14/05/2024

Archive

Animal myths | bats are NOT blind!

l Contrary to what some most people believe, bats are not blind at all and in fact are believed to have eyesight keener than that of most humans. The misconception that bats are blind comes from their nocturnal nature and enhanced hearing abilities.   Bats are idiosyncratic creatures, with habits that humans find incredibly odd—like occasional bloodsucking, sleeping upside down, and staying up all night. We characterize bats as supernatural, associating them with vampires and even superheroes. With their talent...

Q&A | Why do birds migrate?

On World Migratory Bird Day, we celebrate one of nature’s greatest wonders – bird migration. Twice a year, we marvel at this extraordinary spectacle as migratory birds undertake epic journeys around the globe, connecting and inspiring people along the way.   Why do birds migrate? Not all birds stay in the same place their whole lives. Some migrate to take advantage of seasonal resources, especially food, so that they can breed successfully or simply survive. Some migrations are short, but many...

‘Spectacular’ solar colours seen across southern night skies

Aurora australis has lit up skies across southern Australia after an “extreme” geomagnetic solar storm. Brightly coloured skies were visible in Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. So what IS “Aurora australis” ? This is from the University of Tasmania: “Outer space is filled with electrically charged particles. When they hit the Earth’s atmosphere, they can make it light up like a fluorescent light tube. This tends to happen in the polar regions, where Earth’s magnetic field is trapping...

Fighting ‘old man’s beard’ in New Zealand suburb

A group of volunteers are on a mission to rid Wellington, capital city of New Zealand, of Old Man’s Beard, a vine that smothers native bush. Following on from their success in clearing Old Man’s Beard from several reserves, the Old Man’s Beard Free Wellington (OMBFW) group now plan to clear the vine from the suburb of Highbury. Old Man’s Beard (Clematis Vitalba) is a vine that spreads rapidly in the New Zealand climate, smothering our native bush. Old Man’s...

The mighty pelican

A visit to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on the Gold Coast, Queensland has brought into focus a few facts about the pelican…… The bill and pouch of pelicans play an important role in feeding. The bill is sensitive and this helps locate fish in murky water. It also has a hook at the end of the upper mandible, probably for gripping slippery food items. During periods of starvation, pelicans have been reported capturing and eating seagulls and ducklings. The gulls are...