Ugly? Adorable? Uglorable!

From the Flickr description:

A juvenile emerald tree boa serves as an unwitting perch to a recently awakened red eyed tree frog after a misting. The snake and several frogs cohabitated for quite some time without incident. Perhaps due to an unpalatable flavor brightly colored frogs often advertise.

It should be noted that the red-eyed tree frog is not actually venomous. The snake likely would not know that, so if the snake is able to detect the color of the frog, this explanation might be correct. Still, I wonder if there’s anything more to it?

Via Tom’s Flickr photostream.
Thanks Kimberly!

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading ...

From the Flickr description:

After Farl’s gorgeous shot of the little Brookesia in Madagascar, I thought I’d share an old shot I have one of one of my little ones.

It’s not the same, taking pictures in the backyard… but I’ve had these little guys as pets for years… (Farl, it’s more a geeky thing to know what I do ;-)).

Anyways, this is a Rhampholeon brevicaudatus one of the dwarf chameleons from the main African continent. It’s about 3/4 full grown, and perched on my finger.

Via Ian’s Flickr photostream.

(3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Via woot882002’s Flickr photostream.

(7 votes, average: 4.57 out of 5)

 Loading ...

From the Flickr description:

I learned tonight that Petauroides volans is actually a gliding possum and is more closely related to the Lemur-like Ringtail Possum than other gliders. They are nocturnal marsupials, eating mostly eucalyptus leaves. About the size of a cat but considerably longer (about a metre long including the tail), they have a membrane stretching from each elbow to the knee. When extended this membrane forms a kind of wing that allows them to glide up to a reported 100m. We didn’t see any gliding this night.

I would have been a bit surprised to see it glide, it looks kind of chubby!

Via Julian Robinson’s Flickr photostream.

(3 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Via Andrew Miller’s Flickr photostream.

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Via Frank Wouters’ Flickr photostream.

Via the Wikimedia Commons

Grace, in a recent comment on the blog, pointed me to an MSN article featuring 10 species from the EDGE (Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered) of Existence conservation program. (As I am American, I can’t get myself to write “programme.”) It is a very neat program that aims at preserving species that are the most endangered and the most distinct from other species, both physically and behaviorally.

As I did not want to spoil on anything on MSN’s list, I chose to show pictures of a species I really like that was not featured in the article, the saiga antelope.

Link to the MSN article.
Link to the EDGE of Existence program’s homepage.
Link to EDGE of Existence profile of the saiga antelope.

(4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Happy Mother’s Day! Here are a pair of mother and baby animal pairs!

Via CuteOtters.Com!

And my pal Rick wanted me to post this one:

If you’d like to see more mother/baby pairs this Mother’s Day, there are five more pairs in this recent post!

(Sorry this is brief! I’m a little behind on things!)

(also, hi mom! i guess!)

(5 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Via Rachel S’s Flickr Photostream!

(4 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading ...

This is uglorious.

Via the Wikipedia Commons, photo taken by David Iliff.

(9 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading ...

The numbat is a marsupial in the order Dasyuromorphia, the order of the tasmanian devils, quolls, and thylacine (also known as the tasmanian tiger). It’s notable for being one of the only marsupials to be active during the daytime, its active hours matching the hours termites, its prey, are most active.

The numbat was found over most of Australia until European colonization. Being active during the day makes one more vulnerable to predators, and introduced species took advantage of the numbats vulnerabilities, eventually leading to their extinction everywhere but in a small area of Western Australia. Efforts to protect the numbat have proven successful however, and while the species is still considered vulnerable of becoming endangered, it is no longer considered endangered.

I kind of think the numbats markings resemble those of the thylacine, and I wonder if they have the same patterns because of their relation, or if it’s because of convergence evolution.

Via Nick Lawes’ Flickr Photostream!

(4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5)

 Loading ...