Our Spectacular Planet

The Leafy Sea Dragon, Phycodurus eques, is a marine fish related to the seahorse. The name is derived from it's appearance, with long leaf-like protrusions coming from all over the body.  These protrusions are not used for propulsion; they serve only as camouflage. The leafy sea dragon is found only in the waters of Australia. They are mostly found around clumps of sand in waters up to 50 metres (164 feet) deep, ...

The word "nudibranch" comes from the Latin nudus, naked, and the Greek brankhia, gills. Among this group can be found the most colorful creatures on earth. Nudibranchs are often casually called "sea slugs", a non-scientific term. This has led some people to assume that every sea slug must be a nudibranch. They live at virtually all depths of salt water, but reach their greatest size and variation in warm, shallow waters. The body ...

Albino birds are rare but they do exist. This condition is the result of genetic mutation, whereby the pigment melanin is absent. And the absence of melanin means that the feathers are always white. In cases where some of the feathers are colored by a pigment other than melanin, areas of yellow or red are apparent. Where all the normal feathers are replaced by white feathers, we have a totally albino ...

A Viperfish is a deepwater fish with long, needle-like teeth and hinged lower jaws. They grow to lengths of 30 to 60 cm (12 - 24 inches). Viperfish stay at 250-5000 feet depth in the daytime and shallow at night. Viperfish mainly stay in tropical and temperate waters. It is one of the fiercest predators in the very deep part of the sea and is believed to attack its prey by ...

The albino alligators! Theses albino alligators shows that even a normally scarying creature can be  pretty in white... Like all others animals, reptilians like alligators and crocodiles, can also be affected by the lack of melanin known as Albinism. Here are some examples found aroud the internet . Most of all are captive animals. In nature they make an easy prey when young with a camouflage not very... efficient! [nggallery id=16] See also... The Albinism in animal ...

What is Albinism? Albinism (from Latin albus, "white", also called achromia, achromasia, or achromatosis) is a form of hypopigmentary congenital disorder, characterized by a partial or total  lack of melanin pigment in the eyes, skin and hair. Albinism results from inheritance of recessive alleles. The condition is known to affect mammals (including humans), fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians. The most common term for an organism affected by albinism is "albino" . Albinism ...

The Emperor Tamarin (Saguinus imperator) is a tamarin allegedly named for its similarity with the German emperor Wilhelm II. The name was first intended as a joke, but has become the official scientific name. This tamarin lives in the southwest Amazon Basin, in east Peru, north Bolivia and in the west Brazilian states of Acre and Amazonas. The fur of the Emperor Tamarin is predominantly grey colored, with yellowish speckles on its ...

Horn or Antler? First, let's make the difference. A horn is a pointed projection of the skin on the head of animals, consisting of a covering of horn (keratin and other proteins) surrounding a core of living bone. The horns are kept permanently, while antlers are shed after each mating season. True horns are found mainly among the ruminant artiodactyls, in the families Antilocapridae (pronghorn) and Bovidae (cattle, goats, antelope etc.). One pair ...

The common octopus ("eight foot") is a very unique creature with its massive bulbous head, large eyes, and eight distinctive arms. But by far the most striking characteristic of the octopus is the wide array of techniques it uses to avoid attackers. An amazing camouflage capability Its first—and most amazing—line of defense is its ability to hide in plain sight. Using a network of pigment cells and specialized muscles in its skin, ...