Female natural muscular calves
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Its muscular yet graceful stealth makes the leopard a prize sighting on safari, but it's not just spots that make for super-effective camouflage. The black form can be just as elusive in the bush, remaining unseen only a few metres away, the twitch of a tail is most of the time the only giveaway.
This leopard gives a perfunctory “buck-off” snarl, to something in a nearby bush.
Speed: ±58 km/h (Running)
Mass: ±30 – 91 kg (Adult, Male)
Lifespan: ±12 – 17 years (Satara,Kruger National Park, RSA).
Many thanks to everyone who chooses to leave a comment or add this image to their favorites, it is much appreciated.
©Elsie van der Walt, all rights reserved. Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. If you are interested in using one of my images, please send me an E-mail (elsie.vdwalt@gmail.com).
One Republic - Wild Life
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmAG_SpfUVs
I'm staring at these sudden waterfalls
Tears that don't make sense to me at all
This life's what happens when you're making plans
Don't know what happens next or where I stand
Wanna live this wild life wild every day, woo
Wanna say the things people never say, woo-ooh
I'll take all the love and all the pain, eh
Wanna live this wild life wild today, oh
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Give me all your love and all your pain
Gon' live this wild life wild today, oh
I'm staring at these faded signs ahead
But all these turns just fill me up with dread
But life's what happens when you're making plans, woo
Dive or step right in but please don't stand, oh
Wanna live this wild life wild every day, woo
Wanna say the things people never say, woo-ooh
I'll take all the love and all the pain, eh
Wanna live this wild life wild today, oh
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Give me all your love and all your pain
Gon' live this wild life wild today, oh
Cubura Jasmin Pants for Jake Legacy Enzo Kario
Cubura Mainstore
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Pure%20Love/126/115/23
Group tag 30% off
Cubura Flickr Group
Hongdae Event, opens at 26th maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hongdae%20District/117/128/23
Dr Dog _ The Breeze
www.youtube.com/watch?v=atV-wZrBDkw
Are you moving much too fast?
And the good times that just don't last
If you're always on the go
Make an angel in the snow
And freeze
Do you feel like you're stuck in time?
Forever waiting on that line
If nothing ever moves
Put that needle to the groove
And sing
Is it a dream keeping you awake?
Is it the stillness that makes you shake?
If you need to know for sure
What's on the ocean's floor
You'll sink
Do you like things the way they seem?
Or are you looking behind the scenes?
Well, if you've gotta know
What it takes to make it sow
Just believe
Are there dark parts to your mind?
Hidden secrets left behind?
Where no one ever goes
But everybody knows
It's all right
Do you get dizzy on the ground?
It must be something going 'round
What blows us here today
It'll blow us all away,
The breeze
Ahh, will blow us all away
The breeze
Ahh, will blow us all away
The breeze
The lion (Panthera leo) is a large cat of the genus Panthera native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body, short, rounded head, round ears, and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult male lions are larger than females and have a prominent mane. It is a social species, forming groups called prides. A lion's pride consists of a few adult males, related females, and cubs. Groups of female lions usually hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates. The lion is an apex and keystone predator; although some lions scavenge when opportunities occur and have been known to hunt humans, the species typically does not actively seek out and prey on humans.
The lion inhabits grasslands, savannas and shrublands. It is usually more diurnal than other wild cats, but when persecuted, it adapts to being active at night and at twilight. During the Neolithic period, the lion ranged throughout Africa, Southeast Europe, the Caucasus, Western Asia and northern parts of India, but it has been reduced to fragmented populations in sub-Saharan Africa and one population in western India. It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996 because populations in African countries have declined by about 43% since the early 1990s. Lion populations are untenable outside designated protected areas. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are the greatest causes for concern.
One of the most widely recognised animal symbols in human culture, the lion has been extensively depicted in sculptures and paintings, on national flags, and in contemporary films and literature. Lions have been kept in menageries since the time of the Roman Empire and have been a key species sought for exhibition in zoological gardens across the world since the late 18th century. Cultural depictions of lions were prominent in Ancient Egypt, and depictions have occurred in virtually all ancient and medieval cultures in the lion's historic and current range.
