Maldive Islands

(images via: Fizzy Energy and Nitty Gritty)

The Indian Ocean nation of the Maldive Islands is the poster child for island nations, consisting of a double-chain of 26 coral atolls and encompassing approximately 1,190 individual islands. The coral atolls are in most cases divided into 5 to 10 inhabited islands and from 20 to 60 uninhabited ones. This unique situation of geography allows entrepreneurs on the inhabited islands to provide “desert island vacations” for foreign tourists looking to live – temporarily – like Robinson Crusoe.

(images via: Treehugger, 5 Minutes Guide and Fizzy Energy)

The Maldives, perhaps more than any other place on Earth, blurs the lines between land and water. While this allows for an abundance of tropical beauty and a remarkably temperate climate, it also puts the nation of 400,000 squarely in the cross-hairs of Global Warming. The average height above sea level in the Maldives is only 5 feet (1.5 meters) with the highest point rising a mere 7 feet 7 inches (2.3 meters). As sea levels continue to rise, high tides and storm surges will cause ever-greater damage to the point where many of the islands will simply cease to exist and their inhabitants could become climate refugees.

Auckland Islands, New Zealand

(images via: NZ/DOC, NASA, Travel-Images and UNESCO)

The Auckland Islands lie south of New Zealand, smack dab in chill southern latitudes dominated by the legendary “Furious Fifties”, howling winds that owe their speed and relentlessness to the lack of land in those latitudes. Auckland Island is the largest of the five islands making up this tight-knit archipelago, formed millions of years ago from several long dormant volcanoes. The total area of the islands is 241.3 square miles (625 km²) but the vast majority of the land is made up of deeply eroded, jagged mountains up to 2,170 feet (660 meters) tall.

(images via: Heritage Expeditions and Andris Apse)

Residual evidence of a possible settlement estimated to be from the 13th century has been found on the Auckland Islands, making it the farthest south any Polynesian explorers were able to reach. Several attempts to colonize the island were made in the 19th century but few lasted more then a couple of years. The islands have been completely uninhabited since the removal of a meteorological station set up and manned by the government of New Zealand during the Second World War.

Aldabra Island, Seychelles

(images via: Arkive, Hot Top Trends and Answers.com)

Aldabra Island is the world’s second largest coral atoll with a total area of 60 square miles (155.4 km²), divided into four individual islands. Aldabra has been known to humanity for many centuries; its name is of Arabic origin. The island group lies 265 miles (426.5 km) northwest of Madagascar and is the westernmost large island of the Seychelles: the island’s capital, Mahé, is over 700 miles (1,126.5 km) to the east. At 21 miles (34 km) long, 9 miles (14.5 km) wide and rising up to 26.25 feet (8 meters) above sea level it’s somewhat of a mystery why Aldabra hasn’t been able to support even a small human settlement.

(images via: Arkive, Hot Top Trends and Answers.com)

Aldabra Island is home to one of the world’s largest populations of Giant Tortoises – around 150,000 Aldabra Giant Tortoises (Dipsochelys dussumieri) roam the atoll, free from human predation. Such was not always the case: 19th century whalers, sealers and long-distance ship voyagers often captured tortoises for food and by 1900 they were nearly extinct. Aldabra is also home to the world’s largest land crab, the Coconut Crab (Birgus latro), known to netizens from a widely circulated image showing one of the creatures hiding (barely) behind a trashcan.

Tetepare Island, Solomon Islands

(images via: Tetepare.org and Wikimedia)

Known as “the last wild island”, Tetepare Island in the Solomon Islands has been uninhabited since the mid-19th century when members of its native tribe fled to surrounding islands due to an increasing threat from headhunters. The island is 45.5 square miles (118 km²) in area and is the largest uninhabited island in the western Pacific Ocean region.

(images via: Jens Kruger, Solomon Times and AVI)

Tetepare Island has been monitored since 2002 by the Tetepare Descendants Association (TDA), a registered Solomon Islands charitable organization that seeks to preserve the island from logging and other resource exploitation for the benefit of future generations. An ecolodge has been established on the island under the TDA’s supervision, which provides employment to local islanders and raises both funds for conservation projects and awareness of Tetepare’s unique status.

Rock Islands (Chelbacheb), Palau

(images via: Citypictures, Survivor Skills and Daily Scuba Diving)

Made famous by their starring role in Survivor Palau, the tenth season of the American reality show “Survivor” broadcast in early 2005, the 250-300 Rock Islands (called Chelbacheb in the native Palauan language) encompass a total land area of just 18 square miles (47 km²) yet boast an abundance of ecological diversity. These heavily forested limestone and coral islands rise up to 680 feet (207 m) above sea level and many feature hidden lagoons and lakes where unique species abound.

