Many animals use camouflage to hide from predators or ambush prey. This is basic, elementary life science. But there is more to camouflage than the revelations of a grade-school textbook. There are actually two forms of camouflage: crypsis and mimesis. Crypsis is when an organism is very hard to see. Examples of crypsis include a…
Author: Tidewater Teddy
Hey, I’m Tidewater Teddy: your source for nature, travel, photography, and random philosophical musings.
What is the Difference Between a Centipede and a Millipede?
2021 Edit: Narceus americanus is not the largest millipede in North America, but it is among the largest on the continent. I love bugs, but I am afraid I haven’t given them much love lately, so here’s a little post about some of my favorite bugs, the myriapods. Myriapods (which means “10,000 feet”) are centipedes,…
How (and Where) to Find Unicorns
Since the Bronze Age, humans have hunted a legendary, horse-like beast. Feared by men and adored by women, it prances around the world’s forests and has no concept of personal space. This rare creature is none other than the common unicorn (Equus unicornus). In this post, I will discuss how to find and attract them….
The Magnificent Artwork of John James Audubon
2021 Edit: The print Oiseaux of the two ibises below is not by Alexander Wilson. The glossy ibis on the left is by Pierre-Joseph Redoute. The white one on the right is by Jacques Barraband. The print is from a book commissioned by Napoleon and is a compendium on the birds of Egypt. The book…
8 Cool Clownfish Facts
Thanks to the popular Disney/Pixar film Finding Nemo, clownfish are among the world’s most popular fish. Scuba divers hope to encounter them, and aquarists hope to own them. But what’s the real story behind these small, anemone-hugging fish that inhabit tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific? Swim down–I mean, scroll down–to find out! 1. There are…
Walking with Dinosaurs: The Cassowaries of Etty Bay
In my travels, I’ve encountered many strange critters. But, in September 2013, about a month after my Mudskipper blog post (my last blog post for well over a year), I encountered a very special creature in the rainforests of northern Queensland, Australia. A dinosaur. Yes, that’s right, a dinosaur, which is fitting because the rainforests of Far…
My Top 20 Wildlife Photos (So Far)
my-top-20-wildlife-photos-so-far Here’s a list of my top 20 photos (so far). I have hundreds of high quality photos, but these are my best, which I have chosen based on uniqueness and artistic value. If you have a moment, check em out. If you’d like to order any prints, please let me know. Thank you! A…
The Loud, Smart, and Beautiful Cockatoos of Australia
Looking more like stars of a 1980s punk band, cockatoos are loud, wacky parrots. If you don’t own one yourself, you’ve probably seen one in a pet store or dancing in a YouTube video. Yet, as popular as they are as pets around the world, they are only native to a small quadrant of the…
Do Fish Sleep?
Have you ever watched fish swimming around in an aquarium and wondered if they needed sleep? Surely, they have to rest sometimes, right? Well, yes, they do, but it’s not always so cut-and-dry. Sleep, as defined by us humans, differs from sleep in other animals. When we sleep, we close our eyes, and electrical activity…
I’m Back!!!
Hello, world! I have returned! Actually, I never went anywhere, since I’ve still been adding photos to my website, but I haven’t done much else. I am pleased to update my blog after well over a year, and goodness have I been through a lot. Stay tuned amigos. I’ll be updating this blog every week.
Tidewater Teddy 