[ By Steph in Animals & Habitats & Nature & Ecosystems. ]
Boars wreaking havoc in urban Berlin, dogs riding the subway in Moscow, a species of mosquitoes that only lives in man-made underground spaces and snakes that make their way up into our toilets – all of these creatures and more have adapted to human encroachment in surprising (and sometimes terrifying!) ways. These 14 unique urban and man-made ecosystems – including two of the most insane human communities of modern times – shed light on how we affect the natural world for better or worse.
Metro Dogs in Moscow
(images via: english russia)
Not only do dogs ride the subways in Moscow, stretching out across a row of seats while amused passengers smile down at them, they have adapted to their unusual urban habitat by developing new survival tactics. An astounding 35,000 stray dogs have actually figured out how to get from point A to point B, getting on and off at their favorite stops. Surviving off scraps, the dogs have realized which techniques are best at securing food, including sending off the youngest, cutest member of the pack to beg or barking loudly at a human holding food, hoping (often successfully) that they’ll drop it on the ground.
Microbes in the Gowanus Canal
(images via: jgny, brainware3000)
The Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn is a sickening sight, full of chemical sludge and such odd and disturbing ‘wildlife’ as discarded medical supplies, raw sewage, debris from scrap metal yards and various specimens of unidentifiable refuse. Now a Superfund site, the canal is home to fish that are too contaminated to eat (though it’s amazing that anything can live in that water at all). But there’s a silver lining to the stench and mess: the canal has become something like a huge petri dish for microbes that could hold the key to combating heart disease, AIDS and other health ailments. Two New York biologists found ‘white gunk’, a combination of bacteria, microbes and chemicals, under the canal bed that could form the basis of new antibiotics.
Chernobyl Reclaimed by Animals
(images via: ssis.edu.vn, wired)
First a bustling urban home to humans, then an abandoned wasteland in the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the town of Pripyat, Ukraine is now rapidly becoming a sanctuary for plants and animals. A documentary entitled ‘Chernobyl Reclaimed: An Animal Takeover‘ captured some the creatures that have come to call the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Exclusion Zone home in the absence of people. Animals spotted there include wolves, wild boar, deer, moose and beavers. It’s not all paradise, however; although most mutations may not be obvious to our eyes, scientists say that radiation continues to affect the species that remain within the zone.
Berlin’s Wild Boars
(images via: freelens.com)
Thousands of wild boars have come to call the streets of the busy German city of Berlin home. Thanks to increasingly mild winters, plenty of wooded parks and gardens full of grubs, the boars have found the city to be more than hospitable, a preference which has unfortunately led to hundreds of car accidents, not to mention property damage. In addition to the dangers they face from the boars, which can weigh 250 pounds and sport sharp curved tusks, forestry officials charged with killing nuisance animals have to contend with angry animal rights activists who don’t want the boars to be harmed. Up to 7,000 boars now live in the city.
“There is no way that hunting can get rid of them all,” biologist Derk Ehlert told The Wall Street Journal. “Ultimately we must learn to share the city with the swine.”
Hemingway’s Cats, Key West, Florida
(images via: hemingwayhome.com, wikimedia commons)
Visitors to Ernst Hemingway’s estate in Key West, Florida, now a museum, will notice something peculiar: dozens and dozens of cats roaming the fenced property. And these aren’t just any cats – they’re descendents of the famous writer’s own six-toed ship cat that have interbred extensively, carrying on the unusual trait of polydactylism. This genetic defect, which is characterized by extra toes, is also commonly found in America’s Northeast and in Southwest England.
Cape Town Penguins
(images via: wikimedia commons)
Cape Town’s famous penguins frolic on Boulder Beach, bathing and playing to the delight of human swimmers and sunbathers. This colony started with just a single pair, first spotted in 1983, which began to lay two years later. By 1997, thanks to both reproduction and immigration, there were 2,350 adult birds. However cute these critters may be, nearby residents weren’t too happy when the penguins began invading their gardens, making loud noises and pooping all over the streets and sidewalks. The beach has since been taken over by Cape Peninsula National Park to keep the penguins fenced in and away from urban settings.
People Packed in Kowloon Walled City
(images via: doobybrain)
One of the most extraordinary human habitats ever produced was Kowloon Walled City, originally built as a watchpost to protect the area against pirates during British rule, occupied by the Japanese during WWII and taken over by squatters after Japan’s surrender. Located outside Hong Kong, Kowloon became an insanely compacted, lawless, unclaimed city full of labyrinthine passages and towers that extended so high into the air that sunlight couldn’t reach the lower levels. Within 6.5 acres, the city’s population grew to at least 33,000 by 1987. Residents were evicted and the city was demolished by the Hong Kong Housing Authority in 1993. The area where it once stood is now the Kowloon Walled City Park, where artifacts are displayed, including inscribed stones and old wells.
Urban Monkeys in Malaysia
(images via: plassen, atlai)
It’s not the fault of the monkeys in Malaysia that they’re now city dwellers, dangling from power lines, begging tourists for food and potentially spreading disease to humans. They’ve been forced out of their natural forest habitat by urban development. About 250,000 of Malaysia’s 700,000 monkeys, mostly macaques and leaf monkeys, live in towns and cities amongst humans. Veterinary experts warn that they carry blood parasites, herpes, malaria and dengue and could transmit these diseases to people.
Toilet Snakes Around the World
(images via: nydailynews.com, observer, herald sun)
Rationally, you can say that snakes can’t possibly live in sewer systems, ready to pop up out of the toilet when you’re at your most vulnerable. But tell that to the many people around the world to whom this has actually happened. While ‘sewer gators’ may be entirely the stuff of urban legend, snake-in-the-toilet stories are all too real, and usually result from pets or wild snakes making their way into plumbing systems. In 2007, a Brooklyn woman was shocked to find a 7-foot python in her toilet, while a Bronx man found a 3-foot corn snake coiled atop his own toilet last fall. In India, snakes in the toilet seem to be a common occurrence. While people usually aren’t harmed by these encounters, a Jacksonville, Florida woman wasn’t so lucky. One night in 2005, she lifted up the lid to her toilet and was immediately bitten by a deadly water moccasin with a head “three fingers wide”. As the woman was rushed off to the hospital, the snake got away, and the family still fears running into it in the dark.
Lonely Bacteria in a South Africa Gold Mine
(images via: new scientist)
Two miles beneath the surface of the earth in fluid-filled cracks of the Mponeng goldmine in South Africa, a species of bacteria exists far beyond the reach of oxygen and sunlight. Scientists believe that the discovery of Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator, a new species, could hold clues about alien life. Amazingly, this species – which lives all by itself in a place where nothing else can survive – extracts everything it needs from an otherwise dead environment, getting its energy from the radioactive decay of uranium in the rocks.
“One question that has arisen when considering the capacity of other planets to support life is whether organisms can exist independently, without access even to the Sun,” says astrobiologist Dylan Chivian. “The answer is yes and here’s the proof. It’s philosophically exciting to know that everything necessary for life can be packed into a single genome.”
South Africa’s Baboons
(images via: amuse.ment, snigl3t)
Baboons are finding themselves bulldozed out of house and home by the rampant expansion of Cape Town, South Africa’s suburbs, so is it any surprise that they’ve chosen to make their home in these newly urbanized environments? 400 urban baboons have been cut off from other troops by human activity, and as a result, male baboons in charge of finding food and breeding partners are growing more aggressive. Local wildlife managers have turned to a ‘three strikes, you’re out’ tactic for misbehaving baboons, euthanizing repeat troublemakers. The baboons have begun breaking into homes and restaurants, but animal activists say that peaceful coexistence is possible, portraying the so-called pests as ‘tremendous recyclers of what we humans casually discard.’
Mosquitoes of the London Underground
(images via: phsource.us)
You’re not just imagining it – the mosquitoes that bite you while you’re waiting for the subway really are more vicious than those above ground. In fact, they’re likely to be a different species altogether – a species that evolved to live in man-made underground environments. The London Underground mosquito, which is found around the world, is thought to have evolved recently from the overground species Culex pipiens, and as opposed to that species, C.p. molestus is cold-intolerant and bites rats, mice and humans. It is believed that old tires carrying larvae may have introduced the population that spawned the new species.