(images via: NCBI, BDnews24.com, The Independent and Secret of the Crystal Skulls)

A place as beautiful and fertile as Palau’s Rock Islands may be uninhabited today but it seems that human’s gave settlement a shot at various times over the past several thousand years. One of the most intriguing examples involves the discovery of skeletal remains of “tiny people”. At first thought to be related to the so-called Hobbits of Flores Island in Indonesia, it’s now believed the remains belong to ancient Palauans affected by Island Dwarfism.

Cocos Island, Costa Rica

(images via: Cocos Island and Diving World)

Cocos Island is sort of a northern Galapagos, lying quite isolated in the Pacific Ocean approximately 340 miles (550 km) off Costa Rica’s western coast. The roughly rectangular island is 9.2 square miles (23.85 km²) in area and hosts a mainly stable population of deer, pigs, cats, and rats introduced purposefully or accidentally by humans. The latter never maintained long-lasting settlements despite the availability of fresh water. The waters around Cocos Island are a rich oasis of marine life, as the following video shows:

Video más Reciente de Isla del Coco-Most recent video Cocos Island, via Marcogarrido1

(images via: SciFi Squad and FilmAffinity)

Author Michael Crichton probably based Isla Nublar from his novel (and later the films and games) Jurassic Park on Cocos Island. Supporting this supposition is the fact that “Isla Nublar” is Spanish for Cloudy Island and Cocos Island is the only island near Central or South America with an extensive Cloud Forest ecosystem.

Phoenix Islands, Kiribati

(images via: Cosmos Magazine, Wikimedia and Solarviews)

The Phoenix Islands are a group of 8 islands and several coral reefs located about halfway between Hawaii and Fiji in the south Pacific. The total land area of the islands is just 11 square miles (27.6 km²) and except for two dozen people (as of May 2010) living on Kanton, the largest of the group, the islands are uninhabited. Several attempts to settle or colonize the Phoenix Islands have been made over the past two centuries but all ended in failure with the last residents leaving in 1963.

(images via: San Francisco Sentinel and The Saipan Blog)

The Phoenix Islands are isolated – though part of the Republic of Kiribati, Kanton Island lies (1,765 km) east of the republic’s capital, South Tarawa. The southernmost island of the Phoenix island group has a dubious claim to fame. Nikumaroro (formerly known as Gardner Island) is thought by some to be the place where American aviatrix Amelia Earhart along with navigator Fred Noonan crash-landed in July of 1937, while attempting an around-the-world flight in a twin-engine Lockheed Electra.

Mu Ko Ang Thong, Thailand

(images via: Souvlaki for the Soul and Treetop Asia)

Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park (established 1980) consists of 42 islands in the Gulf of Thailand. Though the park as a whole covers 39.5 square miles (102 km²), only 7 square miles (18 km²) are dry land. “Ang Thong” means “Bowl of Gold”, and the islands enjoy the warm weather and abundant sunshine that has made tourist areas in Thailand’s Surat Thani province so popular.

(images via: Simandan, Psychedelic Adventure and G Living)

The islands of Mu Ko Ang Thong are the setting of The Beach in the 1996 Alex Garland novel and the 2000 film of the same name, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Pre-production activity including flattening the beach was conducted, which ruffled feathers locally, but the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami saw the beach re-assume much of its original look and character.

Monuriki Island, Mamanuca Islands (Fiji)

(images via: CIO, David Wall Photo and Hotel Rental Group)

There are about 20 volcanic islands in the Mamanuca Islands group, part of the nation of Fiji. That number drops to about 13 when the tide is high, however. Many of the Mamanuca Islands are uninhabited and the main factor deciding habitation seems to be the availability of fresh water.

(images via: DVD Beaver and Mentalfloss)

One of the Mamanuca Islands has achieved a special type of fame: tiny Monuriki Island is the main location where the 2000 movie Cast Away was filmed. The character played by Tom Hanks, “Chuck Noland” (C. No land… get it?) faced several difficulties surviving on Monuriki, chief among them making fire and finding a source of fresh water to drink. Good thing he had his pal Wilson to keep him company too!

Ball’s Pyramid

(images via: Oddity Central, Fakename2 and Starship)

Rising from the Pacific Ocean 13 miles (20 km) southeast of Lord Howe Island and 370 miles (600 km) east of Australia, 1,844 ft (562 m) high Ball’s Pyramid may be the Earth’s most visually stunning island. The shear volcanic outcrop was first discovered in 1788 by Lieutenant Henry Lidgbird Ball. It wasn’t until nearly a century later, in 1882, that the first person actually stepped – very carefully, I’m guessing – onto the rocky shore of the island. It’s safe to say that there may not be a single patch of horizontal ground anywhere on the 3,600 ft (1,100 m) by 1,000 ft (300 m) remnant of a 7 million year old volcano.

