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GARDEN SECRETS
Discover bees’ favourite plants
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Why birds need our help
Recruit a ladybird army
ELECTRIC
ANIMALS
EELS
CRABS
OKAPIS
DASSIES
ECHIDNAS
The top 10 high-voltage creatures
SHOULD WE
GO VEGAN?
Issue 059
ANIMAL
BLUNDERS
HOW CHIMPS
BUILD NESTS
TIME TO SAVE
SOME ASS
BOW TO THE
SERPENT KING
SPECIES
THAT SHINE
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Welcome
Zara Gaspar
Editor
Follow us at…
Lauren Debono-Elliot
Senior Designer
As a pescatarian and
foodie, I was really
interested to read about
the meat and dairy
industry this issue. The
vegan debate (p.32) gave
me a lot to think about.
Charlie Ginger
Production Editor
Dotty and I oten pass
donkeys on our walks, but
I hadn’t appreciated just
how important they are
in the developing world.
Learn about these vital
animals on page 84.
IR
3 things we learnt this issue...
The king cobra is the longest venomous snake.
An electric eel can discharge a 650-volt shock.
Chimps build a new nest every night.
@WorldAnimalsMag
worldofanimalsmag
Victoria Williams
Staf Writer
The duck-billed platypus
has a cousin that’s
every bit as strange and
fascinating – allow me to
introduce the egg-laying
echidna of Australia
(page 54).
© Getty; billberryphotography
With spring in full bloom, what
better time of year to get out
in the garden? In this issue, we
discover the secrets to attracting
wildlife to your yard and the
beneits of creating a green
haven. We’ll also be celebrating
the wonders of our planet,
from the animals that shine to the species that use
electricity. We’ve even added in an animal blunders
gallery for laughs!
However, we mustn’t forget it’s not all fun. Sadly,
we said goodbye to the last male northern white
rhino last month, so this issue’s Explore the Earth
features the best spots to see rhinos. We will also
take a look at the vegan debate. Will it inspire you
to adopt a meat-free diet? Let us know!
Meet the team…
3
What’s inside...
06 Amazing animals
12 The shocking truth
Discover the species that
use electricity to survive
18 Garden secrets
Find out how to attract
wildlife to your back yard
24 19 fearsome
king cobra facts
Meet the world’s longest
venomous snake
26 Conserving the
Madagascan
pochard
How Durrell is helping to
protect this rare diving duck
31 Strange relations
Did you know the hyrax
is related to the elephant?
32 The vegan debate
Would going vegan help to
save the planet?
38 Animal blunders
The funniest things animals
get up to in the wild
44 Let it shine!
Admire the most incredible
iridescent animals
52 Animal architects
How do chimpanzees
build their nests?
62 Animated animals
How similar are animations
to their real-life counterparts?
Subscribe to
WOA now
64 Explore the
Earth: rhinos
Head over to
page 92 for
great deals!
The best spots across the globe
to see these graceful unicorns
72 Wildlife of a
black smoker
Meet the inhabitants of
hydrothermal vents
78 Okapis
Uncover the mystery behind
these forest giraffes
84 Conserving
donkeys
How can endangered wild
donkeys be saved?
90 Behind the lens
Ripan Biswas shows us how
to photograph wildlife under
starry skies
94 Readers’ Q&A
96 Bizarre: The
piglet squid
Meet the upside-down squid
that always looks pleased to
see you
98 Quiz
NEXT ISSUE
ON SALE 07/06/18
Test your animal knowledge!
84
54 All about
the echidna
Meet the wizards of Oz!
THE IUCN RED LIST
Throughout World of Animals you will see symbols like
the ones you see here. These are from the IUCN Red
List of Threatened Species, the most comprehensive
inventory of the global conservation status of animal
species in the world. Here’s what they mean:
EXTINCT
EXTINCT IN THE WILD
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
ENDANGERED
VULNERABLE
NEAR THREATENED
LEAST CONCERN
4
44
“Ladybirds guzzle greenflies like
there’s no tomorrow. Introducing
these insects is a natural remedy”
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32
editor’s pick
The vegan debate in this
issue is of particular
interest to me, and
because of it I’ve decided
to go meat free at least
one day a week
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The amazing world of animals
6
© Bragi Ingibergsson/Solent News/REX/Shutterstock
The amazing world of animals
This Icelandic horse looks like someone just told
a great joke, but it’s demonstrating an action
that’s rare among herbivorous mammals: yawning
Horses regularly yawn, but it doesn’t always mean that they’re tired.
Scientists have studied wild and domestic horses and think that yawns
are triggered as a response to stress, excitement and changes in their
social situation. Individual horses difer in how oten they yawn, but on
average stallions appear to yawn much more oten.
7
© Nathan Prostamo/Solent News/REX/Shutterstock
The amazing world of animals
She may not know about the heart shape she’s
creating, but this whale is well aware of the effort
she’s putting into helping her offspring
This whale showing her love is a mother migrating with her young calf.
Each autumn, humpbacks can be seen making the journey between cold
waters in the north to their warm breeding grounds in the Pacific Ocean.
These whales have one of the longest migrations of any mammal,
covering thousands of kilometres every year.
8
© Scott Osborne/Solent News/REX/Shutterstock
The amazing world of animals
Despite their best efforts, time is running out
for the minnows caught in the huge beak of this
hungry Australian pelican
The Australian pelican has the longest recorded bill of any bird in the
world, and it puts it to very good use. Large fish are grabbed with the tip
of the bill and then thrown into the air before they’re swallowed, while an
expandable throat pouch allows pelicans to scoop up several small fish
at once and guzzle them down.
9
The amazing world of animals
10
There are edible parts somewhere under the
carapace of a spider crab, so gulls are willing to
deal with the pincers and the crunchy bits
Even with their hard, spiny shells, spider crabs still look tasty to several
predators, so they attach seaweed, algae and bits of shell to their bodies
to try and camouflage themselves and avoid becoming somebody’s
lunch. If they’re spotted they’ll wave their pincers above their heads to try
and deter their attackers. Sadly for this crab, that method hasn’t worked.
© Jim Moffett/Solent News/REX/Shutterstock
The amazing world of animals
11
SHOCK
HORROR!
10 animals that use electricity
From the quirky platypus to the humble bee,
a variety of animals use electricity to power
up their wild lifestyles
Words Matt Ayres
12
10 animals that use electricity
Electric eels can
produce a killer shock
It’s probably the most famous
animal to use electricity, but the
electric eel isn’t an eel at all. This
shocking river dweller belongs to
the knifeish family and it lurks in
the muddy waters of the Amazon
and Orinoco basins of South
America, where its electric abilities
come in handy for navigating the
murky environment.
Electric eels are capable of
producing more than 600 volts
of electricity – that’s ive times
the voltage of an average wall
socket. Most of the ish’s body is
dedicated to producing electricity,
with only the front 20 per cent of
its serpent-like anatomy containing
vital organs.
Most of this creature’s electrical
output is expelled in low-voltage
pulses, which are used to detect
the world around it (electric eels
are more or less blind, so they use
their electrical abilities in a similar
way to bats’ echolocation). It also
uses its electricity to stun and kill
smaller ish. On rare occasions,
humans have drowned after being
shocked by an electric eel, a jolt
that is said to be strong enough to
knock a horse off its feet.
“Electric eels are capable of
producing more than 600 volts”
How electric eels hunt
This fish is an expert at using electricity to its advantage
When it
spots prey an
electric eel
will discharge
shocks of up
to 650V.
© Frank W Lane/FLPA
Stunned by the
shock, smaller
fish are unable
to escape the
predator’s final
lethal assault.
13
Shock horror!
How a platypus
uses its bill
This evolutionary oddball
employs electric receptors
to find food underwater
The platypus uses
its bill to dig for food
at the bottom of
streams and ponds.
The bill’s electroreceptors
create a map in the platypus’
brain, showing it where live
prey can be located.
Platypuses find food using their electric bills
The platypus is a truly bizarre
creature. Not only are these
Australian critters weird to look at
with their duck-like bills and beaverlike tails (so odd, in fact, that the
scientists who discovered them
thought they were being tricked with
an elaborate hoax), they’re also some
of the only mammals to lay eggs. This
14
ability puts them into the monotreme
family along with their cousins, the
echidnas. But one of the platypus’
strangest quirks isn’t so obvious.
For years, researchers were
befuddled as to how the semiaquatic creatures ind their food
underwater, particularly considering
the fact that they close their eyes,
ears and nostrils while swimming.
By analysing the creature’s bill they
realised that the platypus’ signature
accessory isn’t just for show – the
digging beak contains over 40,000
electrical receptors, which are used
to detect the tiniest movements of
prey and locate living creatures with
remarkable accuracy.
10 animals that use electricity
Studies have shown
that sharks can detect
an electric current as
weak as one-billionth
of a volt
A shark’s sense of smell is incredibly
acute, capable of snifing out a single
teaspoon of blood in an area of water
the size of a swimming pool. But
incredible smelling abilities aren’t the
shark’s only skill: they also use electricity
to detect their prey, scoping out meals
by using receptors on their heads.
These receptors have a rather catchy
name – ampullae of Lorenzini – and
they’re key to the shark’s hunting
strategy, allowing them to sense
electricity 10,000 times more effectively
than other animals.
When a shark has determined that a
meal must be nearby through its super
© D. Parer &, E. Parer-Cook/Minden Pictures/FLPA; Getty/
Jonathan Bird; Pete Orelup; dennisvdw
Sharks use electricity as a sixth sense
scent, it will use its electrical sensors like
a radar to scan the area until it locates
the tiny electrical ields produced by
all living creatures. It doesn’t matter
whether the prey is buried in sand or
hidden by rocks – by using electricity
the shark leaves its victims with
nowhere to hide.
Oriental hornets possess
built-in solar panels
The only surface a
gecko can’t stick to
is Teflon. However, if
water is applied then
geckos can adhere to it
Geckos cling to walls using static electricity
It’s long been thought that geckos are
able to climb vertical walls due to a
phenomenon known as van der Waals
forces, which involves intermolecular
interactions between hairs on the lizard’s
feet and the surface it’s walking on.
However, in recent years some scientists
have begun to question this theory, instead
positing that the gecko’s spider-like abilities
are actually caused by static electricity.
Contact electrification could be at play: this
would mean that when the gecko’s toe
pads are stuck to the wall, they become
positively charged with electricity, while
the wall’s surface becomes negatively
charged, keeping the reptile stuck to it.
Think insects are boring? The oriental hornet serves as a reminder that
mini beasts have more going on than most people realise. These wasplike creatures are particularly active when the Sun is at its most intense,
which is an odd characteristic for hornets considering they usually sleep
during the bright hours. By analysing its exoskeleton,
scientists learned something remarkable: the
oriental hornet’s brown and yellow stripes
act as solar panels, converting the Sun’s
energy into electricity. The brown
stripes trap sunlight, while the
yellow ones convert it into
electric power.
No one’s quite sure what
the hornets use their
electricity for. Some
believe it aids their
metabolism, some
think it helps them
to regulate their
body temperature,
and others believe
the electrical boost
might give their
wing muscles extra
power for flight.
RIGHT This hornet
occurs in Southeast Asia,
North Africa, Madagascar,
Israel and southern Europe
15
Shock horror!
Bees and flowers
communicate via
electric signals
As well as being able to
use electricity, bees are
also capable of learning
and then passing on
new skills
We’ve known for a long time that bees are
attracted to the bright colours and sweet
smells of lower blooms, but it’s only relatively
recently that scientists have learned of a less
obvious method that lowers use to attract
the pollinating insects: electricity.
Flowers use electricity to communicate
with bees about their nectar reserves,
enabling the insects to choose the best plants
to feed at. By emitting a negative charge
when bees ly near, the positively charged
bugs detect an electrical signal, which
advertises the lower’s potential for food.
How bees use electricity
Co-evolution between bees and flowers has
led to this amazing method of communication
The electrical
signal from a flower
increases as a bee
approaches it.
40
30
20
10
The signal is strongest
when the bee lands on
the flower and decreases
when it leaves.
0
-10
0
20
This territorial fish is
nocturnal and can grow
to a maximum length
of 22.5cm (8.9in)
40
60
80
100
120
Elephantnose ish scan
the riverbed using
electric currents
That’s not a trunk hanging from the elephantnose
fish’s face. Despite the confusing name, the facial
appendage is actually an elongated chin known as a
Schnauzenorgan. It’s used a bit like a metal detector,
swept back and forth over the muddy African
riverbed until a tasty morsel is found.
This organ works by emitting an electrical field,
which is modified when an object enters it. The
clever fish can determine whether items it detects
are alive or dead, enabling it to locate live prey.
“Its chin is used a
bit like a metal
detector, swept
over the riverbed”
16
10 animals that use electricity
Stargazers can stun their
prey with electric shocks
Being able to shoot electricity
from your eyes may sound like
a superpower, but it’s how the
stargazer hunts for its food.
This rather ugly ish’s name refers
to the fact that it has eyes on the
top of its head. Some species of
stargazer also have an electric
organ in their eye muscles. The
camoulaged ish hides in mud and
uses its upward-gazing eyes to scan
the area for potential meals. When
a creature comes close enough
the stargazer zaps it with a strong
electric current, paralysing it before
snapping it up in its ierce jaws.
Spiders build
electrically charged
webs to catch insects
Everyone knows that spider webs are sticky – it’s how
the eight-legged predators catch flies and other bugs. Yet
there’s more to the spider’s intricate creation; researchers
have discovered that the arachnids conduct static electricity
across the surface of their webs. This not only helps to
ensnare small insects, it also actively attracts them.
Bees and other flying insects produce a positive charge
due to the fast movements of their wings, which causes
them to naturally gravitate towards the electrostatic surface
of a spider’s web.
The web bends towards the insect as it approaches; its
static surface causes it to change shape as charged objects
approach, making it more difficult for flying bugs to evade
their grisly fate. However, some scientists have suggested
that the trick can backfire: by detecting the static surface
of a web, insects may be alerted to a spider’s presence,
helping them to avoid becoming ensnared and then eaten.
