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**Do not eat/ingest a plant based on information provided in this subreddit.**
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It's funny coz most of the time when the "but it's australia!" thing comes up with dangerous animals, I end up typing some rant about how where most aussies live the reputation doesn't hold water.
But this is in Cairns. Everything in our tropics is evil.
>What if it tastes amazing?
Then it's obviously edible and should be consumed immediately (I'm kidding, don't actually do this. I don't imagine poison is great tasting but I also wouldn't put it past nature to fuck with us like that)
Smelling the end of the stick used for poking is the recommended way to do this as getting your face to something not correctly poked can lead to an entirely different outcome.
Remember poke three times, then smell.
You know, I'm something of a scientist myself
https://preview.redd.it/l7bqjtee0j0d1.png?width=945&format=png&auto=webp&s=ac576b6a568ed86635511ab6f49192399a21b217
I used the Google Ai circle search on my phone and it nailed it - very handy feature (not an ad but Google id like 100 dollars plz ty)
It is a marine polychaete worm! Of the genus Aphrodita (Lolz)
https://uk.inaturalist.org/taxa/361646-Aphrodita
Iāve found Aphrodita japonica on the coast of Washington before. Even if this is a different species, doesnāt seem to quite matchā¦ polychaetes are segmented worms, like earthworms and leeches. And the hairs (chaetae) grow out from each segment. This thing is quite an interesting little conundrum!
>The name of the genus is taken from Aphrodite, the Ancient Greek goddess of love, said to be because of a resemblance to human female genitalia.[3] The English name may derive from the animal's similarity, when washed up on shore, to a bedraggled house mouse.[4]
š¬ bedraggled
Named after the goddess of beautyās vagina actuallyĀ
āThe name of the genus is taken fromĀ Aphrodite, the Ancient Greek goddess of love, said to be because of a resemblance to human female genitalia.ā
I did a Google search of The polychaete worm and it doesn't seem like a match. I can't see the segments. This is the closest image I found and it's not that close:
https://preview.redd.it/zywmh6nk6m0d1.jpeg?width=264&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=01a7779a13e8c702bca9dc8d75398c726f70a4c1
Idk, this is a mystery to a dumb American such as myself
Yep! Im a palm botanist who often uses these to perplex / entertain / educate people, so Iād say 99% sure.
Here is another fun palm part from an Astrocaryum species that turns my arm into a terrifying feature:
https://knell.digital/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/armstrong.jpeg
A palm botanist. Iām gobsmacked.
Thanks for the reply, someone else also replied with a picture that convinced me. I apologize for doubting you!
Post more cool pictures.
It's all good, it is definitely a niche subject, doubting things is a valuable skill in our current internet age.
I posted a lot of photos on instagram @palm.gallery and @palm.pics, other than that you can see a bit of my photography on https://floribunda.xyz
Thank you!
Lots of reasons, a big one is that they are ubiquitous and symbolic but few people know much about them. Another is their morphological diversity, so many interesting shapes, sizes and surprises. It also satisfies my longing for adventure since I get to explore remote islands and jungles. I could go on all dayā¦
Itās tough to find a picture from the fuzzy side like in OPās image. [Hereās a pic where you can see it in the context of the palm inflorescence](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D2_yhatX4AADyfC?format=jpg&name=large). Imagine that outer sheath, detached, soaked, and maybe stepped on a bit. Itās probably not the exact species, but I think baron_rouge got it totally right.
You sure itās plant-based? Looks like a [sea mouse](http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20253) (marine worm). are you near the coast? Could a bird have dropped it?
Edit: OP has said the thing is 18ā long. So, not a sea mouse. Some other weird and gross thing.
"Sea mice are usuallyĀ 7.5ā15 centimetres (3ā6 inches) long; however, some attain a length of 30 centimetres (12 inches)."Ā
Close enough, especially if their mass spreads a bit on land or after death.
Iāve found one of those on the Washington coast before. Even if this is a different species, doesnāt seem to quite matchā¦ polychaetes are segmented worms, like earthworms and leeches. And the hairs (chaetae) grow out from each segment. This one has hairs all over not in patterns.