(image via: Outdoors Webshots)

You’d think Ball’s Pyramid would be a rock climber’s and BASE jumper’s idea of paradise, and indeed the pinnacle was successfully climbed to the summit for the first time in February of 1965. Climbing was banned entirely in 1982 though since 1990 applications may be made under special conditions, subject to approval by the Australian government.

Devon Island, Canada

(image via: Statistics Canada)

This list leaves out major and minor islands of the arctic and Antarctic as they do not remotely meet any conception of a “desert island”. Even so, we will give honorable mention to Devon Island, the world’s 27th largest island and the largest uninhabited island on the planet. Located in Canada’s arctic archipelago northwest of Baffin Island, Devon Island measures 21,331 square miles (55,247 km²) in size.

(images via: Canadian Museum of Nature and Atlas Obscura)

The brutally cold, dry climate and the existence of the 14 mile (23 km) wide Haughton Impact Crater has made Devon Island the perfect testing area for future Mars rovers and habitats. It ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids, as Elton John once sang, and as for those Desert Island Discs? Leave ‘em at home – you’ll have trouble finding an electrical outlet anyway.

---

Want More? Click for Great Related Content on WebEcoist:

10 Incredible Natural Private Islands & Island Nations

Wouldn’t you love to be king of a Caribbean island? Whether you’ve got islomania – a strong attraction to islands – or are just daydreaming about getting away, you’ve got to admit that isla... 9 Comments - Click Here to Read More »»

---

Superman’s View of Island Paradises: 37 Amazing Aerial Pics

Have you ever wanted to retreat from the daily grind to an island paradise? What if you could envision them with a bird’s eye view first to help you decide where to go? If Superman took vacatio... 1 Comment - Click Here to Read More »»

---

Leptodirus Beetle

(images via: ICSB-2010, Wikipedia France and Petkovanja in Pondelkovanja)

So-called troglobites – not to be confused with troglodites, or cave men – are creatures that have adapted their physical forms to best suit the environment of caves, typically to the point where they cannot survive when removed from said caves. The first troglobite to be described in scientific literature was the Leptodirus beetle (Leptodirus hochenwartii), back in 1832.

(image via: Wikipedia)

Leptodirus beetles average about 4/10 of an inch (1cm) in length and are thought to survive by feeding on the carcasses of deceased cave creatures. Found only in several limestone caves in southeastern Europe’s Dinaric Alps, Leptodirus beetles are considered to be a vulnerable species as their ecological requirements span a very narrow range.

Kauai Cave Wolf Spider

(images via: Earlham College, Animalaqua, Bishop Museum and Dreamstime)

The Kauai Cave Wolf Spider (Adelocosa anops), discovered in 1971, can be found on the Hawaiian island of Kauai and inside five caves where only about two dozen in total are thought to live. The caves were formed between 3.6 and 5.6 million years ago so the spider has had several million years to evolve into its current eyeless state – “anops” means eyeless, by the way. The creature relies upon a finely tuned sense of touch and the ability to note minute vibrations when stalking prey within the volcanic caves’ pitch-black environs. That’s a normal Wolf Spider at above right, compared with A. Anops on the left.

(image via: Red Orbit)

Though biologists and environmentalists may bemoan the exceptional rarity of the Kauai Cave Wolf Spider, spelunkers and arachnophobics (or both) might feel the opposite: this intriguing eyeless spider is quite large, measuring over 3 inches (8cm) across. It’s considered to be harmless to humans, if that’s any help when you’re exploring the deepest depths of a Kauai cave and the battery in your flashlight dies.

Kentucky Cave Shrimp

(images via: USGS and Unusual Kentucky)

The Kentucky Cave Shrimp (Palaemonias ganteri) is one of a number of eyeless and/or sightless troglobite shrimps that have successfully exploited lightless cave environments the world over.

(image via: The Infinite Sphere)

Living mainly in Kentucky’s famed Mammoth Cave and other subterranean caves in the area, the Kentucky Cave Shrimp is considered to be endangered due to above-ground dams and canals that have affected the natural rate of water flow and sedimentation in the Mammoth Cave system. The shrimp, which are both eyeless and transparent, grow to a length of 1.25 inches (3.15cm) and are closely related to other cave-dwelling shrimp found in Texas, Alabama and Florida.

