You need this. Read the rest
Yosemite Falls Rainbow Time Lapse
Dog is seriously freaked out by this duck
When you say you're super into the great outdoors and nature and -- something weird shows up. Read the rest
Blue-eyed deer was rescued, is in a loving and caring refuge now
The amazing Owl's Nest Sanctuary For Wildlife shared images of this incredibly beautiful blue-eyed baby deer on their Facebook page. Read the rest
Find awe in the biology of these incredible leaping maggots
Above is a three-millimeter long maggot launching itself into the air for a distance of up to 36 times its body length. Researchers from Duke University and their colleagues studied how these larvae of gall midges leap between plants with the greatest of ease, even rivaling some jumping insects with legs. Their research could have applications in soft robotics and adhesives. From the Journal of Experimental Biology:
They store elastic energy by forming their body into a loop and pressurizing part of their body to form a transient ‘leg’. They prevent movement during elastic loading by placing two regions covered with microstructures against each other, which likely serve as a newly described adhesive latch. Once the latch releases, the transient ‘leg’ launches the body into the air. These discoveries integrate three vibrant areas in engineering and biology – soft robotics, small, high-acceleration systems, and adhesive systems – and point toward a rich, and as-yet untapped area of biological diversity of worm-like, small, legless jumpers.
(via Scientific American)
Rare "positive" lightning bolt caught on video
From the Palm Beach Post: "an unusual bolt of lightning up to 10 times stronger than a typical flash that was caught on video by Boynton Beach resident Erica Hite on Sunday. The so-called continuous current, or positive lighting, which was identified by the National Weather Service in Miami after seeing the video, hit outside Hite’s apartment when she was taking video to show her family how bad the weather was." Read the rest
Curious manatee gets very friendly with human in canoe
“Big friendly potato boy thoroughly examining my canoe.” Read the rest
Fellow catches big fish that is then caught by something much bigger
"Run, Daniel, run!"
Watch: Kayaking a river in Norway on a gorgeous Spring day
“Feels like summer in Norway,” says Tomasz Furmanek, who shot and shared this serene and beautiful video of kayaking down a lazy river on a beautiful April day. Read the rest
This is one of the world's tallest trees; and this is the arborist who climbed it
Scientists have identified what is likely one of the world's tallest trees, a 330.7-foot (100.8 meter) yellow meranti tree in the rainforest on the island of Borneo. They spotted the tree growing in the Malaysian state of Sabah during an aerial laser scan of the forest. The rainforest is protected yet Yellow meranti trees are are highly endangered because they're relentlessly chopped down in other parts of Borneo for construction use. To accurately measure the tree, arborist Unding Jami of the South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership climbed it with a tape measure in hand. From National Geographic:
What was it like to climb?Read the restI knew it would feel very exposed [to climb], like you are just hanging in the air. There were really strong winds and a Colugo (flying lemur) nest! It was flying all around as we were trying to shoot the line up into the tree.
It took me 15 attempts to shoot that line 86 meters (282 feet) up to the lowermost branches. Honestly, I almost gave up. We were so lucky to be able to finally shoot the rope over the lower branch.
Once we had the rope up I took nearly an hour to climb up to 86 meters. And then another two hours from there to get to the top to take the final measurement. That last two hours the wind was very strong, and it rained, which slowed me down...
It’s not easy work to do. I climb up slowly, checking the trunk every meter for centipedes, snakes, and things.
Here are a whole bunch of little albino turtles
I like these albino turtles. Read the rest
Sloth very clear on importance of chewing food slowly
“Tell tha chef it's excellent.” Read the rest
Ocelot of bouncing around
Boing Boing! Read the rest
White bats chilling out peacefully in their leaf tent
Honduran white bats in their tent made out of leaves. Read the rest
WATCH: Live shark cam, Monterey Bay Aquarium
Having a rough day? Relax! These adorable sharks are on the other side of the glass. Read the rest
Cruising through thousands of cownose rays
That's a lot of sea flap-flaps right there.
This is a real African black panther and it's incredibly rare
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In central Kenya, biologists and wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas captured footage of a fantastically rare melanistic leopard, sometimes known as an African "black panther." There are only two known prior photos of an African black leopard, from 1909 and 2007. From National Geographic:
"Almost everyone has a story about seeing one, it's such a mythical thing," says Pilfold, of San Diego Zoo Global's Institute for Conservation Research."Even when you talk to the older guys that were guides in Kenya many years ago, back when hunting was legal [in the 1950s and ‘60s], there was a known thing that you didn't hunt black leopards. If you saw them, you didn't take it..."
Pilfold adds it’s curious that the fictional country of Wakanda, home of the superhero Black Panther, is located in East Africa, fairly close to Kenya.
"It's a unique coincidence," says Pilfold. "The only place where we have black leopards is where this place in the Marvel Universe appears to exist."
"Black leopard spotted in Africa for first time in 100 years" (National Geographic)
Black Leopard: My quest to photograph the most elusive cat in Africa (Camtraptions)
'Ghost Apples' of ice form after freezing rain in Michigan [PHOTOS]
Aren't they beautiful? Here's how 'ghost apples' formed on this apple tree in West Michigan. Read the rest