It looks like a mango seed, and if those green leaves are attached they do kind of look like mango seedling leavesĀ
I just donāt know why the hair is black thoughĀ
https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/nbk1pw/clean_mango_seed/
Could it be a cocoon of some sort? Like the one built by the White-stemmed Gum Moth? [Image of similar cocoon](https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CSIRO_ScienceImage_2430_Cocoon_of_the_Whitestemmed_Gum_Moth.jpg)
They're found in Australia and the cocoons are covered in irritating spines/hairs that apparently really itch if touched! This might be a moth that's built it's cocoon on plant matter (e.g., a leaf) which has fallen off the original plant leaving a plant base with this strange hairy/fuzzy/spikey dome.
https://preview.redd.it/zbt8az3cjf0d1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a4631c5df6b17634ff4fec8fcfb8f11ceef92f3d
Image from link\^
Today I learnt that despite their eldritch cocoons, adult gum moths look adorable:
https://preview.redd.it/b96q2s7ekf0d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9aca816d56e2cb45b229f7b6c70d67520977eea3
Photo credit is @davidcsimon on twitter
Ugh, I hate it.
It looks like it fell off of someone's alien body in some freakish natural process.
I have no idea, haha. Google Lens usually helps with my IDs, but not this time.
These things are weird.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphrodita
Itās in the same class, [Polychaete](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polychaete), as Bobbit worms.
The tail of an animal whose body got eaten by a predator. I often come across squirrel tails in my neighborhood. Except now that I look more closely I see green edges. Cool find!
Install Google lens, it will search the internet by image, can also translate text real-time (although not exactly relevant here)
Unless you use an ipone
Thank you for posting to r/whatsthisplant. **Do not eat/ingest a plant based on information provided in this subreddit.** For your safety we recommend not eating or ingesting any plant material just because you've been advised that it's edible here. Although there are many professionals helping with identification, we are not always correct, and eating/ingesting plants can be harmful or fatal if an incorrect ID is made. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatsthisplant) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Did you poke it with a stick?
I see you're a scientist!
All presumed unalived creatures must get poked with a stick first before further investigation lol.
It's OK to smell them too if you do that hand wafting thing I learned in high school.
This is the second step in the investigation š
3rd step is Ask the Internet
What happened to taste testing? Just give it a little lick.
Are you crazy? Itās in Australia.
If you are not ready to die for science, are you even a scientist ? /s
Science-diet
It's funny coz most of the time when the "but it's australia!" thing comes up with dangerous animals, I end up typing some rant about how where most aussies live the reputation doesn't hold water. But this is in Cairns. Everything in our tropics is evil.
Just saying the correct order is poke it, shake it und lick it. What if it tastes amazing?
I suggest at least the interim step of bending over and looking at it real close, although in the movies thatās always where the scientists buy it.
>What if it tastes amazing? Then it's obviously edible and should be consumed immediately (I'm kidding, don't actually do this. I don't imagine poison is great tasting but I also wouldn't put it past nature to fuck with us like that)
I think what you're supposed to do is swab it and then put the swab under your gums. You know, to find out if it's contagious.
I thought youāre supposed to lick it before you stick it.
If it tastes amazing, eat it.
"Poke it with a stick and lick the stick instead". didn't you listen to Leela's song?
š¶ if it's alive - don't lick it šµ
Internet says gway.
Smelling the end of the stick used for poking is the recommended way to do this as getting your face to something not correctly poked can lead to an entirely different outcome. Remember poke three times, then smell.
The science waft! The safest way to smell unknown smells.
Part of the scientific methodā¦
Jesus, I read that initially as āall presumed :unvalid: creaturesā, and I thought I had stumbled across an SCP!
They have to be poked for saftey.
A geologist would taste it first
[r/EatItYouFuckinCoward](https://www.reddit.com/r/EatItYouFuckinCoward/)
As a geologist, I can confirm
Dad was a geologist. He taught us to lick rocks. It made for some funny situations when we were still under 10.
Iām something of a scientist myself.
And this is why I read Reddit.
This has me rollingš¤£
Iām something of a scientist myself
As am I. I found a slime mold and looked a hole in it with a stick. It looked like melted brie inside.
Yup. It doesn't move. It's spiky. I may have taken it home.