(image via: Ben’s Biz Blog)

The rarity of the Kentucky Cave Shrimp and the fact that its existence is threatened by groundwater pollution has made the shrimp somewhat of a poster-child for environmental activism and a local cause celeb in the area of Mammoth Cave. In 2009, the newly formed Bowling Green baseball club staged a Name The Team contest and although “Hot Rods” was the winning (or at least, chosen) entry, Cave Shrimp received at least some votes. Pity it didn’t win – just imagine the above awesome logo on players’ uniforms.

Blind Cave Crayfish

(images via: USGS, Dayo Scuba and ScienceRay)

Almost 40 different species of Cave Crayfish live in various cave ecosystems scattered across the United States alone. Common to most of these species is eyelessness, lack of pigmentation and very long lifespans – in some cases estimated at over 75 years! Cave Crayfish are among the largest troglobites, reaching lengths of almost 4 inches (10cm).

(image via: Dayo Scuba)

Cave Crayfish have evolved over millions of years to be totally in sync with their exceptionally demanding environment. As such, they can be looked at as “canaries in the coalmine” – environmental indicators as to the health of the pristine, naturally filtered groundwater in which they live.

Blind Cave Crab

(images via: Daily Mail UK, DBS/NUS and Biotagua)

Like many troglobites, Cave Crabs exist in dark, flooded cave environments around the globe. They share a number of common evolutionary adaptations, such as eyelessness and depigmentation that gives them a ghostly appearance – not that anyone (or anything) saw them before humans with lights and cameras invaded their space.

(image via: Biotagua)

Cave Crabs are often found around the inlets where freshwater enters caves, bringing with it food for the opportunistic crabs to eat. The Cave Crab in the topmost image above, Sesarmoides jacobsoni, was discovered in a cave located on the Indonesian island of Java.

Blind Cave Fish

(images via: FOX News, NPS and National Geographic)

The Blind Cave Fish, or Mexican Tetra (Astyanax mexicanus) has evolved from normal Tetra fish that can be found today in the Rio Grande river and other rivers and streams in Mexico and Texas. Growing to about 4 inches (10cm) in length, the Mexican Tetra displays extreme albinism, a semi-transparent skin and most shocking: complete eyelessness. Such traits are shared by the newly discovered blind cave fish Milyeringa veritas (above, lowest photo), a 2-inch (5cm) long eyeless fish found in Australian freshwater aquifers.

(image via: Wikipedia)

Mexican Tetras are one of the only cave-dwelling troglobitic creatures that are not endangered – they can even be bought and maintained as unique aquarium fish! Owners report that though completely blind, Mexican Tetras kept in aquariums use their highly developed non-visual sense organs to avoid bumping into aquarium objects and walls, and

Brazilian Blind Characid

(images via: BBC)

Stygichthys typhlops, a blind relative of the fearsome piranha, may be “the most threatened underground fish species in Brazil” according to ichthyologist Dr. Cristiano Moreira of the Federal University of Sao Paulo. The fish lives in a single, 15.5 mile (25km) long aquifier in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.

(image via: Treehugger)

Villagers drawing water from wells in the town of Jaiba reported seeing strange pale fish swimming in the well. Maybe it’s just me but when you’ve got piranhas in the well it’s time to think about moving, amiright?

Texas Blind Salamander

(images via: Academic.ru, Silverfish Attack and Why Evolution Is True)

The Texas Blind Salamander (Eurycea rathbuni) is an extreme example of eyelessness as an adaptation to low or zero light conditions in underground environments. Growing up to 5 inches (13cm) in length, this rare and unusual creature is found in just one location: the San Marcos Pool of the Edwards Aquifer in Hays, Texas.

(image via: CaliforniaHerps)

Texas Blind Salamanders are amphibians and they lay their eggs in water. They eat snails, amphipods and blind shrimp – a case of the blind eating the blind, pardon the pun.

Olm

(images via: Wikipedia and ScienceBlogs)

The Olm (Proteus anguinus) is the only member of its genus and the only troglobitic vertebrate on the European mainland. Like the Leptodirus beetle, it can be found in the freshwater caves of southeastern Europe’s Dinaric Alps. First described in 1768 but not recognized as a purely cave-dwelling animal, the Olm is known to people in Slovenia and Croatia as the “human fish” due to its pale, pinky coloration.

(images via: Arkive, Oracle ThinkQuest and Posing Facts)

The Olm’s snakelike body averages 8 to 12 inches (20–30 cm) in length with occasional examples reaching 16 inches (40cm). As one of the symbols of Slovenia, the Olm was featured on some of the country’s coins before they switched to the Euro.

