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Elli Klaus

@ellililalala.bsky.social
890 followers 1.9K following 119 posts

Conservation biologist with focus on botanics and entomology. I love macrophotography of all fauna & flora but especially of insects and spiders. Pics & opinions are my own. Currently in Cape Town. She/her www.inaturalist.org/people/elliklaus

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Reposted by Elli Klaus
Germán Orizaola @gorizaola.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Good one for understanding how evolution works. theconversation.com/no-animal-al...
theconversation.com
No animal alive today is ‘primitive’ – why are so many still labeled that way?
All species alive today, from chimpanzees to bacteria, are cousins that each have equally long lineages, rather than ancestors or descendants of one another.
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Gil Wizen @wizentrop.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
This monkey slug caterpillar (Phobetron sp.) from Ecuador has evolved to look like a discarded tarantula molt. This one mimics the tarantula Avicularia juruensis (see my previous post) so accurately, down to the pink toes and yellow bands! The hairs cause skin irritation, just like Avicularia hairs.
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Gil Wizen @wizentrop.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
I'm heading off to my next adventure in Ecuador so I will be quiet here for a while. In the meantime, I'm going to leave you with this video of a fringe tree frog (Cruziohyla craspedopus) I found on my previous visit to Ecuador. I never get tired of seeing them, such an iconic species!
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Gil Wizen @wizentrop.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
Another cool find at Emerald Arch in Ecuador was this membracid treehopper (Anchistrotus sp.) with its enormous helmet. While much more sluggish compared to other treehoppers, this species is quick to break off and drop its helmet when disturbed, allowing it to take off swiftly to escape danger.
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Elli Klaus @ellililalala.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
A Longleg #Dandy (#Portia cf. schultzi) from #Choma, #Zambia. #jumpingspider #salticidae #spidersky #bugsky #inverts #macrophotography #spiders
A brown jumping spider with yellowish pedipalps facing the camera.
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Mike Melton @mikemelton.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Enjoy this little demon, #Bugsky At first I thought this was just a small fly, but when I got my macro on it I found this alien creature. I think it's in the genus Poppea, a type of treehopper. Found at @casabentbill.bsky.social #CostaRica #nature #insects
Close-up macro of a tiny spiny red-and-black insect with horn-like projections and bright red eyes standing on a green leaf.
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Elli Klaus @ellililalala.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
A lucky find: A southern #African rock #python caught itself a nice dinner. Seen in #Choma, #Zambia in November 2025. #herps #snake
A scrub hare is entangeled by a medium sized python.
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Elli Klaus @ellililalala.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
One of the jumping #spiders I found in the leaf litter at #Choma, #Zambia. Any ideas for an ID? #spidersky #inverts #macrophotography #inaturalist
Brown jumping spider facing the camera. The pedipalps are half white on the bottom.
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Elli Klaus @ellililalala.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
An #Amegilla #bee resting on the stem of a lavender. Seen in #Choma, #Zambia in November 2025. #bugsky #inverts #inaturalist #macrophotography
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Elli Klaus @ellililalala.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
A burrowing wolf spider with her #spiderlings at the entrance of her hole. Seen in #Choma, #Zambia #spidersky #bugsky #wolfspider #inverts #inaturalist
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Chentomology @chentomology.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
We love jumping spiders because they are smol, cute, active, friendly and always looking around curiously with their huge eyes. But do you know they’re also masters of mimicry? Check out the bugs they pretend to be (and some of those are really good)!💚💚
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Elli Klaus @ellililalala.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
Just because I just found this picture and I find them pretty. So lets see who else likes it! This is a male #Philaeus chrysops, a #jumpingspider. Discovered in #France, #Camargue in Mai 2024. #salticidae #spidersky #inverts #inat #bugsky
Generally black jumping spider with a striking red abdomen with a vertical black stripe. The legs have white hairs which for the four front legs range to orange. Also the hairs on the pedipalps are white. Head and cheliceres are dark black. View from front top onto the spider.
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Xander's Skyscape @wellmanneredxs.bsky.social · 10/08/2025
Wasps are great, and like all little critturs, greatly appreciate clean fresh water in hot weather. #inverts 🐙
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Tom Astle @tjalamont.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
Two bombardier beetles (Brachinus sp.) attacking a termite. Many insects defend themselves with smelly/irritating chemicals; these beetles go to 11. They mix chemicals in their abdomen, and the resulting reaction reaches near boiling; the noxious mixture is emitted with an audible pop. 🐙🌿 #insects
A macro photo of two beetles attacking another insect, on a pale, crystalline rock. The beetles have dull dark bluish abdomens and orange head/legs/thorax. Their prey is a similar-sized, orange-brown insect, probably a termite alate (an alate is a winged, reproductive male or female termite or ant that leaves to form a new colony; this one has lost its wings, which they do after their short nuptial flight; in this case, it might also have been due to the beetles' attack).
