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...

Animals: red panda v panda

  The name panda is believed to come from the Nepali word “ponya,” meaning “bamboo eater” or “bamboo footed.” Despite sharing a common name, giant pandas and red pandas are not closely related. Red pandas are the only living members of their taxonomic family, Ailuridae, while …. giant pandas are in the bear family, Ursidae. Red panda: The red panda is an elusive and mysterious mammal of the biodiverse Himalayan forests. They have also been called the “firefox”, “lesser panda”,...

Heroes of the desert – or are they?

The recent ANZAC parade through Ipswich featured a very special animal…man’s other best friend, the camel. Some points about these amazing creatures….. One of the camel’s most notable physical traits is its hump or humps. While the dromedary camel has one hump, the Bactrian camel has two humps. The myth is / was that water was in these humps was full of life-giving water….. In truth, they store fat in these humps, which later can be used as an energy...

World Penguin Day

  Penguins are sadly one of the most threatened groups of seabirds, with half of the 18 species listed by Birdlife as either Vulnerable or Endangered. While penguins are well adapted to their environments, human impacts are hitting their homes too hard and too fast for them to cope. The threats are numerous, including habitat loss, pollution, disease, and reduced food availability due to commercial fishing. Climate change is of particular concern for many species of penguin, as the sea...

Earth Day 2024…..Planet vs. Plastic

  EARTHDAY.ORG’s founders created and organized the very first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. Since then, EARTHDAY.ORG has been mobilizing over 1 billion people annually on Earth Day, and every other day, to protect the planet. Forbes states: Over the past 60 years, around eight billion tons of plastic has been produced, according to a recent study in the journal Science Advances — 90.5 per cent of which has not been recycled. As a result, this year’s Earth Day...

All about dolphins

In the US, April 14th is National Dolphin Day when the focus is on these highly intelligent creatures. Here are some facts about dolphins you might not know… DifFerences between dolphins and sharks Although they’re commonly referred to as “cuties” by all who adore them, baby bottlenose dolphins are actually called “calves.” Male dolphins are called “bulls,” females are called “cows,” and a group is a “pod.” A bottlenose dolphin’s outermost skin layer may be replaced every 2 hours. This...

Tuesday Tree Talk | What makes ecucalypts special?

Eucalypts are truly unique. There’s no other tree species in the world, for example, that can produce timber, paper, essential oil and even honey! They are also some of the hardiest trees on the planet, able to biologically adapt to drought conditions, pest infestations, and regrow after fire. Some interesting fats you might not know…. Eucalyptus Flowers Have No Petals Square Stems and Uncommon Leaf Formations Eucalyptus essential oil has been used in Indigenous Australian medicine as an antibacterial and...

Learn From Nature
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