A view to the west from the path between Hartsop Dodd and Stoney Cove Pike, with I believe, (from L to R) Little Hart Crag, Dove Crag, Hart Crag and Fairfield.
Amazing to me how muscular and large there throat is. Have seen the male, but haven't got him good yet. He is so pretty in breeding plumage.
The tiger has a muscular body with powerful forelimbs, a large head and a tail that is about half the length of its body. Its pelage is dense and heavy, and colouration varies between shades of orange with white ventral areas and distinctive vertical black stripes; the patterns of which are unique in each individual. Stripes are likely advantageous for camouflage in vegetation such as long grass with strong vertical patterns of light and shade. The tiger is one of only a few striped cat species; it is not known why spotted patterns and rosettes are the more common camouflage pattern among felids. The orange colour may also aid in camouflage as the tiger's prey are dichromats, and thus may perceive the cat as green and blended in with the vegetation.
A tiger's coat pattern is still visible when it is shaved. This is not due to skin pigmentation, but to the stubble and hair follicles embedded in the skin. It has a mane-like heavy growth of fur around the neck and jaws and long whiskers, especially in males. The pupils are circular with yellow irises. The small, rounded ears have a prominent white spot on the back, surrounded by black. These spots are thought to play an important role in intraspecific communication.
The tiger's skull is similar to a lion's skull, with the frontal region usually less depressed or flattened, and a slightly longer postorbital region. The lion skull shows broader nasal openings. Due to the variation in skull sizes of the two species, the structure of the lower jaw is a reliable indicator for their identification. The tiger has fairly stout teeth; its somewhat curved canines are the longest among living felids with a crown height of up to 90 mm (3.5 in)
Its muscular yet graceful stealth makes the leopard a memorable high-light on a trip, but it's not just spots that make for super-effective camouflage. The black form can be just as elusive in the bush, remaining unseen only a few metres away. The twitch of a tail is the only giveaway to its resting place on a tree branch. Leopards are skilled climbers, carrying carcasses heavier than themselves up trees and descending head first.
Thank you for your views, faves and kind comments.
Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
When the Shoulder Tightens: How Modern-World Stress Mimics Parasitic Grip on Muscle
Introduction: The Feeling of Being “Occupied”
In clinical practice, patients often describe severe shoulder tension with strikingly visceral metaphors:
“It feels like something is burrowing under the muscle,”
“like a creature is clenching my shoulder blade,”
“like something is twisting the fibres from inside.”
While no known human parasite is capable of physically “contorting” shoulder muscles in this manner, the sensory illusion of invasive movement or twisting is surprisingly common in people under chronic stress. Modern neurophysiology shows that intense psychological strain can create sensations so vivid that patients liken them to parasitic occupation.
This article explores why shoulder muscles react so dramatically to stress, what real parasites do (and don’t do), and why the metaphor of “muscular parasitism” may be more accurate—psychologically and physiologically—than it first appears.
1. The Shoulder as a Stress Hotspot
The Anatomical Perfect Storm
The shoulder girdle—anchored by the trapezius, levator scapulae, rhomboids, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and the rotator cuff complex—is uniquely vulnerable to stress:
Large muscle groups with high postural load
Dense networks of sensory nerves
Stillness during digital tasks (typing, texting) causes static tension
Emotional stress triggers reflex elevation and tightening
When the sympathetic nervous system activates (“fight-or-flight”), the shoulder girdle contracts instinctively to protect the neck—an evolutionary remnant. Repeated activation creates chronic spasm, knotting, and sometimes fasciculations (tiny involuntary twitches), which can feel eerily alive.
2. The “Parasitic” Sensation: A Neurobiological Explanation
Muscle Twisting, Crawling, and “Internal Motion”
Stress-induced phenomena that mimic parasitic movement include:
a. Myofascial Trigger Points
Hypercontracted fibres generate:
Deep, twisting pressure
Referred pain down the arm or into the skull
Local twitch response that can feel like movement under the skin
b. Fasciculations (Muscle Twitches)
Triggered by:
Prolonged muscle tension
Magnesium deficiency
Overuse
Sleep deprivation
Patients often describe them as tiny organisms squirming beneath the surface.
c. Stress-Amplified Somatosensory Perception
Chronic anxiety heightens interoception—the brain’s tracking of internal signals. Mundane sensations become:
Exaggerated
Mistranslated
Sometimes interpreted as invasive or foreign
This explains why stress can produce a quasi-parasitic bodily narrative without any actual infection.
