Wildlife Spotter

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Sexual Dimorphism

Sexual Dimorphism is a curious phenomenon in nature where one gender is larger than the other. Some examples are:

• Spiders (Redback spider)

Seen in this video is a male Redback spider mating with a female. The male is the far smaller spider on the females abdomen. It is common after mating has occurred that a the female will eat the male, simply because he has outlived his purpose. 

• Tarantula

Commonly with Tarantula mating, the female will come forward to strike the male with its fangs, but the male has hairs on its legs that are designed to catch the females legs as she strikes and therefore complete mating. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't always manage to catch the legs and ends up as dinner!

• Crocodilians

https://taxo4254.wikispaces.com/Crocodylus+porosus

With many crocodilians it is the opposite to spiders, and the male is indeed bigger than the female. With crocodiles this can lead to an interesting problem when mating where the male is much heavier than the female, and is in danger of crushing her. Their solution to this is to breed under the water, where the male can float.  

Shark Tracker

An interesting program run by OCEARCH is the Shark Tracker program. When OCEARCH or companies working with OCEARCH capture a shark, for scientific testing, they attach a GPS tracker to the shark's dorsal fin. When they release the sharks back into the water, they can track where the shark has been and any possible movements, without hindering the sharks swimming and attacking ability. If a shark's dorsal fin is above the water's surface for more than 90 seconds for a ping to occur.

Shark Tracker

OCEARCH tags sharks of many different species and from all over the world. See more at their Shark Tracker Page.

Processed Meat Causes Cancer!? (A late to the party click bait article)

Recently news has been widespread that the WHO (world health organisation) has found that there is an indisputable link between various meats,including all processed meats, and cancer. but, like this article, this is old news going back to 2004. In many widespread surveys and studies, there was found to be a solid link between some meats and cancer But of course these studies were done by the American National Institute for health, and no localised study or findings will break into the mainstream if it threatens to part Americans and their beloved bacon. The results of these studies however are less then radical Professor Tim Key, said: "This decision doesn't mean you need to stop eating any red and processed meat, but if you eat lots of it you may want to think about cutting down." 
In conclusion bacon isn't going to kill you, unless of course you eat too much of it.

Sharks of the World and History- Bull Shark

The Bull Shark (Carchahinus Leucas) is one of the most formidable sharks in the ocean. 

http://www.sharks-world.com/wp-content/uploads/bull_shark_624.jpg

Bull Sharks are known to eat whatever they can get. This means that they eat fish, dolphins, turtles, birds, molluscs and some terrestrial animals including cattle, people, antelope and rats. They will attack almost anything in the water, but they have something most sharks don't have. They can tolerate incredible levels of freshwater, commonly swimming up rivers and tributaries. They are considered by some to be the most dangerous of all sharks due to the coupling of their habitat, diet and aggression. They are also known to be cannibals!

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Cypron-Range_Carcharhinus_leucas.svg/2000px-Cypron-Range_Carcharhinus_leucas.svg.png

Bull Sharks have earned their name with a signature head but they normally perform before eating the prey to stun it. They are also extremely territorial and are known to attack many different species of intruders such as crocodiles and alligators.

https://qph.is.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-e482cb63e00d42c1388752850714a438?convert_to_webp=true

Occasionally though, the Bull Shark takes on more than it can handle and is eaten itself. This Saltwater Crocodile is called Brutus. He is 80 years old and weighs roughly 1 tonne. More than a match for many bull sharks.

When compared with a Great White Shark, a Bull Shark is small, but when comparing bite forces, that of a Bull Shark is far superior, mostly because of the diet a bull shark has, where turtles are a common meal.

Sharks of the World and History- Great White Shark

Thanks for 3,000 page views.

The Great White Shark (Carcharodon Carcharius) is undoubtedly one of the most well known sharks. In our minds, it is the single most deadly killer there is in the ocean. Swimming in deep water is an open invitation to be eaten...

Not really. There are several more dangerous animals present in our oceans such as the box jellyfish or irukandji. Part of the fear of sharks comes from a feeling that we are not in control the moment we enter the water, stemming from the fact that we evolved to live on land, and land is where we are most at home. Film makers have tapped into this fear with movies like Jaws, Sharknado and The Reef along with the recent (Great White) Shark attack on Mick Fanning. But while the film makers are making lots of money, they are presenting an unreal interpretation of sharks.

http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/great-white-shark

National Geographic states that of 100 worldwide attacks, 1/3 to 1/2 are attributed to Great White Sharks. Most of these attacks are "curiosity" bites. This is because sharks have an spectacular amount of nerves in their teeth. Lacking hands, they need another way to identify if an item is prey or food. This normally entails either head-butting or as mentioned above curiosity biting.

