Animal offspring may survive better when their groups are in greater conflict with rival factions, research from the University of Bristol has shown for the first time. Battles between competing groups can lead to serious injury or death, and intergroup conflict has always been thought to have a negative effect on reproductive success. But findings […]
Tag: mongoose
Numbers and experience count in mongoose warfare
Strength in numbers and experienced individuals are both vital in mongoose warfare, new research shows. Banded mongooses are one of a handful of mammals that engage in lethal intergroup battles, giving insight into the evolution of warfare. The new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences—by the University of Exeter and the […]
Birding with giants
This morning I had the pleasure and honour to bird with two ornithological giants – authors of e.g. the recently published Handbook of Western Palearctic Birds, Lars Svensson and Hadoram Shirihai. I know Hadoram well since my childhood, but it was the first time I birded with Lars. We met up at Ma’agan Michael with […]
Mammals of Kruger Park
In my last post from South Africa, I will share some photos of mammals and reptiles we encountered in Kruger Park. Even though we did not find any surprising animals, it was exciting to see large numbers of common mammals. After the low densities we had experienced in Hluhluwe, Kruger Park felt like the Real […]
Creative twist
This post is about colour. I am in between wildlife trips so I thought it would be interesting to play around with the colour in some of my wildlife images. Rather than change the colour of the subject, I wanted to see what effect it would create if I removed the background colour. Presumably, it […]
POLL: Should the illicit trade in mongoose hair be strictly enforced?
The fearsome mongoose. It can fight a cobra, kill a snake with one bite, and keep a farmer’s field clear of mice, rats, and insects. But to some in India, which is home to six species of the ferret-like animal, they’re valuable in another way. Their fur makes expensive—and illegal—paintbrushes for artists. As long ago […]
Mongoose on the loose in Tonga
For island habitats where the indigenous flora and fauna evolved in the absence of mammalian predators the threat of invasion is an ever present danger. There are numerous examples in Oceania where the sudden arrival of rats and other species saw a rapid decline in the indigenous flora and fauna and numerous extinctions. This nightmare […]
Encounter with a Red Fox cub
I went out to a local nature reserve north of Karlsruhe, Germany very early one day last week primarily to look for breeding Bluethroats, but came across this lovely young Red Fox cub. His muddy paws were a result of exploring the reed-beds on the fringes of one of the many pools on the reserve. […]