Guiana dolphins
track down fish
using electricity
Like sharks, Guiana dolphins have a
remarkable sixth sense that relies on
electricity. When they’re born the cetaceans
have whiskers on their snouts. These
eventually fall out to reveal electricitydetecting pores known as vibrissal crypts.
Upon detecting an electrical field emitted
by a fish, shrimp or another of the dolphin’s
favourite foods, nerves carry the sensory
information to the dolphin’s brain and allow
it to locate the prey. It’s thought that other
toothed whales may also have this ability.
© Getty; Sumiko Scott; ullstein bild; atese; Jaim Simoes Oliveira
The Guiana dolphin is
found in waters along
the Atlantic coasts
of Central and South
America, sometimes
in groups of 20 or 30
17
GARDEN
SECRETS
Discover the secrets to attract a whole
host of animals to the edge between
our suburban lives and the vast
open wilderness
Words Amy Grisdale
18
Garden secrets
Like humans, animals have speciic tastes and
needs. Gardens provide food, water and shelter for an
enormous number of animal species. Homeowners can
pick and choose which creatures they would most like
to attract based on what they would like to see and
what animals are most in need. As more and more of
the planet is swallowed up by concrete, let your back
garden become a haven for animals that might struggle
to survive elsewhere.
“Animals have specific needs. Gardens provide food,
water and shelter for an enormous number of species”
BELOW Seven-spot ladybirds only
live for one year but are able to eat
over 5,000 aphids in that time
Get ladybirds to do
your gardening for you
Allow nature to sort out your greenly infestation by
granting ladybirds access to your greenery
Aphids are sap-sucking bugs that
cause plants to droop, grow incorrectly
and even develop harmful mould.
Tulips, tomatoes and strawberry
plants can even succumb to viruses
transmitted by aphids, but if you’re
serious about gardening there’s an easy
solution: ladybirds
These little critters guzzle greenlies
like there’s no tomorrow. Introducing
these appealing insects is a natural
remedy that would otherwise call for
harmful chemicals like deltamethrin, a
known toxin to humans and animals.
Other than pesky insects like
aphids, ladybirds like to eat the pollen
of certain lowers. Plant marigolds,
angelica and fennel to feed the
ladybirds, and introduce cabbage
and radishes as ‘decoy’ plants for the
aphids to target until the ladybirds
arrive in large enough numbers. These
predatory beetles are able to pick up
chemical cues from aphids, snifing out
their alarm pheromone. They can even
sense olfactory cues released by plants
that are under attack by greenly.
If you have an aphid infestation that
is out of control or has leaked indoors,
it is possible to order larval ladybirds
from reputable online outlets. This
should be a last resort, as ordering
living creatures from the internet could
be considered ethically questionable.
© Shutterstock; Frantisek Dulik
Everyone has a checklist when choosing a property. We
all want the right number of bedrooms, a fully equipped
kitchen and, of course, a garden. That patch of grass can
serve as a summer playground, an outdoor restaurant
and even a private tanning salon (for as long as the
summer lasts). But your yard can serve a far greater
purpose. There are countless simple methods that will
enable you to turn your property into two homes – one
for you and one for wildlife.
19
Garden secrets
Awaken to the dawn
chorus as songbirds
ill the ields with
tuneful whistling
Attracting birds to your garden brings
a lurry of colourful activity to the
greenery, as well as giving wild animals
a safe home
The song inside each bird is hard-wired, and even birds
raised in isolation somehow learn the lyrics to their species’
music. This means it is critically important for these animals
to sing, and your garden can be their stage.
Researchers have revealed that bird brains are
comparable to those of humans. Our capability of learning
language in infancy is very similar to how birds receive
and interpret complex sounds. This remarkable feat of
evolution is designed to attract mates in order to continue
their lineage.
Offering your garden as a feeding and nesting site
provides shelter and safety for birds and allows them to
thrive in an ever-increasing urban environment. Nest boxes
and bird tables are all that are needed, and providing a
wide range of bird-friendly foods ensures your garden
visitors will return.
“The song inside each bird
is hard-wired. This means
it is critically important for
these animals to sing”
Sow the seeds
Cater to the bird species you’re most interested in sheltering in your garden
Sunflower seeds are a fantastic allround food for birds like nuthatches.
If possible, find sunflower hearts with
the shells removed to prevent birds
from injuring their beaks.
20
Goldfinches absolutely love exotic
nyjer seeds and may take up
permanent residence in your garden if
you continue to provide their favourite
food on a regular basis.
High-fat peanuts are ideal food for
woodpeckers. These should be
shelled and unsalted in order to lure
species like the beautifully coloured
greater-spotted woodpecker.
Mealworms come live or dried
and are a favourite among birds,
especially robins. Put them out in
winter to help the birds get through
the cold season.
Steel-cut oats are an energy-packed
treat for wrens. These tiny brown
birds are some of the smallest in the
UK and are frequent visitors to many
people’s gardens.
Garden secrets
Let bats be low-cost
insect exterminators
Though creepy crawlies may be repulsive to
some, many bats eat little else and keep the
insect population under control
Common pipistrelles
emerge around 20 minutes
after sunset. The most
widespread bat in Europe
hunts winged insects
like lies and mosquitoes
using echolocation. Their
high-pitched chirps fall just
within the human hearing
range, and many garden-
owners are unaware of the
bats’ presence. You may
choose to erect a bat box,
but it isn’t necessary to
house bats in your back
yard. Pipistrelles roost in
small groups in trees and
small hollows, so it’s likely
you already have a fully
furnished bat cave.
“Pipistrelles’ high-pitched
chirps fall just within the
human hearing range”
© Getty
Common pipistrelles have
a wingspan of 20cm (7.9in)
and weigh 3–8g (0.1–0.3oz)
21
Garden secrets
Save the bees, save the world
Bees pollinate an enormous number of plants that we humans rely
on, but if we don’t take action soon they could disappear for good
Honeybees can make 40 foraging
lights every day, and a single bee can
pollinate 2,000 lowers in a 24-hour
period. They are able to follow their
strong sense of smell towards rich
sources of nectar hidden within lowers.
As the bee enters, sticky pollen
attaches to its legs and body. When it
then visits another plant of the same
species the pollen makes contact with
a new stigma, allowing the plant to
reproduce. Plants are in competition
with one another. Flowers with the
greatest nectar and most eye-catching
colours attract the most insects.
An estimated 75 per cent of crops
humans cultivate would deplete in
the case of bee extinction, so we owe
them an awful lot. Luckily, there are a
few ways we can thank them. Planting
a wildlower meadow is a low-cost
method of providing for bees in your
garden. Bluebells, foxgloves and
clovers are all great lowers to support
them, and they all grow well without
extensive gardening. Avoid pesticides
at all costs, and try to keep your
garden limited to mostly native plants,
as exotic lowers may not be suitable
for the pollinators on your property.
“Planting a wildlower
meadow is a lowcost method of
providing for bees”
22
A worker bee will produce
around 1/12th of a
teaspoon of honey during
its entire lifetime
Garden secrets
Help hedgehogs recover
from a 50 per cent decline
A hedgehog
has around 5,000 spines
on its back, with each one
lasting for around a year
In the absence of their native hedgerows, it’s up to us to
provide these struggling mammals with a new home
are perfect cover. Keeping
a compost heap, piling up
logs or even splashing out
on a hedgehog house are all
steps in the right direction. It’s
also important to clear nets
from the ground to prevent
entanglement and provide
escape routes from deep water.
If you want to provide food,
mealworms and dedicated
hedgehog food are perfect
options. Bread and milk cause
dehydration, so plain water is
more than enough.
Five things you can do to attract animals to your garden
Birds
Whether you choose a two-metre
(6.6-foot) monstrosity or make your
own, a bird feeder provides for all
avian visitors to your property. Put out
a wide variety of seeds, nuts and fruit.
Bees
A few packets of seed mix and a patch
of soil are all you need to make a
miniature meadow. Use a fine mesh
to stop birds from snatching up the
seeds before they have time to grow.
Hedgehogs
Bird and small mammals
Creating corridors for wildlife
If you don’t live close to a natural
prevents animals from getting stuck
source of fresh water, provide a
in one place and allows them to travel birdbath or ground-level dish of water.
to find water, alternative food sources Not only can animals take a drink, but
and reproductive partners.
birds can bathe in times of drought.
Birds and rodents
Cats are popular pets, but they can
have a devastating effect on fauna
and have been known to drive species
to extinction. Make sure your cat has
a loud bell to announce its presence.
© Jerzy Strzelecki; Getty; Sumiko Scott; Alexander Prechtl / EyeEm; It’s A Breeze Photography; Barbara Rich; Blerina Zela
It only takes a hedgehog three
months to rid the average UK
garden of slugs – all they need
is the opportunity. Hedgerows
once snaked across the UK as
natural barriers for livestock.
However, since the rapid decline
of the hedgehog’s namesake
habitat, this spiny mammal is in
desperate need of shelter from
predators such as hawks.
The good news is that
doing less gardening is great
for hedgehogs, as large
hedges and bramble patches
23
19
Fearsome
facts
King cobra
In the dense forests of southern Asia lives a huge,
venomous snake with an even bigger reputation
1. Their hiss is more
like a low growl
2. They’re famous
for their bite
Before striking, an aggravated king
cobra will spread its hood and raise
a third of its body off the ground
so that it towers over whatever has
upset it. It then emits a low growling
sound like an angry dog by quickly
exhaling and forcing a blast of air
out through its respiratory tract. An
air cyst called a tracheal diverticula
in the tract acts as a resonating
chamber to amplify the hiss.
If a king cobra can’t scare off
an enemy it will resort to biting,
injecting up to a teaspoon and
a half of venom. The dosage
delivered makes up for the fact that
the venom is less potent than that
of some other species. It rapidly
affects the nervous system, blurring
vision and causing drowsiness and
paralysis. A large dose of venom
can kill a person in 30 minutes.
3. They’re snake-eating snakes
While the true cobras all belong to the
genus Naja, the king cobra is thought to be
more closely related to mambas. It’s the
sole member of the genus Ophiophagus,
which is Greek for ‘snake-eating’.
4. They’re crowned with
a pattern of scales
The name ‘king cobra’ comes from the 11
large scales forming the image of a crown
on top of the snake’s head.
5. The king cobra is the world’s
longest venomous snake. Adults are
usually three to four metres (9.8–13.1 feet)
long, but lengths over 5.5 metres (18 feet)
have been reported.
24
6. Babies are instantly
deadly killers
King cobra hatchlings
measure around 45–55
centimetres (17.7–21.6
inches) long. They’re
covered in a pattern of
bands that fade as they
grow. Although they
can’t strike with the force
of their parents, their
venom is just as potent.
7. Prey gets
swallowed whole
Like all snakes, king
cobras have very flexible
jaws and are able to
swallow prey larger than
their own heads. The jaw
bones are connected by
stretchy ligaments, so
the lower jaw can move
much more freely than in
other animals.
King cobra
8. Females are
dedicated mothers
Almost all female egg-laying snakes abandon
their clutches immediately, but the king
cobra is different. A female will spend hours
dragging leaves into a pile before laying
21–40 eggs (nests of 70 have been found).
The clutch is covered with more leaves, which
provide warmth as they decompose, then the
mother settles down on top of the nest. She
remains there for three months, going without
food and defending her young. Then, just as
they begin to hatch, she leaves.
9. Courageous
predators hunt them
Their venom makes them extremely
dangerous, but there are predators brave
enough to try and make a meal of king
cobras. Crocodiles, colonies of army ants,
civets and mongooses eat the young, and
mongooses continue to hunt them into
adulthood. They are able to do this as they’re
resistant to the cobra’s venom due to an
evolutionary quirk that means their cells are
the wrong shape for the venom to
latch onto.
10. In most snake species
females grow to larger sizes
than the males. Unusually,
it’s the other way round in
king cobras.
11. With such an effective
hunting method and few
natural predators, king
cobras have an average
lifespan in the wild of
17–20 years.
12. If you’re ever unlucky
enough to ind yourself in
the company of multiple
king cobras then collective
nouns probably won’t be
on your mind, but in case
you’re wondering, a group
of cobras is called a quiver.
13. Not every bite from a
cobra carries the chance of
death – they’re capable of
delivering a ‘dry bite’, biting
with their fangs but not
injecting any venom.
14. It’s not music that gets
them moving
With its impressive hood, the
king cobra is the favourite
among snake charmers. It
can’t actually hear the music
being played as it can only pick
up vibrations in the ground and
is deaf to sounds travelling
through air, but it still dances to
rhythm because it follows the
movement of the instrument.
16. They’re most
often found sliding
along the ground, but
king cobras will climb
trees and even swim short
distances in their pursuit
of prey.
17. Unlike true cobras, king
cobras are active during the
day. At night they prefer to
find a sheltered spot and
tuck themselves away.
19. Living up
to their scientiic
18. Male king cobras ight
name, king cobras over
females by wrestling,
mostly eat other snakes. When twisting around each other
and trying to pin their
snakes aren’t available, they’ll turn opponent
to the ground.
to rodents, birds and other reptiles for food. There’s very little biting
because they have
Their slow metabolism means that a large meal involved
a high resistance to their
will keep them going for several months.
own venom.
25
© Thinkstock; Getty; Matthijs Kuijpers; AFP Stringer; Malcolm Schuyl / Alamy
15. They’re not looking for a ight
While they look ferocious, king cobras
are actually very shy and try to avoid
confrontation. They slither away at
the sound of approaching humans and
only attack if there’s no other option.
Few people are ever bitten, and most
victims are snake handlers.
PROTECTING THE
MADAGASCAR
POCHARD
The thick jungle of Madagascar holds
many mysteries, and it hid a little group
of ducks so well that everyone thought
the species was gone for good
Words Victoria Williams
On a complex of four small, volcanic lakes in northwest
Madagascar live 25 Madagascar pochards. These ducks
don’t know it, but they’re the only wild members of one of
the most endangered species on the planet and the focus
of a determined conservation effort.