As seen above, the top of the body is a dark grey, while the bottom is a white colour. This is effective camouflage in the ocean, where prey looking down will be unlikely to see it, as it blends into the darker water below them. Any prey looking up underneath the shark will see a white colour, just what they would expect to see, camouflaging it with the light above.

Great Whites feed on many different prey items. They are known to attack:

• Squid
• Whales (Mostly as carrion)
• Seals
• Sea lions
• And more.

They live in temperate waters all over the world, and are particularly tolerant to colder waters due to the fact that they produce heat with a muscle that runs from behind the head to partway along their body, meaning that they are a few degrees warmer than the surrounding water. But this does mean that they require more energy than most sharks.

http://www.animalfactguide.com/animal-facts/great-white-shark/

Great White Sharks are incredibly intelligent and uses problem solving to find the most effective ways of hunting. Great White Sharks in South Africa have started to jump out of the water underneath sea lions, effectively stunning the more mobile prey. 

http://www.grindtv.com/wildlife/seals-balancing-act-enables-it-to-escape-great-white-sharks-jaws/#cUmsAJYsYaAwijx1.97

This seal appears to be balancing on the Great White's jaws. But, it is likely that the Great White got the unfortunate seal in the end.

Sharks of the World and History

On Saturday I will be posting the first of a series of new articles titled- Sharks of the World and History. They will explore sharks, both past and present along with other shark like creatures. I will (attempt to) continue to post these articles every Saturday. Stay tuned!

As a side note we are nearing 3000 pageviews. Thank you for the support.

Poisonous vs Venomous

Many people get confused by the difference between poison and venom.

Poison is dangerous if you ingest it or get it inside the digestive system. Venom on the other hand is dangerous if you get it in your bloodstream or lymphatic system. That is why people can bath in venom or drink venom- they will be completely fine if they don't have any open sores in their mouth, skin or stomach.

Megalania

http://australianmuseum.net.au/megalania-prisca

The Megalania or Varanus Priscus was a truly horrifying creature. It grew to be roughly six metres long and had razor sharp recurved teeth. It lived in Australia at the time of the Megafauna and was a predator for many of the animals at the time. It was most likely an ambush predator and is related closely to the Komodo Dragon. Like the Komodo Dragon it has a venom, making it not only the largest venomous lizard, but the largest venomous creature known. This venom like that of the Komodo Dragon leads to an inability of blood clotting and shock in the creature. This means that the Megalania could have more safely killed its prey by biting and letting the prey weaken until unable to defend itself. It is at this point that Megalania came in and devoured its prey. No prey will have been too ferocious for this predator short of Pallimnarchus or Quinkana, and it is still likely it may have taken on those monstrosities.

Blue Tongue Lizards

Located all across Australia are Blue Tongue Lizards. There are several different species but the most common are the:

1. Eastern Blue Tongue Lizard
2. Central Blue Tongue Lizard
3. Western Blue Tongue Lizard
4. Shingleback Lizard (although not a "Blue Tongue" a close relative)

If you want an article containing more detail about some of these incredible reptiles just ask!

To all the images I used in this blog post.

Image 1

http://coolcompanions.com.au/eastern-blue-tongued-skink/

Image 2

http://www.crocodilesanddragons.com.au/skinks.html

Image 3

http://www.oakvalefarm.com.au/centralian_blue-tongue_lizard.php

Image 4

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/tags/tiliquamultifasciata/interesting/

Image 5

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Western_Blue-tongued_lizard-dist.png

Image 6

https://www.flickr.com/photos/colonel_007/3519583355

Image 7

http://coolcompanions.com.au/shingleback-lizard/

Image 8

http://www.oakvalefarm.com.au/shingleback_lizard.php

Eastern Blue Tongue Lizard

Image 1

The Eastern Blue Tongue Lizard (Tiliqua Scincoides) lives along most of the Eastern and Northern Coast of Australia.

Image 2

Central Blue Tongue Lizard

Image 3

The Western Blue Tongue Lizard (Tiliqua Fasciata) lives in Central Australia and along the coast of Western Australia.

Image 4

Western Blue Tongue Lizard

Image 5

The Western Blue Tongue Lizard (Tiliqua Occupitalus) lives along the South Western coast of Western and Southern Australia.

Image 6

Shingleback Lizard

Image 7

The Shingleback Lizard (Tiliqua Rugosa) is found in Southern Western Australia as well as most of Southern Australia and New South Wales.

