Imagine going blind, and having your sight restored using your own tooth – or putting on a helmet that allows other people to read your thoughts. It may sound like the most unlikely of science fiction, but these things are actually possible thanks to the many astounding scientific discoveries made in the past year or so. From medical miracles to properties of quantum mechanics that theoretically put teleportation within reach, these breakthroughs have the potential to transform our world as we know it.

Man Sees Through Eye(Tooth)

Blind for a decade, Englishman Martin Jones is finally able to see again – through a piece of tooth implanted in his eye. Appropriately, the tooth used was a canine, otherwise known as an ‘eyetooth’. Doctors took a piece of Jones’ own living tooth, placed a man-made lens into its core and implanted it under his eyelid where tissue grew over it. A flap of skin excised from inside the patient’s mouth was placed over the tooth in Jones’ eye where it acquired its own blood supply. A hole cut in the new cornea allows light to pass through. The procedure has restored sight to over 600 people worldwide.

Spray-On Solar Panels

Solar panels are typically inflexible and brittle, limiting the versatility of their application. But what if you could just spray solar cells onto any surface and collect energy from the sun? The technology is currently being produced at the University of Texas, where researchers are using nanoparticle “inks” full of tiny photovoltaics made from copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS). These particles are 10,000 times thinner than a strand of human hair. Currently, the photovoltaic ink only converts 1% of the sunlight that reaches it into electricity, but the researchers expect to increase the production and have the technology on the market within three to five years.

Taking Steps Toward Teleportation

From The Fly to Star Trek, teleportation has been a common theme in science fiction for decades – but scientists have actually come closer to making it a reality. A research team at Australian National University have developed a new way to generate quantum entanglement in beams of light using only two parts, linking them together so that when something affects one, it affects the other – regardless of the physical distance between them. Team leader Jiri Janousek says that their method could be used for teleportation as well, but it’ll probably be another 50 years before the technology could be used outside laboratories.

Lost World of Wonders in Volcanic Crater

Researchers discovered an entire lost world of never-before-seen species when they ventured into the incredibly remote, nearly inaccessible crater of the Mount Bosavi volcano in Papua New Guinea earlier this year.  In fact, the crater is so remote, it has never before been touched by human influence. The researchers found it remarkably easy to approach the wildlife found within, which showed no fear of the team. A fanged frog, a possum that releases a skunk-like odor when frightened, and a giant wooly rat were among the species discovered.

Solar Panel Shingles

For homeowners that can afford them, the biggest reason not to install rooftop solar panels is often aesthetics: they’re just plain ugly.  But, unobtrusive solar panels that blend in nearly effortlessly with the architecture of a home are now within reach. Dow Solar recently announced a new generation of building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) roof shingles, and SRS Energy has created powerful solar panels that look just like standard clay roof tiles.

Telepathy Helmet

It’s a nightmare for any conspiracy theorist: a telepathy helmet that can be placed on your head so that other people can read your thoughts. But, this technology isn’t just the stuff of Hollywood films – it’s actually being developed for the U.S. military by a team of scientists from three American universities. The goal of the project isn’t to spy on citizens, however. It will be used to read and transmit soldier’s thoughts to each other so that the need for vocal communication is eliminated. Have no fear, say the scientists involved in the project: the person wearing the helmet must put forth a deliberate effort to communicate their thoughts.

T-Rex’s Tiny Ancestor

The Tyrannosaurus Rex is well known as the king of all dinosaurs, a towering menace of a predator that terrorized everything in its path. But this gigantic dino actually evolved from a pint-size predecessor that measured just 8 feet long. A recent report in the journal Science says that Raptorex kriegsteini, which existed 60 million years before the T-Rex, had nearly identical physical features aside from its much smaller size.

Insanely Tiny Laser Beam

Until recently, it was simply impossible to make lasers any smaller than they already are. A beam of light has to bounce around in a chamber in order to focus, and the chamber has to be of a certain size to allow the light to travel. But now, researchers have discovered that lasers could be smaller if they depended on a rapidly vibrating electron situated on top of a minuscule piece of metal instead of a wave of bouncing light. Using this idea, a team at Norfolk State University built the world’s tiniest laser – 1000 times smaller than the width of a hair – on a bead of gold just 44 nanometers across.

Treasure Trove of Bizarre Blind Species Found

Of all the amazing variety of flora and fauna that exist on this planet, we’ve only discovered 2%. Scientists estimate that there’s another 98 million species of plants and animals that we have yet to identify. Scientists who discovered 850 new bizarre and amazing creatures in underground caves and bodies of water barely made a dent in that figure, but what they found is awe-inspiring indeed. Many of the species are blind and lack pigment, since sight and color are unnecessary in the environments in which they live.

Powerful X-Rays Made from Sticky Tape

Sticky tape is good for more than just wrapping gifts: it can actually produce X-rays. The tape emits a faint luminescence when peeled away from its holder – a phenomenon called triboluminescence. A group of researchers at UCLA investigated a claim made by Soviet researchers in the 1950s that unrolling sticky tape also results in the release of X-rays, and found it to be valid, producing pictures of their own finger bones.

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(Images via: Red Bubble, Top News, Flickr, Friend’s Korner, Flickr)

The classic “boy meets girl” love story is hardly the invention of humans. Just ask our friends in the animal kingdom, who have certainly perfected the art of romance. From the love songs of the Mexican free-tailed bat to the dangerous, seductive dance of redback spiders, the language of love rings loud and clear in the animal world, with the end goal of winning her affection clear but the means not always so.

Humpback Whales: Crooning for Your Love

(Image via: RD)

Apparently, crooning is not just reserved to the Frank Sinatras of the world but is fair game in the animal kingdom for attracting the attention of the fairer sex. Male humpback whales apparently sing, that is bellow noises that sound like hums, whups and chirps, to seduce females and claim their territory. Especially interesting is the recent finding that these male whales will change their tunes in response to other whale songs, as if they’re trying to one up each other. Humpback competition is not just limited to singing; when interested in a female, three to eight males will surround the object of affection and fight for the closest positioning to the girl of their dreams.

Giant Pandas: Secret Love Letters

(Images via: My Net Bizz, Flickr, Japan Probe)

Humpback whales are not the only animals with their own language of love. According to recent research, male giant pandas blurt out a variety of sounds (such as barks, moans, honks, growls, roars and squeals) when looking for a partner during mating season. One particularly prevalent sound (the bleat) was recently decoded by researchers as a cue to the female about the size of the male giant panda. Female giant pandas also respond with their own sounds (chirps, snorts and chomps) that convey information about their ages. Also cool were the findings that the male pandas prefer older females to mate with based on their experience, and that boy and girl giant pandas have distinctive masculine and feminine voices.

Mexican Free-Tailed Bats: Batty for Your Love

(Images via: Life in the Fast Lane, Calgary Wildlife Control, Angry by Choice)

Mexican free-tailed bats take animal mating communications to a new level, specifically with love songs that contain syllables and phrases to attract females and send a warning to other males about trying to mess with their girls. Barely audible to the human ear, these bat sounds are categorized as chirps, buzzes and trills, and used in different combinations during these songs of courtship. Especially interesting is recent research discovering that there apparently is some standardization to the bat love songs, with free-tailed bats in different geographic locations using the same “word” for love, even though bats generally do not have any language rules.

