From The Sublime to the Ridiculous

Shell Falls slips through its granitic canyon, Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming

Farwell Dr Grant

Rabbit or squirrel? Neither: It's the southern viscacha (Lagidium viscacia)! This gregarious rodent lives in colonies of up to 70 individuals and inhabits mountainous areas in South America. It’s an agile climber that can be found at altitudes as high as 16,000 ft (5,000 m). Because its habitat is sparsely vegetated, this herbivorous critter dines on whatever it can find, including mosses, lichens, and grasses.

"Black cat before the attack." Martin Munkácsi. Arts et métiers graphiques. January 1, 1931.

The titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) flower rarely blooms, but when it does, the sight—and smell—can be utterly breathtaking. This plant’s giant bloom can grow up to 9 ft (2.7 m) tall and emits a powerful perfume that resembles the stench of rotting flesh. Why? To some insects, it’s a seductive scent, luring potential pollinators toward the female parts of the flower, where they can pick up pollen and carry it off to fertilize other flowers. This spectacular display is short lived, occurring for only about three days once every two or three years.

Have you ever seen one of these critters at the beach? Also known as “sand crabs” or “sand fleas,” Pacific mole crabs (Emerita analoga) can be found across the western coasts of North and South America. East Coast residents might encounter their relatives, the Atlantic sand crabs (Emerita talpoida), during summertime beach trips. Mole crabs migrate with the tides, keeping up with breaking waves to filter feed on plankton brought in by the crashing waters. These critters use their back legs to get around, and they burrow backwards, too.