Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
We are in serious trouble, folks. I have about three days’ worth of readers’ wildlife photos left, and that feature (like “Caturday felids”, which has a dearth of readers) is in danger of becoming extinct. Please send in your good wildlife photos. Today we feature ecologist Susan Harrison with some lovely tropical animals and one … Continue reading Readers’ wildlife photos
Here’s a picture of a regular old wrench, but you’d best stay away from it. Why? There’s an animal nearby. Can you spot it? It’s about medium difficulty. I’ll put up the answer at 11 a.m. Chicago time. Click on the tweet and then on the photo to enlarge it. When you see it, you … Continue reading Spot the danger!
Yes, people have been sent out on fruitless snipe hunts, but there really is a bird called the snipe. In fact, there are 26 species that go by that name, all in the bird family Scolopacidae. Matthew, who started the “spot the nightjar” series, sent this “spot the snipe” photo. I’ve put the extracted picture … Continue reading Spot the snipe!
Did you spot the problem with picking up the wrench in this morning’s photo? Here’s why you want to stay away: there’s an Eastern Copperhead snake right there (Agkistrodon contortrix). I’ve circled it, but it’s not hard to see.
Did you spot the horned “toad” this morning? Robert Lang sent two reveal photos; I’ve put them below. You can see how camouflaged they are!
We’re seriously low on readers’ wildlife photos, so I implore you to send in any good photos you have. Thanks! If you know some biology, you probably realized that “horned toads” are not toads at all, but lizards (genus Phrynosoma). They are disappearing due to human incursion into their habitats and competition from fire ants, … Continue reading Spot the horned toad!
Did you spot the butterfly mimicking a leaf in this morning’s quiz? Well, here it is, in the box. It does stick out a bit as it’s on an upper step, which is why it’s not rated “difficult”.
Reader Scott Rubarth sent this photo of leaves on steps two days ago. Can you spot the butterfly mimicking a dead leaf? His notes: I took these pictures this morning here in Orlando, Florida. I thought you might be able to use this for one of your “Can you spot” posts. I rate this “medium.” … Continue reading Spot the butterfly!
