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This fish is ready and rearing to go trick or treating! The Indian glassy fish is so called for its completely transparent body. Every inch of its insides-- it's spine, bones, and internal organs, are all visible to the naked eye. It's thought that this clarity helps the fish to blend into its environment.
(Image: An Indian glassy fish (Parambassis ranga) by Tse Chung Yi)
Can you do a backstroke? The horseshoe crab can! These creatures spend most of their time crawling along the ocean floor, but when they need to they can turn over and swim on their backs at a breakneck 0.54 kph (0.34 mph), using all six of their legs and the thick gills along their bellies-- called book gills-- to generate momentum.
(Image: An Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) by John Tlumacki)
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Sometimes, girls will be boys! Female blue-tailed damselflies come in three different colorations, or 'morphs'. Two of these morphs are distinctly female but one, the androchromes strongly resembles male blue-tailed damselflies. Females with this coloring are much less likely to be harassed by males and have more time to allow their eggs to mature before laying.
(Image: A mating pair of blue-tailed damselflies (Ischnura elegans) by Erik Svensson)
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Most geckos spend their lives in high in the trees, but one group in particular doesn't have to worry about falling. Parachute geckos, or flying geckos, are aptly named for the webbed feet, flat tail, and large flaps of skin along their sides which allow them to glide from branch to branch!
(Image: A parachute gecko, Gekko mizoramensis, by Lal Muansanga)
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Most people don't like to be whistled at on the street, but for male kob antelope it's an essential part of attracting a mate! Males in their prime gather at a designated breeding ground, called a lek, and whistle to gather the attention of nearby females, who then chose a partner based on his fitness and ability to fight off rivals.
(Image: A male kob (Kobus kob) by Charles Sharp)
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What does a unicorn look like? Well for starters, it has six legs, two large claws, is bright purple...wait, no that's just the freshwater purple crab! Originally thought to be just one species, Insulamon unicorn, DNA analysis revealed that populations on other islands were in fact separate species, bringing the total number of Insulamon crabs up to 4.
(Image: One of the new species of Insulamon crab, Insulamon palawanense, by Jolly Ibañez)
If you send me proof that you’ve made a donation to UNRWA or another organization benefiting Palestinians-- including esim donations-- I’ll make art of any animal of your choosing.
Ogyges toriyama and O. mutenroshii are two species of beetle belonging to the bessbug family. This group is unusual for its social behaviour, as adults build communal tunnels in which they lay their eggs and parents care for their young after they hatch. The two speiceis, O. toriyama and O. mutenroshii were discovered by Enio B. Cano in 2014 and named after the creater of the manga Dragon Ball and one of its principle characters, repectively.
(Images: [Left] A holotype of Ogyges Toriyama by Enio Cano, [Right] A photo of O. toriyama's namesake, Akira Toriyama, by AFP)
If you send me proof that you’ve made a donation to UNRWA or another organization benefiting Palestinians, I’ll make art of any animal of your choosing.
The Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise is Palestine's only native tortoise species. It is named for the 'spur' on the backs of their thighs, which likely helps them dig out burrows in the sand to hibernate in during the coolest parts of the year.
(Image: A Mediterranean spur-thighed tortouse (Testudo graeca) by Wael Al'matni via iNaturalist)
If you send me proof that you’ve made a donation to UNRWA or another organization benefiting Palestinians, I’ll make art of any animal of your choosing.
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Blowing bubbles is a great summer pastime, especially for echidnas! Too keep themselves cool, short-beaked echidnas blow snot bubbles, and the mucus wets their snouts. When it the mucus evaporates the moisture draws out heat-- an efficient cooling method known as evaporative cooling.
(Image: A short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) by Jamie Lamb)
If you have poor eyesight, you have something in common with the kiwi! This species of bird is nocturnal, and they rely on other senses light smell and hearing to find their prey. As a result, most kiwis have extremely poor vision, and there's even small but healthy population of completely blind individuals. The best part? Scientists believe the gene responsible for the reduction in vision is the Sonic hedgehog gene.
(Image: A North Island brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli) by Tui de Roy)
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Banded mongoose females love drama. More specifically, they love to cause it; when mating season rolls around, females from one gang will start a fight with another gang. Then, when most of the males are thoroughly engaged, the females will sneak off to mate with any available rival males. Afterwards, they return to their original group, where the unsuspecting males help raise the pups as their own.
(Image: A banded mongoose mum and her pups (Mungos mungo) by Alan Horstmann via iNaturalist)
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The next time you hit the beach, keep an eye out for sand hoppers! Only 1-2 cm (0.39-0.78 in) long, these tiny crustaceans can jump as high as 40 cm (15 in) or a distance of over a meter (39 in)! Their remarkable leaping abilities come from their tails, which sand hoppers tuck under their bodies and then flick out like a spring board.
(Image: A species of sand hopper, Talitrus saltator, by Eric Walravens)
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Dromedary camels have many adaptations that allow them to thrive in the hot, arid deserts of northern Africa and the Middle East. One of those adaptations is sweating (or lack thereof). Like people, camels do sweat when they get too hot and need to cool down. However, because they live in area that generally lack water, they only sweat when temperatures climb over 50°C (120°F).
(Image: A mother dromedary camel () and her calf by David Steele)
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