Brazil’s Marmosets
(images via: wagner machado carlos lemes)
The adorable urban marmosets of Brazil, which have adapted to life in the nation’s developed areas, has learned a nifty trick to escape the cats that try to catch them. Unlike their jungle counterparts, these marmosets choose a favorite tree and return to it each and every night – because their favored trees either have limbs to high off the ground or smooth bark, so that cats can’t climb up. This behavior was noted by researchers in marmosets at the Belo Horizonte City Park in Minas Gerais, which is also home to about 115 domestic cats. Like the cats, many of these marmosets may be the descendents of former pets that were dumped in the park.
Medina Zabbaleen, Egypt’s Trash City
(images via: marketplace)
Can you imagine living in a city where trash is stacked on absolutely every available surface, from streets and rooftops to the floors and tables of homes? Medina Zabbaleen isn’t so full of trash because the people don’t know what to do with it; rather, they’re a highly efficient community of trash collectors and recyclers, taking unwanted refuse off the hands of wealthier people in Cairo and bringing it back to their own city where they sort it and recycle as much as 80 percent of it (including feeding all of the food scraps to their pigs, which then provide meat – smart!).The city was featured in the award-winning 2009 documentary, ‘Garbage Dreams‘.
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Test Friends: The World’s 7 Most Amazing Lab Animals
[ By Steve in 7 Wonders Series & Animals & Habitats & Science & Research. ]
Animal testing: it’s one of the most polarizing topics one can bring to the conversational table. Though indications are that the use of lab animals may be on the decline, there’s no doubt that their sacrifices have improved the efficacy of medical treatments and extended the lifespans of humans and animals alike.
Fruit Flies
(images via: Science Photo Library, About Animal Testing and J. Castellano)
What can be learned from the tiny, humble fruit fly that could possibly benefit human beings? Possibly the answer to the largest question: “What are we?” Fruit flies of the species Drosophila Melanogaster have proven to be invaluable subjects in teasing out new theories in the field of genetic studies.
(image via: Tom_1903)
Fruit flies have short lifespans that allow scientists to observe how genetic characteristics are passed down through many generations in a very short – to us – time period. Fruit flies also possess short chromosomes with a simple genome that has already been sequenced, making it easier to isolate one or more particular genes when conducting a study.
African Clawed Frogs
(images via: EOEarth, About Animal Testing and Space Daily)
“Lab Frogs”… it’s not a term that really rolls off the tongue, but African Clawed Frogs of the species Xenopus Laevis are used by the tens of thousands each year, mainly in developmental research and DNA studies. The eggs and embryos of these amphibians are self-contained systems that have the extra bonus of being transparent.
(image via: Kuribo)
African Clawed Frogs were the first vertebrates to be successfully cloned, and in 1992 several Xenopus Laevis specimens were sent into orbit aboard the space shuttle Endeavour in order to observe whether reproduction and embryonic development were possible in a zero-gravity environment.
Rodents
(images via: ArchUrbanist, Usabilidoido and Science Museum)
Roughly 9 out of every 10 animals used in testing procedures is either a mouse or a rat, and most of those are albinos with white fur and red eyes. As many as 20 million rats and mice are subjects in animal testing performed each year in the United States alone, and to that figure can be added much smaller numbers of gerbils, hamsters and guinea pigs. In many ways, rodents are the vertebrate equivalent of fruit flies: they are small in size, easy to handle, and grow quickly in the course of short lifespans.
(image via: Purdue University)
Though mice and rats may seem similar, they have different uses when it comes to animal testing. Lab mice are ideal for studies of inherited human disease and illness, while rats are preferred for cancer research and toxicology experiments.
Rabbits
(images via: All-Creatures, First News and Britannica Blog)
Albino rabbits have achieved a high level of visibility among animal rights advocates due to their longstanding use in eye irritancy tests conducted to ensure the safety of cosmetics and personal use products by humans: the infamous Draize Test. Introduced in 1944 by toxicologists in the employ of the FDA, the test is performed on rabbits because their eyes tear less than those of other mammals. Further, the lack of pigment in the eyes of albino rabbits allows researchers greater facility to observe any effects of the chemicals being tested. Partly as a result of pressure from anti-testing groups and also due to the fact that most substances commonly used in consumer products have already been tested, the Draize Test is performed much less often then in the past.
(images via: Charles River and Travelrag)
Rabbits are the ideal mammal used to produce polyclonal antibodies as they are larger than mice, easy to handle, and exhibit vigorous antibody production. Though chicken eggs are the preferred vector for production of polyclonal antibodies, the Immunoglobulin Y they produce has some incompatibilities for human use due to the distance inherent in their phylogenetic relationship.
Dogs
(images via: Cheezburger.com, TVTropes and Dvorak Uncensored)
The USDA’s Animal Welfare Report for 2005 states that approximately 66,000 dogs were used for animal testing in USDA-registered facilities over the course of the year. Dogs are typically chosen for their compatibility in human cardiological, endocrinological, and osteoarthritic studies.
(image via: TIME)
Dogs occupy an especially heroic place in the annals of animal testing though the USDA – or the United States in general – have no connection with the honor. Instead, our Cold War rival the Soviet Union deserves credit for selecting nearly 60 different dogs to act as pathfinders on the long and difficult road to manned space flight. Though most of the Soviet space dogs returned from their dangerous missions, many did not, including the most famous dog to orbit the Earth: Laika.
Monkeys
(images via: About My Planet, Bucknell University and The Guardian)
Monkeys are the most commonly selected NHPs, or “Non-Human Primates”, due to their similarity to humans. It’s a double-edged sword, however: they’re like us and that’s a plus for medical research but it also brings serious moral issues into play. Approximately 12,000 to 15,000 Rhesus monkeys, Cynomolgus monkeys, Squirrel monkeys and Owl monkeys are imported into the United States each year for the purposes of animal testing.
(image via: National Geographic)
Rhesus monkeys are the “face” of primate animal testing and the green-glowing example above illustrates the role such creatures have in transgenic experimentation. While implanting a jellyfish gene that enables test subjects to emit an eerie phosphorescent glow may seem strange to say the least, down the road such research may provide cures for inherited human genetic illnesses and disorders such as Huntington’s Disease.
Chimpanzees
(images via: ChimpSanctuaryNW, ZME Science and EDGE)
Chimpanzees are perhaps the most controversial animal testing subjects. As of 2006, 1,133 chimpanzees were being kept in U.S. primate centers. As a function of their intelligence, chimps are used in a wide range of psychological research though they have also proved to be invaluable in ongoing AIDS research.
(image via: MNN)
While the Soviet space program launched dogs into orbit, the United States instead chose monkeys and chimpanzees to be their animal astronauts. One of the most famous of the pioneering “space chimps” was named Ham. On January 31st, 1961, after a year and a half of training, Ham blasted off from Cape Canaveral on a 16 minute and 39 second long suborbital spaceflight. Ham successfully performed several tasks on his flight, proving that such activities could be performed by human astronauts.
(images via: MentalFloss, Chimp Haven and Britannica)
By the late 1980s and early 1990s, DNA imaging techniques and medical computer modeling had greatly reduced the need for chimpanzees for scientific research. Problem was, nearly 2,000 former research subjects had no place to go – releasing them into the wild was not an option. In 1997, passage of the Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance, and Protection (CHIMP) Act saw $30 million allocated for the establishment of chimp sanctuaries like the 200-acre Chimp Haven (above, top), located in rural northern Louisiana. Another large retirement facility, created by Dr. Carole Noon and called Save the Chimps (above, lower left), is located on the Atlantic coast near Fort Pierce, Florida. Providing a stress-free retirement is really the least we can do for our closest animal relatives.
(image via: Opposing Views)
19th century French physiologist Claude Bernard once wrote, “the science of life is a superb and dazzlingly lighted hall which may be reached only by passing through a long and ghastly kitchen.” While certainly true in 1865, the need for such a “kitchen” has grown less as the years have passed. Should animal testing come to a complete end some day, that would be a great day indeed but until then (and for long after), the highest level of gratitude and respect is owed to those who gave their lives for the improvement of ours.
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Well Trained: 7 Amazing Animal Stationmasters of Japan
[ By Steve in 7 Wonders Series & Animals & Habitats & Transit & Auto. ]
Japan’s many iron horses may no longer be fronted with cow-catchers, but a different sort of critter awaits those who visit some very special train stations far off the beaten track. “Tickets please!,” shout the animal stationmasters of Japan… or at least they would, if they could talk.
