Monthly Archives: April, 2016
Z is for Zetek’s Treefrog
This brilliant photo of this little treefrog was taken by Dr Robert Puschendorf, Lecturer in Conservation Biology at Plymouth University, and is used by permission. Here it is again, peeking out from a bromeliad, so you can see where it lives – this gorgeous photo was taken by Andreas Hertz and is also used by permission: These are …
Y is for Yellow Tit
This wonderful photo of the yellow tit was taken by John&Fish. . Yellow Tit . A small bird with soaring crest black top, lemon breast, . some birds lift hearts this is one, sings a song shines the sun. . .© Liz Brownlee . This little bird is found in the central mountain ranges of Taiwan, living on …
X is for Xantu’s Murrelet
This image from Wiki shows the size of a Xantu’s murrelet (recently renamed Scripp’s murrelet) when it leaves the nest and plunges into the ocean at fewer than 48 hours old, having not been fed, and without being able to fly. It is about 5 inches long: Uniquely, from this moment forward this little chick spends it’s …
W is for Wagner’s Viper
This stunning photo of a female and two young Wagner’s vipers is by Mario Schweiger, and is used by permission. Wagner’s viper was first discovered and described by German naturalist Moritz Wagner in 1846. Sadly he mislabelled the specimen’s place of habitat and so it was unseen for another 140 years, and presumed extinct. Then …
V is for Vietnamese Mossy Frog
This is another extraordinary frog – frogs really have some of the most incredible adaptations for their environment of any animal. This wonderful photo was taken by Andrew Mudd And this photo was taken by Josh More: Have I mentioned yet this year that I adore frogs? I have been most restrained and only posted …
U is for Umbrella Jelly
This is a short Youtube video of delicate and beautiful umbrella jellyfish, or ‘umbrella jellies’ which is the preferred term, as they are not actually fish, and their magical water dancing. Uploaded by Aquarium of the Pacific. These tiny little jellies’ Latin name is Eutonia indicans, and they are at the most 1 inch in diameter. Being …
T is for Tricoloured Blackbird
This is rather a gorgeous-looking bird from North America – here is a male in a photo by Alan Vernon: The tricoloured blackbird is not related in any way to the Old World blackbirds found in the British Isles, which are a type of thrush. This bird is a little smaller, and its feathers glossier. It …
S is for Sparklemuffin
Of course there is an animal called a sparklemuffin! This is a serious blog! It’s a creature which is often disliked, but this particular specimen has earned the adoration of millions if not gazillions (*this fact not checked) of internet users. Really the only way to demonstrate the wonder of this creature is to link to a …
R is for Rockhopper Penguin
Rockhopper penguins are not like other penguins – they live on rocky, inhospitable places, mainly around the antarctic, so inhospitable these penguins have no land predators. Here is a wonderful picture of one by Robert Orr: As well as being the kookiest-looking penguin, their behaviour is different. They do not slide around the place on icy floes, and neither do …
Q is for Quino Checkerspot Butterfly
This is a rare good news story on the sustainability front – that of the 3 cm quino checkerspot butterfly, here photographed by Adam Braziel: Adam isn’t sure if this is the quino or the Wright’s checkerspot, but after making my eyes go whizzy looking at both species’ photos, Wright’s checkerspot is a different species altogether, …
lizbrownlee - poet 