GUTTA CAVAT LAPIDEM

The Maiden of Strechau Castle, circa 1600. Painted by unknown master.

This early seventeenth century painting presents a skeletal female figure rendered in refined aristocratic dress, adorned with floral motifs and a feathered hat, set against a stark, shadowed background. The deliberate contrast between elegant costume and exposed skull transforms the image into a powerful memento mori, underscoring the transience of beauty, youth, and social rank. Long associated with local legend, The Maiden of Strechau Castle reflects early modern preoccupations with mortality, remembrance, and the inescapable presence of death beneath outward refinement.

Here you can see and hear a broadside from HMS Victory. Just wanted to share this so you can get an impression of what it looked like when a first-rate ship of the line fired its guns.

What’s the world’s smallest cephalopod? That would be the southern pygmy squid (Xipholeptos notoides). Growing only about 0.9 in (2.5 cm) long, this diminutive critter can be found in the waters of the Southwestern Pacific near Australia. During the daylight, it clings to sea grass and stays out of sight. By night, it hunts for prey including small crustaceans like shrimp. Its lifespan is only about 150 days. 

Millipede under UV light. Many species of arthropods fluoresce, or glow, under ultraviolet light due to due to fluorescent compounds in their exoskeletons. At least one millipede genus, motyxia, is actually bioluminescent, meaning it can produce light on its own.

The Sea Unicorn as a Drinking Vessel: around 1600, Elias Geyer created an extraordinary work of art!

Inspired by the ancient sea monster "Hippocampus", the front half of a horse-like unicorn in gilded silver emerges from the shell of a turban snail. It rears up wildly—supported by a branch—and is guided by a small figure of Neptune holding its reins.

Drinking vessels shaped like such mythical creatures were particularly fascinating at the time: they were often made from narwhal tusks—so-called unicorn horns—whose rarity and lustrous beauty made them highly prized luxury objects.

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Women from the San Blas Islands, Panama

Joaquim Manuel da Rocha

- Portrait de Siriaco

Ever Seen A Giant Anteater Take A Shower Before?

Does this summer heat make you feel like a greater naked bat (Cheiromeles torquatus)? Glands in its neck produce unpleasant-smelling, oily secretions—the scent of which has been compared to “stale socks drenched in engine oil.” Also known as the naked bulldog bat, this mostly hairless mammal can be found in parts of Southeast Asia, including Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and the Philippines. It typically lives in large groups, and colonies of up to 20,000 individuals have been observed.

Indigenous people from the Mentawai Islands, Indonesia