Category: Nature

• A trip to Portugal’s stunning Benagil Sea Cave

  

  The Benagil Sea Cave, located in a small fishing village 3 hours from Lisbon, is arguably one of the most interesting tourist attractions in the world.

  Accessible only by boat, the cave contains a peculiar domed ceiling and natural oculus shaped by wave attrition and Miocene limestone built-up over 20 million years ago.

  Hiding under the intricate arches of the grotto is a secret beach with golden, fine sand. The only way to get to the beach is to kayak, paddleboard, or swim.

  The Algarve of Portugal’s southernmost region has an abundance of sea caves, but the Benagil Sea Cave with its clash of intricate rock formations, secluded beach, and radiant shades from amber is the most spectacular.

  

  

  

  The Benagil Sea Cave, located in a small fishing village 3 hours from Lisbon, is arguably one of the most interesting tourist attractions in the world. Accessible only by boat, the cave contains a peculiar domed ceiling and natural oculus shaped by wave attrition and Miocene limestone built-up over 20 million years ago. Hiding under […]

  Wells Baum

  December 29, 2021

  Nature, Travel

  Benagil Sea Cave, caves, Ocean, Portugal, Rocks, waves

• Attenborough’s fan-throated lizard

  

  Attenborough’s fan-throated lizard (Sitana attenboroughii) is a species of fan-throated lizards endemic to India, primarily found in the state of Tamil Nadu.

  The males flaunt their colorful dewlaps — loose skin on their necks — to woo potential mates during mating season. The males also flash their fan-structured throats to ward off rivals in their territory. Females, meanwhile, have smaller white-colored dewlaps.

  This superb lizard lives mainly in open ground patches and takes its name after natural historian David Attenborough.

  

  

  

  Attenborough’s fan-throated lizard (Sitana attenboroughii) is a species of fan-throated lizards endemic to India, primarily found in the state of Tamil Nadu. The males flaunt their colorful dewlaps — loose skin on their necks — to woo potential mates during mating season. The males also flash their fan-structured throats to ward off rivals in their […]

  Wells Baum

  December 28, 2021

  Animals, Nature

  animal, India, lizard, Nature

• Extreme close-up of a Wolf Spider

  

  Let’s hope this animal doesn’t upset your sleep tonight. Below is a close-up facial expression of the Wolf Spider (Lycosidae).

  

  If you don’t think the energy the creature gives off is weird enough, look more closely at the additional four more little eyes near the mouth.

  The Wolf Spider has a total of 8 eyes — four on the bottom, two in the middle, and two more medium-sized eyes on top.

  

  Despite looking like a large angry muppet, the wolf spider is harmless to humans. An unexpected bite from its venom-injecting fangs may cause the slightest fever, comparable to a wasp sting.

  These creatures also take their parenting role seriously. The mothers carry the kids on their backs until the Spiderlings are old enough to hunt independently.

  When spotted at night, the baby spiders look like little sparkly eyes.

  Babies on board. A wolf spider mum with the weight of the world on her back pic.twitter.com/vCzw6lXxlV

  — The Lorax (@JWhiteWildlife) December 12, 2020

  This is a wolf spider carrying its babies.
  
  The sparkles are their eyes, many creatures that need to see well in dim light have a tapetum lucidum which is a retroreflective tissue found in eyes.
  
  Unsettling or exciting? pic.twitter.com/lltzGfliG6

  — Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) November 4, 2020

  Here are some other more zoomed-out images of the Wolf Spider so you can identify it just in case you cross paths.

  

  

  

  Let’s hope this animal doesn’t upset your sleep tonight. Below is a close-up facial expression of the Wolf Spider (Lycosidae). If you don’t think the energy the creature gives off is weird enough, look more closely at the additional four more little eyes near the mouth. The Wolf Spider has a total of 8 eyes […]

  Wells Baum

  December 25, 2021

  Animals, Nature

  animals, Nature, spider, wolf spider

• Colombia is home to the tallest palm tree in the world, the palma de cera

  

  The tallest palm tree in the world resides in the Colombian Andes in Los Nevados National Park, amid the Cocora Valley.

  Colombia’s national tree, the palma de cera or wax palm (Ceroxylon quindiuense), stands nearly 200 feet tall.

  Colombia is home to the tallest palm tree in the world, the palma de cera 🌴 https://t.co/RENpMlzwRY
  
  🎥: TW/Jacob Mullins pic.twitter.com/m2xOs1I1op

  — Discvr.blog (@DiscvrB) December 20, 2021

  But seeing it is no easy trek — hikers have to walk through a cloud forest that extends six miles long. All the while, the wax palms shrouded in fog appear to be reaching high into the sky.

