Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted April 15, 2023 Subscriber Posted April 15, 2023 A mate of mine on FB in Germany doing his bird watching bit.Ā Eggs hatching, baby heads poking up Quote
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted April 17, 2023 Subscriber Posted April 17, 2023 Quote The ultra-absorbent feathers of this African bird might inspire next gen water bottles These fluffy birds can hold 15% of their body weight in water! Male desert-dwelling sandgrouses have a truly extraordinary ability to gather water in their specially-adapted belly feathers, hold and safely transport it during flight and release it to their chicks back at the nest..... Ā Quote
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted May 8, 2023 Subscriber Posted May 8, 2023 Quote Worldās weirdest creatures: The fried egg jellyfish, the blobby invertebrate who could help beat cancer How do you like your eggs? If the answer is, āfried, salty, and weirdly pulsing with lifeā then read on. With its yellow dome sitting on top of a smooth translucent bell, the fried egg jellyfish,Ā Cotylorhiza tuberculata, bears an uncanny resemblance to the popular breakfast item. Beneath this egg-like bell is a frilly, ruffled āunderskirtā of trailing appendages. Some are tipped with purple blobs that house zooxanthellae, the same symbiotic algae that give certainĀ coralsĀ their characteristic hue. The symbiotic organisms receive a place to live, and in return, generate energy for their hosts viaĀ photosynthesis. The fried egg jellyfish feeds on tiny aquatic organisms, such as zooplankton and phytoplankton, which it ingests via specialised tentacles called oral arms. It is common in the Mediterranean, Aegean, and Adriatic Seas, where the adult form can grow up to 35cm across. Vast blooms of it can appear during the summer and autumn months, which can be an annoyance for swimmers. We should be more tolerant. The jellyfishās sting has little or no effect on humans, and the blobby invertebrate could even prove to be our ally. An extract derived from the fried egg jellyfish has been shown to possessĀ anticancer activity. So maybe one day, we will learn to love them; not just for their looks, but for their pharmaceutical value too. https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/worlds-weirdest-creatures-the-fried-egg-jellyfish-the-blobby-invertebrate-who-could-help-beat-cancer/ Ā Quote
Moderator Tommy Posted June 23, 2023 Moderator Posted June 23, 2023 Have you guys seen any bees, wasps or bumblebees so far? I've only seen a few bumblebees so far this year, and most of them were on the ground and looked like they were dying.Ā Kind of worrying.Ā 1 Quote
Bluewolf Posted June 23, 2023 Posted June 23, 2023 4 minutes ago, Tommy said: Have you guys seen any bees, wasps or bumblebees so far? I've only seen a few bumblebees so far this year, and most of them were on the ground and looked like they were dying.Ā Kind of worrying.Ā Loads of Bees swarming my Blackberry bush this time of year.. Wasps will come a bit later on, end of July/August normally..Ā 1 2 Quote
Moderator Tommy Posted June 23, 2023 Moderator Posted June 23, 2023 Just now, Bluewolf said: Loads of Bees swarming my Blackberry bush this time of year.. Wasps will come a bit later on, end of July/August normally..Ā Ah nice. I hope to see some eventually. My bee hotels still have rooms available.Ā Ā I know wasps usually come a bit later, but with it being hot quite early, we often had them as early as May here in the last few years.Ā 1 Quote
Bluewolf Posted June 23, 2023 Posted June 23, 2023 2 minutes ago, Tommy said: Ah nice. I hope to see some eventually. My bee hotels still have rooms available.Ā Ā I know wasps usually come a bit later, but with it being hot quite early, we often had them as early as May here in the last few years.Ā Try lowering the rent a bit...Ā 1 Quote
Carnivore Chris Posted July 17, 2023 Author Posted July 17, 2023 (edited) On 23/06/2023 at 22:10, Tommy said: Have you guys seen any bees, wasps or bumblebees so far? I've only seen a few bumblebees so far this year, and most of them were on the ground and looked like they were dying.Ā Kind of worrying.Ā Do you give them water with your hotel? Ā Ā Speaking of water:- That look in a Tiger Shark's eyeĀ Edited July 17, 2023 by Carnivore Chris Quote
Moderator Tommy Posted July 17, 2023 Moderator Posted July 17, 2023 50 minutes ago, Carnivore Chris said: Do you give them water with your hotel? I do have several water bowls across the garden yea. With stones in them so the bees can crawl out in case they fall in.Ā 1 Quote
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted October 23, 2023 Subscriber Posted October 23, 2023 Quote Bobi, the world's oldest dog ever, dies aged 31 The world's oldest dog ever has died at the age of 31 years and 165 days. Guinness World Record holder Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, passed away at his home in Portugal on Saturday........ Ā 2 Quote
