Creature 123: Dimetrodon

The precursor to mammals from before the dinosaur era

Description:
Everyone had a favorite dinosaur when they were a kid, you can image how disappointed I was when I found out that mine was not a dinosaur at all.

Dimetrodon is a long extinct genus of terrestrial vertebrates. It is known for it unique giant sail like structure on its back. The purpose of the sail is the topic of much speculation. Some think it may have been used for thermoregulation. Others attribute it to an exaggerated mating display. Other compare it to modern species which use structures to exaggerate their size in order to make them more intimidating. I'm sure that is not an exhaustive list.

They ranged in length from 60 to 460 cm depending on species. Their skeleton contains many precursors to various features of modern mammals which are not found in other species from the same period. These flesh eating monsters are from the period before the dinosaurs, the Permian era, possibly having existed 300 million years ago.  By the Permian extinction around 250 million years ago they were probably extinct, and almost certainly did not survive into the first dinosaur period, the Triassic.

Distribution:
Most specimens have been found from south Western United States, but bear in mind that when these things were living the continents looked nothing like they do today.

Classification:
Dimetrodons are not dinosaurs at all, in fact they are more closely related to you than they are to a dinosaur.  They belong to a group called the synapsids. The only surviving members of the synapsid group are the mammals. There are several minor synapsid branches from various eras which have gone extinct since the Dimetrodons.
Dimetrodons were originally places in Class reptilia (a term which I don't approve of) order Pelycosauria. In the light of their relationship with mammals this Classification does not make sense. They are sometimes placed in class Synapsida, but as Mammals also belong to the Synapsid class this group would be paraphyletic unless we demoted mammals to a subclass. The order Pelycosauria is also probably paraphyletic,  or so I'm told and is based on temporal distribution rather than natural history. While we wait for the vertebrate Classifications to catch up with the 1980s we don't really have anywhere to put them.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: see text
Order: see text
Family: Sphenacodontidae
Genus: Dimetrodon

Image Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimetrodon#mediaviewer/File:Dimetrodon_skeleton.jpg

http://www.rareresource.com/pho_dimetrodon.htm

Creature 122: Welwitschia mirabilis

It only has 2 leaves, but can live 2000 years.

Welwitschia mirabilis is the only member of the genus Welwitschia and consequently is usually refterred to only by its generic name. It looks like a rolled up piece of plant debris:

The plant grows only two leaves before the tip of the stem (called the apical meristem) dies off. As the apical meristem is the part of a plant from which new leaves can sprout this causes the plant permanently lose the ability to grow new leaves. The two leaves can continue growing until they reach a length of around 2-4 meters, which is a very big leaf. While they are hard to age exactly botanists are confident that many living specimens are over 1000 years old, and some may be over 2000 years old. Often the leaves will be so tattered and damaged due to events over the last millennium that they appear to have several leaves.

 The plants are either male or female and require insect pollination onto another plant to reproduce. As they are not angiosperms, they do not produce flowers but they do produce a sort of nectarish substance to encourage pollination. Females produce cones like pines.

Distribution:
Welwitschia is endemic to the Namib desert in South Western Africa.

Classification:
Welwitschia mirabilis is not only the only member of its genus, but it is the only surviving species in its whole order, the Welwitschiales. They are in a group called the Gnaetpphta, which I don't think has been officially raised to a phylum yet. Members of this group used to be considered part of the Gymnosperm phylum, which moat botanist now agree is not monophyletic. 

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Gnetophyta
Class: Gnetopsida
Order: Welwitschiales
Family: Welwitschiaceae
Genus: Welwitschia
Species: Welwitschia mirabilis

Image Links:

http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welwitschia#mediaviewer/File:Welwitchia.jpg

http://www.bihrmann.com/caudiciforms/subs/wel-mir-sub.asp

http://www.florafinder.com/Species/Welwitschia_mirabilis.php

Top 10 updated again

The charge of the Koala.

I have updated the top ten most viewed animals today in the wake of the Koala charging its was through the top 10 like no Koala ever has. After 3 days it has reached the top five and climbing, however the top four will be hard to crack as they are in a pack far ahead of the next six. I hope my precious assassin bug Acanthapsis petax will survive the onslaught.

Creature 121: Echeneidae

A fish with a huge suction pad.

Description:
Echeneidae are a family of fish which are commonly referred to by the name remora. They are sometimes also called sucker fish for reasons which should become obvious.

In case you were wondering that large flattened ribbed structure is on the top of their head. They use it to create suction as they attach themselves to sharks or other large marine animals to hitch a ride. Most species have a particular type of animal on which they will preferentially attach themselves. There are some species which will even attach themselves to the inside of a sharks mouth and feed off the scraps. 