Madagascar pochards are diving ducks endemic,
unsurprisingly, to the African island of Madagascar.
Females are fairly plain, but the males are easily identiied
by their striking white eyes. These ducks are fairly
sedentary and largely solitary, preferring to stay in one
place and living alone or occasionally in a pair. While
dabbling ducks feed on plants and invertebrates in
shallow water, diving ducks head well below the surface
to hunt for food. Some diving ducks catch ish, but
Madagascar pochards live largely on aquatic insects.
26
© Getty; JR Leyland
Protecting the Madagascar pochard
27
Protecting the Madagascar pochard
Madagascar
pochard, or
Madagascar
white-eye
Aythya innotata
class Aves
territory Northern
Madagascar
diet Aquatic plants, insects,
molluscs
Lifespan Unknown, at least 8
years in captivity
adult weight 650g (23oz)
conservation status
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
BELOW The captive breeding, led
by programme manager Floriot
Randrianarimangason, aims to
restore the pochard population
28
Members of the genus Aythya, pochards are spread
across the world, but the Madagascan species is the
only one to occupy Sub-Saharan Africa and the indian
ocean, so its disappearance would be a great loss to the
biodiversity of the area. the rapid decline in their numbers
throughout the last century has allowed them to duck
under the radar more than once. Dr h. glyn Young is head
of birds at Durrell Wildlife conservation trust and has
been involved with the pochard since 1989, so he’s the
perfect person to explain the species’ predicament.
“the Madagascar pochard has only really been known
from one area of Madagascar – Lake Alaotra, where
it was described as common in the 1920s – but it has
not been recorded at Alaotra since 1960. it was likely
more widespread on the high plateau and in eastern
Madagascar before the irst people came to the island but
not recorded before the arrival of europeans.
“the reason for the decline is unclear but must be
considered to be from widespread habitat modiication
following the arrival of humans (deforestation and siltation,
conversion of shallow lakes to rice culture) and maybe
natural climate change and aridiication.
“Since the 1920s there has been widespread
introduction of exotic ish species, including carp, which
affect water quality, and cichlids, which have impacted
biodiversity in the lakes. Siltation, pollution, exotic ish
and ash from ires have generally made lakes and other
wetlands poor places for waterbirds.
“We irst became involved in 1989 when i went out
to Madagascar at the invitation of ornithologist olivier
Langrand, then of WWF Aires Protégées in Madagascar.
With a partner from the Wildfowl & Wetlands trust
(WWt) and two local university students, we spent most
of two months scouring Alaotra by dugout canoe but
found no pochards.
“i established a long-term project on Madagascar’s
endemic dabbling ducks (the Madagascar teal and Meller’s
duck), which included establishing captive populations,
undertaking research and establishing a ield programme
within our local presence, Durrell Madagascar.
“During this ield programme, which was effectively
established around 1990, we continued to look for the
pochard, especially following the somewhat enigmatic
discovery of a single bird in 1991, and i spent further time
at Alaotra in 2000.”
everything then went quiet after the single male was
caught, and the species was reclassiied on the iUcn red
List as Possibly extinct as it was assumed to have died
out. Years later, however, reports arrived of new sightings.
glyn was one of the irst to hear of the pochard’s return.
“With numerous publications on Madagascar’s wildfowl
and a good international reputation, i was contacted
in 2006 to identify the photos of wild pochards that
conirmed ‘rediscovery’, and i was immediately lown
out to assess the situation with the tiny population. With
a colleague from WWt, i looked for further pochards
Protecting the Madagascar pochard
BELOW
RIGHT Many
Madagascan
lakes are now
unsuitable for
the pochards
because of
human activity
in north Madagascar in 2007, and in 2009 Durrell, the
Peregrine Fund (who rediscovered the pochard) and
the government of Madagascar invited WWt to join in
establishing the project Saving the Madagascar Pochard.”
At the time of their rediscovery, there were just nine
adults and four ducklings. With such a small population,
the remaining pochards were in desperate need of some
help if they were to survive. the species was given legal
protection, and a captive breeding programme was set up
to boost their numbers.
“in 2009, Durrell and WWt collected 24 eggs from wild
pochards to establish a captive population at a purposebuilt facility in Antsohihy, Madagascar. the irst duckling
bred by this population hatched in 2011, and we now hold
82 birds. A second facility, which can be visited and acts in
part as an interpretation centre, was opened in Antsohihy
in 2017 by the President of Madagascar and hrh Princess
Anne (Durrell’s patron). Both facilities are staffed and
managed on the ground by Durrell with local staff and a
management team from Jersey and WWt.”
thanks to the effort and dedication of all the
organisations involved, things are looking up for the
Madagascar pochard. the population should begin to
grow soon, as ducks bred in captivity will be released onto
the lakes to join their wild relatives. this is a crucial and
exciting stage of the conservation plan, as glyn explains.
“We are jointly planning with WWt the release of
captive-bred pochards at Lake Soia in north Madagascar
later this year. WWt and Durrell have undertaken a Darwin
initiative-funded programme at Lake Soia in partnership
“We spent most of two
months scouring Alaotra
by dugout canoe but
found no pochards”
© H G Young; Durrell
RIGHT Male
Madagascar
pochards have
distinctive
white eyes,
while females’
are brown
29
Protecting the Madagascar pochard
Lake Alaotra is
the largest lake in
Madagascar and
used to be teeming
with rare and
endangered animals
© freevectormaps.com; NASA
with the local communities – establishing Sustainable
Management of the Lake Soia catchment Madagascar.
the release will be very innovative and involve the use of
loating aviaries on the lake to hold birds pre-release and
let them acclimatise before they are allowed out. We plan
to take freshly hatched ducklings from the captive facilities
in Antsohihy to Lake Soia, where they will be reared and
released around ledging.
“Durrell and WWt will jointly undertake this very
exciting project that will involve local people too. the
captive-rearing facilities in Antsohihy will continue to breed
birds for release and to maintain a safe captive population.
hopefully people will visit the interpretation centre and
learn about the project for many years.”
the conservation project seems to be progressing
well, and there are ambitious plans in place for the
future. Saving the Madagascar Pochard has published
an action plan for the species, and its foreword elegantly
summarises the reason why so many people have put in
so many hours trying to secure a stable future for a little
population of ducks: “the Madagascar pochard project
revives our hope for a better future for the unique and
marvellous biodiversity of Madagascar.”
“the release will be very
innovative and involve the
use of loating aviaries”
30
Escape to the lakes
The Madagascar pochard is limited to just four
volcanic lakes in the north of the island
Madagascar
Current range
St range relation
s
King of the swingers
The unlikelieST couSinS
The hyrax would it comfortably in the footprint of its closest land-dwelling relative
Rock hyRax
Watching them scamper around
their rocky habitat, it would be easy
to assume that hyraxes are most
closely related to rodents. The four
species – the rock hyrax, the yellowspotted rock hyrax, the western
tree hyrax and the southern tree
hyrax – actually belong to the clade
Paenungulata, which incredibly
also includes the elephants and
the sirenians (or ‘sea cows’). The
ancestors of these hugely different
species diverged from a common
ancestor millions of years ago, with
some heading for water while the
rest stayed on land.
Elephants found their niche by
becoming the giants we know
today, but hyraxes (also known
as dassies) stayed small and kept
themselves safe by hiding from
danger between rocks. They look
a little clumsy, but they’re able to
climb trees in search of food.
Despite their size difference, the
two still have things in common;
they both have thick pads on their
feet and a pair of sharp teeth; they
Procavia capensis
have good hearing and complex
communication; and they live in
large herds. Up to 80 hyraxes can
live together, taking turns to watch
for trouble so that others can rest;
they can’t thermoregulate fully so
they’re active mostly in the morning
and evening.
When they call to each other
they use over 20 distinct sounds,
and scientists have discovered
that the structure and order of the
vocalisations is important – a rare
trait among mammals.
class Mammalia
Territory Africa and the
Middle East
Diet Leaves, insects, fruit, bird
eggs, lizards
Lifespan 8–12 years
adult weight 2.3–5.4kg
(5–12lb)
conservation Status
LEAST CONCERN
Afrotheria
Paenungulata
Different diets
These relatives have very
different diets. Hyraxes are
omnivores, eating leaves,
insects, bird eggs, fruit and even
lizards, while elephants and
sirenians are strictly herbivorous.
From feet to lippers
The legs of the common ancestor
evolved into flippers and a tail in
the sirenians, but the structure
of the bones inside remains very
similar to those in the feet of the
elephants and hyraxes.
Temperature control
Elephants’ large ears and thick skin help
them to avoid overheating, but hyraxes are
furry and can’t control their temperature
very well, so they have to avoid spending
too much time in direct sunlight.
© Mike Lane/Alamy; Getty/abadonian
hyracoidea
Procaviidae (hyrax)
Sirenia
Proboscidea
elephantidae
(elephant and
mammoth)
Branching out
Paenungulata means ‘almost
ungulates’. Ungulates are members
of a large group of mammals
including horses, giraffes, hippos,
cows and sheep. Genetic analysis
confirmed that sirenians, elephants
and hyraxes are closer to each
other than to the ungulates, which
suggests that their clade was one
of the first to diverge from the
earliest placental mammals.
Tethytheria
Trichechidae
(Sea cows)
Dugongidae
(Dugongs)
31
WARNING!
Graphic images
that readers may
find upsetting
Are meat and dairy destroying the planet and
the animals within it? Amy Pay looks at the
industries from the perspective of animals and
the people whose livelihoods rely on them
Words Amy Pay
Something remarkable has happened in the food
industry over the last few decades that shows no signs
of stopping: the march of veganism. The meteoric surge
in this relatively new way of eating isn’t the result of one
single catalyst, but more the consequence of a number
of factors. Nearly a third of British people have cut
down their consumption of meat since a World Health
Organisation report issued in late 2015 conirmed the links
between eating processed meat and developing certain
types of cancers.
Another big driver behind the rise in veganism is the
increased amount of information, and thereby public
awareness, that has come about as a result of various
documentaries and undercover reports into the realities
of meat and dairy farming. When this is combined with
the power of social media, celebrity vegans and global
vegan campaigns, an incredibly strong mix develops into
a compelling argument. Or does it?
There are, after all, two sides to the story of veganism,
and many meat eaters have posited numerous, similarly
well-structured counter-arguments in support of their
choice of diet. As with almost anything in life, there are
pros and cons to both sides.
32
The vegan debate
10 reasons
to go vegan
Not sure what all the fuss is
about when it comes to ditching
meat and dairy?
1. Rearing livestock for consumption
requires far more land, water and
energy than is required to produce
the equivalent amount of plant-based
foods, such as grains and vegetables.
2. Animal agriculture is responsible
for 18 per cent of greenhouse gas
emissions. That’s more than the total
emissions from all transport.
3. The meat industry and the ishing
industry contribute highly to dead
zones in oceans and water pollution.
4. Deforestation to make room for the
many aspects of the meat and dairy
industries is causing whole species to
be wiped out around the world.
5. Commercial ishing is damaging
millions of miles of coral, sea sponges
and other unique habitats on the
sealoor, giving its former inhabitants
nowhere to call home.
6. Trawler ishing and other largescale ishing operations produce
catastrophic levels of bycatch (nontarget species that get hauled up and
killed in the process). Some estimate
that global bycatch accounts for over
40 per cent of ish caught.
7. Half of every butchered cow ends
up becoming by-product material or
useless waste, so for the equivalent
of one livestock cow in beef, another
doesn’t get that far.
8. A varied vegan diet requires about
one-third of the land that’s needed for
the average Western meat-eater’s diet.
10. Adopting a plant-based diet can
drastically reduce your risk of heart
disease, Type 2 diabetes, cancer and
obesity, plus it can lower your blood
pressure and cholesterol levels.
© Getty; Jenner Images
9. Roughly 80 per cent of antibiotics
sold in the US are fed to livestock
so that they can survive their oten
cramped and dirty conditions, leading
to antibiotic resistance. This mass of
antibiotics passes on to the person
who eats the livestock and into the
animals’ faeces, eventually ending up
in waterways, soil and the air, meaning
we are becoming resistant too.
33
The vegan debate
Animal farm
We like to think that factory farming, where millions of
animals are reared for meat in cramped, dark, dirty and
miserable conditions, isn’t something that happens in
the UK. However, a 2017 investigation revealed there are
almost 800 mega farms like this in the UK, churning out
millions of animals for the meat industry each year. So,
while there are many farmers who do what they can to
provide a good quality of life for their animals on open
ields, a huge percentage of meat and dairy animals don’t
have that luxury.
Starting out
While a dippy egg and soldiers might seem appealing,
the things that happen in order for it to end up on your
plate aren’t so palatable. To keep up with the demand for
eggs, hatcheries have to produce millions of purposely
skinny hens. If a hen gives birth to a female, this chick will
become another egg-layer. If a hen gives birth to a male,
he is deemed useless – too skinny for meat production
and unable to lay eggs. As such, all male chicks of this kind
(including organic and free range) are gassed in chambers,
suffocated or minced alive in a macerator.
Thankfully, this cruel practice may soon come to an
end. United Egg Producers, an agricultural cooperation
that represents virtually all egg producers in the US, has
announced plans to stop culling male chicks by 2020.
The alternative solution that it has proposed lies in using
modern technology to determine the sex of an egg
before it hatches, thereby preventing males from being
born. While the ethics of such a process remain highly
questionable, it is at least a step towards a less ruthless
method of production.
As for dairy calves, they are taken from their mothers
in the irst two days after being born. They are fed a
milk replacer while we get the mum’s milk for our own
consumption. Dairy cows are then artiicially inseminated
two to three months after giving birth to begin the whole
process again, and this cycle continues until they are worn
out and replaced by a younger female.
Bake your own vegan chocolate chip cookies
A simple recipe for delicious melt-in-your-mouth cookies that taste just as good as dairy versions
Method:
Ingredients:
320g plain lour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ine table salt
225g Vitalite, pure or other
dairy-free margarine
225g brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
100g vegan chocolate,
chopped into chips
A splash of plant milk
(soya, oat, almond)
34
• Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan).
