Minden Pictures Photo Embeds

Big Picture: Fantastic Fungus

2023-11-02T18:03:00.009-06:00

Fantastic Fungus

Around the world, there are about 144,000 known species of fungi that inhabit almost every biome. Today, we share a selection of standard and unusual fungi, including Stinkhorns, Puffballs and Shaggy Ink Caps.

Here, we see young, moist fruit bodies of Bleeding Tooth Fungus can produce bright red droplets that contain a blood-thinning (anti-coagulant) similar to Heparin. This fungus is also valued for its use as a natural dye.

Over 110 species of fungus glow in the dark thanks to a chemical called luciferin, the same chemical that makes fireflies light up. This ability, called foxfire, helps mushrooms attract insects, which spread their spores to new places.

Photographer Chien Lee captured this three-minute exposure of a cluster in the tropical rainforest of Borneo.

Mycorrhizal fungi, a specific type of fungus, form a vital symbiotic relationship with plant roots.

These fungi help tree and shrub roots find water and nutrients, and in return, the roots provide the fungi with carbon, carbohydrates, and other nutrients.

The oyster mushroom is a common edible fungus that is one of the most popular wild mushrooms, and studies have shown that eating it can lower cholesterol levels, probably because of the statins it produces.

This genus is carnivorous - they paralyze and ingest small roundworms to gain nitrogen when nutrients are scarce.

The Starfish Fungus is a widespread fungus that produces a dark brown to black slime on its surface with an unpleasant smell of rotting meat or sewage.

This material contains the spores which are transported by insects that are attracted by the foul odor as you can see with the collection of Blue Bottle Flies on this specimen.

Circles in Nature - this weeks big picture.

2023-10-05T12:40:00.012-06:00

Circles in Nature

Orb, ball, globe, circle, round - however you say it, this shape surrounds us. From dandelion seedheads to mushrooms and eyespots on butterfly wings - these are just a few examples of circles in nature.

Blue Button (Porpita porpita) jellyfish, Japan, captive Photographer Hiroya Minakuchi

Sun and grasses, eastern Mongolia Photographer Ingo Arndt

Guineafowl Pufferfish (Arothron meleagris) in its golden color phase puffed up off of Tower Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador Photographer Fred Bavendam

Spinifex Grass (Triodia pungens) seedling in red sand showing track made by wind, Strzelecki Desert, South Australia, Australia Photographer Konrad Wothe Species Spinifex Grass Triodia pungens

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) seedhead, Germany Photographer Willi Rolfes Species Dandelion Taraxacum officinale

Common Sea Urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) SEM close-up view of the ventral surface of the shell Photographer Albert Lleal Species Common Sea Urchin Paracentrotus lividus

Eastern White-lipped Treefrog (Boophis albilabris) eye, Antananarivo, Madagascar Photographer Paul Bertner Species Eastern White-lipped Treefrog Boophis albilabris

Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) mushroom, Ravenswoud, Netherlands Photographer Jaap Schelvis Species Fly Agaric Amanita muscaria

Pill Millipede (Glomeris sp) rolled into a protective ball, Kalimantan, Indonesia Photographer Cyril Ruoso Species Pill Millipede Glomeris sp

Click here to visit our collection of 50 photos of circles in nature.

March of the Spider Crabs by David Parer and Liz Parer-Cook

2023-09-14T13:23:00.021-06:00

Every winter around the full moon an extraordinary event takes place in southern Australia. Thousands of spider crabs march into shallow water gathering together in large groups to moult their shells – one of Nature’s great spectacles! Huge Smooth Rays which can weigh up to 700 pounds gather to feast on the cavalcade of crabs.

The crabs mass together to increase their chances of survival during the half hour it takes to moult and shed their old shells. During the full moon cycle, the ocean currents are stronger which helps the crabs shake free of their shells but once they are released they are still at high risk as their soft shells make them the choice prey of the rays.

When the masses head to the piers for safety the rays follow. The crabs eat as they march - seastars, seaweed and sponges on the pylons nourish the crustaceans. When the moulted crabs emerge the back of the shell cracks, body fluids ooze out which the rays detect and swiftly move in to crush their prey with plate-like teeth. The rays have sensitive rostrums which they use to smell out the recently moulted and easily consumed crabs. With up to twenty rays feeding at the same time the crabs' only hope is to moult quickly and hide on the pylons until their shells harden enough to no longer be of interest to the rays. Once their shells harden these survivors will head to deeper water until the next annual migration.

