Its an Alien World in Every River

Home
>
Outdoors
>
Its an Alien World in Every River

Its an Alien World in Every River

When you look at a river, what do you see? A few flies on top? A fish or two?

Look closer.

Lay down on your chest at the side of the river and stare down into it. Look at a rock or a stick. Not very interesting? Keep looking.

Soon, you begin to notice things that don't seem to belong. Sticks don't come with little tubes of sand attached. What's that black bump? Oh, it's moving. It's... grazing? Every stream holds a tiny alien world, packed with creatures unlike anything we see on land.

Clinging mayfly and stonefly nymphs graze like tiny cattle on the algae and microscopic animals that cover every twig and rock. Sinister damselfly nymphs hunt them with a creepy, deliberate stalking posture reminiscent of both a prowling cheetah and killer robots from the future in some cheap sci-fi flick.

Caddisfly larvae build intricate houses of tiny stones and debris, which the tiny carpenters drag around with them like a shell. Colonies of them gather on various twigs and rocks, little housing subdivisions in a tiny underwater town.

Swimming mayfly nymphs, some of them shaped much like the slimy villain in the Alien movies, dart from place to place with the deftness of little minnows and take up station to catch food drifting by in the current. And below the ground, burrowing mayfly nymphs dig lairs with their powerful tusks from which they emerge only at night to prowl for food. All hope to avoid the gaping jaws of a big, ugly, prowling dragonfly nymph.

Until now, it was hard to observe this underwater world without getting very cold and very wet. But a new website, Troutnut.com, has brought detailed photographs and videos of this intriguing world and its residents to the comfort of your computer desk.

The website was sparked by the sport of fly fishing, in which trout anglers craft realistic imitations of tiny stream creatures from an intimidating mess of fur and feathers, and present their imitations delicately, even artistically. For them, better pictures of the real thing mean better imitations and more trout. But Troutnut.com's quest for more and bigger trout has led to a glimpse at this alien world that anyone can enjoy.

So next time you're walking past a stream, stop to take a closer look. Or head over right now to http://www.troutnut.com. Either way, you'll be amazed.

About The Author

Jason Neuswanger is a Cornell University undergraduate student working toward a degree in math and, hopefully, a graduate degree in quantitative fisheries science. He is an avid fly fisherman and web designer whose latest creation is Troutnut.com.

jrn7@cornell.edu

In The News:

Terror attack victim dies after 22 years in coma
Thu, 01 Jun 2023 23:51:00 +0100
A woman has died more than two decades after a terror attack left her in a coma.

Dozens of bags found containing human remains in Mexico
Fri, 02 Jun 2023 00:32:00 +0100
Forty-five bags containing human remains have been found in central Mexico, authorities have said.

Madeleine McCann: Police recover items in Portuguese reservoir search
Thu, 01 Jun 2023 06:01:00 +0100
Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann said they recovered several items during last week's search operation in a Portuguese reservoir.

'Abhorrent': Fans of Europa League final losers confront English referee and family at airport
Thu, 01 Jun 2023 21:22:00 +0100
English referee Anthony Taylor and his family were confronted by a group of Roma fans at Budapest Airport after the Italian side's defeat by Sevilla in the Europa League final.

William and Kate surprise guests at Jordan royal wedding
Thu, 01 Jun 2023 15:00:00 +0100
The Prince and Princess of Wales have made a surprise visit to Jordan to attend the wedding of the country's Crown Prince and his Saudi bride.

tikatoshop.it

Erfahrungen mit Pallhuber Wein
Agen Bola SBOBET Terpercaya

Travel in comfort and at your leisure with CT Airlink Limousine & Car Service for top quality private transportation and exceptional customer service. We operate Sedans, SUVs & Vans for CT Car Services to covering all Connecticut airports including Car Service from CT to Newark Airport , Mohegan Casino Uncasville CT, Foxwoods Casino Mashantucket CT, Manhattan Cruise Terminal NYC, Brooklyn Cruise Terminal NYC and Bayonne Cruise Terminal NJ. CT Airlink hire licensed and friendly chauffeurs who have in-depth knowledge of the Areas.