South American Songbird: Singing for Your Attention

(Images via: Tree Hugger, Photo Bucket, Flickr)

With a name like the South American songbird, one would hardly be surprised to know that these birds sing to attract females. However, the means in which these birds make their sounds is actually surprising. Rather than using their mouths, these birds rely on their feathers to make violin-like sounds to sweep female songbirds off their feet. The songbirds essentially vibrate a club-shaped feather against a nearby ridged feather to make their sweet music, with the wings acting as if they are part of an orchestra, according to a researcher who recently made this cool discovery.

Redback Spiders: A Love Worth Dying For?

(Images via: Moolf, Hotel Club, Nature, Hunter Valley Backyard Nature)

Confidence and craziness are prerequisites for male Australian redback spiders looking to mate with females. Not only are the males often much smaller in size than the female spiders, but they risk getting eaten alive if they don’t suit the girl redback spider just right. Specifically, studies have shown that the female redback spider demands that the male spiders court them for approximately 100 minutes, or face getting their heads bitten off. This twisted courtship involves the male spider performing a long dance in which he incorporates the female’s web as part of his own and beats on her abdomen as if it is a drum. If the male does not do this for 100 minutes, he will likely be eaten and other males will scramble to mate with the female. Even if he performs this dance for 100 minutes, there’s no guarantee that the male will get to mate with the female.

Alligators: Love Will Keep Us Together

(Images via: The Onion, Have Fun in the Southwest, The Music and You, The Gatorman)

Nearly 1 in 2 marriages in the United States end in divorce, and fidelity is hardly held close to the heart in the animal kingdom, as many species move on from one mate to the other (like female honeybees that mate with anywhere from 40 to 100 males). However, such is not the case for alligators, which often remain together through thick and thin. Recent research has found that up to 70 percent of female alligators remain with the same male partner for many years, with one pair first hooking up in 1997 and still together nearly 10 years later in 2005. Amazingly, female alligators choose to stay together and build nests with the same mate despite being encountered by many other ready-and-willing male alligators during the mating season. Who said faithfulness was a thing of the past?

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Albino Sea Turtle

(images via: Wallace044, Thai Photo Blogs and Nature’s Crusaders)

Sea turtles can live to surprisingly long ages but they suffer from high mortality when they’re young. Albinos are especially vulnerable due to their bright white color. The inquisitive-looking example above top was photographed at the Sea Turtle Sanctuary at Isla Mujeres near Cancun, Mexico.
(images via: Thailand Voice and Homo Symbolicus)

Every year around 15,000 Green and Hawksbill turtles are hatched and housed at the Thai Military Sea Turtle Conservation Center on Khram Island near Pattaya, and every so often an albino turtle turns up. The hatchlings are kept at the Center until they’re about 6 months old, at which point their shells have hardened enough for them to have a better chance of survival in the sea.

Albino Koala

(images via: Repubblica and BBC)

Onya-Birri, the only albino koala in captivity, was born September 1, 1997 at the San Diego Zoo. He spent the first six months of his life the way all baby koalas do – inside his mother Banjeeri’s pouch. When he emerged for the first time, zoo staff were likely as surprised as Banjeeri though she has raised Onya-Birri just as she would a non-albinistic cub.

(image via: Life In The Fast Lane)

Onya-Birri, whose name means “ghost boy” in the language of Australia’s aboriginal peoples, had orange-tinged fur in common with normal gray koalas when he was very young.

Albino Cobra

(images via: Strangezoo, Guidespot and Fotosearch)

Snakes on a plain? Albinism occurs in all snakes but it adds an extraordinary quality to cobras. Though they may lack pigment in their skin and eyes, potential owners should be aware that they’re just as poisonous as their more colorful cobra cousins.

(image via: Sharenator)

Since one albino cobra isn’t creepy enough for some, how about three? This toxic trio (shown at just 2 weeks of age) hatched at the National Zoological Gardens in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in June of 2005. Their albino mother laid a total of 20 eggs but only three hatched.

Albino Hedgehog

(images via: Underwhelmer, GregF69 and Meantux)

(image via: Life In The Fast Lane)

Hedgehogs are native to Europe, Asia, Africa and New Zealand (though not Australia), and they are extremely popular in the United Kingdom. The smaller African Pygmy Hedgehog subspecies make docile pets and albinism gives this already odd-looking creature an extra touch of weirdness.

(image via: Poisonfrogs)

Breeders who specialize in hedgehogs often offer a range of coloration that includes albinos, possibly because some potential owners may be averse to the glowing red eye effect that makes them look like miniature hogzillas. The cute critter above appears to be a “snowflake”.

Albino Lobster

(images via: Fisherman’s Catch and Deep Sea News)

Genetic mutations can result in lobsters being blue, yellow, orange, even two different colors (and sexes!) split right down the middle. But like the great white whale of the 19th century, the elusive white lobster is something extra special, mysterious and beyond just a novelty. Indeed, the odds of an all-white lobster occurring are estimated to be about 1 in 30 million! Odds or not, white lobsters have been caught before and will be caught again. The above specimen, “Lincoln the Lobster”, was trapped by Casco Bay lobsterman Bill Coppersmith in 1997.

(image via: Telegraph UK)

You know you’re thinking about it so let’s get it out: Will a white lobster still turn “lobster red” when plunked into the cookpot? According to Robert Bayer, director of the University of Maine’s Lobster Institute, Lincoln would end up a “sort of cooked white gray — not red.”

Albino Bat

(images via: Cellar, Grandpa Cliff and Conde Nast Traveler)

Bats exhibit albinism on occasion but anecdotal evidence seems to indicate the condition is more rare than in other mammals. The little guy above was rescued from a cat attack in early 2004 and it still looks freaked out, holding onto Pam Tully’s thumb for dear life! Tully, a carer at the Batreach Bat Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre located near Cairns in northern Australia, nicknamed the Little Northern Freetail bat Starshine.

(image via: i-Pets)

There’s only one known albino Leaf-nosed Spectacled Bat, and it lives at the Moscow Zoo’s Ekzotarium pavilion – as it should, being totally ekzotik. The bat was born in January of 2007 and has been named… wait for it… Angela!

Albino Axolotl

(images via: John Clare and Caudata)

Axolotls are neotenic – meaning they remain in their larval, gill-breathing form and usually do not metamorphose into lunged, land-living adult salamanders. Axolotls can assume various forms including Golden, Leucistic and Albino. The leucistic (white) form displays the dark eyes that many pet owners find more appealing than the blood red blinkers of the albino variety. Here’s a short video of a “dancing” axolotl complete with cute/annoying background music:

\”Axolotl Dance\”, via Punki80

(image via: EPOCA)

Popular as pets due in large part to their “smiley” faces, axolotls can grow up to a foot (30cm) long and are endangered in their primary habitat: Lake Xochimilco in and around Mexico City.

Understanding the scientific explanation for albinism will do much to eliminate harmful and discriminatory attitudes that unfairly target albinos of any species. Live and learn – and appreciate nature for its variety and wonder!

