Is God a paleontologist?

 

Credit: Prajina Khatiwada

So I just learned that Hindus worship fossil ammonites as divine incarnations. Corals, too! Amazing stuff, seriously. So I had a topic for tonight´s ChatGPT essay. Strangest so far? 

What is the shalagrama?

A Śālagrāma (or Śālagrām Śilā) is a very sacred object of worship in Vaishnavism. It is a type of fossilized ammonite stone found only in the Gandaki River (especially around Muktinath, Nepal).

Here’s the essence:

1. Physical Nature

• They are usually black, roundish stones with natural spiral markings.

• These spirals are the fossilized remains of ancient ammonites (marine creatures that lived millions of years ago).

• Devotees believe the natural markings represent Vishnu’s symbols like the chakra (discus), shankha (conch), gada (mace), and padma (lotus).

2. Religious Importance

• Śālagrāmas are considered non-anthropomorphic forms of Lord Vishnu.

• No consecration (prāṇa-pratiṣṭhā) is required — they are inherently divine.

• In many households, especially among Vaishnavas, worship of the Śālagrāma is considered equal to worshiping Vishnu in a temple.

3. Worship

• Traditionally kept with a Tulasi (holy basil) plant, since Tulasi is dear to Vishnu.

• Worship involves offering water, tulasi leaves, and simple prayers rather than elaborate rituals.

• It is believed to protect the household, grant prosperity, and purify sins.

4. Mythology

• According to the Padma Purāṇa, the Śālagrāma is the form of Lord Vishnu himself, who resides eternally in the Gandaki river.

• The spirals are said to be the mark of the Sudarshana Chakra.

• The river itself is associated with the goddess Tulasi, making the pairing especially auspicious.

5. Special Rules

• Only certain people (especially married men in the orthodox tradition) are advised to perform daily Śālagrāma pūjā.

• Women and renunciates may worship indirectly by offering flowers or water, but often do not handle the stone directly.

• It is considered a living deity, not just a symbol.

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So in short: the Śālagrāma is a sacred fossil stone worshiped as Vishnu himself, embodying the eternal presence of God in natural form.

Would you like me to also describe the different types of Śālagrāma (there are many varieties, each associated with a form of Vishnu, like Narasimha, Varaha, Lakshmi-Narayana, etc.)?

Yes, please.

Great! Let’s dive into the types of Śālagrāmas.

In Vaishnava tradition, different Śālagrāma stones are said to embody different forms (mūrtis) of Vishnu. The distinctions come from their shape, color, number of spiral marks, and openings (vāttas).

Here are some of the important ones:

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Main Types of Śālagrāma

1. Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa Śālagrāma

   • Golden or yellowish tint, with clear markings.

   • Brings wealth, prosperity, and harmony in the household.

2. Hayagrīva Śālagrāma

   • Long shape, resembling a horse’s head.

   • Grants knowledge, eloquence, and helps in studies.

3. Narasimha Śālagrāma

   • Fierce-looking, often with multiple openings or rough surface.

   • Destroys enemies, removes fear, and grants courage.

4. Varāha Śālagrāma

   • Has a raised portion like a snout.

   • Protects from calamities and uplifts devotees spiritually.

5. Vāmana Śālagrāma

   • Small, dwarf-like shape.

   • Grants humility, simplicity, and spiritual growth.

6. Lakṣmī-Nṛsiṁha Śālagrāma

   • Combination of gentle and fierce markings.

   • Removes fear while ensuring prosperity and grace.

7. Dāmodara Śālagrāma

   • Rope-like circular mark, symbolizing baby Krishna tied to the mortar.

   • Bestows devotion (bhakti) and childlike joy.

8. Matsya Śālagrāma

   • Fish-like shape.

   • Protects from dangers of water and travel.

9. Kūrma Śālagrāma

   • Tortoise-like, flat bottom, rounded top.

   • Gives stability, patience, and strength.

10. Ananta / Śeṣa Śālagrāma

• With multiple spiral markings.

• Symbolizes Vishnu resting on the cosmic serpent.

• Grants protection and liberation.

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General Beliefs

• Some Śālagrāmas are considered very powerful and auspicious but also difficult to worship (e.g. Narasimha type).

• Families often prefer Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa Śālagrāma, as it is believed to bring peace and abundance without fierce side-effects.