(images via: Wired and Nature Manchester)

Though it may superficially resemble the Texas Blind Salamander and like it is completely eyeless, the Olm is a completely different animal. It is neotenic, remaining in the gill-breathing larval stage its entire life (which may be as long as 100 years!). Olms also have 3 toes on the forelimbs but only 2 on their hind limbs. Here’s a short video on the Olm from the acclaimed PBS television program Nature:

Land of the Falling Lakes – Alien Creatures, via PBS

Madagascar Blind Snake

(images via: IO9 and WebEcoist)

The Madagascar Blind Snake (Xenotyphlops mocquardi) is one of 15 different kinds of blind snakes that call Madagascar their home, though Xenotyphlops takes sightlessness to a whole new level. In fact, unless this 10-inch (25cm) long, pencil-thin burrowing reptile opens its mouth – or happens to be in motion – it’s tough to know which end is which. While not eyeless per se, the Madagascar Blind Snake is negatively phototaxic, meaning it avoids light and when brought to the surface immediately tries to burrow back underground. Xenotyphlops and its blind relatives are the only snakes that eat insects exclusively, homing in on ant and termite nests with a highly developed sense of smell.

(image via: MSNBC)

The Madagascar Blind Snake was actually discovered twice: once in 1905 and again one hundred years later after not being seen at all in the interim. It obviously has perfected the art of deception; the genus is believed to have split off from its ancestral line about 155 million years ago when Madagascar was part of the composite Gondwanaland continent.

(image via: Filmcritic)

Some like to think “the eyes have it” but these 10 amazing eyeless animals prove without a doubt there’s more than one way of having it; a way that doesn’t depend on seeing what’s wanted. It’s a vision thing… that doesn’t require actual vision. You see? They don’t, and that’s cool.

---

Want More? Click for Great Related Content on WebEcoist:

Clearly Beautiful: 10 Amazing Transparent Animals

Being transparent (or nearly so) doesn’t mean animals have nothing to hide. On the contrary, their lack of pigmentation can help them elude predators who literally see right through them. Trans... 7 Comments - Click Here to Read More »»

---

Grape Friends: 10 Amazing Purple Animals

There may not be a One-horned One-eyed Flying Purple People Eater but there ARE a lot of actual purple animals around – one might say there are a bunch. Color them purple, lavender, mauve, orch... 4 Comments - Click Here to Read More »»

---

The inescapable cycle of life, death and decay will have its way with us all, and virtually everything else on earth… and while most people find this reality of nature less than pleasant, others seek to magnify and exploit it. Because while decay can certainly be disgusting – as some artists have portrayed with rotting animals – it can also be beautiful, like allowing the sea to etch a pattern into metal.

Dieter Roth

(images via: MOMA)

No collection of decay-themed art would be complete without the inclusion of Dieter Roth, whose entire oeuvre challenged the notion that art is immortal. Bananas, sausage and dung are just a few of the items Roth used to create pieces that blossomed with maggots and mold, falling victim to the relentless cycle of life and death even under the harsh lights of exclusive art galleries. Certainly the bust of chocolate that he made of himself, covered in birdseed and threw into a courtyard as a feast for birds looks very different than it did when he created it.

Dan Dempster

(image via: wikimedia commons)

The sea is a great and mysterious artist, carving rocks and scouring patterns into sunken man-made objects with its relentless tides and currents. Bermuda artist Dan Dempster submerged pieces of steel into the ocean and let it etch patterns into the surface with a rusty, dreamy and utterly aquatic result.

Nathan Slate Joseph

(images via: sundaram tagore gallery)

Many artists whose work is displayed outdoors dread the process of weathering; they lacquer and protect their work as much as possible to defend it against fading, rust, and other hazards of wind and rain. But Nathan Slate Joseph intentionally leaves squares of steel outdoors to “empower nature by allowing it to have a hand in the making of his art.” He even applies acids to facilitate the breakdown of the pigments he applies to each square, letting them age and change naturally before soldering them together into one cohesive piece.

Damien Hirst

(images via: my modern met)

Renowned British artist Damien Hirst is known for making death a central theme in nearly all of his works, the most notable – and controversial – of which being a series made from animal corpses. One work featuring a rotting cow and bull was banned from gallery exhibition by New York public health officials for fear of “vomiting among the visitors”. Another, “A Thousand Years”, consisted of a rotting cow’s head in a glass case, covered in maggots and flies. But not all of Hirst’s dead animals are left to the ravages of nature – some are preserved in formaldehyde, like his iconic (and somehow simultaneously iconoclastic) shark.

Tony Reason

(images via: tonyreason.com)

Rust is a powerful pigment, with its vivid hues of red and orange that it lends to all sorts of metals, whether desired or not. British artist Tony Reason must see a great beauty in rust, because he has made it the center of much of his work: giant metal panels with rust designs and even rust mixed with wax and painted on canvas.

