Whilst searching for scorpions we found a very small Black-sting Scorpion or possibly a Deathstalker in the ultraviolet torchlight. When we got closer a spider was in attendance and it became clear the scorpion was entangled in the spider’s web and was in fact already dead. It appears the spider had killed the scorpion or […]
Australia is famous for its teeming, colorful biodiversity like sea turtles, giant clams, and coral, but it’s the Great Barrier Reef that often receives the most attention for its wildlife. Of course, other areas around Australia boast an incredible amount of unique wildlife, like the Ningaloo Marine Park along Australia’s West Coast, for example, that […]
This spider has a wide distribution encompassing the whole of Africa and stretching to southern Europe and into Asia. Without the legs, it reaches 25 to 30 mm in length. The female’s characteristic lobes distinguish her from other spiders of the araneidae family. The web is loose and the threads are very thin. I found […]
Wildlife photographer Yudy Sauw has captured close-ups of insects revealing their colourful and alien-like faces. In these images the insects have bulging eyes and sharp pincers and appear more grotesque than usual. Yudy photographed the bugs at his home studio in Banten, Indonesia, from 2-10cm away. This article was first published by The Guardian.
Now, that’s a horse of a different color. Or, in this case, a lizard of another species – four species. Recent research suggests that the collared treerunner (Plica plica), previously thought of as one widespread species, is actually four distinct species inhabiting diverse geographical areas east of the Andes in northern South America. “The four […]
Imagine a plant. Now remove the soil, for it’s not essential. In fact, an estimated one-tenth of all plant species have liberated themselves from soil and evolved into epiphytes—plants that grow on other plants. Although growing on others can seem parasitic, botanists have traditionally acquitted epiphytes of stealing from their hosts—except for the parasitic mistletoe—regarding […]
Thousands of species were scientifically described for the first time in 2013. Many of these were ‘cryptic species’ that were identified after genetic analysis distinguished them from closely-related species, while others were totally novel. Below are some of the most interesting “new species” discoveries that took place or were formally announced in 2013. The last […]
A friend of mine found a Hooded Warbler and a Cerulean Warbler at Central Winds yesterday. Of course, I wasn’t there. I think that all the Hooded Warblers got together and decided to stay away from me whenever I’m in Seminole County–I can’t seem to get that one on my Seminole County list. So of […]