Image 8

Conservation
Blue Tongues all across Australia are in decline for several reasons:

• Domesticated and feral animal attacks
• Blue Tongues have short and stumpy legs and are unable to run away
• Blue Tongues open up their mouths and show off their blue tongue to scare away predators
• Dogs are normally fooled (if only temporarily)
• Cats are not fooled and will continue to attack
• Lawn Mowing
• It is commonplace to find a blue tongue lizard in your yard when you are mowing, but the blue tongues will not run away when they hear the lawnmower- instead choosing to fight it
• Insecticides
• Blue Tongues love snails! They will not leave one alone if they see it.
• Because of snail poisons, blue tongues commonly eat poisoned snails and die. 
• Avoid using snail poison in your backyard- the snail population will recover but the blue tongue population will not!
• As well as loving snails, blue tongues also love strawberries!
• They will eat any strawberry, whether it is ripe or not!
• Because of poisons sprayed on plants, the blue tongues can also die from poisoned strawberries.

You can help save blue tongues by:

• Keeping your pets inside
• Walking pets on leashes
• Leaving blue tongues alone if you see one on the ground
• Not using insecticides! The blue tongues can keep the snail population under control just fine if you don't kill them!

Australian Megafauna

In response to Jblob.
The term "Australian Megafauna" indicates that the creatures in this category are roughly 40kg. In other countries the term "Megafauna" indicates that the creature weighed over 100kg, but because of Australia's lack of animals weighing over 100kg, the term is more lenient.

Some Australian Megafauna are:

• Diprotodon

The Diprotodon is the largest marsupial to have ever lived. Its name means two forward teeth. It is commonly known as a giant wombat. Fossils of it have been found across most of mainland Australia. It was roughly 3 metres from nose to tail and 2 metres tall. Some Indigenous Australian cave paintings depict an animal similar to the Diprotodon, indicating that Indigenous may have had contact.

• Zaglossus Hackettii

The Zaglossus Hackettii is a species of Echidna that was roughly 1 metre long and weighed 30kg. It was the largest monotreme to exist, and due to scorch marks on some bones, it is likely that it was hunted.

The cause of the Australian Megafauna's extinction is widely debated. Theories range from climate change to human (Indigenous) hunting.

Giant and Colossal Squid

http://unmuseum.mus.pa.us/colossalsquid.htm

The Giant Squid is a creature straight out of mythology, but it was recently discovered that a larger squid, the Colossal Squid exists. It is likely that the myths originated from the fact that the giant and colossal squids visited the surface when the temperature was lower. the giant and colossal squids live in deep water, where little light reaches and even less heat. Therefore the giant and colossal squids have acclimatised to low temperatures. 

It is unlikely that the giant or colossal squid ever attacked ships like the Kraken of legend - it would be too little food for the amount of energy required. It is far more likely that sailors saw the colossal animals and exaggerated stories of size. It is likely that the squid would simply flee from the ship.

The Colossal Squid has the largest eyes in the animal kingdom. They need to be large to see in the depths. Both the giant squid and the colossal squids have hooks on their suckers so as to ensure that prey doesn't escape.

The Colossal Squid also has a unique beak. It can become move between solid like a bone and fluid, like the rest of the body. This allows the squid to move to deeper depths and still effectively kill animals.

Brazilian Wandering Spider

The Brazilian Wandering Spider or the Banana Spider lives in the Amazon rainforest and has the second most dangerous venom of any spider (after Sydney Funnel Web). It likes to seek out dark places for shelter, but hunts aggressively, rather than waiting for prey to come to it. Unfortunately, it likes to hide in banana boxes and has been transported to several places outside of South America such as Northern America and the United Kingdom. It can have a 13cm leg span and has a bad attitude, much like the Sydney Funnel Web. It has an unusual way of striking- it has a shallow bite, but not because it's fangs are small, but because it means that the venom can travel faster through the prey's blood system. It's venom contains a powerful neurotoxin, and another chemical that can lead to males getting an erection lasting for hours, that can lead to impotence.
Just don't forget to check to make sure the bananas you buy aren't being used as a home...

Sydney Funnel Web Spider

Sydney Funnel Web spiders live in Eastern Australia. The male's venom can kill in just 15 minutes and the force of the strike can go through finger and toenails. Within minutes of the bite the victim may suffer muscle spasms, vomiting and swelling of the brain. Their lungs are located on the exterior of their body and can dehydrate quickly. They spend most of their lives in burrows and under rocks, where the air is quite humid. They spin "funnel webs" (Seen above) and when a prey item like a lizard or insect touches the web, it rushes out and quickly kills the prey. It attacks by raising its two front pairs of legs over its head and rearing up, before slamming down with enough power to crush a mouse's skull. Funnel Webs are notoriously bad tempered and will attack rather than flee. The Funnel Web also traps air bubbles on its abdomen so it can survive up to three days under water. The also like to hide in shoes...

