According to The Language of Flowers, this orange and pale peach rose (hair tarantula) is intended to convey modest fascination. The different colours have strong historic meanings, so keep that mind the next time you make an arachnid bouquet.
White-faced Saki (Pithecia pithecia)
The low 2D:4D ratio indicates that this monkey would do well at M.I.T.
Throwback Thursday
This fish is much too small to eat and should be thrown back.
Yeah, sure, it looks pretty big, but remember, the camera adds ten pounds.
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita)
“Really? That’s the argument you’re going with?”
“You didn’t Google anything, did you?”
North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)
“Yeah, I’m here for the Punk Appreciation Meetup group.”
Red Cornsnake (Pantherophis guttatus)
The doctor is still working on the “Say ‘aaah'” part.
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
Bald eagles stake claim to territory, where it stays until the territory begins to run out of resources, at which point it will venture into other territories and take what it wants.
When migrating, bald eagles typically only fly between the hours of 8am and 6pm.
Though they typically consume fish, they will eat pretty much anything they can get their claws into, be they mammals, reptiles or even other birds. They rarely attack dangerous prey, however.
When hatching, the oldest sibling will often receive disproportionate feedings and will sometimes kill their younger siblings.
They will defend their nest vigorously against any attack, real or perceived.
For some reason, they are the national bird of the United States of America.
Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus)
Once, he would count the days, then the months, then the seasons. Now, he didn’t even bother to count the years. Some days he was wet. Some days he was dry. He’d been hot. He’d been cold. On windy days, he just had to hold on more tightly. Those were really the only differences that mattered.
He had been asked to wait and so he would. Already he had been waiting past memory, what was more time? He would endure — burning sun, freezing rain, biting gales, parching thirst, gnawing hunger — it was just pain. He’d felt pain before, he’d feel it again. No, he had agreed to wait, so wait he shall.
She would, eventually, return.
He had faith.
Blanding’s turtle (Emys blandingii)
Someone has a secret, but they’re not telling.
Red Panda
Baby red pandas grow claws quickly to defend themselves from passers-by who feel strangely compelled to press their faces into their tummies.
Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
“Yessss, come closssser my pretty. Letssss get a good look at you. Worry not. Wikipedia ssssaysss I’m harmelessssssss.” /Clicks [Save Edit] button./
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Facing her arch-nemesis*, Kestrel takes a deep breath and prepares to unleash her astonishing super sonic** scream, in the hopes of blasting*** her enemy backwards and into the clutches**** of her partner.*****
* Well, nemesis, perhaps. Can one truly tell when one’s nemesis is arch until one has completed one’s career and had a chance to assess all the variables?
** Technically, all screams are sonic. This one, though, is sonic and particularly loud as well. Super loud, actually.
*** Metaphoric blasting, that is. The intent is to overload the target’s senses and stun them. It would take a lot more energy to physically move the target than can be stored within a kestrel.
**** “Talons” would be more accurate, but they do clutch, so the word usage is likely sufficiently clear.
***** For some reason, Marvel Comics hasn’t accepted one of my scripts yet.
Porcupine
In the constant war against predation, plants have been extremely inventive. Their chemical arsenal includes alkaloids, cyanogenic glycosides, glucosinolates, benzoxazinoids, terpenoids, and phenolics. They’ve invented thorns and armored coatings ranging from wax to resin. They have pressure sensitivity whose responses range from mild curling away to far more violent explosions. They’ve event entered into agreements with fungi, other plants and less dangerous animals, forming multi-species treaties that last for centuries.
It is not going well for them.
Jumping Stick Insect
The jumping stick insect has evolved eyes on a large headstock, so they can watch you while they want and make sure that you’re not going to take away their leaf.
Grizzly Bear
Bears would have discovered fire a long time ago if they didn’t do their best thinking in the tub.
Great Argus (Argusianus argus)
The distinctive whorled pattern on the wings comes from the pheasant’s habit of nesting in hollow trees. As worms and grubs gnaw their way through the wood, they dip in and out of the argus’s feathers, leaving these marks behind.
Snow Monkey
“I don’t understand it. We all went trick-or-treating. They got candy apples, chocolate bars and popcorn. I got a rock.”
Bear
“Watch carefully and you’ll see that, at no point, do my claws ever leave my paws.”
Bear
Humans are the most dangerous species on the planet. Bears have taken to erecting barriers to keep themselves safe.
Birds
As midnight approached, he could feel the veil thinning again. It had taken him years — teasing the truth from ancient myths and modern maps. The spot moved, somewhat erratically, but every month, he’d found it again. Near it, sometimes faint, sometimes strong, there was always that faint vibration that drove, unceasingly, under his skin and into his blood. Today, the barrier was weaker than ever before and, as he stared into the divide, he felt his very bones itch as though they were being gnawed upon by beetles.
Though he knew the it was physics, he thought of the feeling as a protection system. There was danger here.
He had expected the discovery of the realm to bring him great knowledge, wealth and fame. But it was distant and peering within proved beyond his skill. Listening though, was possible. He hadn’t expected to find another him, though, on the other side, listening too. They were wary at first, trading trivialities. But, as the years had gone by, the trust grew. If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust? The experiments began.
Working with himself, they had found that exchange was possible. At first, the items were small: feathers, beads, coins. The larger the item, the more power it took to swap, each trade seeming to weaken the barrier and push the realms apart. They had worked their way up to photographs and books when the first tears began to appear.
They were running out of time. They had tonight, and tonight only, for the final trade. This would be the one that mattered. This one would break the tether, sending the realms spinning apart.
He stared into the distance, thinking of the life here he was soon to leave behind. He had prepared for his other as best he could. He had, however, hidden the full truth. Yes, curiosity was the driving force for their trading lives. He needed to see what was on the other side. But the war was drawing near. In the next few seconds, he would be not only an explorer, but also a refugee.
He felt bad for tricking his other. In time, perhaps, he could live with what he was about to do.
Though the pain of the crossing was intense, he caught his replacements eye as they passed, shredding the veil. He felt both elation and sorrow, as he prepared to explore a new land, while trapping another in the life he could no longer live.
Then he felt nothing but fear, as saw the same in his other’s eyes.