December 20, 2016
The animal kingdom displays such magnificent diversity and offers so detailed a view of evolutionary beauty that biologists are bound to have disagreements about the wildlife pecking order. It comes with the specialized territory.
For what may be the first time on Earth, at least with a hashtag, we are now seeing a Twitter war unfold over which animal has the coolest spots.
This is a toughy. Spots are a common trait among creatures of the land, the sea and the sky; of scale, feather and fur.
There is no obvious way to decide a winner here. This is merely the perfect excuse and opportunity to look at a bunch of high-quality animal photographs.
@AnneWHilborn Did someone say "#bestspots"? #cephalopods do it on demand.... pic.twitter.com/2S1ZSKh4hC
— James Petruzzi (@Hawaiianimages) December 19, 2016
Purple shore crab demands consideration for #BestSpots. Or else. pic.twitter.com/kfRZCuncvp
— M. Sid Kelly (@MSidKelly) December 20, 2016
WAIT, HANG ON. Fungi are total naturals for #BestSpots, especially these Amanita species! pic.twitter.com/6qumN3mDH1
— Bird and Moon (@RosemaryMosco) December 20, 2016
Who could deny that spotted pardalotes have some of the #BestSpots in the animal kingdom? Go on try. You know you can't! 😜 pic.twitter.com/Guuw3c65Z8
— John White Wildlife (@JWhiteWildlife) December 20, 2016
Hey nerds, y'all got some good entries in the #BestSpots competition but no vertebrate on god's green earth can compete with Pachyrrhynchus pic.twitter.com/buxxcC4sGO
— Ainsley S (@americanbeetles) December 20, 2016
I think we can all agree that the #BestSpots are #eyespots! Here are a few beauty Papilio canadensis caterpillars! #colSci #natHist pic.twitter.com/OzF5N1j7IG
— Thomas Hossie (@hossiet) December 20, 2016
Oh yeah #TeamFish is so strong for #BestSpots, and here is the Spotted Wrasse, Anampses meleagrides photo by Jack Randall. #SpotsPlusTail pic.twitter.com/dMh8AxMnA1
— Mark Westneat (@mwestneat) December 20, 2016
Even blood soaked and mange tinged, these spots are better than deer. #bestSpots pic.twitter.com/5XV9mfnDQu
— Anne Hilborn (@AnneWHilborn) December 19, 2016
And this garnet schist isn't too shabby either! @NadWGab @AnneWHilborn #RocksWithSpots #BestSpots pic.twitter.com/covIGcwWvz
— CJ⛺️ (@cjmoose) December 20, 2016
#BestSpots, huh? All y'all cute, but spotted fanaloka says step aside, let the queen take her rightful throne. pic.twitter.com/2N3qRrWPNw
— Asia Murphy (@am_anatiala) December 20, 2016
@mcurryfelidae07 @AnneWHilborn They are but Pale Imitations...#TeamUngulate's got the Baby Spots on lockdown #BestSpots pic.twitter.com/MgWx7F94u6
— Sophie Gilbert (@SophieLGilbert) December 20, 2016
Don't forget that baby tapirs have stripes AND spots #BestSpots #teammammal pic.twitter.com/0VROwmUegN
— Clark DeHart (@ClarkDeHart) December 20, 2016
#BestSpots ? Good luck topping this pretty gal. Ambystoma maculatum pic.twitter.com/YraGm2lU78
— Sebastian Harris (@Bash_Harris) December 20, 2016
Small creature - Hermissenda crassicornis (nudibranch) - but with the #BestSpots 🐌 Bodega Bay, CA pic.twitter.com/mK1e5oqEHI
— Charlotte Runzel (@CharkRunz) December 20, 2016
But if you want to be a traditionalist and need more than one spot, here’s another #BestSpots contender. Blue-winged Teal. #TeamBird pic.twitter.com/FkE4tur4vV
— The Inept Birder (@TheIneptBirder) December 20, 2016
What about when an animal IS a spot? This cluster of tiny velella velellas made a pattern of spots when they washed up together #bestspots pic.twitter.com/CqozXCyRma
— Hipster Birders (@hipsterbirders) December 20, 2016
