed your New Year's resolution to stop being such a horrible failure.
Yaaaaay!
Of course, there are creatures out there who are blue all year round. They do quite well on it, too.
Friday, 18 January 2013
Wednesday, 16 January 2013
Giant Ostracod
Look at that Ostracod! It's HUGE! It's GIANT! COLOSSAL! Of exceedingly great size and it's looking right at you!
Sunday, 13 January 2013
Tubifex
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| Image: Matthias Tilly |
Friday, 11 January 2013
Cyclosa and the Mirror of Death
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| Image: Phil Torres |
Wednesday, 9 January 2013
Protura
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| Image: David R. Maddison |
Monday, 7 January 2013
creepypasta for Bogleech
So I sent in a story for Bogleech.com's creepypasta, horror, do-a-story thing and I was a runner-up! Sweet!
Apparently, if he was made of money he would of sacrificed bits of his body and spent it on sending us runner-ups a free shirt. Which leaves me wondering how many kidneys he has and just how serious he is about this.
In any case, you can check out my efforts if you like, it's called The Snail's Shell.
scythemantis, the Monster Master over there, got over 100 entries so if you ever feel for a weird story, there's a whole bunch of them waiting for you.
And of course, the rest of his site is there if you want something weird that isn't a story.
Great stuff!
Apparently, if he was made of money he would of sacrificed bits of his body and spent it on sending us runner-ups a free shirt. Which leaves me wondering how many kidneys he has and just how serious he is about this.
In any case, you can check out my efforts if you like, it's called The Snail's Shell.
scythemantis, the Monster Master over there, got over 100 entries so if you ever feel for a weird story, there's a whole bunch of them waiting for you.
And of course, the rest of his site is there if you want something weird that isn't a story.
Great stuff!
Sunday, 6 January 2013
Atlantic Cranch Squid
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| Image: Michael Vecchione, NOAA Teuthowenia megalops |
Those are eyes. Definitely eyes.
Friday, 4 January 2013
Rubber Eel
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| Image: brian.gratwicke via Flickr Typhlonectes natans |
"Sicilian Worm"? Oh dear. Oh dear me, no.