The Pennant Winged Nightjar

The Pennant Winged Nightjar

Enjoy...Steve...

I wanted to find more information about the Pennant Winged Nightjar but I could only find basic info. Hopefully some pictures and knowing that it exists should be enough.

The pennant-winged nightjar (Caprimulgus vexillarius) is an intra-African migrant that occurs from Nigeria to northern South Africa. The male is characteristic in having a broad white band over the otherwise black primaries. In addition the males acquire a striking 2nd primary feather during the breeding season. These pennants grow to greater lengths in successive years, up to twice the body length. They are dropped or broken off quickly upon completion of breeding. With the distal (9th) and proximal (1st - 3rd) primaries being longest, the wings of male birds are distinctly angular.

Their preferred habitat south of the equator is plateau woodlands, especially Miombo, where they are partial to stony or boulder-strewn hillsides. They are observed as bi-annual and social passage migrants along the Kenyan Rift Valley and Lake Victoria regions, and spend the non-breeding season in subtropical savanna from Nigeria to Sudan.

Foraging birds emerge in the late afternoon or directly after sunset for crepuscular feeding and are once again active before sunrise. Their diet includes a variety of insects although scarab beetles are favoured. They drink while flying slowly over a water surface. The roost and nest are on bare ground, sometimes among leaf litter. When disturbed they may perch lengthwise on a branch, reminiscent of the similar-sized European nightjar.

Breeding takes place from spring to early summer while south of the equator. Males have separate display territories and attract passing females with an insect-like song. Males furthermore engage in display flights, low through woodland or at great height, wherein they may be joined by receptive females. Egg-laying coincides with the full moon. By mid-summer some birds start returning to the northern hemisphere.

The male pennant-winged nightjar develops spectacular long white wing streamers during breeding season.

Picture source: tanzaniabirds.net

Picture source; jonathanhornbuckle.webs.com

Picture source: birdworlds.tumblr.com

The Blue Dragon Sea Slug.

The Blue Dragon Sea Slug.

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Plenty of strange and fanciful creatures have been invented within the long tradition of lore and mythology, but few real-life beings have been so aptly named after one of those from fiction.

Meet the blue dragon sea slug. Common names include the: sea swallow, blue angel, blue glaucus, blue dragon, blue sea slug and blue ocean slug. — probably among the most beautiful animals on the planet.

Picture source: Wikipedia. Click picture for a larger image.

The Blue Dragon Sea Slug (Glaucus atlanticus) has several names. It is also known as a Sea Dragon, Sea Lizard, Blue Ocean Slug, Blue Glaucus and Sea Swallow. This little creature measure about two inches in length and is one of the most beautiful of the oceans' inhabitants with its striking blue coloring; however, its beautiful appearance is deceiving as it has quite the sting from the tendrils that make its tail. The sting comes from nematocysts a poison that is usually found in cnidarians, but the Blue Dragon Sea Slug is not a cnidarian.

Their favorite food is the potent Portuguese Man o' War. This tiny little slug can cut large pieces from large prey using their radula tough toothy tongues that are found in all mollusks. They also feed on the Blue Button and By the Wind Sailor, who is also a poisonous hydrozoan. They have also been known to cannibalize other Blue Dragon Sea Slugs when their natural prey is unavailable. The Blue Dragon Sea Slug is immune to the stinging cells they are so fond of; this is because their stomachs do not digest the nematocysts. These amazing creatures suck the poison into the fingers of their tails and there are eighty-four of these equipped with small sacs called canidosocs in each finger. The tail with its many fingers is often called jazz hands. The stings are accumulated until they are needed to protect themselves against predators. Their stings are more toxic than from the Portuguese Man o' War because the Blue Dragon Sea Slug is very selective and takes in only the strongest and most developed for their needs.

They can be found around the world in temperate and tropical waters floating freely upside down with its blue foot resting above its body. As it is floating around the silvery back faces down helping to camouflage this small slug in its natural habitat. They are equipped with gas sac inside its stomach that is used for the sole purpose of floating in the water, where it floats is dependent upon the direction of the wind. The Blue Dragon Sea Slug is hermaphrodite, and both lay a long chain of eggs floating in the water on driftwood or even on the skeleton of prey they devoured. When the larvae hatch they are equipped with shell similar to a snail that they soon grow out of, stretching out like the adults finding the appropriate prey to fill their fingers with the stings needed to protect themselves from predators.

Picture source: Wikipedia.The blue sea slug is shown here out of water, and thus collapsed; these were found on a beach.

