Photo: Via Wikipedia. Pygmy Seahorse by Marcelle Johannes, Bali, Indonesia. 

The Pygmy Seahorse (not to be confused with the Dwarf Seahorse) are among the smallest vertebrates in the ocean, measuring around 2.7 cm or just over an inch and live in the warm waters of South East Asia, although a species has been discovered by scientists off South Africa. 

They have superb camouflage that allows them to blend into the coral reefs where they live on a diet of tiny crustaceans, larvae and brine shrimp. 

The skin of a Pygmy Seahorse have calcified knob like bumps called tubercles that mimic the coral they live on.

Unlike larger seahorses, Pygmy Seahorses have a single gill opening on the back of their head rather than 2 on the side and brood their young in a cavity in the trunk of their body rather than a tail pouch. 

For more information on these cute rather mysterious earthlings please enjoy the links below:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEDAtX95ErA

oceana.org/marine-life/pygmy-seahorse/

By Brendon Crook

Photo: By Joey Makalintal via Wikipedia commons

The Elephant Shrews, or Jumping Shrews are small mammals that live in north west and southern Africa. They are found in both desert and forest environments.

As their name suggests the Elephant Shrew has a long snout that they use to forage for food. The length of the proboscis varies between the species of which there are 19 known ones. 

They are extremely quick runners and vary in size between 10cm or 4 inches to around 30cm or 12 inches. 
They can live between 2.5 - 4 years of age. 

Oddly, Elephant Shrews are not actually Shrews with recent evidence suggesting they are more related to a group of mammals that includes Sea Cows and Aardvarks. 

They are insectivorous and are prey to snakes, birds of prey and various carnivores.

For more information on these cute but little known creatures please enjoy the links below:


​www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/elephant-shrew

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3Y2u80QlRA


By Brendon Crook

Photo: Cliff - Wikipedia creative commons license 

The Pink fairy armadillo is the worlds smallest armadillo and is found only in Argentina and then only in the central grasslands and sandy plains areas. 

They grow up to 10-15cm or 4-6 inches and have a soft, thin and flexible pink shell. The pink color is caused by blood vessels being close to the surface. 
They have soft thick white fur and large front claws which help it burrow very rapidly. 
They are nocturnal and spend most of their time underground. 
They are solitary creatures that feed on insects, worms, snails and some plants. 

They have been very hard to study due to their lifestyle and limited range. 
They are also highly subject to stress and don't survive long in captivity. 

For more information on these elusive unusual creature please see the links below.

​animaldiversity.org/accounts/Chlamyphorus_truncatus/

​www.worldwildlife.org/magazine/issues/fall-2022/articles/stranger-things-meet-the-pink-fairy-armadillo

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wdoUd1VzC4



​By Brendon Crook
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​​

Photo: The Murchison meteorite (Basilicofresco -- Wikipedia Commons)

​The Murchison meteorite is a meteorite that landed in Victoria, Australia in September 1969 and is one of the most studied meteorites due to it being an observed fall and being of such a large size. It was fragmented but collectively weighs 100kg or 220lb.

The meteorite contains minerals that are thought to be 2.5 billion years older than Earth itself, going back to around 7 billion years ago. 

It contains common amino acids such as glycine, alanine and glutamic acid as well as unusual ones such as isovaline and pseudoleucine. A mixture of alkanes was isolated also. 
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Serine and threonine, usually considered to be earthly contaminants were absent. 
A Swedish 2010 study identified 14000 molecular compounds in the meteorite. 
The total number of unique organic compounds is estimated to possibly be in the millions. 

NASA research has reported the presence of key molecules like hexamethylenetatramine in it, which are important in organic chemistry pathways.

For more information on this amazing visitor, now resident please see the links below:



www.pbs.org/exploringspace/meteorites/murchison/index.html

​museumsvictoria.com.au/article/the-murchison-meteorite/

​www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzrt-iTRWUE

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By Brendon Crook

This year, 2025, marks the 50th anniversary of the Universal Pantheist Society's founding. We were officially incorporated in October 1975.

Harold Wood and Derham Giuliani founded the Society. Derham, a quintessential “desert rat,” rejected “indoor philosophy” and spent most of his time in the great outdoors. He served as the president until his death in 2010. Harold was the editor of our original newsletter and continues in that role today for Pantheist Vision. He is also our current treasurer.

Our founders chose the name “Universal Pantheist Society" to emphasize that we are a "universal" organization for Pantheists. We are not limited to any single viewpoint of Pantheism but acknowledge its diverse perspectives. This inclusive approach to Pantheism sets us apart from virtually all other Pantheist organizations that have formed since our founding 50 years ago.
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What unites us is not simply “belief”— which should evolve as we grow and learn through our experiences — but something far more powerful: a burning desire to cultivate a renewed reverence for the Earth and to view Nature as the ultimate context for human existence. We remain dedicated to our mission of nurturing this reverence and envisioning Nature as the ultimate framework for human existence.

Photo: Female Argonaut Octopus with damaged shell (egg case) and with eggs. -- Bernd Hofmann (Wiki common license)

Following on from our last blog post on Octopuses is this amazing creature, the Argonaut.

Argonauts, or Paper Nautilus, are a type of pelagic or open ocean Octopus that are found in tropical and sub-tropical waters. Unlike most other Octopuses they live close to the surface rather than on the seabed.

The Argonaut has a shell that looks like a Nautilus even though they are only distantly related. What looks like a shell is actually a paper thin egg case made by the female to protect her eggs. 
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The females are far larger than the males being 8 times larger and about 600 times heavier than the males.

The Argonaut has a lifespan of around a year and live on mollusks, crustaceans and Jellyfish.

For more information on these incredible creatures please check out the following links:

blog.nature.org/2021/05/24/meet-the-argonaut-the-worlds-weirdest-octopus/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEGpg3DTDZw

By Brendon Crook

Photo: Renaud.marbet -- Wikipedia common use license.

The Dumbo Octopus are a deep sea cephalopod that have short bodies with ear like fins above their large eyes.
They are semi-translucent and grow to an average length of 20-30cm (up to a foot) and live anywhere from 1000 - 7000m (3200 - 23000ft).
There are 17 known Dumbo Octopuses.

They are believed to eat small crustaceans, oysters and small snails.

Their breeding cycle is different from their shallower water relatives in that the females have eggs that are constantly at different stages of development, which means they can mate and lay eggs whenever they get the opportunity. 

As they have relatively few predators they lack some of the defenses of other Octopuses, such as the ability to jet propel them selves away from danger and lack the ink sac used to squirt potential predators.

Deep sea mining affects creatures that live close to the seabed like the Dumbo Octopus. Also microplastics have been found in some of the deepest parts of the ocean potentially affecting them.

For more information on these mysterious and little known creatures of the deep please see the links below:

oceana.org/marine-life/dumbo-octopus/

www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-is-a-dumbo-octopus.html

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX7w5EcDX9o&t=37s

By Brendon Crook

Photo: Peter Rejcek/National Science Foundation (Wikipedia common use license)

Blood Falls is located in the eastern Antarctica and flows from Taylor Glacier into
Lake Bonney.
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It flows along horizontally for 300ft then flows into a waterfall of around 60-80ft.

The falls were first discovered in 1911 by Thomas Taylor, an Australian who was part of the British Antarctica Expedition.

The cause of the red water was unknown until 2003 when samples of water were analyzed and it was found the water contained iron oxide which formed when ancient seawater was trapped under the glacier and came into contact with the air.

The seawater is home to bacteria that has adapted to the conditions of having no light, oxygen and limited nutrients. They survive by breaking down the sulfate and iron in the water.

For more information on this amazing but little known natural feature please click on the links below:

www.sciencealert.com/the-eerie-mystery-of-blood-falls-in-antarctica-is-finally-solved

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl0Fuzns_o8

By Brendon Crook