A to Z of Nature | Amphibians

What makes amphibians different? Amphibians, like any animal group, have unique traits that are unique to their classification. If you aren’t sure if the animal is an amphibian, check out this list of amphibians characteristics. External egg fertilization. When it comes to reproduction, amphibians don’t require mating before they release clear eggs with a jelly-like texture. Instead, their eggs are fertilized after. During metamorphosis, amphibians develop fair beyond this state. Grows 4 legs as an adult. While there are a...

Forest & Bird will celebrate 100 years in 2023!

A year of Forest & Bird celebration will kick off in March 2023. Here’s a sneak preview of the theme and some of the events already under way. The theme for the upcoming Centennial Celebrations is “What is your legacy? Most New Zealanders love nature – it’s part of who they are. During 2023, we hope to encourage thousands of small actions to help protect and restore our environment. There are lots of ways people can leave a legacy for...

Creature feature | the kiwi

  The kiwi is a unique and curious bird: it cannot fly, has loose, hair-like feathers, strong legs and no tail. Learn more about the kiwi, the national icon of New Zealand and unofficial national emblem. New Zealanders have been called ‘Kiwis’ since the nickname was bestowed by Australian soldiers in the First World War. New Zealanders have been called ‘Kiwis’ since the nickname was bestowed by Australian soldiers in the First World War. Today a lot of dedicated people...

Biomes – where life on Earth lives

What’s a Biome? Here we see two different biomes—deserts on the left and grasslands on the right. But both are land environments. Images by Bob Protus and Bkell. To make sense of complexity, humans often need to categorize, or group, things. We have food groups, sexes, eye colors, ages, and movie genres, to name a few. We categorize all types of things, whether they are ideas or objects, and whether they are small or large. One of the largest things...

Biodiversity conference 2022 ( COP 15 )

COP15 is shorthand for the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity The 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the UN Biodiversity Conference will convene governments from around the world to agree to a new set of goals to halt and reverse biodiversity loss over the next decade and beyond through the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). While they are both Conferences of the Parties, and numbered similarly, COP15 and COP26...

Soil where food begins

  World Soil Day- December 5th. Soil is the heart and soul of our planet. We can’t live without it. It sustains us, captures carbon, provides a home for billions of organisms and can help defend us against flooding and drought, but too often we’re taught to think of it as dirt! As a result, many of the world’s soils are now in crisis – degraded and eroding, often as a result of intensive farming practices. The good news is that...

Fast facts about fastest creature!

  This is International Cheetah Day … You may already know that cheetahs are the world’s fastest land animal. But did you know their tails play a crucial role in hunting? Check out these and other fun facts about cheetahs. The planet’s fastest land animal is built for super speed, rather than stamina. … When they do stir, cheetahs can accelerate faster than most sports cars. … The name cheetah comes from a Hindi word, chita, meaning ‘spotted one’ …...

Earthshot Prize 2022 winners announced

The 2022 Earthshot Prize winners – an accomplished group of entrepreneurs and innovators spearheading ground-breaking solutions to repair and regenerate the planet – are…. below…. Each winner was awarded a £1 million prize at the second-annual Earthshot Prize awards ceremony, which will be broadcast Sunday, December 4 at 17:30pm GMT on BBC and will begin streaming on Monday, December 5 at 2:00pm EST on PBS.org and the PBS app.n Inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot challenge in the 1960s, which...

Capturing wildlife with a camera

Photographing  wildlife is a major deal – both in terms of the technical side of the art – a picture tells 1000 words – and a great way of raising awareness of conservation issues. Major competitions  Bird photographer of the year – “ Bird Photographer of the Year is the leading bird photography competition. We celebrate the world’s best bird photography, whilst supporting conservation efforts through imagery and financial support. “ Deadlines – September, December, following autumn. Bird photo website  Comedy...

Antarctica ecologically unique place

Antarctica is a remarkable continent – remote, hostile and uninhabited.  This frozen continent is key to understanding how our world works, and our impact upon it. Antarctica is important for science because of its profound effect on the Earth’s climate and ocean systems.  Locked in its four kilometre-thick ice sheet completely unique record of what our planet’s climate was like over the past one million years. Antarctica is important for science because of its profound effect on the Earth’s climate...

Earth science | The science behind the Hawaii eruptions

  The science behind the Hawaiian HawaiianNewspaper headlines read – Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano erupts as officials warn people to prepare to evacuate and World’s largest active volcano Mauna Loa starts to erupt in Hawaii ? What makes these island a volcanic “hot spot” ? The following is from National Geographic Education… The Hawaiian Islands were formed by a volcanic hot spot, an upwelling plume of magma, that creates new islands as the Pacific Plate moves over it.   “Hawai’i,...

Creature feature | Strange animals – Australian platypus

The  “platypus” is indeed a weird, strange creature but / and … it IS real…. But when Europeans first encountered the odd-looking platypus, it became the centre of scientific debate: was it real or just an elaborate hoax? The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) has a puzzling array of features. Not only does it have that iconic duck bill, it lays eggs like a bird or reptile but feeds milk to its young like a mammal. Males also have a pair of venomous...

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