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They eat human brains and eyeballs, turn snails into pulsating zombies, grow up to 25 feet long in people’s intestines and eat the tongues of fish. Symbiotic relationships may be common in nature, but that doesn’t mean that all parasites are beneficial – many are downright horrifying. These 13 disgusting parasites will have you immediately jumping in the shower to quell that itchy paranoid feeling.

Tongue-Eating Cymothoa exigua

(images via: Treehugger)

It’s like something out of a bad horror movie: a disgusting little critter that invades a fish’s body, eats its tongue and proceeds to live in its mouth. The fish is able to survive just fine with its new ugly parasitical tongue, and while this creature will give you the creeps, it isn’t a threat to us. A fisherman who found a live one, describing it as “a bit of a nasty beast” said, “It doesn’t affect humans other than if you do actually come across a live one and try and pick it up – they are quite vicious, they will deliver a good nip.”

Human Botfly

(images via: Science Blogs, Discovery, afpmb.org)

There are all kinds of botflies – from the Horse Stomach Botfly to the Sheep Nose Botfly and indeed, the Human Botfly. It’s not hard to guess why they’re given such names. The adult female human botfly captures a mosquito and attaches its eggs to the mosquito’s body, so that they drop off into the wound created when the mosquito feeds. The larvae develop inside the human body for about eight weeks before dropping out to pupate. The wounds swell to outrageous proportions in the meantime, and the larvae can move throughout the body and even cross the blood-brain barrier.

Crab Hitchhiker: Sacculina Carcini

(image via: Wikipedia)

Once a crab picks up a freeloading Sacculina carcini, which starts its life as a tiny slug, it’s over. The crab has now been doomed to a lifetime of watching helplessly as the slug forces itself into the crab’s body armor, taking over its body and extending its root-like extensions into the crab’s organs, nervous system, gonads and appendages. The crab can’t molt or reproduce on its own – its body is basically serving as a shell for the Sacculina carcini, which eventually pops its ‘head’ out of the crab’s shell to better attract mates. It then forces the crab to do a kind of parody of its own reproduction habits, only with the hitchhiker’s eggs.

Tick

(images via: Biology-blog.com, BorisLavdopudja.net)

There are few things more revolting than the sight of a tick engorged with another creature’s blood. These little arachnids are external parasites that lurk in tall grasses, just waiting for a potential host to pass by, whether it’s a mammal, bird, reptile or amphibian. They carry a number of diseases including Lyme disease, Q fever, Colorado tick fever and several more.

Filarial Worm

(image via: Wikipedia)

Filariasis is one of the nastiest parasites you can imagine, with effects that are absolutely devastating. Elephantiasis – a disfiguring disease characterized by the thickening of the skin and underlying tissues – is a classic sign of late-stage infection with these microscopic, thread-like worms, which live in the human lymphatic system and prevent normal function. Filariasis is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito.

Screwworms

(images via: Impact Lab)

The screwworm larvae eat the living tissue of warm-blooded animals, burrowing into the surrounding flesh as they feed. Is the most nightmarish thing about this parasite the fact that it can enter animals through their navels and nostrils, or that they ‘screw’ deeper into the flesh if you disturb them?

Half a century ago, these nasty little maggots were a serious threat – especially to pets and livestock, though they were known to invade the wounds of humans as well. They were eradicated in the U.S. through the farming and release of sterile adult screwworm flies in the 1960s, but are still a problem in many parts of the world.

Candiru, the Urethra-Invading Fish

(image via: Wikipedia)

Tales have been told so many times of humans being invaded by tiny fish that swim up through their urine streams and into their urethras when they urinate into certain bodies of water, it’s hard not to believe it. While some are skeptical, there’s a recent documented case – photos and all – of a small fish removed from a man’s scrotum after it entered through the urethra and bit its way through the scrotal wall. Though the species wasn’t positively identified, it seems likely that it was the Candiru, which is certainly capable of the feat.

Sushi Worms: Anisakis

(image via: Wikipedia)

There’s a reason that raw fish is supposed to be frozen before humans consume it, whether in the form of sushi, sashimi, fermented herrings, cod livers or ceviche. That reason is the Anisakis, a genus of parasitic nematodes that often infect fish. The life cycle of Anisakis involves being eaten first by a crustacean, then a fish, and is complete when consumed by a mammal – and that mammal might just be you.

And, don’t worry, you’ll know if you do become infected – because you’ll be doubled over in violent abdominal pain almost immediately.

Tapeworm

(image via: Wikimedia Commons)

Even if you manage to escape Anisakis, there are always tapeworms to contend with – and they’re no picnic, either. One Chicago man told ABC about the time he went to the hospital with a 9-foot worm – and he didn’t find it in his garden. Getting a tapeworm from raw or undercooked fish, beef or pork may be rare, but it happens.  Food blogger Helen Rennie says, “Chefs sometimes joke if the worms are moving then the fish is fresh.”

Tapeworms can reach up to 25 feet, and it can take months or years for them to reach full size. Symptoms are generally mild, so you might not even realize you have one.

Insane Snail Parasite

(images via: people.SMU.edu)

A poor little snail is gliding along, minding its own business, when it accidentally infects itself with Leucochloridium paradoxum by eating the parasite’s eggs in bird excrement. In the snail’s digestive gland, these parasites hatch and produce sporocystes, long green-banded tubes that stretch into the snail’s tentacles and begin to pulsate. Those little worms are intentionally trying to attract the attention of birds, so they’ll get eaten and end up back in the birds’ bodies to complete their life cycle.

Guinea Worm

(image via: Berkeley.edu)

This worm is called Dracunculiasis, or “affliction with little dragons”, because sufferers say it feels like they’ve got fiery serpents under their skin. Europeans gave it the name “Guinea worm” because they first saw it on the Guinea coast of Africa in the 17th century. It’s contracted when a person drinks stagnant water contaminated with the worm’s larvae, or when they walk unprotected in infected waterways.

Once inside the body, the larvae find their way into a body cavity and breed. Then, the male is absorbed into the body and the female, full of eggs, burrows into connective tissues or long bones. About a year after infection, the worm attempts to leave its human host’s body by creating a blister on the skin of the person’s leg or foot.

Cat Parasite Turns Humans into Zombies

(image via: gsbs.utmb.edu)

Ever wonder what compels crazy cat people to collect so many animals? As out-there as it sounds, their brains might just be acting on the orders of a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii, which is commonly found in cat feces. Experts say infection by a Toxoplasma gondii can make some people more prone to some forms of neuroticism, and may cause them to slide in their hygiene and housekeeping habits – thus, allowing the parasite to spread and flourish. Some 60 million people are estimated to be infected in the United States alone.

Eyeball Eater: Acanthamoeba

(image via: CDC)

Washing your contact lenses doesn’t just remove irritants – it prevents little parasites from hitching a ride into your delicious eyeball, where they’ll not only feed on bacteria present in the eye, but on your corneas themselves. Luckily, only about one out of a million contact lens wearers are susceptible to infection by the Acanthamoeba parasite, but this free-living amoeba can also get into your eye when you swim in pools or lakes. Early diagnosis is essential for treatment, or victims will eventually go blind.

