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.
Jatayu Nature Park in Kerala, India, holds the largest bird sculpture on Earth, occupying about 15,000 sq feet and standing at the height of about 1200 feet above sea level. It is five times the size of the Pyramid of Giza.
Opened in 2018 as a tourist destination, the 70-foot tall giant concrete figure pays tribute to the famed divine bird, Jatayu, from the Hindu epic Ramayan.
It was built over a decade by filmmaker and sculptor Rajiv Anchal, who wanted to make the mythology come alive.
According to the legend, this is the jungle hilltop where Jatayu once fell and injured his left wing at the location in an attempt to save Sita from the clutches of evil kidnapper Ravana.
The stone-cut eagle now serves as a tribute to nature’s splendor and a symbol for the protection of womankind. Visitors must use a passenger ropeway to reach the top.
View more of the sculpture in the videos and images below.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons/athulnairConstruction of Jatayu (2013) Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Kumar.kisalaya
Final chiseling at the hands of Jatayu. The sculpture is now the World's largest Bird Sculpture.
See the universe in the marvelous googly-eyed cosmic caterpillar of the Pacific fruit-piercing moth (Eudocima phalonia), and you’ll never be the same. This is mother nature’s best expression of art.
While some caterpillars appear like snakes to avoid predators, the cosmic caterpillar screams, ‘eat the stars.’
As dazzling as they are in the larva stage, looking like the cosmos, these caterpillars are a severe pest in their moth stage.
As the adults burst out of their cocoons, they are known to destroy ripe fruit harvests across Hawaii, Australia, to India.
Here are some more pics of the cosmic caterpillar’s advanced larva stage and its appearance as an adult moth. It does an incredible leaf mimic.
The Nicobar pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica) stands out from the crowd as the extinct Dodo’s closest living relative.
Found in the coastal regions of Andaman and Nicobar Islands southeast of the Indian continent to the Solomon Islands and Palau, the Nicobar pigeon fashions the most beautiful metallic green colored plumage.
With low repetitive calls, the Nicobar pigeon is quieter than your standard urban pigeon. It is also one of the largest pigeon species, stretching 16 inches in length.
Unfortunately, the bird appears near extinction due to the demand for its gizzard stone used in jewelry. Gizzard stones help the bird break down hard foods like seeds and nuts.
