Strange Salt Spot!

 

More amazing natural wonders created by salt :).  These are the Sivash (Syvash) salt lagoons (aka the Rotten Sea) located in Ukraine.   It was once a Russia salt mine but has since been abandoned with only shallow waters and some wooden structures remaining.   As the water continues to evaporate,  salt remains creating amazing colors with the help of an algae known as Halobacteria (the red color).   The areal from google earth is amazing itself with a rainbow of colors in each lagoon.  Strangely beautiful.. :)!

 

 

 

 

Temple Cave!

 

Batu Caves (Tamil: பத்து மலை) is a limestone hill with various caves and cave temples in the Gomback district , north of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  The cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside of India and is dedicated to Lord Murugan. The Batu Caves consist of 3 main caves and a few smaller caves.  The biggest cave is known as the Cathedral Cave or Temple Cave is known for it's very high ceiling and features an ornate Hindu shrine.  To reach the site, visitors must climb 272 steps.    You can read more online but these caves, but that captured my eye as unique, strange and lovely.

 

Bumpy Dudes!

 

Strange indeed... these fellows allow their bodies to deform all in the name of tradition.  Only in Nola, Italy will you find these lumpy fellows geared up for the La Fest Dei Gigli Festival.  The tradition revolves are the celebration of St. Paulinus, who in 410 AD saved his people from invading Visigoths.  During the festival, men carry who are called "cullatori" or cradle rockers carry large wooden obelisks on their shoulders, in which over time develop massive calluses.  They carry decorative structures that are over 80 feet high and weigh over 5000 pounds.   The men display their lumpy shoulders with great pride

 

 

 

The Beetles!

 

Tree Beetles out to get a Beatle!   In 2004, a pine tree was planted in Los Angeles, CA's Griffith Park in honor the late Beatle, George Harrison.  George passed away in 2001.  He was an avid gardener during his final years.   The tree grew over 10 feet tall until the tree beetle overwhelmed it resulting in it's death.  At the base of the tree, a small plaque reads, "In memory of a great humanitarian who touched the world as an artist, a musician and a gardner".   A new tree is to be planted by the date has yet to be decided. 

 

 

 

 

The Trench!

 

Now this is a very strange spot.. the Mariana Trench. Few have ventured to it's depths, as it's the deepest part of the world's ocean. It is located in the Western Pacific Ocean to the east of the Mariana Islands. It length is about1,580 feet an width about 43 miles across. It's depth is 6.85 miles deep! The pressure at the bottom is 15,750 psi and it's about 34 to 39 degrees Fahrenheit. There is a great deal of material you can read by googling the trench, but for this blog, I thought creatures of the deep would be rather fun.. so here we go!

the xenophyophores found in great masses on the bottom (single cell animal up to 4 inches)

Goblin Shark- these guys are up to 13 feet and near 500 lbs!

Hatchetfish-they can produce their own light and live up to 4000 feet deep!

Footballfish has it's our fishing lure!

Frilled Shark has 300 teeth and has a 3 1/2 year pregnancy!

Dumbo Octopus and lives in depths up to 11,000 feet deep!

Fanfin Seadevil- males fuse their bodies to the females to mate and share the same blood stream!

Dragon Fish- produce their own flashing lights but have solid black stomachs to hide self lighting dinners!

Telescope Octopus-has telescope eyes on top of long moveable stocks!

Barreleye- found at 2000 ft with a transparent head. green lenses above eyes filter out the little bit of sunlight to focus on the light of it's prey.

Viperfish-found at 5000 feet deep and has teeth too long for it's mouth!

Fangtooth- has the largest teeth of all fish (with respect to body size) in the ocean but is only 6 inches inches long.

Hirondellea Gigas- lives at up to 30,000 deep. they eat tree and plant debris that has fallen to the bottom of the ocean.

Ping-Pong Tree Sponge- found at 9,000 feet deep. they are a carnivorous sponges that uses tiny hair hooks to snag prey, then slowly the sponge cells move toward the prey and digest it!

Enypniastes lives at 16,400 feet below and leaves nothing to the imagination :). it uses red tentacles near it's mouth to scoop up edible mud.

don't know this guys name ;)

Mertensia

Big Red

Bethocodon