the title is a verbatim translation of “microchiroptera” – the suborder of microbats.
i’ve been a host to three microbats last week – two of them are here:
related in terms of the species: albuin around the world
there’s a whole bunch of photos that i didn’t manage to put online yet – including a batch from last summer:
the species of the cicindela genus live on sandy areas like dunes, sandy forest soils, river banks etc. they use their enormous claws to feed on other beetles and spiders.
their long legs create some extra distance from the hot sandy ground when it’s sunny.
these beetles are extremely shy and will fly away at the slightest movement.
i was told afterwards that it’s easiest to take pictures of them when they’re mating – guess there are some moments in life that are more important than surviving a possible predator attack. ;-)
(die deutsche version gibt es weiter unten.)
here is one of the reports that i’ve been working on: the complete trip report of the botanical excursion to namibia and south africa in september 2007.
a minuscule summary:
Botanical Excursion to Namibia & South Africa
30.08.2007 – 18.09.2007
Route: [Namibia] Windhoek, Spitzkoppe, Cape Cross, Swakopmund, Welwitschia Plains, Walvis Bay, Sesriem, Sossusvlei, Keetmanshoop, [South Afrika] Springbok, Eksteenfontein, Kamieskroon, Knersvlakte, Nieuwoudtville, Cederberge, Cape Town
Destinations/Highlights:
the report is almost completely in german, and the images had to be way downsampled – still, maybe somebody wants to have a look.
Exkursionsbericht Namibia + Südafrika (german, pdf, 6MB)
day 4 of the excursion started with breakfast, which – let me quote barbara – “we preferred to ingest while standing due to the low temperatures”. the weather was, as it is known for swakopmund, cold (around 10 °C) and foggy.
we soon got on the bus and went east to welwitschia plains [G] – an area which accommodates one of the most fascinating plants (for botanists, anyway):
welwitschia mirabilis, a so-called “living fossil”, can become hundreds of years old and only ever develops two leaves1. these leaves continuously grow at their base, and the tips eventually die.
its looks are often described with the words “compost pile” in travel guides.
welwitschia is a gymnosperm plant, so it’s most closely related to conifers like spruce (picea abies) or fir (abies sp.). its reaches 3 to 4 meters deep into the ground, and the root system can develop a radius of up to 15 meters. the species is endemic to the namib desert in namibia and angola.
more information can be found in wikipedia: [de] [en].
after this extensive stop (apparently, our driver noah kept asking what was taking us so long, after 30 minutes. we were there for more than an hour.) we drove on to walvis bay to find the falmingo colony. there were not as many birds as usual, though.
we had the afternoon off, and while most of the others went shopping or sightseeing in swakopmund, aaron and i decided it was the perfect opportunity for a quadbike-trip. :-)
we booked a trip with outback orange, and since there were no other clients for the afternoon, it was just aaron, me, and our guide willy.
we went up and down the dunes rollercoaster-style, up to 80 km/h, and also did some jumping etc.
i had no horizon for my orientation, so i got really seasick. after about an hour of driving, we took a break and drank some lychee-juice (which most likely added to the sickness). with hindsight, i think the greasy burger i had had for lunch, right before the quadbike trip, was a bad idea too.
i ended up puking in the golden dunes near swakopmund. twice.
BUT it was a fun afternoon, and i would do it again (just without the burger).
a member of the crew picked us up at the base and gave us a lift to our accommodation. he told me it was cool to finally meet somebody who got sea-sick in the dunes, because up until then, he had only heard about those people (no kidding!).
[view photos: swakopmund and welwitschia plains]
[view all posts of this group]
the kakapo, one of the most endangered bird species of the world, is going to get a helping hand in terms of reproduction.
there are only 86 known kakapo in the world, they only breed every few years when certain fruit are abundant, and fertilization rates are low.
now, according to a news report, the kakapo recovery team will try artificial insemination in an attempt to boost population numbers.
apart from the project itself, which will hopefully help save the kakapo, this line …
…strongly reminded me of “red rocket”. ;-)
[previous kakapo-related posts]
fun fact from the field of herpetology1:
the northern water-holding frog (cyclorana australis) may not be a very attractive or appealing amphibian, optically, but its strategy of surviving the dry summers of northern australia is somewhat special: it burrows deep into the ground, forms a water-proof cocoon made of shed skin, and estivates (estivation is similar to hibernation).
in order to survive several months – sometimes years – of dormancy, it has to dramatically lower its metabolism and needs sufficient supplies of the most important things for life: energy (i.e. fat) and water (which is stored in their enlarged bladder).
aborigines have been using the frogs for many generations: “the aborigines dig them out and use them as a source of water, placing the frog’s rear end into their mouths and squeezing the water out.”2
i also liked warren’s explanation on how the frogs can stay alive underground for several years: “Because I ain’t no biologist, I have decided that it is magic.”
check this out: san diego zoo: giant panda webcam
just right now, bai yun is cleaning her newborn cub!
it’s undescribable.
(thanks to (the other) markus for the link.)
update: speaking of panda cubs, this photo-series shows the development of a newborn giant panda. it’s a must-see!