Click here to see the entire collection.

Big Picture: Swiss Insects by Thomas Marent

2023-09-07T13:03:00.003-06:00

Bumblebees, Moths and Treehoppers are included in this new selection of images by Thomas Marent.

He captures these Swiss insects emerging from chrysalises, carrying pollen and feeding on leaves.

Check out the impressive antennae on the Hawk Moth and the pattern on a Downland Horsefly's compound eyes.

Click here to see the full gallery of small wonders.

Leatherback Sea Turtle Legacy by Tui de Roy - This weeks Big Picture

2023-08-24T15:25:00.020-06:00

On a remote Caribbean beach, the turtles arrive. This location in Trinidad hosts the largest concentration of sea turtles in the world. Between February and July female threatened Leatherback Sea Turtles haul themselves ashore to lay their fertilized eggs in nests they dig mostly at night in the soft sandy beach.

These eggs are prime targets for predators. Crabs, vultures and shorebirds all prey upon the nutritious bounty of unhatched eggs and hatchlings.

Although many thousands of eggs are laid during each cycle, only a portion of the eggs will hatch and even fewer hatchlings, helped and protected by the local villagers, will make it to the ocean to continue the legacy of the sea turtles.

It is estimated that only one in a thousand young turtles survive to adulthood.

Each turtle will lay close to 100 round, soft-shell eggs in a deep nest excavated with her remarkably long hind flippers before heading back to the ocean.

While out of the water, turtles excrete excess saline through glands in their eyes. During the nesting season, beaches are textured by the impressions left by sea turtles travelling over the sand.

Once the females have returned to the ocean their jobs are done.

After two months the hatchlings dig through 30 inches of sand to reach the surface.

It's a race to the relative safety of the ocean once the young make it out of the nest.

Once in the water, these young turtles follow the ocean currents to deep sea nursery habitats where they attempt to avoid predators and to find food. The females will return to their natal beaches to nest once they are mature at ages 15 to 25. The males remain at sea for their entire lives.

A local guide helps tourists collect emerging hatchlings for release in the evening when it is safer.

Businesses use red lights which will not disorient the nesting turtles.

Click here to see Tui's Leatherback photos.

Muskoxen Thriving in Alaska by Donald M. Jones

2023-08-17T13:21:00.010-06:00

Muskoxen Thriving in Alaska

by Donald M. Jones

Donald M. Jones brings us a selection of Muskoxen images from a herd descended from a rescue mission. Muskoxen once roamed northern Europe, Asia, Greenland and North America, including Alaska. However, by the mid-1800s, overhunting and possibly unfavorable climatic conditions eradicated the herds from Europe and Asia. By the 1920s, they were also gone from Alaska, with only a few remaining in east Greenland and Arctic Canada.

See the full gallery of Don's new Alaskan Muskoxen photos

In May of 1930 the U.S. Congress gave the U.S. Biological Survey $40,000 “to acquire a herd of muskoxen for introduction into Alaska with a view to their domestication and utilization in the Territory.” There began an 8,000-mile adventure, the moving of 34 muskoxen from Greenland to the Alaska island of Nunivak. The journey — by steamship, train and barge — lasted six months, including one month the muskoxen spent in New Jersey during quarantine.

Muskoxen from the Nunivak herd were later moved to other parts of Alaska including 71 established on the Seward Peninsula in two separate waves. The animals thrived. According to Alaska Fish and Game the current population of oxen in this region has reached around 3,400 individuals. This increase has led to regulations granting subsistence hunting of muskoxen by Alaskan residents who register for a permit. And what about the plan to domesticate muskoxen? A small herd of animals are located near Anchorage, where they are raised specifically for qiviut - their underwool, which is used to make soft and warm clothing.

