Tympanophora uvarovi, a jewel-like katydid from New South Wales. Unlike many other katydid species that have spectacularly colored nymphal stages but turn plain green upon reaching adulthood, this species retains its gorgeous color palette.

With the hope of lifting everyone’s spirit in these dark, depressing times, here’s a splash of color and beauty from Costa Rica. These are just some of the species of amphibians that I photographed around my house.

How many insects can you see in this photo? Believe it or not, there are five. This termite alate fell victim to four perfectly camouflaged assassin bug nymphs (Reduvius tarsatus) Their bodies are covered with minute setae that trap grains of sand and various debris, making them virtually disappear.

Once, in Gorongosa NP, I thought that I had found Halucinogenia, a near-mythical Cambrian animal with spikes on its back. The creature turned out to be a caterpillar of Acridotarsa melipecta who lives as an inquiline in the colonies of the termite Schedorhinotermes lamanianus. Still cool, though.

@juliusgoat.bsky.social

Some of the coolest and perhaps most under-appreciated African carnivores are solifuges. The ferocity of these incredible arachnids, a.k.a. camel spiders or sun spiders, easily matches that of the wild dogs and, just like the canines, they can dismember their prey in a matter of seconds.

President Musk and his sidekick Donny "Useful Idiot" Trump are doing all they can to prevent future generations from being able to share the planet with such beautiful creatures as this elephant shrew from Gorongosa. Killing USAID kills biodiversity.

You remember #measles? You remember whooping cough? Get your kids and grandkids vaccinated now, because old diseases (and new ones, too!) are part of Trump's big plan for America. substack.com/home/post/p-...

richardconniff.substack.com/p/rememberin...

The rainy season in @gorongosapark.bsky.social brings out an abundance of insects, making all insectivores and entomophiles very happy. The light of my cabin attracts a large number of cicadas, turning my porch into a free buffet for bushbabies and genets.

I have been photographing scorpions for many years, always handling them very carefully. But a few days ago Afrolychas burdoi stung me when I was picking up a piece of wood. The pain was intense and it paralyzed my hand for a few hours but the next day the pain was completely gone.

Katydids are some of the bats' favorite prey items. But here the tables are turned - the katydid (Docidocercus fraternus) is competing for access to the banana flower with a nectar-feeding bat Lonchophylla mordax. I took this photo a few years ago in the garden of my house in Costa Rica.