• Combine the margarine and sugar in a large bowl.
• Add the lour, baking powder and salt, then stir
until well combined.
• Add the vanilla extract and chocolate chips, then
use your hands to work the mix into a dough ball. If
it's a bit dry add a splash of vegan milk.
• Roll out the dough on a loured surface until it is
about 1cm thick.
• Cut out whatever shape of cookie you want, then
transfer it to a baking tray lined with baking paper,
leaving 1cm between them.
• Once you have used all of the dough, bake the
cookies in the oven until they turn irm and start
to go brown. This should take approximately 12
minutes, but the longer you leave them in, the
crunchier they'll be, and vice versa.
• Remove, allow to cool on a wire rack, and enjoy.
The vegan debate
Animals often suffer before
they are killed
Row upon row of
recently killed pigs
at a slaughterhouse
According to Viva! (Vegetarians’ International Voice for
Animals) there are nearly 300 licensed slaughterhouses in
the UK. The majority of farm animals in them are killed by
slitting the main arteries in their neck. However, practices
vary in each slaughterhouse. Some ensure their staff take
time to check the animals are unconscious before killing
them so as to decrease their suffering. Others pay staff
by the number of animals they kill. Rushed staff may not
check so thoroughly, meaning some animals may not be
unconscious when their throats are slit, and as such they
have to endure the pain.
Stunning is common in the UK as a way to make cows,
sheep and pigs unconscious before slaughter, and it
comes in many forms – all of which can cause pain and
suffering. It can be done by administering a bolt to the
skull to cause brain damage or a concussive blow, by
gassing them, or by electrocuting them into a cardiac
arrest (either using tongs to the head, prods, or by
submerging them into an electriied water bath). It’s not
always successful though, meaning that animals might
be fully conscious during the ordeal or that they may
still be able to feel while they are knifed, hanging upsidedown during blood draining or being skinned. No current
method is fully effective in preventing this.
Chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese and other birds farmed
for their meat are also stunned, either by being shackled
and having their heads submerged in electriied water
baths or through electric shocks. If they raise their heads,
they may not receive a proper stun, in which case they are
The reality of
overcrowded
factory farming
meant to be decapitated by hand, but some are missed
and face the neck-cutter fully conscious. Once their necks
are cut, they are drained and submerged in a scalding
bath, a tub of hot water that quickly scalds the birds so
that they are easier to pluck.
Can you be a meat-eating
animal lover?
We put animals through all of this pain, suffering and
distress for the sake of our own tastes, treating them as a
commodity and only really thinking about what we fancy
off a menu, rather than what the intelligent creature that’s
now an ingredient has had to go through. Even the nicest,
kindest farmers have to wave their animals off to slaughter.
The truth of what has to happen to keep up with our
demand for meat and dairy is unpalatable, and as more
people ind out about it, the number of vegetarians and
vegans increases. However, this isn’t to say that all people
who eat meat are thereby indifferent to the needs and
feelings of animals.
Climate contributions
The United Nations says that raising animals for food is
“one of the top two or three most signiicant contributors
to the most serious environmental problems”. No matter
how many low-energy light bulbs we install in our homes,
the amount of meat, eggs and dairy that we consume
is holding us back from our eco goals. All along the
processes that lead to meat or dairy end products there
are detrimental effects on the planet.
Deforestation
To have somewhere to keep animals and grow the huge
amounts of grain needed to keep them fed, vast areas of
land have to be cleared. It happens all around the world,
from the northern and eastern parts of America to the
Amazon. Rainforest Concern estimate that for each pound
of beef produced, 200 square feet (18.6 square metres)
of rainforest land is destroyed. Clearing trees is a two-fold
“Animal agriculture is
responsible for 18 per
cent of greenhouse gas
emissions, more than the
total from all transport”
©Mike Daines; Johan Jooste/Alamy
The argument for removing calves from their mothers
is that as young calves are highly susceptible to disease,
it is safer for both parent and offspring to be separated.
Farmers have also argued that the logistical problems
presented by keeping calves and mothers together would
be so insurmountable as to prove the death of the entire
dairy industry and therefore spell the end of countless
livelihoods across the world.
Deforestation of
rainforest land to
make room for
agricultural crops
35
The vegan debate
problem; trees are good at absorbing greenhouse gases,
but by cutting them down we lose this helping hand in our
ight for a better climate.
It’s not just the animals that need making room for.
While we are used to thinking of soya as something that
humans eat (such as in soya milk, soya beans and tofu),
most of the soya grown globally is used to feed animals.
Growing soya requires vast amounts of land, but as space
is limited people are destroying some of our most precious
ecosystems to make way. This mass deforestation
destroys the habitats of many species, impacting on their
entire ecosystem. Take the Cerrado in Brazil, which is the
most biodiverse savannah region on Earth. It’s a wonderful
haven of wildlife, home to around 60 vulnerable,
endangered and critically endangered species. Sadly, it is
shrinking faster than the Amazon because of the demand
for land used in beef production, soya and other crops.
With the land goes the animals that call it home.
Even so, livestock farming is not entirely responsible for
deforestation: logging is the main culprit. It is estimated
that half of the world’s 223 most important sites for plant
diversity are threatened by the industry, with over 1.2
million acres of forestland cleared every single day.
be gathered and transported to them. The animals eat
then excrete, releasing copious amounts of methane into
the atmosphere. On average, 11 times more fossil fuels are
released in the production of a calorie of animal protein
than in one calorie of plant protein.
Animal farming is the worst culprit for methane
emissions and the cause of 65 per cent of global humanrelated nitrous-oxide emissions, both of which can be even
more environmentally damaging than carbon dioxide. A
study by Oxford University found that meat-eaters are
twice as bad as vegetarians when it comes to their dietary
greenhouse gas emissions per day and two and a half
times worse than vegans. One study found that adopting
veganism is more effective than switching from a normal
car to a hybrid in terms of tackling your carbon footprint.
However, a study by Robin White of Virginia Tech and
Mary Beth Hall of the US Department of Agriculture has
predicted that were the whole of the US to go vegan, the
resulting 28 per cent decline in the nation’s agricultural
greenhouse-gas emissions would only translate to a 2.6
per cent drop in its overall carbon output. While tackling
the damaging effects farming has on the climate is
imperative, it will not solve all of our problems.
The carbon hoofprint
What about us?
Once animals move onto the cleared land, they need vast
amounts of water and food every day, all of which has to
One of the main arguments made against going vegan
is that humans have evolved to become omnivores over
Veganism in numbers
$5.2 $11 198 3.5 40 168,500 130 987%
billion
billion
Expected
value of global
meat-alternative
market by 2020.
The expected
value of global
non-dairy milk
market by 2019.
Workers picking
soya from crops
in Africa
36
Number of
BILLION
animals eaten
people could
per year by the
live of the food
average meatwe currently
eating adult,
feed to
according to PETA.
livestock.
per cent of
consumers
try to include
vegan
aspects in
every meal.
people took part
in Veganuary
this January,
with 62 per cent
staying vegan
aterwards.
Number of
chickens that
are saved from
consumption by
going vegan for
five years.
The increase
in demand for
vegetarian and
vegan options
on Just Eat’s
website in 2017.
Recent estimates
claim that fisheries
throw 6.8 million
tons of unwanted
sealife overboard
The vegan debate
Many vegans argue that farmers would need to reskill
over time, picking up horticultural practices that were once
more common. Fortunately, vegetables, cereals and fruits
could be grown on land that’s currently used for meat
production, so we have the space. As people alter their
eating habits, farmers could adapt their practices.
Is it all or nothing?
© Getty; Lauri Patterson; Magone; Alamy; Ashley
Cooper pics; Jeffrey Rotman; Chris Harris
It’s more common now to hear of people moderating their
meat and dairy intake but not completely scrapping it. The
idea of eating meat from a factory-farmed pig is much
harder to swallow than the thought of eating one that’s
had a life running freely in ields.
Small-scale organic farming can be good for the
environment. It keeps soils fertilised, and often the
presence of herds and roaming animals deters pests and
predators. Due to the more controllable size of the group
of animals, they can be fed off food waste rather than feed
made from problematic crops, or in the case of cows and
goats, provide a free lawn-cutting service.
This style of smaller-scale, organic, non-factory farming
seems like one of the few ways in which the industry
can be more environmentally friendly. Unfortunately, this
method wouldn’t keep pace with our soaring demand for
meat and dairy given that it requires much more space per
animal and a much slower turnover of product.
Every little helps
Avoiding animal products is one of the most obvious ways you
can take a stand against animal cruelty and exploitation. You
don’t have to go the whole hog though. Whether you opt for
meat-free meals once a week or try to go vegan on weekdays,
your swaps can have a huge impact on the number of animals
you consume over the month. If we all adopt new habits we
might be able to save many species and their habitats.
thousands of years and that eating animals is good for
us, providing us with essential nourishment that can’t
be found in a plant-based diet. Meat and dairy are good
sources of calcium, vitamin D, iron, vitamin B12, zinc and
omega-3 fatty acids, all of which are harder for vegans
to obtain from their diet. On top of this, there is also the
argument that many people on low incomes would ind it
incredibly dificult to source their required nutrients from a
vegan diet.
However, with careful planning and strategic, balanced
eating you can be a healthy vegan without it taking a hit
on your wallet, but it certainly requires more effort and
thought to get things like protein and calcium into your
diet. Studies have revealed proven links between meat
and dairy consumption and a much-increased likelihood
of developing cancer, heart disease, obesity and Type 2
diabetes. On a health level, it’s a case of whether the effort
of going vegan is worth it for the reduced risk.
Accidentally vegan
Six tasty indulgences that you probably don’t know are vegan
Peanut
butter
Aunt Bessie's bramley apple crumble
Bourbon biscuits
Earning a new living
Some anti-vegan campaigners say that if farming were to
stop there would be a lot less animals around. This is true
in places where animal agriculture is visible, such as on
hillsides in the country and in city farms. With this, there
is the very real threat of mass unemployment that ending
farming would present.
With around 570 million farmers globally, the loss of
such a vast industry would need to be replaced with
expensive and time-consuming retraining programmes
if mass unemployment, starvation and unrest were to be
averted. That said, this is by no means impossible.
Cadbury's Bournville
Chilli heatwave Doritos
*Please always check the ingredients
before consuming these products as
manufacturers are at liberty to change the
ingredients within their products. The above
products are listed as being vegan-friendly
at the time of this feature going to print.
Marzipan
37
ANIMAL
BLUNDERS
No matter how beautiful or majestic they are, no
animal is immune to the odd mishap every now and
again. This clumsy bunch is living proof
Words Victoria Williams
38
Animal blunders
Long-tailed ducks are migratory
sea ducks. When the water
isn’t frozen over they’re
accomplished divers, reaching
depths of 60 metres (197 feet),
which is more than most other
duck species. In order to achieve
such an aquatic feat they use
their wings to propel themselves
downward. The sexes are easily
distinguished as the males have
the elongated tail feathers that
give the species its name.
© NaturePL; Markus Varesvuo
Ducks are more
graceful in water
than on ice
39
Animal blunders
© NaturePL; SCOTLAND: The Big Picture
This ptarmigan didn’t
quite land on its feet
40
Ptarmigans live on tundra and cold
mountainsides in the Northern
Hemisphere. During summer these
game birds are a greyish brown, but
come winter they moult and turn
white to keep them camoulaged
against their surroundings. While
their feathers are well adapted to the
snow, their claws don’t always provide
enough grip on the ice.
Animal blunders
© NaturePL; Visuals Unlimited
Raccoon kit gets to
grips with climbing
In a little while this kit will become
very comfortable among the
branches. Raccoons are active at
night and rest during the day, often
climbing until they’re safely above the
ground. Female raccoons can build
nests and raise their young in tree
hollows, so kits have to be taught to
use their claws to get down safely.
41
Animal blunders
Grizzly bears begin to learn to
ish at a young age, watching
their mothers and then
practising the skill themselves.
When salmon head upstream
to their mating grounds
from the sea the bears lie
in wait and try to catch
them as they leap through
the water. Unfortunately for
the powerful mammals the
ish are fast and slippery, so
things don’t always go to
plan, as this image proves.
© NaturePL; Loic Poidevin
Salmon can give
bears the slip
This male Japanese squirrel is willing to
look a little foolish in his pursuit of a lady.
He’s attempting to climb up a particularly
fragile branch to mate with a female in
oestrus, but he’s perhaps been a little
ambitious. These squirrels are found only in
a few areas of Japan, where the changing
seasons trigger colour changes in their fur.
42
© NaturePL; Yukihiro Fukuda
Risking it all for romance
Hedgehogs can curl into a
ball to protect themselves
against attackers, but they
can’t do much to save
themselves from their own
clumsiness. Yet despite the
occasional stumble they’re
surprisingly agile animals.
Hedgehogs can swim well if
they need to and even climb
walls and fences.
©NaturePL; Klein & Hubert
Far to fall when
you’re small
43
LET IT
SHINE!
The animal kingdom is full of bright and brilliant
colours, but iridescence takes things to the next level
Words Victoria Williams
In most species, organic compounds
called pigments create their colours and
patterns, but there are a few that do
things differently: the iridescent animals.
Iridescence is a phenomenon caused by
the relection and refraction of light waves,
producing shimmering colours that seem
to change depending on the angle the
surface is viewed from.
Feathers, scales, fur and exoskeletons
with complex structures can all generate
this effect. When light hits them some
waves are relected straight off the
outer surface, while others travel deeper
until they’re relected away by an inner
layer. When these waves meet they can
cancel each other out if their crests and
troughs are out of sync (called destructive
interference) or amplify each other to
produce an unusually strong relection if
they match up (constructive interference).
Iridescence varies in its usefulness.
Some animals rely on it in their quest to
secure a mate, others have to avoid it
getting them into trouble, and the rest
don’t seem to notice it at all.