Big Picture: Angry Monkey

2023-08-10T13:41:00.023-06:00

While documenting Japanese Macaques in the Honshu region of Japan, photographer Jami Tarris captured an unusual moment between a mother and baby monkey:

"The mother was resting on the side of the hot spring and was dozing. The youngster had been playing with some of the other infants. After a while, he swam over to her. She was facing me on the wall while holding on with her feet and hands when he touched her and tried to nuzzle in to nurse. He wanted to get in an empty space between her front side and the wall - I have observed many macaque mothers nursing their young in this position.

The mother became instantly aggressive with him as if he didn’t belong to her….which he did. She was violent by pushing him beneath the water and holding him under. He would come up and gasp for air before she would push his head down again. You can see the look on the little guy's face as he emerged from the water, squealing loudly.

After a few minutes of this she stopped and he kept a distance from her (half a meter at the most) until he finally approached her once more as I held my breath. She then allowed him to nurse."

See more of Jami's Japanese Macaque photos

Big Picture: Upside Down

2023-07-20T16:27:00.002-06:00

Some animals spend most of their lives upside down, including the sloth, which hangs around in trees 90% of its life!

Bats roost while clinging to a support with their toes.

Honeypot ant workers called 'repletes' dangle from the roof of the nest acting as living larders for the colony and the Upside Down Jelly has its tentacles up and bell below.

Hanging head down is helpful for animals feeding and drinking while some critters enjoy an altered view of world while at play in this gallery of images.

Click HERE to see more!

Big Picture: Brian Skerry Joins Minden Pictures

2023-07-13T14:40:00.020-06:00

We are happy to announce that the esteemed marine photojournalist, Brian Skerry, has joined Minden Pictures. Since 1998 he has been a contract photographer for National Geographic Magazine, covering stories on every continent and in nearly every ocean habitat. Brian has covered a wide range of stories, from the harp seal’s struggle to survive in frozen waters to the alarming decrease in the world’s fisheries to dolphin intelligence.

He has had six NGM cover stories (US) and dozens worldwide. Brian is currently at work on his 30th feature story for National Geographic Magazine.

Having started his scuba diving experience at age 15, Brian has used his camera to tell the stories of the Ocean.

In his daily practice, he captures unique behaviours, both sad (entangled sharks) and heartening (belugas playing with stones).

Through his work and dedication, he has been putting visuals to biologists' research so it can reach a broader audience, raise awareness, and hopefully result in change.

Click here to see the full selection of over 1,600 of his images from Minden Pictures, including the first images of a sitting US President underwater.

Big Picture: Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

2023-07-06T13:51:00.005-06:00

In his recent photo submission Richard du Toit takes us to a vast wildlife preserve that lies in the Kalahari Desert, its name translates into 'place of thirst'. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park spans an extensive 3.6 million hectares making it one of the largest conservation and reserve areas in the world.

Lions, steenboks and giraffes are featured in this gallery of images which also includes a shot of a nourishing thunderstorm.

Click here to see the full gallery.

Big Picture: Help for America's Endangered Species

2023-06-29T10:58:00.002-06:00

Today we are sharing a lightbox of endangered and threatened animals found in the United States.

Last week, the Biden administration proposed new rules that would make protecting wildlife from climate disruptions and other threats easier. The rules would make it harder to remove a species from the endangered list, restore protections for threatened species and eliminate a Trump-era policy that would have allowed regulators to factor in economic assessments when deciding whether a species warrants protection.

The proposed rules reversed Trump's policies, which weakened the Endangered Species Act. The Biden administration has said that it is committed to protecting wildlife and that these new provisions will help to ensure that the Endangered Species Act is effective in the face of climate change and other threats. The proposals are still in the early stages, and it is unclear when they will be finalized. However, they represent a significant step forward in the Biden administration's efforts to protect wildlife.

Click here to see the entire collection.

Big Picture: Fascinating Frogs by Photographer Chien Lee

2023-06-22T12:19:00.004-06:00

Photographer Chien Lee has spent years in the tropical rainforests as a biologist, photographer and guide. With the eye of a scientist and tremendous patience, he captures unique behaviors and adaptations of his subjects. His compelling photographs become only more interesting when we learn the fascinating details in his insightful captions like those shared here.

In today's gallery we are focusing on Chien's coverage of tropical frogs.

Wallace's Flying Frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus) is one of the largest of all tree frogs in Borneo. It is capable of gliding down from the forest canopy by using its enlarged webbed feet as parachutes.

