fauna

llbwwb: Ocelot cub (by ucumari)

Müllerian mimicry in Butterflies

… seen here 4 in Forms of Heliconius numata, 2 forms of H. melpomene, and the 2 corresponding mimicking forms of H. erato. This highlights the diversity of patterns as well as the mimicry associations.

(from Repeating Patterns of Mimicry. Meyer A, PLoS Biology, Vol. 4/10/2006, e341)

(via: Wikipedia)

A jaguar named Daniela plays with her 6-week-old baby at the Parque de Las Leyendas zoo in Lima, Peru. Two twin melanic jaguar babies were introduced to the press at the zoo. (photo: Mariana Bazo)

(via: MSNBC Animal Tracks)

theanimalblog: Boa swallowing a lizard (via Photographer Tony Rath)

A young Margay cat (Felis weidii) peeks over a step at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute station on Barro Colorado, a forested island in the Panama Canal waterway. The island rises from Lake Gatun, which formed in 1907 when the Chagres River was dammed during construction of the canal.

(via: National Geo)   (Photo: George F. Mobley)

baby Margay (Felis weidii) - (via: Feline Conservation Trust)

allcreatures: An ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) at the animal rescue centre in the Nicaraguan national zoo. Nicaragua has recently hosted a workshop of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

(Photo: Elmer Martinez/AFP/Getty Images)

myanimalkingdom: Margay

fuckyeahtapir: Now that this week’s finally over, tapir needs a rest.  (Picture: Funny-Leo)

American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus)

… a species of crocodilian found in the Neotropics. It is the most widespread of the four extant species of crocodiles from the Americas. Populations occur from the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of southern Mexico to South America as far as Peru and Venezuela. It also lives within many river systems on Cuba, Jamaica, and Hispaniola. The habitat of the American crocodile consists largely of coastal areas. The American crocodile is larger than many other crocodile species, with some males reaching lengths of 6.1 metres (20 ft) in Central and South America…

(read more: Wikipedia)

Leafcutters, Fungus, and Bacteria

Inside the spongy galleries of the fungus garden, Acromyrmex echinatior leafcutter ant workers display microbial white patches on their chests made of Actinomyces bacteria. The bacteria are thought to produce antibiotics protecting the ants’ fungus garden from infection a true example of pesticide use among agricultural insects.
http://www.alexanderwild.com/Ants/Taxonomic-List-of-Ant-Genera/Acromyrmex/8687617_sEqU8#1132966280_7BDDS

thebigcatblog: Jaguar mother and cub  (Photo by: Tambako the Jaguar)

Guapo, a 5-year-old male jaguar, leaps across the pond in his habitat at the San Diego Zoo Thursday (May 26). Following close behind is a 3-year-old female, Nindiri, who has been known to follow Guapo around wherever he goes in the exhibit.

(via: Our Amazing Planet)

thebigcatblog: Photo by: Tambako the Jaguar

Peleides Blue Morpho (Morpho peleides)

… an iridescent tropical butterfly found from Mexico to South America. The brilliant blue color in the butterfly’s wings is caused by the diffraction of the light from millions of tiny scales on its wings. It uses this to frighten away predators, by flashing its wings rapidly. The wingspan of the Blue Morpho butterfly ranges from 7.5–20 cm (3.0–7.9 in). The entire Blue Morpho Butterfly lifecycle, from egg to adult is only 115 days.

The Blue Morpho Butterfly drinks the juices from rotting fruits for food. The larvae of Blue Morpho Butterflies are cannibals. The caterpillar of the Blue Morpho is red-brown with patches of bright green. The Blue Morpho Butterflies stick together in groups to deter their predators, a form of mobbing behavior…

(read more: Wikipedia)