• The Padma Purāṇa and Skanda Purāṇa describe up to 25–30 types, but local traditions sometimes expand this to hundreds of variations.

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Interesting Point

Śālagrāma worship is seen as timeless and Vedic — it does not require temple consecration or priestly mediation. In fact, many householders in South India and Nepal keep one or more Śālagrāmas in their home shrine, usually alongside a Tulasi plant.

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Would you like me to also give you the list of benefits and risks traditionally associated with worshiping the different types (for example, why some are said to be “too intense” for ordinary householders)?

Yes, please.

Perfect, let’s go into the traditional benefits and cautions associated with the different types of Śālagrāma.

Many Purāṇas and manuals (like the Bṛhat-Saṁhitā, Padma Purāṇa, Skanda Purāṇa) describe that while all Śālagrāmas are auspicious, some carry gentle blessings and others are too intense for ordinary householders (gṛhasthas).

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🌸 Śālagrāmas That Are Considered “Safe” and Auspicious for Householders

These are recommended for family prosperity, harmony, and general worship:

• Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa – Brings wealth, health, and household harmony.

• Dāmodara – Grants devotion (bhakti) and childlike joy.

• Lakṣmī-Nṛsiṁha (gentle type) – Removes fear, brings prosperity and divine grace.

• Kūrma (tortoise-like) – Gives patience, stability, protection in difficulties.

• Matsya – Protects from water-related dangers, travel hazards.

• Ananta/Śeṣa – Ensures protection, family well-being, and spiritual progress.

• Vāmana – Promotes humility, good conduct, and balance in life.

👉 These are commonly found in South Indian homes, and they are said to bless without causing disruption.

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🔥 Śālagrāmas Considered Very Powerful / Intense

These are worshiped mainly by renunciates, ascetics, or in temples — not usually recommended for householders, since their energy is fierce and can “demand” more austerity from the devotee:

• Nṛsiṁha (fierce type) – Extremely protective, destroys enemies, but too fiery for ordinary home life.

• Sudarsana (chakra-like markings) – Gives immense energy and destroys evil, but may disrupt household harmony if not worshiped properly.

• Rāma / Paraśurāma types – Associated with strict dharma and battle; worship may lead to conflicts or karmic tests.

• Trivikrama / Vāmana with large features – Said to be too expansive, may disturb domestic peace.

• Hayagrīva – Bestows knowledge but demands high purity; misworship is said to lead to confusion or loss of memory.

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🌌 Why Some Are Considered “Risky”

• The belief is not that these stones are “bad,” but that their shakti is too intense for normal family life.

• If a householder without strong spiritual discipline keeps a fierce Śālagrāma, it is said that life circumstances may become difficult — like tests, conflicts, or austerities being imposed by the deity.

• Ascetics and temple priests, however, often welcome these fierce forms.

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🌿 General Belief

• A single Śālagrāma in the house is enough; some families keep many.

• Worship usually involves: bathing the stone, offering Tulasi leaves, chanting mantras like Om Namo Nārāyaṇāya.

• Unlike a consecrated idol (mūrti), the Śālagrāma is believed to be self-manifest (svayambhū) and inherently divine.

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👉 So, if someone wants a Śālagrāma at home, tradition suggests choosing a gentle, auspicious type (Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa, Dāmodara, Kūrma, Ananta) — while leaving the fierce Narasiṁha or Sudarśana stones to temples and renunciates.

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Would you like me to also explain how householders actually worship the Śālagrāma daily (the simple procedure and rules that are usually followed)?

What is a Dvaravati sila?

Good question — the Dvārāvatī Śilā (sometimes just called Dvārakā-śilā) is closely related to the Śālagrāma tradition but has its own unique identity.

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🌊 What It Is

• A Dvārāvatī Śilā is a naturally formed stone found in the Gomati River (in and around Dvārakā, Gujarat, the legendary city of Lord Kṛṣṇa).

• Just as Śālagrāmas come from the Gandaki River in Nepal and embody Viṣṇu, the Dvārāvatī Śilās are said to embody Kṛṣṇa in His Dvārakā aspect — the Lord as king, householder, and protector.

• They often have natural chakra-like markings (spirals, wheel impressions, or fossilized designs) on their surface.

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✨ Scriptural Status

• Mentioned in the Skanda Purāṇa and other texts as sacred stones, said to carry the presence of Lord Viṣṇu / Kṛṣṇa.