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(Images via: Science Blogs, Channel 4, Travel Pod, Neat-O-Rama)

A recent study detailed that nearly 50 percent of dogs and almost 60 percent of cats are overweight or obese due to high-calorie diets and insufficient exercise, sparking questions in this author’s mind about the eating habits of animals in the wild. From bonobos maintaining a unique food rating system to rats falling in love with junk food to apes knowing when wild fruit is perfectly ripe to lizards literally basking in the sun for Vitamin-D, animal consumption is a wide spectrum of cool, absurd, weird, disgusting and critical stories. Bon appetite.

Nature’s Food Critics: The Bonobos

(Images via: Rubicon Exotic, Lolaya Bonobo, Flickr, Harvard, Huffington Post)

Apparently if bonobos could talk, they would tell you that their top 5 favorite foods are as follows: figs, raisins, grapes, bananas and popcorn. That’s not bad in terms of healthy foods. According to recent research, bonobos preferred these foods during a study that examined their eating behavior and ultimately learned that these animals maintain a unique vocalization system to express their like or dislike for certain types of foods. More specifically, bonobos made a barking sound when presented with their favorite foods and grunted like a little piggy when presented with unfavorable foods. Foods that were in-between in terms of bonobo likes and dislikes were greeted with peeps, peep-yelps and yelps. Yams and peppers were least liked by the bonobos, which researchers believe use this vocalization system in the wild to communicate with other bonobos about the presence of certain types of foods.

Nature’s Junk Food Lovers: The Rats

(Images via: Elated, My Lovely Rats, Morning Star, Sky, Ekawaaz)

Just when the bonobos get us off to a good start about eating healthy, leave it to the rats to come in and screw everything up. Actually, recent research showing how rats get hooked on junk food could have larger implications for understanding why people may become addicted to food and drugs. More specifically, pleasure centers in the brains of rats become less responsive once rats become addicted to junk food, a similar effect seen in previous studies in which rats became addicted to heroine. In the food study, a group of rats was given junk food like Ho Hos, sausage, pound cake, bacon and cheesecake. These rats soon became so addicted to these less-than-healthy foods that they became less active and continued to eat them despite knowing that they would receive a mild, electrical shock. According to researchers, the rats needed more and more of the junk food to receive pleasure once they got hooked on these fatty substances, just as rats on heroine needed more and more of the drug once they became addicted. Even more interesting, the addicted rats refused to eat any other food for two weeks once the junk food was taken away from them, choosing to starve rather than subsist on healthier grub.

Nature’s Man-Eaters: The Tsavo Lions

(Images via: Squidoo, Blue Lion, Wild Dream Liners)

What happens when grazing animals like buffalo, zebras and other normal sources of food were not available to lions as a result of drought? In 1898, two Tsavo lions in Kenya turned to the convenience of man at a time when there were more humans in their area during construction of the Uganda Railroad. Recent research examined the carbon and nitrogen in the teeth of the remains of the two lions — now on display at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History — and estimated that the lions claimed 35 humans in a 9-month period. Past accounts had credited the lions with eating as many as 135 humans during that span before they were shot to death. Especially interesting and scary is the belief that the lions worked in a tandem when hunting men.

Nature’s Vitamin-D Lovers: Lizards

(Images via: Flickr, Flickr, Flickr)

We’ve all seen pictures of lizards basking in the sun, a common ritual that had been popularly believed to help regulate the body temperatures of these reptiles. According to new research, it turns out that lizards also bask in the sun to get them some vitamin D, a vital nutrient found in orange juice. Lizards and humans are similar in that we both have compounds in our skin that can convert sunlight into vitamin D. What’s especially interesting with lizards is the belief that these reptiles have sensors in their brains telling them when they’ve gotten the right amount of Vitamin D. Why does this matter? Well, too little vitamin D can make the lizards sick while too much of this nutrient can be toxic. Sure, this example of lizards basking in the sun for vitamin D is not exactly a story about animal eating habits, but it certainly is a relevant depiction of how other types of animal consumption are as vital to healthy living.

Nature’s Food Testers: Apes

(Images via: Discovery, Flickr, Mama’s Health)

Apes have always loved to get their hands on bananas at any time of the day, but did you know that these primates may actually know when this favorite fruit is just right for their picking and eating without even having to peel one open? According to new research, dying brown spots on bananas are surrounded by rings that glow blue in ultraviolet light and may suggest to wild apes that the food is good to eat. Scientists have theorized that apes search for food that emits short-wavelength light and use this detection to gauge whether food is ripe or rotten. Since apes are better than humans at seeing such light, these new findings on the light emitted from bananas could eventually provide more research on the eating habits of apes.

Nature’s Spoilers: Firefly Flashes

(Images via:U Know Why, Top News, Maggie’s Farm Revisited, Deep Creek Times)

Just as light seemingly plays a role in how apes and monkeys determine when to eat food, light also signals to other animals not to eat certain types of prey. A recent study found that bats use firefly lights as a signal not to eat this prey, a good decision when considering that fireflies can be toxic for bats. According to field observations, fireflies may actually help themselves and larger predators by flashing light when in danger. Researchers provided the example of a bat catching a firefly with its wing or tail prior to getting ready to eat it. However, with such contact, a firefly may emit its light, signaling to the bat to let the prey go because of its danger, thus saving the firefly’s life. Based on field observations, bat reactions to eating fireflies are not good and can include head shaking, gagging and vomiting.

Nature’s Secret Food Stashes: Penguins and Sperm Whales

(Images via: , MSNBC, Tree Hugger)

Sometimes when the going gets tough for finding food in nature, the tough get going. For a long time, scientists wondered why some penguins actually leave their families and drift out to sea for long periods of time. This mystery is now understood based on new research of adult Macaroni penguins in the Subantarctic. Following spring breeding, these adult penguins spend six months swimming and diving in the deep sea so that they can feed on a secret stash of food: Subantarctic krill and crustaceans. As for the mythical and elusive sperm whale, it was recently captured on video stealing fish from fishing lines. Amazingly, the sperm whale was able to unhook the fish without getting caught in the fishing lines. For a mammal that big, stealing fish seems like an uneven playing field, but hey, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do sometimes.

Nature’s Food Myths: Beavers

(Image via: Max Wideman)

Beavers have always subsisted on and loved eating wood, right? Not so, according to new research that details how giant beavers in the Ice Age were more like hippos than modern beavers in terms of what they ate. Carbon dating of the extinct giant beaver Castoroides ohionesis revealed that this precursor to the modern beaver ate large amounts of aquatic plants and pond weeds as there were likely few trees during the Ice Age. However, once the climate became better and wetlands were replaced by forests, the beaver’s love for tree bark began. In current times, beavers crave wood so badly that they will resort to eating their own homes when in need of food.

Nature’s Food Crises: Albatrosses and Leatherback Turtles

(Images via: The Bird Guide, Turtle Protection, Resource Efficiency, Tree Hugger)

Just how dangerous is pollution — particularly introducing plastic into the environment — to animals? Ask remote albatrosses and ancient leatherback turtles. A recent study found that Laysan albatrosses living on Kure Atoll (a remote island in the Pacific Ocean) ingest 10 times more plastic than chicks living on the populated island of Oahu. Another study analyzed 400 deceased leatherback turtles and found that approximately 1/3 of these reptiles had plastic in their digestive systems. It turns out that these turtles can easily mistake plastic for jellyfish, their main source of food. Just as plastic can block a turtle’s gut, cause digestive problems and even lead to death, this material can also puncture intestinal tracts of albatrosses, thus highlighting the dangers of improper garbage disposal and the importance of recycling.

