There is something special about the body. Without a well-defined body, it is difficult to actualize a self in humans. Even for non-human animals, we cannot help but anthropomorphize their endless forms most beautiful into arms and legs and heads – another living self. One of the most horrifying things about sea star wasting disease (SSWD) is the utter distintegration of an …
Clade-Killers I: An Elegy for the Bats
Years since detection. Infected species. The number of infected US states and Canadian provinces. The ever-increasing body count. The unsustainably high mortality rates (Frick et al. 2010). In some ways, the statistics are sterilizing, objective, and easier to deal with than the stark reality of empty caves, absent roosts, and the silent spring and summer nights. But the numbers are just …
Spectacular Symbiosis: Leafcutter Ants pt. 1
Of all the animals with which we have the honor of sharing the world, leafcutter ants have to be amongst the most impressive. Over the last ~50 million years, the 47 species of leafcutter ants have achieved remarkable evolutionary success, extending their range from Mexico to Argentina. They are the dominant herbivores in the tropical Americas, and can be major agricultural pests, stripping small trees of their …
Truth, Beauty and Sea Slugs
*Main photo: Ken Bondy Check out this gorgeous photo gallery of sea slugs by National Geographic photographer David Doubilet! These sea slugs, called nudibranchs, have evolved zany colors for your personal enjoyment, and also to warn predators about the toxic compounds they contain. Some nudibranchs make these compounds themselves, but many extract and concentrate toxins from the sponges they eat. Retaining toxic compounds is far from …