Thursday, October 31, 2013

Llama Lice



Certain lice that attack llamas and alpacas even happen to have long, thick necks. In this case, the neck allows them to reach through their host’s very thick and tangled hair to bite at the skin and suck blood.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Honey pot ants

Myrmecocystus nests are found in a variety of arid or semi-arid environments. Some species live in extremely hot deserts, others reside in transitional habitats, and still other species can be found in woodlands where it is somewhat cool but still very dry for a large part of the year.

As their names suggest, honey-pot ants are like living pots of honey. After the rains, there is so much nectar from ephemeral plants, there is actually more than enough. Good food will not be wasted in the harsh living conditions of the desert. So the ants feed some particular ants in the colony with nectar until their whole abdomen swells up with honey. They can be the size of grapes! Then, during the drought, when food is scarce, the other ants will feed on the honey, and the ants’ abdomens shrink back to its normal size. The honey-pot ants save food in this way. They are also a source of food supply for other desert animals, including humans!

These ants can live anywhere in the nest, but in the wild, they are found deep underground, literally imprisoned by their huge abdomens, swollen to the size of grapes. They are so valued in times of little food and water that occasionally raiders from other colonies, knowing of these living storehouses, will attempt to steal these ants because of their high nutritional value and water content. These ants are also known to change colors. Some common colors are green, red, orange, yellow, and blue.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Magnificent Frigatebird

The Magnificent Frigatebird has a name that sounds like a bad magician. The bird, formerly known as Man O’War, has a massive scarlet throat pouch that’s inflated during mating season

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Coolest Underwater Places



Hotel Conrad Rangali Island Maldives

If you are planning for that ultimate honeymoon whose memories are to be etched into your minds forever, here comes the award winning Hotel Conrad Rangali Island Maldives with its exciting honeymoon- suite for all you newlyweds.

Being one of the finest hotels in the world it already swaggers of having several luxurious villas, striking beach villas and marvelous spa water villas. But the honeymoon suite is something that will sure make you fall for it. After all, who wouldn't love to spend a night underneath the sea with panoramic views of the marine life?



Poseidon Undersea Resort

Giving the phrase "Under the sea" a whole new meaning, the Poseidon Undersea Resort($15,000 and up) lets you rest underneath the waves in a room made mostly of acrylic glass. Located in Fiji, the resort offers guests private plane transportation from a Fijian airport to the Poseidon Mystery Island, where they'll enjoy a week's stay — including two nights in the underwater hotel, with a three-passenger Triton 1000 submarine at their disposal. With a coral reef to explore, beach bungalows for above-sea level accommodations, an underwater library, wedding chapel, restaurants, and more, it's an out-of-this-world experience just 40 feet below the surface.



Red Sea Star Restaurant

The Red Sea Star has been receiving extensive coverage throughout the world since its establishment, especially because of the unique concept it was based on, its exceptional construction process, its fascinating interior design and the fact that it is a "green" project, which contributes profoundly to the preservation of the coral reef surrounding it.

The Red Sea Star was constructed by first line experts using special resources and equipment imported from all around the world. The underwater floor of the complex is shaped like a star, displaying a fascinating marine-world interior design admired throughout the world. The underwater floor functions as an observatory, in which the underwater restaurant and bar are located.

The Red Sea Star enables you to "sense the sea" through a "dry diving experience" and to discover the magnificent and exciting underwater world of the Red Sea. A breathtaking view of hundreds of various tropical sea creatures in the colorful coral garden is seen through 62 panoramic amorphous windows surrounding the observatory, located five meters below the sea level

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Miss Landmine Survivor



The landmine problem in Angola and Cambodia stirred artist Mortan Traavik to start this pageant. The idea was to highlight the issue and restore self-esteem among landmine survivors. The Cambodian authorities thought the contest was distasteful and banned it. It was later held in Norway. The winner of Miss Landmine Survivor Angola gets a customized prosthesis made in Norway.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Paper apartment



Artist Don Lucho has created “Casa de Karton”: an entire apartment (including a toilet, a bed, and even utensils) out of paper and cardboard. While his motivation is unclear, it's still pretty impressive. The apartment has all the furniture and other items that a kitchen or a bedroom is expected to have. Being in these “carton rooms” will make you feel like you're a part of a drawing. Beside the house he has also made a car wreck out of carton, and placed it on the street so it looks realistic

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Vanuatu's Underwater Post Office



Vanuatu's Underwater Post Office, found just off Hideaway Island near Port Vila, has quickly become one of the busiest post offices for postcards in the world!

Visitors from around the world have literally donned their mask and snorkels, postcards in hand to experience the world's first underwater post office. And they have not been disappointed. The Post Office is only 50 metres offshore and at just three metres below the surface, is very accessible to the young and young at heart. Thousands of visitors have posted one of the special waterproof postcards available in Vanuatu; these cards are collected regularly by one of Vanuatu Post's four trained scuba divers and “cancelled” underwater with an embossing cachet. Mail that requires a normal Underwater Post Office date stamp is cancelled in the Main Post Office

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Man who can pull a minivan using his eyelids



Next time your car needs a tow but it turns out you haven't got the right equipment, talk to this man. Stuntman Xie Zhongcai in Hefei, China's eastern Anhui Province, has another idea that fits the job. Just tie the car to your ear and head off. And if that seems like it might sting just a little, how about his next trick.

If the locals in Heping Square were left with their mouths open after his first stunt, they couldn't believe their eyes the second time – since the stuntman hooked up the minivan to his eye sockets

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Armless Guitar Player



Learning to walk means falling a lot for any child. For Tony Melendez, who was born without arms, it meant falling flat on his face time after time, until he learned to tumble and get back on his feet. That lesson, to keep trying, stuck with him. He wanted to play the guitar, and learned to pluck the strings with his toes. He practiced up to seven hours a day until the result was music. In 1987, when Melendez was 25, he played during Pope John Paul II's visit to Los Angeles, and the pope urged him to “continue giving this hope to all the people.” In response, Melendez has traveled to 40 countries and across the United States as a motivational speaker.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Worlds fattest nation



Nauru is the world's fattest country, with an average BMI of 34 to 35. Located in the south Pacific, it is the smallest island nation with a population of less than 10,000. Obesity has grown as a result of the importation of Western foods paid for with proceeds from phosphate mining. The most popular dish is fried chicken and cola.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

America's Fattest President



William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States of America, serving from 1909 to 1913, and served as the 10th Chief Justice of the United States. Taft was severely overweight; legend says he became stuck in the bathtub in the White House several times, prompting the installation of a new bathtub capable of holding all of the men who installed it, something the White House denied. At 6 feet, and weighing over 350 pounds (159 kg), Taft is the heaviest person to be President, although Jefferson, Lincoln, Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Clinton were taller. While governor of the Philippines, Taft one day sent a message that read "Went on a horseride today; feeling good." Secretary of War Elihu Root replied, "How's the horse?"

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Fish lice



Insects are virtually absent from the sea, but fish aren’t safe from lice of their own. Argulus or “fish lice” are crustaceans, like crabs or lobsters, but adapted to a fully parasitic lifestyle. Their flat, saucer-shaped bodies act as powerful suction cups, clinging to their host’s slick, slimy scales even against a raging current. Just like the parasites of us air-breathers, these “fish lice” can transmit viral infections as they spread from one host to another.