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country flag of Exploring photos taken in United States of America

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  • Telescopefish (Gigantura chuni) from the Gulf of Mexico between 1,500 and 1,200m depth. Telescopefish (Gigantura indica and G. chuni) are deepwater fishes with a spectacular appearance. The telescoping eyes might be used to track bioluminescent prey items in the darkness of the depths. Further evidence that these fishes eat bioluminescent prey items include a stomach with a black tissue lining. The function would be to conceal recently consumed prey items that might still be glowing, keeping the predator from becoming a prey item to larger fishes. The sharp and significant teeth undoubtedly subdue prey. One of the miraculous aspects to these species is that the larvae look nothing like the adults and a tremendous metamorphosis takes place. This individual was trawled from the Gulf of Mexico between 1,500 and 1,200m depth, 2016. Image courtesy of the DEEPEND project. Deep Sea,Deepsea,Gigantura chuni,Life in the dark
    Telescopefish (Gigantura chuni) from the Gulf of Mexico between 1,500 and 1,200m depth.
  • Orange-Fringed Orchid (Platanthera ciliaris) Growing (practically everywhere) on hillsides and along a lakeside at Fort Mountain State park. This is one of my bucketlist orchids, so I was thrilled to see them in such large numbers. It was totally worth the short trip up the mountain (did I mention I have a phobia of winding mountain passes?)!

Pollinators of this orchid include: The Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus), the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), the Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes), the Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus), the Striped Hairstreak (Satyrium liparops) and moths like the White-Lined Sphinx (Hyles lineata).
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/82999/orange-fringed_orchid_platanthera_ciliaris.html Geotagged,Platanthera ciliaris,Summer,United States,Yellow fringed orchid
    Orange-Fringed Orchid (Platanthera ciliaris)
  • Howling Coyote I hear the common calls of the coyote almost daily from my residence. This was the first time that I was able to witness their call in person and to be close enough to take a picture of this behavior. A second coyote is seen off in the background on the right who was also beginning to communicate.

Video from iPhone... sorry such poor quality but zoomed way in!
https://youtu.be/dbQZWCVrPkA

With a wide range that extends from Canada to Panama, Coyotes are a successful species that figure into the history, folklore, and present-day culture of the American West. Smaller than wolves and generally larger than dogs, coyotes boast coats that vary in color from gray to yellow. Most of Arizona's coyotes sport the telltale yellow desert coats. Mature coyotes may reach a weight of about fifty pounds and may grow as tall as forty inches. They are known for their considerable agility and speed-which may reach up to forty miles per hour.
Size: 40-46" in length, 24-36" tall

Weight: 19-25 lbs.

Diet: Primarily a carnivore, hunting and eating mostly small prey: rabbits, rodents, birds, amphibians, lizards, snakes, fish, crustaceans and insects and occasionally larger prey including elk, sheep and deer. Also carrion and some plant material: fruits and grasses.

Range: U.S. west of Appalachians including Alaska, south and west Canada and Central America

Habitat: Extremely diverse. Found in plains, mountains, desert, broken forests and tropics.

Life Span: 14-16 yrs. Canis latrans,Coyote,Geotagged,United States,Winter
    Howling Coyote
  • American Pika These are ridiculously cute… they look like something in between a mouse and a bunny and sound like a squeaky toy. They are also in danger because of climate change -  even short exposures to temperatures over 78F can kill them. They can hide in the talus during brief hot spells, but they don't burrow and need to gather food for the winter (they don't hibernate), so as the temperature rises, so must the pika. They will migrate up the mountains if they can, but if they reach the top and it's still too warm, they've no where else to go. Now this isn't exactly new, it has been happening gradually for around 12,000 years, so I don't think the pika will become extinct any time soon, but it's habitat loss has been picking up a lot of speed in the most recent 100 of those years and there is enough concern that the US is considering protecting them under the endangered species act. American pika,Geotagged,Ochotona princeps,Spring,United States
    American Pika
  • Giant Leopard Moth He exuded some of his distasteful droplets, in case I tried to eat him. Geotagged,Giant Leopard Moth,Hypercompe scribonia,Spring,United States
    Giant Leopard Moth
  • Juvenile Pancake Batfish (Halieutichthys aculeatus), trawled from between 200 meters depth and the surface, Gulf of Mexico, July 2018.  Part of the DEEPEND project.  Halieutichthys aculeatus,Pancake batfish
    Juvenile Pancake Batfish (Halieutichthys aculeatus), trawled from between 200 meters depth and the surface, Gulf of Mexico, July 2018. Part of the DEEPEND project.
  • Violet Coral - Clavaria zollingeri This fungus produces beautiful purple fruit bodies that are tubular and fragile to the touch. The elements of the fruiting body branch frequently and have rounded tips. The entire fungus looks like a cluster of tiny, purple antlers. 