Hidden in the dense leaf litter of the rainforest floor, an Amazonian Horned Frog (Ceratophrys cornuta) lies in wait for its next meal. With a mouth wider than the length of its body, and a voracious appetite to boot, these frogs can consume prey as large as small reptiles and rodents.

A Harlequin Tree Frog (Rhacophorus pardalis) female making a foam nest on a small tree overhanging a breeding pond. After depositing her eggs they will be fertilized by the two accompanying smaller males.

Without seeing it move, you could almost mistake the Golden Mantella (Mantella aurantiaca) for a bright orange plastic toy. This is one of Madagascar’s most endangered amphibians and is an icon for conservation of the island’s threatened wildlife. Efforts targeted at protecting this frog’s habitat, coupled with ex-situ breeding programs and reintroduction have helped to protect it from extinction in the wild, but it remains critically endangered and is still known to exist at only two small isolated patches of rainforest.

One of Borneo’s most elusive and enigmatic amphibians: the Bornean Flat-headed Frog (Barbourula kalimantanensis). Looking like the prize-winning stone from a rock-skipping competition, albeit with four webbed feet, this frog’s bizarre appearance is an adaptation for its aquatic life in fast-flowing rocky streams. Despite numerous expeditions to the region, less than twenty specimens have ever been found by biologists, making it one of the least known of all frogs.

An inhabitant of the rainforest canopy, the White-lined Leaf Frog (Phyllomedusa vaillantii) descends to swamps and pools of water during rainy periods to breed. These frogs are branch specialists, and use their highly dextrous limbs and fingers to walk rather than jump.

A newly-identified species of pitcher-plant breeding bush frog, Philatus nepenthophilus lives on a single mountain in the interior of Borneo and has a close associated with the rare endmic pitcher plant N. mollis. The frogs not only lay their eggs inside the pitchers, but also spend a great deal fo their life in and around them as well. Males call from pitchers and dive into the fluid inside to retreat from danger while the plant receives nutrients from the frog's droppings.

In most cases of male frog parental care this involves carrying either eggs or tadpoles, but in a few New Guinean species, such as this Sphenophryne cornuta, actual froglets ride in piggyback fashion. A member of the Microhylidae, these frogs have direct-development larvae which means that the tadpoles morph into tiny frogs before leaving the egg, an adaptation enabling them to negate the need for a pool of water. The froglets will hitch a ride on the back of their father for several days before being dispersed in the rainforest understory.

Big Picture: In a Rut

2023-06-08T12:07:00.003-06:00

The changing light and temperature of autumn along with increasing hormone levels trigger the breeding season for many animals including deer. In this gallery we feature white-tailed deer and elk. During rut animals become more aggressive, territorial, and vocal. They may also use a variety of behaviors to attract mates, such as displaying their physical strength in battle. In addition to sparring, bucks also engage in rubbing and scraping behaviors during the rut. These behaviors are used to mark territory, attract mates, and establish dominance.

At the beginning of the rutting season, bulls will gather a group of cows and calves to form a harem. A harem is usually smaller than the large cow/calf herds of summer, and it does not include male yearlings. Male yearlings are usually driven off by the mature bulls or by cows who are intolerant of their presence.

Scraping is a behavior in which a buck paws a spot of ground, usually to bare soil, and urinates in the area. The buck may also rub his forehead and preorbital glands on the ground. Scrapes are often associated with a low, overhanging branch, which the buck may break and deposit scent on. Scraping is most common during the peak of the rut.

Bucks compete for the right to mate with female deer (does). One way that bucks establish their dominance is through sparring. Sparring is a low-intensity, pushing and shoving match that can occur between bucks of equal stature or between a dominant and subordinate buck. Eventually similarly matched bucks will engage in more violent battles to establish dominance.

Rubbing is a behavior in which a buck rubs his antlers and forehead on a shrub or small tree. This behavior deposits scent from the buck's forehead and preorbital glands, which can be detected by other deer. Rubbing can occur at any time of year, but it is most common during the rut. In the fall deer are losing the velvet that encases their antlers.