Does the other side look the same??
Have you ever seen the 1958 version of The Blob? Poking with a stick can get you eaten.
Had nightmares for years.
Same here! "It can get through the air vents!" š±
I have not. Guess id got eaten lol.
My thoughts, exactly! The Blob was definitely poked with a stick.
My first thought at the first āpoke it with a stickā comment!!
I think youāre supposed to lick it before poking it. We canāt screw up the order of identification!!
Donāt you need to buy it dinner before that even?
You know, I'm something of a scientist myself https://preview.redd.it/l7bqjtee0j0d1.png?width=945&format=png&auto=webp&s=ac576b6a568ed86635511ab6f49192399a21b217
Bravo!
Google says it's either a hairy sea slug or an antique Victorian clothes brush. I say go back to poking it with a stick.
I used the Google Ai circle search on my phone and it nailed it - very handy feature (not an ad but Google id like 100 dollars plz ty) It is a marine polychaete worm! Of the genus Aphrodita (Lolz) https://uk.inaturalist.org/taxa/361646-Aphrodita
That's what I used but one result showed a clothes brush. :-)
Well, did you try to brush your hair with it?
Anything is a hairbrush, if youāre brave enoughā¦
Iāve found Aphrodita japonica on the coast of Washington before. Even if this is a different species, doesnāt seem to quite matchā¦ polychaetes are segmented worms, like earthworms and leeches. And the hairs (chaetae) grow out from each segment. This thing is quite an interesting little conundrum!
They apparently are segmented on the underside - very interesting little creatures for sure! I've never seen one quite like it
Thank you, but my genitalia do not look like that! šš¤¢
>The name of the genus is taken from Aphrodite, the Ancient Greek goddess of love, said to be because of a resemblance to human female genitalia.[3] The English name may derive from the animal's similarity, when washed up on shore, to a bedraggled house mouse.[4] š¬ bedraggled
Keep in mind these were likely Victorian ones they had for comparison... š¤
lol! š
Named after the goddess of beauty no doubt!
Named after the goddess of beautyās vagina actuallyĀ āThe name of the genus is taken fromĀ Aphrodite, the Ancient Greek goddess of love, said to be because of a resemblance to human female genitalia.ā
Everything reminds me of her...
Thanks, I hate itĀ
Well this was a fun thread to read! Wish I could award you for giving the answer though!
I miss gold as well my friend - I loved giving it to good answers and funny things I found on reddit
No itās not. This is definitely some sort of plant matter
I did a Google search of The polychaete worm and it doesn't seem like a match. I can't see the segments. This is the closest image I found and it's not that close: https://preview.redd.it/zywmh6nk6m0d1.jpeg?width=264&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=01a7779a13e8c702bca9dc8d75398c726f70a4c1 Idk, this is a mystery to a dumb American such as myself
Itās a sepal. Itās the hairy outer covering of a bud before the flower opens. Google āpoppy sepalā for a good example of something similar
OP should cross-post to r/Cairns
š
It is the spadix sheath from a palm tree, looks like Astrocaryum species. Look for a big spiky palm tree nearby.
Nailed it! Phew! I'm going to have to figure out a fun use for it now... Edit: I really should have specified its size. It is about 60cm long or 2ft
What about laying it on the porch of some nasty people in OP's neighbourhood?
Tuck it hairy side out into a jock strap and then leave it somewhere outside a gym lol Add some fake blood for realism and shock factor
Merkin
looks like a really sick hedgehog
And here am I thinking āwho left their pubic hair wax strips around?ā š«¢
you sure... does not look like that to me at all. OP, show us the other side, the under side.
Yep! Im a palm botanist who often uses these to perplex / entertain / educate people, so Iād say 99% sure. Here is another fun palm part from an Astrocaryum species that turns my arm into a terrifying feature: https://knell.digital/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/armstrong.jpeg
This guy was palms
A palm botanist. Iām gobsmacked. Thanks for the reply, someone else also replied with a picture that convinced me. I apologize for doubting you! Post more cool pictures.
It's all good, it is definitely a niche subject, doubting things is a valuable skill in our current internet age. I posted a lot of photos on instagram @palm.gallery and @palm.pics, other than that you can see a bit of my photography on https://floribunda.xyz
Very cool pictures! Just curious, what made you decide to specialize in palms?