Stationmaster Cats
(images via: Hatena/Sarutora, BBC and Wikipedia)
We’ll lead off with Tama, the cat with a hat who started a trend that’s got legs – four of them, in most cases. Tama is an 11-year old, formerly stray tortoiseshell calico cat from the central Japanese town of Kinokawa.
(images via: Cracked, The Full Wiki, Tokyo 5 and BBC)
In April of 2006, an automated system put in place by the Wakayama Electric Railway to save costs saw all of the stations along the Kishigawa Line changed from being manned to unmanned… but not, it seems, un-catted. Railway officials had been selecting local business owners to be honorary stationmasters and local grocer Toshiko Koyama got the nod for Kishi Station in Kinokawa. These same officials noticed that among the stray cats Koyama was feeding at the station, Tama was becoming quite popular with both locals and passengers. In January of 2007, Tama was officially named the stationmaster at Kishi Station and a meteoric rise to national celebrity was about to begin.
(images via: Maison)
Wakayama Electric Railway covers the costs of Tama’s cute cat-sized stationmaster hat and signs off on a monthly ration of cat food. WER’s ROI is impressive: ridership has increased by about 10 percent annually and a whopping 1.1 billion yen (over $10 million) was injected into the local economy in 2007 alone. Tama’s reward? In January of 2010 she was given an office (actually a disused ticket booth) with a litterbox along with two feline assistants (not sure what the “assistants” assist with, other than fundraising). Tama is now the world’s only feline corporate executive and the Wakayama Electric Railway’s highest-ranking female exec. Nice.
(images via: Shinshukai and Torre84)
In Japan, there’s no such thing as “too much of a good thing.” In early 2009 the “Tama Densha” (a train painted up in Tama graphics) began running on the Kishigawa Line in a bid to attract even more cat-crazy tourists – and their wallets – and in July of 2010, Kishi Station re-opened after renovations gave it a new face… a cat’s face. What’s next, a Tama Nekobus to shuttle passengers to and from the nearest hotel?
(images via: Japanator and Japan Probe)
Naturally, many of Japan’s other financially-challenged railway companies have made note of the Tama phenomenon and have made efforts to jump on the bandwagon. Some have their own cat stationmasters (two fiercely competitive ones shown above); some try to promote some of their regional sights, sounds and, er, cuisines through their choice of stationmaster species.
Stationmaster Monkeys
(images via: Japan Probe and Halfdoor Six)
What’s more fun than a barrel of monkeys? Nehime and Rakan, the two baby monkeys who have been named stationmasters at Kasai’s Hojo-cho station in Japan’s Hyoto prefecture. The monkeys were donated by a local resident, who was concerned about the railway line’s decreasing ridership and deteriorating finances. Sound familiar? Check out Nehime and Rakan in this video:
ライバルはたま駅長？子ザル駅長が誕, via Asahicom
(image via: Menn no Hosomichi)
Hojo Railway Company thought appointing monkeys as stationmasters would help attract both attention and riders to the line’s first biodiesel-fueled train. No word if the biodiesel was made from discarded banana peels. The monkeys were only seven months and three months old when appointed to be stationmasters so their on-the-job performance and work ethics may improve as time goes by. Or not – instead of serving you lunch they may resort to throwing their poop. All aboard!!
Stationmaster Dogs
(images via: Japan Probe, Ajiiku Blog and Aptinet)
Japan has at least two stationmaster dogs, with the latest being a shaggy off-white Akita named Wasao. Already somewhat of an animal celebrity in Japan for his “busa-kawa” (ugly-cute) characteristics, Wasao was the ideal choice to be Tourism Stationmaster of Ajigasawa station in far-northern Aomori prefecture. Get that? TOURISM Stationmaster… they aren’t big on subtlety up in Aomori.
(images via: Let’s Japan, Company Clothing and Annie Mole)
Wasao may have gotten off to a running start as an animal stationmaster but now… wee paws for stationmaster identification! The paws in question belonged to Maron (“Chestnut”), a pint-sized Yorkshire Terrier with a nattily-tailored uniform and impressive whiskers rivaling those of illustrious Victorian scoundrel Sir Harry Paget Flashman (VC, KCB, KCIE et al).
(image via: Let’s Japan)
At the risk of mixing metaphors, Maron ruled the roost at Oku-Nakayama Kogen Station in Ichinohemachi on the Iwate Ginga Railway Line from September of 2000 until August 29th, 2009 when he sadly passed away from bronchitis – view pics of his funeral here. Maron will be sadly missed as he always performed his stationmaster duties with dogged determination.
Stationmaster Goats
(images via: Yamagata News Online, I Love NukoNuko and Zenzail)
There are at least two goats performing stationmaster duties in Japan. A snow white goat named Koma (above) performs duties at Uzen-Komatsu station in Kawanishi, Yamagata Prefecture, while way down south in Fukuoka a brown & white goat named Taro greets visitors and guests at the Uminonakamichi station on the JR Kashii Line. Both stationmaster goats promise passengers excellent service or they’ll eat their hats… which they might just do anyway.
(images via: Blog Coara and Asahi.com)
Taro’s not punching a passenger’s ticket (above), he’s partaking in a special slice of bread baked for the occasion of his promotion to stationmaster. Keep your real tickets far from Taro’s chomping choppers: “The goat ate my ticket” is not a valid excuse to ride the rails for free. Baaa, humbug!
Stationmaster Rabbits
(images via: PetPress and Nyanyo Blog)
OK, say you’re in charge of promoting the JR Unomachi Station in Seiyo, Ehime prefecture, which just happens to be the only railway station in Japan that contains the Chinese kanji character for “rabbit” in its name. And, the Year of the Rabbit is due to officially begin on February 3rd, 2011. And, you’ve got to choose an animal for the position of honorary stationmaster. What WILL you do? Answer after the jump.
(images via: 47News, Electric Prophet and Thera)
No, they didn’t choose a fox or an anteater, and presumably the middle-management type at JR Shikoku kept his job by selecting an 8-month-old dwarf white rabbit named Tsubasa to be the stationmaster. Commenting on the appointment and what it means for Seiyo, a station official said “I hope we can promote our town so that it will make a big leap this year, like Tsubasa.” JR Shikoku isn’t the only railway with a rabbit stationmaster, by the way – some gimmicks are too good to ignore. Another white rabbit stationmaster is shown above, brought to you this time from Yamagata Railways – plush replicas available at the gift shop!
Stationmaster Tortoise
(images via: Asahi.com, 373News and Minaibu5960)
At some point, all the cool animals are going to be taken and you’re left with, say, a tortoise. Such is the case at JR Ibusuki Station in Ibusuki City, Kagoshima prefecture. Dubbed “Kotaro” and fitted with his own small stationmaster’s hat, the 25-year-old African Spurred tortoise weighs in at a hefty 41kg (90 lbs). Why is an African tortoise promoting a Japanese railway? JR Ibusuki isn’t saying, but my guess is they had a loco motive.
(images via: Minaibu5960)
Passengers traveling on the Ibusuki Makurazaki Line through Ibusuki Station can access the new Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train via Kagoshima-Chūō station… which is rather ironic considering the stationmaster of Ibusuki Station is a tortoise. Awkward.
Stationmaster Lobsters
(images via: Tokushima Shimbun and Asatetu-V)
If you think promoting your convenient and speedy train service with a tortoise is kinda dicey, things could be worse: on December 7th of 2010, Shishikui Station in Kaiyō, Tokushima Prefecture, appointed a pair of lobsters as their stationmasters. Seriously, lobsters. The Asa Kaigan Railway set up an aquarium in the station’s foyer and propped a stationmaster’s hat above the tank, since attaching cute little hats to the crustacean’s heads was impractical. C’mon guys, you want people to check out your station and ride your train? Get busy with the superglue!
(images via: S-Lucifer)
Shishikui Station set up a Lobster Stationmaster Fan Club in March of 2011, presumably to help boost one’s geek cred beyond the stratosphere. Visitors can also purchase limited edition commemorative ticket sets, stamps and colorful discs that look like coasters.
(image via: S-Lucifer)
Even the train is decorated with a Lobster Stationmaster graphic on the front. All well and good, but the Asa Kaigan Railway only has three stations so your ride will be short-lived… much like the lobsters which are Tokushima’s regional culinary specialty. Clear the track – and bring me more hot butter!