Often bulls will be seen thrashing bushes and small trees during this time - they may be doing this to shed the velvet or release aggression. Sometimes the buck ends the incident carrying grasses, leaves or branches on their antlers. Bulls start wallowing in the fall, when the mating season begins. They will find a muddy spot and roll around in it, coating themselves in mud and urine. The mud helps to spread the bull's scent, making it more likely that cows will be attracted to him. The mud also helps to cool the bull down, as it absorbs heat from his body.

Bulls are ready to mate for several weeks before and after the rut, but females are only in estrus (sexually receptive) for about 72 hours and can be so up to seven times if she does not mate during the season. In addition, does become more aggressive, intolerant of the bucks' advances and they seek isolation during rut.

Click here to see the entire collection.

This weeks Big Picture: Lions Lounging in Lodge by Sebastian Kennerknecht

2023-06-01T12:56:00.009-06:00

In the north of Busanga plains in Kafue National Park lies Shumba Wilderness camp. Due to covid, they decided to keep camp closed for the 2020 season. Still, they graciously allowed Sebastian and his research associates at Panthera to stay at their wonderful camp during their monitoring time. Shumba means lion, and Wilderness chose the camp's name wisely since accommodations got a little tighter after day two.

Two lionesses (the Machine and Princess) brought their seven cubs to camp and they had the times of their lives lounging around the luxury lodge. The cubs checked out the souvenir shop, played with a mop and rope, kept watch by the lodge bathroom, and entered the sleeping tents on occasion.

The pride stuck around for a couple of days which made getting into the tents a lot more adventurous for Sebastian and the rest of the team. Nonetheless, everyone was quite excited and happy to share the lodge with the remarkable group of lions.

Check out the entire collection here

Big Picture: New Guinea Birds

2023-05-25T12:55:00.000-06:00

On Papua New Guinea's Mount Hagen we track beautiful birds through the rainforest with Martin Willis. A Ribbon-tailed Astrapia mother feeds her young, a Lesser Bird-of Paradise male calls during a courtship display at his lek and we catch the attention of a Brehm's Tiger Parrot in this gallery of newly-uploaded images.

9565 Soquel Drive, Suite 202 Aptos, CA 95003 USA

p: 831.661.5551 f: 831.661.5497 info@mindenpictures.com

Woman Working with Wildlife by Suzi Eszterhas

2023-05-18T11:01:00.007-06:00

See the full gallery of 35 images

Download the PDF of this story package with text

Download the PDF of the image gallery with identification numbers

9565 Soquel Drive, Suite 202 Aptos, CA 95003 USA

831.661.5551 info@mindenpictures.com

Good news this week for marine protection and conservation in the Galapagos Islands.

2023-05-11T10:49:00.010-06:00

This week Ecuador announced a debt-for-nature swap with Credit Suisse, which will see the bank convert $1.6 billion in debt into a 656 million dollar 'Galapagos Bond,' which will run until 2041. This bond will generate an estimated $323 million over 18 years for marine protection and conservation in the Galápagos Islands.

The deal is a sign of the growing recognition of the value of nature. There has been a growing movement to invest in nature-based solutions to address climate change and other environmental challenges in recent years. Belize, Barbados, and Seychelles have similar swaps, but Ecuador's is the largest to date.

This is seen as a win-win for both Ecuador and the environment. For Ecuador, the deal will reduce its debt burden and free up resources to invest in conservation. For the environment, the deal will help protect the Galápagos Islands, which are home to a unique and diverse array of wildlife. The Galápagos Islands face several threats, including climate change, overfishing, and pollution. The debt-for-nature swap will help Ecuador to address these threats and protect the islands for future generations.

Click on any image to see some of our favorite Galapagos marine photos.

Click here to download a PDF of this gallery.

Fishing Cats by Sebastian Kennerknecht

2023-04-28T09:04:00.002-06:00

Fishing Cats

by Sebastian Kennerknecht

One of the rarest cats in South and Southeast Asia, the unique fishing cat lives in the wetlands within and surrounding Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park in Thailand. These felines are specialized in hunting slippery prey like fish and frogs, with their partially webbed feet and non-retractable claws. As both traditional and industrial shrimp farms are encroaching on the habitat surrounding the national park, the question becomes if the cats can live within these modified landscapes. Researchers from the conservation organization Panthera are finding out by fitting fishing cats with satellite collars. - SK

See the full image selection for this story

During a fishing cat collaring, all hands are on deck. These situations always highlight the extreme care the biologists have for their study animal. Everyone speaks in a whisper, is as efficient at taking measurements as possible, and cares about the well being of the cat more than anything else. This work provides much needed insight into how the fishing cats use the landscape, and how shrimp and fish farms affect these cats.

