Not the greatest picture but the aurora just about putting itself out there this evening, just outside Elgin (Morayshire) #northernlights #auroraborealis #scotland #natureisgreat

Always loving the Nature! 🩵
Nature is Art, Art is Nature. 🤍

#naturelovers #cloudscape #peaceofmind #lovenature #cloudymoments #natureisgreat #chillvibesonly #relaxation #artofnature #natureisart #artisnature #natureart #naturevibe #earthlove #naturebeauty #natureinspired #art #nature #peacefulvibes

We have an amazing moon rising on the Southcoast of MA tonight. I really needed something like this today thanks Mother Nature💙
Have no idea what those lines are - clouds I’m assuming
#BlueCrew
#Pinks
#natureisgreat

An adult female Kiwi standing next to her egg. They have brown feathers and long bills well-suited to their omnivorous diet.

The tiny Kiwi lays enormous eggs.

The birds are roughly the size of chickens, but the eggs are six times larger! Thanks to the massive egg and time to grow up inside of it, kiwi chicks hatch completely feathered and ready to rumble, unlike other birds. #NatureisGreat

A Peeper frog. These tiny creatures are barely bigger than the thumbnail of an adult human, but they are incredibly loud. This one is a golden yellow/brown, with black eyes.

Peeper frogs are little, but they are LOUD.

Topping out at around 90 decibels (think, a rock concert or a gas lawnmower next to your ear), they can be heard miles away. Damn impressive for a creature the size of a thumbnail. Welcome back, Spring! #NatureisGreat

Hyenas are chatty.

One of the most vocal mammals, they chirp, howl, growl, wail, whimper, and of course laugh. These highly social and intelligent creatures use dozens of different base vocalizations, with many variations, to communicate with one another. #NatureisGreat #InternationalHyenaDay

The platypus is so ancient, it split off from mammals before live birth evolved.

But not before lactation. So they're in a funny spot, where they lay eggs but nurse their young with milk. #NatureisGreat

A Giant African Pouched rat perched on his handler's arm. They may not be very colorful, just shades of brown, but they are pretty dang useful in a number of roles, and cute to boot. They can grow to be quite large, depending on their environment - hence the Giant descriptor. The one pictured is the size of a grown man's forearm, tail not included.

African Pouched Rats have an incredible sense of smell, and are highly trainable.

Their noses are currently employed to clear minefields in conflict zones, prevent wildlife smuggling, and even provide early detection of tuberculosis in rural areas. #NatureisGreat

The Wooly Bear caterpillar outlives most dogs.

Imagine grinding out 15 years on the ground, just to spend ONE SINGLE DAY flying as a moth, before laying eggs and dying. Truly epic!

If you find one, they're partial to dandelions and clover. #NatureisGreat

A juvenile Slow Loris climbing on a branch. They have large eyes and ears for detecting prey (insects) and dexterous hands for climbing. Look, but don't touch, because their bite will cause a reaction like flesh-eating bacteria! If that wasn't weird enough, their venom is said to smell like sweaty gym socks.

The Slow Loris is unique in that it is the only venomous primate.

They secret a toxin from special sweat glands on their arms, and lick it to transfer the venom to their fangs. They even coat their offspring in the stuff during grooming to dissuade predators. Cute tho, aren't they? #NatureisGreat

Dragonflies are nature's perfect predator.

95% of their attempts at hunting are successful, compared to say a lion way down at 20%. They're also old, first appearing around 300 million years ago. So they've had plenty of time to practice. #NatureisGreat

A Japanese Macaque, with his head covered in snow, bathing in a hot spring. With a head covered in snow, he looks serene. The hot springs provide a vital source of warmth and relaxation for these northern-most dwelling primates.

Japanese Macaques, or 'Snow Monkeys', bathe in hot springs to keep warm and reduce stress.

Scientists studied their feces and found monkeys who bathed showed drastically less evidence of the metabolic byproduct linked to stress. Japan was pretty cool and built them their own pools. #NatureisGreat

A Black Rhino making a silly face. Photo credit of Phill Perry.

The Rhinoceros is not as aggressive as it seems.

Due to their extremely poor eyesight they are often nervous of strange new things and behave defensively. Around trusted human and animal friends, whose scent they recognize, they usually become quite gentle, even playful. #NatureisGreat

California Ground Squirrels have evolved a special dance move to confuse the snakes that hunt them.

By pumping hot blood into their fluffy tails and waving them around, the squirrels overwhelm the thermal vision of their predators, like a flashbang, and then make their escape. #NatureisGreat

A male orangutan chilling out in his natural habitat, definitely not speaking. Interesting to note that the distinctive swollen, black fleshy protrusions on the male's face are not present in every male orangutan, only those who are in charge. Subservient males will not develop this distinctive look, until the day they gain control of their group.

Orangutans can speak.

They choose not to, because if they were overheard they would be put to work and made to pay taxes. So goes the legend in Indonesia. Whether the legend is true or not, they remain the smartest of all the apes. #NatureisGreat

A barn owl in flight.

Unlike other birds, owls fly in near-complete silence.

Special comb-like feathers on their leading wing edges break up turbulence, reducing vibration/noise in the air as they fly. Since even high-end microphones struggle to detect them in flight, their prey doesn't stand a chance. #NatureisGreat

Moles aren't actually blind.

Even those species whose eyes are completely covered by skin can still see! They might be near-sighted, but their eyes can detect subtle variations in light intensity and studies suggest this lets them see quite well actually, just in a different way. #NatureisGreat

The Aye Aye can put a curse on you.