Stationmaster Penguin
(images via: Aqua Catalyst)
A bonus to this list is popular penguin stationmaster Shima-chan, a 9-year-old female Humboldt Penguin who only “works” 30 days a year. Beat that, Batman! Shima-chan and friends take time off from their regular gig amusing visitors at Shima Marineland to amuse visitors riding the Kintetsu Railway’s Penguin Train through Shima City’s Kashikojima Station. Shima-chan doesn’t seem to mind the extra appearances, though the fact that railway authorities make her wear formal attire seems somewhat redundant. So long, and thanks for all the fish!
Stationmaster Monster
(image via: BleedingCool)
Well, what’s your choice for Japan’s next animal stationmaster? Don’t pick Godzilla: the big dude’s got a bad rep when it comes to trains… he flosses with them. More surrealistic possibilities (with real creatures) include Sumo-wrestlin’ Stag Beetles, Hot-tubbin’ Macaques and Food-stealin’ Tokyo Crows. Japan: keepin’ it surreal, one railway station at a time.
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Bark At The Moon: A History Of Soviet Space Dogs
[ By Steve in Animals & Habitats & History & Trivia & Science & Research. ]
Among the many noteworthy achievements of the Soviet Union’s space program was the first launch of an animal – a dog named Laika – into earth orbit on the world’s second successful satellite. “Muttnik” wasn’t the only dog star: over 50 canine cosmonauts helped set the stage for the USSR‘s side of the great Space Race. This is their story.
Cold War, Hot Dogs
(image via: Telstar Logistics)
World War II had ended and the Cold War had just begun – and both the United States and the Soviet Union worked feverishly to establish viable ballistic missile and manned space programs with the help of captured German rocket scientists. While the Americans used captured V2 rockets to launch fruit flies, a monkey and a mouse into suborbital space between 1947 and the summer of 1950, the USSR decided dogs would be the ideal space-pioneering animals.
(images via: Spacebooks, Wikipedia, All Experts and Want It All)
Dogs could be trained to deal with long periods of inactivity required in preparation for a launch and would also tolerate wearing a cumbersome space suit in a small confined space. As well, stray dogs were chosen for their perceived hardiness and females were preferred due to simpler sanitation solutions.
(images via: Alaxanda Hulme and Russian Wikipedia)
In early 1951, two dogs named Tsygan (above, top) and Dezik rode a Soviet-built copy of the V2 rocket 110 km (68.35 miles) into space. The pressurized capsule containing the dogs parachuted back to Earth and both Dezik and Tsygan were none the worse for wear. At least, for the moment: Dezik did not survive his next mission later that year. Both dogs can be seen today, stuffed and mounted, at the Cosmonaut Memorial Museum in Moscow.
Giant Leaps For Mankind
(images via: Aerospace Medical Association and Cali1Socal)
The officially recognized border between the Earth’s atmosphere and outer space is 100 km, or about 62 miles, and between 1951 and 1956 the Soviet Union conducted 15 launches with 9 different dogs to at least that altitude. Another 11 launches to 200 km (124 miles) took place between 1957 and 1960. In 1958, three intrepid dog-monauts soared to 450 km (280 miles). Not all the canine crewmen survived these suborbital flights but the vast majority did, paving the way for the manned missions of the 1960s.
(images via: TIME, JWZ and Soviet Space Dogs)
Not only did Soviet space dogs succeed superbly in pushing the envelope of early space exploration by making suborbital space flights in the 1950s, many of them ascended in pairs such as Lisa and Ryzhik, Smelaya and Malyshka, and Bolik and ZIB. That odd last name is an acronym for “Zamena ischeznuvshemu Boliku” or “Substitute for Missing Bolik.” It seems the real Bolik ran away just days before his scheduled flight and a local stray was drafted as an instant replacement.
(image via: Realmagick)
Nearly 30 missions over a 10-year period may seem a lot for the Soviets, whose reputation for risk-taking and less than thorough testing is perhaps overstated. Consider that the United States launched a chimpanzee named Ham into space on January 31, 1961. Ham’s mission was followed a mere 3 months later by the first launch of an American astronaut, Alan Shepard, and both missions were suborbital.
Laika Rock(et)
(images via: NLM, Novareinna and The Siren Sound)
The October 1957 launch into orbit of Sputnik 1 shocked the world in general and the United States in particular – the Space Race was on! It wouldn’t be until January 31 of 1958 that the USA was able to place their first satellite, Explorer 1, into Earth orbit. The success of Explorer 1 was somewhat overshadowed by the startling success of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik 2 which launched on November 3, 1957. Not only did the rather large satellite achieve orbit, it carried a passenger: Laika (Russian for “Barker”), a 6 kg (13 lb) female stray with distinctive floppy ears.
(images via: Niki McCretton Presents, Niqqi’s Blog, First Second Books and Libraridan)
The American press had a field day with Laika’s successful launch, dubbing both the dog and capsule “Muttnik”. The embarrassing first attempt by the USA to launch a satellite – the televised launch pad explosion of Vanguard TV3 in December of 1957 – was ridiculed as Flopnik, Oopsnik and Kaputnik to name a few.
(images via: Aaron George Bailey and The Student Room)
Laika’s mission was intended to last 10 days but unfortunately, the heat shielding on Sputnik 2′s exterior was damaged during the launch phase and temperatures inside the capsule soared to 40 °C (104 °F). Though telemetry received at mission control indicated that Laika had calmed down somewhat from the stress of the launch and was eating food, by 5 to 7 hours into the flight life signs were no longer being received.
(images via: Tedstrong, Manoakua and ICA)
Laika’s fate was not fully disclosed until October of 2002, almost 45 years after the mission and over a decade after the USSR itself ceased to exist. At the time, fledgling animal rights groups protested the concept of sending a dog into space with no thought of retrieval. It seems even the scientists who planned Laika’s mission had qualms over it. In 1998 one of these scientists, Oleg Gazenko, expressed his regret by stating “Work with animals is a source of suffering to all of us. We treat them like babies who cannot speak. The more time passes, the more I’m sorry about it. We shouldn’t have done it… We did not learn enough from this mission to justify the death of the dog.” Today, Laika’s heroic yet tragic life has made her both a symbol of courage and a figure of sadness.
Dog Stars
(images via: EnglishRussia and Nuclear_Art)
Belka (“Squirrel”) and Strelka (“Arrow”) have also made the leap to pop culture, though their tail, er, tale lacks the tragic component of Laika’s short but vivid life. Belka and Strelka’s adventure began on August 19, 1960, securely seated inside Sputnik 5) along with 1 rabbit, 2 rats, 42 mice, an unknown number of flies, plus some plants and fungi.
(image via: Blog Serius)
The launch was uneventful and the capsule orbited the Earth for one day before safely parachuting down to the welcoming steppes of Soviet Central Asia. Belka, Strelka, and their fellow biota were the first creatures to orbit the Earth and return alive. Preserved for prosperity in Russia are the taxidermised Belka and Strelka along with their dented but undaunted space capsule.
(images via: Foxunk, WN.com and The Beet Goes On)
Belka and Strelka star in not one, but TWO animated feature films. One is titled “The Real Adventures of Belka and Strelka”, a portion of which can be seen here:
The Real Adventures of Belka and Strelka, part1, via Belkaistrelkacom
The other boasts a higher caliber of animation (think Rango) and the wonders of 3D. Touted as “an epic space adventure across the third dimension”, Space Dogs 3D was released in 2010. You can check out the trailer here:
Space Dogs 3D – Movie Trailer, via Epicpicturesgroup
The Ruff Stuff
(images via: KenhSinh Vien and Visualrian)
Though Laika may be the best known of the nearly 60 Soviet space dogs and Belka & Strelka have been immortalized in film, others have also achieved a measure of fame. Last (literally) but certainly not least, are Veterok and Ugolyok. Launched on February 22, 1966, the pair spent 22 days orbiting the Earth orbit before landing safely on March 16: their endurance record would not be surpassed until June of 1973, by human astronauts aboard Skylab 2. Veterok and Ugolyok would be the last of a long line of Soviet space dogs going back over 16 years.