The biologists temporarily collar the cats to collect data on their home range size, how they use their habitat that is fragmented by the shrimp farms and fish ponds and what are the threats to their survival. On the right Panthera biologist, Laurel Serieys teaching local team members about tracking cats.

Fishing cats live along the edges of Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park in Thailand. This landscape is a mosaic of native wetland habitat, and shrimp or fish farms. The water ways, with lots of cover, allow the cats to hide, while hunting for their prey of fish, frogs, rodents and birds.

With high profits in industrial shrimp farms, understandably, comes the desire for more riches. Industrial shrimp farms are sprouting up everywhere around the Park. This only reduces fishing cat habitat even more.

Traditional shrimp farms are natural ponds that provide cover along their borders as well as in the water, and plenty of prey for fishing cats. They also don't use harmful chemicals. This is all in strong contrast to industrial shrimp farms.

Most importantly to the majority of farmers they can make about six times the profit as a traditionally farmed shrimp.

This fishing cat shows us that coexistence with shrimp farmers is possible. He was using their hut as a scent-marking station and the farmers didn't mind. You as an individual can help ensure their coexistence with your money (especially in Thailand) if you choose to buy traditionally farmed shrimp (rather than industrially farmed shrimp).

The fishing cat will continue to survive and thrive in the areas around Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park if the traditional shrimp farms are maintained and not taken over by industrial shrimp farming.

Ecotourism focused on fishing cats (left) and steps to protect local livestock with Panthera-sponsored fencing (right) helps raise education and support in the community about their local wild felines.

These cats face more threats than loss of habitat and hunting territory. Conservationist and park ranger holds confiscated snares for birds that can also trap the cats (left). Cat conservationist teaches park rangers how to set up Panthera's cameras to catch poachers who hunt the cats for food or their pelts. (right)

Big Picture: Polar Bear Emergence

2023-04-20T13:01:00.024-06:00

Photography and copy by Suzi Eszterhas

"When you watch polar bear cubs emerge from the den, it's easy to think that their life has just begun.

We think of bears sleeping while hibernating, but for about four months the cubs have been busy with their mother in the den. The mother nurses and grooms the cubs as well as maintaining the den, which involves scratching the ceiling and walls with her claws to allow airflow (otherwise, the den would get completely iced over, and no oxygen would be able to get in).

When the family emerges from the den the mother will have spent a total of 6-8 months not eating or drinking.

The family now faces their greatest challenge: to build up fat stores before the sea ice begins to melt in the summer.

But with the sea ice is melting sooner, that's less time for the mothers to hunt -- and to teach her children to do so -- and less time to regain the fat stores they lost while fasting and lactating in the den."

Click here for more Polar Bear photos by Suzi Eszterhas

Big Picture: Nesting Season

2023-04-13T12:20:00.006-06:00

Springtime is the season for birds to begin building nests in anticipation for the eggs to come. Nests made of grasses and sticks are typical but have you seen a cormorant using seastars, blue tits collecting horsehair from a barbed wire fence or penguins on nests made completely of stones? From bald eagles on their nests the size of a queen bed to albatrosses continuing to work on their sand nest while incubating eggs - click on any image to see more birds at work.

9565 Soquel Drive, Suite 202 Aptos, CA 95003 USA

p: 831.661.5551 f: 831.661.5497 info@mindenpictures.com

This weeks Big Picture: Slimy Nature

2023-04-06T12:20:00.002-06:00

Click here to see more examples of slime in nature...

An emerging fern fiddlehead and an Ecuadorian bromeliad's flower buds are encased in a protective jelly which could serve to discourage the formation of harmful algal or fungal growth.

Parrotfish are not only covered in a layer of mucus, as are all fish; they also use glands in their gills to create mucous cocoons every night and sleep encased in the gooey mucus bubbles which help shield them from parasites and predators.

