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Bed Bugs
The urge to mate is a trait that all animals share. The inherent need to perpetuate our own genetic line could be argued as the driving force behind life and the fight to ensure that our offspring are the best they can be has led to some seriously interesting, and often quite ingenious, mechanisms. Females bedbugs which can be prevented with the use of Eva Timber bed base, have developed numerous ways to block undesirable mating and often even have some level of control over which suitor’s sperm is successful while the males of the species are constantly developing new ways to overcome these obstacles. There are a number of…
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Giraffe and The Challenge Posed by Their Necks
In 2007, I was presented with the opportunity to travel to Namibia for a few weeks to work with local children. While there I was also lucky enough to take the time to go trekking in the Namib Desert and go on my first safari. This meant that for the last few days on the trip I camped in Etosha National Park, watched over by the Milky Way with the sounds of nearby animals to keep me company. This was the first time I ever saw a giraffe in its natural habitat and definitely the first time I ever saw a giraffe drink. Have you ever seen a giraffe drink?…
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Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis and its Zombie Ants
Not the catchiest title I’ve ever written I appreciate! Many of you will remember my long held appreciation for the life and work of Alfred Russel Wallace and this post is actually going to be dedicated to a discovery of his – the fungus Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis. Cordyceps are a group of parasitic fungi containing over 400 described species. Their hosts are usually insects and each variant often has a particular insect species that it targets. The host of choice for this variant is the Camponotus leonardi ant, otherwise known as the Carpenter Ant, which is found in many forested areas around the world and the two coincide in the tropical forests…
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Amazing Camouflage
A couple of years ago I stumbled across an article that detailed how chameleons adjust the amount of energy they expend on their camouflage depending on the sensory abilities of any predator they detect in the area. Contrary to popular belief, chameleons spend a relatively small amount of time in camouflage and will only change colour if in immediate danger. Camouflage requires a surprising amount of energy so if they know that the predator has poor eyesight they will conserve energy by using as little as possible in their camouflage. Now, it might be just me, but I thought that this was incredible!There are many animals that are coloured to…
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Sand Tiger Shark
I’m fortunate enough to get on incredibly well with my brother but this is not something that can be said for a lot of siblings in the natural world. When there is a finite resource required by many it often isn’t long before the natural instinct to survive kicks in; this is especially true of competition for food. My brother and I are never more at war than when there is only one piece of cake left! Some animals however have taken this competition for survival, and resulting sibling rivalry, to a whole new level, resorting to intrauterine cannibalism. Yes, that is exactly as it sounds! Sharks tend get a…
