Not all moths are harmless buffoons dashing themselves into porch lights and clumsily scattering pollen as they flit from flower to flower. The Madagascar tear drinking moth (Hemiceratoides hieroglyphica) has no compunction about plunging its barbed proboscis into the eyes of slumbering birds in a quest for vital nutrients. Researchers documented three cases of the […]
Tag: invertebrates
It might look like a beautiful flower but it’s actually a deadly predator… Meet a very innocent-looking, cold-hearted mass killer
One of the world’s most beautiful insects, the orchid mantis, is just too beautiful to be taken seriously as a deadly predator – but that’s what it is says Stuart Blackman. Camouflage is usually about hiding. And plenty of insects deploy colours and patterns that allow them to blend in amongst flowers. But this gorgeous denizen of Southeast Asian forests doesn’t want to hide; it wants […]
“It seems to be a lively business…” Just how do sharks mate?
Sex is a staple of wildlife documentaries, to the point that the ins and outs of the love lives of a multitude of mammals, birds, reptiles and invertebrates have been revealed in all their intimate detail. And yet the private lives of fish have remained largely just that – private. There are at least two […]
World Octopus Day: new discoveries about the world’s smartest invertebrates
Happy World Octopus Day! Â Every Oct 8, the world celebrates one of the more unusual creatures of the sea. Octopuses are well-known for their eight legs and ability to squirt ink when frightened. They’ve also been known to use tools, a sign of intelligence, and can shape-shift to mimic the colors and texture of their […]
66 million years ago, the dinosaurs died – but ants thrived. Scientists just figured out why
Ants are the most species-rich family among social insects, with more than 15,000 species worldwide. They originated around 140 to 168 million years ago but didn’t rise to ecological dominance until 66 million years ago, when an asteroid ended the age of dinosaurs. Scientists now know exactly what allowed ants to triumph after this mass […]
“One is like a motorbike while the other is a pushbike…” What’s the difference between cold-blooded and warm-blooded animals?
What’s the difference between cold-blooded and warm-blooded? The animal kingdom can be split based on how body temperature is controlled (thermoregulation): ‘cold-blooded’ ectotherms use external sources of heat, such as solar energy, whereas ‘warm-blooded’ endotherms generate internal heat via metabolism. But while this difference helps define features and behaviour, some species show that the distinction […]
“The uninvited guest sinks its syringe-like mouthparts into the meaty organ and begins draining it of blood.” Discover the gruesome tongue-eating parasite
Luckily for us, the parasite, Cymothoa exigua, which is a type of crustacean called an isopod, is not interested in human flesh. It lives in the Pacific Ocean off the coasts of Mexico and Central America, and only infests fish. Beginning life as a swimming form called a manca, a young isopod attaches itself to […]
“He was grabbed by its powerful forelimbs. In the ensuing ‘embrace’ he suffered multiple puncture wounds from its razor-sharp foreclaws”
At first, being hugged to death by a giant anteater doesn’t sound like such a bad way to go. It’s up there with being caressed by kittens, nuzzled by lambs or tickled by baby goats. But there’s a catch. You may have seen videos of anteaters standing on their hind legs, arms outstretched as if inviting you […]