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Oden @oden-gjallarhornet.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
Watch: Huge stick #insect discovered in #Australia www.bbc.com/news/videos/...
bbc.com
Watch: Huge stick insect discovered in Australia
A new "supersized" species of stick insect that is roughly as heavy as a golf ball has been discovered in Australia.
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Elli Klaus @ellililalala.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
Quite a colour explosion in European regards 😅 This is a Leafy Spurge #Hawkmoth ( #Hyles #euphorbiae) eating it's host plant, a Cypress Spurge. It's a young one, it will be double its size. Seen in the #Binntal, #Valais, #Switzerland #bugsky #insects #inverts #macro #photography #inat
A lateral view of a green caterpillar with white spots surrounded by black. It has a brown and black spike at the end of its abdomen directed upwards. The head is light brown and black on top. It is sitting on a little twig of spurge.
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Elli Klaus @ellililalala.bsky.social · 20/07/2025
Just a little jumper - a female #Aelurillus v-insignitus from the #Binntal in #Valais. They are quite common in their habitat but easily overlooked. This individual was 2-3 mm tall. Love to find them! 😍 #bugsky #salticidae #inverts #spiders #spidersky
Jumping spider facing the camera generally brown in colour with rings of shades of brown on the legs. The front eyes have right and left white strikes extending to the side of the head.
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Herbert Nickel @herbertnickel.bsky.social · 01/06/2025
GREAT movie on the village pasture of Pufesti, Romania: predatory Emus hirtus fighting down a dung beetle. Filmed by Josepha Hirsch.
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Melaine Le Roy @subfossilguy.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
SPEECHLESS BEFORE / AFTER #BLATTEN The magnitude of destruction after the 3:24 pm collapse of Birch Glacier is immense! 😱 All the forest has been razed and the ice/wood/debris dammed the Lonza river 🌊 Some buildings of Blatten are buried 🏠 📷 Pomona
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Botanical University Challenge @bucbotany.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
🌱🌾🌍🍄🌺🌳🌿#SeedDispersal Another way for seeds to disperse themselves is to be tiny to drift through the air. #Orchids have taken this to an extreme, with most seeds much less than a milligram, abandoning food reserves, and relying on finding a fungus to nurture germination. #BUC2025
Drawings of orchid seeds from 1863 book; photo of orchid seed germinated on synthetic, sucrose-containing medium; logo Botanical University Challenge.
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
How Attenborough’s Ocean exposed ‘violent’ bottom trawlers. “We were aghast, it was a shock,” said producer Toby Nowlan, recalling the first time he saw video of the destructive fishing practice, where weighted nets are dragged across the sea bed. 👇 www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
thetimes.com
How David Attenborough’s Ocean exposed ‘violent’ bottom trawlers
Somehow, this documentary is our first close-up look at the way commercial fishing wrecks the sea bed. One of the directors says it’s like watching Nemo flee for his life
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Herbert Nickel @herbertnickel.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Die Megaherbivoren-Hypothese schön illlustriert und erklärt. charlotte-hintzmann.de/giant-plant-...
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Elli Klaus @ellililalala.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
For #InsectThursday I want to show you this #solitary #bee (I don't know the species) sitting on a #monkeyorchid (Orchis simia) with a pollinion on its front. This is how orchids spread their pollen, so cool! (France, 12.5.2024) #bugsky #macrophotography #inverts #insects #pollinators
A solitary bee (I don't know the species) sitting on a monkeyorchid (Orchis simia) with a pollinion on its front
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Elli Klaus @ellililalala.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
It's #Worldbeeday! So here is my contribution: it's the #solitary wild #bees we care about - not the honey bee. It is those that we depend on for our food and all wildlife around. I like honey bees when they are good food for others, e.g. for this jumping #spider couple of #Asianellus festivus
Dead honey bee caught by a (relatively) big grey female jumping spider. The male is on her and is probably trying to fertilise her.
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Mike Melton @mikemelton.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Fiery-throated Hummingbird at Paraiso Quetzal Lodge #CostaRica #birds #hummingbirds #nature
A small bird with shimmering, iridescent feathers in vivid shades of green, blue, and orange perches on a textured branch, surrounded by a soft, out-of-focus natural background.
