plastic is a four letter word

(Source)

We don’t have much else to say except: Look at this inkredible Galiteuthis glass squid!! 😍🦑

OK, no wait, here’s some more to say: The cranchiid squid, a.k.a glass squid like this Galiteuthis sp., often have light-producing organs called photophores around their eyes. Cephalopod photophores can be a simple group of light-producing (“photogenic”) cells, or they can be quite complex, with photogenic cells surrounded by reflectors, lenses, light guides, color filters and muscles.

Complex photophores are often able to actively adjust the color, intensity and angular distribution of the light they produce. Scientists believe that these photophores around the eyes provide counter-illumination, where the organ produces light to cancel out the shadow cast by the squid’s eyeballs in the faint deep-sea light.

ANTI-BARFING SPIKES.

This is why they have such a problem with plastic bags. It’s because the unique structure of their esophagus makes it so that they can’t get rid of them.

In anticipation of being able to clean a dolphin skull I’ve been thinking a lot about how completely FUCKY dolphins and other cetaceans are anatomy wise… Like they are some of the strangest, most alien mammals out there. Specifically their skulls and heads. 

So this is your typical dolphin, a smooth round head with a cute smiling beak. You would think their skulls would be shaped like their heads, that’s usually how skulls work. Something like this….

But In reality their skulls actually look like THIS flat alligator thing…

I’m sure you are thinking… “Where is the forehead”??? What if I told you that entire big lumpy forehead isn’t actually its “forehead” but rather something called a “melon” which is actually part of the NOSE or nasal apparatus.

Its essentially just a big gross fluid/jelly blob masquerading as a decent forehead. The melon has evolved as a way of amplifying and detecting vocalizations used in echolocation. Other terrifying facts:

They have no ear holes, most sound is picked up by a combination of the melon and vibrations through the jaw bone. 

They can’t breathe through their mouths. There is something called a  laryngeal plug completely separates the respiratory and digestive tracts. Cetaceans have been known to drown if their blowhole is obstructed.

Their breathing is not automatic. They must constantly think and chose when to take breaths. 

Black-footed ferret

Declared Extinct in the Wild in 1987

Captive populations were established by the Smithsonian National Zoo, Toronto Zoo, and others

Reintroduced to several US states and 1 Canadian province between 1991-2009

Currently considered Endangered by the IUCN

Arabian Oryx

Declared Extinct in the Wild in 1972

Captive populations were established by the Phoenix Zoo, London Zoo, and others

Reintroduced to 5 Arab countries from 1982-2009

Currently considered Vulnerable by the IUCN

Przewalski’s Horse

Declared Extinct in the Wild in 1969

Captive populations established in zoos and reserves across the world

Reintroduced to Mongolia and the Ukraine from 1992-Present

Currently considered Endangered by the IUCN

California Condor

Declared Extinct in the Wild in 1987

Captive population established by the Los Angeles Zoo, San Diego Wild Animal Park, and others

Reintroduced to 3 US states and 1 Mexican state from 1991-2016

it’s time to talk about a weird animal again here at bunjywunjy dot tumblr dot com (my house), and what better way to begin the new year than with an inspirational survivor to motivate us all with its sheer bullheaded tenacity?

you see, this animal has been around a very, very, very, VERY long time. 

it’s called the Coelacanth, and it’s your grandma.

SEE-la-kanth. say it right sonny, my ears aren’t what they used to be

Coelacanths are the oldest form of lobe-finned fishes on the planet. their  relatives first appeared 400 million years ago, and immediately made themselves famous by being the very first vertebrates to wiggle onto dry land. (they immediately wiggled right the fuck back into the water, as they had forgotten to evolve lungs first)

these fishes later evolved those weirdly buff fins into actual legs and developed into the first true land animals, though tragically they lack the Coelacanth’s roguish sense of style.

there’s a lot of stumpy little legs in this picture

while these lobe-finned fish did go on to become literally all land-dwelling vertebrates ever INCLUDING YOU, the Coelacanth was content to retain its fishy shape and continue on as it always had. for 400 fucking million years. 

they probably barely even noticed all those major extinction events. meteor who?

it’s coelaCAN, not coelaCAN’T.

today, Coelacanths are still more closely related to you than they are to most other fish. think of it as the weird cousin that never gets invited to the mammal family reunion.

the Coelacanth’s relationship to land vertebrates has long been known from fossils, but Science believed it had gone extinct sometime in the Cretaceous period more than 60 million years ago. so imagine Science’s surprise when a live Coelacanth was pulled up by a fishing trawler in 1938, off the coast of South Africa.

surpriiiiiiise! bet you thought you’d seen the last of me

this makes them the first ever example of a Lazarus Taxon (which is an absolutely badass phrase that would make a damn good name for a rock band), meaning it’s an evolutionary line we thought was extinct but they lived, bitch.

today, the Coelacanth is known to live in the Indian and South African oceans, where they thrive in deep water far away from the prying eyes of their nosy hairless ape relatives. 

they are mostly active at night and can grow to be 6 and a half feet long, and live more than 60 years. they don’t have much personality, but BOY are they tenacious.

I make up for it with my stunning good looks

Coelacanths mostly drift with the current, eating whatever happens to pass by that’s smaller than they are. this just goes to show that laziness does pay off in the long run! 

it’s a valid survival strategy, MOM.