(image via: SFF Audio)
The USSR may have lost the Space Race but it was the fault of their hardware, not their “software”: loyal, hardworking cosmonauts both canine and human. Through their – dare I say it – dogged determination, the Soviet space dogs helped make the airless void above a safer place for their best friends… us.
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Marine Muse: 12 More Sea-Inspired Designs & Inventions
[ By Steph in Animals & Habitats, Art & Design, Science & Research, Technology & Gadgets. ]
Who would have thought that a fish with a rectangular body could inspire a car, that compounds in algae could help us fight drug-resistant bacteria, or that schools of fish could hold the key to designing more efficient wind farms? The sea is a source of endless inspiration for design, architecture and all kinds of inventions from robotics to biomedical breakthroughs. Here are 12 (more!) examples of oceanic biomimicry.
Mercedes-Benz Box Fish Car
(images via: treehugger)
For their 2005 Bionic Car Concept, Mercedez-Benz looked to the boxfish: a fast tropical fish that’s angular yet streamlined, aerodynamic and highly efficient. “Its rectangular anatomy is practically identical to the cross-section of a car body,” explains Daimler, which had a scientific team analyze the fish’s anatomy including its impact-resistant, armor-plated outer skin which is also the secret to its speed. Combining light weight and an aerodynamic shape with a direct-injection diesel engine, Daimler achieved an average of 70 miles per gallon.
Robot Squid
(image via: roboster.org)
When it’s necessary to perform dangerous tasks underwater – like searching for mines – robots are an ideal option. And when designing them for optimal efficiency, biomimicry is the way to go, giving them more precise movements and greater speed using less fuel. Osaka University’s Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering created this ‘Robot Squid‘ using physical properties of both squid and other marine animals like stingrays using rubber panels on the sides to ‘fly’ through the water. This design enables the robot to stay in control even in unstable currents.
The Nautilus, Sacred Geometry and Spiral Staircases
(images via: arksim, 2muchfun)
Certain numbers and patterns seem to dominate the geometry of the universe, including the shape of the nautilus shell which is known as the Golden Mean Spiral. Found countless times in nature, this spiral follows the Golden Ratio (Phi) or Fibonacci Sequence in its rate of expansion, a ratio that not only provides visual harmony but structural strength as well. Look up into any spiral staircase, and you’ll see an echo of that seashell shape – it’s no accident!
Coral Village by Vincent Callebaut
(image via: evolo)
Architect Vincent Callebaut, creator of a number of other concepts that mimic the biology of plants and animals like dragonflies and lily pads, found inspiration in the sea for his Coral Reef Village. This modular housing proposal, designed to improve housing conditions in crisis-stricken Haiti, stacks living units on top of one another in a formation that follows the organic form of a coral reef. Two inhabited ‘waves’ of housing undulate on an artificial pier built on seismic piles in the Caribbean Sea.
Structural Applications of the Skeletons of Marine Mammals
(image via: biomimetic-architecture.com)
How can algorithms derived from the skeletons of marine mammals assist in the design of architectural structures? The Radiolara Project at the University of Kassel set out to examine this question, studying the structural stability and aesthetics of these skeletons as a basis for 3D modeling software. The designers applied what they learned to an actual mesh installation that utilizes strong hexagonal cells.
Calatrava’s Seashell Inspiration for the Chicago Spire
(images via: biomimetic-architecture.com)
A victim of the economy, the Chicago Spire will now never become a part of the Windy City’s iconic skyline. But the idea behind the design is interesting, taking the spiral form for the tower from – naturally – a sea shell. In this video, architect Santiago Calatrava explains how the structure of shells applies to his swirling design.
Resisting Bacteria with Algae
(images via: unsw.edu)
Could a whole new type of antibiotic medicine emerge from chemicals discovered in seaweed? Researchers at the University of New South Wales say yes after finding that compounds known as furanones found in the seaweed Delisea pulchra can prevent the bacteria that cause cholera from ‘switching on’ their disease-causing mechanisms. The scientists say that these compounds don’t kill the bacteria, but simply keep them from communicating. The discovery is currently undergoing laboratory tests to see if it could apply to other forms of bacteria as well, possibly opening the door to a new way to fight drug-resistant bacteria like staph.
Volkswagen Concept Car Inspired by Ocean Waves
(images via: thedesignblog)
Spanish designer Josep Ferriol watched translucent waves hitting the rocks on a beach and saw flowing glass meeting a slick black car body, leading to this futuristic car concept called the Volkswagen Kai-Nalu. Created for a thesis project, the design features an entirely transparent curving roof that calls to mind the surface of the sea.
Mussel Adhesive Inspires Self-Healing Sticky Gel
(image via: wikimedia commons)
How do mussels stay attached to rocks along the shoreline despite the incredible forces of the sea? They manufacture their own self-healing sticky adhesive, which repairs itself when torn by pounding waves and abrasive sand. Scientists have figured out how to mimic this substance with a synthetic version that could be used for a number of applications including coating for underwater machinery or surgical adhesive. While scientists still don’t entirely understand how the natural mussel glue works, their own version uses metals and polymers to create stable bonds.
Perpetually Sharp Tools Inspired by Sea Urchin Spines
(image via: wikimedia commons)
The needle-sharp spines of a sea urchin are used to cut through stone, carving out protective nooks where the creatures can seek safety from the harsh underwater environment. Amazingly, these spines never seem to wear down. Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison may have finally found out why: a self-sharpening mechanism facilitated by organic materials that are layered with the strong calcite crystals in the spines. The structure of these elements provides pre-determined breaking points that provide a new sharp edge when over-stressed. This trick, say the scientists, could be used to make tools that never need to be honed.
Sharkskin-Inspired Paint Makes Planes More Aerodynamic
(image via: discovery)
The shape and texture of sharp scales has already been used to create extremely aerodynamic swimsuits for Olympic teams, and now it could be incorporated into a paint to reduce drag on airplanes, ships and wind turbines. The ridges of a shark’s scales are spaced in such a way that they prevent barnacles and other sea life from accumulating. Researchers at Fraunhofer created a paint that, when applied with a special stencil, mimics this effect, potentially saving a whole lot of fuel.
Schools of Fish Make Wind Farms More Efficient
(image via: wikimedia commons)
“I became inspired by observations of schooling fish, and the suggestion that there is constructive hydrodynamic interference between the wakes of neighboring fish,” says fluid-dynamics expert John Dabiri of the California Institute of Technology. “It turns out that many of the same physical principles can be applied to the interaction of vertical-axis wind turbines.”
Mimicking the way that fish interact in schools could change the design of wind turbines altogether, switching from tall vertical styles to vertical-axis turbines with propellers placed in a “staircase” pattern that could allow for much more compact wind farms. Dabiri believes that his design could help wind farms produce up to 10 times more energy.
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Libya’s Landlocked Lakes: Wet Spots In A Sea Of Sand
[ By Steve in Animals & Habitats, Geography & Travel, Nature & Ecosystems. ]
Libya is one of the hottest, driest countries on Earth, but even in the midst of the Sahara’s windswept desert dunes one can find an oasis or two… or more! The Ubari Lakes offer intrepid travelers a refreshing splash of unexpected beauty that’s more than just a mirage.
Libya: So Hot Right Now
(images via: New York Times)
Libya today is about 90 percent desert with most of the fertile areas being on the northern coastline bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Starting from the coastal plains where most of Libya’s population live, the farther south one goes the hotter and drier it gets… with a few rare and wonderful exceptions. These would be the Ubari Lakes, a dozen and a half shimmering mirrors of water surrounded by some of the most hostile terrain on the planet.
(image via: Climate Sanity)
The Ubari Lakes are the poster kids for natural climate change and owe their existence and perseverance to a variety of chronic geological and meteorological factors. The lakes, found in the southwestern Libyan province of Fezzan, were once one big lake (we’re talking Lake Superior size or larger) known as Lake Megafezzan.
(images via: Temehu and Climate Sanity)
Though the Sahara region has been steadily drying out for tens of thousands of years, Lake Megafezzan managed to hold out against desertification until finally giving up the ghost approximately 3,000 years ago.
(image via: National Geographic)
Though most of Lake Megafezzan’s bed is now scoured by rolling waves of sand dunes, isolated micro-lakes persist in the face of relentless evaporation because the valleys they’re situated in dip into the Sahara’s extensive underground water table.
