Pretty Ugly Things
@prettyuglythings.bsky.social
Amateur naturalist, serious collector, and appreciator of the unusual things our planet is capable of… based out of Tucson!
Purveyor of minerals, succulents, isopods, and information
https://prettyuglythingsaz.com // https://prettyuglythingsaz.etsy.com
Purveyor of minerals, succulents, isopods, and information
https://prettyuglythingsaz.com // https://prettyuglythingsaz.etsy.com
Pinned
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Forbidden jellybeans
January 25, 2026 at 11:47 PM
Forbidden jellybeans
Reposted by Pretty Ugly Things
Reposted by Pretty Ugly Things
GET YOUR FREE SCORPION TODAY
News | Giant mechanical scorpion free to good home, says Natural History Museum
🔗https://museumsandheritage.com/advisor/posts/natural-history-museum-offers-giant-mechanical-scorpion-free-to-good-home/
🔗https://museumsandheritage.com/advisor/posts/natural-history-museum-offers-giant-mechanical-scorpion-free-to-good-home/
January 19, 2026 at 1:35 PM
GET YOUR FREE SCORPION TODAY
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Predatory stink bug alert 🚨
(alert is just to look at it because it’s fancy)
(alert is just to look at it because it’s fancy)
January 16, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Predatory stink bug alert 🚨
(alert is just to look at it because it’s fancy)
(alert is just to look at it because it’s fancy)
Reposted by Pretty Ugly Things
Reposted by Pretty Ugly Things
Saturn’s south polar vortex in near-infrared false color. Processed using imagery taken by the Cassini spacecraft on October 12, 2006.
flic.kr/p/2h4L2U1
flic.kr/p/2h4L2U1
January 16, 2026 at 2:41 AM
Saturn’s south polar vortex in near-infrared false color. Processed using imagery taken by the Cassini spacecraft on October 12, 2006.
flic.kr/p/2h4L2U1
flic.kr/p/2h4L2U1
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... and were more opportunistic in choosing their lairs.
In Arizona's Grand Canyon, for example, there's evidence (scat, bones) of smaller species of ground sloths seeking out naturally formed caves, which they shared with bats & other animals.
These sloths were /merely/ the size of Great Danes.
In Arizona's Grand Canyon, for example, there's evidence (scat, bones) of smaller species of ground sloths seeking out naturally formed caves, which they shared with bats & other animals.
These sloths were /merely/ the size of Great Danes.
The Grand Canyon's Caves Are Full of Sloth Dung and Mummified Bats
The limestone cliffs harbor hundreds of passages that offer glimpses into the distant past.
www.atlasobscura.com
January 16, 2026 at 2:36 PM
... and were more opportunistic in choosing their lairs.
In Arizona's Grand Canyon, for example, there's evidence (scat, bones) of smaller species of ground sloths seeking out naturally formed caves, which they shared with bats & other animals.
These sloths were /merely/ the size of Great Danes.
In Arizona's Grand Canyon, for example, there's evidence (scat, bones) of smaller species of ground sloths seeking out naturally formed caves, which they shared with bats & other animals.
These sloths were /merely/ the size of Great Danes.
Reposted by Pretty Ugly Things
Deep-sea animals have two modes: absolutely unbothered or deeply committed to chaos.
January 13, 2026 at 3:24 PM
Deep-sea animals have two modes: absolutely unbothered or deeply committed to chaos.
Reposted by Pretty Ugly Things
January 9, 2026 at 9:07 PM
Reposted by Pretty Ugly Things
Here is a video of a frozen creek that had begun to thaw, and the water was flowing beneath the thin ice on top. I took this because it was soothing and wonderfully bloopy and I wanted to listen to it for hours. You are all welcome to enjoy it, too. Let your brain settle here and rest for a moment.
January 10, 2026 at 4:57 AM
Here is a video of a frozen creek that had begun to thaw, and the water was flowing beneath the thin ice on top. I took this because it was soothing and wonderfully bloopy and I wanted to listen to it for hours. You are all welcome to enjoy it, too. Let your brain settle here and rest for a moment.
Reposted by Pretty Ugly Things
Congrats: You are sent to the bug planet.
January 7, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Congrats: You are sent to the bug planet.
Reposted by Pretty Ugly Things
I’ve identified about 70k earthworms on iNaturalist and that’s still less than half of everything that needs correction. but I will continue gnawing at the bad data like a rodent or weevil because my funny little brain says so
January 9, 2026 at 3:56 AM
I’ve identified about 70k earthworms on iNaturalist and that’s still less than half of everything that needs correction. but I will continue gnawing at the bad data like a rodent or weevil because my funny little brain says so
Reposted by Pretty Ugly Things
A few people still keep stingless bees! But there's a reason most beekeepers would rather deal with full-on venom & stingers than these little guys.
There's a lot of wide-open space between "nonviolence" and "lie down & take it," and boy does it have a way of getting filled.
There's a lot of wide-open space between "nonviolence" and "lie down & take it," and boy does it have a way of getting filled.
January 9, 2026 at 4:14 AM
A few people still keep stingless bees! But there's a reason most beekeepers would rather deal with full-on venom & stingers than these little guys.
There's a lot of wide-open space between "nonviolence" and "lie down & take it," and boy does it have a way of getting filled.