Kathy Kelley

(image via: artslant)

Few artists enjoy being told that their work looks like a bunch of trash – but Kathy Kelley knows that that’s exactly what her sculptures are. Kelley, who holds an MFA in graphic design, turned to “revaluing objects of refuse” with her large-scale found-object sculptures, saying “I am drawn to the symbolic and formal elements of decay, the way in which an object has been altered by its mere existence. The worn, broken, torn nature of the aged object seems to make it more real, more honest. So I collect decayed urban refuse. I hold onto it for awhile. Cogitate. Eventually the formal and symbolic elements of the materials and my current research meld. Then I make.”

Matthew Barney & Elizabeth Peyton

(images via: c-monster)

Take one dead shark a la Damien Hirst, throw in some drawings that have been embellished by the sea over a period of a few months a la Dan Dempster, and you’ve got the strange collaborative project “The Blood of Two” by artists Matthew Barney and Elizabeth Peyton.  Some of Peyton’s nautical-themed drawings were placed in a glass casket which was submerged in the ocean for months; the casket was ceremoniously lifted from the sea and taken on a funeral-like procession to a slaughterhouse where the drawings were removed and replaced with a dead shark. The shark was later served to onlookers. Barney is also known for his performance art videos featuring sculptures made from uncooked tapioca, which were left to decay as they would.

Rosamond Purcell

(images via: zymmogyphic)

Did you ever imagine that a dead fish could be so beautiful? Rosamond Purcell collects such natural and man-made curiosities for her assemblage art, which pays tribute to decay in all forms, from the remains of dead creatures to worm-eaten books and rusted metal. Purcell sources most of her materials at a junkyard in Maine and turns them into art installations, sculptures, collages and other collections as documented in her book Bookworm: The Art of Rosamond Purcell.

Joseph Beuys

(images via: 2thewalls)

Artist Joseph Beuys worked with all sorts of unconventional materials, but they were never randomly chosen. Beuys used edible items like butter, sausage and chocolate in some works, knowing that they would transform and decay over time, changing the way that people reacted to each piece. Fat in particular played a large role, used to signify “chaos and the potential for spiritual transcendence”. The images above show how the work ‘Fat Chair’, which featured a triangular slab of butter on a wooden chair, evolved as it decayed.

Zhang Xiaotao

(images via: saatchi gallery)
Perhaps hang Xiaotao’s art isn’t made directly from putrefying objects, but nearly as unusual is the desire to produce art that holds up decay as a subject worth portraying again and again. Xiaotao depicts moldy strawberries, rotting birthday cake, heaps of trash in the subway and ants feasting on forgotten food as lovingly as if they were stunning landscapes and beautiful models. “I am creating something that is disappointing and yet has great hopes – a cycle of positive and negative energy that is in a constant state of renewal,” he told China Daily.

---

Want More? Click for Great Related Content on WebEcoist:

42 Phenomenal Works of Fire Art and Design

In ancient and modern cosmologies alike, fire is often regarded as both a creative and destructive force. Aside of the aesthetics of fire art there is something compelling about taming this primal, c... 6 Comments - Click Here to Read More »»

---

Frozen Moments: Freaky, Funky Eco Art Installations

It would be easy to see death and depression in Claire Morgan‘s visual art installations. After all, they often feature dead bugs, taxidermy animals, and dead or dying plant matter. The compone... Click Here to Read More »»

---

These odd circles may look like messages from aliens or the humorous graffiti of penguins, but it’s actually the ephemeral snow and ice art of earth artist Jim Denevan, best known for his temporary beach masterpieces. The snow circles are somewhat of a departure from Denevan’s usual medium, but he’s no stranger to large-scale natural art. This nine-square-mile snow drawing currently holds the record as the world’s largest snow drawing; the record before that belonged to a sand drawing created in the Nevada desert by Denevan.

Jim Denevan’s art is all about impermanence. His large-scale artworks are meant to exist only for very short periods of time, after which they will be washed away by waves, wind and weather. This massive art was created on Siberia’s frozen Lake Baikal, the world’s largest lake.

Because of the constant threat of losing the entire piece to a sharp gust of wind, a team of helpers assisted in the creation of the gigantic masterpiece. Eight people in all got out onto the ice and used brooms to sweep the snow into simple, elegant circles. The work was chronicled on The Anthropologist, a site that features new artwork for Anthropologie.

The crew slept in a yurt on the ice, warming themselves by a fire in the lake bed that re-froze each morning in the brutal temperatures. The expedition was filmed by a documentary filmmaker and captured by a photographer; both of these documentation methods are necessary when creating art in a medium as temporary as ice.

The tundra warmed up, Lake Baikal thawed, and Jim Denevan’s lovely circles melted away forever. But the artist isn’t losing any sleep over his lost masterpiece; his goal is to create beautiful and inspiring pieces of art that only exist for a moment in time. His ephemeral art reminds us all to savor every day, to find beauty in even the most fleeting moment.

