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Rafael Romero Barros (Spanish, 1832-1895) Still life with oranges, 1863
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useless-catalanfacts · 4 months
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Barranc Salat (also called Mascarat canyon) near Altea, Central Valencian Country.
Photos from costablancaorg.
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travelbinge · 1 month
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By Mmarinrz
Rome, Lazio, Italy
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solcattus · 3 months
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View from the coast at Atrani, near Amalfi; 1925
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travelalbania · 2 years
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Dhermi, Albania
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shonkikong · 1 year
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somewhere in southern France
Mamiya M645 / Kodak Gold 200
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uncharismatic-fauna · 8 months
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Roll Up with the Sacred Scarab
The sacred scarab (Scarabaeus sacer) is perhaps the most famous of all dung beetles as a symbol of worship by ancient Egyptians. Outside its godly role, this species can be found throughout northern Africa, as well as southern Europe and into western Asia as far as India. In Africa it inhabits both deserts and scrubland, as well as agricultural areas where food is abundant, while in Europe the sacred scarab stays more towards the coast in dunes and marshes.
Aside from its well-known association with religion, the sacred scarab is known best for its association with dung. When a source has been found, individuals roll it into tightly compressed balls known as telecoprids, which can weigh up to ten times their size. These telecoprids are then rolled with the hind legs to an underground chamber where S. sacer strains out and feeds on nutrient-rich fluids, molds, and undigested particles from the ball over several days. In addition to its role as a nutrient recycler, the sacred scarab is also an important source of food for many small mammals, reptiles, and birds.
In its native range, the sacred scarab will mate year-round provided food is abdunant. Males and females work together to form and move a dung ball back to the underground nest; it is during this stage that males will fight each other for control of the ball, while the female will simply follow wherever the telecoprid goes. Once in the next, male and female briefly copulate before the male departs to search for another mate. The female then sculpts the dung ball into a pear shape and lays a single egg in the narrower end, which is then sealed. Her job done, she too leaves to seek out another partner and repeat the process, laying over a dozen eggs in her lifetime.
After a week or two, a single larva emerges from the egg and begins feeding on the dung around it. Over the next 3 months, it will molt up to three times before forming a pupa. About a month later, a fully mature adult emerges and burrows its way to the surface to find a fresh source of food and potential mates. Unlike many beetle species, the sacred scarab is an adept flyer, and will often use its wings to travel between food sources as opposed to walking.
Though the sacred scarab may seem ornate in Egyptian hieroglyphics and jewelry, the species itself is quite plain. Individuals are completely black, and both sexes are indistinguishable from each other. Individuals can range from 1.9 to 4.0 cm (0.7 to 1.6 in) long, and weigh up to 2 g (0.07 oz). One interesting feature is their front feet; unlike other dung beetles, S. sacer doesn't have any. Instead they only have a vestigial claw-like structure that can be used for digging.
Conservation status: This species has not been evaluated by the IUCN, but due to its large population size and adaptability to urban and agricultural expanstion it is considered relatively stable.
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Amadej Trnkoczy
Kev Gregory
San Diego Zoo
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illustratus · 1 month
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Barbary pirates terrorising the coast of the Mediterranean, kidnapping the inhabitants to sell as slaves
by Albert Robida
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albanian-folklore · 9 months
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Gramsh, Albania
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andulkaphoto · 1 year
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rabbitcruiser · 6 months
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Fitou, France (No. 2)
Fitou is a rural commune. It is one of the municipalities with low or very low density, according to the INSEE municipal density grid. The municipality is also out of the city's attractions.
The municipality, bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, is also a coastal municipality within the meaning of the law of 3 January 1986, known as the coastal law. Specific urban planning provisions therefore apply in order to preserve natural areas, sites, landscapes and the ecological balance of the coastline, such as the principle of non-constructability, outside built-up areas, on the coastal strip of 100 metres, or more if the local urban plan provides for it.
Source: Wikipedia
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William Adolphe Bouguereau (French, 1825 - 1905) The abduction of Psyche, 1895
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useless-catalanfacts · 2 months
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Cadaqués, Comarques Gironines, Catalonia.
Photo by Xavier Forcadell on Flickr.
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travelbinge · 3 months
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By Sliceofpai
Matera, Basilicata, Italy
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solcattus · 1 month
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On the terrace, Italy
By Johan Zacharias Blackstadius
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travelalbania · 10 months
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Qeparo, Albania
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