There's a lot of wide-open space between "nonviolence" and "lie down & take it," and boy does it have a way of getting filled.
See this is how you end up with spines in the front of both ankles
Future me is really going to hate me for not dealing with this now but I’m just happy to have the winter greenhouse packed up. Spring is here and buds are appearing fast!
January 7, 2026 at 3:39 AM
See this is how you end up with spines in the front of both ankles
Reposted by Pretty Ugly Things
Reposted by Pretty Ugly Things
TIL that Japan has a museum called the Chinsekikan, which translates to “Hall of Curious Rocks”, that displays hundreds of naturally formed stones resembling human faces. ⚒️ #Geology
japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/features/jap...
japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/features/jap...
January 1, 2026 at 3:02 PM
TIL that Japan has a museum called the Chinsekikan, which translates to “Hall of Curious Rocks”, that displays hundreds of naturally formed stones resembling human faces. ⚒️ #Geology
japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/features/jap...
japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/features/jap...
Reposted by Pretty Ugly Things
Galaxy Spood 🌌
#InverteFest
There's a tiny Micaria species of ground spider which looks like a galaxy full of stars and I love them 🖤
#InverteFest
There's a tiny Micaria species of ground spider which looks like a galaxy full of stars and I love them 🖤
December 31, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Galaxy Spood 🌌
#InverteFest
There's a tiny Micaria species of ground spider which looks like a galaxy full of stars and I love them 🖤
#InverteFest
There's a tiny Micaria species of ground spider which looks like a galaxy full of stars and I love them 🖤
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#MineralMonday Quartz, Herkimer, New York USA 4.8 cm. Photo at right shows negative crystals in it, about 0.5 mm each. ⚒️ #geology . No MAGA! Science = Resistance! #standupforscience
December 29, 2025 at 4:53 PM
#MineralMonday Quartz, Herkimer, New York USA 4.8 cm. Photo at right shows negative crystals in it, about 0.5 mm each. ⚒️ #geology . No MAGA! Science = Resistance! #standupforscience
Reposted by Pretty Ugly Things
#ProjectAnimalia continues with
766: Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura)
What can I say about this magnificent creature? Supra-speedway soarer, fence post posturer? I just love them.
#sciart #dailyart #animalart #scientificillustration #medart #illustration #animalart #turkeyvulture #buzzard #vulture
766: Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura)
What can I say about this magnificent creature? Supra-speedway soarer, fence post posturer? I just love them.
#sciart #dailyart #animalart #scientificillustration #medart #illustration #animalart #turkeyvulture #buzzard #vulture
December 28, 2025 at 6:38 PM
#ProjectAnimalia continues with
766: Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura)
What can I say about this magnificent creature? Supra-speedway soarer, fence post posturer? I just love them.
#sciart #dailyart #animalart #scientificillustration #medart #illustration #animalart #turkeyvulture #buzzard #vulture
766: Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura)
What can I say about this magnificent creature? Supra-speedway soarer, fence post posturer? I just love them.
#sciart #dailyart #animalart #scientificillustration #medart #illustration #animalart #turkeyvulture #buzzard #vulture
Reposted by Pretty Ugly Things
This photosynthetic magic trick allows for the big finale: some sacoglossan sea slugs can detach their own heads from their body (which contains the gut!) & live on photosynthesis for a few weeks while the body regrows from the head!
The body, unfortunately, cannot grow a new head.
The body, unfortunately, cannot grow a new head.
This Sea Slug Can Chop Off Its Head and Grow an Entire New Body--Twice
It is one of the “most extreme” examples of regeneration ever seen
www.scientificamerican.com
December 27, 2025 at 5:02 PM
This photosynthetic magic trick allows for the big finale: some sacoglossan sea slugs can detach their own heads from their body (which contains the gut!) & live on photosynthesis for a few weeks while the body regrows from the head!
The body, unfortunately, cannot grow a new head.
The body, unfortunately, cannot grow a new head.
Reposted by Pretty Ugly Things
The Māori word for the smallest and cutest of kiwis, the lesser spotted kiwi, is pukupuku.
In Japanese, pukupuku (ぷくぷく) is an onomatopoeic word describing something cute, chubby, pudgy, or puffed up.
The two languages are from divergent language families. So WTF?
(Photo not mine; credit in alt)
In Japanese, pukupuku (ぷくぷく) is an onomatopoeic word describing something cute, chubby, pudgy, or puffed up.
The two languages are from divergent language families. So WTF?
(Photo not mine; credit in alt)
December 27, 2025 at 6:19 AM
The Māori word for the smallest and cutest of kiwis, the lesser spotted kiwi, is pukupuku.
In Japanese, pukupuku (ぷくぷく) is an onomatopoeic word describing something cute, chubby, pudgy, or puffed up.
The two languages are from divergent language families. So WTF?
(Photo not mine; credit in alt)
In Japanese, pukupuku (ぷくぷく) is an onomatopoeic word describing something cute, chubby, pudgy, or puffed up.
The two languages are from divergent language families. So WTF?
(Photo not mine; credit in alt)
Reposted by Pretty Ugly Things
Cool contrasting collapse patterns side by side on the leeward side of the crest of a sand dune in Mesquite Flats. ⚒️
December 27, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Cool contrasting collapse patterns side by side on the leeward side of the crest of a sand dune in Mesquite Flats. ⚒️