3. Real Parasites That Affect Muscle—What Science Actually Knows
No known parasite selectively “contorts” shoulder muscles due to psychological stress. However, several real organisms can inhabit muscle tissue, causing pain, spasm, or structural damage:
a. Trichinella spiralis
Transmitted via undercooked meat
Larvae embed in skeletal muscle
Causes inflammation, fever, and severe myalgia
Does not create twisting or crawling sensations
b. Toxoplasma gondii (less commonly muscular)
Can form cysts in muscle tissue
Usually asymptomatic
c. Cysticercosis (tapeworm larvae)
Can lodge in muscle and create palpable nodules
Rare in shoulders; usually painless
These conditions are not triggered by stress, nor do they cause the contortions or movements that patients metaphorically describe.
4. Why Modern Stress Feels “Parasitic”
The metaphor is intriguing because stress behaves—physiologically—like something that feeds on the body:
a. Energy Drain
Chronic cortisol elevation breaks down muscle protein and impairs repair.
b. Neural Hijacking
The sympathetic system overrides voluntary relaxation; the body feels acted upon.
c. Patterned Tension
Shoulder muscles become “programmed” into contraction, operating outside conscious control.
To many patients, this loss of agency—the sense that something else is steering the muscle—feels parasitic, even though the cause is internal and psychological.
5. Treatment: Breaking the Cycle
Physical interventions
Myofascial release therapy
Targeted rotator cuff strengthening
Scapular mobility exercises
Heat therapy to reduce sympathetic tone
Neurological and psychological
Diaphragmatic breathing to downshift autonomic activity
Mind-body therapies (ACT, mindfulness-based stress reduction)
Cognitive reframing for somatic misinterpretation
Sleep restoration
Lifestyle modifications
Ergonomic workstation adjustments
Frequent microbreaks during digital work
Reduction in stimulant intake (caffeine, energy drinks)
Conclusion: A Real Condition Wearing a Metaphorical Mask
Shoulder muscles cannot literally be “contorted by parasites due to stresses in the modern world.” But the modern human experience—screens, overload, vigilance, pressure—creates a somatic landscape where stress behaves as invasively as any parasite, commandeering muscle fibers, stealing energy, and producing sensations so bizarre that many people describe them with biological imagery.
Understanding this phenomenon through a medical lens doesn’t diminish the metaphor—it makes it more profound. Stress doesn’t need to be a living organism to feel like one.
DISCLAIMER: By the way, the picture is of sand patterns on a Highland beach. The description is some non-medical concoction created by ChatGPT
Having muscular dystrophy is incredibly challenging and painful many days. I am not able to run very well anymore and if I try to I am often in a lot of pain afterwards. One of the things I long to do with Jesus in the New Heaven and New Earth is to run through meadows of flowers and go climb mountains. These are things I used to be able to do, but I have since lost much of my ability to do them without a lot of pain. A couple of nights ago, I got to go run through a field full of flowers at sunset with Jesus and it was so amazing! It was a glimpse of what is to come!
Green Day - Waiting
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc1Uld0k4W4
I've been waiting a long time
For this moment to come, I'm
Destined for anything at all
Downtown, lights will be shining
On me, like in a diamond
Ring out under the midnight hour
Well, no one can touch me now, well
And I can't turn my back, it's
Too late, ready or not at all
Well, I'm so much closer than
I have ever known
Wake up!
Dawning of a new era calling
Don't let it catch you falling
Ready or not at all
Oh, so close enough to taste it
Almost, I can embrace this
Feeling on the tip of my tongue
Well, I'm so much closer than
I have ever known
Wake up!
Better thank your lucky stars
Say, hey, hey
Well, I'm so much closer than
I have ever known
Wake up!
You better thank your lucky stars
Say, hey, hey!