This may seem like parasitic behavior but in at least some cases the remoras will eat the parasites off the hosts as a food source which benefits both species. The remora will eat the parasites, scraps of food which the larger host drops and sometimes even the feces of their host. Many species have been known to swarm in large numbers around larger hosts.

Distribution:
Remoras are found in tropical open oceans but will sometimes hitch a ride outside of their comfort zone.

Classification:
The common name remora is also the scientific name of a genus within the family Echeneidae.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Echeneidae

Image Links:

https://animalreview.wordpress.com/2008/10/31/remora/

http://currentsinbiology.tumblr.com/post/46082029787/sucking-disc-of-the-remora-scientists-have-figured

http://www.gizmag.com/remora-sucker-adhesive/26379/pictures#3

Creature 120: Pepsini

This insects hunts tarantulas

Description:
Many people are scared of spiders, especially large hairy spiders like tarantulas such as the Goliath Bird eater which I posted the other day. Their frightening appearance leads some people to assume that they are the most ferocious predators in the Arthropod world. This is not the case. Spiders are just the helpless prey of the pompilid wasps. Even Tarantulas had better flee for their lives in the presence of members of the pompilid tribe Pepsini, commonly known as tarantula hawk wasps.

Like the Cockroach wasps these flying horrors like to lay their eggs in a nest with their prey stored inside it. Also like the cockroach wasps their victims are still alive while they are being eaten by the juvenile wasps. However these guys don't use the same really cool mind altering zombification as the cockroach wasps. Their sting is a potent paralytic in the tarantulas that they victimize. They then use brute strength to drag the tarantula into the nest and seal it off after laying a single egg inside. You can imagine what happens to the tarantula then, and if you need a hint, it is not pleasant.

In humans their sting is short lived but incredibly painful. It is one of only two groups to achieve the highest category of 4 in the Schmidt pain index, with victims claiming that the pain is so bad that it will cause the victim to temporarily lose control of themselves. They are not particularly aggressive towards humans, but if you play around with them they will not hesitate to sting you. The state of New Mexico has adopted a Tarantula Hawk Wasp as their state insect. I think everyone should have a state insect. Their body is variously colored depending on the species and in some cases they can be quite spectacular.

Watch it all happen here:

Distribution:
Pepsini have a pantropical distribution spilling over into some temperate areas, especially in the Americas where there are plenty of tarantulas to go around..

Classification:
There are only two genera in the tribe Pepsini, Pepsis and Hemipepsis.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Pompilidae
Tribe: Pepsini

Image Links:
http://markcorder.com/home/pepsis-prey-tarantula-hawk/
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wasp_with_Orange-kneed_tarantula.JPG
https://mylandrestorationproject.wordpress.com/tag/tarantula-hawk/

Video Links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqsHVLy9s1M

Top 10

There has been movement in the top 10. Check them out here.
I'm a little disappointed that Koalas manages to barge there way into the top 10 after just 2 days online. They are the only creature past day 40 which is in the top 10, and day 40 is the undeniably cool Peacock Mantis shrimp, which can literally tear water molecules apart with its punch. This coming only a few days after the ultra charismatic Lyre bird overtook Ophicordiceps, the zombie fungus. What can I say? People seem prefer the cuddly charismatic macrofauna to the really interesting creatures.

Creature 119: Amorphophallus titanum

The biggest flower in the world?

Description:

Amorphophallus titanum is commonly known as the titan arum or the Zamikand. It is a member of the genus Amorphophallus  Greek for shapeless phallus, a weird name for a plant most people would think, although flowers are plant reproductive organs so I guess it's not that weird. Anyway the specific epithet is more what you would expect from a plant with this kind of flower. They are huge:

In fact it is the largest flower in the world growing up to 3 m tall and sometimes weighing in excess of 75 kg. This title is somewhat debatable as the definition of a flower is not as obvious as it may seem. You may remember the post on Rafflesia arnoldii whose claim to fame is that it is the largest single flower in the world. The titan arum can be considered the largest flowering body in the world. Surprisingly enough this colossal flower grows out of subterranean tubas with a single leaf above ground much like an onion or potato.

Like Rafflesia arnoldii the Titan arum gives off a smell similar to that of a rotting corpse when it is in flower. This is to attract it's pollinators which are usually flesh eating beetles of flies. The plant can live up to 40 years old but it will only flower 4-6 times in its life. The enormous effort that goes into producing the flower must be difficult to maintain as the flowers only last 48 hours.

