Skeleton flowers – turn transparent with few drops of water
The Diphylleia grayi is an extraordinary flower with white petals that turn beautifully transparent upon contact with water. During light rain showers, the delicate blooms transform into blossoms as clear as glass, fitting its common moniker “skeleton flower.”
The plant can be found growing on moist, wooded mountainsides in the colder regions of Japan and China come late spring. The Diphylleia grayi is recognizable by its large, distinctly umbrella-like leaves topped with small clusters of pearly white blossoms that undergo a magical transformation in the rain.
An Australian woman discovered a gigantic 2ft earthworm after it was driven above ground by heavy rains
It would have to be a pretty big early bird to get that worm!
An Australian woman discovered a gigantic 2ft earthworm after it was driven above ground by torrential rains.
Kelli Mace posted a photo on Facebook of her holding the huge creature with two sticks after it emerged from the earth around Tamborine Mountain, Queensland, and it was soon picked up by Australian news outlets.
The area, which is covered in rain forest, is known for the massive species of worm, known as Digaster longmani, and which can grow up to 3ft long.
Usually they remain deep underground, but heavy rain across the Gold Coast area last week has driven the creatures from their borrows.
The region on the east coast of Australia saw particularly heavy rainfall on Friday when over an inch fell in 36 hours.
This incredible footage shows the moment a huge bird of prey swoops in to pick up a fishy dinner from a boat.
Ashton Philips caught the moment an Eagle swooped onto his fishing boat. He was fishing in British Columbia when the daredevil bird swooped down and grabbed a salmon he’d caught and then flew away.
As anyone who’s ever watched Animal Planet (or gone outside) knows, the biodiversity found among Earth’s many creatures can be pretty stunning.
As anyone who’s ever watched Animal Planet (or gone outside) knows, the biodiversity found amongst Earth’s many creatures can be pretty stunning. For those paying close enough attention, there’s almost no end to all the little variations to be discovered. Take horses, for example. You’re probably picturing a tall, regal animal galloping in a field, maybe with a black or brown coat (or even a white coat, if you’re into Westerns).
But no matter how many horses you’ve seen, you’ve probably never seen them like this:
These incredible animals are called Akhal-Teke horses and are native to Turkmenistan. We know what you’re thinking: Akhal-Teke? That sounds like a mythical steed from the Lord of the Rings. Although the comparison holds, we can assure you these sleek, metallic-looking animals are entirely real.
While Akhal-Teke horses are something of a national treasure in Turkmenistan, they are revered throughout Asia as well. Nicknamed “golden horses” or “horses from heaven” in China, they were originally bred to survive in extreme weather conditions and are known for their intelligence, endurance, and speed. Still, the most striking thing about them is their lustrous coats which seem to reflect the light.
The reason for this is that the structure of their hair follicles differs somewhat from other horses. The core of each hair strand on these animals is not as opaque as that of other horse breeds. Instead, there’s a larger transparent portion which takes up more space and captures more light. All this explains that glorious sheen as pictured below:
While the Akhal-Teke are undoubtedly beautiful, they are also quite rare. By the last count in 2012, there are approximately 6,600 Akhal-Tekes on Earth, the majority of which are in Turkmenistan and Russia. Due to their prized status, the government of Turkmenistan sometimes gifts these animals to other countries as diplomatic gifts. After all, who wouldn’t want one to spend some time with one these big guys?
Pictures of animals like these can be a humbling reminder of how vast the world really is and how much we still have to learn about it. Fortunately for those who can’t afford a plane ticket to Asia, we can appreciate the beauty of these gorgeous horses through our computer screens. Thanks, Internet!
