The chacma baboons had started moving away from the waterhole, which was nestled in a steep- sided gorge. Troop ‘elders’ led in a purposeful manner, while youngsters and some who had been resting in shady spots slowly followed suit. My colleague Charmaine and I followed, as many of the baboons settled around a rocky outcrop […]
Tag: caterpillars
“When they use these spines, they puncture them really deeply into their attacker. They can deliver venom into the wound”
The name of these creatures immediately lets you know they’re not something to be messed with. Assassin caterpillars (Lonomia) are the larval stage of the giant silkworm moth and they are believed to be the deadliest caterpillars in the world. Found in South America, these creepy crawlies protect themselves with a very special coat of armour: their […]
Petition: Western Monarch Butterflies Near Extinction With Less than 2000 Reported in this Year’s Thanksgiving Count
The state of our planet’s pollinators took a big blow in 2020. The annual Thanksgiving count of Western Monarch butterflies this year by the Xerces Society yielded less than 2000 individuals, a tragic threshold that has experts worried about the future of the species. In the 1980s, as many as 3 to 10 million Monarch […]