• Some Vaiṣṇava traditions (especially Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas) treat them as being equally worshipful as Śālagrāmas, while others regard them as slightly different, more “accessible” for householders.

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🌸 Believed Benefits

• Worship brings Kṛṣṇa’s grace, prosperity, and peace in household life.

• Said to be gentler than fierce Śālagrāmas, so more suitable for families.

• Specifically associated with protection, devotion (bhakti), and the blessings of Dvārakā-pati Kṛṣṇa.

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🔍 Difference from Śālagrāma

• Origin: Śālagrāma → Gandaki River (Nepal); Dvārāvatī Śilā → Gomati River (Dvārakā).

• Aspect: Śālagrāma → Viṣṇu in cosmic forms (Nārāyaṇa, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, etc.); Dvārāvatī Śilā → Kṛṣṇa in His earthly royal aspect.

• Suitability: Śālagrāmas can be very intense (some types not advised for householders), whereas Dvārāvatī Śilās are generally seen as milder and auspicious for home worship.

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🌿 Worship

• Similar to Śālagrāma: bathing daily, offering Tulasi, flowers, incense, and chanting mantras (e.g., Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya).

• In some homes, Śālagrāma and Dvārāvatī Śilā are kept together and worshiped jointly, as symbolic of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa or Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa.

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So, to put it simply:
A Dvārāvatī Śilā is a sacred stone from Dvārakā’s Gomati River that embodies Kṛṣṇa, much like the Śālagrāma embodies Viṣṇu.

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Would you like me to also describe the different types of Dvārāvatī Śilās (based on their markings and colors), just like the Śālagrāma classifications?

Yes, please. Are these stones actually corals?

Excellent follow-up — you’re right to ask, because there is a fascinating natural explanation behind both Śālagrāmas and Dvārāvatī Śilās.

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🔹 Are Dvārāvatī Śilās actually corals?

Yes. Most Dvārāvatī Śilās are actually fossilized corals from the Gomati River near Dvārakā (Gujarat).

• The natural wheel-like patterns (chakra) seen on them are cross-sections of ancient corals.

• The texture is lighter and more porous than Śālagrāmas (which are ammonite fossils from Nepal’s Gandaki river).

• This fossilization links them to the ancient seabed — which fits perfectly with Dvārakā’s identity as a coastal city of Kṛṣṇa.

So:

• Śālagrāma = Ammonite fossils (marine creatures with spiral shells).

• Dvārāvatī Śilā = Fossil corals (with natural chakra-like structures).

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🔹 Types of Dvārāvatī Śilās

Texts like the Skanda Purāṇa and Gomati Māhātmya list 25 or 30+ types, depending on classification. Each type is identified by color, shape, and markings, and each is believed to bring a distinct blessing.

Some examples:

1. Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa Śilā – two wheel marks together → symbolizes divine couple, grants wealth and prosperity.

2. Sudhārśana Śilā – strong, clear chakra mark → represents Sudarśana Cakra, protection from enemies and evil forces.

3. Padma Śilā – lotus-like marking → fertility, family happiness.

4. Śaṅkha Śilā – conch-like design → auspiciousness, removal of sins.

5. Matsya Śilā – fish-like marking → protection from calamities, helps spiritual progress.

6. Nṛsiṁha Śilā – fierce markings or rough surface → grants courage, protection from fear.

7. Dāmodara Śilā – rope-like pattern → devotion, especially to child Kṛṣṇa.

8. Garuda Śilā – wing-like impressions → liberation, removal of obstacles.

Some Śilās are said to be very auspicious for householders (e.g., Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa, Padma), while a few with fierce markings (like Nṛsiṁha) are traditionally worshiped only by ascetics or in temples.

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🔹 Worship and Use

• Always worshiped with Tulasi leaves (since Tulasi is beloved of Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa).

• Placed on a small pedestal (pīṭha) or kept together with Śālagrāma.

• Daily offerings: water, sandal paste, flowers, lamp, incense, and chanting of mantras like Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya.

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So, in essence:
👉 Dvārāvatī Śilās are fossil corals from Gomati River, carrying chakra-like markings, worshiped as living embodiments of Lord Kṛṣṇa in His Dvārakā aspect.
👉 Each type is classified by its markings, with specific blessings tied to it.

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Would you like me to make a side-by-side comparison table of Śālagrāma vs. Dvārāvatī Śilā, showing their origin, substance, and spiritual focus?

