Microscopic Sea Creatures By Daily Mail Reporter Updated: 16:31 GMT, 30 September 2010 Bobbing away in the dark depths of the ocean, these tiny creatures display a unique beauty that few get to truly appreciate. And the latest publication by a scientist who studies these microscopic animals is set to become an unlikely bestseller - all thanks to the beauty of plankton. His coffee table book about the amazing life forms that live unseen in the oceans has dozens of remarkable photographs taken through a microscope. Amazing life forms: Dr Richard Kirby's passion for plankton has led to a set of marvellous pictures which feature in his book Ocean Drifters, a secret world beneath the waves like these tiny Jellyfish Hidden beauty: Stunning images of a Horseshoe worm (left) and a Moon Jellyfish The book also points out that without the miniature creatures we would have no fish, oil, gas or clouds, and the sea would lose its distinctive smell. Tiny creatures: Images of Sea Angels (left) and Acantharea
Creatures of the Lembeh Strait *notcot in nature , 07:40 On visual inspiration, there is something about the overwhelming sense of calm serenity with nothing but the sound of your own bubbles and the occasional boats overhead… as you just swim about watching the most incredible and mind blowing creatures going about their daily lives all around you… so, on “vacation pictures” ~ here are some of the many (there are hundreds of photos, here’s just a selection of fun ones!) creatures i’ve been encountering diving the Lembeh Strait of Indonesia this week (hiding out at Kungkungan Bay Resort)… and besides the diving creatures, you also get a peek at the large crab i ran into, and the impressive Tuna statue in the center of Bitung (tuna capital of indonesia?) For the whole Kungkungan Bay Resort Lembeh Strait dive-cation series - [The dramatic moon] [Wonderpus vs Mimic Octopus] [Frogfish, Nudibranchs, and more creatures!] Tags: animals - nature - ocean - travel
The 12 Best Merino Wool T-Shirts For Men | GearMoose Merino is the fabric that your next favorite T-shirt is going to be made of — that we can pretty much guarantee. It’s why we’re here after all, is it not? To tell you about the best merino wool T-shirts for men is to unlock an underappreciated secret in the menswear game. That secret? Well, it’s that your T-shirt can be durable, stylish, rugged, easy to wear … and it’ll last even longer than expected. Not that you should forgo wearing a classic cotton T-shirt, but for our money’s worth, these shirts can really do it all. Proof 72-Hour Merino Tee One of the best examples on the market of an absolutely essential merino T-shirt comes courtesy of Huckberry, and the Proof line of performance menswear. Western Rise StrongCore Merino Tee Western Rise makes gear that’s fit for adventure and fit for style at home — that’s what all the best merino T-shirts do so well, after all. Olivers Convoy Tee Filson 210g Merino Wool Short Sleeve Crew Shirt Outlier Ultrafine Merino T-Shirt Tracksmith Harrier Tee
How deep is the ocean, how high am I? Photos by Hengki Koentjoro How deep is the ocean, how high am I. via : Ghost Room External Stimuli : Hengki Koentjoro, Flickr Stream, Chet Baker Themes : Photography Nodes : cool jazz, gelatinous, Hengki Koentjoro, jellyfish, ocean, underwater A Seahorse Inspects a Diver’s Watch Jun 27, 2012 In this remarkable capture, a seahorse checks out a diver’s watch (and own reflection) underwater. Given the clarity of the clouds in the reflection, this was likely taken quite close to the surface. A reverse image search on Tineye and Google did not identify a valid source for this photograph, if you know more please let us know (update: Many thanks to Hoss Cartwright for the help)! Since there’s not much additional information here are some facts about seahorses: - Seahorse is the title given to forty-seven species of marine fish in the genus Hippocampus - They are mainly found in shallow tropical and temperate waters throughout the world, and prefer to live in sheltered areas such as seagrass beds, estuaries, coral reefs, or mangroves - Seahorses range in size from 0.6 to 14 inches (1.5 – 35.56 cm). [Source: Wikipedia]
The 12 Best Single Malt Scotch Whiskies | GearMoose Scotch whisky (not to be confused with its Irish counterpart, whiskey) is less a beverage than a lifelong love affair, and while many a drinker has dallied with bourbon or rye, true whisky aficionados always return home to their first love. Single malt scotch whisky, in particular — made in a pot still by batch distillation, at a single distillery, with water and malted barley — is renowned not only for its singular, malty flavor, but for dark berry nuance, smoky appeal, and a range of other appealing essences, depending on how it’s aged and processed. Whether you’re an ardent fan of single malt scotch whisky or you’re just starting to fall for this golden nectar of the gods, here are 12 of the best brands and vintages to whet your palate. The Balvenie DoubleWood 17 Year Old The eye-catching amber color and appealing aromas inherent to this 17-year-old scotch whisky can be credited to Malt Master David C. Stewart, MBE, and his affinity for cask finishing. Glenfiddich 18 Year Old
Puffer Fish Creates Ocean Floor ‘Crop Circles’ Right around this time last year, news broke about the discovery of an amazing little puffer fish capable of creating elaborately designed ‘crop circles’ at the bottom of the ocean as part of an elaborate mating ritual. The behavior was first documented by a photographer named Yoji Ookata who later returned with a film crew from the Japanese nature show NHK which later aired an episode about the fish. Even as articles bounced around the web it was still difficult to imagine how a tiny fish could create such a large design in the sand, even when staring directly at photographic evidence. Todd Aki Underwater Marvels Flickr Hive Mind is a search engine as well as an experiment in the power of Folksonomies. All thumbnail images come directly from Flickr, none are stored on Flickr Hive Mind. These photos are bound by the copyright and license of their owners, the thumbnail links take to you to the photos (as well as their copyright and license details) within Flickr. Because some other search engines (Google, etc.) index parts of Flickr Hive Mind, you may have been led here from one of them. Flickr Hive Mind is a data mining tool for the Flickr photography database, allowing search by: tags(keywords); Flickr photography groups; Flickr users, their contacts, and favorites; free text; the Flickr Explore algorithm for interestingness.