South Of Tripoli, East Of Eden
(images via: Zora Aster, Traveldudes, Let’s Buy It and Crack Two)
Archeologists have discovered abundant evidence that what is today the horrifically hot Sahara Desert was once a fertile, temperate region well-watered by meandering rivers and freshwater “palaeolakes”. Rock carvings and paintings left by the region’s ancient human inhabitants as much as 12,000 years ago depict giraffes, hippos, crocodiles and other wetland creatures, leading some pundits to speculate the idyllic region was the inspiration for the biblical Garden of Eden.
(images via: Tanarout, Crack Two and Temehu)
The Ubari Lakes are not filled with fresh water – a fact that parched travelers must have found annoying to say the least. Dissolved minerals in the lakes become concentrated by evaporation and with no rivers to replenish them, water is drawn out of the aquifer.
(images via: Crack Two, Travel Webshots, Rediscover and Beautiful Zone)
The water is so super-saturated with salts and carbonates, some lakes take on a blood-red hue from the presence of salt-tolerant algae. In other lakes, swimmers find their buoyancy is exaggerated much like what occurs in the Dead Sea.
Save The Dates
(images via: PSP 88000 and The Contaminated)
Incongruously green vegetation surrounds the shores of the Ubari Lakes, either sprouted from wind-blown seeds or survivors from the Sahara’s ancient wetter era. The salty state of the lake water doesn’t faze the plant life on the shores, however, as most of the larger trees, shrubs and date palms send their roots downward into the easy-to-access aquifer.
(images via: Beautiful Zone and Getty Images)
As for those weary caravans of yesteryear and the scattered settlements of today, they source their water in a similar way: by sinking wells deep enough to reach the water table. It’s an awe-inspiring to consider the water that fills both the Ubari Lakes and the buckets lifted from area wells once fell as rain in what was, by comparison at least, a real Garden of Eden!
Lakes In The Sea
(images via: Temehu and Borut)
The Ubari Sand Sea, that is. One wonders how these smallish lakes keep their heads above water, as it were, after centuries of constant infill from windblown sand? Even though the Ubari Lakes are not exactly shallow, ranging from 7 to 32 meters (23 to 105 ft) in depth, their specific ecology has managed to find a rough balance that allows them to remain relatively constant in size and depth over the long span of recorded history.
(images via: Corbis and Temehu)
Mother Nature may indeed be resilient but the Ubari Lakes are still considered to be threatened and ongoing, natural climate change cannot take all of the blame. Though vast by most any standards, the Sahara’s underground aquifer is no longer being replenished by temperate rains. Some areas of southern Libya have not seen a drop of rain fall in over a decade. Combine this with the increasing use of aquifer water by growing human populations and you have the recipe for a lakeless future.
(images via: Getty Images, Wideview and Wilderness Travel)
Though things are kind of “hot” in Libya right now – and not just the weather – once the political situation settles down the Ubari Lakes should definitely be added to anyone’s exotic travel itinerary. Let’s hope the chance comes soon… should environmental trends continue along current lines, these exquisite lakes may some day be only seen as mirages.
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Furry Forecasters: 7 Amazing Weather-Predicting Animals
[ By Steve in 7 Wonders Series, Animals & Habitats, Nature & Ecosystems. ]
Animals have evolved to cope with changing weather conditions and in some cases, have learned to sense when these changes are imminent. These 7 amazing weather-predicting animals offer us more insight into weather’s whimsy than Phil Connors on a good day. Now for today’s fur-cast…
Groundhogs
(images via: Best Week Ever, Uncoverage and Daniel David Allen)
“Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don’t forget your booties ’cause it’s cooooold out there today.” How do we know? Because every February 2nd, Punxsutawney Phil, the world’s most famous groundhog weatherman, crawls out into the chill Pennsylvania air. If it’s sunny out and Phil sees his shadow, we’re in for 6 more weeks of winter.
(image via: Vondrook!)
Some people have a problem with this, most notably the character played by Bill Murray in the 1993 movie Groundhog Day. Says Phil (the weatherman, not the groundhog): “There is no way that this winter is *ever* going to end as long as this groundhog keeps seeing his shadow. I don’t see any other way out. He’s got to be stopped. And I have to stop him.”
(images via: Milk In The Clock, USA Today and Finding Dulcinea)
“Winter, slumbering in the open air, wears on its smiling face a dream of spring.” Indeed, spring always follows winter regardless of the prognostications of any number of representative rodents, but the tradition has ancient origins in European (especially Germanic) folklore. It should be noted that the National Climatic Data Center has measured the overall prediction accuracy rate of the featured groundhogs to be only 39%. Don’t blame the groundhogs, though, we just might be reading their predictions backwards.
Ladybugs
(images via: Animal World, Worlds Of Disney, eHow and MNN)
Ladybugs (or Ladybird beetles) are commonly found throughout out Eurasia and North America where they are susceptible to seasonal weather. Being cold-blooded creatures, ladybugs tend to swarm when temperatures reach approximately 12-13°C (55°F). A number of old proverbs concern the ladybug’s usefulness as a weather forecaster, one being “When ladybugs swarm, expect a day that’s warm.”
(image via: Sabrina School)
The advent of heated housing has allowed ladybugs to show another side of their weather forecasting ability. As autumn edges towards winter, ladybugs search for a warm and sheltered place to hibernate – such as your home. As the days lengthen and warm spring weather arrives, the ladybugs become active and begin to fly about, looking for an exit to the outdoors.
Cows
(images via: Wonder How To, Prafulla.net and Amazon)
Farmers are extremely cognizant about the need to be weather-wise – in the old days, the weather was literally a matter of life and death. Combine this need with close observation of domestic animals over thousands of years and you end up with the unlikely premise of weather-forecasting cows.
(images via: David Wall Photo, Corbis and Martin LaBar)
Cattle in pasture or on the range are social creatures but the extant of their gregariousness seems to be related to atmospheric conditions. Most obviously, a herd of cows sensing an oncoming storm tend to cluster together for warmth and security.
(image via: WN.com)
Cows exhibit other weather-related habits such as restlessness; a state of anxiety perhaps brought on by sudden changes in air pressure and/or a buildup of static electricity in the air. Cows have also been known to lie on the grass when rain is imminent: possibly they’re shading a dry spot that would be more comfortable during a rainy spell. Then again, these things may just reflect the prevailing bovine moood.
Frogs
(images via: Naturfoto-CZ, Dr. Oliver-David Louis Finch, Memegenerator and Rotholl)
Years ago in Germany, kids would catch a certain type of temperate zone tree frog called a Laubfrosch which had a habit of climbing up branches when the weather became warmer. Placing the frog in a glass jar with a tiny wooden ladder inside, the children would watch the frog climb or descend in conjunction with the changing weather. A ribbeting barometer, to be sure!
(image via: Mach Publishing)
Old & busted: Punxsutawney Phil. New hotness: Snohomish Slew! Yes indeed, Snohomish, WA’s resident “GroundFrog” has got the jump on the meteorological marmot in more ways than one, making his annual animal weather prediction every year for the past 6 years on the last Friday of January.
Ants
(images via: WN.com, Di Greenhaw and Able 2 Know)
Anyone who’s seen the 1998 movie A Bug’s Life knows that what for us is a gentle rain shower is, for ants, a catastrophe of biblical proportions. The fact that ants construct their nests underground with the entrance/exit opening at ground level would seem to be a recipe for disaster, yet ants are among the most abundant creatures on the planet.
(image via: Telegraph UK)
Ants have worked out a number of defenses against rainwater ingress but they all depend on one thing: foreknowledge of when rain is going to fall. Y’see, it takes time to build the anthill extra high and, in some cases, put a trapdoor or blocking pebble in place. Sort of like walking down the street when the sky opens up: by the time you buy yourself an umbrella, you’re soaked to the skin.
Sheep
(images via: Images82ask, Hill Shepherd and Mandi859)
Sheep are one of the earliest domesticated animals and shepherding one of the world’s oldest professions – and a family-friendly one at that. Over thousands of years of watching over their sheep, shepherds have noticed a thing or two about how the woolly wonders react to environmental stimuli like oncoming storms. This was (and is) important – one never wants to be accused of crying wolf, especially one wearing cheap clothing.
