It’s a short posts of note this week, as everyone seems to be taking a break, out in the field, or just celebrating the high holidays.

Over at Arthropoda, Mike has been posting some awesome pictures from his field work, including an advanced microscope repair kit that puts my leatherman and ball peen hammer to shame. Check out some awesome shots of the Great Barrier Reef, assorted inverts, and even a surprise appearance of one of those dread vertebrates everyone keeps talking about.

Johnny Scallops has been out trawling on the weirdest looking research vessel I’ve seen in a while, the RV Peconic, AKA Jungle Queen. And it looks like he brought some kids along for the ride. Check out the pictures of sea life and students exploring the ocean. Also, seahorse, nature’s awesomest vertebrate!

Finally, in honor of Shark Week, this mural by Sarah Waller “depicts 270,000 fossilized shark teeth, equal to the estimated number of sharks of all species killed around the world every day for their fins.” It’s heartbreaking and beautiful.