Survivors

 

Credit: Guillaume Baviere 

So I just watched the second episode of "Sveriges hav" (The Seas of Sweden), and it seems most of it actually is about, you know, Sweden. The first episode was about the Shetland Islands?! The sequel has the subtitle "Östersjöns överlevare" (Survivors of the Baltic Sea). Gotland is featured, but a Danish island has also been sneaked in, and who knows what else. 

Not sure if anyone even survived this extravaganza of various animals munching on each other. Starfish attacking clams, herring gulls swooping down on eider ducklings, the Gotland subspecies of grass snake hunting for fish in the sea...but also seals generally basking in the sun, waiting for better times. You get the picture. There are also enormous populations of moon jellies in the Baltic Sea, apparently a problem since they eat too much (and hence presumably out-compete the fish eaten by humans). 

It seems Lake NATO is really a gigantic smorgasbord! May it survive for the benefit of future hungry generations, and so forth.

  

Reverse aging

 

A comb jelly
Credit: Steven G Johnson

A kind of weird experiment, would probably have been considered cruelty to animals had it not been a primitive/basal jellyfish-like organism, so the RSPCA and the ALF don´t give shit! Still, I suppose the ability to "reverse aging" is...interesting. What a pity it´s only cnidarians, comb jellies and the dog tapeworm (!) that has this unusual ability. 

This sea creature can age in reverse

The next link goes to a Wiki article about "Ming the Mollusk", a quahog clam and the oldest animal ever recorded. Or rather "the oldest individual (non-colonial) animal ever discovered whose age could be precisely determined". Yes, it was 507 years old when it was captured and killed (!) off the Icelandic coast. So this damn mollusc was older than our industrial civilization?!

Ming (clam)  

And if you absolutely want to read Wikipedia´s confusing list of the oldest organisms ever-ever-forever (many considerably more ancient than poor old Ming), you can find it here. I *think* the absolutely oldest living "things" ever were bacterial spores found in New Mexico which were revived after 250 million years. And then there´s the story about the scientist in California who sold "Amber Ale" produced with a 45 million year old revived yeast!

Somehow, I find that hard to believe. 

List of longest-living organisms

If evolution is true, why are there still humans?

 

An evolutionary impossibility?

Some lighter bedtime reading (my time) on the theme "we are not the crown of creation". Note the bizarre information about octopi! Note also the interview with Dougal Dixon, whose book "After Man" was one of my favorite bedtime readings when I was much younger...

Does evolution ever go backward? 

Why haven´t all primates evolved into humans?

When humans are gone

A tall tale, but not of a whale

 

Credit: Ole Kils 

LOL. What the fuck is this???

>>>The largest recorded specimen [of the Lion´s Mane Jellyfish] was measured off the coast of Massachusetts in 1865 and had a bell with a diameter of 210 centimetres (7 feet) and tentacles around 36.6 m (120 ft) long.

>>>The tentacles of larger specimens may trail as long as 30 m (100 ft) or more, with the tentacles of the longest known specimen measured at 36.6 m (120 ft) in length, although it has been suggested that this specimen may actually have belonged to a different Cyanea species. This unusual length – longer than a blue whale – has earned it the status of one of the longest known animals in the world.

So the largest/longest animal in the world (as in "ever") is a...jellyfish?!

Life on the edge...or just another Tuesday?

 

"Wild Scandinavia: Life on the Edge" is the first part of a three-part BBC nature documentary about...wait for it...Scandinavian wildlife. It deals with the Scandinavian coasts and features the Stockholm Archipelago, the sand dunes of Jutland, Norwegian fjords and the Arctic coast. 

Perhaps good if you never seen any Scandinavian animals before, but personally, I recognized most of the species shown: the grey seal, the white-tailed eagle, killer whales, sea otters, puffins and so on. But sure, the various marine invertebrates were suitably disgusting. I don´t think I want to swim in Norwegian territorial waters! 

In a later episode, they cheat and take the viewer to Iceland and Svalbard, which are not part of Scandinavia as the term is usually understood in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. 

Could be of some interest on a boring February evening. As long as you know that the wildlife shown is far, far away... 

Trassligt havssnöre eller dödahavsrullar?

