sitting under my own private toadstool

YES ONE OF MY FAVORITE BIRDS!!!

Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta), EAT A TASTY FISH!!!, family Scopidae, order Pelicaniformes,found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa

The taxonomic affinities of this bird have been greatly debated over the years, and now is believed to be in the Pelecaniformes.

This is the only bird in this family.

Their closest relative is the Shoebill.

photographs by Ben Knoot, Jacob Flynn, Ian Davies

South Africa - photograph by Wayne Johnson

Ethiopia - photograph by Bob Harvey

ON OF THE MOST ANIMALS OF ALL TIME!!!

Velvet Worm (Euperipatoides sp.), family Peripatopsidae, QLD, Australia

photograph by Stephen Zozaya

Velvet Worm(Peripatoides novazealandiae), family Peripatopsidae, New Zealand

photograph by Frupus (Flickr)

Velvet Worm (Oroperipatus sp.), family Peripatidae, Yasuni National Park, Ecuador

photograph by Geoff Gallice

White Cave Velvet Worm (Peripatopsis alba), family Peripetopsidae, known only from two cave systems on Table Mountain, South Africa

photograph by Rodrigo Ferreira

Also, check out this video:

This Worm Uses a “Silly String of Death” | National Geographic (youtube.com)

Red Velvet Worm (Peripatus solorzanoi), family Peripatidae, Guayacán Rainforest Reserve, Costa Rica

photograph via: Guayacán Rainforest Reserve

Velvet Worm (Epiperipatus sp.), family Peripatidae, Costa Rica

Indeed.

Bateleur Eagle (Terathopius ecaudatus), GETTIN PUFFFY!!!, family Accipitridae, found in much of Sub-Saharan Africa

ENDANGERED.

photograph by Sarina Crous

Albert Beukhof

photographs by Ray Coombes 

 photograph by Johan Wandrag

3/4 weevils completed!