 Picking up the animal can result in a painful sting, with symptoms similar to those caused by the Portuguese man o' war.

Picture source: Google and Pinterest.

Dangerous sting. 
Glaucus atlanticus is able to swallow the venomous nematocysts from the Portuguese Man o' War, and store them in the extremities of its finger-like cerata. This protects the sea slug from predation.
People sometimes pick up these unusual blue sea slugs after they wash up on beaches. When humans are stung by Glaucus atlanticus, the venom stored in the nematocysts is injected under the skin. In stings from the Portuguese Man o' War, this venom has been shown to cause fever, shock, and problems with the heart and lungs. In very rare cases this venom has even led to death.

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Fish eyes life inside a jelly's belly

Fish eyes life inside a jelly's belly

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A small fish is seen swimming inside the belly of a jellyfish off the coast of Byron Bay in New South Wales, eastern Australia

A fish has been pictured swimming inside a jellyfish off Australia's east coast in a remarkable and rare image that has gone viral, with more than two million online views.

Underwater photographer Tim Samuel was in the water with a friend near popular tourist resort Byron Bay in December when they came across the little creature trapped inside the only slightly larger jellyfish.

The expression on the golden fish's face—visible through the transparent jellyfish—appears to be one of fear.

"He was trapped in there but controlled where the Jellyfish was moving," Samuel wrote in a post on Instagram.

After the image was reposted by @discoverocean on Monday, Samuel said his phone started "going crazy".

"When @franny.plumridge and I stumbled upon it we knew we had found something special, but no idea just how unique and rare this sighting was," he wrote.

"I'm completely blown away by all the attention it is getting from all over the world."

Some speculated that the fish was being stung, while others pointed out that part of its tail appeared to be still outside the jellyfish, providing a clue to its apparent ability to steer.

Marine life expert William Gladstone confirmed the rareness of the shot which has been viewed more than 2.3 million times on imgur.

The academic from the University of Technology in Sydney told The Sydney Morning Herald he had seen a young trevally—a species of fish—hide among jellyfish, but had "never seen one like this where the fish is just a little smaller than the jellyfish

Samuel said he had considered whether to "set the little guy free", but ultimately decided it was best to "just let nature run its course".

The orange cave dwelling Crocodiles Abanda, Gabon

The orange cave dwelling Crocodiles Abanda, Gabon

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A UNIQUE DISCOVERY

The Abanda caves in Gabon host a population of cave-dwelling crocodiles. They spent their entire life in these caves and had to adapt to the underground conditions. Who are these unique reptiles living in the caves of Gabon?

How did these crocodiles happen to be trapped in Abanda caves ?

We don't have a definite answer to this question. The Abanda cave network is based on a system of faults. Some of the crocodiles live completely isolated from the exterior, the only access being through a 7 m deep shaft.

We think that entrances existed in the past, but they are now filled with sediments, preventing the crocodiles to escape.

One question needs also to be solved, the reason why these crocodiles initially found shelter in these caves.

How many of them are there?

During our two expeditions in 2010 and 2011, organised by IRD and Foundation Liambissi, we observed twenty individuals in the caves. Almost all of them could be captured by Matthiew Shirley, who measured them, took samples, marked them and released them.

Are they different from the outside crocodiles?

They look very close to the Dwarf Crocodile, (Osteolaemus tetraspis), however, they differ by several points. They are broader, almost blind, and their skin is orange-coloured, which has never been observed in the dwarf crocodile from the exterior.

The biggest captured specimen was 1.70m long. This length is very high for the species and the crocodile must be very old. We observed several individuals more than one meter long.

Our hypothesis to explain their orange colour is a chemical attack of the skin. They live permanently in stagnant water in which fermented feces of bats. The smell is also almost unbearable.

Orange cave-dwelling dwarf crocodile from Gabon next to a regular dwarf crocodile.

And genetically?

These crocodiles live in the absolute darkness. The food is scarce and poorly diversified. We obtained the stomach content by regurgitation and it appears that the cave crocodiles have a very original diet. Whereas outside crocodiles feed on shrimps, crabs, frogs, we found in cave crocodiles' stomachs crickets, bats, insects and a big amount of algae.

What will be the next steps of your research?

We want to know why these crocodiles live in what seems to be an inhospitable environment. Is it to survive a past climate change ? to be protected from predators ? Have they just been trapped there ?

Many questions a new expedition will bring answers.

Source:The Orange Cave-Dwelling Crocodiles of Gabon Follow the link for more pictures and information on the orange cave dwelling Crocodiles.