Off the scale - new species of gecko with tear-away skin
A new species of gecko which evades predators by shedding its massive scales has been discovered by scientists working in Madagascar.
The species, named Geckolepis megalepis by the team of American German and Colombian researchers, is a type of fish gecko.
It has the largest scales of any gecko and skin specially adapted for tearing away at the slightest touch. The scales can grow back without scarring in a few weeks.
In fact, they are so adept at shedding scientists have had to use bundles of cotton wool to catch them in the past so they wouldn’t shed all their scales.
And the ease with which their scales come away makes describing and identifying the species a ‘nightmare’ according to the researchers because the scale pattern is one of the main ways to tell species apart.
In the end they decided to resort to using micro-CT scans to get a 3D picture of their skeletons, and were able to identify some skull features that establish these geckos as a new species.
Pill bugs (aka roly polies or doodle bugs)
aren’t bugs at all. Though commonly
referred to as such, pill bugs are actually
land-dwelling crustaceans that are much
more closely related to shrimp and
crayfish than to any kind of insect. SourceSource 2
“This octopus was NOT impressed when I interrupted its morning feeding stroll during my scuba dive in Melbourne, Australia. It blew itself up like a parachute multiple times to try to intimidate me, before trying to torpedo me like a bowling ball! Octopuses are beautiful, intelligent creatures and this one was using its most creative methods of self defense. Or maybe it was just hungry and angry at the same time (= hangry?)
The octopus’ skills in term of camouflage are amazing. It takes them a few millisecond to completely change their appearance, becoming one with their surroundings.
Lobster Jr. figured out the suspended moss balls so much quicker than our old lobster. He also spent most of his time hanging from the bottom munching on the moss.