Thank you! Lots of reasons, a big one is that they are ubiquitous and symbolic but few people know much about them. Another is their morphological diversity, so many interesting shapes, sizes and surprises. It also satisfies my longing for adventure since I get to explore remote islands and jungles. I could go on all dayā¦
Itās tough to find a picture from the fuzzy side like in OPās image. [Hereās a pic where you can see it in the context of the palm inflorescence](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D2_yhatX4AADyfC?format=jpg&name=large). Imagine that outer sheath, detached, soaked, and maybe stepped on a bit. Itās probably not the exact species, but I think baron_rouge got it totally right.
Oh golly, now I see it. Thank you! I do wish OP posted pictures of all angles.
It looks like a patch of hair plugs that didnāt take
Could be another case of Graft Vs Host (GVH). I hear it affects *dozens* every year
I'm afraid I prematurely shot my wad on what was supposed to be a *dry run* if you will, so I'm afraid I have something of a mess on my hands.
Oh Tobias, you blowhard.
The drop bears snatched it off
Cursed merkin
Now THAT would be a great name for a band.
You sure itās plant-based? Looks like a [sea mouse](http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20253) (marine worm). are you near the coast? Could a bird have dropped it? Edit: OP has said the thing is 18ā long. So, not a sea mouse. Some other weird and gross thing.
I am near the coast yeah but the thing is like... 18inches long approx. I sure hope it isn't a sea creature!
wtf
"Sea mice are usuallyĀ 7.5ā15 centimetres (3ā6 inches) long; however, some attain a length of 30 centimetres (12 inches)."Ā Close enough, especially if their mass spreads a bit on land or after death.
Well fancy that, it's an actual critter. Nice info! Now OP needs to take a look at the underside for confirmation.
Deploy the scientific stick!
Oh God that looks like a horrible toupe that got dragged out of a gutter
I both hate and love the ocean
Itās probably mutual
Iāve found one of those on the Washington coast before. Even if this is a different species, doesnāt seem to quite matchā¦ polychaetes are segmented worms, like earthworms and leeches. And the hairs (chaetae) grow out from each segment. This one has hairs all over not in patterns.
Sorry thatās my wax strip I forgot to throw away
Looks like someone lost their grundle.
Thanks for that wikipeda search, much appreciated!
Mustāve been one hell of a blumpkin.
I'm onto you, Mr. Internet...
Australian never ceases to amaze, it's either rare, unique, incredibly beautiful or outrageously toxic and poisonous all rolled into one.
This one definitely skipped on incredibly beautiful.
I'm just scared of Australia...
Tribble
Oh god at first the only thing i saw was a nice chunk of human scalpā¦ I tried so hard to unsee it and thatās still all I can see.
Is it not the skin for some fruit an animal left behind?
Ah yes, the pube fruit
Is that what you use as filling for a hairy pie?
Mango seed that is covered in dried up mold. This happened to me when I forgot about mango seed on my plate for 19 days lolĀ
It is like 2foot long, how big was that mango!? Lol
Welp if it's 2 feet long then it's 100% not mango :D
I thought mango seed too
It looks like a mango seed, and if those green leaves are attached they do kind of look like mango seedling leavesĀ I just donāt know why the hair is black thoughĀ https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/nbk1pw/clean_mango_seed/
My guess its mold
Could it be a cocoon of some sort? Like the one built by the White-stemmed Gum Moth? [Image of similar cocoon](https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CSIRO_ScienceImage_2430_Cocoon_of_the_Whitestemmed_Gum_Moth.jpg) They're found in Australia and the cocoons are covered in irritating spines/hairs that apparently really itch if touched! This might be a moth that's built it's cocoon on plant matter (e.g., a leaf) which has fallen off the original plant leaving a plant base with this strange hairy/fuzzy/spikey dome. https://preview.redd.it/zbt8az3cjf0d1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a4631c5df6b17634ff4fec8fcfb8f11ceef92f3d Image from link\^
Today I learnt that despite their eldritch cocoons, adult gum moths look adorable: https://preview.redd.it/b96q2s7ekf0d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9aca816d56e2cb45b229f7b6c70d67520977eea3 Photo credit is @davidcsimon on twitter
At approx 2ft long that's a big old moth!!! Haha
I think itās an invertebrate, like a big worm, not like a palm frond. Do a google search on the photo.