This white slimy discharge around an elephant seal's nostrils in a remarkable substance that makes it possible for the animal to dive up to 3,000 feet in search of food. 'Pulmonary surfactant' lines the lungs and makes the transition between high-pressure lower depths to the surface possible.

The hedgehog churns up a slippery, foul-smelling froth from its own saliva that it then uses to coat its body in a process called self-anointing. The theory is that the animals do this to deter predators or to mask its scent.

Slime can be almost everything for slugs and snails including protection, communication, transportation, hydration (the slime coating attracts water). Those slime trails you see act as both glue and lubricants and is exuded from a gland in their foot. The mucus protects against abrasion and germs.

The Violet Snail (Janthina janthina) secretes a bubble-filled raft made of mucus to stay afloat at the sea surface. They live their lives floating upside-down in the ocean and use their mobility to hunt jellyfish.

Big Picture: Keeping Up with Warmer Weather

2023-03-30T14:22:00.003-06:00

When winter looms some mammals experience a transition from their brown summer coats to whiter fur to blend easily with the expected snowcover. What happens when climate change causes weather to warm earlier than expected and the snow to which they've adapted disappears? These animals will lose their camouflage which protects them from predators.

A recent study on white-tailed jack rabbits suggests that diversity among the three genes responsible for coat color change within different populations may allow rapid adaptation. As Ferreira et al note, these species are "predicted to adapt rapidly, providing a trait-based genetic framework to facilitate evolutionary rescue."

While this is good news for the jack rabbits, how adaptive are other species who rely upon camouflaged fur for their survival? Take a look at this gallery of animals in their dramatic summer and winter coats.

9565 Soquel Drive, Suite 202 Aptos, CA 95003 USA

p: 831.661.5551 f: 831.661.5497 info@mindenpictures.com

Big Picture: Oregon Views - photos by Tim Fitzharris

2023-03-23T13:16:00.007-06:00

Photographer Tim Fitzharris captures peaceful landscapes in the Pacific Northwest in this new selection of images. Towering sea stacks along the coastline, sheer cliffs of tuff and basalt in Smith Rock State Park, and a rosy sunset at Harris Beach State Park are examples of the open wilderness found in Oregon.

Click on any image to see the full selection.

9565 Soquel Drive, Suite 202 Aptos, CA 95003 USA

p: 831.661.5551 f: 831.661.5497 info@mindenpictures.com

Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) female and male, Cape York Peninsula, Australia

2023-03-21T17:53:00.013-06:00

The galah, also known as the pink and grey cockatoo or rose-breasted cockatoo, is the only species within genus Eolophus of the cockatoo family. Found throughout Australia, it is among the most common of the cockatoos. Wikipedia

Galahs are monogamous, they will stay with the same breeding partner for life.

Very commonly in Australian English galah is used to refer to a fool or idiot. This figurative sense is recorded from the 1930s, and derives from the perceived stupidity of the bird. The following quotations give an indication of how the term is used:

1951 E. Lambert Twenty Thousand Thieves: 'Yair, and I got better ideas than some of the galahs that give us our orders'.

1960 R.S. Porteous Cattleman: 'The bloke on the other end of the line is only some useless galah tryin' to sell a new brand of dip'.

1971 J. O'Grady Aussie Etiket: 'You would be the greatest bloody galah this side of the rabbit-proof fence'.

Via: Meanings and origins of Australian words and idioms

See 180 more photos of Galah here: https://www.mindenpictures.com/search?s=galah

Big Picture: Our Plastic Problem

2023-03-09T11:59:00.011-07:00

Our planet is swamped with plastic. From tiny microplastics entering our diets to synthetic fishing debris entangling and killing wildlife, we are swimming in this petroleum-based product.

Some are recycled, some are buried in landfills, but more is washed into our oceans where wildlife mistake it for food, which is fed to seabird chicks choking their digestive tracks; bags, bottles, and other debris wash back onto beaches, and sea turtles mistake floating plastic bags for delicious jellyfish - an error which is often fatal.

What can we do? What can you do to reduce your use of plastic products? The planet and its occupants are counting on humans to come up with a solution....click on any image to view the whole gallery.

9565 Soquel Drive, Suite 202 Aptos, CA 95003 USA
p: 831.661.5551 f: 831.661.5497 info@mindenpictures.com