gimblythebeetle's Favorites

A blueberry hermit crab (Coenobita purpureus) adapting with plastic.
Location: Yomitan, Okinawa
Learn more about the project
"Crabs with beach trash homes"
https://okinawanaturephotography.com/crabs-with-beach-trash-homes-okinawa-japan/

This snake was seen by a camper here on site #28, it slithered right through their campsite. By looking at the tail pattern/rattle and size I think this is the same snake that was spotted in August. At that time the snake had about 7 rattle segments and this one has eight, so it may have shed between them and now.

Saw two over about 50m.
Medium strength southerly.
Left-handed type.

There was a cool cirolanid isopod stuck on one but it was dead sadly, looked like it may have been stung. I think it was probably caught near shore. No other Neuston life seen.

Imaged in aquarium

~7cm long float
~40cm long tentacles not fully extended

To this date, the second largest Burmese python caught in the Florida Keys. The animal was located in a novel way, it had eaten a Virginia opossum outfitted with a satellite telemetry collar. After a set period of inactivity, the collar would send off signal indicating that the animal was dead. Well this happened, and then the collar would move a few hundred feet, then go back on mortality signal, then move again and so on. After a week of this, we decided to go see what was up with the animal, so we tracked it to the hardwood-mangrove edge underground, odd for a opossum. We set up a grid of camera traps and baited them with cat food and no opossum showed up. A few days later, we tried digging at the point where the signal was strongest, thinking that maybe the collar slipped and after an hour we saw scales! We were able to extract the python that day after quite a fight pulling her from her burrow.
(1) Myself and other CLNWR employees holding the python
(2) First image of the python in the underground cavity
(3) Python being measured
(4) Python's enormous head
(5) Location of the collar (RIP Prairie Dog) in the python's GIT
(6) X-Ray of the collar within the python
Point submitted to EDDMapS and under review.
TL: 383.54cm
SVL: not taken
Mass: 28122.7kg
Sex: Female

Documenting Threatened Species (DoTS) é um projeto ambicioso que busca documentar e divulgar para o mundo as espécies ameaçadas de extinção no Brasil.
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Veja mais sobre o Projeto DoTS e sobre as espécies ameaçadas de extinção no Brasil em www.projetodots.org ou na conta de Instagram do projeto (https://www.instagram.com/projeto_dots).

I was lucky to observe this owl for about 20 minutes. When I first found it, it was actively looking around from a relatively open perch. It flushed to a more concealed perch after I attempted to approach it more closely. I heard it (or another individual) calling the following night in the same general area. (I'm about a year behind on my photos, but I had to expedite this one...)

A truly amazing encounter with one of the world's most enigmatic ungulates. When I first saw this Pygmy Hippo, it was resting on the ground a few meters off the trail, covered with sweat droplets. After about an hour of waiting, it got up and slowly walked through the forest. It did not appear to mind my presence.

The bird was already dead when Angélica found it, but the tarantula had only managed to grab it by the head. I guess it was killed by venom. Highly creepy. I saw this once before, but that time the rapacious arthropod had completely eviscerated the body cavity of a Microcerculus bambla.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stoufferlsu/9363902166
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stoufferlsu/9363902522
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stoufferlsu/9356715850
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stoufferlsu/9363902696

Makgadikgadi Saline Grassland (Hyphaene petersiana palm savanna). Under piece of dry wood. Stung 12h17, sharp needle-prick pain. Applied Prep 12h20. 12h38 inflammed, needles-and-pins. 16h37 normal colour, needles-and-pins. 16h53 purple-red around sting, needles-and-pins.

Indian Rock Python
(Python molurus)
Non-venomous
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Some release phone clicks
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Pythons usually are a good climbers as well as a good constrictor, more muscular and more powerful to constrict any of it's prey to death. This beautiful and massive species live's between us and always mistaken to Russell's viper (venomous) and bitten to death. But this is totally non venomous snake, but ya it's bite can be painful but surely no one dies of it. These massive species should be protected very well and people must learn about them more rather than killing any of the snake.
Awarness is the least we can do Before or after rescuing the snake. A massive and strong body and dark brown blotches all over the dorsal side is the best way to differentiate between Russell's viper and python.