A couple of the comments we hear time and time again from members of our community are “Before I joined Project Noah, I never paid attention to bugs/mushrooms”, and “I used to be terrified of spiders/snakes, but now I find them really fascinating!” David Attenborough once said that “people won’t care for the natural world unless they know what it is.” By sharing the beauty and diversity of these organisms through photos and interesting facts, we hope to change perceptions and open peoples eyes to the wonder and importance of all aspects of the natural world.
Our final installment of the Best photos of 2012 features some of our favorite spottings in the Arthropod, Reptile and Fungi categories.
The oleander hawk moth caterpillar has two spots resembling eyes on the forefront of its body believed to provide protection against predation. Oleander hawk moth caterpillar (Daphnis nerii) spotted by Sumukha Javagal in Karnataka, India.
Clockwise from top left: Check out the incredible camouflage of this tree stump spider (Poltys illepidus) spotted by Atul in Maharastra, India; This stunning blue banded bee (Amegilla cingulata) was also spotted in Maharastra, by SatyenM; One of our rangers, Sergio, may have discovered a new species with this amazing “pom-pom" caterpillar from Curitiba, Brazil!; Peruvian fern stick insect (Oreophoetes sp.) spotted by Bayucca.
The spectacled cobra is revered in Indian mythology and culture. Once the favored species of snake charmers, it is now protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act. Spectacled cobra (Naja naja) spotted by Gopal murali; Though potentially deadly, rattlesnakes perform an important role controlling rodent populations, and their venom is used in cancer treatments. Western diamond-backed rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) spotted by Hunter Hebenstreit in Arizona; The yellow-headed dwarf gecko (Lygodactylus luteopicturatus) is a small species of dwarf gecko found in the rocky areas of Africa. Spotted by Daniele Pralong.
Purple pinwheel mushroom (Marasmius haematocephalus) from Assam, India, spotted by Diganta Gogoi; Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) is a poisonous and psychoactive fungus. Spotted by Agustín Amenabar in Chile; Pixies parasol (Mycena interrupta) appears in small colonies on rotting, moist wood in rainforests and beech or eucalyptus forests in Australasia and Chile. Spotted by martinl in Victoria, Australia.
You can check out more of our top picks from 2012 here -