---

Want More? Click for Great Related Content on WebEcoist:

42 Wonderful Works of Water, Snow and Ice Art

What sets works of water art apart from ordinary earth art? For starters, water is an amazingly variable medium with which to work – water flows with gravity, water levels rise and fall with ti... 9 Comments - Click Here to Read More »»

---

You Dirty Beach: English Seaside Gets Eco Message

How often do we really think about all of the garbage that’s lurking on our beaches? Even if the sand itself looks clean, the chances are that there is all sorts of industrial and commercial wa... Click Here to Read More »»

---

Golden Beetles

(images via: MindCafe, BugGuide and TravelPod)

Certain types of beetles can appear so golden it’s hard to believe they haven’t somehow incorporated 24-carat gold into their gleaming shells! They haven’t – if they did, human treasure hunters would have long since driven them to extinction. Among the most golden of these “gold bugs” are the Golden Scarab Beetle and the Golden Tortoise Beetle.

(images via: Home Schooling Aspergers, Laurie and Matt and Extreme Science)

These insects get their golden appearance using some pretty sophisticated science. The Golden Tortoise Beetle can adjust the moisture content between two layers of its wing covers, resulting in varying levels or golden iridescence as seen by the human eye.

(image via: DK Images)

The Golden Scarab Beetle (Chrysina resplendens) goes even further: its chitinous cuticle reflects circularly polarized light which is “left-handed”. Sounds complicated; looks brilliant!

Golden Jumping Spiders

(images via: Johnbird30 and BugGuide)

Jumping spiders are hunters and ambush predators rather than web-weavers so one would think having a gleaming, metallic exoskeleton would not be in their best interest. Possibly these spiders’ golden appearance is something only human eyes – and not those of its prey – can appreciate.

(image via: Bug Guide)

Jumping spiders are one of the most intelligent spider species and this 1/4-inch long iridescent gold example is one of the most striking in appearance. The rose petal upon which this jewel-like arachnid has set up his or her hunting grounds makes a pleasing contrast with the shimmering iridescent gold of the spider’s exoskeleton.

Golden Monarch Butterfly Chrysalis

(images via: Micro Cosmos, Dave A. eh? and How Stuff Works)

Monarch butterflies are known for their bold orange wings bisected with black veins and contrasting white spots. Their caterpillars, often found grazing on Milkweed plants, are striped with black, white and yellow. It’s only in this majestic creature’s intermediate stage that it chooses to flash its gold: the chrysalis. Oh, uhh, the dude in the chrysalis suit? Gold, pure (comedy) gold.

(images via: Clayruth and About.com)

A Monarch butterfly chrysalis is mainly emerald or jade green in color highlighted by bright metallic gold trim – a horizontal line about 1/3 of the way down and raised golden bumps set apart symmetrically on its lower portion. About 24 hours before the butterfly emerges from the chrysalis, the surface will darken and then turn transparent. Through this process and even after the butterfly has emerged, the golden stripe and spots remain.

Golden Fish

(images via: Smile-O-Smile)

To quote the website copy describing this “truly unbelievable” golden fish, “This is an amazing creation of the Creator. Gold Fish, which was found in the sea in Taiwan was put to display in Taiwan’s Natural Museum.” Okie dokie, I have an open mind and I’m sure you do too… but then: “Scientists have found that some of the parts of this beautiful fish are of 24 carat pure gold.” That noise you heard? That was my mind snapping shut.

(image via: Rojaks)

Seems this particular goldfish, er, gold fish is an animatronic device that may have a creator; just not THE Creator. One can be sure, however, that Koi breeders are actively engaged in producing a truly believable golden ornamental carp. Such a fish might not have 24-carat gold parts but eager buyers would likely pay as if they were.

Golden Poison-Dart Frog

(images via: Jassy World and Bukisa)

There are several different species of Golden Poison Frogs including Phyllobates terribilis, said to be the world’s most poisonous vertebrate. Just how deadly are the alkaloid toxins exuded by these frogs through their skin? Just milligram of the frog’s Batrachotoxin poison is enough to kill approximately 10,000 mice, or 10 to 20 humans, or two African bull elephants – from 1/1,000th of a gram of poison! Another way of stating its toxicity is roughly 15,000 humans killed per gram. “Look but don’t touch” was never so appropriate.

(images via: The Dog Walker, Harunyahya and Know Your Meme)

Golden Poison Frogs are not metallic gold in hue; in fact they can be pale green, various shades of yellow or even bright orange. Where you WILL see metallic gold on frogs (or toads) is in their eyes – the iris’ of many types of common frogs and toads displays a rich, brassy golden tone that contrasts with a midnight black background. Quite beautiful… some might even say, hypnotic.

