Chameleon By: Howard Uible From: The Fascinating Secrets of Oceans & Islands 1972

Blue-spotted Salamander (Ambystoma laterale), family Ambystomatidae, WI, USA

photograph by Justin Newman

Hong Kong Newt (Paramesotriton hongkongensis), family Salamandridae, found in Hong Kong and Guandong, China

Poisonous.

photos: Fernando Losada Rodríguez & James Kwok  

I didn't know what to expect from my trip to Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Bornean Malaysia before the tenth World Congress of Herpetology in Kuching, but it certainly wasn't this phenomenal animal, Pelobatrachus nasutus (formerly Megophrys nasuta), the long-nosed horned frog. What a creature! Anatomically it is fascinating, with several dermal modifications that give it that remarkably effective camouflage (not quite clear what those nipple-like chest tubercles are for, though). Its behaviour was also strange. Millennia of relying on camouflage to protect it from predators has given the species an uncommonly impassive disposition, and it remained practically completely still no matter what we did. This made it an awesome subject to photograph, as there was no shortage of opportunity to play with lighting and composition. Such a treat!

“Long-nosed horn frog”

Ngl I’m looking at that guy and thinking he needs to be called Eyebrow Frog, actually.

You are not the only one who thinks so. The former genus name, Megophrys, literally means ‘big-eyebrow’. The family is Megophryidae. There are still five megophryid frogs in the genus Megophrys, but unfortunately this species is not one of them.

So I looked this up, and…

WHAT A HECKIN’ BOI

So now I have to ask, if these frogs aren’t in the same genus, how did something that looks so wildly specialized as the Epic Eyebrow(tm) end up happening twice? Like that seems like something you wouldn’t expect to see happening again and again.

Nono that’s the same species. Here is a real Megophrys, M. montana:

[src]

The gist is that this whole cluster of species in a couple genera basically all ancestrally took on the leaf-like appearance, and have just been tinkering with it ever since. Pelobatrachus nasutus probably takes it to the most extreme, though.

Green or Plumed Basilisk (Basiliscus plumifrons), male, family Corytophanidae, Costa Rica

photograph by Cesar Barrio Amorós

Blue Tree Monitor Lizard (Varanus macraei), hatchling, family Varanidae, found on the island of Batanta in Indonesia

ENDANGERED.

photograph by Sundown Reptiles

Rainbow Skink (Mabuya margaritifera), family Scincidae, Langano, Ethiopia

Photograph by Volker Sthamer

Harlequin Flying Frog (Rhacophorus padarlis), family Rhacophoridae, Peninsular Malaysia

Photograph by Chan Yik Khan

Leaf Wallet // SiamSapu

Leaf Wallet // SiamSapu

여어- 히싸씨부리 （ ɔ̸ᴉʇɐ͟N͞さんのツイート ）

“NAFTER NOON!”

Every. Time. Every single time. I always get so delighted by this picture set. And I always forget what it’s followed up by. And then I see the “NAFTER NOON!” and absolutely lose it. I’m so glad this post exists.

A handful of centuries ago,

dandelions were brought to my country as an easy food crop.

Now, ousting them from lawns is a hundred billion dollar industry.

Perhaps we distrust abundance, what is free and at hand.

Stubborn and wild.

I suspect dandelion didn’t change.

We did.

There are two types of ocean observers in the world: those who gaze into the eyes of a giant deep-sea isopod and see absolute adorableness, and those who find them completely creepy. Which team are you?

Ready to embrace the sea-crets of the deep?

Uncover your enchanting aquatic alter ego by taking our new deep-sea personality quiz here!

Thank you MBARI for the deep-sea footage!

Porcellio scaber “Blush” being simply exquisite. I love how dainty and expressive isopod antennae are—they show exactly what he is focusing on and where he wants to go.

so far he and his probable brother (now deceased) are the only two of these, but hope his little kids carry the mutation and can breed more

Porcellio scaber 'Cowlitz Purple'

A purple morph produced by a simple recessive gene. Probably a type of hypomelanism.

This morph is now two years old! Originating from a wild caught male/female pair. The babies are born pink with red eyes and darken overtime until they're about the color of a concord grape with dark eyes.

'pod girl gang