Latest articles by Richard Silcox

plants and animals
about 4 years ago by Richard Silcox

Aggressive mimicry: Ten animals that are dressed to kill

Animals don’t just put on costumes to scamper away from predators. With the right disguise, these impostors turn the tables on an unwitting victim.
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plants and animals
over 4 years ago by Richard Silcox

Velvet worms, the voracious snipers of the undergrowth

While we can try to convince you that these are not in fact plush toy centipedes, velvet worms certainly look like them. These small invertebrates are neither insects nor worms, and for a long time were considered the ‘missing link’ between them. Even with the knowledge that this is not the case, velvet worms are still remarkable creatures, and unusual in almost every way.
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plants and animals
over 4 years ago by Richard Silcox

Save the sea squirts! Wait, what?

Think of ten animals that you know are endangered – go on, we’ll wait. Now, cross out every animal on that list that has fur, hair, feathers, or scales. Do you have many left on that list? Do you have any left at all?
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plants and animals
over 4 years ago by Richard Silcox

The hitchhiker’s guide to the lobster’s face

What has a mouth that falls off, lives on an animal's facial hair, and is pregnant before it's even born? While it sounds like the the beginning of a terrible joke, such a creature does exist, and they're just as strange as you'd expect them to be.
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plants and animals
over 4 years ago by Richard Silcox

Meet the moth with a taste for tortoise

While clothing moths are well known for their unusual diets, one subgroup takes fussy eating to the next level – living solely on a diet of animal horns, nails, and shells.
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Richard
Silcox

Guest Writer