Shimmering science
The physics behind some animals’ manipulation of light
44
Destructive interference
Constructive interference
Cancellation
Amplification
Let it shine!
Fiery feathers, fiery nature
The only places to see the glimmer
of the aptly named iery-throated
hummingbird are the mountains of
Panama and Costa Rica. Adults of
both sexes look dark green from
most angles, but catch them in
the right light and a rainbow of
shimmering colours appears as
light waves are relected by tiny
air bubbles on their feathers.
This hummingbird has a temper
as iery as its plumage, iercely
defending mating territory during
breeding season and guarding
patches of lowers all year round.
They extract nectar from lowers by
piercing through to the centre with
their long beaks or using holes left
behind by birds from the Diglossa
genus to reach it.
Observer sees dull colour
Observer sees black
© Getty; Juan Carlos Vindas
Observer sees
bright colour
45
Let it shine!
Centre of
attention
There are an unusually low number
of females among the superb bird of
paradise population, so males have to
pull out all the stops in the competition
to secure a mate.
First, they prepare a dance loor, then
they call to attract a female audience
before starting to dance. While they
dance their iridescent breast shield
spreads out and their black cape is
held up behind their head. The courting
male hops in frenzied circles around
any female interested enough to come
close, clicking his tail feathers together
to provide a rhythmical accompaniment.
RIGHT
The beautiful
plumes of the bird
of paradise are used
as currency by some
tribes in New Guinea
“These Australian pigeons make their young
very vulnerable by building their nests on or
close to the ground”
BELOW
Both parents will
care for their two
glossy white or
pink eggs
46
Avoiding the
spotlight
Despite the flamboyant bars of iridescent
feathers on its wings, the brush
bronzewing is highly secretive and
timid. It does its best to avoid
attention, only making the risky
journey to look for water at dawn
and dusk.
For all the care they take
making sure their rainbow
streaks don’t give them away,
these Australian pigeons make
their young very vulnerable by
building their nests on or close
to the ground. Nests at ground
level are easy for predators to
find, and startled parents will
regularly abandon eggs and
chicks to their fate, resulting in
a breeding success rate of less
than ten per cent.
Flashy but faithful
As well as being striking to look at, the Nicobar pigeon is
remarkable for being the closest living relative of a rather
famous extinct bird: the dodo. It lives on the Nicobar Islands in
the Indian Ocean, as well as on the Malay Archipelago, Palau
and the Solomon Islands. It’s nomadic, with flocks commuting
between the islands to search for fruit, seeds and nuts.
Their flashy plumage might draw the eye of multiple suitors,
but Nicobar pigeons are monogamous and mate for life.
Unfortunately, they’re also attractive to people, and many are
caught for food, decoration and the exotic pet trade.
Let it shine!
Prettier than
it sounds
The name ‘swamphen’ doesn’t conjure
up images of the prettiest bird, but there
are several species of purple swamphen
(or gallinule) that sport rather impressive
iridescent feathers. They live in wetlands,
travelling mostly by swimming or wading
because they’re weak liers – take-off is an
awkward event, and landing is basically a
controlled crash.
When it comes to courtship, males don’t
just rely on their impressive feathers; they
collect reeds in their beaks, bow to nearby
females and make a noise like a chuckle.
“Take-off is an
awkward event,
and landing is a
controlled crash”
Dancing for their lives
© Getty;
PictureAhmed
credit Syed / EyeEm; National Geographic Creative /
Alamy; BIOSPHOTO; blickwinkel; Photononstop
Coming in all sorts of colours and patterns, over 60 species
of peacock spider brighten the Australian bush like miniscule
decorations. They’re jumping spiders, so they catch prey by
hunting and pouncing rather than spinning a web.
Many iridescent animals seem to have little use for their
shimmering colours, but peacock spiders know how to make
the most of what they’ve got. The tiny males – just a few
millimetres across – really put on a show to impress the dullbrown females, unfurling a bright flap from their abdomen,
darting around and waving their fringed legs in a complex dance
that can last up to 50 minutes.
It’s not just their chance of fatherhood that rides on their
performance; some females will kill and eat a suitor if they don’t
enjoy the dance, or mate with him and then consume him.
47
Let it shine!
The numerous layers
within each scale
create a complex wing
structure that reflects
light waves many times
Iridescence on
a small scale
Because the Madagascan sunset moth is so colourful
and lies during the day, it was initially thought to be a
type of butterly. Butterlies and moths both have wings
covered in microscopic scales, which are arranged in
several layers, and each scale itself has multiple layers.
All of these layers mean that waves of light are relected
and ampliied many times, producing patterns of
glittering colour. Pigments in the scales can combine
with the iridescence to create even more shades or
wings that appear completely different in colour from
different angles.
The Madagascan sunset moth is unusual because
there is virtually no pigment in its wings; all perceived
colour comes from light scattering and interference.
Unlike other butterlies and moths its wing scales are
curved, which allows for even more relection. While the
caterpillar lacks the psychedelic patterns of the adult
form, it has its own party trick; it’s been reported that
consuming the silk it spins generates a drug-like high.
48
Let it shine!
Human-made
magniicence
Captive Siamese ighting ish are popular
in the aquarium trade because of their
vibrant colours, but anyone venturing
to see them in the wild is likely to be
disappointed. In the loodplains, canals
and rice paddies of the Mekong Basin in
Southeast Asia, the ish – also known as
bettas – are dull shades of brown, grey
and green and have short ins.
Wild bettas only display their colours
when they’re agitated; selective breeding
in captivity has produced the elegant
ins and spectrum of bright hues that the
species is known for. When they’re mating
female bettas are much more impressed
by movement than by colour – courting
males will twist through the water around
a potential mate and build ‘bubble nests’
by gulping at the surface for several hours.
Whether they’re wild or captive, all
Siamese ighting ish are highly territorial
and become aggressive around others.
It’s this ierce nature that has made them
so well known, as watching them battle
became a popular pastime in Asia and
later further aield.
RIGHT Forced to adapt
to an ever-changing
habitat, betta fish
developed the ability to
extract oxygen from air
and water
Golden moles have no external
ears, their eyes don’t work
and are covered by their skin,
and they’re not even true
moles. They belong to a
different order of animals
and are found only in subSaharan Africa, but the
21 golden mole species
live very similar lives to
the moles, digging and
spending much of their time
underground. Considering
their fossorial lifestyle and
complete blindness, it seems
odd that they are the world’s only
iridescent mammals.
Scientists took fur samples
from four species with blue or
green iridescence and studied
them under a microscope. It
turned out that each hair was
lattened, a feature that could
have evolved because it made
the animals more streamlined or
because it was more eficient at
repelling water. The iridescence
is a side-effect created by the
amount of light relecting off the
large surface area of each lat hair.
© Getty; DEA / DANI-JESKE; silversaltphoto.j.senosiain; RGB Ventures /
SuperStock / Alamy; Minden Pictures
Glistening by accident
49
Let it shine!
Japan’s living jewel
The jewel beetles make up one of the largest families of beetle
in the world, with around 15,000 known species. The Japanese
jewel beetle is one of these, and it certainly lives up to its name.
Tiny ridges on the surface of its cuticle create the iridescence
of many insects, but this beetle is perfectly smooth. It’s thought
that the highly polarised light relecting from the wood-boring
beetles helps them to identify other members of their species
and ind mates.
In Japanese the beetle is called ‘tamamushi’ and its elytra
(the hardened cases on its hind wings) are highly prized by
collectors. They’re sometimes used to make jewellery, and
they decorate an elaborate miniature shrine known as the
Tamamushi Shrine that dates back to the 6th or 7th century.
Their changing colours gave rise to the phrase ‘tamamushiiro’, which translates as ‘tamamushi colour’ and is used to refer
to a convoluted or ambiguous statement, oten describing the
language of politicians.
Masters of disguise
Cuckoo wasps are parasites, laying eggs in the nests of bees and wasps
and then allowing the unwitting hosts to raise their young just like the
bird they’re named after. Their iridescence is produced by light refracting
through spaces between the layers of cuticle that make up their
exoskeleton, a feature that should hinder them in their sneaky business.
Inside a burrow, however, there’s no light to create the colours, and the
wasp mimics the scent of the residents to make itself virtually invisible.
If they do get caught, these wasps curl up into a tight ball so that their
hard exoskeleton protects them against bites and stings, so all a host can
do is carry an intruder out. Should this happen the wasp will simply wait
a while and then start the entire process over again.
Sunlight in serpent form
© BIOSPHOTO / Alamy; Shutterstock; Mark Brandon;
Michel Gunther/Biosphoto/FLPA
The two species of sunbeam snake, native to Southeast Asia, are among the very few
reptiles to exhibit iridescence. The snakes spend most of their time hidden away below
ground and emerge only at dusk and dawn to hunt small mammals, frogs and other
snakes, which they kill by constriction as they’re not venomous.
In the shadows the snakes appear brown or black on their dorsal side and white
underneath, but their scales are highly iridescent – in the light of a sunrise or sunset one
of the last things a sunbeam snake’s prey sees is a dazzling rainbow lash.
50
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Animal architects
Building a
chimp’s nest
Common ChimpAnZEE
Pan troglodytes
Class Mammalia
Territory Widespread
throughout Africa
Diet Fruit, leaves, stems,
seeds, bark, insects, small
mammals and bird eggs
Lifespan 45 years
Adult weight 31.8–59kg
(70–130lb)
Conservation Status
ENDANGERED
hygiene conscious
Nests are built in diferent trees
every day. It’s thought that this
might be for hygiene reasons,
avoiding a build-up of waste and
parasites that could make them ill.
We’re not the only primates to enjoy tucking
ourselves up for a good night’s sleep; every
day, chimpanzees and other great apes
carefully construct nests to keep them safe
and warm until morning. A chimp’s nest
is much more like our own beds than the
nests of other animals; it consists of a irm
foundation, a springy ‘mattress’ layer and
a soft top layer. Baby chimps sleep in their
mother’s nest, but they must be taught this
important skill when they’re weaned.
Scientists now
believe that
high-quality sleep
may have enabled
humans to evolve
How
they build it
Bedding down is no simple procedure for a chimp
Setting the foundations
All good nests need a strong, level
base. If they can’t ind an appropriate
spot (like a fork in a tree), chimps
break and bend branches until
they’ve made a circular or triangular
foundation. They are fussy about
materials – they prefer certain species
of branches most suited to the job.
52
Weaving the ‘mattress’
The next step is the most complicated.
The chimps weave thinner branches
covered with foliage into the structure
to make a springy platform. They
use their hands and feet to force the
branches over and under each other
until they’re secured in place. With
practice, chimps become quick at this.
Getting comfortable
Once the main body of the nest is
in place, it’s time to add a inal layer
of comfort. Small branches, twigs
and leaves are gathered to make
the sleeping spot as sot and warm
as possible. Chimps have even been
observed using piles of foliage as a
pillow on occasions.
plenty of space
An average chimp
nest measures about
1.5m (4.9t) in length
and just under 1m
(3.3t) across.
The chimpanzee’s nest
Careful construction
Night nests are made of expertly
woven branches carefully lined
with twigs and leaves. Daytime
nap nests are made in a similar
way but they’re much simpler.
in the heights
Chimpanzee’s night nests have been
found as high as 45m (147.6t) above
the ground in areas with a large
number of predators.
Watching and learning
Young chimpanzees watch adults
crating their nests to learn the process
themselves. This social learning is vital
– chimps raised without others of their
species will lack this critical skill.
Up high or down low
Most nests are built up in the tree
canopy, above predators that
might be prowling around in the
night, but a surprising number
are constructed on the ground.
Keeping pests away
Not only does a nest provide
somewhere comfy to sleep, it’s
also been shown to help keep
the sleeping chimpanzees warm
and away from biting insects.
Five facts
about
chimpanzees
Chimpanzees sleep for
about ten hours a night.
Most of this time is spent
in light sleep, but they go
through several periods of
REM (rapid eye movement)
sleep, the phase where
dreaming occurs and
memories are consolidated.
While they’re not as strong as
many people believe, chimps
are still about 1.5 times as
strong as the average human
relative to body size. Their
muscle fibres are longer
than ours, which enhances
strength, but they are better
suited to bursts of power.
Skipping a step
To save time and energy, many nest
sites are re-used. When a group returns
to an area, old foundations and shaped
branches can be built upon again.
no risk of falling
Chimpanzees don’t have
to worry about falling from
the trees while they sleep –
their nests are cup-shaped
to hold them safely in place.
Chimpanzees live in fissionfusion groups – large
communities that frequently
break off into subgroups
and then reunite hours or
days later. Males stay in the
communities they were born
into, while females tend to
join new groups.
© The Art Agency/Peter Scott; Getty; Anup Shah
Baby chimps are close
to their mothers, both
physically and emotionally.
They’re almost always
touching, with babies
clinging to the females
when they are moving
around and sleeping in their
arms at night. Chimps are
weaned at about four and a
half years old.
53
All about echidnas
54
Echidnas
Short-beaked
echidna
Tachyglossus aculeatus
class Mammalia
territory Australia, Indonesia
and Papua New Guinea
diet Insects, including ants
and termites
Lifespan Up to 45 years
adult weight 2–7kg
(4.4–15.4Ib)
conservation Status
LEAST CONCERN
All About
echidnas
If you thought the platypus was the
weirdest animal Australia had to
offer then think again – the echidna
is just as peculiar, inside and out
© Getty; Kristian Bell
Words Victoria Williams
55
All about echidnas
Underground, overground, waddling free
From the moment of its arrival, the echidna is full of surprises
It has the spines of a hedgehog, the snout
of an anteater and the egg-laying abilities
of a reptile, but the short-beaked echidna is
not closely related to any of these animals.
Besides the other species of echidna, its
nearest relative is the platypus, another bizarre
Australian native that looks like it’s been
pieced together from parts of other creatures.
This small, strange family makes up the
monotremes, a group of mammals separated
from marsupials and the other mammals by its
lack of placenta – instead of giving birth to live
young, offspring are laid in eggs.
