Cherry blossom axolotl 🌸

millipedes from wikimedia commons

one of the most impressive animals I met this year was a huge platyrhacid millipede, found chugging through some bamboo leaf litter in Malaysia.

he was a pleasant weight to hold in the hand, but spread out over so many gentle, graceful legs. the video offers a nice look at his eyeless face—all polydesmidan millipedes lack eyes.

I only hung onto this animated spinal cord for about thirty seconds before setting him back in the leaves, but I recall this encounter so vividly. a truly memorable creature

Fire Millipede (Centrobolus splendidus), family Pachybolidae, found in southern Africa

photographs by Ian Alexander Levin

One of my favorite millipedes, just stunning

one of the most impressive animals I met this year was a huge platyrhacid millipede, found chugging through some bamboo leaf litter in Malaysia.

he was a pleasant weight to hold in the hand, but spread out over so many gentle, graceful legs. the video offers a nice look at his eyeless face—all polydesmidan millipedes lack eyes.

I only hung onto this animated spinal cord for about thirty seconds before setting him back in the leaves, but I recall this encounter so vividly. a truly memorable creature

millipedes from wikimedia commons

the greater ani is a large member of the cuckoo family with iridescent black plumage found throughout south america. they are often found in mangrove swamps. the breeding habits of the ani are unusual; two to three breeding pairs form one large communal nest and raise all their chicks together. although ani chicks are able to leave the nest five days after hatching, parents will feed them for several more weeks if they decide to remain.

the shining-bronze cuckoo is a small cuckoo native to australia, new zealand, and surrounding islands. they primarily feed on insects caught in flight, with a preference for moths. the sexes are similar, but females’ heads and necks have a purple sheen and have deeper brown barring. these birds are nest parasites, and do not raise their own young. they lay a single egg in the nest of a host parent, removing one of the brood’s preexisting eggs. when the cuckoo chick hatches, it will displace other baby birds from the nest almost immediately, gaining the undivided attention and feeding from the host species. they commonly invade grey warbler nests; in one study, up to 55% of nests were taken over by shining-bronze cuckoos.

artbyjulia.png on Instagram

Don't feed bread to ducks!

Find out more:

4 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Feed Bread to Ducks (treehugger.com)

Wild Birds Unlimited - Nature Shop (wbu.com)

Do's and Don'ts of Duck Feeding - Maine Audubon

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i just bawled my eyes out and it feels like i just got the biggest hug to my soul. thank you thank you thank you. it is sacred and it is SAFE the poster will not tell anyone even what state this is in, only thats this is in USA. even if you are not indigenous i hope this lifts your spirits and comforts you.

Elephant tusks being burnt in Kenya

For centuries, the demand for ivory has caused great suffering to innumerable elephants. On April 30, 2016, 105

tons of seized poached tusks from approximately 10,000 elephants were destroyed in Nairobi national park during a public ceremony. The tusks, methodically arranged on metallic pyramids, were burned as if on funeral pyres. The event, widely covered by the media, was intended to make the general public more aware of the struggle to eliminate elephant poaching. With this symbolic gesture, the presidents of kenya and gabon wished to alert the whole world to the gravity of the traffic in ivory. The survival of about 500,000 african elephants is at stake.

via @indiarosecrawford

𝑓ₒᵣ ⲕᵢ𝑛𝑔 ₐ𝑛𝑑 𝑐ₒ𝑡𝑡ₐ𝑔ₑ