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Elli Klaus @ellililalala.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
What a great story about beavers in Scotland! Worth a look
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The Messy Ecologist @themessyecologist.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
Ponds are vital freshwater habitats which support a disproportionally high level of biodiversity but we’ve lost too many over time. Making a pond is a great way to bring more messy habitat into your garden or park! 🪲🐸🦆
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Akrotelm 🌾 @akrotelm.bsky.social · 17/05/2025
Serviceskeet @ndr.de: Da hat kein Wald gebrannt, sondern eine standortfremde Nadelholzplantage. 🌲🔥🌲 Laubwälder 🌳🌳 brennen in Mitteleuropa nicht. Würde mich sehr freuen, wenn das in der Berichterstattung irgendwann mal berücksichtigt werden würde 🙏
ndr.de
Teil der jahrelangen Brandserie? Vier Waldbrände in nur einer Woche in Gemeinde ausgebrochen
Gleich zwei Waldbrände sind laut Polizei am Donnerstag im Amt Neuhaus (Landkreis Lüneburg) ausgebrochen. Bereits am Montag musste die Feuerwehr in der Gemeinde ausrücken.
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Gail Armstrong @gailbatlady.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
Battered and bruised by a cat, his wings so torn that his name became Shreddie. But he's beaten the odds and is now fat and feisty. I tested his flight, watched him adjust with each circuit until he mastered it. Magnificent little common pipistrelle. #lovebats #batcare 🦇
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Herbert Nickel @herbertnickel.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
Grade bekommen: Ein wirklich tolles Buch, das hoffentlich hilft, unsere Prokrastination im Naturschutz zu überwinden. Das Thema wird breit abgedeckt: 1. Weidetierarten 2. Weideökologie 3. Wildtiermanagement 4. Naturschutz 5. Beispiele Lauter Fachleute, toll illustriert! Kann es allen nur empfehlen!
Buchcover: Die Rückkehr der großen Pflanzenfresser. 2 erwachsene Wisente und ein Kälbchen
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RSPB @rspb.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
Happy 99th birthday to the man who gave voice to the wild. 🎉 Sir David Attenborough, thank you for a lifetime dedicated to the natural world, and for sharing its story with wisdom, wonder, and grace. You've inspired generations to fall in love with nature.
This photograph captures Sir David Attenborough seated outdoors on the rugged terrain of Skomer Island. Behind him, the ocean and coastal cliffs form a scenic backdrop under a clear sky. Sir David, dressed in a khaki jacket and light trousers, looks towards the camera with a gentle expression, exuding a sense of warmth, calm, and wisdom. Around him, puffins can be seen flying and perched on the rocky ground, illuminated in rays of golden sunlight as the sun sets behind the cliffs.
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schwarwel @schwarwel.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
„Heute ist Erdüberlastungstag: Deutschland hat Ressourcen für 2025 aufgebraucht“ #Erdüberlastungstag #ressourcenschonen #Raubbau #schwarwel
Die Erde und der Mond in der nendlichen Weite des Alls. Zwei Leute im winzigkleinwn Deutschland unterhalten sich.
Stimme 1: „IST SCHON DOOF, WENN AM ENDE DER JÄHRLICHEN RESSOURCEN IMMER NOCH SO VIEL JAHR ÜBRIG IST.“
Stimme 2: „JA, IRGENDWIE DOOF.“
Unterzeile: „KEIN PLANET B = VOLL DOOF“
(Credit: SCHWARWEL)
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Thomas Shahan @tshahan.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
🕷️Close-up view of the eyes of a little "Oklahoma Brown Tarantula" (Aphonopelma hentzi) found beneath a stone in the woods. Apparently females can live up to ~20 years, and males ~5-10!
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Santiago Jaume, Dr. rer. nat. @santijaumes.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
For me, it's always exciting to find a bug with entomopathogenic fungi. They are always a treat to the eyes, and I mean, just look at the intricate structures of the fungi coming out of the wasp, amazing! Have a good one, y'all
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Aussie Moths @wa-moths.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Its time for #inverteFest! We might not be in spring in the Southern hemisphere, but there’s still lots of #invertebrates about to share here and on @inaturalist.bsky.social
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Marshal Hedin @mhedin.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
this pretty spider has me thinking about pretty spiders male Habronattus americanus, from the Deep Creek Mountains of far western UT
a male jumping spider with bright red legs, red pedipalps, large greenish eyes with a blue iridescent stripe beneath the eye, and fangs with bundles of white hairs
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WayneS @wsnatureandfossils.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
I was lucky enough to find this resting Nomad Bee in my garden yesterday evening. These are one of the Cuckoo Bees, laying their eggs in the nests of mining bees. #macro #macrophotography #ukwildlife #gardenwildlife #dorsetwildlife #bees #nomadbee #OMSystem #OM-1
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Elli Klaus @ellililalala.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
A tail-wagger #snail ( #Sheldonia sp.) from Wilderness, South Africa (march 2025). What a weird little thing! It made my day when I saw it! #mollusks #gastropod #SouthAfrica #macrophotography #bugsky
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Evelyndroid's Aperture Science and Bugge-Finding 🏳️‍⚧️🕷️ @apsciencebylyn.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
The Jaws sequel everyone doesn't know they want 👀 (antlion with just the giant mandibles poking out of the sand) 🩶
A pair of large curved toothy mandibles poking out of the white sand
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Mike Melton @mikemelton.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
Another nice Costa Rican hummingbird, the tiny Violet-headed Hummingbird. At @tapirvalley.bsky.social #birds #hummingbirds #nature
A small bird with a rounded body and iridescent feathers perches on a branch. Its head and throat shine with deep blue and violet tones, while its chest and sides are covered in soft green and gray. The background is a smooth blur of dark green.