Habitat: Growing in moss on the side of a swamp in a coniferous forest.
 Clavaria zollingeri,Geotagged,Summer,United States,Violet Coral,clavaria,coral fungus,fungus,mushroom,purple,purple fungus
    Violet Coral - Clavaria zollingeri
  • Greenside Darter (Male/Female Composite)-Great Miami River Drainage, Ohio  Etheostoma blennioides,Geotagged,Greenside darter,Spring,United States
    Greenside Darter (Male/Female Composite)-Great Miami River Drainage, Ohio
  • Giant Ichneumon Wasp Large, thin-bodied wasp. Females are very dark black and yellow. They are parasitoids of wood-boring insects in dead, deciduous trees.When a female is ready to oviposit her eggs, she rotates segments 8 and 9 of her abdomen and unfolds her intersegmentary membranes so that they form a disc 2 cm in diameter. The surface of this disc produces a secretion that disintegrates the wooden substrate and facilitates her ability to insert her ovipositor. After she lays her eggs on the surface of the host larva she completes the same rotational movements to remove her ovipositor from the wood and the stylus returns to its resting position. This entire process takes an hour. Geotagged,Giant Ichneumon Wasp,Megarhyssa atrata,Spring,United States,wasp
    Giant Ichneumon Wasp
  • Frosted Sunrise The sun rises and sheds light on a world that has turned to frost overnight. The cold air and frost creates a fairy tale-like scene. Captured in south-central Montana. Geotagged,Landscapes,Montana,United States,frost,sunrise,winter
    Frosted Sunrise
  • Bashful Wakerobin - Trillium catesbaei This trillium was growing WAY out of its range. I found 2 plants, but there could be more.

Habitat: Mostly deciduous forest; these plants were growing wild
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/115112/bashful_wakerobin_-_trillium_catesbaei.html
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/115111/bashful_wakerobin_-_trillium_catesbaei.html
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/115114/trillium.html
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/115113/trillium.html Bashful wakerobin,Geotagged,Spring,Trillium,Trillium catesbaei,United States
    Bashful Wakerobin - Trillium catesbaei
  • Brood X Pharaoh Cicada (Magicicada septendecim) On a forested trail near a lakeside. This location was about 15 miles north of our home (where we are only hearing occasional calls). The sound here was deafening!
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/115872/brood_x_pharaoh_cicada_magicicada_septendecim.html
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/115871/brood_x_pharaoh_cicada_magicicada_septendecim.html

Watch the video below for an idea of the noise level:
https://vimeo.com/556927116

Emergence Map:
https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KorGK9h2SxNIaJdx72jRUD7t34M=/0x0:999x771/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:999x771):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22413227/Screen_Shot_2021_04_01_at_10.33.22_AM.png Geotagged,Magicicada septendecim,Pharaoh cicada,Spring,United States
    Brood X Pharaoh Cicada (Magicicada septendecim)
  • Black-tailed Jackrabbit The hot sun lights up the Jackrabbit's (Lepus californicus) large ears as he calmly eats grass close to the boardwalk at the Crystal Spring of Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. Ramsar site no. 347. Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge,Black-tailed Jackrabbit,Black-tailed jackrabbit,Geotagged,Lepus californicus,Nevada,Ramsar wetland,Spring,United States
    Black-tailed Jackrabbit
  • Pandora Sphinx Larva (Eumorpha pandorus) On a Virginia Creeper vine (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), a confirmed host plant of this species, in a public park in Floyd County, GA.

https://www.jungledragon.com/image/66840/pandora_sphinx_larva_eumorpha_pandorus.html
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/66841/pandora_sphinx_larva_eumorpha_pandorus.html Eumorpha pandorus,Fall,Geotagged,Pandora sphinx,United States
    Pandora Sphinx Larva (Eumorpha pandorus)
  • My papa... Male Gambels are incredibly protective of their young. After a monsoon the entire covey looked in need of the desert sun to bring their feathers back to beauty. Callipepla gambelii,Gambels quail,Geotagged,United States
    My papa...
  • Bobcat This was the second bobcat of the day!  By relative sizes I think this is a female, as the other cat was much larger.  I think this might also be an old one, because she has that hunchback shape when sitting like old domestic cats get. Bobcat,Geotagged,Lynx rufus,United States,Winter
    Bobcat
  • Glenurus gratus This is a picture of a Glenurus gratus on the grounds of Chesapeake High School in Pasadena, Maryland. Geotagged,Glenurus gratus,Summer,United States
    Glenurus gratus
  • Greater Sage Grouse dancing on a lek Centrocercus urophasianus, Greater Sage Grouse dancing on a lek (breeding ground)   Centrocercus urophasianus,Greater Sage Grouse,Sage Grouse,Washington,birds,chest sack,filoplumes,grouse,lek,male,mating display,sage,sagebrush,threatened species
    Greater Sage Grouse dancing on a lek
  • Short-billed Dowitcher In flight  Geotagged,Limnodromus griseus,Short-billed dowitcher,United States
    Short-billed Dowitcher
  • Hooker's Ground Cone This is an unusual find- there aren't too many places that these grow these days. It's a parasitic plant that lives on salal.  Boschniakia hookeri,Geotagged,Spring,United States
    Hooker's Ground Cone
  • A Netdevil (Linophryne sp.) trawled from between 1,200 and 1,500 meters depth, Gulf of Mexico. This is a female anglerfish from the family Linophrynidae and the genus Linophryne, known as the “Netdevils” or "Bearded Seadevils."  Linophryne is a special group of fish because they demonstrate two distinctive modes of bioluminescence, intrinsic bioluminescence and bacterial bioluminescence.  The evolution of both modes in a single species is extremely rare. The esca or “lure” is filled with bacteria that produce light and live in a symbiosis with the fish.  The chin barbel or “beard” glows in the dark via the production of luciferin and luciferase by the fish – an intrinsic method of light production by the fish itself.  This specimen was trawled up in the Gulf of Mexico, 2016, from between 1,200 and 1,500 meters depth.  Image courtesy of the DEEPEND project.
 
 Angler Fish,Bearded Seadevils,Deep Sea,Gulf of Mexico,Linophryne,Linophrynidae,Netdevils,anglerfish,bathydemersal,bathypelagic,bioluminescence,bioluminescent,esca,larvae,larval female,mesopelagic,nekton,pelagos
    A Netdevil (Linophryne sp.) trawled from between 1,200 and 1,500 meters depth, Gulf of Mexico.
  • Pretzel Slime Mold - Hemitrichia serpula Orange, pretzel-shaped network of slime mold strands.

Slime molds do not form penetrating  or absorptive masses of hyphae on the wood substrate. Rather, slime molds form structures called plasmodia, which do not have cell walls.  Plasmodia are masses of protoplasm which can move and engulf particles of food in an amoeboid manner.  They creep over surfaces, engulfing bacteria, fungal spores, protozoa, and particles of nonliving organic matter. Eventually,  the plasmodia turn into spore-bearing structures.
In Hemitrichia, the plasmodium forms a plasmodiocarp fruiting body where the spore-forming structure retains the
shape of the main veins of the plasmodium.

Habitat: Under the bark of a snag in a deciduous forest.
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/67032/pretzel_slime_mold_-_hemitrichia_serpula.html
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/67031/pretzel_slime_mold_-_hemitrichia_serpula.html Fall,Geotagged,Hemitrichia,Hemitrichia serpula,Pretzel Slime Mold,United States,slime mold
    Pretzel Slime Mold - Hemitrichia serpula
  • Pogonomyrmex barbatus or Harvester Ant https://www.jungledragon.com/image/120642/harvester_ant_pogonomyrmex.html Geotagged,Pogonomyrmex barbatus,Summer,United States
    Pogonomyrmex barbatus or Harvester Ant
  • Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger) San Joaquin Marsh, Irvine, CA. Aug 24, 2019 Black Skimmer,Geotagged,Rynchops niger,Summer,United States
    Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger)
More photos.. (32,753 total)
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