Click image for more beauty …
Nature is often dangerous for us humans. Thankfully we sometimes can enjoy the Beauty of a Beast like Volcano from a safe distance …
Click image for more beauty …
Nature is often dangerous for us humans. Thankfully we sometimes can enjoy the Beauty of a Beast like Volcano from a safe distance …
The Mimic Octopus is one of these amazing creatures that shows us how stunning this universe is. Simply watch the video and gently drop your jaw.
It takes many human lifespans for a tree to grow so tall and magnificent. Yet we seem determined to chop down every tree that is just tall enough to be useful for our industrial lifestyle.
We need to respect time and processes. We need to give nature space and respect to work and grow. Otherwise we destroy ourselves …
Click any image for a larger Shrimp.
This is once again a creature stranger than fiction. It’s small, has amazing colours and looks weirder than anything H.R. Giger could make up.
I was lucky enough to see one at the Hamburg Zoo and it is a unique strange something. I am glad evolution is so random, crazy and efficient at the same time.
It seems that all mammals love to cuddle with someone or something warm and fuzzy. That social instinct is deeply ingrained in mammals.
Click image for a bigger small frog.
The Kihansi Spray Toad was recently declared extinct in the wild. Only a couple of Zoos have some of them "on display".
Here is the tragic story:
It was discovered in 1996. It was found only in the spray zone around the Kihansi and Mhalala waterfalls in the southern Udzungwa Mountains in Tanzania. It is now listed as an extinct species in the wild by the IUCN Red List[1] due to a restricted range, habitat loss and a declining population. This was due to the Kihansi Dam being built in 1999, which reduced the amount of silt and water coming down from the waterfall into the gorge by 90 percent. This led to the spray toad’s microhabitat being compromised, as it reduced the amount of water spray, which the toads were directly reliant on for oxygen. This also meant that the toad may have been more susceptible to a chytrid fungus, which was believed to have been transported by conservationists’ boots. This chytridiomycosis, which in 2003 was confirmed to be in dead animals of the species, was possibly responsible for the sudden population crash after the world’s largest sprinkler system was installed in that area in August 2003. This system was installed to try and conserve the toad species from becoming extinct in the wild, but did not succeed.
Not all our attempts in conversation are that futile. But it’s a sad story anyway.
Click image for a cuter sleeper …
Ah, summer! Is there a nice thing to sleep though the afternoon heat and enjoy lovely summer nights?
Sharks are slowly disappearing from our Oceans. We care about Whales and Dolphins, but hardly anyone would wear a "Save the Sharks" T-Shirt.
As much as "Flipper" made us love Dolphins and portrayed them as cute animal friends the movie "Jaws" scared us to death. A whole generation is paranoid about sharks although sharks hardly attack humans. It’s us killing all the sharks – mostly ONLY for their fins for soup. What a waste …
Sidenote: The movie "Orca" showed us a pretty nasty Killer Whale, but "Free Willy" made us love them again.
But sharks are a very important part of our Ocean’s Ecosystem. In many areas where sharks have been decimated vicious swarms of Humboldt Squids have taken over as top predator and they are killing everything.
Sharks need a better press and we humans need to learn to "love" even ugly and not so cute creatures.
Our eyes don’t work like cameras, they don’t have a frame rate. But there is a limit to how much information the human eye and brain can process. For example if you on a fast train you can’t "capture" objects "shooting by" … it’s all a blur …
Insects (and birds) obviously move faster than humans and therefore need a faster "capture". But insights have to compromise: they see "faster" (and also have a wider viewing angle), but we humans see "sharper".
What a great shot by manyfires I found via flickr. Not only humans have very expressive faces …
Today 11:20 is Summer Solstice – so until December the 23rd the days will get shorter.
So far I am waiting for any enduring signs of summer here in Munich. So far the Spring was bloody cold and wet with only a few rays of sunshine.
Some creatures are just too cute for their own good. So take a break and watch some heart warming animal action …
Click image for more stunning colours.
Mother Nature may have given us brains, but not a great spectrum of colours. Birds, Fish and Insects on the other are blessed with the most amazing variety of colours.
I am always amazed by the huge diversity. If we loose one species, we loose one part of the brilliant rainbow of nature …
Humans and many primates share almost the same DNA. But a few differences make all the difference.
We humans don’t have fur, we cool our bodies with sweat. Much more efficient.
We humans walk upright and don’t climb trees, that makes us more flexible in the habitat we choose.
We humans have vocal cords and a much more complex communication system.
We humans have more complex brains … and that makes all the difference!
Click image for a bigger Ant.
Insects need water as much as any other creature on this planet. But if you are tiny you just can’t drink it. The waters surface tension makes it probably as tough as freshly poured concrete is for humans. That is why some insects can walk on water, because the surface simply is "hard" enough for them.
Many insects either get their water supply from their food or drink from morning dews like that Ant above.
Photo by the great Meszaros Andras – Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009
Click image for a larger beak.
It is always fascinating to see how many “specialized” tool nature has given too many species.
But our opposable thumbs are a rather generic, yet powerful tool. It allows us to handle the most delicate tasks, but yet use it also as a weapon as well.