I've been waiting a lifetime
For this moment to come, I'm
Destined for anything at all
Dumbstruck, color me stupid
Good luck, you're gonna need it
Where I'm going, if I get there at all
Wake up!
And better thank your lucky stars
Bison on Nature Conservancy Osage Prairie Preserve. Nikon F2 with 50mm lens.
Image img306_DxO-standard-height-2000px-gigapixel
BTTM Shorts
Trivium @ ManCave
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Match/171/128/46
Sizes - Legacy M/A and Kario flex
John Legend - This Time
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW1SfwHokzY
Ran into you yesterday
Memories rushed through my brain
Its starting to hit me
Now you're not with me
I realize I made a mistake
I thought that I needed some space
But i just let love go to waste
Its so crystal clear now
That I need you here now
I gotta get you back today
This time I want it all
This time I want it all
Showing you all the cards
Giving you all my heart
This time I'll take the challenge
This time I'll be your man
I can be all you need
This time it's all of me
I hit the bar every night
Looking to score a good time
Its not like I planned it
Left empty handed
Cause Im still alone in my mind
Now what will it take to feel right
Can i come see you tonight
Is there someone new now
What can i do now
Cause i need you back by my side
This time I want it all
This time I want it all
Showing you all the cards
Giving you all my heart
This time I'll take the challenge
This time I'll be your man
I can be all you need
This time its all of me
Last time I wasnt sure.
This time i will give you more
Im more mature
I'll show you
Last time i didnt know
I messed up let her let you go
I need you, dont say no
Laying alone in this room
All that is missing is you
Pick up the phone
Wont you come home
This time i want it all
This time i want it all
I'm showing you all the cards
Giving you all my heart
This time Ill take the challenge
This time Ill be your man
I can be all you need
This time its all of me
All of me
Maroon 5 - Payphone
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRaWnd3LJfs
I'm at a payphone, trying to call home
All of my change I spent on you
Where have the times gone? Baby, it's all wrong
Where are the plans we made for two?
Yeah, I, I know it's hard to remember
The people we used to be
It's even harder to picture
That you're not here next to me
You say it's too late to make it
But is it too late to try?
And in our time that you wasted
All of our bridges burned down
I've wasted my nights
You turned out the lights
Now, I'm paralyzed
Still stuck in that time
When we called it love
But even the sun sets in paradise
I'm at a payphone, trying to call home
All of my change I spent on you
Where have the times gone? Baby, it's all wrong
Where are the plans we made for two?
If "Happy Ever After" did exist
I would still be holding you like this
All those fairy tales are full of shit
One more fucking love song, I'll be sick (oh)
You turned your back on tomorrow
'Cause you forgot yesterday
I gave you my love to borrow
But you just gave it away
You can't expect me to be fine
I don't expect you to care
I know I've said it before
But all of our bridges burned down
I've wasted my nights
You turned out the lights
Now, I'm paralyzed
Still stuck in that time
When we called it love
But even the sun sets in paradise
I'm at a payphone, trying to call home
All of my change I spent on you (oh, oh)
Where have the times gone? Baby, it's all wrong
Where are the plans we made for two? (Yeah)
If "Happy Ever After" did exist
I would still be holding you like this
And all those fairy tales are full of shit
One more fucking love song, I'll be sick (uh)
Now, I'm at a payphone
Man, fuck that shit
I'll be out spending all this money while you sitting 'round
Wondering why it wasn't you who came up from nothing
Made it from the bottom, now, when you see me, I'm stunning
And all of my cars start with a push of a button
Telling me had chances I blew up or whatever you call it
Switch the number to my phone, so you never could call it
Don't need my name on my show, you can tell that I'm balling
Swish, what a shame could have got picked
Had a really good game, but you missed your last shot
So you talk about who you see at the top
Or what you could've saw, but sad to say, it's over for
Phantom pulled up, valet open doors
Wished I'd go away, got what you was looking for
Now, it's me who they want, so you can go
And take that little piece of shit with you
I'm at a payphone, trying to call home
All of my change I spent on you (woo)