Distribution:
The titan arum is found on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Classification:

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum:Angiosperms
Class: Monocotyledon
Order: Alismatales
Family: Araceae
Genus:Amorphophallus
Species: Amorphophallus  titanum

Image Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Titan_Arum_in_bloom._Royal_Botanic_Gardens._Melbourne,_Australia.jpg

http://biology.fullerton.edu/facilities/greenhouse/amorphophallus/

Creature 118: Phascolarctos cinereus

Happy Australia day. The day we mimic koalas.

For those of you who are not from Australia today is Australia day so Happy Australia day everyone.  As it is Australia day I think it is appropriate that I blog about an iconic Australian bizarre creature.  I'm fairly confident that even if you've never heard of Australia you have heard of a koala. 

Description:
Phascolarctos cinereus is widely known as a koala in Australia and for some strange reason some people from overseas call it a koala bear.

For all their charisma the koala is Australia's marsupial equivalent of a sloth. They are slow moving arboreal mammals that rely on camouflage to protect them from predators,  although natural predators of the koala have been extinct for a while. They will sleep 18 to 22 hours a day waking only to eat and mate and occasionally to move to a different tree. Koalas,  much like the Australian people, are pretty chilled out.

They are so inactive because of the amount of energy required to digest the Eucalyptus leaves. Eucalyptus leaves are low in energy and nutrients and high in the mildly toxic and highly flammable Eucalyptus oil. But koalas won't eat anything else. Their diet is so poor that over time the Koalas have reduced various parts of their brain to lower their metabolic rate. Their brain only occupies 61% of their cranial cavity and they have one of the lowest brain masses to body mass of any mammal. The surface of the brain is fairly smooth. Yes, koalas are stupid. Their liver, however is huge as they need to cope with the Eucalyptus oil. Evolution does some strange things. As leaves in general,  and especially eucalyptus leaves, are difficult to digest koalas need a fairly healthy colony of specialized gut bacteria.  For whatever reason they are not born with this culture naturally in their gut. Baby koalas need to eat their mothers feces in order to acquire the right gut bacteria. 

So koalas basically chill out and overload their liver with toxins. I guess its Australia day for them everyday, except we don't normally do the feces eating thing. Contrary to common belief koalas are not endangered or threatened, in fact their population numbers are very high compared with their recent natural history. Their charismatic appearance is used to draw people into conservation campaigns aimed at preserving native bush, the koalas natural habitat.

Distribution:
Koalas are found on the east coast of Australia as from the south to as far north as Cape York and along the south coast as far west as the Eyre peninsula.

Classification:
I feel like I am stating the obvious but koalas are not bears as they are a type of marsupial. Humans are much closer relatives of the bears than koalas are. They are in the Suborder Vombatiformes, the same lineage as the wombats. This may not seem obvious externally but if you look at the skulls of the two animals you will quickly see the similarity.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Diprotodontia
Family: Phascolarctidae
Genus: Phascolarctos
Species:  Phascolarctos cinereus

Image Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koala

http://www.omgfacts.com/lists/5080/Koalas-sleep-almost-all-day-long

Creature 117: Kosmoceratops richardsoni

And you thought I had a big head.

You can't have a weird biology blog without chucking in a few of those ultra charismatic extinct dinosaurs every now and then. My list has over a dozen dinosaurs in it and come to think of it I have probably been remiss in not including any dinosaurs yet other than birds which are dinosaurs in the true sense of the word. See my page on Linnean Classification for an explanation of this if it makes no sense to you. So without further ado I give you a bizarre dinosaur.

Description:
Kosmoceratops richardsoni sometimes known by just the generic name Kosmoceratops is a bird hipped dinosaur related to the triceratops which had a particularly ornate skull.

These highly decorated monsters grew up to 4.5 meters long with an enormous 2 meter long head. That's right it's heat was bigger than you. If you think the triceratops' three horns are impressive this guy has a total of 15. They had ten horns which made up the frill at the back of the head, two posterior to each eye and one in the middle near the nose. This amount of effort into horns probably means that their function was not just defensive but probably ornamental as well. They may well have been used to compete for females like in deers.

Distribution:
Kosmoceratops is known to have existed in the small island continent known as Laramidia which is now the western part of North America. They may have spread to what is now Eastern North America (Appalachia) when the two continents joined. They may be as old as 90 million years old and may have survived to the K-Pg extinction event 65 million years ago (or K-T if you prefer).