Black Mamba

The Black Mamba is called "Black" because of the inky black colour inside of it's mouth

The black mamba is a snake that lives in Africa. It is the longest venomous snake in Africa and the bite, if untreated, has a 100% mortality rate- the highest of any snake. It's bite is also called the "kiss of death." When it strikes it bites repeatedly, injecting multiple doses of venom. The venom is a neuro-cardio toxin, paralysing you and affecting your heart. It can kill in roughly 20 minutes. The black mamba can move at speeds of up to 20km/h on land, and at similar speeds on water. The average human running speed is 13km/h and swimming is 3km/h.  It can grow to 4.5m long making it one of the longest venomous snakes in the world.

Penicillin

Antibiotics are designed to kill bacteria. Perhaps one of the best known antibiotics is penicillin. Penicillin was discovered in 1928 but came into mass production during WWII (1940) this is most likely due to the wounds of soldiers from the war needing antibacterial treatment. Penicillin was discovered when a petri dish that was cultivating bacteria was contaminated and the mould that had grown on the dish had a halo around it where no bacteria were present. It was then known that the mould (Penicillium Notatum) produced an antibacterial chemical named penicillin. There are several different species of Penicillium, but all produce penicillin. Unfortunately due to the overuse of penicillin many bacteria have developed resistances. This increases the urgency in which a new antibiotic chemical needs to be found or synthesised.

Vaccines

Vaccines. The ruthless plot to pacify the population...

Not really. Vaccines are designed to make your immune system find the most efficient ways to kill viruses. Vaccines prevent viruses, while antibiotics treat bacteria. Antibiotics not do work on viruses, increasing the need for vaccines. Vaccines are either:

1. A non-harmful version of the virus strain injected into the body
2. An artificial version of the virus that acts and behaves like the virus, but is not harmful

If your immune system has knowledge of the most efficient ways to kill a virus, it is very unlikely that the virus will cause an infection.

Galapagos Archipelago

The Galapagos Archipelago is located off the Western Coast of South America. It has no permanent buildings on it and is very well known for Charles Darwin formulating his Theory of Evolution Through Natural Selection (coauthored by Albert Wallace) by observing life there.

Galapagos Archipelago Map

Each island has unique flora and fauna. There is a species of iguana that has evolved to dive into the icy cold waters to eat the plants growing underwater. The trees present on the islands are not a true trees but are a species of dandelion that has evolved to reach enormous size due to the lack of competition. Tortoises have also reached astronomical sizes due to the lack of predators. Tortoises are the most common life in the Galapagos Archipelago. Each island has a unique species of tortoise that are specifically evolved to survive in those conditions. There is also a Galapagos Penguin. The Galapagos Penguin came from either Antarctica or Australia and has evolved to suit the conditions found on the islands. As it can travel through water it can and has populated all islands in the Galapagos Archipelago along with Galapagos Iguanas.

The formation of the archipelago is due to a hotspot (a spot in the mantle that is particularly hot and therefore able to push through the crust). Lava pushes through the crust and forms volcanoes. These volcanoes grow as they erupt and soon form islands. As the crust of the earth moves the islands move, but the hotspot does not, leaving a volcanic chain of islands. As the islands move off the hotspot, magma (lava once it has breached crust) stops feeding the volcanoes and they erode quickly. 

-Darwin

Wallace Line

The Wallace Line is a line that separates Asian animal species from Australian animal species. It is named after biologist Alfred Wallace, who coauthored Darwin's Theory of Evolution Through Natural Selection. On the Western side of the line, Asian species of animals are found like monkeys and tigers. On the Australian (Eastern) side of the line, Australian species of animal are found like cassowaries and honey eaters.

-Wallace

Myllokunmingia

Myllokunmingia

All known vertebrates can trace their ancestry back to Myllokunmingia, which is thought to be the first animal with vertebrae. This creature is a primitive example of a fish. These fish are thought to have an advantage over other life (invertebrates) due to increased mobility and non-brittle armour. They eventually evolved into amphibians, which had the ability to go onto land, but had to stay near water. These amphibians evolved into reptiles, which were not confined to stay near water all the time as the amphibians were. These reptiles evolved into dinosaurs, mammals and birds.

-Darwin