Of course it can't, but this superstition has led to them being driven to the brink of extinction in Madagascar. These weird looking critters have an elongated middle finger that's used to locate and retrieve grubs and insects from hollow trees. #NatureisGreat

A pair of Pom Pom Crabs. their legs are banded purple and white, with white spots. They have oversized orange false eyes on their carapace, and wield a white fringed anemone in both claws. These crabs are tiny reef-dwellers who spend most of their time hiding and scavenging. Photo by Marchione Giacomo

Pom Pom Crabs are tiny cheerleaders of the marine ecosystem, but they pack a punch.

These miniature crabs keep anemones on their forelegs and use them to defend against predators. They wave them around in a threat display to warn off any potential attackers. #NatureisGreat

An Emperor Penguin. Thick, wide feet support his surprising bulk. Mostly white and black, they have a gold and orange flourish around the neck.

Emperor Penguins are deceptively heavy for their size.

Weighing in at about 40kg or ~80lbs, they are one of the biggest birds on the planet. They are also notorious gangsters, and will not abide bluffs from pretend kings. You don't wanna catch those flippers. #NatureisGreat

A Wobbegong shark. These small sharks are mottled brown, mimicking algae on the seafloor and reefs where they hide in wait for prey to come to them. They have dozens of 'whiskers' extending from their wide mouths. Their eyes are mounted on the top of their heads, unlike most sharks.

Unlike most sharks, the Wobbegong does not need to swim to breathe.

These ambush predators native to Australia lay motionless on the sea floor and wait for prey to come to them. They breath much like mammals, using muscles in their torso to draw water over their gills. #NatureisGreat

A Northern Shrike posing with a a small rodent it's killed and impaled on a frosty thornbush. The Northern Shrike is mostly white, with black wingtips, tails, and a black streak covering the beak and eyes. Their beaks are hooked for catching live prey.

Shrikes earned their nickname 'Butcher Birds' due to their penchant for impaling their prey on thorns and barbed wire.

The birds hunt rodents, other birds, lizards, and insects, often killing more than they can eat. They impale the remains to save for later. #NatureisGreat

A Fisher Cat perched on a white pine tree. Weighing in at about 10 pounds, they're hefty for a weasel. Their coat is brown, turning to gold around the head. They have short, stubby legs, and powerful jaws like all members of the weasel family.

Fisher Cats are not cats, and they don't eat fish.

The second largest member of the weasel family, Fishers are a highly reclusive native of Northern US forests. They have a bad reputation, but studies show they rarely, if ever, eat pets. They specialize in taking down porcupines! #NatureisGreat

A photo showing the carapace and underside of a horseshoe crab side by side. Horseshoe crabs are primordial looking sea creatures with many legs and a spikey jointed shell. Mostly shades of brown, they have yellow highlights on their spikes and legs.

Horseshoe Crab blood is bright blue.

It's critical to the science community for its ability to detect bacterial contamination. Crabs are harvested for their blood and released unharmed, and the blood itself sells for around $500 per ounce. #NatureisGreat

Three Australian Firebirds set a dry field aflame.

Australian Firebirds commit arson.

The raptors pick up burning sticks left over from lightning strikes and drop them in dry grassland. This drives their prey out into the open and makes them easy pickings. Smokey the Bear could not be reached for comment. #NatureisGreat

Southern Right Whales swimming together in clear green water. The whales are mother and calf.

Southern Right Whales don't just sing, they also whisper.

When predators are around, the whales switch to a lower frequency for their conversations, so they're not overheard or tracked. In some species of whales, this 'whisper' is the default for newborns learning to communicate. #NatureisGreat

A pack of African Wild Dogs looking at the camera like they're about to drop the hottest rap album of the year. The dogs are mottled yellow, white, black and brown in coloration, with pronounced ears and slim frames suited to long distance running.

African Wild Dogs practice Democracy, and they vote by sneezing.

When one dog wants to start a hunt, they sneeze. If the majority of the pack responds in kind, the hunt is on.

Wonder how many hunts started accidentally because one puppy had a tickle in his nose? #NatureisGreat

A very pink flamingo. Flamingos are wading birds of large stature, with black beaks and small yellow eyes.

Flamingos are actually white.

The distinctive pink for which they're known comes from a diet consisting mostly of red brine shrimp and algae in the Gulf of Mexico. In other parts of the world, like Africa, they have a more diverse diet and sport white feathers their whole lives. #NatureisGreat

A sad looking silverback gorilla sits in a tiny plastic chair, his back to the camera. He stares of into the distance of his enclosure.

Gorillas have the tiniest penis of any mammal.

If a human were proportionately endowed they would measure in at a whopping 1/3 inch (.75 cm). This trait protects their genitals during fights with other males, and also ensures their Tinder bios are 100% focused on personality. #NatureisGreat

A drawing depicting the life cycle of the Wood Frog. Starting with the egg, then on to the tadpole stage (little sperm-looking wiggly fellows), followed by the juvenile stage that looks like a frog with a long tail. Finally the adult. Their coloration is a speckled brown. Their mating call sounds like tiny ducks quacking.

Wood Frogs can go 8 months without peeing.

Urea and glucose build up in their system and act as a natural antifreeze, allowing them to survive long winters as far north as Alaska. Remember the mighty Wood Frog on your next road trip. Hold it! #NatureisGreat

Image: @vicrosearts.bsky.social