The monotremes scratching around Australia
today evolved millions of years ago from an
aquatic mammal more like a platypus than an
echidna. Modern platypuses are still suited to
life in the water, but echidnas adapted to life
on land and only swim if it’s necessary.
Echidnas prefer to keep to themselves.
Outside of the breeding season they have a
Short-beaked
echidnas venture all
over Australia, from
forests to riverbanks
56
solitary lifestyle, although they’re not territorial
and can live near others without any drama.
They’re active day and night except for
during the height of summer, emerging from
underground burrows to search for their prey.
Breaking into nests and rotting logs, they
use their long tongues to scoff up to 40,000
ants, termites, larvae and other soil-dwelling
invertebrates each day. Their short legs are
excellent tools for digging and breaking wood,
but they give the animals a slow, waddling
gait. Faced with danger, running away isn’t
a great option, so they dive into crevices too
small for their attacker or curl up to engage
their coat of spines for protection.
The safest place for an echidna is in an
underground burrow. This is where they rest
in between foraging trips and where they
hibernate. Hibernation begins as summer
comes to a close and ends around June when
the breeding season starts. Regardless of
the time of year, echidnas have a lower body
temperature than other mammals, and they’re
fussy about their sleeping conditions – it has
to be around 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees
Fahrenheit) for them to enter deep REM sleep.
The search for a mate starts immediately
after a male wakes from hibernation. Some
females discover that they’re already pregnant,
because males can wake earlier, sneak into
their burrows and mate with them while
they’re still in torpor. Others have more say
in who they mate with; they’re followed
constantly by a chain of suitors who will ight
when she decides she’s ready to breed.
Male platypuses have venom-illed spurs
(potent enough to kill a small animal) on
their hind legs that they can use during the
breeding tournament. Male echidnas also
have spurs, but they’ve lost their use as a
weapon and instead seem to secrete a scented
substance for communication.
Echidnas
Like most mammals, echidnas have
three priorities in life: mate, eat and
avoid being eaten
The echidna is a bizarre animal to behold,
and its lifestyle is equally unusual – from
the way males court females to the way
they ind food, this creature does things in
its own special way.
Love train
When breeding season arrives, trains of
males follow females around for days or
even weeks so they’re in a prime position
to fight over her when she’s ready to mate.
Mother and baby
Pregnant females get comfy in
burrows ready to lay a single egg into
their pouch and care for the tiny puggle
when it hatches around ten days later.
breaking and entering
Short, strong legs, sharp claws and
long tongues allow echidnas to rip
open logs and force their way into
anthills in their search for a meal.
digging deep
Not limited to the surface,
echidnas can dig down to
reach underground ant and
termite nests and to escape
from perilous situations.
First encounters
Echidnas have been baffling people for hundreds of years
Echidnas
spend a lot
of their time
underground
in burrows
Indigenous Australians have long been telling
stories about echidnas, but the irst written
account of the animal came from Captain William
Bligh. Three years ater he survived the infamous
mutiny on HMS Bounty, he was commanding the
sloop HMS Providence on a botanical expedition
when he stopped at Adventure Bay in Tasmania
en route to Tahiti. His log from 7 February, 1792,
reads, “An animal shot at Adventure Bay. It had
a Beak like a Duck – a thick brown coat of Hair,
through which the points of numerous Quills of
an Inch long projected these very sharp – It was
14 inches long & walked about on 2 legs. Has
very small Eyes & ive claws on each foot – Its
mouth has a small opening at the end of the Bill
& had a very small tongue.” (sic)
Ship’s Oicer George Tobin was equally puzzled
by the echidna, writing “the only animals seen
were the kangaroo and a kind of sloth about the
size of a roasting pig with a proboscis two or
three inches in length… on the back were short
quills like a porcupine”.
© Gerry Pearce / Alamy; Getty; John White Photos; The Art Agency/Sandra Doyle
Day in the life
Self-defence
Just like a hedgehog, an
echidna can contract a large
sheet of muscle across its
back when confronted with
danger, curling itself into a
ball and raising its spines.
57
All about echidnas
Inside the echidna
Island life has given the echidna a
unique niche to ill, and it’s adapted over
many years to get the most from its
habitat. It might look like a hedgehog
from an alternative universe, but a closer
look reveals a very different animal
keen ears
Echidnas have
excellent hearing,
which paired with their
snouts’ sensitivity
to vibrations allows
them to detect their
insect prey.
Protective hairdo
An echidna’s spines are
modiied hairs around
5cm (2in) long.
Surprisingly brainy
Relative to their body size,
echidnas have unusually
large brains.
Unconventional
reproduction
Female echidnas have a dual vagina
with two openings. Males have four
heads on their penises but only two are
used at a time during mating – the other
two shrink so they’re out of the way.
tiny eyes
Echidna eyes are
very small and
not very strong
– their other
senses are much
more efective.
blowing bubbles
Digging means that
echidnas oten get
noses full of dirt, but
they can clear them
by blowing bubbles
from their nostrils.
Pouch
Both male and female echidnas
have a pouch on their underside.
Females lay their eggs into this
pouch and it’s where the young
develop. They have no teats, so
milk is excreted directly into the
pouch for the puggle to lap up.
completely
toothless
Echidnas have no
teeth, instead using
a hard pad on the
roof of their mouth
to break down food.
extra sense
Within an echidna’s
snout are hundreds
of electroreceptors
able to detect natural
electrical ields.
58
digger’s limbs
Short limbs with large muscles
give echidnas the greatest
possible digging force.
JUVeniLe
inFancY
Puggle hatching 0 days
An echidna egg hatches ten
to 11 days ater being laid.
The newborn is about the
size of a grape.
eficient claws
Strong claws allow
echidnas to dig burrows
and break into logs and
anthills to secure a meal.
keeping cosy 0–3 months
The blind, hairless puggle
stays in its mother’s pouch for
two to three months, feeding
on her milk.
kicked out 3 months
Once the puggle’s developing
spines become irritating
the female tucks it up in the
burrow and leaves to forage.
home alone 3–6 months
For the next few months the
mother ventures out to feed
herself before returning to
allow her young to suckle.
MatUritY
heading out 6 months
Ater six months puggles have
grown enough to be weaned
and they begin to accompany
their mother above ground.
Slow growers 3 years +
Echidnas grow slowly,
reaching full size ater three
to ive years and taking ive
to 12 years to reach maturity.
Echidnas
Spineless
Puggles hatch from their egg
small, pink and hairless, before
slowly growing fur and spines.
insulating layer
There’s a layer of fur
between the spines
to provide insulation,
which is thicker in
echidnas that live in
cooler regions.
Stuck at home
Young puggles aren’t
strong enough to leave the
burrow, so they are cared
for until they’ve grown.
On the tip of the tongue
Solitary life 3 years +
Adult echidnas spend most
of their time alone, foraging,
sleeping, digging and, come
winter, hibernating in burrows.
breeding season 5 years +
When they emerge from
hibernation mature male
echidnas will begin to search
for and court potential mates.
Laying eggs 5 years +
23 days ater mating,
females lay a small,
leathery egg into the
pouch on their underside.
Growing old 10 years +
Echidnas live longer lives
than other mammals of a
similar size, probably due
to their slow metabolism.
Closest family
As well as the short-beaked echidna, there’s also…
Sir david’s longbeaked echidna
This species is
named ater beloved
naturalist Sir David
Attenborough. It’s the
smallest member of
the genus and is only
found in the Cyclops
Mountains in Western
New Guinea. Only one
specimen has ever
been collected, and
it’s considered to be
Critically Endangered.
Western longbeaked echidna
The largest echidna
occupies the western
edge of New Guinea.
Unlike the shortbeaked echidna,
long-beaked species
specialise in inding
earthworms. The
western longbeaked echidna is
critically endangered,
threatened by habitat
loss and hunting.
eastern longbeaked echidna
The eastern longbeaked echidna’s
range spreads across
Western New Guinea
and Papua New
Guinea. Although
deforestation in
their habitat poses
a serious threat,
their classiication
has improved from
Critically Endangered
to Vulnerable.
©The Art Agency/Sandra Doyle; Minden Pictures
Skip the stomach
Over the course of
evolution, echidnas (and
platypuses) have lost
their stomachs. Instead,
food goes straight from
the throat to
the intestines.
cleaning claw
A long claw on
their second toe
helps echidnas
to clean between
their spines.
An echidna’s tongue can reach a length of about 18 centimetres
(seven inches). Not only is it long, it’s also sticky and can move at
high speed. A foraging echidna ires its tongue into insect nests
to collect mouthfuls of unsuspecting prey.
59
All about echidnas
The habitat of the echidna
Echidnas are the most widely distributed of Australia’s native
mammals, occupying deserts, forests, coasts and alpine regions.
Part of the echidna’s longevity is attributed to its slow
metabolism and low body temperature. It can’t sweat and doesn’t
cope well with high temperatures so shelters during the hottest
parts of the day and forages when it’s cooler. In summer, when
temperatures can soar during daylight hours, echidnas become
more active at night to avoid overheating and waddle to feeding
sites at a quicker pace to reduce the time they spend in the open.
Echidnas are only thinking of themselves and their young when
they forage and dig burrows, but they inadvertently provide a
valuable service for their habitat. Digging turns over the soil in the
foraging area, which loosens it and mixes it with organic matter
like leaf litter from the surface. As well as creating richer land,
Echidnas in
human culture
The echidna is one of the most
recognisable Australian species and has
an important place in both traditional and
modern culture. Alongside animals like
kangaroos and the platypus, it’s come to
be an icon of the island and has featured
on postage stamps and as one of the
mascots of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Today, its image can be found on the
reverse of the five-cent coin. Many people
are familiar with Knuckles from Sonic the
Hedgehog, but not everyone is aware that
this character is actually an echidna.
Australia’s dangers
Short-beaked echidnas aren’t considered
endangered, but it’s still not an easy life
Forest ires
The forests of Australia are oten dry
and highly volatile, and frequent forest
ires tearing through the trees and leaf
litter threaten both the habitat and the
lives of echidnas.
drought
Drought is another threat arising from
Australia’s hot climate. Echidnas can’t
walk far or fast, so inding suicient
water can be tough when drinking
holes dry up.
Predators
Although echidnas are protected by
their spines, they’re not completely safe
from predators – particularly brave or
hungry cats, dogs, birds of prey and
dingoes can catch and eat them.
cars
Hundreds of echidnas are killed yearly
on the roads, as spines sadly provide
no defence against cars. Warning
signs are put up along stretches
where the animals are most at risk.
60
turning the earth allows it to absorb more rainwater, reducing
erosion and water runoff.
This accidental work as an ecosystem engineer makes the
echidna a highly valuable resident in a number of Australia’s
habitats, especially as the other native animals that once
performed this job are extinct or in decline. Short-beaked
echidnas are currently classiied as Least Concerned on the
IUCN Red List, and their population is thought to be stable.
They’re protected by law and many live within protected areas,
but there’s concern over the number killed and injured by
vehicles. Echidnas don’t breed well in captivity, so the best hope
for the species is conservation in situ, which entails protecting
their habitats and warning drivers to keep an eye out for any
wanderers on the roads.
BELOW An echidna
egg weighs just 380mg
(0.01oz). The puggle will
open the shell with a
special egg tooth
© Getty; Keiichi Hiki; Alamy; Minden Pictures
Echidnas
61
AnimAted
AnimAls
When creating lovable characters, filmmakers often
turn to the animal kingdom for inspiration. Features are
exaggerated and they’re given impossible abilities, but
the similarities to the real-life may surprise you
Curious
GeorGe
Curious George first started capturing
hearts and getting into trouble in 1941
in a series of books, but he climbed
onto the big screen in 2006. George
was brought to ‘the big city’ from
Africa by The Man with the Yellow Hat,
but there’s an ongoing debate over
which species of African primate he is.
George resembles a young
chimpanzee and has no tail – a trait
that separates apes from other
primates – but he’s always referred
to as a monkey. The only monkey
without a tail is the Barbary macaque,
native to the Atlas Mountains in
Morocco and Algeria.
shrek 2
With their unlikely friendship and quotable
lines, Donkey and Puss in Boots are right
near the top of most people’s list of favourite
characters from the Shrek films. Sadly, real
cats and donkeys don’t deliver witty one-liners,
but both animals are thought to be highly
intelligent. Puss’ charming Spanish accent
might not be as far-fetched either, as scientists
think cats have regional dialects and accents
and even change their vocalisations when they
move in with a new owner.
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Animated Animals
FindinG nemo
kunG Fu PAndA
Marlin the clownish, Dory the royal blue tang and
Crush the sea turtle team up to search for Nemo
in the much-loved Pixar ilm, and it’s possible to
see all three species swimming over the Great
Barrier Reef. Dory’s forgetfulness has landed her
all on her own, but tangs are social ish and like
to swim in pairs or groups. It’s true that clownish
hide from danger in anemones, but Marlin would
probably have transformed into a female ater
his partner’s death rather than remaining a
concerned father.
The popularity of these characters had worrying
real-world consequences, as many clownish and
blue tangs were taken from the wild to satisfy
the new demand for the species as pets.
At the start of Kung Fu Panda, Po is an aspiring but
incompetent martial artist. When a villain threatens
the land, Po is accidentally selected as the chosen one
who must become a kung fu master and face him.
Despite their solitary lifestyle and peaceful nature,
giant pandas are capable of fighting. Males compete
over females, barking, lunging and swatting at each
other, and all pandas can use their strong limbs and
jaws to defend themselves. They’re able to stand
up on their back legs for a short time, but their
considerable weight means they’d never be able to
stay upright for long enough to master even the most
basic kung fu move.
There’s little chance of chickens planning
and building like the heroes of the classic
Aardman film, but they’re certainly less
bird-brained than most people imagine.
Chickens – including young chicks –
have been shown to be capable of logical
reasoning, simple arithmetic and geometry,
and they have a perception of time. Adults
make at least 24 different vocalisations
hAPPy Feet
The star of Happy Feet is Mumble, an emperor penguin
unable to sing but with a talent for tapdancing. All the other chicks begin to develop
the unique ‘heartsong’ they’ll use to ind a mate, while
Mumble’s parents worry about his future.
