It might look like a Photoshop job but it is a real animal; called the Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) the largest salamander in the world toping at 6 feet. Totally aquatic, it feeds on fish frogs and insects. As it is nocturnal, it is almost blind.
Although there are thousands of species of carnivorous plants, few have developed traps big enough to process small rodents. Most of those species belong in the genus Nepenthes.
It all started in a botanical garden in Lyon, France. Visitors reported a smell from the plant and they found the cause…
Nepenthes truncata is the species of plant that caught the mouse and it is fit to do so. Its pitchers are over a foot long and sturdy enough for a mouse to stand on. There is a video on YouTube that shows a capture of a mouse by a Nepenthes spathulata, a similar sized plant.
Despite this a special recognition goes to Nepenthes rajah, the biggest carnivorous plant in the world. This massive plant produces two foot long pitchers that can hold a gallon of digestive fluid. This is one of the only species that are able to catch rats.
A recent discovery, however, shatters Nepenthes rajah’s reputation for the only rat eating plant. Nepenthes attenboroughii named after David Attenborough who helped created many documentaries on BBC.
So next time you go into a rainforest, or even a botanical garden, watch where you step!
Almost every animal is vulnerable to old age. Some, like houseflies live short lives. Others such as trees can live thousands of years. A few animals are biologically immortal meaning that they suffer virtually no effects of old age.
Hydras, a small anemone like creature, do not age. They live in most freshwater environments and are common across the world. They use their tentacles to catch freshwater zooplankton.
scientific illustrator
Turritopsis nutricula is an immortal species of jellyfish that can change into a juvenile polyp after reproduction. It is therefore immortal benefiting from a never ending cycle form juvenile polyp to adult plankton and back.
blogington
Water bears are a type of water dwelling microscopic animal that is totally immortal. In addition they can survive the vacuum of space, radiation, extreme temperatures, and dehydration among others. Wheh!
Venus fly traps are a species unusual carnivorous plant from the Carolinas. They live in sunny peat bogs and Pine Barrens that are found in those areas. These interesting plants are famous for their unusual traps that resemble “jaws” or “bear traps”. As small a plant its traps grow about one inch long, and 3-5 traps grow on the plant at a time.
The traps are baited by nectar produced by several glands lining the trap. When the fly lands in the trap, it triggers its closing by brushing its trigger hairs. The trap then closes and the insect is trapped by its cilia or “teeth”. The trap, after a few minutes, seals. The sealed trap then fills with a weak honey colored acid which dissolves the soft insides of the insect; and kills any bacteria that can damage the trap. After about a week, the trap opens to reveal the insect exoskeleton which blows away in the wind.
Courtisy Bontany.com
The trap will only seal if the trigger hairs are bent for three minutes. This adaptation prevents the trap form wasting its energy by digesting leaves, raindrops, and small insects. Each trap can only digest three to five insects each. After that they stop working and eventually die.
spent trap Courtisy of Barry Rice's Website
Unfortunately, Venus fly traps have been going extinct in the wild. The main reasons for this being poaching and habitat destruction. Although poaching has been on the decline do to mass-propagation of this plant, habitat destruction still destroys thousands of acres of habitat each year.
I'm planning to make a biosphere. Here are the details.
Biosphere:
Justification:
My plan is to see if I can successfully make a world of my own. I will then observe the inhabitants and keep a journal with daily, weekly, or monthly entries.
Budget and activities:
This biosphere requires some additional supplies; one is an amano alga eating shrimp. This shrimp is native to Korea and Japan and its diet consists of common green algae. This makes it highly suitable for biospheres. A similar shrimp called a ghost shrimp is claimed to eat algae, but this is a popular urban legend. An amano shrimp is can be found at a smaller fish store which will order it for you. These shrimp are commonly one dollar each.
Another essential ingredient is pond scum. This contains plankton such as amphipods, copepods, daphnia, and Ostracods. Another benefit of the pond scum is added scavengers such as snails and planarians. Finally predators such as hydra are introduced.
Some plants that should be added are elodea and duckweed. If the elodea in the aquarium is sufficient, then no purchase is required.
Hawaiian red shrimp are shrimp found in Anchialine pools of Hawaii. These pools are near the sea and are often a mixture of fresh and salt water. This half inch red shrimp are often called super shrimp, for their long age and excellent survivability. While a normal shrimp, at best, might expect three years, Hawaiian red shrimp can carry on to 20. They can survive in a variety of temperatures and salinities.
Courtesy of Arizona Inverts
There long age puzzles scientists, a general rule in nature is that the smaller an animal the shorter its life, yet this little shrimp outlives many animals many times its size.
These little shrimp eat mainly algae and bacteria which grow in its environment; there are very few, if any, predators in the pools that these shrimp inhabit.
These shrimp are often kept as low maintenance pets, often in small tanks and fed with powdered algae. Unfortunately, they are often kept in ecospheres that claim to be a balanced mini aquarium but actually are jars full of pee. These ecospheres shorten the shrimp’s lives to three years.
From Ecosphere Associates, Inc
Corals of Alaska
Discovered on July 2002, the Coral gardens of the Aleutian islands of Alaska are as diverse as many tropical reefs.
Courtesy of the USGS
You heard correctly; a diverse community of corals exists in Alaskan Aleutian islands, the last place you would expect one.
Scientists have known the existence of these corals for a couple of centuries, which is the amount of time deep water trawls have been pulling them up. On the other hand the scientists never expected a community with so many different types of corals and sponges.
The coral garden exists more than 1000 feet under the surface and is very different from their tropical cousins. The Aleutian corals don’t need light, requiring nutrients instead. They also don’t build reefs, as the dead corals wash away.
Unfortunately, even corals as remote as these are threatened, trawls for ground fish and other seafoods leave big empty tracks in these gardens.