 

Credit: Julle

Nu har väl klimatförändringarna gått lite för långt, eller? Något som kallas "trassligt havssnöre" har börjat dyka upp vid Bohusläns kust, och roar sig högeligen med att attackera vinterbadare. Som iofs förtjänar en påminnelse om att Havet ger, Havet tar. Särskilt fucking ishavet i december, yao. 

So whatever you do, don´t take a winter bath on the Swedish west coast!   

Varning för vinterbad på Västkusten

The Deep Ones

 

This is not true, right?

Giant jellyfish

In the land of Hvaldimir

 

Hvaldimir the Beluga Whale 
Credit: Ein Dahmer 

"Ut i naturen" is a Norwegian TV series featuring Kari Toft. I recently watched the 2019 season on Swedish TV. I admit I did it to get away from the distressing news about the war in Ukraine. The series is based on footage of nature and animals sent in by the viewers. Kari Toft then selects the best footage, and often travels to the location in Norway where it was made, which often leads to even more footage of familiar animals in slightly crazy situations. 

In  2019, the big star was (surprise) Hvaldimir, the "Russian spy whale", a mysterious beluga whale found on Norwegian territorial waters wearing a man-made harness with a small camera attached. Many suspected that the whale was used by the Russian navy to spy on the Norwegians, hence the funny nickname Hvaldimir (a pun on Vladimir Putin and the Norwegian word for whale, "hval"). However, since the harness was clearly marked "Equipment St. Petersburg" (Saint Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia), the theory of a secret spy whale seems far-fetched. The most likely origin of the poor creature was a location at the Kola Peninsula where the whale had been used as a therapy animal for children (i.e. an emotional support animal). Hvaldimir was unusually tame, and tourists from all over Norway traveled to Hammerfest, where the whale lived in the harbour area. Even the prime minister paid him a visit! 

"Ut i naturen" contains much other interesting footage, too. There is the family that lives with two wild otters which have gotten used to humans (including human children), the lumberjack who is almost harassed by flocks of hungry moose while felling trees in the forest, the albino roe deer, foxes freely interacting with people in a dog-like manner, and a lot of white-tailed eagles (sea eagles). The young eagles, which haven´t yet learned how to fly properly, play dead in their nests if approached by humans. Kari Toft can literally touch one of the eagles without the large birds reacting! Weirdly, the adults (which are even larger) don´t try to defend their nests against the intruders. Brown bears munching on a dead moose and whooper swans on the search for blueberries in the forest are other highlights. One episode is almost entirely about hedgehogs.

Most of this production is slow-paced, but a segment titled "Frykt" (fear) is anything but. Kari´s crazy associate Ludvig Lökholm Lewin is a recurring character in the series, and in every episode voluntarily gets stung or otherwise attacked by some dangerous animal, just to see what´s shaking. A fish called greater weever stings him so badly that he essentially screams like a maniac for one hour straight! Other encounters are with European hornets (a very large wasp), stinging jellyfish or leeches. It doesn´t look scripted...

While "Ut i naturen" is interesting, I admit that I don´t really like the human-animal interaction thing. Foxes are *not* dogs, otters are not cats, and moose showing up at your doorstep or licking at your car doesn´t strike me as behaving entirely naturally. Wildlife can carry all kinds of disease, and is better left alone. But sure, the fear factor was real. 

With that little remark, I close this review.  

A meeting with Medusa

 

There is zero evidence (or so they say) for the claim that UFOs are actual *living organisms*, the habitat of which happens to be the stratosphere. A kind of near-invisible but very large jellyfish-like creatures, which occasionally show themselves to airplane pilots and the like. This is a very fringe idea, but I admit that I kind of like it (and want to believe in it - I mean, why the heck not?). 

Karl Shuker´s first article (linked below) chronicles the strange fate of this weird hypothesis. Note that he even mentions Carl Sagan´s speculations about jellyfish-like aerial life on Jupiter! I´m old enough to remember that episode of "Cosmos"... 

I wouldn´t be surprised if this turns out to be true one day. Or if it turns out that all the "UFOs" died because of our air pollution! 

Sky beasts: Unmasking the UFOs?

More sky beasts

Even more sky beasts

The real Otherkin

"Nationalnyckeln till Sveriges flora och fauna" is a work in progress, published by Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet (SLU), i.e. the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. The original ambition was to describe all (!) species of living organisms found in Sweden in about 100 volumes, published over a period of 20 years. 16 years into the project, only 20 volumes have been published, and something tells me we will never see the happy ending of this particular project! Still, the books produced so far *are* interesting, at least if you´re some kind of super-nerd with a strong tendency to favor invertebrates, mosses or fish. I´m pretty sure volume CV is the only encyclopedic treatment of the Psocoptera *with full color photos* available on the market, to take just one example.

