Favoritos de ewsurpless

This photo is not mine; it was posted on a FaceBook page and then sent to me looking for an identification. I do not have any copyright on this image; please do not use it for commercial purposes.

At first I thought it resembles the brachiopod Lingula anatina, in size and shape, but someone pointed out that they don't have translucent shells.

So now I think the most plausible ID is that it is a polychaete worm egg mass. The clear gelatinous mass is acting like a camera lens/prism, and the dark parts in the image are the inverted palm trees in the background.

I do not have any additional information about this creature or the observation.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

This is the largest grub I've ever seen! Is it a Hercules Beetle? It's about 4 inches long, although I didn't straighten it to measure. It's rather bristly and has wicked-looking mandibles.

I found it while turning my compost pile, which has a fairly high live oak leaf content with a couple of small chunks of small tree branches.

It came out of the oldest and best-digested layer of compost at the bottom. After I took photos, it went back into the middle of the turned pile.

After taking a few photos, I put it in the middle of the new pile.