(image via: Corbis)
Like cows, sheep can sense minute differences in their environment and sudden changes in temperature, humidity and air pressure seem to invoke anxiety. Clustering together before a storm strikes helps keep sheep warm and prevents stragglers from drifting away. Hey, they don’t call it the Herd Instinct for nothing!
Woolly Bear Caterpillars
(images via: Tony the Misfit, Getty Images, That Guy With The Glasses and Jonclark2000)
Woolly Bear caterpillars are the larval stage of the Isabella Tiger Moth, found in the northeastern United States and parts of eastern Canada. These shaggy caterpillars are black on either end with a reddish-brown band in the middle. According to folklore, a wider brown band indicates a warm winter is on the way, while Woolly Bears that are predominantly black are harbingers of a colder, harsher winter.
(images via: The Chronicle Telegram, FOX8 Cleveland and Pixelate Photography and Design)
Not to be outdone by groundhogs and green frogs, the annual Woollybear Festival in downtown Vermilion, Ohio, has been held every autumn since 1973. By all accounts, the Woollybear Festival is a huge success and has grown is size and scope since local TV personality and WJW-TV weatherman Dick Goddard first floated the concept. Over 20 marching bands, 2,000 marchers, hundreds of animals and over 100,000 spectators participated in the 2006 parade, which has outgrown its original location in Birmingham and is now the largest one-day festival in the state.
(image via: A Simple Life)
Are much-maligned TV weathermen about to be replaced by, say, weather-sheep or weather-frogs? Not likely, though groundhogs would probably work for peanuts. That doesn’t mean we should shrug off behavioral manifestations that creatures have evolved over thousands, even millions of years. Besides, if you want a prediction about the weather on any day BUT February 2nd, you’re asking the wrong Phil. Now it’s time to go, gotta beat the weather. Chance of departure today: 100 percent!
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Luxurious Eco Travel: 12 Elegant Green Destinations
[ By Steph in Animals & Habitats, Geography & Travel, Nature & Ecosystems. ]
Staycations and ultra-rustic nature-centric accommodations may be the greenest way to spend your vacation time, but sometimes, special occasions call for a luxurious getaway. The good news is, elegant eco-resorts do exist, and while some have more green cred than others, they offer experiences that rival those of traditional pampering luxury resorts but in a more environmentally sensitive manner.
EcoCamp Patagonia, Chile
(images via: ecocamp.travel)
There are rustic eco resorts and there are luxury resorts with dubious green claims, but EcoCamp Patagonia in Chile is the best of both worlds – a luxurious getaway that is 100% carbon-free. You’ll sleep in a geodesic dome inspired by the huts built by the native Kawesqar people but enjoy modern comfort and convenience, right in the wilderness of the Torres del Paine National Park.
Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa, Blue Mountains, Australia
(images via: wolganvalley.com)
The first hotel in the world to be certified carbon-neutral through carboNZero is nestled in the Blue Mountains of Australia and definitely emphasizes guilt-free luxury. Winner of numerous awards, the Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa is made from recycled materials and renewable resources, runs on solar power and is located on a private conservation and nature reserve. Each free-standing luxury suite has its own private terrace and swimming pool, and guests can indulge in massages and skin treatments in between outdoor adventures.
Six Senses Hideaway, Thailand
(images via: sixsenses.com)
The Six Senses Hua Hin on the Gulf of Siam set out to prove that luxury and minimal environmental impact are compatible with its SLOW LIFE philosophy (S-Sustainable, L-Local, O-Organic, W-Wholesome, L-Learning, I-Inspiring, F-Fun, E-Experience). The resort, which features 55 pool villas and a holistic spa, has committed to green operations including energy efficiency, waste minimization and water conservation.
Gayana Luxury Eco Resort, Borneo
(images via: gayana-eco-resort.com)
Experience a lush jungle on a coral reef island off the coast of Borneo at the Gayana Luxury Eco Resort, which not only offers accommodations on the water with stunning views of the ocean and Mt. Kinabalu, but also operates its own Marine Ecology Research Center which propagates endangered giant clams and engages in other conservation and restoration activities. Guests can dive, kayak, trek through the jungles or lay back for a relaxing day in the luxury spa.
Miraval, Tucson
(images via: miravalresorts.com)
Not interested in venturing beyond the U.S. borders? America has a few eco resorts of its own, including Miraval in Tucson, a luxury spa and wellness retreat on 400 acres populated with rammed earth buildings and plenty of cacti. The rammed earth (clay adobe brick) construction makes the structures energy-efficient; water is heated with solar energy; the guest rooms feature green materials like non-toxic paints and the landscaping is all native. Miraval specializes in wellness and stress relief, with yoga, meditation, nutrition instruction, fitness activities and much more.
Gaia Luxury Hotel & Nature Reserve, Costa Rica
(images via: gaiahr.com)
High on a hill in the pristine wilderness of Costa Rica is the Gaia Hotel, a modern resort on 12.1 acres of nature reserve populated with local wildlife like squirrel monkeys and three-toed sloths. The 5-star, 20-room boutique hotel in the Manuel Antonio area has been named Central America’s top green hotel for its efforts to minimize the effects of tourism on the surrounding ecosystem.
CESiaK, Mexico
(images via: cesiak.org)
Often named among the world’s best green getaways, the Centro Ecologico Sian Ka’an (CESiak) is located adjacent to ancient Mayan ruins in Tulum. All proceeds from the surprisingly affordable yet comfy and exotic resort fund education and conservation programs at the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Dar-Hi, Tunisia
(images via: dar-hi.net)
Made almost entirely from local materials and labor, the Dar-Hi eco hotel in Tunisia is architecturally stunning and environmentally sensitive. The Dar-Hi is located on the edge of the Sahara Desert and features 17 rooms in four ‘styles’ that have different ways of interacting with the environment and the hotel: elevated ‘pill houses’ with beautiful views, ‘troglodyte houses’ built into the ground, ‘the dunes’ at ground level with a design inspired by wind-sculpted sand and the ‘dar malika’, a traditional house within the village. Accessible only on foot, the Dar-Hi offers secluded luxury just three hours from Paris.
Sanctuary Chief’s Camp, Botswana
(images via: sanctuaryretreats.com)
Twelve luxury bush pavilions in the Mombo Concession, an area of the Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana known as the ‘predator capital of Africa’, offer a beautiful and comfortable place to stay while experiencing Africa up close and personal. Included in a stay at the Sanctuary Chief’s Camp are ‘Mokoro’ dugout canoe excursions in the Okavango Delta and game drives on 4
Maggot Fangs & Water Bear Claws: Microscopic Insect Images
[ By Steph in Animals & Habitats, Nature & Ecosystems. ]
Have you ever looked a wasp right in its faceted eyeball, or seen an image of a flea that you’d call ‘beautiful’? Ever glimpsed the fangs of a bottle fly maggot, or an alien manatee-looking creature that lives in moss? These 15 macro and microscopic photographs of creepy-crawly insects, worms and other tiny creatures give us an incredible look at a world unseen by the naked eye.
A Face Only a Fly Could Love
(image via: the sun)
Maggots are already some of the grossest creatures that exist on earth, feasting on corpses and other rotting matter. But get a good look at one up close, and it will never leave your mind. It’s probably plotting to show up in your nightmares as we speak. This image, showing a maggot’s creepy little ‘fangs’, was taken with a powerful electron microscope by retired scientific photographer Steve Gschmeissner.
Nematode Worm Explosion
(images via: byu)
You may have heard of ‘beneficial nematodes’, microscopic living creatures that you can order online and sprinkle onto your lawn to kill fleas and other pests. But have you ever seen what they actually look like? This image, by Brigham Young University students, shows the aftermath of successful organic pest control using this method as nematodes spill out of their victim, a moth larva.
Unseen Companions: Dust Mites & Mosquito
(images via: inceptive notions)
There’s nothing that dust mites love more than flakes of human skin. That’s a group of them, in the top image, foraging for their favorite treat on a bed sheet. Makes you want to do laundry, doesn’t it? Photographers David & Madeline Spears also captured the mosquito, below, and dozens of other insects for their book ‘Unseen Companions: Big Views of Tiny Creatures’.
Lousy Ants
(image via: brian valentine)
The next time you feel a little slap-happy when you find an ant crawling on your skin, think about this: ants have the same problem. This ultra-close-up image of two red ants shows not just incredible textures on the ants’ exoskeletons and eyeballs, but also an infestation of mites.