Idk but I donāt like itā¦
Looks like a cuttle fish bone but hairy...
When the wax strip from your Brazilian gets bitten by a radioactive spiderā¦
WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT AND WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE IT HAS PUBES?!
Bearded clam?
Someone lost their armpit
Some Australian lady really out there walking around with no mons pubis š¤·āāļøš¤£
I know mango seeds have weird fur on them, but this is nothing like it.
Thatās where I dropped my mirkin!
https://preview.redd.it/w3vzizhrwg0d1.jpeg?width=512&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7b78dd95c31d96871a114ce1ad190094c06d2a72
Forbidden Hairbrush
#australia
The worst merkin ever
I bust out laughing at this
Welcome our new overlords. They might just make you their pet.
Ugh, I hate it. It looks like it fell off of someone's alien body in some freakish natural process. I have no idea, haha. Google Lens usually helps with my IDs, but not this time.
Australia: not even once
Australia really does just seem so crazy when I see stuff like this.
https://preview.redd.it/22bcx9lwci0d1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d8da649a8fab075a3c40da839fb385e1da3ca0e2 I guess it's a sea mouse
JFC!! Is there nothing in Australia that is not made of nightmare fuel?!?
Unfortunately, that's definitely not the weirdest thing in Cairns.
Looks like something leftover from a bikini wax
Apparently, Aphrodita australis, Southern sea mouse
These things are weird. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphrodita Itās in the same class, [Polychaete](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polychaete), as Bobbit worms.
What on earth led someone to name this after Aphrodite, a disgrace to her name
It's a wild toupee. Rarely seen since domesticated toupees have been farmed.
Looks like half a yellow dragon fruit whose seeds have begun to sprout.
Someone waxed too hard.
Looks like my ex
Why is stuff like this always Australia?
Rogue hair plug, mostly harmless.
Scrotum skin?
Itās a used biore strip
Everything reminds me of her
Worst toupee ever.
Oh, itās a used waxing strip from a coochie
Yet another reason why Iām never going to Australia
It looks like a very moldy mango seed.
That is disgusting
Did you speak with it ?
Oh, so that's where that went.
My suggestion is to go full Supernatural and pour a salt ring around itš¤·šæāāļø
Is that a plumbus?
Why Australia? Just why?
looks like someoneās pussy fell off damn
Mango shark egg
The tail of an animal whose body got eaten by a predator. I often come across squirrel tails in my neighborhood. Except now that I look more closely I see green edges. Cool find!
https://preview.redd.it/q5nsa2h34h0d1.jpeg?width=319&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4ee5bde91f4cf2093e9cd290a3bf6f13f6f9fbac
Someone lost their merkin?
Looks like a mango seed to me
another reason not to go to oceania
Man... They need to just..... im gonna be nice lol ohhhh Australia.....
I feel that Slither is about to become a prophetic film after seeing this.
It looks like a mango seed
Install Google lens, it will search the internet by image, can also translate text real-time (although not exactly relevant here) Unless you use an ipone
What does it want
The AI on my phone is saying its a Sea Mouse
Opossum fruit?
Thatās a hairbrush
Kinda looks like a wax strip š¤£
https://preview.redd.it/1ththmn1uh0d1.jpeg?width=518&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=83443eca71f0944b6efab7faa2098bb4a19d3b91 Get me that specimen but sir
r/cgioraustralia
Looks like a cuttlefish bone with some kind of hairy growth, maybe fungal
Was it near a body of water? Looks very odd resembles a sea mouse š¤¢ looking at them makes me cringe š
It looks like the species just before a platypus
Did OP ever poke this thing with a stick??
Touch, smell and taste test. Please report back with results.
Because Australia
Oh lord! Someone lost their fupa!
Lick it and report back asap
This is in AUSTRALIA. The only correct answer when identifying a creature in Australia is āWhat is ā¦ a Giant Jumping Spider, Alexā