Finn Oakley has spent over five years as a nature and science writer at Discvr.Blog, drawing on his experience at National Geographic Channel. Based in Melbourne, he’s passionate about uncovering the world’s mysteries, dreams of returning to Peru, and enjoys Aussie Bites in his downtime.
The Secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius) is your new favorite bird.
Endemic to Africa and the national bird of Sudan, the Secretary bird looks like a combination of an eagle and a crane. Its snake-stomping legs can deliver up to 43 pounds of force.
The raptor is also known for its speed, earning the nickname “devil’s horse.” It can walk up to 18 miles a day while stopping to pluck beetles and grasshoppers from the ground.
But what’s most recognizable about this 4-foot terrestrial bird of prey is its beautiful, elongated eyelashes and eyelash-like feathers.
Don’t be ashamed to admit if the Secretarybird has prettier eyelashes than you.
The Fringed Leaf Frog (Cruziohyla craspedopus) is one of the rarest amphibians in the world.
The 3-inch creature lives a reclusive life up in the Amazon rainforest’s high canopies — it rarely visits the ground — in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The frog’s coloration, of course, is stunning — intermixing green, blue, and purple. It also can feature pale blue patches on its back.
The myriad colors provide the frog with superb camouflage to conceal it from hunting monkeys. It also makes a soft, croaking sound.
Like all rainforest species, the Fringed Leaf Frog faces the threat of habitat loss. So if you see one perched for a photo opportunity, remember to leave it be.
The elephant trunk snake (Acrochordus javanicus) looks like no other reptile. With sagging folds of skin and scales as rough as sandpaper, it seems more like an experiment from deep time than a creature of today’s rivers. Scientists consider it one of the most primitive lineages of snakes, retaining features that hint at an ancient evolutionary path.
Unlike most snakes, the elephant trunk snake can’t travel effectively on land. It lacks the broad belly scales that give other species traction. Instead, its loose, baggy skin and file-like scales are perfect for underwater life. When it grabs a fish, the tiny keels on its scales dig in, preventing the slippery prey from escaping. Small sensory organs on its skin even let it detect movements in the water, much like a fish’s lateral line.
Its physiology is just as unusual. The snake has a lung divided into many small chambers, and blood packed with oxygen-rich cells. This allows it to stay submerged for long periods—sometimes more than an hour—before surfacing for a breath. It epitomizes an energy-saving lifestyle, moving slowly but with enough patience to ambush unsuspecting fish.
Slow rhythm of survival
The species is ovoviviparous, giving birth to live young in water. A large female can produce dozens of offspring, each already more than ten inches long. But reproduction is rare and irregular. Females may wait years between litters, making population recovery slow if numbers drop. Juveniles start with tighter skin and faint markings, losing them as they grow into the baggy-bodied adults.
elephant trunk snake (Acrochordus javanicus) appreciation post. theyre the soppiest of wet beasts 🙂 pic.twitter.com/q0SQzdWLHf
Humans have long noticed this strange reptile, though mostly for its skin. Known in the leather trade as “karung,” elephant trunk snakes were once exported in the hundreds of thousands for handbags and belts. Today, international regulations restrict trade, but illegal harvest and habitat loss continue to threaten local populations. Captive breeding is rare, and most individuals taken for the pet trade do poorly in aquariums.
Conservationists emphasize that protecting the wetlands of Southeast Asia is the key to the snake’s survival. Mangroves, swamps, and floodplains don’t just shelter this relic—they also sustain fish stocks and birdlife that people depend on.
The beautiful Great Blue Turaco (Corythaeola cristata) is a bird from West and Central Africa’s tropical forests.
The birds weigh up to three pounds and grow up to 30 inches long, about a pheasant’s size. While not the most competent flyers, they are excellent climbers, spending most of their time hanging out in the trees.
While the great blue turaco sings sweet melodies and snacks on fruit, leaves, and flowers, it’s most famous for its mix of vibrant colors.
With blue running across its head and upper breasts, the bird also flashes a black crest, a teal belly, and a red and tipped beak that gives it the impression of wearing lipstick. It also sports a stunning dark blue mohawk.
One of the most sought-after bird species by birders, the Great Blue Turaco is also widely regarded as a bird that brings good luck.
The Hyperion in Redwood Park in northern California is the world’s tallest living tree. The tree stands at a height of 380.3 feet and is approximately 700-800 years old.
To put that in perspective, the tree is nearly 70 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty and 63 feet higher than Big Ben. Hyperion holds an impressive 18,600 cubic feet of wood, showcasing its massive structure. Even a pine cone from the tree is triple the size.
Forestry researchers Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor discovered the redwood tree (Sequoia sempervirens) in 2006. Given the tree’s gigantic stature, it is astonishing that it took that long. However, the exact location is still a well-guarded secret.
The foliage is characteristic of arid environments due to the plumbing challenges of drawing water up the tree. The volume of wood it contains is also 530 cubic meters (18,600 cubic feet), indicating the massiveness of its structure.
The Paradox tree in Redwood Humbolts Park will pass the Hyperion tree in height by 2031.
The discovery of the Dragon’s Eye Stone Mine at the Hall of Giants stone mine in Lancashire, UK, resembles a scene from Indiana Jones or J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
The collapse of the mine roof caused the formation of the Dragon’s Eye. The rock’s exfoliation exposed sediments of different colors.
The distinct appearance of this structure, composed of metamorphic rock and showcasing concentric bands of different colors, has captivated the imagination of the few who have had the opportunity to see it.
We can’t be the only ones waiting for the stone to blink.
How urban explorers captured the Dragon’s Eye Stone Mine
The Northern England adventurers who found the Dragon’s Eye stone mine used a fisheye lens to take a distorted picture.
Despite the play of light and spherical appearance, the rock’s surface is flat rather than curved.
The explorers entered the secretly guarded cave through a ‘window in the floor.’
However, only a few urban explorers know the location of the Dragon’s Eye Stone Mine, sharing its coordinates among themselves while monitored by nearby residents.
“You go through a window in the floor,” said one of the Underground Explorers, a UK-based underground exploration and research group.
“You have to crawl through and there’s a slope going down. I think it used to be a mine. When you get down there it’s a load of caverns and caves. We actually missed the dragon’s eye at first.”
He lives near the dragon’s eye, which does nothing to demagnify its significance.
“It’s in my top three. I’ve been to battleship island in Japan, which is the holy grail of all abandoned explorers. I’ve stayed the night in Dracula’s castle, I’ve been to all these places, Romania, Italy…we were not ready for this.”
“This is one of those underground anomalies, one in a million chance.
“I’ve been looking for this for five years, and it’s literally 10 minutes from my house,” said Dixon.
The discovery of the Dragon’s Eye Stone Mine testifies to the beauty and wonder of the natural world. Hidden treasures may be waiting just below the surface, even right outside our doorstep.