Nature's Halloween Tricks: 31 Scary Deep Sea Monsters

From vampire squid and fangtooth to viperfish and blobfish, nature is full of deep sea monsters that are perfect for inciting a scare on Halloween.

Nature's Cold Weather Warriors: 14 Resilient, Adaptive Animals

From shutting off parts of their body to changing the color of their fur, resilient animals have many tricks up their sleeve when surviving the cold and staying warm.

Language of Love: Unique Animal Mating Habits

From the love songs of the Mexican free-tailed bat to the dangerous, seductive dance of redback spiders, the language of love is loud and clear in the animal world.

The largest web-spinning spider in the world has been identified, and she’s a terror. The Nephila komaci was discovered in South Africa and displays some rather fascinating characteristics. Its webs, which can reach up to one meter wide, are impressive. But the most striking feature of the spider is its extreme sexual size dismorphism; in plain English, that means the female of the species is dramatically larger than the male.

The average female Nephila komaci is approximately 40 mm long. The male of the species is about one-fifth the size of the female, and is often devoured after inseminating the female. In this pictures, the males are so tiny that it’s hard to believe they are the same species at all. The extreme size difference between the genders isn’t due to small males; rather, it’s due to female gigantism. The females have evolved into their larger size because being big helps them survive longer. Males, on the other hand, get to pass on their genes more effectively if they can climb onto the female to inseminate her, making their smaller size much more desirable from an evolutionary standpoint.

(images via: io9)

Although the species was just formally announced in October 2009, the first known specimen was collected in 1978. It was found in a museum collection some 22 years later, but since no other specimen could be found it was assumed that the spider was either a hybrid, or that the species it belonged to was now extinct. When two females and a male were collected from Tembe Elephant Park in 2009, it became clear that the spider was indeed a new, existing species.

The Largest Gorges & Canyons in the World

The following collection has a mix of the longest, deepest, and widest (in area) canyons and gorges from around the world.

Beyond Bird Watching: World's 5 Largest Telescopes

imagine having the power of some of the world’s largest telescopes to probe deep into space and our solar system.

7 Architectural Wonders of the Natural World

You thought man-made wonders were impressive? Here are seven of the most awe-inspiring animal architects and architectonic structures of the animal kingdom

(Images via: Animal Pictures Archive, It’s Nature, Photo Bucket, It’s Nature, PBS)

With the endless run of horror movies, spook houses, candy, pumpkin seeds and other perks, Halloween is about as good as it gets in terms of a holiday that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Now just don’t think that Halloween is for little kids and “adults” like me who may still be considered children. The deep sea has its fair share of scary creatures who were made for this day and are sure to send a chill down the spine. In celebration of the 31 days of October, here are 31 deep sea monsters — some quite large and intimidating, others much smaller but equally or even more dangerous — that could have starred in the B-rate horror flicks getting major play today. For all you ghosts and goblins and trick or treaters out there, enjoy learning about these freaky creatures while having a safe Halloween.

Don’t  Swim in the Deep Sea

(Images via: Deep Sea Anglerfish, China Sea, Star Bulletin, Nette Key If)

Let’s begin our journey of the sea monsters that inhabit the mysterious, cold waters of the oceans, beginning with the deep sea anglerfish in the upper left-hand corner and eventually swimming our way to the fangtooth in the lower left-hand corner. Looking as if it was just shot out of the fiery gates of hell, the small but vicious deep sea anglerfish is also known as the common black devil, which makes sense considering that it deceptively uses the appendage at the top of its head to emit a blue/green light for luring prey into its big mouth. Another ferocious predator despite its diminutive size, the deep sea dragonfish is known for its large, hinged teeth while the longer and slender, female black dragonfish also produces its own light in addition to possessing fang-like teeth that would make Dracula jealous. Speaking of dangerous teeth, the appropriately-named fangtooth features the largest teeth of any fish in the ocean in proportion to its size, and is also known as the “ogrefish” or common sabrefish. No word if this fangtooth wants to suck your blood, but for other fish in the ocean, look out when crossing this bully.

Danger, Danger: Beware of the Bright Shining Lights

(Images via: Wolaver, Sreeh, It’s Nature)

Just as heeding the call of the Sirens was a bad idea in Greek mythology, the same goes for being drawn to the bright lights in the deep sea. Many other scary fish are capable of producing their own light (a process known as bioluminescence) to either distract predators or tempt prey. With the pale apparition of a ghost, the one-to-six inch hatchetfish not only produces light to hide from predators but resembles the blade of…you guessed it…a hatchet, the preferred weapon of Lizzy Borden. As for the Lanternfish, they emit light to attract smaller fish to feed on, and judging by their bright, blue eyes, they may also have telekinetic powers. Last but not least, the small predator fish known as lizardfish may not be the brightest bulb in this bunch, but they certainly make up for it with mouths and even tongues that are comprised of sharp needles rather than teeth. Like a zombie reaching its hand through the ground, the lizardfish sit on the bottom of ocean floor and wait for prey to swim by before ambushing them with their powerful jaws.

The Deadly Bite of the Viperfish

(Images via: Ibiblio, Sumedh, Neat-O-Rama)

What do you get when you combine the fang-like teeth of a vampire with the breakneck speed of a werewolf? The viperfish, of course. Viperfish fangs are so large that they don’t fit in the fish’s mouth but rather curve back to the eyes. Lucky for the viperfish, it avoids poking its eyes out; however, for smaller prey, they are not so lucky. Swimming at its victims at high speeds, the viperfish is believed to impale its competition before feeding on them. So not only does the viperfish act like 80s slasher star Jason Voorhees but it looks like the Camp Crystal Lake favorite without the hockey mask, as evident by the picture in the upper right-hand corner.

Some Deep Sea Monsters Are Just So Disgusting

(Images via: Lazy Lizard Tales, Kusawake, Island Environment Blog, Cute and Weird)

Remember the cute but oh so messy Slimer from Ghostbusters? The Atlantic hagfish is the “Slimer” of deep sea monsters. Looking like an eel but not an eel, the hagfish sneezes slime that contains strong fibers and is thus difficult to remove. Furthermore, the hagfish can emit enough slime to fill a milk jug. At least the hagfish isn’t the bizarre and depressed blobfish, with its large nose, two eyes and sad expression that can make residing in the saltwater coasts of Tasmania and Australia a real downer. Once thought to be extinct, the prehistoric coelacanth is actually still alive, although it is worthless to eat since its tissues spew oil and a nasty odor following death. Speaking of foul smells, the giant grenadier fish is not only known for its giant mouth but a smelly chemical compound that would make Peanuts’ Pigpen embarrassed. And to cap it off, these slow-as-molasses grenadiers love to feed on smelly carcasses. Makes sense, you think?