The 15 Best Bathrobes for Men | GearMoose Many guys assume they don’t need bathrobes. Maybe you’re just fine drying yourself off with a towel. Perhaps you think sweats and t-shirts are satisfactory loungewear. Bathrobes, however, are a genuinely practical home good. Whether you’re looking to save time after your showers or trying to lounge by the pool in style, there’s a range of designs, features, and prices here for everyone. OFFHOURS Premium Homecoat Huckberry is all about bringing your city hustle into the great outdoors. Parachute Waffle Robe Parachute is a direct-to-consumer brand offering home goods seemingly straight from a fancy spa. Reigning Champ Midweight Terry Hooded Robe Leave it to Reigning Champ to design a cozy bathrobe that still exudes their on-brand tough-guy aesthetic. L.L.Bean Men’s Scotch Plaid Flannel Robe This plush robe is quintessential L.L. California Cowboy Men’s Garibaldi Yukata Robe This design-forward cabana robe is equal parts vintage Palm Springs flare and Coachella-cool. Brooklinen Super-Plush Robe
Portuguese Man o' War "Gosh" you might say, "that's one weird looking jellyfish". Well, you'd be partly right. Certainly it looks rather odd but it isn't a jellyfish, it isn't even one animal. The Portuguese Man o' War is in fact a whole colony of four different kinds of organism, each adapted to perform a specific function for the benefit of the whole. They are all either a kind of polyp, which are like really small sea anemones, or medusae, similar to tiny jellyfish, but here they are all connected to each other and are unable to survive on their own. It gets its name from the shape of its sail which resembles that of 16th century warships like man of wars and caravels. The body beneath the pneumatophore is dominated by the feeding polyps which each have a single tentacle dangling beneath them. They start to reel their load up toward our third organism, the gastrozooids. Did I say groups? I don't want to get all 'existential crisis' on you but seriously, what do you see when you look in the mirror? Ha!
U.S. Marine Protected Area Photos Photograph by Paul Chesley The United States' nearly 1,800 marine protected areas contain some of the country's most spectacular reefs, underwater archaeological sites, and most valuable commercial fisheries and tourist diving sites. Ranging in size from less than one square mile (2.6 square kilometers) to over 139,797 square miles (362,073 square kilometers), the sites are located from the Arctic to the South Pacific, from Maine to the Caribbean, and as far west as the Philippine Sea. The Marianas Trench Marine National Monument, established in 2009, and covering 95,216 square miles (246,608 square kilometers) of submerged lands, is one of the largest marine protected areas in the world. Explorers and scientists are discovering strange and fantastic new species and habitats as they bridge this final frontier on Earth into the deep-sea.
100 % Végétal | Marie Laforêt Pacific Leaping Blenny According to a new paper published in the journal Animal Behaviour, the Pacific leaping blenny (Alticus arnoldorum) – a unique fish that lives on land and can leap large distances – uses camouflage to avoid attacks by predators such as birds, lizards and crabs. A Pacific leaping blenny at Taga’chang, Guam. Image credit: © Georgina Cooke, via Australian Museum. The Pacific leaping blenny is a 4 to 8-cm-long tropical fish found in reefs in Samoa and the Marianas, Society, and Cook Islands, in the western and southern Pacific Ocean. It remains on land all its adult life but has to stay moist to be able to breathe through its gills and skin. Pacific leaping blennies move quickly over complex rocky surfaces using a unique tail-twisting behavior combined with expanded pectoral and tail fins that let them cling to almost any firm surface. Australian biologists from the University of New South Wales studied Pacific leaping blennies in their natural habitat on the tropical island of Guam.
Tourists bask in blue glow of firefly squid 13 Apr 2006 Toyama Bay is the habitat of the world-famous glowing firefly squid, which surface in large numbers every spring in a phenomenon that has been designated a special natural monument. Peak firefly squid season means big catches for fishermen and brisk business for sightseeing boats that provide close-up views of the magical action. Early in the morning, after 3 AM, sightseeing boats depart the Namerikawa fishing port (Namerikawa is also home to the world's only museum dedicated to the firefly squid) in Toyama prefecture, making a short journey to fixed nets located about 1 to 2 km offshore. As the fishermen haul in their nets, the light emitted by the firefly squid causes the sea surface to glow a cobalt blue, evoking squeals of delight from the tourists. Toyama Bay's firefly squid fishing season opened on March 1 and is expected to continue until the end of June. [Source: Yomiuri Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun]