some time ago, i overheard somebody talk about how they are constantly stung by mosquitos, and she ended her story saying "i must have very sweet blood."

at first i was amazed at the narrow field of thinking, but it got me thinking.

the process of evolution has trimmed all living things in a way that made them better adjusted to their respective environments, and more efficient in terms of survival and reproduction.
naturally, it’s a good idea to find sources of easily accessible, rich sources of energy such as carbohydrates - most notably sugars.

over millions of generations, sugar molecules have proven to be such a valuable source of energy that our tongues were equipped with specialized chemical receptors that could instantly tell us whether something contained sugars or not.
the pleasing sensation when something tastes sweet is simply a way of our tongue telling our consciousness that whatever we’re eating contains lots of energy, and that we should eat more of it while we can.

accordingly, a mosquito’s sensation¹ when it registers appealing signals² might be described as "sweet" in a way that it makes the mosquito want to get more of that sensation and will eventually lead it to a good source of food and energy - even though sugars don’t have a lot to do with that sensation.

1. imagining for a moment that mosquitos have something like a consciousness, which i think is questionable. [↩]
2. mainly the exhaled CO₂ and certain molecules that make up elements of body scent. [↩]

after a rather exhausting day of work, i can look back at an unexpected encounter:

en: lesser horseshoe bat (rhinolophus hipposideros), with pup
de: kleine hufeisennase (rhinolophus hipposideros) mit jungtier

in case you can’t tell which is which: the pair of pointed shapes in the lower right is the mother’s ears. its baby is clinging on tightly and makes up the left half of the furry ball.
like all young microbat babies, it’s hanging with its head up at first. later on, the preferred position will be head down.

this summer, i’m working in a project to support certain species of bat indirectly by aiding their respective habitats. although i didn’t expect to see one of the nursery roosts themselves, i did today. the number of bats in this colony is rising, and a high percentage of the females (such as the one in the photo) are currently raising their young.
it was clearly the highlight of the day.

last week, while working a "night shift" (so to speak), i came across a hedgehog that was caught in a piece of plastic with a hole in it. the plastic ring was stuck right between its front and hind legs. it seemed to have gotten used to the situation and was just going to live with this (very flat, very tight, and totally-missing-the-point-) hoola hoop.
i was able to remove it without anybody (neither the hedgehog nor me) getting hurt.
this marks the first time i’ve actually seen for myself that throwing such things away without cutting them through first can be dangerous to the local wildlife.

(image source: dpiw.tas.gov.au)

this was recorded a few days ago, and just has just been merged into an animated gif:

locomotion of a geometrid caterpillar (geometridae)

i’ve added a little black dot to demonstrate how the caterpillar actually moves forward (even though this animation is an infinite loop).

greetings from scheffau, austria.
i spent the day in the forests of the region for a work-related project, and found this:

wood-horsetail (equisetum sylvaticum; wald-schachtelhalm)

it’s a relatively unspectacular plant, i know, but when i came across a small patch of those in an uphill direction, i saw all the plants laterally, their worls as parallel discs, one hovering above another.

great news from one of the rarest animals in the world:

Seven kakapo chicks that hatched just over two weeks ago on Whenua Hou (Codfish Island) have been transferred to specialised facilities in Nelson to ensure their survival, Conservation Minister, Steve Chadwick announced today.

“I am thrilled with this season’s kakapo breeding success. The safe arrival of these chicks brings the total kakapo population to 92 and is testament to the dedication of the Department of Conservation in ensuring that these ancient and critically endangered birds continue to survive,” Steve Chadwick said.

...

Kakapo last bred in 2005 when four chicks were produced, but the record year was in 2002 with 24 chicks.

 
source: kakapo chicks relocate to maximise survival
 

the ranger’s diaries, a relatively new feature over at the official kakapo website, provide a little insight into the day-to-day ongoings:

Safely ensconced in their new Nelson facility, the birds have been enjoying a routine of four-hourly feeds starting at 7 in the morning and finishing at 11 at night. They are doing well and making good weight gains; several of them have now hit 500 grams and are getting quite large and feisty at feed time!

 
source: Kakapo Ranger’s Diaries: Hot chicks in the city

the following video provides a close-up view of the the development of 5 frog embryos.
11 days in 66 seconds:

more information on the making of this time-lapse video: [more...]