המועדפים של wormslurry

This Bump-head Mola was spotted feeding on the surface. There was plenty of food in the water at this time, salps, ctenophores, jelly fish etc. Additional sightings were noted
on this day by other fishermen and water craft, however no identifications received.

This selfie was taken BY THE OCTOPUS, who also took a 90-second mostly-dark video of the inside of its den (with a muffled soundtrack of Alison Young and I laughing hysterically). The octopus grabbed my camera with three tentacles, and grabbed rocks with the others. After a determined tug-of-war that snapped the nylon wrist strap, it carried the camera deep into its den and started pressing buttons with its tentacles. Alison braved beak and tentacles to rescue the camera (the octo was still holding it) - is there anything she won't do for Citizen Science? Thank you Alison!

The alternate photo is the last one I took before the battle - you can see the first tentacle snaking towards the shiny camera...

you enter the bathroom, expecting nothing unusual, but unknowingly, your bumhole is met with a pair of soulless eyes staring back at it.

as you start to sit down, you hear something slosh in the water beneath you.

you jump up, startled.

as you peer into the toilet bowl, you see him, the prince of wadda mooli himself.

you pay your respects and escort him outdoors–back to his kingdom

you then reclaim your porcelain throne

I think this bird is albino rather than leucistic due to its red eye. The light-colored bill suggests that this is a juvenile.

There is a nice discussion of the terminology for birds lacking some or all melanin on David Sibley's website.

My most interesting find of the day :)
I could not figure out what I was seeing in the field. I thought maybe it was carrying carrion (no pun intended). But it appeared to be trying to get it off... ?!
Blown up on the computer, it finally makes sense. I think this is the winner of a fight. It must have beheaded its opponent. But - its opponent's jaws are still locked on it's antenna! Sometimes two heads really are not better than one.
I wonder how this comes out.
Whether from that fight or others, this warrior has taken damage. It's missing parts of 2 legs (photo 2) and has a dent on the back of its head (photo 3).

Extremely odd behavior from a Watersnake and Ribbonsnake... has anyone else observed something similar to this before? Both healthy adults with no visible injuries and both escaped rather quickly under their own power without coaxing.

I originally walked up on this pair around noon but the ribbon snake took off before I could get a picture of the odd behavior so I immediately left and came back about three hours later to find them both in the exact same position. So it’s fair to assume it’s a reoccurring arrangement between the two of them. The minimal research I have done has turned up nothing but I would love to hear from someone more knowledgeable about this sort of thing!

Finally, something that gets me excited about Bullfrogs again...

I stopped for a Spring Peeper, and then noticed a yellow object with a red reflection, a ways down the road. I assumed it was some trash, and then realized as I got closer that reflection was an eye shine.

Pupation announcement! A sequel to my original observation of the larvae. No warning this time because look how cute! On her blankie and everything 😭

I think this is 9.5 weeks after acquisition. Acquired in Belize (not by me!), brought to Texas in situ.

Larvae: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/9370693
ADULT!: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/10206805

Socorro Isopod from the vicinity of Socorro, Socorro Co., New Mexico, USA. where it occurs at a natural spring and nearby spring-fed artificial refugium pools, the only places in the wild the species is found.

Wild adult specimens collected by Brian K. Lang for photographic purposes and subsequently released at capture site. Joel Sartore of National Geographic was also present with us this day to get pictures and his photos of this species for the magazine put mine to shame.

See also: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5274584