Classification:
It is worth pointing out that although this order of dinosaurs is referred to as the bird hipped dinosaurs, they do not contain the birds. The birds are in a group called the lizard hipped dinosaurs.  Go figure. The family Ceratopsidae contains the familiar triceratops along with many other similar looking dinosaurs.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Sauropsida
Order: Ornithischia
Family: Ceratopsidae
Genus: Kosmoceratops
Species: Kosmoceratops richardsoni

Image Links:
http://www.mcwetboy.com/mcwetlog/2010/09/a_horned_dinosaur_with_15_horns.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosmoceratops

Creature 116: Theraphosa blondi

The world's biggest spider?

Description:
Theraphosa blondi is a large spider which you may have heard referred to as the Goliath bird eater. The name is a reference to its enormous size and ability to eat small birds.

It is arguably the largest spider in the world. In weight they win the title weighing up to 170g.  They come second in terms of leg span with a maximum of 28 cm being outdone only by the Giant Huntsmen Spider. Their fangs are more than capable of penetrating human skin, however the bite of the Goliath bird eater is not fatal to humans. Poisoning will cause nausea and rashes. Like many other tarantulas their exoskeleton is covered in thousands of minute hairlike bristles which will snap off and embed them self on anyone brave enough to touch them. These can cause severe painful rashes in humans. They can rub these bristles together to make a noise which can be heard by humans from several meters away.

Despite its name this massive spider will only rarely eat bird for the simple reason that they are quite hard for a spider to catch. Their diet usually consists of small mammals, lizards and amphibians as well as large insects. They actively hunt their prey and rely mostly on stealth to sneak up on their prey.

Distribution:
Goliath bird eating spiders are only found in rainforest along the north of South America.

Classification:
The Goliath bird eater is a member of the tarantula family Theraphosidae, so it is a type of tarantula.

Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Family: Theraphosidae
Genus:Theraphosa
Species: Theraphosa blondi

Image links:

http://thehigherlearning.com/2014/07/24/kids-as-young-as-five-hunt-giant-bird-eating-goliath-tarantulas-in-the-venezuelan-jungle-video/

http://www.livescience.com/48339-goliath-birdeater-spider-photos.html

Creature 115: Gnathonemus petersii

A very brainy fish

Description:
The colloquial name forGnathonemus petersii  is Peter's elephantnose fish. O.k. I admit it, this one is mostly here because I really like the name. Having said that it does have a pretty weird looking nose:

It also does have some pretty cool facts to go with it. Peter's elephantnose fish is covered in tiny little electrorecptors which have a sensory function. They are particularly dense on the long protrusion we would call a nose. They use these abilities to 'feel' their way around.They also give off a tiny electic current which they can use to identify other elephantnose fish when finding mates. As they usually live in muddy water with low visibility this - is quite a useful substitute for their sight, which is poor.

Peter's elephantnose fish also has a very big brain for it's size. In fact it has the largest brain to body weight ratio of any known vertebrate animal, yes that includes you. They are often raised as pets and in Aquaria all over the world.  Despite the fact that their preferred natural habitat is very muddy turbid water, they do not cope well with industrial pollutants and have been used as indicators of water quality.  They are nocturnal and rarely come out during the day. They prefer to hide among submerged branches and rocks during the day.

Distribution:
Peter's elephantnose fish is found in fresh water systems of West and Central Africa.

Classification:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Osteoglossiformes
Family: Mormyridae
Genus: Gnathonemus
Species: Gnathonemus petersii

Image Links:

http://opencage.info/pics.e/large_18585.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peters%27_elephantnose_fish

http://howtocareforfish.blogspot.com.au/2010/10/fish-of-week-elephant-nose-fish.html

Creature 114: Claviceps purpurea

Fungus which grows on your food and makes you psychotic

Description:
Claviceps purpurea is a parasitic fungus which infects various flowering plants, mostly grasses and particularly rye.

Infection of cereals like rye by this fungus occurs while the plant is in flower. The spores of Claviceps purpurea mimic pollen and make their way to an ovary. The ovary is destroyed ant the fungus consumes the nutrients which were meant for the developing seeds. As the fungus develops it clones itself sending out millions of tiny clone spores which are picked up by insects can infect other plants. Eventually it grows into the long seed like structure you see above. This structure encased living fungal tissue which lies dormant until the conditions are right. When the environment becomes favorable for grasses to flower the pod opens and the fungal fruiting bodies (mushrooms) grow. In this phase the fungi breed and send out a new generation of spores.

That's all fairly interesting,  but considering this fungus commonly infects a fairly major human food source you are probably wondering what effect it can have on humans. The fungus produces various alkaloid toxins which can have nasty effects on humans. Poisoning by these toxins is known as ergotism. Mild poisoning may only cause headaches and diarrhea, but symptoms will progress to seizures and spasms as well as full blown psychosis. Prolonged exposure can wreck havoc on your vascular system causing gangrene which may result in the loss of limbs and eventually death.

Infected cereals can be seen as the dark purple to black fruiting bodies stand out especially as they are usually much larger than the seeds of the cereal, although they can be slightly smaller than the seeds of wheat. The fungus and it's effects have been known for a long time and has been studied at least since the 17th century. Outbreaks of the fungus are believed to be responsible for various unusual historic events which could have been caused by mass psychosis such as the Salem which trials.

Distribution:
Claviceps purpurea is occasionally found anywhere where rye is cultivated.

Classification:
Kingdom:Fungi
Phylum: Ascomycota
Class: Sordariomycetes
Order: Hypocreales
Family: Clavicipitaceae
Genus:Claviceps
Species: Claviceps purpurea

Image Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claviceps_purpurea#mediaviewer/File:Claviceps_purpurea.JPG

http://goa-shoom.net/ethnomycology/psymush.html

http://galleryhip.com/ergotism-painting.html

Creature 113: Josephoartigasia monesi

Be startled, be very startled.

Description:

Have you ever seen a large rat and thought it was disgustingly large? Well it could be worse. take a look at the skull of this rodent:

Josephoartigasia monesi is an extinct species which is believed to be the largest rodent that ever lived. It's total body length is around 3 m long, with a skull of 53 cm long and a 30 cm incisor tooth. It's maximum weight estimate is highly variable, ranging from 350 kg to 2.5 tonne but is difficult to determine because the skeleton is mostly incomplete. It is known from only a single reasonably well preserved skull, although most of the teeth are missing.

Distribution:

Josephoartigasia monesi used to live in South America. It is believed to have gone extinct some time after North and South America were rejoined around 2 million years ago.There were several large rodents in South America which thrived in recent geological history.

Classification:

Josephoartigasia monesi is actually more closely related to guinea pigs than rats. If you have ever seen the south park Pandemic episodes this is especially funny. It's closest relative, and the only surviving member of the family Dinomyidae, is the South American Pacarana. 

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Rodentia

Family: Dimomyidae

Genus: Josephoartigasia

Species: Josephoartigasia monesi

Image Links:

http://archive.news.softpedia.com/news/World-Largest-Rat-Ever-One-Tonne-2-200-Pounds-76367.shtml#sgal_0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephoartigasia_monesi#mediaviewer/File:Josephoartigasia_BW.jpg

http://southpark.wikia.com/wiki/Pandemic_2:_The_Startling

Creature 112: Faviidae

Undead corals

Description:

Faviidae is the name of a family of corals commonly referred to as brain corals. This name is derived because the shape of the animal along with the strongly wrinkled surface gives it the resemblance of a brain.

These weird looking corals are reef-building corals due to the calcium carbonate skeleton which they produce. Their behaviour conjures images of the undead just as much as their brain-like appearance. The head may look fairly passive during the day but at night they extend a multitude of tiny tentacles with stings. They use these to hunt small animals swimming or floating past. In at least some members of this family the tentacles are also used to attack neighbouring corals which may be competing for food or for space on a densely packed reef. During the day the tentacles are harmlessly stored in the wrinkles on the surface of their body and only sting defensively.

Brain corals can get quite large, reaching up to 1.8 m in height. Like the Hydra I talked about in an earlier post, there is no theoretical limit to how long they can live. Individual brain corals have been recorded to be up to 900 years old. In order to kill them you have to destroy the brain. Most of them are much more spectacularly coloured than the boring grey brain coloured specimens.

Distribution:

Faviidae are found in warm waters at shallow depths in all the worlds oceans.

Classification:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Cnidaria

Class: Anthozoa

Order: Schleractinia

Family: Faviidae

Image Links:
http://shewalkssoftly.com/2008/12/06/brain-coral/
http://aquaviews.net/explore-the-blue/unraveling-brain-coral/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colpophyllia_natans#mediaviewer/File:Colpophyllia_natans_(Boulder_Brain_Coral)_entire_colony.jpg

Creature 111: Victoria amazonica

A waterlily you can float on

Description:
Victoria amazonica is a large water-lily which is often referred to as a giant waterlily or the Queen's waterlily.

The leaves can grow up to 3 m in diameter and the stalk which anchors them to the ground can reach 8 m long. The base of the leaf contains a series of ribs which gives them an amazing load bearing capacity for a leaf. You can load a giant waterlily with over 130 kg before it begins to sink, so in theory you could float on it assuming you got on it gently and distributed your weight properly. The underside of the leaf is armed with spines to protect them from predators from below.

