He is trying so hard to be slappin'
BUT HE CANNOT SLAP
Those sounds... those pitiful upset sounds
Ive never really met anyone that thought of ribs as interesting… that’s such a shame. Ribs and the things they do are fascinating…. I think about them everyday.
finally got around to renovating the Cynortoides quadrispinosa. after the roundup, turns out I have over 70!
they’re a lovely armored harvestman from Jamaica, now introduced in South Florida where they appear to replace the native Libitiodes (formerly Vonones), a visually very similar genus with two species found from Ohio south to about where Cynortoides start.
they are peaceful animals, spending most of their time tucked into crevices with as many friends nearby as possible. also surprisingly sturdy, and can’t drop their legs like other harvestmen, having gone the beetle route of having a tough shelly body and equally sturdy limbs.
care for these arachnids is very simple. adults and large juveniles feed on dead insects (~70 can strip a Blaptica dubia hollow in a night) but need them opened first since their delicate mouthparts can’t cut hard chitin. they also thrive on fish flakes but I prefer offering fresh meat.
the hatchlings don’t seem to partake in the big feasts, so I suspect they’re hunters of springtails based on how I can never maintain a nice population of those in a breeding Cynortoides tub.
unlike other armored harvesters, C. quadrispinosa don’t guard their eggs but bury them in rotten wood, bark crevices, or gritty soil. when well-fed, all life stages can live together peacefully with minimal cannibalism, and egg to adult only takes about five months. curiously, I’ve only ever seen one dead individual, and given that a shell as hard as theirs won’t break down fast & there aren’t any in the substrate, I’m assuming they have a adult lifespan of several years or more.
also did I mention they fluoresce under UV?
Frilled lizard. Location: Agnes Water, Queensland, Australia.
Photograph: Richie Gilbert
Armadillo officinalis and assorted offspring.
babies are growing slowly but faster than I expected. seems like there’s some color variation among them, although I’m not sure if it will last.
it’s almost ridiculous how well these things roll. as soon as they detect light or air they conglobate and fall off of their perches, rolling to a stop somewhere hidden.
more roly poly than the original roly poly (Armadillidium vulgare) and more pillbug as well, both in shape and use (Armadillo officinalis is used as traditional medicine across its range)
Anonymous asked:
Hey, I was just wondering if you could cover the death's head hawkmoth, which is known for its unique skull-like pattern. They can also squeak, which I find adorable.
moths-daily answered:
Moth Of The day #21
Death’s-head Hawk-moth
Acherontia atropos, acherontia styx, acherontia lachesis
The death’s-head hawk-moth refers to any of three moth species in the Acherontia genus. These are the African death’s-head (A. atropos), the lesser death’s head (A. styx) and the greater death’s-head (A. lachesis). They belong to the sphingidae family.
They have a wingspan of about 13cm, which equals 5 inches. They are most commonly found in gardens. The A. atropos is found throughout Europe and Africa, meanwhile A. styx and A. lachesis are found in Asia. The use of the common name usually refers to A. atropos.
Thank you, anon, for your suggestion. This is a very beloved moth by us.
