Interesting Critters

My Dear Great Ones,

I have seen some interesting critters since my arrival here in Hong Kong.  Here are some pics (I took them except for the last two) of a few of them, with some fun facts that may educate, amuse, but hopefully not bore you.

 The golden silk orb-weavers (genus Nephila) are a genus ofaraneomorph spiders noted for the impressive webs they weave.Nephila consists of numerous species found in warmer regions around the world. They are also commonly called golden orb-weavers, giant wood spiders, or banana spiders.  Can grow as big as a man's hand.

The Monarch butterfly is probably the most famous butterfly in North America, but it is also common in parts of South East Asia like Hong Kong and here is photo evidence.

 Found in warmer growing climates, mealybugs are soft-bodied, wingless insects that often appear as white cottony masses on the leaves, stems and fruit of plants. They feed by inserting long sucking mouthparts, called stylets, into plants and drawing sap out of the tissue. Damage is not often significant at low pest levels. However, at higher numbers they can cause leaf yellowing and curling as the plant weakens. Feeding is usually accompanied by honeydew, which makes the plant sticky and encourages the growth of sooty moulds. Mealybugs are a common greenhouse pest that affect ornamentals, houseplants, avocados and fruits.

 Crab crazy at Phi Phi island Thailand.   Ghost crabs dig deep burrows near the intertidal zone of open sandy beaches. The burrows are usually composed of a long shaft with a chamber at the end, occasionally with a second entrance shaft.^[1] They are semi-terrestrial and breathe oxygen from the air through moistened gills. They must periodically wet their gills with seawater,^[1][9] usually by taking water from moist sand or by running into the surf and letting the waves wash over them. However, they can only remain under water for a limited amount of time, as they will drown.^[10][11]

Ghost crabs are generalists, scavenging carrion and debris, as well as preying on small animals, including sea turtle eggs andhatchlings, clams, and other crabs.^[12] They are predominantly nocturnal. They remain in their burrows during the hottest part of the day, and throughout the coldest part of the winter.^[1]

Ghost crabs are swift runners, darting away at the slightest sign of danger. They either head back to their burrows or plunge into the sea to escape intruders.^[10][11][13] The gaits of ghost crabs alter as their speed increases. Observations on O. ceratophthalma show it can walk indefinitely using all four pairs of walking legs, occasionally alternating which side leads. At higher speeds, the fourth pair of legs is raised off the ground, and at the highest speeds, the crab runs, using only the first and second pairs of walking legs.^[14]

Ghost crabs also have the ability to change colors to match their surroundings by adjusting the concentration and dispersal of pigments within their chromatophores.^[6] They can even match the specific colors of the grains of sand in their habitats.^[15] However, unlike metachrosis (which is a rapid change of colors), ghost crabs are only capable of morphological color change, which occurs over a longer span of time.^[6]    

^{Verrrrrry Interesting.}

 Slow as a snail. As well as being relished as gourmet food, several species of land snails provide an easily harvested source of protein to many people in poor communities around the world. Many land snails are valuable because they can feed on a wide range of agricultural wastes, such as shed leaves in banana plantations. In some countries, giant African land snails are produced commercially for food. Land snails, freshwater snails and sea snails are all eaten in a number of countries (principally Spain, Philippines, Morocco, Nigeria, Algeria, Cameroon, France, Italy, Portugal,Greece, Belgium, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Cyprus, Ghana, Malta, Terai of Nepal, southwestern China, Northeast India states such as Manipur, Tripura and parts of the USA). In certain parts of the world, snails are fried. For example, in Indonesia, they are fried as satay, a dish known as sate kakul. The eggs of certain snail species are eaten in a fashion similar to the way caviar is eaten.  Bet you didn't know that.

 Praying mantas. Mantises may have a visual range of up to 20 metres. Their compound eyes may comprise up to 10,000ommatidia. The eyes are widely spaced and laterally situated, affording a wide binocular field of visionand, at close range, precise stereoscopic vision. The dark spot on each eye is a pseudopupil. As their hunting relies heavily on vision, mantises are primarily diurnal. Many species, however, fly at night, and then may be attracted to artificial lights. Nocturnal flight is especially important to males in search of less-mobile females that they locate by detecting their pheromones. Flying at night exposes mantises to fewer bird predators than diurnal flight would. Many mantises also have an auditory thoracic organ that helps them to avoid bats by detecting their echolocation and responding evasively.^[8]
Bet you did not know that either.

The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), also known as red-eared terrapin, is a semiaquatic turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. It is a subspecies of the pond slider. It is the most popular pet turtle in the United States and is also popular as a pet in the rest of the world,^[3] as, among other factors, it is easy to maintain. It has, therefore, become the most commonly traded turtle in the world.^[4] It is native to the southern United States and northern Mexico, but has become established in other places because of pet releases and has become aninvasive species in many areas, where it outcompetes native species. The red-eared slider is included in the List of the world’s 100 most invasive species^[5] published by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.  Used to have these turtles as a kid.   These turtles are common in the country parks of Hong Kong. 

Sea Sparkle (Noctiluca scintillans) is a species of dinoflagellate, single-cell microorganisms that collect in algae-like blooms in the ocean. The blooms of phytoplankton often make up what are referred to as a red tide, though red tides can include the amalgamation of all kids of algae species.

Sea Sparkle, like most red tide organisms, is red or brown in color in the light of day, but its bioluminescence gives it a bright blue glow at night. The algae's bioluminescence is only triggered when the water is disturbed.  These pics were taken on a school trip at Hoi Ha in Sai Kung country park.  Kids were throwing sticks, rocks, themselves into the water to light it up.

Have a great week everyone!

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk