MIND-BLOWING RECYCLERS

While we humans have had to relearn the fine art of recycling, some animals are world class recycling artistes. Check out their beautiful forms, processes, and results.

Photo: Alexander Semenov. Annelida worm.

Annelida worms are some of the most important recyclers in the animal kingdom. Most feed on detritus, cleaning up the earth, both on land and under the sea. Their segmented bodies facilitate their movement as they burrow through dirt, mud, and sand, eating as they go, processing rotting plant and animal matter and leaving behind fertile ground.

 

Photo: Alexander Semenov. Fluorescing Marine Worm.

 

Biologist, Alexander Semenov, studies annelid sea worms and other invertebrates at the White Sea Biological Station (WSBS). He began to photograph sea worms, at first, as a hobby, and then, after being inspired by their extraordinary beauty and astounding diversity, he got serious. Semenov’s images are beyond stunning. As is his subject matter.

 

Photo: Benjamint444. Bower bird.

Birds recycle all sorts of materials to make their nests. From expected items, like twigs, leaves, and bits of string -- to paperclips, and other random items.

 

But the bower bird, of New Zealand, is the top superstar of beautiful recycling. These birds make fanciful nests, decorating them madly with whatever shiny, bright, peculiar objects they can find. Often, this includes lovely lashings of litter that mankind has left behind.

Photo: Leo. Satin Bowerbird building nest.

The birds are particular about the items they choose to recycle. They organize by color, arrange masterful compositions… almost as it each nest is created as a piece of installation art.

Photo: James Sinclair. Bower Bird Nest.

The male birds are the architects and interior decorators of the family. Their artistic talents are what attract their mates. And they work hard at it. Their nests can take years to make, recycling both biological waste as well as the stuff humans leave behind, like pieces of glass, plastic, and metal.

 

Also see Beautiful Wild Work, where we take another look at bowerbirds.

Photo: Monica R. Orb Weaving Spider

Orb-weaving spiders are an eco-friendly, recycling lot.

Photo: Yunol. Cyclosa Ginnaga.

The Cyclosa ginnaga species of orb-weavers uses bio-debris to decorate its webs. And many orb-weavers recycle their webs on a daily basis. They eat the old silk, recycle its nutrients, and spin anew.

Photo: Courtesy of Pan Handle Pests. Rainbow Scarab.

We’ve got beetles to thank for recycling millions of tons of animal poop. Dung beetles, to be specific. They nest in it, eat it, and turn it into fertilizer.

Photo: mbarrison. Dung Beetle in H‏álpata Tastanaki Preserve, Florida.

The beetles gather bits of manure together, rolling them into balls that can be easily transported to their homesteads. Because they repurpose vast quantities of livestock feces, it has been proposed that dung beetles do their part to help curb global warming.

Photo: jomilo75. Dung Beetles in South Africa.

Even though they eat sh*t, they can be particular about the type they dine upon. They can fly up to ten miles in search of the right recipe. Once they find it, they move fast. They can completely reduce a massive dung pile within 24 hours, leaving behind nutrient-rich organic matter for soil microbes, fungi, and bacteria to use in creating humus.

Photo: Derek Keats. Sea Sponges in the Red Sea, Egypt.

Why is it that coral reefs live in clear waters despite the fact that the sea is teeming with the waste produced by abundant plant and animal life? Sponges do an awesome job of recycling.

Photo: Courtesy of Nhobgood. Niphates Callista (Tube Sponge).

According to a new study, published in the journal Science, a team of researchers at the University of Amsterdam, led by marine biologist, Jasper M. de Goeij, found that sponges take organic matter that is cast off by coral and algae and recycle it into food that is consumed by larger organisms like snails and crabs.

Photo: Courtesy of NOAA. Yellow Tube Sea Sponges in the Caribbean Sea, Cayman Islands.

While earlier studies of sponges in the Red Sea showed their abilities to process phytoplankton to provide digestible nutrients for the coral, Dr. de Goeij says his team was the first to discover that sponges also recycle dissolved organic matter. The findings could aid in efforts to conserve endangered coral reefs.

Photo: Mikael Häggström. Coral reef in Ras Muhammad Nature Park.

Read more about Recycled Beauty, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact in our posts throughout this week, including The Most Beautiful Redux.

 

Get busy and enter the BN Competitions, Our theme this week is Recycled Beauty. Send in your images and ideas. Deadline is 11.24.13.

 

Photo: Courtesy of InterActiveMediaSW.

 

Also, check out our special competition: The Most Beautiful Sound in the World! We are thrilled about this effort, together with SoundCloud and The Sound Agency. And we can’t wait to hear what you’ve got!