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Marten🕰️🚂 @martono.bsky.social · 28/03/2024
Es ist keine ganz neue Erkenntnis, aber immer wieder darauf hinweisen kann nicht schaden. Ich wünsche den #WildenWeiden ein baldiges großes Comeback! Zum Glück gibt es Akteure wie @herbertnickel.bsky.social die immer und immer wieder zeigen, wie wertvoll extensive Beweidung ist! Danke!
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Mike Melton @mikemelton.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
Another great name for a hummingbird: Golden-bellied Starfrontlet that I saw at Chingaza National Park, Colombia #birds #hummingbirds #nature 🌿
Close-up profile of a tiny bird with iridescent green and gold feathers perched on a thin branch. Its long, slender black bill and bright dark eye stand out against the shimmering metallic plumage that catches the light. The background is softly blurred in shades of green.
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David @incnaturalist.bsky.social · 13/04/2025
Some people don’t like pigeons. Some pigeons are absolutely stunning like this Pink-necked Pigeon 🤩
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Herzenswärme @resilienz8.bsky.social · 06/04/2025
Bitte flache #Wasser - Schälchen für #Tiere #Vögel #Insekten rausstellen Es ist jetzt mehr als wichtig #Dürre #Klima
Dürre im Oberboden Deutschland,
außergewöhnliche Dürre , höchste Stufe
Pflanzenverfügbares Wasser im Oberboden,
beginnender Trockenstress
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Jitender Dublad @jitenderdublad.bsky.social · 06/04/2025
1/ Meet Kikiki huna — the world’s smallest flying insect. This fairy wasp is so tiny, it makes ants look like giants. #Microfauna #InsectFacts #Entomology
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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 06/04/2025
Collembola are everywhere. I always start with them when introducing someone to inverts, tiny, goofy, and weirdly charming. They fill key niches as herbivores, detritivores, and predators, driving decomposition and keeping soil life in balance. #Collembola #inverebrates #bugsky 🌿 #macrophotography
Close-up of a small orange-brown collembolan with a speckled pattern and segmented antennae. It is walking across a gritty, rocky surface, highlighting its delicate limbs and rounded body.A vibrant macro shot of a shiny, dark springtail exploring a mossy surface. Its legs are outstretched as it moves along a mixture of sand and green moss, with light catching the iridescence on its back.Macro photo of a dark-colored collembolan with a glossy, rounded abdomen and reddish legs and antennae. The springtail is climbing over moss and debris in a damp, earthy environment. Fine hairs are visible on its body.
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DER SPIEGEL @spiegel.de · 04/04/2025
Margot Friedländer überlebte den Holocaust, bis heute engagiert sich die 103-Jährige gegen das Vergessen und für Toleranz. Bei einer Ehrung durch Bundespräsident Steinmeier nimmt sie ihre Mitmenschen in die Pflicht.
spiegel.de
Margot Friedländer: »Wir sind alle gleich. Seid Menschen!«
Margot Friedländer überlebte den Holocaust, bis heute engagiert sich die 103-Jährige gegen das Vergessen und für Toleranz. Bei einer Ehrung durch Bundespräsident Steinmeier nimmt sie ihre Mitmenschen in die Pflicht.
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Gil Wizen @wizentrop.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
Have you stopped to appreciate a cockroach lately? Cockroaches get a lot of unjustified hate for simply existing. Species like this yellow glass cockroach (Chorisoneura sp.) from Ecuador can be charming if you take the time to view them in a positive light. I think it's beautiful!
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Elli Klaus @ellililalala.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
You don't see me! This #ichneumonid #wasp reminds me of a toddler trying to hide 😃 Found in Bière, #Switzerland #bugsky #insects #arthropod #inat #hymenoptera #macrophotography #pollinator
Black and orange ichneumonid wasp holding on to a blade of grass looking into the camera.
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