Coelacanths don’t have many natural predators, as they taste completely disgusting. sharks are pretty much the only predator who will give it a try, but sharks also eat outboard motors and license plates so that’s really not saying much.

all that aside, these ancient fish can motivate us to face the challenges of the new year. just remember, if a weird fish with demi-legs can survive for 400 million years on the benefits of laziness and just being kind of weird and disgusting, so can you!

Mine shafts and tunnels are seen as “the perfect environment” for growing food such as vegetables and herbs.

The initiative is seen as a way of providing large-scale crop production for a growing global population.

Advocates say subterranean farms could yield up to ten times as much as farms above ground.

President of the World Society of Sustainable Energy Technology, Prof Saffa Riffat, believes the scheme would be a cost-effective way of meeting the growing need for food.

“Crayola ColorCycle will accept all brands of plastic markers, not just Crayola markers. That includes dry erase markers and highlighters! ColorCycle will eliminate placing hundreds of tons of markers into landfills.”

Create a Minimalistic Eco-Friendly Garden | ecogreenlove

→ http://ecogreenlove.com/?p=11000

One of the ways to create a truly relaxing space is to combine minimalistic design with eco-friendly principle. That way you will be able to have a garden that is pleasing to the mind and body at the same time. In order to create the minimalistic eco-friendly garden you will need to rediscover your space and here are some ideas on how to do that.

If you dare come at me about banning straws, I will throw you into the sun cannon. I’m disabled, I’m crippled, I need disposable plastic straws, and all those pricey ridiculous alternatives aren’t working as well. Plastic straws were invented for the disabled.

Way to shit all over a vital access need because you think straws are worse than corporate greed.

We all care about the turtles, the seals, the oceans, obviously. Notice how the easiest thing to yell about was something that would barely affect anything but appealed heavily to emotional discourse.

The disabled community is huge, and it can be joined by anyone. Most of those As Seen On TV products were invented for us. Society still mocks us and ignores us, and often outright harms us in multiple ways.

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/03/great-pacific-garbage-patch-plastics-environment/

http://www.citypages.com/restaurants/a-plan-to-turn-hiawatha-golf-course-into-minneapolis-first-food-forest/416059773

Imagine a forest filled with edible plants, berries, hazelnuts, and maple trees, bordered by hiking trails. A place where you can learn to forage and harvest while enjoying a beautiful lake and natural wetlands.

Now imagine that the forest is located on the edge of Minneapolis.

This is what Ryan Seibold and Russ Henry are trying to create near Lake Hiawatha.

Parts of the nearby Hiawatha Golf Course have been closed since a 2014 flood, and are expected to reopen this spring. This spurred the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board to explore options for rebuilding the course to make it more flood resistant.

Yet these plans stalled when it was discovered that the board was pumping more groundwater from the course – and into the already-polluted Lake Hiawatha – than allowed by the state. The city was left to decide whether to keep pumping or let the former wetland reclaim its territory.

Henry, a landscape designer who is running for a Park Board seat, says replacing the course with a food forest would turn a big problem into a big benefit.

The restored wetland would act as a natural filter, blocking major pollutants from storm water sewers and bringing back animals and plants displaced by the course, he says.

Put simply, a food forest is a woodland that uses native trees, shrubs, and plants that are both edible and medicinal. The city would plant everything from raspberries and blackberries to maple trees and hazelnut trees, as well as shoreline plants like katniss (also known as duck potato) and medicinal herbs like echinacea.

Intended to be low-maintenance and self-maintaining once established, the plants are designed to not only build soil but to attract pollinators. (Plants like milkweed are especially beneficial for bees and monarch butterflies.)

According to Seibold, the plants would be available for people to forage and harvest as needed. The idea is to teach people to understand the connection between plants and animals, as well as learn when to harvest sustainably.

“You’re growing the food, but you’re also growing the community around the food,” Seibold says.

There would have to be some sort of foraging training to ensure the plants are available for everyone, Henry adds.

When he got his first job in a nursery 20 years ago, Henry says plants were just green things he couldn’t begin to tell apart. Since then, nature has opened up to him, and he would love for the kids of Minneapolis to have the same opportunity.

By learning more about what they’re able to take from nature, Henry says that people might feel more empowered to grow food in their own yards, to embrace nature and sustainable development, and to encourage friends and neighbors to do the same.

Seibold and Henry say they’ve been getting positive feedback. The park board has until July to decide what to do with the land, but Henry says it may have already decided to reconstruct the golf course.

Either way, the men will continue their work.

Here’s a link:

https://4ocean.com/pages/octopus 

There’s different colors representing different sea creatures ❤️🌊 

hello on this fine day here at bunjywunjy dot tumblr dot com and it’s time to talk about weird animals again.

today we’re going to learn about that denizen of the deep sea that looks like it’s in on the ultimate cosmic inside-joke, the Snipe Eel.

(no, they won’t explain it)

about five feet long, they live a dreary existence feasting upon shrimp in the lightless dark, like nature’s saddest cocktail party.

at least they get to gloat over the fact that they have more vertebrae than any other creature on earth. we would say we’re impressed but honestly that just sounds really unpleasant. yikes.

that sure is a thing to be proud of and not a reason to pity them even more, no sir.

while the Snipe Eel rarely appears in popular culture, A TRAGEDY BEYOND MEASURE, it is believed to have inspired the Pokemon Gorebyss.

slap some mermaid boobs and a shitty Speed stat on it and call it a day

a final lesson we can take from our friend the snipe eel is that a big smile will get you anywhere in life, as long as it’s coupled with aggressive wiggling