Courtship between emperor penguins does involve
singing, as well as bowing and swinging their heads as
pairs produce mating calls, their duets sometimes lasting
for several hours. Emperor penguins mate for life, and
when males return from the sea each year a female will
use her partner’s unique song to locate him.
and also communicate with visual cues, so
their conversations are pretty complex.
If chickens ever did plot an escape, we
might not know about it until it’s too late
because they’re masters of deceit – males
court quietly when rivals are nearby so no
one comes to steal their mate, and they’ll
make food-related calls to attract females
to them.
© Photo 12 / Alamy; Ariadne Van Zandbergen; Entertainment Pictures; Juniors Bildarchiv GmbH; gerard lacz; Everett Collection
Inc; Minden Pictures; J Hayward; Moviestore collection Ltd; Warner Bros./Kobal/REX/Shutterstock
ChiCken run
63
Explore the Earth
RHINO
WATCH
Now is the time to pack your bags and set off on an
expedition to meet some of the world’s largest and most
endangered animals in their natural habitat
Words Laura Mears
64
Rhino watch
Travel into rhino range
In yet another tragic reminder of humanity’s ability
to wipe out wildlife, Sudan, the last male northern
white rhino, was sadly put down in March 2018.
His passing brings into sharp focus the impact
poaching and habitat destruction has had on one
of the world’s most unique mammals. Only ive
species of rhino remain, two in Africa and three in
Asia, and all of them are under threat.
Thankfully, conservation eforts are helping to
bolster the remaining populations, and there’s
never been a better time to see this work in action.
For an upliting insight into conservation success,
make your way to southern Africa, where white
rhinos thrive. Alternatively, for a chance to see
the last few members of a critically endangered
species, travel to Java in search of the elusive
Javan rhino.
From the dusty bush of the Kruger National
Park to the swampy wetlands of Way Kambas,
there is a rhino holiday to suit everyone.
Map key
1 Kruger National Park
2 Garamba National Park
3 Way Kambas National Park
4 Ujung Kulon National Park
5 Kaziranga National Park
Indian rhino
Black rhino
These small African
rhinos can be recognised
by the distinctive point
on their front lip. The
population crashed
to fewer than 2,500
individuals in the 1990s
but has since rebounded.
White rhino
Larger and more numerous than
black rhinos, white rhinos have a
square lip. Intense conservation has
pushed the population into the tens
of thousands, making this only one of
two non-endangered rhino species,
the other being the Indian rhino.
Travel guide
When to go
Javan rhino
Javan rhinos were once
found in India and Vietnam,
but there are only around
70 left, all restricted to the
Indonesian island of Java.
This the most critically
endangered of all the rhino
species that remain.
Sumatran rhino
This is the smallest rhino
species in the world. Once
numerous across Asia, this twohorned species is now found
only in Sumatra and Borneo.
Try visiting South Africa’s Kruger Park in
winter. Vegetation dries out between June
and August, making the wildlife a lot easier
to spot.
How to get there
You can hop on a plane and ly out to
Africa or Asia to see rhinos living wild, or
alternatively you can spot white rhinos at
Longleat Safari Park in the UK.
What the weather will do
Animals tend to cluster together during the
dry season as they all head towards water
holes. Even so, you may prefer to make an
autumn or winter trip when it’s cooler.
What to take
A pair of well worn-in walking shoes
are essential. It’s also advisable to pack
weatherproof layers, hats, sunglasses and
sun cream too.
What you’ll see
Rhinos are some of the largest living
land animals on the planet and some of
the most endangered. Visit these gentle
giants before it’s too late.
65
© freevectormaps.com; Em Campos; Getty; Westend61
Also known as
the greater onehorned rhino,
this species once
numbered fewer
than 200. There
are now more
than 3,000 in
India and Nepal.
Breaking barriers to save
Africa’s endangered rhino
Only 5,000 black rhinos
remain in the wild and their
status is Critically Endangered.
Victims of aggressive
poaching, their numbers
plummeted at the end of
the 20th century, leaving the
population severely dented.
Numbers are now climbing
thanks to conservation efforts,
but poachers still pose a threat.
One of the best places to
see them is the Lewa Wildlife
Conservancy in Kenya. They’ve
championed rhino conservation since
1984, transforming a population of just
15 into a thriving community. In 2014, they
removed the fence with their neighbouring
66
Borana Conservancy, giving their rhinos
93,000 acres of safe space within which
to roam. Incredibly, the conservancy has
witnessed no rhino poaching for three years.
Dotted with lodges and camps, the
conservancy welcomes visitors, investing
tourism funds back into conservation
that helps to support rhinos and other
endangered species. During your visit
you’ll also have the chance to spot the
conservancy’s 74 southern white rhinos, the
largest population of Grevy’s zebra in Kenya,
hundreds of elephants, 25 lions, a pack of
wild dogs, 13 cheetahs and ten leopards.
Conservation of rhinos not only saves the
species but also preserves large areas of
land, providing much-needed protection for
Africa’s wildlife.
Rhino watch
5 amazing
facts about
rhinos
Nose horn
The name ‘rhinoceros’
literally means ‘nose horn’
in Greek. Two species have
one horn and three species
have two horns.
Hulking
herbivores
Depending on the species,
rhinos can weigh between
600–2,700 kilograms
(1,322.8–5,952.5 pounds)
and grow to a length of 3.4
metres (11 feet).
Homemade
sunscreen
Rhinos coat their skin in mud
to protect it from bites and
burns. They also live together
with birds called oxpeckers
that help to keep their skin
clean by eating parasites.
Black and white
We call the African rhinos
‘black’ and ‘white’ but both
are actually grey. White
rhinos were originally
called ‘wide’ rhinos for their
square front lip.
No predators
The thick skin, dangerous
horn and fast speed of
adult rhinos make them
a formidable foe for any
carnivore. Depending on
the species they can run
at over 50 kilometres
(31.1 miles) per hour.
In the late 19th century there were
fewer than 100 southern white
rhinos left in the wild – they were so
scarce that many feared they were
extinct. Fortunately, years of intensive
conservation efforts have brought
them back from the edge.
Today, they number in the tens of
thousands. However, they are not out
of the woods yet, and the species
still faces immense pressure from
poachers and habitat destruction.
Even so, if you want to see what
conservation can do for endangered
animals, this species should be top of
your travel list.
For a chance to see them in their
natural habitat, head to one of their
four home countries: South Africa,
Namibia, Zimbabwe and Kenya. South
Africa’s Kruger National Park is home
to over 10,000 white rhinos. Rides in
the south of this 4.7-million-acre site
often involve rhino sightings.
The park recommends the
dry season for visits as animals
congregate around watering holes
and are therefore often easier to spot,
but you can go at any time, driving
yourself or joining a tour. Switch
off your engine when you get to a
watering hole and take the time to
absorb savannah life.
© Getty; Mikael Drackner; Chris Minihane
The species that came back from the brink
67
Explore the Earth
The world’s
smallest rhino
The world’s smallest rhino species is
also one of the most endangered. There
are fewer than 100 Sumatran rhinos left
in the wild. With hairy skin, they share
close ancestry with the woolly rhinos
that roamed the ancient Earth, and they
can be very hard to ind.
Declared extinct in Malaysia in 2015,
the best place to see them is at one
of Indonesia’s National Parks: Bukit
Barisan Selatan, Gunung Leuser or
Way Kambas. Here, anti-poaching units
protect these vital rhinos. Trained by
the International Rhino Foundation, they
disarm traps, stop poachers and protect
the environment from illegal logging.
Sumatran rhinos can be challenging
to spot in the wild because they live in
low-lying forests with dense plant life.
They also travel alone, wandering far
from their neighbours as they roam
through the undergrowth. A trip to
ind them won’t disappoint wildlife
enthusiasts though; Sumatran rhinos
share their home with many charismatic
species, including Asian elephants,
gibbons and tigers.
The inal charge
of Java’s rhinos?
This is not only the most endangered rhino
species, but it’s also one of the most endangered
land mammals on the planet – there are only
around 70 Javan rhinos left in the wild.
There’s only one place to go if you want to see
one, for the remaining population are making
their last stand in the Ujung Kulon National Park in
Indonesia. They browse in the tropical rainforest
and are easily identiied by their single horn
and armour-like skin. And, like their Sumatran
counterparts, they live under heavy guard – the
International Rhino Foundation rhino protection
units watch them around the clock.
The park is a UNESCO world heritage site and
an area of outstanding natural beauty. It’s home
to the now infamous Krakatoa volcano, which
claimed 36,000 lives in 1883. The unique habitat
is a must-visit for wildlife enthusiasts, offering the
chance to see leopards, wild dogs, orangutans,
gibbons and leaf monkeys.
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Rhino watch
Asia’s conservation success story
With the mythical-sounding Latin
name Rhinoceros unicornis, these elusive
creatures roam the wet grasslands of India
and Nepal. If you’re lucky you might even
spot one swimming. A popular destination
for wildlife tourism is the Kaziranga National
Park in India. It’s a world heritage site
offering safety to around two-thirds of the
one-horned rhino population. The best time
to visit is between November and April.
© Getty; Ibrahim Suha Derbent; Jacek Kadaj; Alain Compost/Biosphoto/FLPA
Also known as the Indian rhino, the greater
one-horned rhino is the largest in the world,
but like other rhino species, they faced
a crisis in their recent history. Numbers
dipped below 200 in the late 20th century,
but intense conservation has stabilised the
population. There are now more than 3,500
individuals in the wild. If you’re heading to
Asia, this is the rhino species you’re most
likely to see.
69
Explore the Earth
Conservation
close to home
A face-to-face encounter with a wild
rhino is an experience few could ever
forget, but we can’t all make a trip
into the bush. Luckily, there are lots
of opportunities to see rhinos closer
to home. As part of the conservation
effort, zoos across the world care for
endangered rhinos. In the UK three
specialist centres look after Indian
rhinos and seven house black rhinos,
making critical contributions to ongoing
breeding programmes.
Folly Farm in Pembrokeshire has
three black rhinos, Dakima, Manyara and
Nkosi, while Chester Zoo has a whole
crash, including three calves born in the
past two years. Chester also care for
a pair of Indian rhinos, Beni and Asha
and Edinburgh Zoo has a male Indian
rhino called Bertus. For the full safari
experience, West Midland Safari Park
has a ‘Wild Asia’ enclosure, complete
with Indian rhinos, Philippine spotted
deer and swamp deer.
The last of their kind
The two rhinos that you see in this picture are the last of
their kind. Najin (right) and Fatu (left) are the only northern
white rhinos left in the world.
Until recently, the pair lived with the last remaining male,
Sudan, at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, but in
March of this year the sanctuary made the dificult decision
to put him to sleep. At the age of 45, Sudan suffered from
many age-related health problems.
This tragic conservation story stands in stark contrast
to the fate of the southern white rhino in South Africa.
70
Poaching decimated both subspecies, but while the
southern white rhino bounced back, their northern cousins
did not. Now the only hope to save them is using in vitro
fertilisation with frozen sperm.
Najin and Fatu live under 24-hour armed guard, but their
enclosure is open to the public during the day and the
conservancy welcomes visitors. The non-proit organisation
pours money from tourism back into conservation, helping
to secure the future of other endangered species, like
Grevy’s zebra and Jackson’s hartebeest.
Rhino watch
Top tips for seeing
roaming rhinos
Rise and shine
Rhinos get up before the Sun and stay active ater dusk
to avoid the midday heat. Match their daily patterns for
the best chance of a sighting.
Become a tracker
Channel your inner wildlife tracker and look out for
signs. Male rhinos trample the grass, leaving distinctive
wet patches on the ground.
Pick a national park
Rhinos are safest within the boundaries of national
parks. For the best chance to come face-to-face with
one of these ancient beasts look for protected areas
that focus on rhino conservation.
Rhinos can charge when threatened and they move
fast. If you get into trouble don’t try to run. Moving
sideways, get behind a big tree and climb up. Otherwise
drop to the loor.
Who to travel with
Find the world’s most endangered rhinos deep within national parks
Budget
Etosha
National Park
Family
Go2Africa
etoshanationalpark.
co.za
go2africa.com
/holiday-types/krugerfamily-holiday
Etosha Camping Safari
From around £250
(approx. $200) per
person excluding lights.
Kruger Park Family Safari
From £465 (approx.
$650) per person
excluding lights.
Luxury
Natural
World Safaris
naturalworldsafaris.com/
holidays/asia/india
Rhinos, Temples
and Tigers of India
From £3,245 (approx. $4,560)
per person excluding lights.
Scan the bushes
Rhinos are surprisingly stealthy for such large animals.
Remain vigilant for shadows or signs of movement and
scan your eyes let and right across the undergrowth.
© Getty; Gavin Haskell / Alamy; TONY KARUMBA; Lost Horizon Images
Stay safe
71
The wildlife of the black smoker
72
The wildlife
of the black smoker
Forget everything you thought you knew
about the ocean and take a trip to a weird and
wondrous ecosystem like no other
Words Ella Carter
sea. Surrounding them is one of the
most unique communities of animals
on the planet. Flashes of colour, lurries
of activity and a complex food web are
not supported by the life-giving sunlight
that we are used to on the surface but
by the nutrients that seep from within
the centre of the Earth. Welcome to the
shadows of the hydrothermal vents.
When looking at a world map of vent locations it’s easy
to see how they track the borders of tectonic plates
Active
Unconfirmed
© Getty; Universal History Archive
Deep at the bottom of the ocean,
in pitch blackness, under crushing
pressure and swimming in a cocktail
of toxic chemicals lourishes an oasis
of alien life. The biomass equivalent
to a rainforest, out of the bleak silty
plains of the ocean loor suddenly rise
giant chimneys that spew billows of
superheated water into the freezing
73
The wildlife of the black smoker
Life in the vents
A surprising array of animals form
this incredible ecosystem
The creatures that live around hydrothermal vents are
highly adapted to their unique environment, and the
discovery of these vents back in 1977 forced scientists to
re-evaluate life on Earth as they knew it.
