Big Picture: Fantastic Fungus

Fantastic Fungus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Circles in Nature - this weeks big picture.

 

Circles in Nature


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

Blue Button (Porpita porpita) jellyfish, Japan, captive Photographer Hiroya Minakuchi Sun and grasses, eastern Mongolia Photographer Ingo ArndtGuineafowl Pufferfish (Arothron meleagris) in its golden color phase puffed up off of Tower Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador Photographer Fred BavendamSpinifex Grass (Triodia pungens) seedling in red sand showing track made by wind, Strzelecki Desert, South Australia, Australia Photographer Konrad Wothe Species Spinifex Grass Triodia pungensDandelion (Taraxacum officinale) seedhead, Germany Photographer Willi Rolfes Species Dandelion Taraxacum officinaleCommon Sea Urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) SEM close-up view of the ventral surface of the shell Photographer Albert Lleal Species Common Sea Urchin Paracentrotus lividusEastern White-lipped Treefrog (Boophis albilabris) eye, Antananarivo, Madagascar Photographer Paul Bertner Species Eastern White-lipped Treefrog Boophis albilabrisFly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) mushroom, Ravenswoud, Netherlands Photographer Jaap Schelvis Species Fly Agaric Amanita muscariaPill Millipede (Glomeris sp) rolled into a protective ball, Kalimantan, Indonesia Photographer Cyril Ruoso Species Pill Millipede Glomeris sp

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

Every winter around the full moon an extraordinary event takes place in southern Australia. Thousands of spider crabs march into shallow water gathering together in large groups to moult their shells – one of Nature’s great spectacles! Huge Smooth Rays which can weigh up to 700 pounds gather to feast on the cavalcade of crabs.
The crabs mass together to increase their chances of survival during the half hour it takes to moult and shed their old shells. During the full moon cycle, the ocean currents are stronger which helps the crabs shake free of their shells but once they are released they are still at high risk as their soft shells make them the choice prey of the rays.
When the masses head to the piers for safety the rays follow. The crabs eat as they march - seastars, seaweed and sponges on the pylons nourish the crustaceans. When the moulted crabs emerge the back of the shell cracks, body fluids ooze out which the rays detect and swiftly move in to crush their prey with plate-like teeth. The rays have sensitive rostrums which they use to smell out the recently moulted and easily consumed crabs. With up to twenty rays feeding at the same time the crabs' only hope is to moult quickly and hide on the pylons until their shells harden enough to no longer be of interest to the rays. Once their shells harden these survivors will head to deeper water until the next annual migration.Click here to see the entire collection.

Big Picture: Swiss Insects by Thomas Marent

Bumblebees, Moths and Treehoppers are included in this new selection of images by Thomas Marent. He captures these Swiss insects emerging from chrysalises, carrying pollen and feeding on leaves. Check out the impressive antennae on the Hawk Moth and the pattern on a Downland Horsefly's compound eyes.

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

On a remote Caribbean beach, the turtles arrive. This location in Trinidad hosts the largest concentration of sea turtles in the world. Between February and July female threatened Leatherback Sea Turtles haul themselves ashore to lay their fertilized eggs in nests they dig mostly at night in the soft sandy beach.
These eggs are prime targets for predators. Crabs, vultures and shorebirds all prey upon the nutritious bounty of unhatched eggs and hatchlings. Although many thousands of eggs are laid during each cycle, only a portion of the eggs will hatch and even fewer hatchlings, helped and protected by the local villagers, will make it to the ocean to continue the legacy of the sea turtles. It is estimated that only one in a thousand young turtles survive to adulthood.
Each turtle will lay close to 100 round, soft-shell eggs in a deep nest excavated with her remarkably long hind flippers before heading back to the ocean.
While out of the water, turtles excrete excess saline through glands in their eyes. During the nesting season, beaches are textured by the impressions left by sea turtles travelling over the sand.Once the females have returned to the ocean their jobs are done.
After two months the hatchlings dig through 30 inches of sand to reach the surface.
It's a race to the relative safety of the ocean once the young make it out of the nest.
Once in the water, these young turtles follow the ocean currents to deep sea nursery habitats where they attempt to avoid predators and to find food. The females will return to their natal beaches to nest once they are mature at ages 15 to 25. The males remain at sea for their entire lives.
A local guide helps tourists collect emerging hatchlings for release in the evening when it is safer.
Businesses use red lights which will not disorient the nesting turtles.Click here to see Tui's Leatherback photos.