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted November 4, 2023 Subscriber Posted November 4, 2023 Quote Boom in unusual jellyfish spotted in UK waters The number of jellyfish spotted in UK waters and on beaches increased by 32% in the past year, according to a survey by the Marine Conservation Society. The most commonly spotted were the huge barrel jellyfish - but rarer warm-water crystal jellyfish were also seen..... Ā Quote
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted November 9, 2023 Subscriber Posted November 9, 2023 Quote Why did a dog in Newmarket end up nursing a litter of kittens? Hours after Sue Stubley brought home six abandoned kittens, something peculiar happened - her dog began lactating and the hungry kittens latched on to feed. Cute? Certainly. But why would a dog want to nurture a kitten and how common is inter-species nursing and adoption?...... Ā 1 Quote
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted January 6 Subscriber Posted January 6 One of our daughter's friend's cat passed away last week and she was heartbroken as she had the cat for over 14 years, so, really to mend a broken heart and keep her other cat (3 years old) happy is to get another cat, she knows it would never replace the other one who died but this kitten she got is just a wee bundle of fluff and joy.Ā 2 1 Quote
Moderator Tommy Posted January 6 Moderator Posted January 6 19 hours ago, CaaC (John) said: One of our daughter's friend's cat passed away last week and she was heartbroken as she had the cat for over 14 years, so, really to mend a broken heart and keep her other cat (3 years old) happy is to get another cat, she knows it would never replace the other one who died but this kitten she got is just a wee bundle of fluff and joy.Ā Cuteness overload.Ā 1 Quote
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted February 2 Subscriber Posted February 2 Quote Small, long-nosed dogs might outlive their flatter-faced friends Having a small body but a long schnoz spells good things for our precious pups, according to aĀ new reportĀ in the journalĀ Scientific Reports. The study of UK dog breeds found that, at 13.3 years, small, long-nosed dogs such as whippets and miniature daschunds boast the highest life expectancy. Ā Quote
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted March 12 Subscriber Posted March 12 Quote Antarctica wildlife at risk as bird flu surges around the globe As the sun dipped low on the horizon, casting long shadows over the rugged Canadian coastline, a team of scientists ventured into the heart of a seabird breeding colony. The surroundings echoed with the cacophony of seabird calls, a symphony of life that reverberated through the coastal air. Yet, amidst the lively chorus, the scientists felt something was wrong. Ā Quote
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted March 28 Subscriber Posted March 28 Quote The biggest snake in the world (and 9 other giant serpents) With exquisitely patterned bodies, predatoryĀ strikes that accelerate faster than a fighter jet, and evenĀ a capacity for "flight,"Ā snakes are a fascinating group of reptiles. Some deserve attention for one feature in particular: their enormous size.Ā From boa constrictors to reticulated pythons, we share the planet with some incredible serpentine heavyweights. These predators are found across the globe, including southeast Asia, South America and the United States. But how big are the biggest snakes in the world? And what are the biggest extinct snakes in history?........... Ā Quote
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted May 2 Subscriber Posted May 2 Quote Wounded orangutan seen using plant as medicine A Sumatran orangutan in Indonesia has self-medicated using a paste made from plants to heal a large wound on his cheek, say scientists. It is the first time a creature in the wild has been recorded treating an injury with a medicinal plant. After researchers saw Rakus applying the plant poultice to his face, the wound closed up and healed in a month........ Ā 1 Quote
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted May 20 Subscriber Posted May 20 Quote Fossil spider discovered with spiny armour āunlike any other arachnidā Ā A more than 300-million-year-old spider fossil with unusual spines on its legs has been found in Illinois, US. The newly discovered spider namedĀ Douglassarachne acanthopodaĀ is described in a paperĀ publishedĀ in theĀ Journal of Paleontology. Spiders evolved more than 150 million years before the dinosaurs. The oldest known fossil of these creepy crawlies is anĀ Attercopus fimbriungusĀ specimen which is 380 million years old. āD.Ā acanthopodaĀ comes from the famous Mazon Creek locality in Illinois and is about 308 million years old,ā says lead author of the new study Paul Selden from the University of Kansas and the Natural History Museum of London........... Ā Quote
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