Night of the Living Dead Fish

(Images via: Vanaqua, Dave Harasti, Flickr, Mex Fish)

Appropriately-named given the theme of this Halloween-related post, the bottom dwelling coffin fish features fins that act like legs and allow it to crawl and walk on the bottom of the sea floor. In a similar light, the rare Australian fish known as the spotted handfish features pectoral fins that act like hands for deep sea walking. As long as these day and night walkers don’t start talking and clamoring for “Brains” like zombies, things should be all good. Speaking of brains, the eyes of stargazers are located near their brains, on top of their heads to be more precise. This may be hard to tell with the above stargazing monster buried in the sand, but is more apparent with the land-based example of this fish. In addition to the weirdly-positioned eyes, stargazers are venomous, with two large poison spines behind the opercle (the upper bone that helps form the gill) and above their pectoral fins. Even more shocking, stargazers can cause electrical shocks, making it very irresponsible for other fish to have their attention diverted to the heavens when a stargazer is around.

Certainly Not James Woods’ Short-Lived TV Series “Shark”

(Images via: Fun Is 2 Cool, UFL, Bog Leech, Supiri)

A list of deep sea monsters would be lacking without the “Jaws” of the sea. While we all know about great white and hammerhead sharks, don’t sleep on the megamouth shark and sixgill shark. Not discovered until 1976, the rare megamouth shark is a mystery, with its large mouth and small teeth, rounded snout that makes it look like an orca whale, and luminous photophores around the mouth. Like the megamouth shark, the sixgill shark can reach up to 18 feet in length, but is distinctive in that it has six rather than five gills and only one dorsal fin (located closer to its tail). A close relative to sharks, chimaeras are kind of what you think sharks would look like in hell. Judging by the bottom images of the fiery red chimaera and the long-nosed chimaera, it’s not wonder these deep sea creatures are also referred to as ratfishes and ghost sharks.

Getting Overwhelmed by Other Sea Giants

(Images via: Fish Govt., Shnock, Pixdaus, One Inch Punch)

When you can reach up to 60 feet in size like the colossal or giant squid, you don’t need any extra advantages. Yet the world’s largest invertebrates grip prey with sucker rings on the ends of their limbs, which also feature sharp hooks for good measure. The only known enemy of the giant squid is the mammoth sperm whale, with males reaching 60 feet and weighing 40-50 tons. It is believed that sperm whales are able to feed on colossal squid because of a dark, waxy substance similar to cholesterol (called ambergis) that is produced in their lower intestines and protects them from squid stings. Now just how tough and intimidating are sperm whales? They’ve been documented attacking and feeding off the mammoth and elusive megamouth shark.

Scaring (and Gripping) the Life Out of Me

(Images via: MLML, What’s the Crack,Flickr, Aqua Views)

If there’s one thing that holds true with deep sea monsters, it’s that size does not always the matter. Only three inches long, the firefly squid is able to flash blue lights on and off, attracting smaller fish and then attacking them with their strong tentacles. Similarly, Dana octopus squid feature glowing arms that lure, stun and blind prey. Once mistaken by researchers to be an octopus, the six-inch vampire squid is equipped with eight arms that can be used like a webbed cape and thrown over its body for protection. Within this webbing are two jaws that are strong enough to crack the shells of crustaceans. Only the size of a golf ball, the blue-ringed octopus is extremely poisonous and capable of killing a human in minutes. Unfortunately, this octopus does not make its blue rings apparent until its ready to attack, putting unknowing humans and prey in danger, especially when considering that there is no known antidote to this poison.

A Creepy Feel for These Eels

(Images via: Flickr, Alloom, Flickr Weird Sea Monsters)

Talk about a deep sea monster that looks like a scientific experiment gone madly wrong, the gulper eel will make you gulp with its abnormally large mouth that is much larger than its body. With 750 vertebrae in its spine, the snipe eel has more vertebrae than any other animal on Earth in its five-foot long body, which is 75 times more long than wide. Adding to the creepiness of the snipe eel, its anus is located on its throat. Rarely seen, the oarfish looks like a mythological sea serpent even though it isn’t one (despite what its 36 foot length may tell you otherwise).

Rounding Out Our Deep Sea Monsters

(Images via: It’s Nature, Flickr, Flickr, Reef Suckers)

How the tables have turned. Small sunfish are often caught in our lakes, but in the ocean, specific types of sunfish called molas can reach up to 600 pounds. As rare as catching these fish are, equally weird is the fact that molas look like they’ve been chopped in half. Despite dwelling at the bottom of the sea, wing-like sea robins look like birds in flight as they swim, specifically because of large pectoral fins that open and close akin to a flying motion. While in the same family of shrimps and crabs, the relatively large giant isopod ranges from 12 to 16 inches in length and is a bit unsettling to look at even for a scavenger, particularly due to its deep sea gigantism and resemblance to an “Alien vs. Predator” creature. Also inhabiting the ocean floor, sea cucumbers are in the same classification of starfish and sea urchins. Now if  you get a sea cucumber when trick or treating, give it back as they are equivalent to eating a very bad fruit. For more information on deep sea monsters, visit the highly informational and interactive Web site, SeaSky.

Nature's Halloween Screams: 20 Scary Animals

From gremlin-like primates to ghostly hatchetfish to the appropriately-named vampire bat, nature consists of some scary animals straight out of a horror flick.

Hungry, Hungry Animals: 10 Unique Stories of Consumption

From bonobos ranking food by sound to rats falling in love with junk food, animal appetites, eating habits and consumption are tales of the cool and absurd.

Nature's Cold Weather Warriors: 14 Resilient, Adaptive Animals

From shutting off parts of their body to changing the color of their fur, resilient animals have many tricks up their sleeve when surviving the cold and staying warm.

(Images via: Nose Digg, The Hostess, Somethin Beautiful, Wolaver)

With Halloween just around the corner, what better time than now to talk about some of the scariest and freakiest animals in nature. From the nocturnal primate (ayer ayer) that looks like a gremlin to the appropriately-named vampire bat that subsists on blood to a blobfish engulfing anything in its path to the hatchetfish with their ghostly apparitions, nature truly consists of some animals that can at times seem straight out of horror movies.

Hardly Out of Sight, Out of Mind Underwater

(Images via: Wild Animal Fight Club, L’s the Word, Epica Ceremony)

Thanks to the various “Jaws” movies of the late seventies and early 80s, it’s safe to say that this author has never placed a foot in the ocean out of fear of encountering the legendary monster, the “blood-thirsty” great white shark. Of course, movies tend to dramatize things, but the fact remains that the fear still exists all these years later. In simple terms, there is something very unsettling about floating in the water, with hundreds of miles and who knows what moving below you. Of course, the ocean’s waters are haunted by more than sharks, octopus and whatever this freaky, gap-toothed fish creature is.

Ghostly and Monstrous Deep Sea Creatures

(Images via: Flickr, Science Ray, Dark Roast Blend, Science Blogs)

The deeper the ocean gets, the stranger the fish become. Imagine scuba diving and running into some of these guys above, which are sure to send chills down the spine, cause you to clench your oxygen tank a little tighter and maybe even make you feel as if you’re in the depths of fiery hell (well at least this red fish in the upper-left hand corner). The monk fish (upper-right hand corner) looks more like a monster than a saint, while the viper fish has haunting eyes that cut right through you. As for the gulper eel (lower-right hand corner), it looks like a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong, at least from this point of view.

