Think Pink - Part Two!

Hi Everyone! Right after I posted the blog about pink animals yesterday Yahoo put out a news story about a boy who found a very rare pink grasshopper at a wildlife event not too far from his home.
http://green.yahoo.com/blog/greenpicks/253/boy-finds-rare-pink-grasshopper.html

I think this is cool for two reasons. First because the grasshopper is just so pretty and second because it just goes to show you that new and rare species can be found almost anywhere! And scientists aren't the only ones finding these amazing creatures, Daniel Tate is just a normal eleven year old boy, only a year younger than me! So to all the kids who follow my blog here's my advice. Keep your eyes open and watch where you step! ;)

Your Pal,
Lucy

Think Pink!

Anyone that knows me will tell you, I am not a girly girl. So pink is one of my least favorite colors. Unless you're talking about new species, because I love pink animals! The pinker the better. We all know about the pink river dolphin and the pink flamingo...

But this year at least two new pink species were discovered, so I want to talk about them for a minute.

First is the pink iguana found in the Galapagos Islands. The only place you can find it is on the Wolf Volcano on the Isle of Isabella! Sounds like something from a mystery novel, right? So cool.

Learn more about the pink iguana here:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/01/090105-pink-iguana-photo.html

Next up is a fuchsia colored centipede found in the Greater Mekong Region. It's able to shoot cyanide to defend itself. Friendly little guy, isn't he? 8P

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/12/photogalleries/greater-mekong-new-species-photos/photo2.html

And, ofcourse, we can't forget the most elusive pink animal of all time! ;)

Answers, Gorillas and Wallpaper!

Hi Everyone!

REAL OR FAKE ANIMAL GAME ANSWERS

Thanks for playing the Real or Fake Animal Game yesterday. Unfortunately nobody won, so I guess it was a toughy!

Here are the answers.

A). REAL - Western Crowned Pigeon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Crowned_Pigeon

B). REAL - Plume Moth

http://www.plumemoth.com/

C). REAL - Aardwolf

http://www.livingdesert.org/animals/aardwolf.asp

D). FAKE - (It started out as a work of art!)

E). REAL - Brown Sicklebill
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Sicklebill

F). REAL - Blue Weevil

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/tropical-blue-weevil-douglas-barnett.html

G). REAL - Ribbon Tailed Astrapia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribbon-tailed_Astrapia

H). FAKE - (It started out as a flower. I erased the stem, added an eye and blurred the "wings".)

I). REAL - Boll Weevil

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boll_weevil

J). REAL - Wooly Aphid (Everyone thought this little guy was fake! Cool factoid: They are also called Farie Flies and Fuzzebutts. Not kidding!)

http://bugguide.net/node/view/7465/bgimage

K). REAL - Blue Bird of Paradise

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Bird_of_Paradise

VIDEO CLIP
Here's a video clip that will make you cheer for joy! The first half is about new species that have been discovered recently, and the second half features the discovery of a previously undetected population of 125,000 lowland gorillas! That's nearly triple their known population! Whoo hoo!http://www.sling.com/video/show/143819/32/Discovering-New-Species

WALLPAPERS

And last, you have GOT to check out Nationalgeographic.com for some amazing wallpapers for your computer. I'm posting some of my favorites here for you to enjoy, but NG has a ton of great images for you to use! How AWESOME is the diversity of nature?!
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/wallpapers

The Real or Fake Animal Game

Hi again! Every Thursday I'll be presenting a game for you guys, called the Real or Fake Animal Game. The object is simple. Just tell me which animals in the pictures I post are fake. In order to be considered a real animal, they have to fit the criteria as outlined on dictionary.com:

(An Animal is) any member of the kingdom Animalia, comprising multicellular organisms that have a well-defined shape and usually limited growth, can move voluntarily, actively acquire food and digest it internally, and have sensory and nervous systems that allow them to respond rapidly to stimuli:

Basically no plants, no viruses and no photoshopped fakes (and yep, there will be some!)

So email the letters of the fake animals only to my email: lucyclayfoot@yahoo.com
In order to beat the game you have to get every answer right. I do have a prize for the first winner of each game! I'll post the answers every Friday. Good luck!

A).

B).

C).

D).

E).

F).

G).

H).

I).

J).

K).

Sea Slugs! The Crayons Of The Oceans!

Hi Gang! I just wanted to take a minute to say how much I love sea slugs! There are thousands of different types of this gastropod mollusk, and they are easily some of the most colorful creatures on the planet. Most of them are venomous, so sea slugs are beauty AND the beast, all rolled up into one. If you want to learn more about these amazing creatures, read up on them at Wikipedia!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nudibranch
And check out this living art gallery of sea slugs I've posted below!

My first blog!

Hi everyone! This is my first blog ever! It's not really that much different than making an entry in my field journal, except I don't have to tape the pictures in place. :) I started this blog so that I could keep all of my friends up to date on cool things happening in the world of cryptozoology, which is the study of undiscovered animals. As I continue to update, you'll see some amazing new species of animals, play some cryptozoological games and learn a little bit about me and my family, the Clayfoots. Our job is to find the last undiscovered animals on the planet and educate people about them.

First off, some awesome news! More than 30 new species of animals have been discovered living inside an extinct volcanic crater on the South Pacific island of Papua New Guinea, including a rat the size of a house cat and a frog with fangs! You can read all about it right here:

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1921262,00.html?xid=rss-topstories

Also, I wanted to post an amazing photo of one of the many unique types of mantids thriving in the world. This little guy looks almost like something from the world of faeries, doesn't it?

You can follow my blog by adding it to your profile. I'll update as often as I can, when I'm not searching for cryptids in the jungle or under the sea or way up in the mountains... wherever cryptids can be found (which is almost anywhere!)

Have a great day! ~ Your Pal, Lucy Clayfoot