CROCODILE-MONITOR LIZARD

It is aboreal (lives in trees) and is one of the world’s longest lizards (up to 8 to 10 feet in length). That puts it near the length of its “cousin,” the monitor lizard, but the latter is more massive. 

                                                                            Figure 1. An adult crocodile-monitor lizard.

The crocodile-monitor lizard is known for its sharp fangs and hooked claws. It has a very long and powerful tail that is prehensile, thus it can hang onto branches with its rear legs and its tail. The crocodile-monitor lizard is an excellent climber and swimmer. It is an effective hunter on land and in the water. It is aggressive and unpredictable, thus not a good pet! Their bite is not venomous.

This lizard, which is endemic to New Guinea, South America, lives in swamps and forests mangrove in South America.

 Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

 Class Reptilia

Order Squamata

Family Varanidae

Genus Varanus

Type Species: V. salvadorii

Based on DNA sequences, the crocodile-moniter lizard is part of a “lizard species cluster group” that reached Australia (via Asia) about 32 million years ago (middle Oligocene time), when Australia and southeast Asia were connected (via the Indonesian archipelago). About 17 million years ago (middle Miocene time), the crocodile-monitor lizard evolved) (Wikipedia, 2026). 

Note: Supposedly, you can see the crocodile lizard alive at the Smithsonian Institution. Also, there are some good videos online about this lizard.

REFERENCE

Wikipedia, 2026.

SOME OXYMORONS and PLEONASMS

OXYMORONS

An oxymoron is a combination of contradictory terms.

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Act naturally

Almost exactly

Alone together

Awfully good

Bittersweet

Clearly misunderstood

Clearly confused

Deafening silence

Definite maybe

Diet ice cream

Exact estimate

Extinct life

Found missing

Good grief

Genuine imitation

Growing smaller

Jumbo shrimp

Known unknown

Living dead

Living fossil

New Classic

Old news

Organized chaos

Original copy

Passive aggressive

Plastic glasses

Platic silverware

Pretty ugly

Same difference

Serious joke

Silent scream

Small crowd

Soft rock

Taped live

Temporary tax increase

Terribly pleased

Tragic comedy

Twelve-once, pound cake

Virtual reality

Working vacation

PLEONASMS

 

A pleonasm is the use of more words than necessary. In pleonasms, the extra word is redundant. 

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ATM machine: [the “M” already stands for machine.]

Burning fire 

Tuna fish

True fact

AN EARLY HAY BALER?

This post concerns a presumed antique hay bailer that was abandoned long ago on a ranch on the north side of Simi Valley in southern California. In the late 1970's, I was doing some field work in this area and came across this piece of ranch machinery. That was about the time that this former ranch was also being considered to become a country club “development.” That never happened, and the ranch continued for a short time (at a much reduced scale) to do agriculture work, cattle raising, and oil drilling. Eventually, the owners “pulled up stakes,” and the land fortunately became an official part of the “Marr Ranch Open Space,” which can now be used (for free!) by hikers. 

Figure 1. A hay baler?, on the old Marr Ranch, north side of Simi Valley, Southern California. This photograph was taken by me in the late 1970's. Note:  you can see another image (taken by someone else in recent years) of this exact same baler (with fewer weeds around it) online on Youtube: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?=9AGzSURu_W      

This presumed baler is still in the same exact location as when I photographed it. 

I became curious as to the vintage of this small, presumed hay baler. Hay balers were invented about 1850 or so, when farmers started bailing hay. Horses were used to pull the portable hay balers. In the 1930’s, balers became attached to tractors. By 1971 or so, the first large-sized hay baler (used for large-scale work) became available to ranchers/farmers.

In summary, in my opinion, it is likely that the presumed small, hay baler that I came across was probably a model used in the 1940s, or shortly thereafter. 

COMMON SHAPES OF CUT GEMSTONES

The way a diamond is cut is proportional to how much sparkle it will have. The most expensive cut is round-shaped (see the "brilliant cut in the lower right-hand row, in Figure 1 below). It takes much precision to cut a round-shaped stone.                                  

Figure 1. Some common shapes of cut diamonds (from a picture in an old newspaper).

                                     10 most common shapes:

round  [round brilliant = most popular shape because it has maximum sparkle]

princess

cushion = one of the most timeless cuts

emerald = another one of the most timeless cuts

oval

asscher

radiant

pear (tear-drop shape)

heart

marquise

         less common shapes (often used in multi-stone rings):

trilliant

bagnuette

European

rose

mine

briolette

kite

tapered baguette

calf

shield

princess

                           additional shapes:

rectangular

heart

square

facet (flat surface)

fancy

boat-shaped

radiant

Portuguese (an old but intricate [complex] pattern)

                  Online Sources of Information:

International Gem Society  https://www.gemsociety.org

Understanding gem shapes: a guide to the art and craft of gemstone cuts.