Muskoxen Thriving in Alaska by Donald M. Jones

Muskoxen Thriving in Alaska

by Donald M. Jones

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

In May of 1930 the U.S. Congress gave the U.S. Biological Survey $40,000 “to acquire a herd of muskoxen for introduction into Alaska with a view to their domestication and utilization in the Territory.” There began an 8,000-mile adventure, the moving of 34 muskoxen from Greenland to the Alaska island of Nunivak. The journey — by steamship, train and barge — lasted six months, including one month the muskoxen spent in New Jersey during quarantine.
Muskoxen from the Nunivak herd were later moved to other parts of Alaska including 71 established on the Seward Peninsula in two separate waves. The animals thrived. According to Alaska Fish and Game the current population of oxen in this region has reached around 3,400 individuals. This increase has led to regulations granting subsistence hunting of muskoxen by Alaskan residents who register for a permit. And what about the plan to domesticate muskoxen? A small herd of animals are located near Anchorage, where they are raised specifically for qiviut - their underwool, which is used to make soft and warm clothing.


Big Picture: Angry Monkey

While documenting Japanese Macaques in the Honshu region of Japan, photographer Jami Tarris captured an unusual moment between a mother and baby monkey: "The mother was resting on the side of the hot spring and was dozing. The youngster had been playing with some of the other infants. After a while, he swam over to her. She was facing me on the wall while holding on with her feet and hands when he touched her and tried to nuzzle in to nurse. He wanted to get in an empty space between her front side and the wall - I have observed many macaque mothers nursing their young in this position.
The mother became instantly aggressive with him as if he didn’t belong to her….which he did. She was violent by pushing him beneath the water and holding him under. He would come up and gasp for air before she would push his head down again. You can see the look on the little guy's face as he emerged from the water, squealing loudly.
After a few minutes of this she stopped and he kept a distance from her (half a meter at the most) until he finally approached her once more as I held my breath. She then allowed him to nurse." See more of Jami's Japanese Macaque photos

Big Picture: Upside Down

Some animals spend most of their lives upside down, including the sloth, which hangs around in trees 90% of its life! Bats roost while clinging to a support with their toes.Honeypot ant workers called 'repletes' dangle from the roof of the nest acting as living larders for the colony and the Upside Down Jelly has its tentacles up and bell below. Hanging head down is helpful for animals feeding and drinking while some critters enjoy an altered view of world while at play in this gallery of images.

Big Picture: Brian Skerry Joins Minden Pictures

We are happy to announce that the esteemed marine photojournalist, Brian Skerry, has joined Minden Pictures. Since 1998 he has been a contract photographer for National Geographic Magazine, covering stories on every continent and in nearly every ocean habitat. Brian has covered a wide range of stories, from the harp seal’s struggle to survive in frozen waters to the alarming decrease in the world’s fisheries to dolphin intelligence. He has had six NGM cover stories (US) and dozens worldwide. Brian is currently at work on his 30th feature story for National Geographic Magazine.
Having started his scuba diving experience at age 15, Brian has used his camera to tell the stories of the Ocean. In his daily practice, he captures unique behaviours, both sad (entangled sharks) and heartening (belugas playing with stones).Through his work and dedication, he has been putting visuals to biologists' research so it can reach a broader audience, raise awareness, and hopefully result in change.
Click here to see the full selection of over 1,600 of his images from Minden Pictures, including the first images of a sitting US President underwater.

Big Picture: Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

In his recent photo submission Richard du Toit takes us to a vast wildlife preserve that lies in the Kalahari Desert, its name translates into 'place of thirst'. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park spans an extensive 3.6 million hectares making it one of the largest conservation and reserve areas in the world. Lions, steenboks and giraffes are featured in this gallery of images which also includes a shot of a nourishing thunderstorm. Click here to see the full gallery.

Big Picture: Help for America's Endangered Species

Today we are sharing a lightbox of endangered and threatened animals found in the United States. Last week, the Biden administration proposed new rules that would make protecting wildlife from climate disruptions and other threats easier. The rules would make it harder to remove a species from the endangered list, restore protections for threatened species and eliminate a Trump-era policy that would have allowed regulators to factor in economic assessments when deciding whether a species warrants protection.
The proposed rules reversed Trump's policies, which weakened the Endangered Species Act. The Biden administration has said that it is committed to protecting wildlife and that these new provisions will help to ensure that the Endangered Species Act is effective in the face of climate change and other threats. The proposals are still in the early stages, and it is unclear when they will be finalized. However, they represent a significant step forward in the Biden administration's efforts to protect wildlife.