Gold Tegu Lizard

(images via: Offbeat Pets and Richard Seaman)

The Gold Tegu lizard is a large South American lizard that exploits a similar ecologic niche to that of monitor lizards on other continents. The Gold Tegu’s glossy skin and ornate gold over black striping combine to make it visually very appealing.

(image via: Richard Seaman)

Gold Tegu lizards are popular pets though their feisty nature and hard-to-tame aggressiveness makes them a real handful. Speaking of which, a Gold Tegu can grow rather large – up to 44″ long from tip of the nose to the end of their tails – and unlike other Tegu species they are mainly carnivorous.

Golden Snakes

(images via: Arkive, Steffen und Christina, Eco Terrarium Supply and Polyvore.com)

Several different species of snakes have been graced with the prefix “golden”, including the Golden Tree Snake and the Golden Cat Snake. Most gold-toned snakes live in desert habitats where their coloration helps them blend in with the sandy ground and dry vegetation of arid climes.

(image via: Worth1000)

Now here’s one “rattler” that one wouldn’t mind having coiled close by – it’s one way to un-constrict your finances, at least. I’d say the gilded serpent above was both real and available but then… I’d be speaking with a forked tongue.

Golden Marmoset

(images via: Is America Burning and Purple Slinky)

The Golden Marmoset, or Golden Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia), is one of the smallest monkeys and also one of the most endangered. It’s estimated only about 1,000 of these primates survive in forested areas of Brazil’s Atlantic coast while another 490 are currently kept in captivity or on protected reserves. It’s estimated that 98 percent of the Golden Marmoset’s original lush rainforest habitat has been destroyed through logging and/or agriculture.

(image via: Uglorable)

The thick, golden fur covering the Golden Marmoset makes it appear larger and heaver than it really is. In actual fact, these New World monkeys only grow up to 13.2 inches (335mm) long and can weight up to 25 ounces (about 700 grams) when fully grown.

Golden Weaver Bird

(images via: Brian Callahan)

The African Golden Weaver (Ploceus subaureus) can be found in eastern and southern Africa roughly from Kenya down to South Africa. These birds can form flocks of many thousands and their teardrop-shaped nests may hang from leaf-stripped savannah trees by the dozens.

(images via: ScienceBlogs and Vijay Barve)

Golden Weaver Birds are not considered to be threatened and indeed, one of their relatives (the Red-billed Quelea) is considered to be the world’s most abundant bird with a population of approximately 1.5 billion. All Weavers are seed-eaters, and flocks sometimes cause African farmers problems when they settle en masse to gorge themselves on mature seed crops.

Golden Bond Girl

(images via: EHV Emmetts and Probert Encyclopaedia)

Our last (but not least) golden creature is of the species Homo Sapien, commonly known as Shirley Eaton, Bond Girl. Eaton played the role of Jill Masterson in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger. Her claim to fame was her on-screen demise, considered by movie pundits to be one of the top ten film deaths. The crucial scene features Eaton sprawled nude on a bed, her body completely covered in gold. Betty White’s cool and all, but Shirley Eaton is one hot Golden Girl! Here’s a video clip of the notorious (for 1964) scene:

Shirley Eaton as Jill Masterson in Goldfinger (part 3), via Sakieee7

(image via: Screenrush)

The Jill Masterson character supposedly died from “skin suffocation”, a questionable proposition that incidentally was investigated in a memorable episode of the Mythbusters television series. Shirley Eaton was said to suffer no ill effects from her movie makeup though the film’s producers kept a doctor on hand while filming “just in case”. As for Mythbuster’s Adam Savage, his head to toe gold painting also left him none the worse for wear though his pride was somewhat dented.

(image via: Gary L. Todd, Ph.D.)

All that glitters isn’t always gold and what appears to be gold may or may not glitter – then again, animals are animate objects and their golden garb has value much more than that of the metal that has enticed, entranced and blinded humans from time immemorial.

---

Want More? Click for Great Related Content on WebEcoist:

Butter Living: 10 Amazing Yellow Animals

Yellow: the color of sunshine, lemons, bananas, and a surprising variety of animals. Though you may call them Mellow Yellow (quite rightly), these warmly tinted creatures don’t take their hues ... 3 Comments - Click Here to Read More »»

---

Nature’s Exotic Athletes: 12 Strange Animal Sports

(Images via: Flickr, Flickr, Dances with Anxiety, Beetles for Sale) Across college and professional sports, plenty of teams are nicknamed after animals. But do animals participate in sporting activit... 1 Comment - Click Here to Read More »»

---