The most important function is that we can hold things quite easily. Most other species (apart from primates) have a hard time doing this.
To survive you need food. The more the better. If you don’t have enough food you and your offspring won’t survive.
Contrary to our modern human lifestyle food is not available 24/7 and during all seasons. Mother nature can be pretty tough, that is why all creatures try to squeeze every bit of energy and nutrition out of food.
And all creatures are greedy: they try to get as much food as possible. You never know what’s available tomorrow. Our hardwired instinct is to get as much as we can gather.
To live with that much highly nutritious food around we have a hard time to stop ourselves.
Many rescued animals get released into the wild. Here is a rare video of a conservationist meets his former "baby".
If you like what you see why not adopt a Gorilla yourself?
The Enypniastes is a deep-sea-sea-cucumber – and perfectly shows the most basic building blocks of life: a mouth, a stomach and an arse. Input, processing and output.
All other life – with some additional "blocks" – is built like that.
Click image for more amazement!
Hubble has shot about 570.000 photos in the last 20 years – most of them were simply amazing and breathtaking!
The newest shots from the Carina Nebula (<- great Wikipedia entry for Space Enthusiasts) are simply amazing (more details and more images here).
If you want more "Wow!" don’t miss the videos.
The Universe is simply beautiful and we are part of it.
PS: I tilted some of the images for a more detailed scrolling experience, but in space there is no up and down anyway …
Click any image for more ash on your screen.
The real insight of the Icelandic Ash cloud is how vulnerable modern society is.
Volcano’s can erupt for months and even years – and the Eyjafjallajökull was not a particular big one.
In 1783 the Eruption of the Laki killed tens of thousands of people in Europe and had a long lasting effect on a low tech society.
Usually after the Eyjafjallajökull it’s bigger neighbour Laki explodes … I just hope it won’t happen or the volcano takes a long break from it’s usual party habits.
I hate it when man or animals are way too sure of themselves. This Wombat knows he is way too cute …
You know that watching cute and cuddly animals is good for your psyche. It gives you that warm and fuzzy delight the evil world denies you constantly …
Click images for bigger snouts.
I often wonder if animals have a perception of time and personal history – or if they live totally ZEN-like here and now without worrying about the past and future …
Click image for a larger version.
Click image for a larger version.
The great Australian Dust Storm – some more great pictures here at the Boston Big Picture and Wired.
I always find it amazing that many mammals spend so much energy and time caring for their younglings.
Some do not only do they carry the baby in the womb, but also after birth. This is very unusual in nature: most reptilians, insects and fish simply leave their young behind.
Click image for more fire.
This is an amazing shot – and a sad story. Wildfires are natural, but global climate change seems to make them worse … thanks humanity!
Click image for more cuteness.
We should watch nature more instead of eating everything we see.
Click image for bigger clouds.
Noctilucent Clouds are fascinating and beautiful things. Click here for more images.
Click image to learn about the full horror of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
I heard many times that our oceans are badly polluted – but this THING really is as impressive as it is a HUGE shame for us humans.
Compared to garbage on land it’s much harder to get rid off. But most of all: nobody feels responsible, because every small piece of land belongs to a country. But the Oceans belong to everybody and nobody – so we give a shit about it’s decline and pollution …
Click image for a bigger critter.
Nature adapts slowly to change – it is not working on the same speed level as human technology races ahead and changes the environment.
Whole ecosystems are killed by small natural and unnatural changes. That is why fast climate change or the intrusion of foreign species (by human infrastructure and colonization) are so deadly.
And we human often think complex enough to see what consequences our "better lifestyles" have for nature.
We certainly can’t live without nature and a healthy ecosystem – in the long run we can only loose. Nature will recover, even when it takes millions of years.
Nature works in long time spans, we don’t.
Click the moth for a bigger image.
I am constantly amazed by the colours of insects and the Leopard Moth is simply a cool bugger. Looking at my pink skin I feel pretty boring and monochrome right now.
I guess you can bridge almost any differences if you grow up together and really get to know each other.
Nature – in it’s ruthless efficiency – has created so much beauty without compromise. Beauty based on practicality is the best kind. Japanese design combines this often to great effect.
Click for a close-up.
Wild Wonders of Europe is one brilliant website and offers many great galleries (like this one featuring Austria including that lovely bugger from above).
Bring some time to explore all the featured photographers and countries. There is a lot of great eye candy to be discovered!
Click image to see a larger version of the magnificent photo by Sarah-Fiona Helme – Summer stripes.
Garden Photography sounds pretty lame, but this competition is full of great snaps. Take some time to visit all the galleries like Plant Portraits, Trees and Wildlife in the Garden.
Website: International Garden Photographer of the Year competition
Click image for a bigger bird.
The most depressing think about winter – apart from the cold and xmas – is the lack of colors. You only get get the grey shades ranging white to black.
Spring´brings the colors back – and most of the colorful birds!
How many colors do we have: white, brown, red and so called yellow (has anyone ever seen a yellow Asian person?). And we are only uni-color: no patterns, no stripes, no dots, no gradients … boooooring!
Click image for a larger view.
What an amazing image – I never get tired looking at our planet. Snapped by Apollo 11.
*thanks to edosan for sending this one*