The latest installment in this potentially never-ending series arrived earlier today at my COVID-restricted pick up location somewhere in Sweden. Yes, it´s volume DN 110-167, titled "Blötdjur. Sidopalpssnäckor - taggsäckssnäckor. Mollusca: Cimidae - Asperspinidae". Yes, folks, it´s time to give the small subsection of the nerd community who specialize in molluscan cladistics their due! This volume covers Heterobranchia ("the different gilled-snails"), more specifically the infraclasses Lower Heterobranchia and Euthyneura, minus the superorders Pylopulmonata, Eupulmonata and Hygrophila, to be covered in another volume at some unspecified later date. In plain English, most "standard" snails and slugs (the ones you eat, the ones that eat your vegetables, etc) have been excluded from this work, which concentrates almost exclusively on marine species, many of them positively bizarre. 

The authors make a valiant attempt to sort out the cladistically correct relationships between the taxa described in the book, and an even more daring attempt to describe the often quite strange anatomy and behavior of these "sea slugs and sea snails". I´m not sure if they really succeed. What was that again about "secondary detorsion" and "internal symmetry", or whatever it was? And what on earth is a "protandric hermaphrodite"? Yes, it means that an organism is born a male and later in life switches biological sex and becomes female. It also seems that many of these Mollusca have the "wrong" body plans altogether, which I suppose keep evolutionary biologists and geneticists up all night, scratching their heads. (Creationists have a ready answer: God did it to confound the non-believers! Why he created the protandric hermaphrodites is, alas, less clear.) 

The most bizarre creature in the entire volume is Elysia viridis, a sea slug with the ability to photosynthesize sun light! The authors even refer to it as a "plantimal", a term I assume is derived from science fiction. Through a process known as kleptoplasty, Elysia incorporates chloroplasts from green algae it consumes into its own cells, thereby becoming "solar-powered" like a plant. Since chloroplasts could be considered cyanobacteria, the relationship is a kind of "symbiosis". Here we have a true Otherkin, it seems! 

Compared to this, the capture of cnidarian nematocysts (stinging cells) by the Nudibranchia is almost trivial...

The species presentations contain information on morphology, behavior and ecology (if known), and range. There is also some information on the scientific names. No English summaries seem to exist, but the keys are bilingual. Most species are illustrated by color pics of their soft bodies and/or shells. Vernacular Swedish names, many of them weird, seems to have been invented by the authors and approved by the mysterious committee regulating such things. Trust me, we don´t know what on earth "klubbnuding", "dubbelvårting" or "Y-tecknad snigelkott" is supposed to mean (well, maybe barely)! 

This will hardly be a best seller, but if heterobranchs is your main thing in life, investing in a copy might be a good idea. At least if you understand Swedish. 

And perhaps even if you don´t. 

On a planet alien

”Great Barrier Reef” is a three-part mini-series narrated by the indefatigable David Attenborough, who at the ripe old age of 88 (or thereabouts) roams the coral reefs outside Australia in a submersible equipped with sophisticated cameras. Yes, the little submarine is called “Nadir”! Attenborough looks quite comfortable inside it, as he takes the viewer on a journey through an ocean world that often looks like an alien planet.

The best part of the series is episode 2, which features sharks, manta rays, humpback whales, and sea turtles. The mantas visit a certain island in the Great Barrier Reef to be “cleaned” by cleaner fish, and are a sight to behold. The most intriguing claim is made already in the first episode, where Attenborough states that a certain Aboriginal tribe seems to know that the coast line was further out 13,000 years ago and was inundated by a huge flood. A 13,000 year old folk memory? That´s hard to believe…but flood myths *are* common around the world.

Meanwhile, our splendid civilization is threatening to destroy the entire Barrier Reef. Due to climate change, the sea is becoming warmer and more acidic, threatening to kill off entire eco-systems. The corals at the Great Barrier Reef were decimated already before the present crisis, due to a “plague” of crown-of-thorns starfish which seems to have been man-made: the larvae of the coral-eating starfish thrived on artificial fertilizer washed out at sea! 

