I knew Australia was home to 21 of the 25 most dangerous (i.e. venomous) snakes in the world. That’s bad enough. Then there’s the platypus: “… a duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed, egg-laying aquatic creature native to Australia. If its appearance alone somehow fails to impress, the male of the species is also one of the world’s… Continue reading Dang, Australia, weren’t the snakes bad enough?
Tag: Nature
Fishing with … shotguns???
Yes, apparently it’s a thing. Americans seem to make sport of almost anything, and today’s example is no exception. Several sportsmen made lemonade out of lemons when it came to the invasive species of fish dubbed Flying Carp that’s been plaguing southern boaters since the 1970s, and have reached as far north as Minnesota. Silver… Continue reading Fishing with … shotguns???
Some remarkable landscape photography
I’ve always liked good landscape art, whether paintings or photographs. Perhaps it comes from growing up in South Africa, where nature is very lovely and offers almost infinite variety. I was struck by this photograph on Gab the other day. It’s by photographer Kevin McNeal, taken in the Arches National Park in Utah. Click the… Continue reading Some remarkable landscape photography
“Mining” plants???
I was surprised to learn that some plants absorb so much nickel, it can be “mined” by processing them. The BBC reports: Sixteen years ago, Aiyen Tjoa was exploring a small mining town of Sorowako in the heart of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Sorowako once had been a home to immense diversity of plants,… Continue reading “Mining” plants???
Lessons learned from the Iowa derecho last week
Readers will recall the hurricane-strength windstorm, known as a derecho, that lashed midwest US states last week. Tens of thousands are still without power there, and much of this year’s grain crop has been destroyed. On Gab, I found a useful “lessons learned” post from reader “Zerozerozero”. It confirms much of what we’ve discussed in… Continue reading Lessons learned from the Iowa derecho last week
Saturday Snippet: The weaker sex (hippopotamus version)
We’ve encountered the late naturalist Gerald Durrell on more than one occasion in these pages. I thought it was time for another extract from one of his many books. This one’s from “A Zoo in my Luggage“, an account of his second visit to Bafut in what was then British Cameroon (today part of the modern… Continue reading Saturday Snippet: The weaker sex (hippopotamus version)
Unexpected airport traffic
I had to smile at reports that three deer had a close encounter with Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft at RAF Coningsby recently. Cute, I suppose, but animals on the runways and taxiways can be a real hazard. In flying around Africa for many years, I grew used to pilots of smaller aircraft (from… Continue reading Unexpected airport traffic
Pinky swear?
This news report made me do a double-take. Shakespeare was right: There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Peter EDITED TO ADD: Overseas readers who may not understand the title of this post, see here.
Not a safe place to fall overboard!
An Australian fisherman was sailing his small leisure craft back to shore the other day when he ran into a so-called “bait ball” of small fish, being attacked by dozens of sharks. The big predators were in a feeding frenzy. Note the casual way he talks about his boat being bumped by sharks several times. … Continue reading Not a safe place to fall overboard!
The coronavirus may damage nature for years to come
Having worked in the Third World (specifically sub-Saharan Africa) for many years, I’ve been expecting an uptick in human predation on the environment, due to many people being thrown out of work by the coronavirus pandemic and becoming desperate to survive. It looks like that’s already happening worldwide. The BBC reports: You might be forgiven… Continue reading The coronavirus may damage nature for years to come