How could I not love something that combines anatomy and the deep sea? Spheres of Brain Coral can be found in all the world’s oceans, complete with their winding channeled grooves that resemble our gray matter.
Isn’t that wonderful? Now I’m wondering whether other marine entities evoke human anatomy…
The Mexican Axolotl is endangered due to city expansion infringing on their natural habitat, and this is quite a travesty.
Here are a few amazing facts about this adorable creature:
1) He never grows out of the larval phase of development (retaining his gills, fins and beady eyes), and breathes primarily through his gills and skin.
2) He has healing and regeneration abilities that scientists only wish they could decode and duplicate, making him an incredibly valuable subject of study.
3) He is neotenous, a.k.a evolutionarily backward, progressing from land to water in true punk rock defiance of nature.
4) Ironically, one of the most popular translations of the name connects the Axolotl to the god of deformations and death, Xolotl. But the most commonly accepted translation is “water-dog.”
5) He is rumored to have an exceedingly sweet disposition (of course! Just look at him!).
For further reading, I actually like this site better than the Wiki link.
Vintage diving suits blow my mind. Here we have an apparatus that probably weighs more than the average compact car, and people were somehow expected to maneuver themselves underwater in such a contraption.
From the Musee Marin in Paris:
From the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco:
It’s been a while since I’ve posted awe inspiring sea creatures, and National Geographic has a stunning gallery in which every one is incredible to look at.
Some are positively alien, like the Antarctic Sea Butterfly:
Isn’t it wonderful that these Roundbelly Cowfish are leagues under the sea, off the coast of Hawaii, just looking adorable?
The bioluminescent cells of this Comb Jellyfish, found in Antarctica, could make any raver envious:
Go visit the rest of the gallery!
I never developed my origami skills to an advanced level, so I have a lot of respect for people who can manipulate paper in ways that paper is arguably not designed to go.
It’s delicate and tedious work to create this kind of fluidity with paper.
This Flickr set has many more photos.
Other incredible origami pieces on display at Joseph Wu’s Origami Page. I really love this one:
It’s hard to believe that paper is the medium!
…an understatement, indeed! Pointy, edible Puffer Fish, bathed in ominous florescent light.
I saw these gorgeous monstrosities on Cake Wrecks, which is easily one of the most entertaining blogs on my list.
I never thought I’d see the likes of the Octopus Accent Lamp in the ultra classy Smithsonian Store. This overpriced treasury of worldly artifacts now caters to my love of marine invertebrates:
I love the product description: Normally shy, the marbleized amber art glass head of this charming cephalopod gently glows when illuminated. Resting on his intricately cast resin arms with antique bronze patina.
It can be yours for a mere $70. I would snag this in a heartbeat if the price dropped by about $60.
Clearly, they are venturing into the realm of highbrow kitsch. The discriminating collector can also purchase a number of very expensive, mildly terrifying Kewpie Dolls. My favorite among them: “Salon Girl.”
The Mimic Octopus might have a rival for first prize in Deep Sea Awesomeness: the Nudibranch. These little creatures are the party platters of the ocean! I even love saying the word…Nudribranch.
There are over 3,000 varieties of this Mollusca suborder, and I’ve yet to see one that didn’t amaze me. If you’ve got time to kill, there are nearly 7,000 photos on Nudi Pixel (which despite its title is completely safe for work…unless your boss is offended by the astounding beauty of nature).
I believe the Nudribranch makes an appearance in the IMAX Deep Sea film. Next week I hope to be there front and center.
It was only a matter of time until I paid tribute to the GREATEST CREATURE ON THE PLANET!
This octopus is able to copy the physical likeness and movement of more than fifteen different species, including sea snakes, lionfish, flatfish, brittle stars, giant crabs, sea shells, stingrays, jellyfish, sea anemones, and mantis shrimp. It accomplishes this by contorting its body and arms, and changing color. -Wiki
As if I needed another reason to be awestruck by this magical creature, it’s probably smart enough to mercilessly beat me in various spatial thinking tasks.
Look at these lovely angel-devil hybrids! It makes me a little happier knowing that these creatures are fluttering around the sea somewhere.
Sea angels, also known as cliones, are a group of small swimming sea slugs. Sea angels are gelatinous, mostly transparent and very small, with the largest species reaching 5 cm. Clione limacina is a polar species; those found in warmer waters are far smaller. Some species of sea angel feed exclusively on sea butterflies; the angels have terminal mouths with the radula common to mollusks, and tentacles to grasp their prey, sometimes with suckers similar to cephalopods. Their “wings” allow sea angels to swim much faster than the larger (usually fused) wings of sea butterflies. Other species of sea angel feed mostly on zooplankton. (from Wiki)
Check them out in action!
SheWalksSoftly 