Big Picture: Fascinating Frogs by Photographer Chien Lee

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

In today's gallery we are focusing on Chien's coverage of tropical frogs.
Wallace's Flying Frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus) is one of the largest of all tree frogs in Borneo. It is capable of gliding down from the forest canopy by using its enlarged webbed feet as parachutes.
Hidden in the dense leaf litter of the rainforest floor, an Amazonian Horned Frog (Ceratophrys cornuta) lies in wait for its next meal. With a mouth wider than the length of its body, and a voracious appetite to boot, these frogs can consume prey as large as small reptiles and rodents.
A Harlequin Tree Frog (Rhacophorus pardalis) female making a foam nest on a small tree overhanging a breeding pond. After depositing her eggs they will be fertilized by the two accompanying smaller males.
Without seeing it move, you could almost mistake the Golden Mantella (Mantella aurantiaca) for a bright orange plastic toy. This is one of Madagascar’s most endangered amphibians and is an icon for conservation of the island’s threatened wildlife. Efforts targeted at protecting this frog’s habitat, coupled with ex-situ breeding programs and reintroduction have helped to protect it from extinction in the wild, but it remains critically endangered and is still known to exist at only two small isolated patches of rainforest.
One of Borneo’s most elusive and enigmatic amphibians: the Bornean Flat-headed Frog (Barbourula kalimantanensis). Looking like the prize-winning stone from a rock-skipping competition, albeit with four webbed feet, this frog’s bizarre appearance is an adaptation for its aquatic life in fast-flowing rocky streams. Despite numerous expeditions to the region, less than twenty specimens have ever been found by biologists, making it one of the least known of all frogs.
An inhabitant of the rainforest canopy, the White-lined Leaf Frog (Phyllomedusa vaillantii) descends to swamps and pools of water during rainy periods to breed. These frogs are branch specialists, and use their highly dextrous limbs and fingers to walk rather than jump.
A newly-identified species of pitcher-plant breeding bush frog, Philatus nepenthophilus lives on a single mountain in the interior of Borneo and has a close associated with the rare endmic pitcher plant N. mollis. The frogs not only lay their eggs inside the pitchers, but also spend a great deal fo their life in and around them as well. Males call from pitchers and dive into the fluid inside to retreat from danger while the plant receives nutrients from the frog's droppings.
In most cases of male frog parental care this involves carrying either eggs or tadpoles, but in a few New Guinean species, such as this Sphenophryne cornuta, actual froglets ride in piggyback fashion. A member of the Microhylidae, these frogs have direct-development larvae which means that the tadpoles morph into tiny frogs before leaving the egg, an adaptation enabling them to negate the need for a pool of water. The froglets will hitch a ride on the back of their father for several days before being dispersed in the rainforest understory.

Big Picture: In a Rut

The changing light and temperature of autumn along with increasing hormone levels trigger the breeding season for many animals including deer. In this gallery we feature white-tailed deer and elk. During rut animals become more aggressive, territorial, and vocal. They may also use a variety of behaviors to attract mates, such as displaying their physical strength in battle. In addition to sparring, bucks also engage in rubbing and scraping behaviors during the rut. These behaviors are used to mark territory, attract mates, and establish dominance. At the beginning of the rutting season, bulls will gather a group of cows and calves to form a harem. A harem is usually smaller than the large cow/calf herds of summer, and it does not include male yearlings. Male yearlings are usually driven off by the mature bulls or by cows who are intolerant of their presence. Scraping is a behavior in which a buck paws a spot of ground, usually to bare soil, and urinates in the area. The buck may also rub his forehead and preorbital glands on the ground. Scrapes are often associated with a low, overhanging branch, which the buck may break and deposit scent on. Scraping is most common during the peak of the rut. Bucks compete for the right to mate with female deer (does). One way that bucks establish their dominance is through sparring. Sparring is a low-intensity, pushing and shoving match that can occur between bucks of equal stature or between a dominant and subordinate buck. Eventually similarly matched bucks will engage in more violent battles to establish dominance. Rubbing is a behavior in which a buck rubs his antlers and forehead on a shrub or small tree. This behavior deposits scent from the buck's forehead and preorbital glands, which can be detected by other deer. Rubbing can occur at any time of year, but it is most common during the rut. In the fall deer are losing the velvet that encases their antlers. Often bulls will be seen thrashing bushes and small trees during this time - they may be doing this to shed the velvet or release aggression. Sometimes the buck ends the incident carrying grasses, leaves or branches on their antlers. Bulls start wallowing in the fall, when the mating season begins. They will find a muddy spot and roll around in it, coating themselves in mud and urine. The mud helps to spread the bull's scent, making it more likely that cows will be attracted to him. The mud also helps to cool the bull down, as it absorbs heat from his body. Bulls are ready to mate for several weeks before and after the rut, but females are only in estrus (sexually receptive) for about 72 hours and can be so up to seven times if she does not mate during the season. In addition, does become more aggressive, intolerant of the bucks' advances and they seek isolation during rut.Click here to see the entire collection.

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

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

Two lionesses (the Machine and Princess) brought their seven cubs to camp and they had the times of their lives lounging around the luxury lodge. The cubs checked out the souvenir shop, played with a mop and rope, kept watch by the lodge bathroom, and entered the sleeping tents on occasion. The pride stuck around for a couple of days which made getting into the tents a lot more adventurous for Sebastian and the rest of the team. Nonetheless, everyone was quite excited and happy to share the lodge with the remarkable group of lions.

Big Picture: New Guinea Birds

 

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

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

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

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

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

 



Fishing Cats by Sebastian Kennerknecht

 

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