31/05/2024

Archive

Threatened species of parrots includes NZ unique bird

World day for parrots is May 31st. The most threatened parrots of the world include….  Kakapo (New Zealand): With its unique features,  is one of the most interesting birds of the world. See related post   Puerto Rican Amazon. … Blue-throated Macaw. … Sinú Parakeet. … Orange-bellied Parrot – … Coxen’s Fig Parrot – … Spix’s Macaw – … New Caledonian Lorikeet  ...

The unique otter

With World Otter Day,, the focus is on……. Groups of otters can be referred to as a bevy, family, lodge, romp, or raft when in water, indicating their social and playful characteristics. Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among other animals.  ...

The very unique (strange) ‘monotremes’

A previous post has explained why the platypus is so special.  This wild animal – often called a ‘freak of nature’ – and the echidna – together make up the ‘monotremes’ …. Monotremes are different from other mammals because they lay eggs and have no teats. The milk is provided for their young by being secreted by many pores on the female’s belly. The echidna The Short-beaked echidna, Tachyglossus aculeatus is the only species of echidna in Australia. There are...

Celebrating turtles everywhere

Yes, regretfully, the unique ‘turtle’ is on the list of the world’s most endangered species… Every year, World Turtle Day is observed to spread awareness about the habitat and lifestyle of turtles and tortoises. This is also an occasion to ask people to understand them better and also contribute to their well-being. THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TURTLES & TORTOISES    ...

Loss of biodiversity a critical concern!

Biodiversity is all the different kinds of life you’ll find in one area—the variety of animals, plants, fungi, and even microorganisms like bacteria that make up our natural world. Each of these species and organisms work together in ecosystems, like an intricate web, to maintain balance and support life. Biodiversity supports everything in nature that we need to survive: food, clean water, medicine, and shelter. As humans put increasing pressure on the planet, using and consuming more resources than ever...

Hot Topic | plastics massive global problem

Plastics, although a very helpful ( and some might say an indispensible) part of our human lives, is a scourge of the planet … Our seemingly insatiable demand for bottled water has exaggerated the problem. Also, our use of plastic bags which then choke marine life… The below graphics look at what exactly happens to plastic …. and why they are such as very REAL problem to life on earth.                    ...

A to Z of wildlife | animals beginning with letter A ….

Here are a selection of species whose names begin with ‘A’ . I will be looking at each species over time in separate posts in due course. Note this series is about ‘wildlife’ not domestic livestock. Adele penguin African penguin African bust elephant African elephant African hunting dog Albatross                 alligator Amazon river dolphin Amur leopard Antelope   Arctic hare Arctic wolf Armadillo Asian elephant Asiatic black bear          ...

Celebrating bees

World Bee Day 2024 will be celebrated globally on May 20th. This date was designated by the United Nations (UN) in honour of the birthday of Anton Janša, the pioneer of beekeeping in the 18th century.   Lately, the concerns about bees being endangered have become widely noted among people all over the world, but information on how to take action about it has become scarce in this age. That’s why World Bee Day exists to educate people about the...

Australia nature conservation in federal budget….a verdict

“This week’s federal budget was a new low point for investment in nature. Environmental groups roundly criticised the “bad budget for nature”, which delivered next-to-no money to protect and recover Australia’s unique and threatened biodiversity. “ Three researchers wrote the following commentary in The Conversation  Our government has great aspirations. It has committed to end extinctions and expand our protected areas to cover 30% of every Australian ecosystem by 2030. This is part of its Nature Positive Plan, aligned with...

Mapping of wildlife : Australia

Here we begin a snapshot of some of the ‘tools’ used to check what species there are, and where they are… Australia : Atlas of Living Australia  What is it? ‘The Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) is a collaborative, digital, open infrastructure that pulls together Australian biodiversity data from multiple sources, making it accessible and reusable. The ALA helps to create a more detailed picture of Australia’s biodiversity for scientists, policy makers, environmental planners and land managers, industry and the...

No Mow May – why we need butterflies, bees?

  No Mow May is the UK charity Plantlife’s annual campaign calling all lawn owners not to mow during May. Let your wildflowers grow this summer, they state. We’ve lost approximately 97% of flower-rich meadows since the 1930’s and with them gone are vital food needed by pollinators, such as bees and butterflies. What are the benefits of NOT mowing your lawn? A healthy lawn with some long grass and wildflowers benefits wildlife, tackles pollution and can even lock away...

Green industry yes…. the Federal Budget

Last night’s budget is another missed opportunity to arrest the poor and deteriorating state of the Australian environment. Subsidising green industry in Labor’s Future Made in Australia policy may offer economic advantages if implemented well, but there is nothing in this budget to help address the immediate environmental crisis facing Australia. more information: https://theconversation.com/green-industry-yes-conservation-no-a-budget-for-people-not-for-nature-229904  ...