Noob member here! =P I saw this community and instantly loved it. Uhm, I also checked the tags (species not listed) and the rules before posting this but forgive me if I've missed something. This guy is pretty neat, plus I love the name =P 

Pipefish are related to the seahorse and the harlequin ghost pipefish is probably the most beautiful of the family. Other family members include the robust ghostpipefish, banded pipefish and flag-tailed pipe fish. This strange looking little creature can grow up to 15cm but hard to find as most of them are no bigger than your little finger. They are normally found living around crinoids, featherstars, gorgonian fans and branching black coral bushes. Here they live very well camouflaged by their complex colour patterns and body shape. Key to this effect is the fish's skin flaps, which mimic the 'feathers' of the host crinoid.

They have very small territories which they tend to stay in as they are weak swimmers, propelling themselves by rapidly fanning their fins. While this technique allows for very precise control of body position, the range of individuals in this species is limited.

Anyone who really wants to find them will have to be very patient and fond of looking at featherstars for long periods or choose a dive centre with skilled divemasters who know where they are.

http://www.dive-the-world.com/creatures-harlequin-ghostpipefish.htm

wtf_nature [kandi_panties]

[	Tags	|	bird, eagle, north america, swan	]
[	Current Location	|	Anchorage, AK	]
[	Current Mood	|	cold	]

KELLY MUNDAY was quick with her camera while visiting Lakelse Lake with her family in April.
The result was some stunning photos of an eagle attacking a swan.
“We went to the mouth of the Lakelse River and spotted a pair of swans. I took some photos of them flying overhead. An eagle came out of nowhere and grabbed one swan and tried to take it down,” she writes.
The swan was able to get loose and went back into the water and eventually swam away. It was an amazing thing to witness and photograph. I was just lucky to have my camera ready!”

And people wonder why America chooses the eagle as our national bird?

( would I make you read that and not include pictures?Collapse )

ETA: How about some sauce?

wtf_nature [mountain_hiker]

A GIANT beetle with an inch-long horn is looking for love after sneaking into Britain - in a shipment of bananas.

The elephant beetle - more at home in the rainforests of Costa Rica - is now fully grown at nearly five inches long.

And time is ticking because elephant beetles - an endangered species - live for just four months.

The creature arrived in a container shipment of bananas from Costa Rica to London and was handed to Linton Zoo, Cambs, by pest control officers last week.

They nicknamed him Billy and are busy satisfying his voracious appetite - he munches mangoes and bananas.

Zoo staff cannot tell his precise age but believe him to be full grown because he has a 4cm-long horn and weighs 35g.

Linton Zoo director Kim Simmons said: "Billy needs to mate.

"He is showing all the signs and keeps displaying. He bobs up and down on his branch and taps on the ground.

"He has been making the most of his new home and emits tiny mating calls. It's like he's saying 'here I am, come get me'."