Their white flowers only open up at night. They are pollinated by beetles and once they have been fertilized they change color to pink.

Distribution:
The giant waterlily is found in the shallow waters of the amazon river.

Classification:
The Order Nymphaeales consists entirely of aquatic plants. They are a small group of flowering plants which do not belong to the Monocots, the core Eudicots of even the Magnoliids. They are one of three groups of basal angiosperms which form a paraphyletic group. As we cannot go around classifying paraphyletic groups together the only logical class to put them in is their own class. The name Nymphaeopsida has bee thrown around, and that is the name I will go with.
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Angiosperms
Class: Nymphaeopsida
Order: Nymphaeales
Family: Nymphaeaceae
Genus: Vicotria
Species: Victoria amazonica

Image Links:
http://www.explore-kew-gardens.net/engMarch/textMM/waterlilyN.htm
http://www.bellewood-gardens.com/2006/Garden%20Writers'%20Get-Together.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_amazonica#mediaviewer/File:Victoria_amazonica_edit_1.jpg

Creature 110: Hypsignathus monstrosus

Not sure weather to scream or laugh?

Description:

Hypsignathus monstrosus is a monstrosity commonly known as the hammer-headed bat or the big lipped bat. It looks like a bizarre combination of a cartoon dog and a vampire in bat form.

Male hammer-headed bat

The females look a lot different to the males. The extreme modification of the mouth and throat are used in males for making highly specialized mating calls. During mating season the males all gather in a single location and call out to the females. As the females approach they pick whichever male has the most appealing song. As they get close the male changes its song and does a little dance.

Female Hammer-Headed bat

Distribution:
Hypsignathus monstrosus is endemic to West-Central Africa.

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiloptera
Family: Pteropodidae
Genus: Hypsignathus monstrosus

Species: Hypsignathus

Image Links:
www.myths-made-real.blogspot.com
http://m.inmagine.com/image-ptg01680885-Female-hammerhead-Fruit-Bat-(Hypsignathus-monstrosus)-roosting%20-D.R.-Congo..html

Creature 109: Regalecus glesne

The original sea serpent

Description:
In an earlier post I discussed the real life sea monster, the colossal squid. Another common feature of maritime legends is the giant sea serpent. If there is a living creature which fits the description of a giant sea serpent it is Regalecus glesne, the giant oarfish sometimes called the king of Herrings.

The giant oarfish is a long eel-shaped fish (but it is not an eel!). Its dorsal fin ectends along the entire length of the body. So how long can it get? Records are not common but the longest on record that can be confirmed was 11m in length making it the longest bony fish in the world (bony fish includes fish with calcified bone, it does not include distant groups such as sharks and rays). Unconfirmed accounts claim that they can grow up to 17 m in length.

Giant oarfish lack scales and their skin is apparently quite fragile and easy to damage. They may look like an evil sea monster, but their diet consists almost enitrely of plankton and they are quite harmless. Large specimens of giant oarfish which was up on beaches still give people quite a fright to this day and inevitably cause local controversy. Appearance of the oarfish is associated with earthquakes in Japanese culture, however I am always very skeptical of these stories.

Distribution:
Giant oarfish can be found in all the world's oceans and are believed to be migratory.  It is possible that they have been the inspiration for stories about giant sea serpents all over the world.

Classification:
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Lampriformes
Family: Regalecidae
Genus: Regalecus
Species: Regalecus glesne

Image Links:

http://mybirdie.ca/files/1368108a17fa96f6dd9adec524e9cb53-23103.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_oarfish#mediaviewer/File:Giant_Oarfish.jpg

Creature 108: Cimex lectularius

You'll be glad they only suck your blood.

Cimex lectularius is a species of which bear the very common name of bed bugs. There are a lot of myths about these blood sucking pests but in this case the reality may be more bizarre than the fiction.

First of all bed bugs can't grow more than about half a centimeter long, you can see them but they are not the size of a large cockroach. If you think you have seen one that big it was probably a cockroach. They cannot transmit diseases as far as we can tell, and at this stage it has been looked into quite extensively. They are very hard to get rid of, but not impossible and old furniture or clothes do not need to be burnt. They are often hard to find as they can live in carpets, skirting boards, mattresses etc... but again it is not impossible. They do specialize in sucking human blood and they can be very hard to get rid of. They hide during the day usually inside the mattress or in nearby carpet, skirting boards etc.. They can tell you're around by the Carbon Dioxide you exhale and your body heat. Their eggs are very tough and hard to destroy which is why if the colony has been well established extermination has to be done thoroughly or the colony can reestablish itself in a few weeks.

Cimex lectularius have a very strange method of reproduction.  Male bedbugs have their parameres modified onto a single fused hardened sharp needle like structure. This is used to puncture the female's abdomen and the sperm in injected into the females haemolymph (the insect equivalent of blood). The sperm will find it's way to the female's sperm storage organs to be used for fertilizing eggs later. This method of reproduction, known as traumatic insemination, occurs in several different true bug groups. In bedbugs the females have developed a secondary organ known as a mesospermalege which they direct the males to during mating. This reduces the damage done to them by the males.

Male bedbug's fused parameres

Bedbugs produce a pheromone when they are in danger which alerts other bedbugs to the fact that there may be a predator around. The males also use this pheromone to prevent other males from attempting to mate with them as they seem to have no other method for determining males from females. Like other true bugs they have long tubular piercing mouth parts for feeding as you can see in this assassin bug.

Distribution:
Bedbugs are found everywhere there are humans. They are believed to have coevolved with humans from the time when we mostly lived in caves. They probably were originally bat specialists like the rest of their genus but jumped hosts when humans began to inhabit the caves which the bats were living in. They are most likely from somewhere in the Middle East.

Classification:
The other members of the genus Cimex are called bat bugs and usually live among bat colonies. Some of these have been known to feed off human if they are hungry. Several other species in the family Cimicidae are sometimes referred to as a type of bedbug. I prefer to use this term only for the true bedbug Cimex lectularius as the rest don't form anything resembling a monophyletic group.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Family: Cimicidae
Genus: Cimex
Species: Cimex lectularius

Image Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bed_bug#mediaviewer/File:Bed_bug,_Cimex_lectularius.jpg

http://www.redwinepest.com/bedbugs/bed-bug-pictures/

http://www.lastwordonnothing.com/2012/07/19/tgif-the-bed-bug-and-his-violent-penis/bug-paramere/

Creature 107: Formica rufa

Ants that farm other insects

Description:
Formica rufa is a species of ants which are commonly known as red wood ants. Their primary food source is sugary liquids, but they are fairly omnivorous in their food habits.

So far nothing I have told you can be called bizarre, the interesting part of it is the way they collect their primary food source. These ants farm aphids. As aphids exclusively eat plant matter which is high in carbohydrates and low in proteins they need to eat far more sugar than they need in order to get enough proteins in their diet. As a result they excrete a very sugary waste which the red wood ants love.

But these ants go beyond just harvesting sugar from the aphid colonies, they go to such as an extent that their behavior can only be analogized to farming. Ants are very good at keeping insects away from certain areas. On plants near their nest they get rid of the herbivorous insects which would otherwise be competing with the aphids. They defend their aphid colonies from predators as they would their own nests. They have even been known to trim the wings off the aphids in order to prevent them from flying away far from their nest. They have a special trick for coaxing the aphids to excrete their waste by stroking them in a certain way. Aphids which have been exposed to this for a long time have been known to not excrete any waste until the ant farmers come around to harvest their sugary nectar.

Formica rufa is not the only species of ant which farms other insects.

Distribution:
Red wood ants are found in Europe and into Russia as far east as Siberia.

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Genus: Formica
Species: Formica rufa

Image Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formica_rufa#mediaviewer/File:A_Formica_rufa_sideview.jpg

http://influentialpoints.com/Gallery/Aphis_farinosa_small_willow_aphid.htm

Creature 106: Wunderpus photogenicus

Just a Bizarre looking Octopus

Description:
The Wunderpus photogenicus is a very photogenic octopus which goes by the common name of wonderpus. It is moat notable for its amazing coloration patterns.

The pattern of distinct white markings are unique to each individual, a bit like a fingerprint. I can't find any information on weather they are capable of recognizing each other. Apart from its bizarre coloration and cool name it is not that unusual for an octopus.

Distribution:
The wonderpus is found near the coastline of the South East Asian Islands in the Java and Sulu seas, extending into the Melanesian region.

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollucsa
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Octopoda
Family: Octopodidae
Genus: Wunderpus 
Species: Wunderpus photogenicus

Image links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wunderpus_photogenicus#mediaviewer/File:Wonder_octopus.jpg
http://www.fompy.net/fompy/2005/11/outrageous_octo.html

Creature 105: Eunice aphroditois

Real life dune worms

Description:

Eunice aphroditois is a polychaete  worm which is sort of like a dune sandworm, except maybe not quite as big and they live in marine habitats. Their appearance is, if anything, a little more bizarre.

These worms will hide under the sand of aquatic environments with only a thin antennae sticking out. When an appropriate prey item brushes past they launch out at terrific speeds and move in for the kill. Apparently those razor sharp teeth can saw some animals clean in half. Their jays are made up of 1 pair of mandibles (the large arched structure) and 4-6 pairs of maxillae (the 'teeth'). If they are Hungary enough they may go looking for food instead of waiting around for it to come to them. Despite their obvious coolness, very little is known about them. It is believed that they use some sort of poison to kill or disable their prey as they are capable of taking down prey that is larger than themselves. This poison, if it exists, has not been identified. The rainbow colouration is... well I don't know why they are rainbow coloured, and I can imagine why seeing as they spend almost all their time underground and are probably broadcast spanners so they don't need to impress a mate.

So how much smaller than a dune sandworm are they? Well you are probably thinking that they are  maybe 10 or 20 cm long, but they can grow up to 3 m long. Yep that is bigger than you. Before you ask, no there have not been any recorded human deaths by Bobbit worm, probably because they prefer to live at leat 10m under the surface of the water. Having said that, it would make a good crazy theory for what happened to Harold Holt.

And here is a video of the Bobbit worm in action:

Distribution:

Eunice aphroditois is found in warm ocean environments all over the world.

Classification:

Experts seem to think that the classification is a bit tentative at this stage but it currently runs like this:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Annelida

Class: Polychaeta

Order: Eunicida

Family: Eunicidae

Genus: Eunice

Species: Eunice aphroditois

Image Links:

http://www.uwphotographyguide.com/bobbit-worm

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread969729/pg1

Video Links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H4J5QDQeA4

Creature 104: Lithops

A plant pretending to be a rock

Description: 

Camouflage is common in animal with many different elaborate disguises concealing many different types of animals from their various predators or sometimes prey items. While plants do sometimes mimic other poisonous plants or they may draw attention to their thorns they tend not to camouflage. Animals commonly use patterns and colour similar to the vegetation to hide themselves, but what backdrop could a plant camouflage into? Lithops is a genus of plant which specialises in camouflaging itself in stony deserts. They are commonly known as Living stones or pebble plants.

 The rock-like top of the plant which you can see there is actually a highly modified leaf. Most of the plant is underground. It extends small stalk above the surface which grow a pair of semi-fused leaves which look like a rock. I know what you're thinking, aren't leaves green because of their chlorophyll? and don't they need that for photosynthesis? The answer is yes and yes. These leaves are actually translucent and enough light gets through them to reach the inside of the plant where all the real photosynthesis goes on. 

This is a pretty good system until it comes time to pollinate the flowers. Like many plants they have mechanisms to prevent self-pollination so they need other plants to reproduce. There is just no way to do this without becoming a bit more obvious to insects, and potentially insect predators for the short period in which they are in flower.

Distribution:

Lithops is endemic to arid and semi-arid areas of southern Africa.

Classification:

Lithops are commonly included with cactuses in plant stores and gardening blogs etc... They are not in the cactus family, but their family Aizoaceae are a predominantly arid family and is in the same order, Caryophyllales.

Kingdom: Plantae

Phylum: Angiosperms

Class: Dicotyledon

Order: Caryophyllales

Family: Aizoaceae

Genus: Lithops

Image Links:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lithops_aucampiae_var._koelmanii_120502.jpg

http://biljoljupci.com/2007/sobno-bilje/lithops-ivi-kamen/66/

Creature 103: Ogcocephalus darwini

A fish with makeup

Description:

Ogcocephalus darwini is known as the Red-Lipped Batfish because they are batfish and they have red lips. When I say red lips, I mean really red:

Despite being fish, they are actually not very good at swimming and rely mostly on crawling along the ocean floor on their bony jointed fins. That nose-like projection on the top of their head is actually a lure which is bio-luminescent. It attracts prey towards it in much the same way that the angler fish hunts. They live fairly close to the water's surface compared with other bio luminescent fish, which usually live in the aphotic zones of the ocean. Red-Lipped Batfish live at depths of 3 m or deeper.

Distribution:
Red-Lipped Batfish are found off the coast of the Galapagos Islands and the Cocos Islands (Costa Rican Cocos Islands, Not the Indian ocean Cocos Islands).

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Lophiiformes
Family: Ogcocephalidae
Genus: Ogcocephalus
Species: Ogcocephalus darwini

Image Links:
http://www.divencounters.com/live-aboard-diving-blog/2012/10/
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_lipped_batfish.jpg