Attenborough interviews a team of “mad scientists” who try to evolve a coral resistant to climate change through selective breeding in a laboratory. If nothing is done, the Great Barrier Reef may be gone within a couple of decades, and so might many fish species associated with it. If anyone will tell stories about this 13,000 years from now, is perhaps another question…

Recommended.

The kraken wakes

They are growing larger, they are conscious, they can make decisions, they couldn't care less about climate change, and - above all - THEY ARE COMING TO A BEACH NEAR YOU.

"Killer Jellyfish" is a sensationalist documentary, claiming that jumbo-sized, intelligent, venomous and presumably hungry "box jellyfish" are on the verge of a population explosion. Soon, most of the world might be overrun by these deadly creatures, which can kill a man with their tentacles in just three minutes.

And then, perhaps not.

I admit that I don't know anything about box jellyfish, but something makes me suspect that "MonsterQuest" are exaggerating. Indeed, the expedition draws a blank, as the weird weather makes the ultra-dangerous creatures stay away, and this from a species supposedly impervious to climate change! Only a few smaller jellyfish show up, forcing the scripted divers to scream a bit to get the ratings up...

And even if we are on the verge of a "kraken wakes" scenario, so what? The box jellyfish were here long before we showed up. Got a problem with that, mate? Pick a better planet, LOL.

Still, I'll give "Killer Jellyfish" three stars, for the entertainment value.

The old man and the whale

A review of the MonsterQuest episode "Real Moby Dick"

Another absurd episode of "MonsterQuest" in which the producer Hajicek and his team attempt to create some action out of essentially nothing at all. This time, they go searching for...the real Moby Dick?! You heard me. This despite the fact that one of the interviewees, a scholarly expert on Melville's book, points out that the author of "Moby Dick" consciously exaggerated the aggressiveness of sperm whales. Melville, after all, was telling a tale. But then, so is "MonsterQuest", I suppose.

Undaunted, the team travels to Portugal, where they try to find a supposedly super-aggressive albino sperm whale. Instead, one of the divers is stung in the face by a Portuguese man o' war! That is, a jellyfish-like creature. They also encounter a group of pilot whales. The few sperm whales avoid human contact, and no ferocious albino is in sight.

Ha ha ha.

If you have the right sense of humour, I suppose this *could* be entertaining...

But sure, in a *whaling* community, it's not difficult to find *whalers* with scars from sperm whale attacks. As the sole "reviewer" on Youtube so aptly put it: "We harpooned the whale but the evil thing was crazy for attacking back! Wow lol". Couldn't agree more. Of course an animal this large will ram whaling ships if it gets the opportunity. If you have any problem with that, please go fishin'.

The episode also contains a major gaffe. It claims that Jonah was swallowed by Leviathan! Come on, everyone knows it was a big fish... :P

Where are the serious reviews?

An Amazon review of "Coral Bleaching: Patterns, Processes, Causes and Consequences". 

Hilarious. It seems the only "reviews" of this book are written by a climate change denier, and somebody who had to pick up the book at an inconvenient place when ordering it. Could somebody write a serious review of this book, please? 

An important reference

A review of "Coral Reefs of the World", vol 1

This is the first of three volumes in a series describing the major coral reefs of the world. The series is compiled by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It includes both general descriptions of coral reefs country by country, and more specific descriptions of selected reefs. There is an obvious emphasis on questions such as land tenure, economic and social benefits, legal protection, environmental destruction, etc. However, the books also describe the fauna and flora of the reefs, their physical features, etc. All in all, these are important reference works, but hardly books for the general public. This volume covers the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific.

IUCN strikes again

This is the second volume of the three-part series "Coral Reefs of the World", published by the IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre. This volume covers the coral reefs of the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Gulf. There is an obvious emphasis on questions such as land tenure, economic and social benefits, legal protection, environmental destruction, etc. However, the books also describe the fauna and flora of the reefs, their physical features, etc. All in all, these are important reference works, but hardly books for the general public. The IUCN (sometimes called the World Conservation Union) is a quasi-official international organization with ties to the United Nations.

Deceptive

A review of "Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide" by Allen and Steene 

This is not really a field guide. Rather, it's a general introduction to the various animals and plants found around coral reefs, plus colour photos (many quite small) of a representative sample. There are no species presentations, no keys. Frankly, the title of this book is deceptive!