maorinette

urhajos: Illustrations by John Holcroft

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:30:27 -0400

Illustrations by John Holcroft

sciencesoup: The Jewel Caterpillar This bizzarely gelatinous,...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:46:29 -0400

The Jewel Caterpillar

This bizzarely gelatinous, semi-translucent little creature is sometimes referred to as the “jewel caterpillar”, but it’s actually the larvae of a fuzzy orange moth called Acraga coa. This moth is native to Central and South America and belongs to a family known as Dalceridae. There are at least 84 different species of moths in this family, and all of their larvae are so gooey that they’re often nicknamed “slug caterpillars.” At the moment it’s unclear as to why they’re so strangely and conspicuously coloured—biologist Daniel Janzen at the University of Pennsylvania has raised Dalceridae in captivity and reports that the bright, conscpicuous larvae actually spend a lot of their time hanging out on the tops of leaves in full view, like they don’t fear birds at all. Some caterpillars use colour to indicate their toxicity and therefore warn predators away, but there’s no evidence that the Dalceridae caterpillars are poisonous at all. But they do appear to have one defense mechanism: their gooey, gumdrop-like spines break off easily, just like some lizard’s tails break off upon a predator’s touch. So, perhaps this allows the caterpillars a chance to get away from predators. In an attempt to study this function, insect biosystematist Marc Epstein placed Dalcerides ingenita larvae in the same environment as several ants, which would usually devour caterpillars, but these ants backed right away. The ones that tried to attack became stuck in the larvae’s jelly-like body, so the caterpillars seem to repel predators simply by being sticky and uncomfortable. “Jewel caterpillar” is a pretty fitting nickname, then—look all you want, but don’t touch.

(Image Credit: 1, 2)

thekidshouldseethis: This is Zabu. She’s a White Tiger that...

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 10:55:45 -0400

thekidshouldseethis:

This is Zabu. She’s a White Tiger that lives at Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida, and she likes to play with her big red ball (and lions).

Related watching: Big Cats + Mirrors.

via Laughing Squid.

thekidshouldseethis: Watch how a Lar Gibbon named Siam crosses...

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 10:51:07 -0400

thekidshouldseethis:

Watch how a Lar Gibbon named Siam crosses a suspension bridge at Monkeyland, Plettenberg Bay, South Africa. via Daily Picks and Flicks.

Monkeyland Primate Sanctuary is the world’s first free roaming primate sanctuary, home to over 500 primates all living together in 30 acres of forest. Species at the sanctuary include gibbons, capuchins, squirrel monkeys, howler monkeys, saki monkeys, vervet monkeys, langurs, ring-tailed lemurs and black and white ruffed lemurs.

Take a video tour to see Monkeyland in action:

thekidshouldseethis: Watch Biologist Dr Jonny Miller introduce...

Thu, 30 May 2013 12:52:23 -0400

thekidshouldseethis:

Watch Biologist Dr Jonny Miller introduce the spectacular common potoo. It’s brown, blends in, and doesn’t move much… so why is it so spectacular? Exactly for those reasons. The common potoo is a camouflage master, bravely controlling its movements — or lack of them — in the face of predators. From Dr. Miller:

Although you might not see them, the common potoo is, indeed, common in at least parts of its range. This rage extends from Nicaragua in Central America, south to Argentina. Six other species of potoo are known of, all generally similar in appearance and all performing the same posturing cryptic behaviour.

We’re always thrilled to find a scientist out in the field making videos about their work. Dr Miller is currently in Paraguay, South America, studying capuchin monkeys, and has been blogging about the animals there at planetparaguay.com.

thekidshouldseethis: This is a flannel moth caterpillar,...

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:33:37 -0400

thekidshouldseethis:

This is a flannel moth caterpillar, or Megalopyge opercularis, walking on a tree in the Ucayali Amazon basin, north of Pucallpa in Peru. The video, filmed by Ollie Boon, showcases the caterpillar’s cute and furry looking exterior, but be warned that there are venomous spines hiding within the fluff!

Watch more caterpillar videos.

h/t The Scientist.

Forms in Nature by Thyra Hilden and Pio Diaz

Thu, 09 May 2013 15:14:17 -0400

Forms in Nature by Thyra Hilden and Pio Diaz

unconsumption: Turn a worn or outdated hardcover into an...

Wed, 08 May 2013 16:54:00 -0400

unconsumption:

Turn a worn or outdated hardcover into an awesome portable art studio with this recycled book art kit tutorial that Shaunte shared on Crafts Unleashed.

More: MAKE | How-To: Recycled Book Art Kit

workman: yama-bato: Original : blackv

Tue, 07 May 2013 11:48:28 -0400

workman:

yama-bato:

Original : blackv

bubblejam: The incredibly intricate and captivating custom...

Thu, 02 May 2013 14:57:19 -0400

bubblejam:

The incredibly intricate and captivating custom animal sculptures by Creatures From El, Ellen June.

Photo

Thu, 02 May 2013 11:31:55 -0400

Playful Food Sculptures (by Brock Davis) On tumblr

Wed, 01 May 2013 14:01:47 -0400

Playful Food Sculptures (by Brock Davis)

On tumblr

theonlymagicleftisart: (Guillem Marí)

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:57:34 -0400

theonlymagicleftisart:

(Guillem Marí)

urhajos: Alex Hall

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:57:17 -0400

urhajos:

Alex Hall

finelinemagazine: ILSE LEENDERS From her series “Mimicry”,...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:56:49 -0400

finelinemagazine:

ILSE LEENDERS

From her series “Mimicry”, Netherlands-based artist Ilse Leenders creates these carefully composed, colorful pieces that feel perfectly spring-like to us. Speaking to the idea of individuality and identity in contemporary society, “Mimicry” presents humans as faceless animals, adapting to their environments. Check out her website for a variety of other great projects.

timgspears: Window Socket - Kyuho Song & Boa Oh So this is...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:56:36 -0400

timgspears:

Window Socket - Kyuho Song & Boa Oh

So this is an absolutley brilliant idea! Just attach the plug on to a window and it will harness solar energy. A small converter will convert it into electricity which can be freely used as a plug when you are in the car, on a plane or outside.

Love this design and I really think it has a great potential.

jtotheizzoe: This triple gear is a real thing, and thanks to...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:00:22 -0400

jtotheizzoe:

This triple gear is a real thing, and thanks to some intricate math and the advent of 3-D printing, it exists. Before this, at least as far as I can tell, a triple-meshed gear required one of the gears to turn in the opposite direction as the other two. That is no longer the case.

I can’t for the life of me imagine what this would be used in, but hey … at least we have it now. Get to designing!

(via henryseg on Shapeways)

East Meets West When Sculpture Meets Drawing

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:48:07 -0400

East Meets West When Sculpture Meets Drawing

Surreal fantasy worlds (by Vincent Bourilhon) Via

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:02:49 -0400

Surreal fantasy worlds (by Vincent Bourilhon)

Via

marrowskies:jimeatscake

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:01:24 -0400

marrowskies:jimeatscake