If Looks Could Kill

(Images via: Gateways Clearinghouse, It’s Nature, Wunder Ground, Science Ray, Ugly Overlord)

Reptiles are cold-blooded, which makes sense when considering the sheer intimidation that they can cast with a cold, blank stare. Simply looking into the eyes of these fellows can leave one feeling possessed and under their control. And when these creatures get mad, as evident above, their reactions are enough to leave you having nightmares for weeks to come. And let’s not enough talk about how the presence of a snake makes me feel.

Soft and Furry Until They Get Angry

(Images via: Flickr, Flickr, The Web site of Everything, Flickr, Flickr)

Various land-based animals that look cute or appear aloof for the most part can get quite nasty and vicious when need be. If you ever run across these critters on a bad day, be careful. These rabies-infested animals are not afraid of showing their teeth, hissing and letting you know who is in control. With all that said, most wild animals simply want to be left alone and are harmless unless they feel threatened. As has always been the case, respect the animals and they will typically respect you.

Nature's Halloween Tricks: 31 Scary Deep Sea Monsters

From vampire squid and fangtooth to viperfish and blobfish, nature is full of deep sea monsters that are perfect for inciting a scare on Halloween.

Hungry, Hungry Animals: 10 Unique Stories of Consumption

From bonobos ranking food by sound to rats falling in love with junk food, animal appetites, eating habits and consumption are tales of the cool and absurd.

Nature's Cold Weather Warriors: 14 Resilient, Adaptive Animals

From shutting off parts of their body to changing the color of their fur, resilient animals have many tricks up their sleeve when surviving the cold and staying warm.

Outdoor photographers rely on a great eye to relay the picture they see in their heart and want to share. They travel the globe to capture images of gorgeous wildlife and lovely landscapes, using time-tested techniques and tremendous talent to touch our emotions with their recorded moment of time. Here are 14 of the best and the brightest contemporary outdoor photographers and 37 of their breathtakingly creative images.

Pam Wood

(image credits: Photography by Pame)

Pam Wood is a freelance photographer who offers a vast selection of photos from around the globe. She has a quest for capturing the world at its best with her camera, her quest is to capture the magic of moment in time. Wood hopes her pictures make people laugh or smile, while encouraging us to do what we can to preserve our planet for future generation to enjoy. “This is an incredible planet we all live on. Let’s celebrate life!” Her photo of a tiger underwater was one of the finalists in the Natural World category of Smithsonian magazine’s 6th Annual Photo Contest.

Galen Rowell

(image credits: Mountain Light)

Galen Rowell was an internationally beloved freelance photographer and global adventurer. His life was tragically cut short when a private plane with his wife and two friends crashed near his home. He offered worldwide wisdom on the environmental impact being wrought upon people and their lands. Some of his works include wild horses in Patagonia, Argentina, and a rare 360-degree rainbow over Na Pali Coast, Kauai Island in Hawaii. He captured another rainbow, many in fact, this one over Hidden Peak, Karakoram Himalaya, Pakistan. The next to lower right is called, Stormy Sunset over Evolution Lake. In the bottom right, Star streaks over South Gasherbrum Glacier in Pakistan.

Curious Expeditions – Michelle Enemark and Dylan Thuras

(image credits:Curious Expeditions)

Aptly named Curious Expeditions, these photographers, Michelle Enemark and Dylan Thuras, travel the world snapping shots of bizarre yet beautiful places. The top photo is of beautiful Rose Valley, Göreme. Göreme, an area with fairy chimneys, is in Cappadocia, Turkey. The deep valleys and soaring rock formations are volcanic rock that has slowly eroded away to create strange “Fairy Chimneys”. The locals had believed them extraordinarily magical places that only fairies could have created. Ancient people hollowed out the fairy chimneys to carve out homes, chapels, and tombs from the soft inner rock. They also tunneled to create underground cities, some going down eight stories. The bottom picture is a fairy chimney hotel which is also located in Göreme.

Patrick Smith

(image credits:Patrick Smith)

Sometimes nature can take your breath away with her beauty. Patrick Smith has enormous talent taking photographs. The top picture is called Big Sur, Portal of the Sun. It was the winner in the 2009 Nature’s Best Ocean Views competition. Smith says, This sea arch opening in a cliff face at Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur allows large waves to come through at high tide before a big storm. The waves often fill the entire portal to the top, and the portal becomes a giant water shotgun! The Tufoni formations in the rock are incredible and should be seen in person.” The bottom photo is of Trinidad Beach which is north of Eureka, California. At high tide, the amazing cloud layers and intense colors are spectacular.

James Neeley

(image credits:James Neeley)

James Neeley takes stunning photos, making it easy to see why landscapes are usually devoted to nature without mankind polluting the frame. At Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, buffalo still roam and graze on Antelope Flats as seen at Moulton Barn shortly before a storm broke loose. The top right photo is of Lower Antelope Canyon, also called The Corkscrew. It is a hot destination for photographers like James Neeley who titled this picture Nature’s Abstraction. On the bottom left, the lake has a majestic backdrop of the Teton Range in the morning light. There is no mistaking Monument Valley landscape for any other spot in the world. It once stood synonymous for the Wild West. The iconic sandstone buttes have been a famous landscape in media genres since the 1930s.

Stuck in CustomsTrey Ratcliff

(image credit:Stuck in Customs)

Trey Ratcliff is the creative photographer behind Stuck in Customs. He captured this stunning shot in the final hours of daylight, the rugged peaks near the southern tip of Argentina and the edge of Chile, just a glacier away from Antarctica. He stayed there watching icebergs float by until the last morsels of dusk remained. To capture this moment in time, Ratcliff stated, ‘I started on one edge of these rugged peaks and moved around to this side, to get the view from the glacial lake. The spiked mountains there are Cerro Torre, and I was very lucky to see them without cloud cover. I understand they are covered up 90% of the time, so to have crystal clear air was fortunate. The glacier there, which presents on the right but really goes back behind many more mountains, is called “glacier grande”.’

Mario Bertocchi

(image credits:Mario Bertocchi)

Photographer Mario Bertocchi possesses an uncanny knack for capturing captivating moments of time and stunning landscapes. Promise of a new day is the title of the top photo. After a morning storm, a rainbow shimmers over the Teton Mountains. There are no foothills along the Tetons, making the view dramatic as they rise sharply from the surrounding terrain to about 7,000 feet. In the bottom landscape, the rugged coast and steep terraces of Cinque Terre National Park overlook the sea. Cinque Terra is located on the Italian Riviera and is made up of five villages. This view is of Riomaggiore.

ZooBorns

(image credits:ZooBorns)

As their name implies, ZooBorns specializes in baby animals born in zoos. Many of their photos are taken outside, but taking pictures of newborn animals sometimes takes them indoors as well. They share their photographs online and hope you see something that brightens your day. Part of their mission is to help people learn about the need to protect these adorable animals in the wild and the ways in which accredited zoos and aquariums contribute to this cause.

