The flying fire-breathing dragons may not exist in our current times, but this bird bearing a resemblance to the mythical creature does seem to come straight out of a fantasy movie! Its dragon-like features, mostly due to the small tufts of fluffy feathers on its head, surely captivates our attention and distinguishes it from other birds in nature. The Great eared nightjar (Lyncornis macrotis) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae and the class Aves, and can be found in southwest India and in parts of Southeast Asia. This nocturnal bird is categorized under five subspecies: Lyncornis macrotis…
Author: David
And we don’t really know why. Image credit: Parque Nacional Ciervo de los Pantanos South America’s second longest river, the Paraná, which has a length of 4,880 kilometers, flows through three countries: Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. 4,880 kilometers is no short distance – it gives plenty of opportunities for discovering amazing things. In the case of the Paraná, one of the most exciting discoveries was made at its delta: an island 120 meters in diameter, almost completely circular in shape, and floating freely on its axis. So-called floating islands are found in many parts of the world, including Finland, Turkey,…
We’ve all eaten honey at some point in our lives, but this thing is something different. The nectar has been swapped for meat. To identify what bacteria lives in the stomachs of vulture bees and how it compares to other bee species, researchers set up 16 bait stations with roughly two ounces of raw chicken hung from branches 4.9 feet off the ground. Quinn McFrederick/University of California-Riverside We all tend to take it for granted that honey is made by bees going from flower to flower collecting nectar, and then transforming it into the golden liquid we love so much. But…
In the abandoned village of Houtouwan, China, visitors get a first-hand experience of how nature is taking back what is hers. This abandoned Chinese village has been abandoned for decades. Image credit: Nuno Luciano Shengsi Island is a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean, east of Shanghai, where you can find one of the most amazing ghost towns in the world, overgrown by blankets of green vegetation. On this island, which belongs to the chain of 400 islands next to the coastal province of Zhejiang, you can find the abandoned Houtouwan village. Even though it has become an eerie ghost town,…
The unusual-looking and extremely elusive ghost shark dwells in the darkness of the deep sea, rarely revealing itself – just like a phantom, or ghost. But now we finally have it on camera. The elusive ghost shark can mostly be found in the darkness of the deep sea. Image credit: NOAA Ocean Exploration The rarely seen Chimaera, more commonly known as ghost shark because of its appearance, is a deep sea fish that can be found in most of the world’s oceans. Scientists have been unable to capture this elusive creature on camera, since they prefer depths up to 8500 feet…
The blue dragon is a unique little sea monster. It might not be able to breathe fire but… Well, read below. The blue sea dragon may not be able to breathe fire, but it packs a nasty sting. Image credit: Sylke Rohrlach Contradictory to its name, the blue sea dragon (Glaucus atlanticus) is quite small in real life and it actually belong to the family of sea slugs. On average, they don’t usually grow longer than 3 centimeters, but don’t let their size fool you. These small sea dragons are masters of camouflage and they are armed with a nasty sting.…
Once every winter, a blazing firefall sweeps across the granite cliffs of Yosemite National Park in California. The rare and extraordinary firefall of Horsetail Fall. Image credit: Wayne Hsieh Yosemite National Park in California is filled with a diverse ecosystem filled with hundreds of species and fascinating natural wonders. It’s best known for its waterfalls, towering granite monoliths, deep valleys and ancient giant sequoias. Among the more than 25 waterfalls that can be found in the park, there is one that stands out: once every year, when conditions are just right, Horsetail Fall turns into a blazing “firefall”. If conditions are…
The phenomenon is also called ‘mountain spectre’, since it most often occurs when the observer stands at a higher altitude on a mountain and sees their shadow cast on a cloud at a lower altitude. A Brocken spectre within glory rings. Image credit: Brocken Inaglory But a Brocken spectre can occur in any setting when the magnified (and apparently enormous) shadow of an observer is cast in mid air against any type of cloud opposite a strong light source. Additionally, if the cloud consists of water droplets backscattered, a glory resembling a saint’s halo can be seen around the shadow of…
Stretching from Arctic to the southeast coast of the island of Newfoundland, Iceberg Alley is the perfect spot for iceberg viewing – even from your kitchen window, while cooking the local staple ‘Jiggs dinner’. A 150 ft. Iceberg passing through Iceberg Alley near Twillingate, Newfoundland, Canada. Photo: Doreen Dalley If you live in Canada’s Iceberg Alley, you will never be short of icebergs to view. And in the spring, when the sea ice around them melts, they’ll look even more spectacular. The icebergs come from even further up north, mostly from Greenland, where chunks of glaciers tend to break off…
The Antakya Museum Hotel in Turkey is today of great archaeological importance. During its construction, workers discovered a 2,000-year-old mosaic that extends over 9,000-square-foot (about 850 square meters)! It’s the world’s largest mosaic piece and truly an astonishing sight. Image credit: The Museum Hotel Antakya The enormous mosaic, which was recently opened to the public as part of the newly built Antakya Museum Hotel, was unearthed back in 2010 by a construction crew digging the foundations of the new hotel. The discovery was beyond anything anyone could have expected. Hiding beneath the foundation of the future hotel lay the world’s largest…
Due to their spectacular coat and slender morphology, the Akhal-Teke are considered the most beautiful horse breed in existence. The majestic Akhal-Teke, the golden horse of Turkmenistan. Image source: Imgur “There is no other horse that leaves such an unforgettable impression as the noble Akhal-Teke – lithe, light and springy, glistening with gold in the rays of the sun, with its smooth gliding trot and a ground-lining gallop.” These words, written by breeder Alexander Klimuk, indeed say it all. The Akhal-Teke is a Turkmen horse breed that has a reputation for speed, endurance, intelligence, and a very distinctive metallic sheen –…
Finally, 37 years after its initial flight, NASA has confirmed that we will be able to retrieve Voyager 1. This discovery comes as a complete surprise to us all, and we are overjoyed that one of humanity’s finest inventions has returned. In case you didn’t remember, Voyager 1 was NASA and JPL’s first spacecraft, and its mission was both basic and complex. The issue it faced was either caused by unexpected events or a result of poor preparation, but NASA claims that their spacecraft remained trapped in space after its main thrusters failed. Despite its ability to travel at speeds…