  Cocora Valley hosts some of the planet’s most diverse wildlife and surreal mountain landscapes — it’s no wonder that it reminds people of a scene out of Jurassic Park.

  

  

  

  The tallest palm tree in the world resides in the Colombian Andes in Los Nevados National Park, amid the Cocora Valley. Colombia’s national tree, the palma de cera or wax palm (Ceroxylon quindiuense), stands nearly 200 feet tall. But seeing it is no easy trek — hikers have to walk through a cloud forest that […]

  Wells Baum

  December 17, 2021

  Nature, Travel

  colombia, Nature, Travel, trees

• Daisugi: Ancient Japanese technique for growing trees out of trees

  

  The Japanese forestry technique for harvesting wood, daisugi (meaning “cedar table”), goes as far back as the 14th century to solve a seedline shortage in Kyoto.

  The 700-year-old technique involves pruning a tree’s branches as if they were giant bonsai trees. In doing so, the mother tree provides a stable platform that supports the birth of new uniform saplings growing perfectly upward and knotless on top.

  Therefore, the ancient method creates fresh timber — more than a dozen trunks — while preserving the original tree itself.

  However, the ingenious forestry technique is no longer in use as it takes several years of active care and maintenance.

  

  

  

  The Japanese forestry technique for harvesting wood, daisugi (meaning “cedar table”), goes as far back as the 14th century to solve a seedline shortage in Kyoto. The 700-year-old technique involves pruning a tree’s branches as if they were giant bonsai trees. In doing so, the mother tree provides a stable platform that supports the birth […]

  Wells Baum

  December 1, 2021

  Architecture & Design, Nature, Travel

  design, japan, Nature, trees

• How the Honduran white bat converts large leaves into tents

  

  Some of the most bizarre wildlife exists in the Honduran rainforest. Take the Honduran white fruit bat (Ectophylla alba), for example.

  The size of a golf ball, these tiny fluffy creatures love to snuggle together in leaf plants like peas in a pod. They are also polygamous; each little colony houses up to six females and one male.

  The tent-making bats

  These white-winged cotton-ball-looking bats create their nook by nibbling the side veins jutting out from the Heliconia plant, causing the large leaves to fold down to form a tent.

  The leaf tents allow the bats to avoid parasites such as bat flies. When sunlight filters through the canopy, their white fur appears green, which gives them superb camouflage!

  While most bats sleep in caves, these neotropical bats, also called Caribbean white tent-making bats, spend their leaves eating figs and roosting in peace.

  

  

  

  Some of the most bizarre wildlife exists in the Honduran rainforest. Take the Honduran white fruit bat (Ectophylla alba), for example. The size of a golf ball, these tiny fluffy creatures love to snuggle together in leaf plants like peas in a pod. They are also polygamous; each little colony houses up to six females […]

  Wells Baum

  November 29, 2021

  Animals, Nature

  animals, bats, honduras

• Patagonia’s 6000-year-old marble cave, Cuevas de Mármol in southern Chile

  

  On the shores of Lake General Carrera in Patagonia, southern Chile, lies a marble cave known as the Marble Cathedrals. The unexpected natural wonder is sculpted by nature.

  The cave originated over 6,000 years ago due to waves driven by nearby glaciers, crashing up against calcium carbonate on the peninsular of the remote glacial lake.

  During the early spring, the shallow waters give the cave a turquoise color. Higher levels of water during summer give the smooth cavern walls a deep blue hue.

  Today, one can explore the natural geological formation by kayak or boat.

  

  

  

  On the shores of Lake General Carrera in Patagonia, southern Chile, lies a marble cave known as the Marble Cathedrals. The unexpected natural wonder is sculpted by nature. The cave originated over 6,000 years ago due to waves driven by nearby glaciers, crashing up against calcium carbonate on the peninsular of the remote glacial lake. […]

  Wells Baum

  November 22, 2021

  Nature, Travel

  caves, Chile, Patagonia, Rocks, waves

• Explore the incredible crater of Australia’s Gosses Bluff

  

  Gosses Bluff is an eroded crater remnant in central Australia formed from an asteroid or comet collision during the earliest Cretaceous period, 142 million years ago.

  The 3-mile wide crater was originally believed to be 12 miles in diameter before natural erosion took its course.

  The aboriginal Western Arrernte were the first to recognize the crater, which they called Tnorala and considered a sacred place. According to the myth, a celestial woman dropped her baby to Earth while dancing, thus creating the circular feature seen today.

  You can even see the phenomenal place from outer space.

