Monthly Archives: April, 2013
Z is for Zoe Waterfall Damselfly
. Ah! The very last entry in this years A-Z blog Challenge. The Zoe Waterfall damselfly is endemic to north-east Mexico. It is exceptionally beautiful with long clear wings that have black tips with a blue stripe. Although occasionally some of them have entirely black wings. As adults they are voracious predators on flying insects, …
X is for Xenopus Frog
. . Xenopus longipes, the Lake Oku clawed frog, lives in western Cameroon, high on the extinct volcano Mount Oku, in one lake that is held in an old volcano vent. It is surrounded by montane forest. The local people hold the lake sacred, which is lucky for the frogs, as the introduction of fish, always …
W is for Wolf
Taken by Spencer77 on Flikr, permission granted, link to his photos here. . Maned wolves look like foxes with foal legs – and they are not wolves at all. They are related more closely to an ancient dog ancestor which also gave rise to types of South American foxes. Their legs look out of proportion …
V is for Vitelline Warbler
Image taken by Michael Gore on ARKive, to go to site press here. . Vitelline warblers live only on the Caymen Islands, in woodland and scrub. Exceptionally beautiful, they look like little splinters of sun singing in the trees, with a characteristic tsu tsu tsu tsu tsooooo sound. They eat insects they find in the …
U is for Unexpected Cotton Rat
. The Unexpected Cotton Rat Lament . I am a cotton rat, and like a common rat I am yellow-toothed and fat – my good points are neglected, when crops are nibbled I’m suspected, it’s no joke the persecution to which we’re all subjected, there’s not a lot that’s unexpected about that. . I am …
T is for Tiger
I have posted this picture before – but not the blog. . Sumatran tigers are critically endangered. They live in the same forests as Sumatran orangutans, also critically endangered. 80% of the forests they live in have been cut down. There are only 400 of these tigers left. They are particularly interesting as they have …
S is for Spider monkey
Spider Monkey, taken by Michael Schamis, under creative common license here. . Spider Monkey (Written for Bristol Zoo 21013, up in the monkey house) . Said spider monkey to the fly, I love to leap from branch to sky, . and stop to look and hook my tail upon a branch along my trail . …
R for Rat
Naked Mole Rat . Yes, we’re BALD, Butt naked, and BARE. . We have no clothes, we have no hair, and we don’t care. . We’re NUDE. Not a stitch. In the BUFF. . To be honest, love, we just can’t get STARKERS enough. . EXPOSED, IN THE RAW, and WRINKLY. . In the absolute …
Q is for Quelea
A male quelea – taken by Alan Manson, creative commons license here. . Quelea . Flying in shifting umbras, a hurricane flock of quelea . darkening. . All the air winging, . their calls the sound of insanity. . A madness only surpassed . by the roar and flash of a bomb, . and rain …
lizbrownlee - poet 