typhlonectes:

​Meet the Arachnid That May Add a New Chapter to the Book on
Sensory Biology

Whip spiders sense the world in weird and wonderful
ways. 

By Mary Bates 

Whip spiders, also known as tailless whip
scorpions, are actually neither spiders nor scorpions. These strange
creatures belong to a separate arachnid order called Amblypygi, meaning
“blunt rump,” a reference to their lack of tails.

Researchers have discovered that some of the more than 150 species
engage in curious behaviors, including homing, territorial defense,
cannibalism, and tender social interactions—all mediated by a pair of
unusual sensory organs.

Like all arachnids, whip spiders have eight legs. However, they walk on
only six. The front two legs are elongated, antennae-like sensory
structures called antenniform legs. These legs, three to four times
longer than the walking legs, are covered with different types of
sensory hairs. They constantly sweep the environment in a whiplike
motion, earning whip spiders their common name. Whip spiders use their
antenniform legs the way a blind person uses a cane—except that in
addition to feeling their environment, whip spiders can smell, taste,
and hear with their antenniform legs.

All aspects of a whip spider’s life center on the use of these legs,
including hunting—whip spiders are dangerous predators, if you’re a
small invertebrate that shares the arachnids’ tropical and subtropical
ecosystems…

Read more: The Scientist

photographs: Rich Bradley – Ohio State University; Eileen Hebets – University of Nebraska – Lincoln

@glumshoe Have a very strange creature. 

Source: typhlonectes

westernsocietyfucked100years:

rainy-days-end-is-nigh:

lindentreeisle:

literal-ghost:

potedo:

Whoever invented kangaroos is a fucking idiot

Kangaroos are animals that seem like they should be cryptids but it’s an entire species.

A kangaroo standing straight up is so deeply unsettling.  It’s like you’re a furry who wished for anthropomorphic animals to be real and then it happened and you’re like NO DO NOT LIKE.

Kangaroos are dumb cause females only breed with the ones with the most muscles/testosterone so the entire species is roid raging itself to extinction

chad race

glumshoe:

glumshoe:

People have been clamoring for video of Edgar speaking, so I caught as much as I could this afternoon while visiting him. I don’t know when he picked up the barred owl hoot – I only remember him imitating a screech owl before this. 

Also, my usual disclaimer: Edgar is not a pet, he’s an educational/ambassador bird who lives with licensed rehabbers because he cannot be released to the wild. Corvids do not make good pets and may be illegal to own, depending on where you live, so if you want to interact with them, volunteer at a bird rehab center or sanctuary where educational/mascot animals are kept and well-socialized.

Edgar sounds like my aunt.

someidiotontheinternet:

steve-spaghetti:

renirabbit:

pizzalecki:

pkmnbreederbrianna:

togamijail:

chandra75:

im-sherlocked-in-my-mindpalace:

socially-awkward-supervillian:

Fun fact: Cheetahs only attack prey that runs

jesus that is good to know.

Yup, that’s the point you just stay still and let it do whatever the fuck it wants that doesn’t involved you getting eaten. 

REALLY FUN FACT for big cats cheetahs are fucking docile as shit

my grandfather ran a cheetah sanctuary in south africa and he’d just lie with them and sleep among them and they’d rub against him and chirp at him they’re big fucking babies

Another Fun Fact: Cheetahs are incredibly nervous animals. One of the (many) reason’s they’re going extinct is that cheetahs are so sensitive and nervous, some of them are literally too nervous to breed. Others will breed, but stress themselves out so much, they’ll lose their cubs.

So zoos with breeding programs had to figure out how to make cheetahs comfortable enough to first of all, get laid and secondly – not spazz themselves into miscarrying.

So what’d they do?
They gave the cheetah’s their very own Service Dogs!

The dogs make them feel safe, protected and secure!

AJHHHHFDDGHH SO PRECIOUS

this post just got so much better

THIS IS OFFICIALLY MY FAVOURITE POST

aNOTHER FUN FACT: in nature, jackals will fill the roll of the service dogs. they protect the cheetahs by yipping when predators approach such as hyenas or lions. it’s a symbiosis of sorts. in return, the cheetahs will leave like half of what they kill for the jackals since they’re so light weight and can’t eat very much all at once.

Source: ForGIFs.com

transdim-taey:

if-i-onlyhadabrain:

critically-yours:

miseducatedmelanicmuse:

flyerfemalecompanion:

notoriousthuggg:

miseducatedmelanicmuse:

Please reblog, this is so important.

I needed this

Is this foreal?

Yes it’s a real service. I do volunteer work for a rape crisis support service in my city and texting is one of the features we provide as well. But just to boost its credibility, I tried it myself:

reblog to save lives!

REBLOG

😭 Thank you.

I INVOKE TUMBLR LAW UNTO THIS POST

ALWAYS REBLOG

Source: miseducatedmelanicmuse

transdim-taey:

helloitsbees:

skyfirerevenge:

vividlyme:

gif87a-com:

Credit: @pelagicventures

Uhm what is that it’s huge?

Issa sea tortoise, like the ones that can live to around 500 years old. They’re capable of getting quite large from what I gather.

A big boy!

@bettsplendens

That’s a sea turtle. Tortoises do not live in water, and they have stumpy legs like elephants, not flippers for swimming. .

Sea turtles live to be 80+ years old, depending on the species. That looks like a green sea turtle, maybe? They’re pretty big, but not the biggest, loggerhead turtles far outstrip them. Green sea turtles are endangered, as are most other sea turtle species- all but one are either endangered or critically endangered. 

carnie-vorex:

andauril:

jkemosabe:

stormethecat:

red-king-4:

>

Headcanon:

Baby Khajit are often mistaken for kittens and small cats, so they would accidentally be adopted by loving humans, who soon freak out when the cat fucking talks back.

SO…

‘who ish the cutesht of them all??’

‘I am’

Now that would be a story for the ages.

Fun fact: Every form of feline in the Elder Scrolls series is actually a breed of Khajiit. Apparently what form of Khajiit you’re born as is defined by the cycle of the moons

OMG WHERE DID THIS CHART COME FROM ITS GREAT I LOVE IT

Well, not EVERY feline, there are cats who are genuiely cats. However, some khajiit really do resemble housecats. Other resemble tigers. And others resemble mer (bosmer, more specifically.)

TLDR: I love khajiits.

You bet your ass some of the more cat-like Khajiit pretend to be normal cats to get food and shelter. That makes some people wary of all cats, while others go out of their way to feed and help all cats, because there can’t not be tales of poor people helping an injured cat and getting unexpected favors in return. Stories like Puss in Boots, only the cunning little helper is a Khajiit. Stories of nasty people mistreating a cat and getting revenge from ‘its’ kin. A common-looking cat may have a huge tiger for a sister and their sire could be in the Dark Brotherhood for all you know.