Golden Sea Nettle

Chrysaora fuscescens = "Pacific sea nettle" or "West Coast sea nettle" that lives in ocean waters from British Columbia to Baja California Sur, Mexico. These nettles are carnivore that feed on zooplankton, salps, crustaceans, and pelagic snails. They prefer temperate to cool waters. These animals can be up to 3 feet (1 m) in diameter.

Figure 1. A group of golden sea nestles (image taken at the Aquarium of the Pacific in southern California). Their "tails" can be as long as 15 feet, and human contact with its produces painful stings. Their venom is not deadly to humans but getting “stung” by this animal is similar to a bee sting (or, in some cases, bee stings).

These animals swim by squeezing their bell and pushing water behind it. They also prefer to float with the bell “upside down” (Fig. 1).

Figure 2. Closeup of a swimming/floating Golden sea nettle. Image taken at the Aquarium of the Pacific in southern California.

     Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Cnidaria

Class Scyphozoa

Order Semaeostomae

Family Pelagiidae

Genus Chrysaora 

Type Species C. fuscecens

A THORNY ECHINODERM

In my personal collection of marine invertebrates, I have a small echinoderm typically referred to as a  "star fish." [Of course, it is neither a star, nor a fish!] 

This echinoderm, which is somewhat unusual in that it is very  thorny.  is Amphiaster insignis Verrrill. This is the only species known of this genus. Its “arms” are very wide near the central disc area. In life, the body and arms are uniformly colored red-orange to red brown. The specimen shown here has been bleached by exposure to the sun. 

Amphiaster insignis is known from the central and lower part of the Gulf of California, to at least as far south as Panama (Brusca, 1980, p. 405, fig. 26.10). It is a common species.

   Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Echinodermata

Class Asteroidea

Order Oreasterida

Family Goniasteridae

Genus Amphiaster

Type species: A. insignis

Figure 1. Dorsal view of starfish, specimen diameter 60 mm, thickness 12 mm.

Figure 2. Ventral view of specimen shown above.

Reference

Brusca, R.C. 1980. Common intertidal invertebrates of the Gulf of California, 2^nd ed., 513 pp.

ALSTROMERIA FLOWERS

This genus of flowers, which was described by a student of Carl Linnaeus, was named after the Swedish baron Claus Alstromer, a friend of Linneaus.

Alstromeria is native to South America, primarily in southern Argentina and central Brazil, and this flower ranges three degrees north of the equator to the southern tip of South America. Alstromeria is a long-lived perennial that is found in swamps, forests, savannas, grasslands, and, as well as, at altitudes (up to 2300 m elevation).

There are up to as many as 80 reported “species” (including subspecies and variants, as well as hybrids). How many of these are valid species remains to be determined. Common names include the “Peruvian Lily” and “Lily of the Incas,” but they are not lilies.

The color variation of this flower is (like most flowers) highly variable, with pink, yellow, red, white, purple variants. But they all have beautiful streaks (variable in color) on their petals or in their central areas. These streaks makes this flower memorable.

Their geologic time range of genus Alstromeria, based on molecular divergence dating, is late Cretaceous to the present. The early history of this genus was likely affected by geographic separation associated with the formation of the Andes Mountain Range, which actively began about 6 to 2 million years ago = Miocene and Pliocene epochs) (Wikipedia, 2026).

This plant has long-lasting trumpet-shaped flowers, that do well even after being cut (as long as their cut stems have a water source [in a container). Thus, this flower is used in floral arrangements. There are many cultivares, which can be pink, deep yellow, red, orange, purple, or white. There can even be bi-colored varieties. Additionally, their streaks of color are variable. This flower, which has six petals, is also known as the “lily of the Incas.” It is native to Chile and Argentina. Today, it can be found in Australia, New Zealand, and the USA.

Classification

Kingdom Plantar

Clades (3 of them)

Order Alstroemeriaceae

Family Alstroemeriacea.

Genus Alstroemeria

Type Species: A. pelegrina

In the USA, Alstrolmeria grows well is zones 8-10. They thrive in full sun, and they prefer well-drained soil. They are long-blooming perennials (i.e. they bloom from early summer to first frost).

They are drought tolerant. Also, its leaves grow upside down [= resupination].  Alstromeria readily attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. 

Figure 1. Alstromeria (pink variety). Image via a purchased bouquet.

Figure 2. Alstromeria (three colors). Image taken at Green Thumb Nursery in Saugus, California.

Figure 3. Alstromeria (red variety). Image taken at Green Thumb Nursery in Saugus, California.