National Geographic Photographers

(image credits:National Geographic, National Geographic Travel)

Per-Andre Hoffmann

(image credits:Per-Andre Hoffmann)

Professional photographer Per-Andre Hoffmann has been called a “magician of light”. Although he travels around the globe to find the perfect moment and capture it, these images were taken near where he is based, Makati City, Philippines. The top left photo of the starfish was captured at Palawan, Philippines, which was once named as the best island destination in East and Southeast Asia by National Geographic Traveler. The top right picture is of the Mayon volcano that erupted in 2007. The bottom photograph is of the famous Manila Bay sunset.

Jason Bradley

(image credits: Bradley Photographic)

Jason Bradley had wanted to be a marine scientist. As an aspiring researcher, photography was a vital tool. Becoming a photographer was an afterthought for Bradley. He adores nature and most of his freelance photos are marine related. He is an expert at capturing underwater shots and has many galleries showcasing his works.

BONUS SHOTS Pam Wood

(image credits: Photography by Pame)

Pam Wood is an unbelievably talented photographer. Although she also snaps landscapes, her animal shots are extraordinary. From Rainbow Flamingos to the bottom lion cub that she titled, Yummy, she showcases her skills. Expect to see more and more great pictures emerge from Pam Wood.

BONUS Patrick Smith

(image credit:Patrick Smith)

Patrick Smith calls this photo Maelstrom. He risked his life to snap this shot in Kauai, Hawaii. He states, “I had this near-death experience on my last trip to Kauai! This lava-ledge is 20 feet above the sea, and I suppose the incoming wave is twice that height. This is not the Sprouting Horn near Poipu and it is not Queen’s bath! It is called the Mokolea Lava Pools.”

World Photography: Famous Freelance Photographers & Works

Freelance photographers roam the planet in search of that perfect moment in time. Here are 10 world-class freelance photographers and 36 photos of their works.

15 Environmental and Nature Photographers

Photographers who capture amazing HDR, macro, long range, underwater and nighttime images of landscapes, animals, weather phenomena and more.

12 Sky-High Viewing Platforms and Elevated Eco Parks

Fear of heights? Then you might want to stay away from these dizzying outdoor overlooks and elevated eco parks located thousands of feet above the ground.

(Images via: Twighlight Earth, EC Morgan, Fotopedia, Viral Nerd)

As the days shorten and the weather gets colder, it’s easy for most of us humans to adapt. Simply break out the long underwear, dust off the winter coat and we’re pretty much ready to go, at least here in the Midwest. Now what about those animals out in the wild? While we’re all familiar with bears hibernating through the winter, birds migrating to warmer settings and other animals living off stored food that they’ve been saving up since the summer, how the heck do those animals who remain active not only brave the elements but function in these conditions, especially in the coldest regions of the world? Understanding the answer to this question requires an appreciation for the adaptability, resiliency and creativity of leatherback turtles, penguins, arctic foxes, golden-crowned kinglets  and many other animals.

Take Your Leather Coat, Give Me a Leatherback Turtle

(Images via: Tree Hugger, Aint Chicken, Raka Only, Flickr)

Around for more than 100 million years, the leatherback turtle has certainly evolved as a deep sea diver capable of surviving in the coldest, deepest waters. For these unique reptiles, it’s good to be big. Weighing up to 2,000 pounds, leatherbacks remain warm in cold water in large part to their mass and natural abilities to slow heat loss. Outgoing blood warms cool blood in the leatherback flippers before it reaches the body core, and a sphincter in these turtle’s throats shuts off blood flow to the lungs when diving, allowing these amazing creatures to conserve energy when needed. In the deepest waters, leatherbacks get plenty of sustenance from jellyfish, their favorite meal.

March (Madness) of the Penguins: Survive and Advance

(Images via: Red Bubble, Flickr, Penguins Land)

While penguins may be celebrated in film for their triumphs on land (and aided outside the water during the cold by their compact feathers, including up to 70 feathers per square inch), these intriguing fellas do spend nearly 3/4 of their lives in the water. So what is the key to their success? Chalk it up to an insulating layer of blubber and the ability to generate body heat by staying active (penguins are able to jet through the water at speeds of up to 15 mph). Other ways penguins stay warm include tucking in their flippers to reduce the surface area for heat loss, absorbing heat from the sun via their black, back feathers, and reducing their contact with the ice by tipping up their feet and standing on their heels in a tripod-like position.

Size Matters: Bigger (and thus Warmer) than the Competition

(Images via: Flickr, Animal Aquatic, Aquatic Community)

For other warm-blooded mammals like whales, seals and walruses, it certainly helps to be big, as the larger the mammal, the lesser the surface area to lose heat. With that said, fur seals benefit not only from weighing roughly 600 pounds as adults but having thick under and overcoats that they shed once a year, and blubber under the skin that can range from one to six inches. For Beluga whales, five inches of blubber certainly helps, as do unique adaptations like a dorsal fin that can break through ice for attaining fresh air, a flexible neck that allows for more maneuverability while navigating cold waters during migration, and amazing endurance (these whales can cover 100 miles in one day). Eat your heart out, Michael Phelps.

Becoming One with the Land

(Images via: Squidoo, From Smiler with Love, Next Stop, Flickr)

Outside the water, land-based animals must be as adaptive to the perils of the Arctic tundra in order to ensure survival. What blubber is to keeping penguins, seals, whales and walruses warm, fur is to caribou, musk oxen and arctic wolves, with the last two examples having thick, long hair overcoats and supplemental undercoats of fleece and fur, respectively. In comparison to other wolves, arctic wolves have smaller, rounder ears and shorter muzzles and legs that help them reduce heat loss. For some animals like the arctic fox, snowshoe hare, collared lemming, and ermine (least weasel), their fur actually changes colors from brownish-gray to white during the winter, offering them not only a needed blanket but an advantageous form of camouflage that makes them hard to identify in the snow. Lemmings, which look like fat furry hamsters, and arctic ground squirrels (the only arctic animal to hibernate) also keep themselves warm by staying in tunnels under the snow (as Ben Folds Five once sang, “you can be happy underground”), while hundreds of arctic hare display another crafty way of generating heat by congregating and packing themselves close to each other.

Adaptive Skills Fit for a Diminutive King

(Image via: Flickr)

Last but not least is the cool story of the golden-crowned kinglet, a tiny bird that resides in Canada and various parts of the United States, Central America and Mexico. Weighing less than a fifth of an ounce, this bird species is able to survive cold weathers via several intriguing adaptations. Researchers have found that the kinglets subsist on hibernating inchworms that reside in their stomachs, keep warm via their plentiful feathers that insulate their small bodies, provide further insulation by puffing out thier bodies (similar to many other birds), and huddle together at night for even more warmth.

Hungry, Hungry Animals: 10 Unique Stories of Consumption

From bonobos ranking food by sound to rats falling in love with junk food, animal appetites, eating habits and consumption are tales of the cool and absurd.

Nature's Halloween Screams: 20 Scary Animals

From gremlin-like primates to ghostly hatchetfish to the appropriately-named vampire bat, nature consists of some scary animals straight out of a horror flick.

Naturally Social: Cool Ways Animals Communicate

From the dialects of the prairie dog to the inaudible rumbles of elephants, animal communication serves many practical purposes, all the while amazing.