Monthly Archives: April, 2015
Z is for Zorro
‘Zorro’ is Spanish for fox, and is also the name of a South American dog-like canid that looks very like a fox, but which is not. But so little is know about this elusive wild dog, I found I couldn’t write much about it – or write a poem. It eats small mammals, has small …
Y is for Yak
Today is Y for Yak, scheduled a while ago. I would like to dedicate it to the memory of those who have died and to all those suffering in and around this breathtakingly beautiful area right now due to the devastating earthquakes. This image of a Tibetan domestic yak was taken by Dennis Jarvis, on …
X is for Xenarthra – Armadillos
Xenarthra is a superorder of animals, the word literally means ‘strange joints’ or joints that have unusual articulation, and animals this includes are Folivra (sloths etc.), Pilosa (anteaters etc.) and Angulata (armadillos etc.). I’m going to do the pink fairy armadillo, because someone asked me to, on one of my first posts, and the hairy, screaming …
W is for Water Vole
There are 3 types of cute vole living in the UK and this is the biggest, at 4.5-9 inches – a water vole. This brilliant image has been taken by the prolific nature photographer, Peter Trimming, on Flikr. ‘Ratty’ in The Wind in the Willows was not a rat at all, but a water vole. …
V is for Venezuelan Pebble Toad
This is rather an endearing little toad, photographed by Gérard Vigo – one of the differences between frogs and toads is that toads do not have such long, strong, back legs as frogs, and move by small hops or walking. This little toad has found a way to escape from its predators (mainly the toad-eating …
U is for Underwater
This photo was taken by the fabulously talented Stefan Siebert, who has kindly given me permission to show it here. It is an extraordinarily beautiful creature, a tiny (about 5mm) underwater crustacean. It is a species of Sapphirina copepod – in the same family as woodlice and crabs. They are usually invisible. Until that is, they catch the …
T is for Tarsier
Today it’s T for tarsier – a heart-meltingly cute little creature – this one is from the Philippines, an image by Yeowatzup on Flikr. The Philippine tarsier is only 3-6 inches in length (not including its surprisingly long tail) which makes it hard to spot – it’s one of the smallest primates. Tarsiers live on …
S is for Squirrel
This squirrel image was taken by Tim Green on Flikr: People are divided in opinion about squirrels, particularly grey squirrels. They are curious, friendly, extremely intelligent, entertaining, and can live in towns and cities and woodlands with equal ease. They climb. This means there is a downside, sometimes – they can be destructive and chew through …
R is for Robin
This beautiful image of a UK robin redbreast was taken by Ross Elliott on Flikr. The robin is my favourite British bird. They are so round and cheerful, with such a wonderfully jaunty carriage as they hop and bounce around the garden. They tilt their heads and look straight at you with their bright, black, …
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