The world is filled with wonder and amazement that many of us will never catch because we don’t leave our homes enough.
But that’s okay! Thanks to the hard workers and researchers of the world, amazing things about our planet get shared online every day. And then I collect them here to show to you!
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“The endangered Andean mountain cat. Less than 1,400 of these remain in the world.”
The biggest threats to these cats are habitat loss due to extensive mining among other things, being hunted for fur, and the hunting of their natural prey. There are specific conservation efforts working towards getting their population back up, though, so there’s plenty of hope for them yet!
“An Ottoman supply train still resting where it was ambushed by T.E. Lawrence 103 years ago on the hejaz railway.”
If you aren’t aware, T.E. Lawrence, otherwise known as Lawrence of Arabia, was a British officer cited to have led the Arab revolt against the Turks during World War I. I know this isn’t a monument to him by any means, but I’m very into these types of historical relics just left where they ended up. Less statues, more this.
“The eyes and teeth of a scallop.”
As clarified in the comments of the original post, those aren’t so much teeth as they are tentacles, which makes this even worse. I can’t wait for the latest sci-fi blockbuster that has a giant version of these as the enemy.
“This is the skull of an elephant. Previously the cavity in the skull was mistaken as a eyehole and thus the elephant skull became the basis of the myth of the legendary creature, Cyclops.”
In ancient peoples’ defense, it does kind of look like a cyclops. One that was perpetually angry. Apparently this speculation started with the ancient Greeks specifically after they found Deinotherium skulls, which were a species of elephant alive at the time.
“Abandoned cars slowly getting overtaken by nature in the Fukushima Exclusion zone.”
Some people on the original post said it looked like the cars were moved there after the fact due to contamination rather than being left alone the moment it happened, but even that is eerie in its own way. Once we’re all gone, I don’t put it past Mother Nature to overtake highways until they look like this.
“An agate shell. Minerals have grown in the voids of the shell and eventually replaced the shell too.”
Not only are these stunning, they’re apparently not that rare either. One commenter spoke on their own experience finding them along west coast beaches. So if you’re up for a hunt and want a beautiful reward out of it, the opportunity is there!
“10,000 year old skull and antlers of an extinct elk found by fishermen in Ireland.”
The elk being spoken about is the Megaloceros giganteus, or an Irish Elk. If the scientific name didn’t tip you off, these things were big, nearing the size of modern moose. Another fun fact, like deer today, the Irish Elk is believed to have shed and regrown its antlers every year. With the size of them, that would make them the fastest growing body part of any animal in history.
“The underside of a lily pad.”
Some of these bad boys can get so big and have such a strong support system like pictured here, that they can actually support the weight of an adult human! I wouldn’t go testing it on just any lilypad you see, though.
“One of the smallest vertebrates in the world, the chameleon of Madagascar.”
This is a Brookesia micra, native to the islet of Nosy Hara in Antsiranana, Madagascar. The maximum length they can reach is just 30 mm, or 1.2 inches. They live in leaf litter on the ground and vary between shades of brown to camouflage themselves from predators.
“The Valley Of 72 Waterfalls, Switzerland.”
Every day I learn of new places around the world that look too gorgeous to be real. Apparently this is also where Tolkien got his inspiration for Rivendell, which makes absolute sense the more I look at it.
“Best preserved armored dinosaur fossil ever found. It’s the size of a car.”
Originally discovered in the Suncor Millenium Mine near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, this species is known as a Nodosaur. This specimen is currently displayed at the Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller, Alberta, it’s estimated to be over 112 million years old!
“A Swiss artist created a work of art meant to remind us that nature may someday be found only in specially designated spaces by planting 300 trees in a stadium.”
The artist behind the installation is Klaus Littmann, who did in fact plant 300 trees in an Austrian football stadium. The piece is called For Forest, and Littmann said this about the message, “For Forest is very timely as it coincides with growing global discussions and activism linked to deforestation and climate change.”
“This 46,000-year-old bird was found so well preserved in the Siberian tundra that fossil hunters believed it had died recently, only to realize they had found the first ever ice age bird.”
Another very neat fossil on this list. It does seem like, at least at face-value, birds haven’t changed all too much over the past 46,000 years. In fact, this bird was identified as a Horned Lark, a species we still have today!
“Petrified wood containing turquoise opal found in Queensland, Australia.”
