29/07/2023

Archive

New leader of the IPCC

The IPCC has a new Chair: Jim Skea of the United Kingdom is the newly elected Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). With nearly forty years of climate science experience and expertise, Jim Skea will lead the IPCC through its seventh assessment cycle ( every 5 to 7 years ) IPCC is…. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations. Its job is to advance scientific knowledge about climate change caused...

Tuesday Plants: Threatened – corpse flower

Rafflesia arnoldii, the corpse flower or giant padma, is a species of flowering plant in the parasitic genus Rafflesia. It is noted for producing the largest individual flower on Earth. It has a strong and unpleasant odour of decaying flesh – it’s native to the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo.    ...

Creature Feature | The wallaby

  Question – Is a Wallaby a (small type of) Kangaroo? Answer: No! The Wallaby is a small marsupial, actually much smaller than its big sister / cousin the kangaroo sister. One of the biggest characteristics of the wallaby that separates them from kangaroos is size Body Shape: Both are known to be the happy “hopping” creature of the Australian brush because they are both macropods, meaning they both have overly large feet. Kangaroo legs are really long between the...

National Moth Week

  Butterflies, skippers and moths all belong in the insect order Lepidoptera. However, there are some overall rules that can be used to tell a moth from a butterfly or skipper. Butterflies and skippers are groups of specialised moths which in general are day flying, have clubbed antennae, no frenulum, and are often brightly coloured. But there are many moths which also share these characteristics. sources: Australian Museum; butterflies conservation Here are several differences between butterflies and moths…. Butterflies are...

All about chimpanzees

As its was World Chimpanzee Day…. here are some interesting facts about these amazing apes… I worked with Chimps at Wellington Zoo many years ago – they are not of my all-time favourite animals They are remarkable and fascinating creatures….. We Share 98 Percent of the Same DNA with chimpanzees Wild chimpanzees can only be found in Africa chimpanzees are Omnivorous… they have been known to even on occasion eat meat they have highly complex family and social structures Chimpanzees...

All about the moon….

  It’s national moon day on Thursday 20th July… so here are some interesting facts: The Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite. It takes 27.3 days for the Moon to travel all the way around the Earth. The Moon is a lot smaller than the Sun. The Moon was made when a rock smashed into Earth. Yes, the Moon controls the tides. There is water on the Moon! So, is the moon a Planet?? No….. Lunar scientist Barbara Cohen explains...

Snakes are amazing

It’s World Snake Day…. The snake is one of the oldest mythological characters and has been revered by civilizations the world over. There are about 3,458 species of snakes known so far, ranging from the semi-frozen tundra of northern Canada to the steamy jungles of the equator and most of the world’s oceans. Snakes are highly effective predators and play a vital role in maintaining the balance of nature in each of these realms. Snakes are also fascinating in that...

MONDAY FACT | Amphibians threatened

Did you know? Amphibians are the most threatened vertebrate class on Earth, with 41% of species threatened with extinction according to The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG) is the only vertebrate specialist group focused on an entire taxonomic class. The ASG is a global network of volunteer experts who develop the science that supports global amphibian conservation action. For more about conservation, see the developing pages at THE LIST.  ...