Where have the times gone? Baby, it's all wrong
Where are the plans we made for two? (Yeah, yeah)
If "Happy Ever After" did exist (oh, yeah)
I would still be holding you like this
All these fairy tales are full of shit
Yeah, one more fucking love song, I'll be sick (yeah)
Now, I'm at a payphone
Imagine Dragons - Ferris Wheel
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UwEq-OELmY
He's never gonna treat you right I'm sure
He's never gonna kiss you like he should
He's never gonna tuck you in at night
You've always been afraid to settle down
And I don't even blame you 'cause look how these boys are now
Promise that I'll make you feel
Like we're on a Ferris Wheel
We're always young and innocent
I promise you when things get hard
Our love will be strong enough
I know we'll last I'm confident
I don't mean to speak in fairy tales
We've had some heaven and some hell
And I can only speak for myself
And I'm speechless
You've always been afraid to claim this town
But I don't even blame you 'cause look how
These boys are now
Promise that I'll make you feel
Like we're on a Ferris Wheel
Always young and innocent
I promise you when things get hard
Our love will be strong enough
I know we'll last, I'm confident
'Cause when birds fly south, it's a beautiful thing
Buy a big white house and a diamond ring
Leave it all behind, leave it all behind
'Cause when birds fly south, it's a beautiful thing
Buy a big white house and a diamond ring
Leave it all behind, leave it all behind
Promise that I'll make you feel
Like we're on a Ferris Wheel
Always young and innocent
I promise you when things get hard
Our love will be strong enough
I know we'll last, I'm confident
I know we'll last, I'm confident
Roxette - Dressed For Success
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Tried to make it little by little
Tried to make it bit by bit on my own
Quit the job, the grey believers
Another town where I get close to the bone
Whatcha gonna tell your brother?
Oh-oh-oh!
Whatcha gonna tell your father?
I don't know!
Whatcha gonna tell your mother?
Let me go
I'm gonna get dressed for success
Shaping me up for the big time, baby
Get dressed for success
Shaping it up for your love
For your love
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm not afraid, a trembling flower
I'll feed your heart and blow the dust from your eyes
And in the dark, things happen faster
I love the way you sway your hips next to mine
Whatcha gonna tell your brother?
Oh-oh-oh!
Whatcha gonna tell your father?
Ooh, I don't know!
Whatcha gonna tell your mother?
Let me go
I'm gonna get dressed for success
Shaping me up for the big time baby
Get dressed for success
Shaping it up for your love
Look sharp!
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Whatcha gonna tell your brother?
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Whatcha gonna tell your father?
I don't know!
Whatcha gonna tell your mother?
Let me go
Dressed for success
I'm gonna get dressed for success
I'm gonna get dressed for success
Hittin' a spot for the big time, baby
Get dressed for success
Shaping it up for your love
For your love
Yeah, yeah, yeah
For your love
Yeah, yeah, yeah
For your love
Yeah, yeah, yeah
For your love
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah
This just reminded me of that universal pouting pose that young girls do when being photographed. It also gives a good view of their feeding mechanism for sucking the contents out of clams. They have an airtight (actually watertight) mouth and a muscular tongue (just about visible) that creates negative pressure like a piston for sucking shellfish out of their shells. But I can't work out why the lower jaw seems to have discoloured the tusk where it comes into contact. I thought that might have been the cleanest part of the tusk that is regularly "polished" by the lips, but I'm not a dentist.
A cricket in Bidadari.
Read about the destruction of Bidadari in my blog: Final Farewell to Bidadari
*Note: More pics of Insects and Arachnids in my Fauna ~ Invertebrates Album.
Featuring:
- Front blow hair by Tableau Vivant
- Fight cape by Boys To The Bone
- Priestess gold markings (BOM) by Cureless
- Himeros chest guard by Thirst
- Elysium ear wings by Remarkable Oblivion
Stare closely and you can imagine slight muscular movements as the fig tree slowly squeezes the mature palm tree. Eerie battle in the plant kingdom that the palm will very very slowly lose. Punta Custodio, 2 and 1/2 hours north of Puerta Vallarta.
Think this fig has been on steroids? Let's see Hulk Hogan take on this guy.