DAILY PHOTO: Eyespot Mimicry: or, Evolution Only Gets One So Far

Taken in January of 2014

Taken in January of 2014 in Bangalore, India.

I’ve seen butterflies and moths that had patterns evolved to mimic the eyes of other animals at a butterfly house in a botanical gardens, but this is the first time I’ve seen it in the wild–which is to say in the stairwell of our central Bangalore apartment building. This moth thought the perfect place to exploit its owl-like eyes and “feather pattern” would be on the white marble floor inside a building. Evolution only gets one so far.

DAILY PHOTO: Let Sleeping Pandas Lie

Taken in the Summer of 2012 at the Atlanta Zoo.

Taken in the Summer of 2012 at the Atlanta Zoo.

Alternative Post Titles Considered:

“Kungfu is Hard Work”

“Too… Many… Steps”

DAILY PHOTO: Crocodile at Peace

Taken in November of 2013 at the Mysore Zoo

Taken in November of 2013 at the Mysore Zoo

There is no smile
worn by a crocodile,
that’ll induce me to pet him.

There’s no grin,
neither wide nor thin,
that extends my treasured limb.

Save your beaming.
It looks scheming.
“No, I won’t go for a swim.”

 

 

DAILY PHOTO: Kung fu Birdy

Taken in January of 2014 on Patong Beach.

Taken in January of 2014 on Patong Beach.

This little bird was going all Daniel-san, reading itself to lay a boot to the head.

 

DAILY PHOTO: Fog Rolls in for a Crab

Taken on Christmas Day on Phuket, Thailand.

Taken on Christmas Day on Phuket, Thailand.

IMG_1694This photo turned out a bit otherworldly. It’s a crab on a barnacle-covered rock who is about to be swamped by a boulder-churned slab of white water.

POEM: The Hippo

IMG_4377

The Hippo never took an oath

to watch its weight or check its growth.

Hungry, Hungry, it is in deed.

Five hours per day it’s known to feed.

The Greeks called it the river horse.

A horse that’s not a horse, of course, [of course.]

Hippos do like rivers, though they don’t float.

Submerged below, they’ll wreck your boat.

Where else can one find two tons of fun?

But careful, don’t think them too fat to run.

They’ve been clocked at 30 miles per hour,

and there’s scarcely a thing they won’t devour.

DAILY PHOTO: Leopard

Taken at the Mysore Zoo on November 29, 2013.

Taken at the Mysore Zoo on November 29, 2013.

I took this photo at Mysore zoo through the chain link fence, but got focus on the leopard.

POEM: No Chunky Monkey

IMG_1346there’s nothing sadder than a monkey

who’s grown pudgy, blown up chunky,

and become a Mars Bar junkie

just cause we’re genetically entwined

makes it neither right nor kind

to give them a bootilicious behind

 when swinger’s branches threaten break

and under foot the earth it quakes

it’s then too late to lay off the cakes

when dealing with our friends furry

remember no ice cream or curry

no panicked food drop and scurry

 IMG_1439

DAILY PHOTO: Albino Black Buck

Taken November 29, 2013 at the Mysore Zoo.

Taken November 29, 2013 at the Mysore Zoo.

There’s something about this picture that strikes me as not of this world. The albino creature contrasted against the earth-tone environment. One expects to see a deer in a verdant patch where it can meet its grazing needs, not on barren, stony soil.  Then there are those wicked screw-bit horns, seeming a little out of place on bambi–like fangs on a butterfly.

DAILY PHOTO: Pigeon Town Hall Assembly

Taken October 14, 2013 on Chandni Chowk in Delhi.

Taken October 14, 2013 on Chandni Chowk in Delhi. 

The base of this statue of Swami Shraddhanand (1856–1926) is a popular point for feeding the birds. It’s located in front of the Town Hall building on Chandni Chowk.