circus of the spineless #4

Crinoids are on the move
Sea lilies are found to move along the ocean floor to escape sea urchins.
Deep-Sea News

Snouts are on the move, too
7.5 million dead leaf mimics storm Texas.  Look out!
Ro Wauer at Nature Writers of Texas

The stunning diversity of Florida tree snails
If you've seen one Liguus, you have NOT seen them all.
milkriver

Size does matter
For fat-headed male New Zealand Anthribidae, and their observers, eating cheese.
Pohanginapete

Ode to a fur-covered moth
Destined to be a classic, to the tune of "Twas the Night Before Christmas."
Dope on the Slope

The next big thing
A lovely Harlequin Flower Beetle helps inspire a hobby for those with an inordinate fondness.
Urban Dragon Hunters

This you must know
It takes great talent to write such evocative poetry.
Via Negativa

Darners post Rita
Exhausted migrating Common Green Darners (Anax junius) resort to canibalism during Hurricane Rita, while reclining.
milkriver

Tarantula Hawks
These giant wasps have one of the most painful stings of any American insect.
Firefly Forest Blog

Supersized Water Scorpion Strolled Scotland's Shores
Discovery of 330 million year old fossil tracks of a giant scorpion that measured about 1.6 meters long and one meter across: the largest terrestrial trackway of a walking arthropod yet discovered.
Scientific American Blog

The Calamari Wrestler
Review of a moving film about a Japanese athlete who turns into a squid.
Pharyngula

A four-winged dipteran, or just two flies having sex?
What at first looked like Jeff Goldblum is really mating dung flies.
via the author of Invasive Species Weblog

25 Things You Should Know About the Deep Sea: #7
Most deep sea organisms are miniatures of their shallow water relatives, like this snail that is the size of George Washington's nose on an American quarter.
Deep-Sea News

Death of a tiny checkerspot butterfly
Two invertebrates for the price of one.
Firefly Forest Blog

Lokies sing down under
Cicadas emerge in Australia, and prompt a little retrospective.
Ben Cruachan Blog

Deliver us from weevil
A very long-billed member of the family Curculionidae.
Motel Chronicles

Snail identification
How to figure out your mystery Discus.
Research at a Snail's Pace

Caterpillars sans parachutes
Hard to say which end is which in this Orange-humped Mapleworm.
Woodsong

A probing question
The identity of a wasp is revealed.
Motel Chronicles

A Beautiful Orthopteran
Who says katydids can't be elegant?
Firefly Forest Blog

Darwin's old buddies
These guys are looking mighty crusty.
Snail's Tales

Florida gets some racing stripes
If we must battle a non-native fruit fly, at least it should be beautiful.
Invasive Species Weblog

Snail travels across North America
A lesson on snail biogeography.
Research at a Snail's Pace

Images matching your search: Giant Leopard Moth and Comet Darner.

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The next Circus of the Spineless will be at the end of January at Pharyngula. I leave you with this thought:

The world would be complete without man, but it would also be incomplete without the smallest transmicroscopic creature that dwells beyond our conceitful eyes and knowledge. ~John Muir

Happy New Year!

Comments

[Norene]

What a cool google search. I was thinking the other day about alien movies, and wondering why there is such a fascination with the possibility of strange creatures "out there" when we have such a plethora of them right here on earth that we don't seem to be able to decimate quickly enough for our own satisfaction. Your post reminded me of this, and also reminded me how much I love the little things--the easily overlooked. Thanks!

[Cindy]

excellent as always! I'll catch up on the submissions soo... and Happy New Year my friend. May you continue to explore the world and teach us along the way. I've learned SO miuch from you.
wishing you much joy and discovery,
Cindy

[TroutGrrrl]

Nice work Nutty. And during the holiday craziness too...
Happy New Year!

[Mike]

Brilliant, Nuthatch. I can't wait to see what you do with an edition of I and the Bird...

Happy New Year!