A Mite with a Mite Problem
(image via: macromite)
And the chain never ends. This image, captured with an electron microscope, depicts 4 ‘hypopi’, juvenile mites, hitching a ride on a larger mite called an Athiasiella.
Up Close & Personal with a Wasp
(image via: bug faces)
A paper wasp and a yellow jacket give the camera a look of warning in these macro shots captured by Coder. It’s sometimes possible to tell the difference between the many different species of wasps by counting the number of divisions in their antennae. For example, male yellow jackets have 13 divisions per antenna, while females of the same species have 12.
Fantastic Flea
(image via: the telegraph)
Fleas are undeniably gross little creatures, but this electron microscope shot by Steve Gschmeissner could almost be called beautiful. That’s mostly thanks to the ethereal colors produced in this type of photography, which captures light differently than a normal camera.
Spiny Assassin Bug
(image via: uglybug.org)
The spiny assassin bug doesn’t sound pleasant, and doesn’t look it, either. Those two long feeding tubes are quite a weapon: they first inject a lethal saliva into the bug’s prey, and then suck out its insides. Some assassin bug subspecies are bloodsuckers, and have a nasty habit of biting sleeping humans on the soft tissue of their lips and eyes.
Alien Manatee, or Water Bear?
(images via: session magazine)
It can’t be seen by the naked eye – and that’s probably a good thing, or we’d never want to go anywhere near the water. Tardigrades, also known as water bears or moss piglets, are microscopic eight-legged animals that live in lichen, moss, dune grasses and in both marine and freshwater sediments. They have bizarre-looking tubular mouths and on each little foot can be found four to eight claws. Technically, they’re not insects, but related to nematodes.
Damselfly Kiss
(image via: bug faces)
Who knew that damselflies had such cute little faces? Damselflies have two gigantic compound eyes, each of which is divided into 30,000 to 40,000 facets. Like many other insects, they have fuzzy faces, but the biggest surprise in this macro is those almost human-looking lips.
None-Too-Lovable Stinkbug
(image via: uglybug.org)
It’s not a good idea to get this close to a stinkbug. If you can see its eyes, chances are it will have a clear shot of shooting its foul defensive liquid into them in a fine mist. This liquid, for which the bug is named, can actually cause abrasions to the cornea.
Ponder the Praying Mantis
(image via: bug faces)
We’re usually so entranced by the leaf-mimicking body of the praying mantis that we’d hardly even notice its head. But those triangular little heads are pretty cool themselves – they can turn 180 degrees to spot potential prey.
Human Head Louse
(image via: morrisonworldnews)
Your scalp is going to itch just looking at this picture. The human head louse, which spends its entire life hanging out among human hair dining on blood, has two sharp mouth parts perfect for piercing skin that retract into its head when not in use. They love to hang out at the nape of the neck or behind the ears, where it’s nice and dark.
Pubic Louse
(image via: david gregory & debbie marshall)
If you thought the head louse was bad, check out this bugger. The pubic louse – which is surprisingly only distantly related to the head louse – has an appropriately ugly mug. Commonly known as ‘crabs’, public lice are sexually transmitted but can also infest the eyelashes.
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Inspired by Insects: 10 Creepy-Crawly Biomimetic Designs
[ By Steph in Animals & Habitats, Art & Design, Science & Research. ]
Buzzing, flapping, flying and crawling, insects and arachnids of all shapes and sizes surround us day and night in numbers that are almost too frightening to contemplate. But such creepy-crawlies not only have an important place in the world – they also provide an incredible source of inspiration for everything from the display screens on our e-readers to fog-collecting capabilities of sustainable buildings. These 10 biomimetic designs take cues from butterflies, beetles, dragonflies and bees to bring our own creations closer to the perfection of nature.
Mirasol Display Mimics a Butterfly Wing
(image via: businessweek)
A low-energy alternative to electronic ink for gadgets like cell phones, tablets and e-readers, the Mirasol low-voltage display screen takes a cue from butterfly wings, which are translucent membranes covered in microscopic light-reflecting scales. As light passes through a butterfly wing and the wing flaps, sunlight refracts and different wavelengths, making a wing look iridescent. The Mirasol screen achieves a similar effect with two glass panels and tiny mirrors that reflect colors onto the screen. This means that the screen delivers bright color in strong light, making it easier to see in the sun, using natural light from the environment rather than artificial lighting.
Beetle-Inspired Water Bottle
(image via: inhabitat)
In water-starved areas of the world, nothing short of ingenuity will help ensure clean, safe drinking water for all – and one designer has an idea that could harvest water from fog. The design for the Dew Bank Bottle by Pak Kitae mimics the way the “fog beetle” collects dew droplets in ridges on its back. The bottle has a stainless steel dome that becomes cooler than the air in the morning, forming dew drops that slide down into a collection channel. The bottle can harvest about a cup of water at a time, which may not seem like much to us, but could mean the difference between life and death for some.
Water Theater Gathers Fog Like a Beetle
(image via: grimshaw architects)
It’s like the beetle water bottle, times a thousand: an amphitheater that pulls water in from the air in a seaside location, effectively distilling seawater. The Water Theater, designed specifically for the Las Palmas development in the Canary Islands, uses the same beetle for inspiration. The theater uses the fresh water that it produces to irrigate crops and provide cool relief in this hot desert climate.
Dragonfly Vertical Farm Concept
(images via: archdaily)
The metal and glass ‘wings’ of Vincent Callebaut’s stunning vertical farm concept for New York City were modeled directly on the exoskeleton of a dragonfly, housing plant and animal farms that make use of plentiful sunlight and air flow high in the sky. The 132-story complex, imagined for the south end of Roosevelt Island, also includes housing and work space.
Photonic Beetles Inspire Faster Computers
(image via: physorg
From any angle, despite their iridescence, the scales of the Brazilian beetle L. augustus always look like the same shade of green. That may not sound impressive, but for scientists engineering optical computer chips, it could be the key to a problem that’s been holding them back for years. The scales each contain a crystal with a honeycomb-like interior with a structure that could provide a model for the photonic crystals needed in optical computing.
Zimbabwe Building Modeled on Termite Mound
(image via: inhabitat)
How do you keep a mid-rise building in the middle of Zimbabwe cool without air conditioning or a big energy bill? By modeling it after self-cooling termite mounds. African termites maintain a steady temperature in their mounds by constantly opening and closing heating and cooling vents throughout the mound, sucking in air at the base and pulling it up the peak. Eastgate Centre has a ventilation system that operates in a similar way, providing a sustainable and cost-effective way to maintain a comfortable inside temperature.
Honeycomb Tires Can’t Go Flat
(image via: world car fans)
The tire of the future doesn’t need air, therefore it can’t go flat – which could be a real lifesaver for members of the military. Responding to the government’s need for tires that can support lots of weight, survive an IED attack and still speed away at up to 50mph, developers Resilient Technologies and Wisconsin-Madison’s Polymer Engineering Center realized that nothing was more perfect than Mother Nature’s design of the honeycomb. The series of hexagon shapes is extremely strong, and distributes weight evenly for a smooth ride.
Butterfly Wings Could Lead to Better Solar Panels
(image via: treehugger)
In 2009, scientists discovered that butterfly wings have scales that act as natural solar collectors, which absorb light in an ultra-efficient way. Using a natural butterfly wing as a template, researchers were able to improve light-harvesting in dye-sensitive solar cells, which have the highest light-conversion efficiencies among all solar cells. Best of all, this method of producing solar collectors is more cost-effective than others that were previously used.
Honeycomb Housing Complex in Slovenia
(images via: ofis)
Drawing inspiration from beehives, architecture firm Ofis designed this low-income housing complex in Slovenia for maximum privacy and visual interest. The staggered windows, with their colorful shades, also offer solar shading and ventilation. The overall ‘artificial honeycomb’ effect gives the building a much more interesting look than would a conventional window layout.
Mondo Spider Electric Vehicle
(images via: mondospider.com)
There’s never any shortage of incredible art cars and other vehicles at the annual Burning Man festival, but one stands out for its biomimetic design: Mondo Spider. This eight-legged, one-man vehicle moves via hydraulics and though it won’t get the driver anywhere fast – it tops out at “brisk walking speed” – it’s fascinating to watch in action.
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