  

  

  

  

  Gosses Bluff is an eroded crater remnant in central Australia formed from an asteroid or comet collision during the earliest Cretaceous period, 142 million years ago. The 3-mile wide crater was originally believed to be 12 miles in diameter before natural erosion took its course. The aboriginal Western Arrernte were the first to recognize the […]

  Wells Baum

  November 18, 2021

  Nature, Space, Travel

  Aboriginal, australia, Gosses Bluff, meteor, space

• Deadly scorpions invade southern Egypt after freak thunderstorm

  

  If you thought the plagues were over, think again.

  Thunderstorms in southern Egypt forced hordes of scorpions out of the desert into Aswan, killing 3 and sending more than 500 people to hospitals with stings.

  Sources say the black scorpions entered everywhere from people’s homes, cars, and buildings to inject them with deadly venom.

  The deathstalker creatures also uprooted trees and disrupted electricity across the area, causing schools to close down.

  Unfortunately, these freak storms are just one of the many causes of climate change.

  

  

  

  If you thought the plagues were over, think again. Thunderstorms in southern Egypt forced hordes of scorpions out of the desert into Aswan, killing 3 and sending more than 500 people to hospitals with stings. Sources say the black scorpions entered everywhere from people’s homes, cars, and buildings to inject them with deadly venom. The […]

  Wells Baum

  November 15, 2021

  Animals, Nature, Travel

  animals, Egypt, Nature, news, Scorpions, Travel

• Olms, the eyeless baby dragons of Europe

  

  Olms are underwater cave-dwelling salamanders found in Europe.

  The neatest part about these unique, entirely aquatic amphibians is that they have long bodies, heads, and no eyes, unlike their relatives of axolotls.

  They also can live up to a century and go a decade without food due to their low metabolism.

  In Slovenian folklore, the olm is considered a baby cave dragon, as they would wash up from the underground after a heavy downpour.

  

  

  

  Olms are underwater cave-dwelling salamanders found in Europe. The neatest part about these unique, entirely aquatic amphibians is that they have long bodies, heads, and no eyes, unlike their relatives of axolotls. They also can live up to a century and go a decade without food due to their low metabolism. In Slovenian folklore, the olm […]

  Wells Baum

  November 13, 2021

  Animals, Nature

  animals, Europe, Nature, olms, salamander, Slovenia

• The giant crowned flying fox is a human-size bat from the Philippines

  

  Here’s a creature from the Philippines that will stop you in your tracks. The giant golden-crowned flying fox (Acerodon jubatus) grows as large as 3 feet with a 5-6 feet wingspan. For the record, that’s also wider than Danny DeVito is tall.

  It is quite simply one of the largest bats in the world.

  

  You’d think that the megabat the hulking size of a 6-year-old kid would be a threat, but it’s harmless — the animal is vegetarian and primarily munches on fruit. For that reason, it is also known as the golden-capped fruit bat. The bats even help spread seeds as pollinators. 

  Unfortunately, the species is endangered and facing extinction due to poaching in the forest.

  

  

  

  Here’s a creature from the Philippines that will stop you in your tracks. The giant golden-crowned flying fox (Acerodon jubatus) grows as large as 3 feet with a 5-6 feet wingspan. For the record, that’s also wider than Danny DeVito is tall. It is quite simply one of the largest bats in the world. You’d think that […]

  Wells Baum

  November 12, 2021

  Animals, Nature

  animals, bats, Nature, Philippines

• Discover the wonder of Onekotan Island

  

  Onekotan is a deserted volcanic island in the northwest Pacific Ocean near the northern end of Russia’s Kuril Islands chain in the Sea of Okhotsk.

  The archipelago consists of two stratovolcanos at each end, Krenitsyn and Nemo, connected by a flat strip of land. Crater lakes surround both volcanoes.

  The 4344-foot Krenitsyn volcano on the island’s northern tip sits amid the wide Tao-Rusyr Caldera in Lake Koltsevoye, which formed following a volcanic eruption 10,000 years ago.

  Nemo’s peak rests at 3,343 ft, flanked by the curved shape of Lake Chernoye.

  

  View this post on Instagram

  A post shared by Игорь Ожерельев (@ozherelev)

  Thankfully, landscape photographer Daniel Kordan in partnership with conservationist Vladimir Burkanov trekked Onekotan to give everyone a rare glimpse at the beautiful miracle of the Kuril Islands. Check it out in the aware-winning documentary From Kurils with Love.

  Onekotan is a deserted volcanic island in the northwest Pacific Ocean near the northern end of Russia’s Kuril Islands chain in the Sea of Okhotsk. The archipelago consists of two stratovolcanos at each end, Krenitsyn and Nemo, connected by a flat strip of land. Crater lakes surround both volcanoes. The 4344-foot Krenitsyn volcano on the […]

  Wells Baum

  November 11, 2021

  Nature, Travel

  Lakes, Nature, Onekotan Island, russia, Travel