Opal on its own is a beautiful stone, but this is even more stunning! Apparently, some people believe phenomena like this are what inspired folks in ancient times to create legends about fairies and magic, and who can blame them? This does look like magic!
“The Bagworm moth caterpillar cuts up pieces of plant to create a home.”
As someone who nearly failed my high school woodshop class, I’m forever envious of this caterpillar. Apparently they’re rather destructive though, able to kill evergreen trees and difficult to kill once they start.
“The Statue of Liberty in Paris in 1886 before oxidation.”
This photo is colorized, but it’s an accurate estimation as to what she once looked like. Shamefully, it had never occurred to me that Lady Liberty wasn’t actually painted green. I guess I’m a little late to this one.
“This is the world’s oldest functioning astronomical clock in Prague, currently at well over 600 Years Old.”
Regardless of if you care about astrology and astronomy or not, this clock is gorgeous and an incredible feat. The fact that clockmakers found a way to display all these different times/states like the moon phases, current zodiac sign, time until sunset, and more, and do it all beautifully, is incredible!
“These are frost flowers, and they form on top of water when the air is very cold and dry.”
Also known as sea ice, these little spikes only form when a lake or sea is recently frozen over, and the air outside is much colder than said ice. As bits of water splash up, they freeze rapidly and stick out above the surface level!
“This is how enemy aircraft were detected before the invention of radars.”
There were a few iterations of devices like this before radar, but they were all labeled ‘war tubas’. From single-person rigs like above, to frames that carried them in the tens, they certainly did the job. I think we can all agree that radar was a big improvement on the concept, though.
“An open air classroom in the Netherlands. Such schools were built for sickly children and to help combat tuberculosis.”
A trend that I wish stuck around. Sure it was for the betterment of health back then, but I just think it’s nice. We could bring it back to schools, extend it to offices, I’d love to work outside!
“This is an extremely rare atmospheric phenomenon called rainbow bridge.”
Atmospheric yes, but not totally natural. This is a result of the water vapors from contrails freezing into crystals at high altutides, which then reflect light from the sun to create a rainbow!
“You can grow your own loofahs.”
If you’re looking to go greener in your household, this is a super cool way to do it! Loofahs are part of the cucumber family and can get super big, meaning just a few loofah plants can last you a long time. And they’re entirely biodegradable once you’re done!
“Miss Correct Posture. At a chiropractic convention in May of 1956 in Chicago, the contest winners were picked for the beauty of their X-rays and their standing posture.”
When people say that ‘true beauty is on the inside’, I don’t think this is what they mean. I’m now also extremely aware of how I’m sitting and how hunched my back is, great.
“The Black Velvet, the world blackest black flower. It was developed in 2010 using natural breeding.”
It’s a petunia, if you’re curious. I’m more excited that the next time I shop for some flowers, I might be able to find something to satisfy my inner goth.
“The Clathrus Archeri fungus, also called ‘Devil’s Fingers’.”
We moved from just black plants to nightmare alien egg plants. I feel like ‘devil’s fingers’ is an understatement here. This is more than a devil, this is the demon king himself.
“The oldest church in Iceland.”
This is Grafarkirkja , and it stands at 350-years-old. That initially seems young, but seeing as most older structures in Iceland were made out of turf, they weren’t really built to last.
“The Poison Garden, a garden filled entirely with poison plants that can kill you.”
Within England’s Alnwick Garden is The Poison Garden, which homes over 100 different types of poisonous plants. Conceptualized and created by Duchess Jane Percy, this section was originally supposed to be an apothecary garden, but after Percy visited the Medici poison garden in Italy, she was inspired to go the complete opposite direction.
“French caretakers take the sand from Omaha Beach and scrub them into the letters to give them the brown/gold coloring.”
This is in Normandy at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial as a method of remembering the names as they often get washed out being engraved into bright white stone. One user said the sand doesn’t last all too long, but it’s more about the intent than the result.
“Opalized tooth of a theropod found in Australia. One of the rarest and most valuable dinosaur teeth in existence. This tooth is on display at the Australian museum.”
Apparently that museum has a whole collection of opalized fossils as many have been found in Australia along Lightning Ridge. So if you ever want to see the coolest and prettiest collection of prehistoric artifacts, you know where to go.
“This is what sunset looks like from space.”
While incredibly beautiful and stunning on its own, I still think I prefer the sunset down here on earth. Looks less like earth is on fire.