Arguably the most important life form in this ecosystem
is the bacteria, which are thought to be some of the
oldest organisms on the planet. When a new vent system
forms the bacteria is the irst to arrive, producing a slimy
substance known as a bioilm that helps other larvae attach
to the sealoor and provides essential food. Mussels, clams
and other ilter feeders take sustenance from this, and then
higher predators like octopuses and deep-sea ish arrive to
feast on the spoils.
The bacteria use the hydrogen sulphide that spews from
the chimneys as food, and as they do this they produce
sugars and other substances that can sustain the other
creatures around the vents. This makes them the primary
producers of the vent food web, occupying the same niche
that plants do on land.
Shrimps Rimicaris exoculata
Oten illing the niche of a
tubeworm, vents across the Atlantic
appear to have shrimp, whereas
Paciic vents have tubeworms.
Bacteria
The microorganisms that support
the vent communities are able to
survive in the temperature gradients
that exist between the super-hot
water that billows from the chimneys
at over 400°C (752°F) and the chilly
deep-sea water of just 2°C (35.6°F).
Deep-sea vent octopus
Vulcanoctopus hydrothermalis
Another ghostly white predator
of the vents, this octopus is well
placed for living among colossal
tubeworms and hunting the plentiful
mussels. They are specially adapted
to life here, lacking ink sacs (they
have no predators) and having a
protective skin over their eyes.
Squat lobster Munidopsis spinosa
Although they resemble lobsters,
these crustaceans are more closely
related to hermit crabs and aren’t
true lobsters at all. Oten found living
in huge swarming colonies near the
vents, the squat lobster is known to
engage in a feeding frenzy on the
super-nutritious bacterial bioilm.
Yeti crab Kiwa tyleri
Sometimes afectionately known as the
‘hof crab’ thanks to its hairy-looking
chest, this crab was irst discovered
living on hydrothermal vents in the South
Paciic. The crab’s hairs host colonies of
the life-giving sulphur-ixing bacteria,
which the crab can harvest for food.
74
Despite reaching
400°C (752°F),
the water at
hydrothermal vents
doesn’t boil as it’s
under so much
pressure in the
deep ocean.
Riftia tubeworm Ritia pachyptila
Growing up to 2.4m (7.8t) long and living on
vents in the Paciic Ocean, giant tubeworms
have a hard chitinous exterior that protects
them from both the harsh conditions and
lurking predators. The worms never leave
this case, and inside their bodies, instead of
organs, the cavity is full of symbiotic bacteria.
Mussels and shrimps survive
on bacterial sustenance, which
is the primary producer at vent
communities, replacing green
plants in sunlit environments
Zoarcid fish
Thermarces cerberus
Pale, slow and stealthy, these
ish cruise the vents looking
for a feast. At 60cm (23.6in)
long they are some of the top
predators of the hydrothermal
vent community and will
eat anything from giant
tubeworms to crabs and
mussels, although their
hunting technique is lethargic
– there are no high-speed
chases here!
Giant white clams Calyptogena magniica
These bivalves look like clams from the
outside, but inside they have no organs and
are instead full of bacteria!
©The Art Agency/Peter Scott
Mussels Bathymodiolus thermophilus
Full of symbiotic bacteria, mussels can also
ilter feed nutrients from the water
75
The wildlife of the black smoker
How vent
ecosystems work
How does life manage to lourish in the
darkest depths of the world’s oceans?
Formed in areas of tectonic activity,
hydrothermal vent ecosystems are
found around the edges of tectonic
plates and sea volcanoes. Thanks
to the superheated water mixing
with the deeper, chilly ocean water,
temperatures can luctuate wildly. The
heavy metals and toxic chemicals that
are also emitted mean that animals
need to be tough to lourish in such
extreme environments. So how does
such resilient life begin?
Once a vent has formed, larvae
from the species at other vents hitch a
ride on the currents until they happen
upon a new vent colony. As soon as
bacterial production takes hold, the
vent can start to lourish. Once more
species set up home at the vent, the
predators can begin to arrive. These
too could arrive as larvae, settling
in the relative safety and plentiful
food of the vent
community until
they’re large
enough to hunt.
Hydrothermal
vents have an
expiration date,
and just as quickly
as they are formed
they will begin to shut
down. A slight change
in seismic activity can shift
the molten lava that heats
the vents, cutting off the low
of superheated water, which in turn
means that the bacteria can’t continue
making food from the chemicals (a
process called chemosynthesis) and
support the rest of the vent animals.
When vents are in the process of
shutting down scavengers such as
siphonophores will often move in.
ABOVE The intense
heat released from
deep-sea vents accounts
for around 20 per cent of
the world’s heat loss
How hydrothermal vents work
The key to sustaining this amazing life comes from the centre of the Earth
The ‘black smoker’ vents are
black because of the dissolved
iron sulphide in the water. The
tall ‘chimneys’ are built as
mineral deposits solidify when
they hit the cold water.
Some vents with weaker and
cooler lows are called ‘cold
seeps’. These ecosystems
have a similar makeup to the
smokers but with a slightly
longer lifespan and less
intense activity.
White smokers are
white due to the
dissolved deposits
of silicon, calcium,
and barium, which
give the water a
pale white colour.
Cold seawater trickles
down through cracks
in the seabed, seeping
through the rocks
and dissolving all
kinds of nutrients and
minerals as it goes.
Like steam in a kettle, as the
immense pressure builds the
water is forced upwards. It
breaks through weak points in
the Earth’s crust, most oten
around plate boundaries or
areas of tectonic activity.
Water gets superheated by the
molten lava at the centre of the
Earth. It can reach temperatures
upwards of 400ºC (752ºF).
76
The wildlife of the black smoker
Other denizens
of the deep
Here are some other members of
this surprising ocean ecosystem
Green sulphur bacteria
These amazing bacteria live
around the vents and are able to
utilise the weak radioactive glow
that’s emitted from rock that is
generated by geothermal activity.
Dandelion
siphonophore
Related to jellyish, this scavenger
is actually a community of
organisms. They are seen as a
sign of the vent slowing down.
Scaly foot snail
Instead of a calcium-based shell
like most snails, this unique
snail makes a shell out of iron
sulphide. It even has iron plates
that protrude from its foot.
Sea cucumber
Copepod
Vents also feature plankton.
Copepods are microscopic
creatures that oten live within
other species, taking advantage
of the bacteria that provides food.
77
© Getty; Universal History Archive; Dorling Kindersley; T. Light
Found at vents in the Paciic and
Indian oceans, sea cucumbers
are related to starish. This hardy
species has evolved to cope with
the intense conditions.
The African unicorn
OKAPI
Okapia johnstoni
Class Mammalia
Territory Central, northern
and eastern DR of Congo
Diet Leaves, fruit, shoots,
ferns, buds and fungi
Lifespan 15–30 years
Adult weight Females:
225–349kg (495–769.4lb)
Males: 200–300kg
(441–661.4Ib)
Conservation Status
ENDANGERED
78
THE
AFRICAN
UNICORN
One of the world’s most elusive animals, the okapi is
so rarely seen in the wild that for a long time
it was thought to be a myth
Words Sanne de Boer
between 1995 and 2007. Due to their shy nature there is
currently no reliable estimate on their numbers.
Even before it was considered endangered, the okapi
has always been exceptionally good at hide and seek;
so good in fact that the striking creature was thought
to be a local myth by the Western world until 1901. To
colonisers, rumour of their existence was based entirely
on stories told by local inhabitants, and without any
documentation or proof they might as well have been a
fairytale. With their deep brown, almost plum-coloured
coat, pale faces, large eyes and striped behinds, it’s easy
to see why they might have been seen as too fantastical
to be real.
© Jurgen & Christine Sohns/FLPA
Feast your eyes on the mysterious okapi, as it might
be the closest you’ll ever get to seeing this striking
creature. Not only does their unique rear-end provide
them with the perfect camoulage, mimicking the light
seeping through the jungle foliage, but they are also
incredibly rare. The okapi is only found among dense
jungle forestry in a select area of the DR of Congo and
has been driven to the edge of extinction by the threats
to their habitat, as well as hunting for bushmeat and the
consequences of local warfare.
Despite recent efforts to protect and celebrate the
okapi, like making it the national animal of the DR of
Congo, the population fell by more than 40 per cent
79
The African unicorn
Keeping a low profile
turned them into myths
The mysterious okapi piqued the interest of
intrepid Western explorers
As in any great fairytale, the story of how the Western
world came to know of the okapi’s existence starts in a
mystical, awe-inspiring land. Okapis are found in older
rainforests with high canopies, such as the forests of the
Aruwimi, Nepoko and Ituri basins. The Ituri forest captured
the imagination of explorers such as Henry Morton Stanley,
whose gruelling journey through the dense foliage and
monstrous trees inspired him to coin the term ‘the Dark
Continent’. It is said Stanley was the irst to catch a glimpse
of the okapi in its endemic habitat, but it was Sir Harry
Hamilton Johnston who made it his mission to prove the
existence of the ‘jungle zebra’.
Johnston, who immersed himself in African culture and
spoke several African languages, had met with Stanley
previously and learned of the elusive creature. When
Johnston aided in returning a group of kidnapped Pygmy
locals to their home in the Ituri Forest, they also described
the animal to him. Johnston was able to obtain strips of
okapi skin, which he sent back to the British Museum for
examination, but any expeditions to ind the creature alive
were fruitless.
Through the help of British soldiers, Johnston later
received two skulls and a complete skin of an okapi, as well
as discovering they had cloven hoofs. Johnston developed
his irst full sketch of the animal in 1901 and helped prove
that the okapi’s closest relative was the giraffe. The name
johnstoni was added to the full Latin name of the okapi in
honour of the famous explorer and zoologist.
The okapi’s reddish-brown coat
provides it with a useful layer of
camouflage as it wanders through
forests in search of food
80
The African unicorn
The okapi’s
tongue is more
than just a fun
party trick – it’s a
clever adaptation
to their habitat
Their tongues are prehensile
Without opposable thumbs, okapis rely on their tongues
Like their close relative the giraffe, the okapi has some
interesting table manners. While they lack their cousin’s long
neck, their taste for tall foliage – and how they get hold of it – is
the same. Their prehensile tongue can curl around the trickiest
of leaves and they have quite a bit of muscle power. Not only
that, their tongues are also among the longest in the animal
kingdom to help them reach tall leaves. An average adult
okapi’s tongue is between 35–45.7 centimetres (13.8–18 inches)
long, meaning they are longer in proportion to their body than
the tongue of a giraffe. This handy feature also enables an okapi
to lick its own ears!
With that kind of power, tough jungle flora is no match for
the okapi. The length of their tongue is an example of how well
adapted they are to their extreme environment. In the dense,
dark jungles they call home, trees are incredibly old and their
branches and leaves grow tall.
However, their tongues are useful for more than just
grabbing hold of food; they are also used for grooming and
communicating with others. For instance, the courtship ritual
between two okapis is initiated by circling, sniffing and licking
each other.
keeping an ear out
Large ears enable okapis to
listen out for their main predator:
leopards. Should one get too close
an okapi can mete out a lethal kick.
Think you know the
okapi? Think again!
They have extremely
good hearing
As suggested by their
long, cone-shaped ears,
hearing is the first line of
defence for the okapi. They
have poor sight, but in the
darkness of the jungle
hearing a predator is more
useful than seeing them.
They use scent glands
to mark their territory
Okapis secrete a tar-like
substance from glands
on their feet to mark their
territory, but they will also
spray urine or rub their
necks against trees to
make their presence
known to others.
Waterproof coat
An okapi’s shiny redbrown coat isn’t just
aesthetically pleasing –
its oily consistency helps
to keep it dry in the rain.
Follow the leader
While scientists aren’t certain, they
believe the white markings on an
okapi’s lower legs help others to
follow it through forests.
© Getty; Gleb Ivanov; GlobalP; Anolis01; blickwinkel / Alamy; DBI Studio
They are the oficial
national animal of the
DR of Congo
The okapi is a national
symbol in the DR of Congo
and even appears on
Congolese bank notes.
It also features on some
stamps in the west African
state of Guinea-Bissau.
81
The African unicorn
“It was Sir Harry Johnston who
made it his mission to prove the
existence of the ‘jungle zebra’”
Okapi’s may appear to be
slow-moving grazers, but
they can reach a top speed
of 60kph (37.3mph)
They have some interesting diet choices
© Getty; wrangel
The clay that okapis eat provides them with essential nutrients
With a taste for over 100 different types of plant
and fungi and the stomach to tolerate hardy or
even poisonous foods, the okapi has an interesting
diet to say the least. They will eat anything from
leaves and berries to twigs and mushrooms and
consume between 20–27 kilograms (44–59.5
pounds) of vegetation every day. However, the
strangest and least-appetising element of their daily
nutrition has to be clay.
The okapi eats a particular kind of red clay for
the same reason humans would take vitamin tablets
or protein shakes: it offers them vital nutrients they
82
can’t get from their plant-based diet. These include
important salts, something that’s dificult to ind
in plants. They treat this clay, which is found in the
riverbeds of rust-coloured rivers such as the Ituri,
as a supplement of sorts. In captivity okapis are
often given salt blocks to fulil this requirement, and
feeding them the appropriate diet can prove to be
quite a challenge for zookeepers.
However, that’s not the strangest thing they eat.
Even in the densely forested jungle they call home,
the okapi will resort to eating burned wood and bat
guano (droppings) to form a wholesome diet.
DID YOU
KNOW?
When Johnston irst sent
strips of striped okapi skin
back to the British Museum
scientists mistakenly
announced the discovery
of a new species
of zebra.
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Time to save some ass
TIME TO
SAVE
SOME ASS
When we think of
endangered animals,
donkeys don’t tend to
come to mind, and this
lack of understanding now
means that many wild
donkeys face extinction.
It’s time to help these
unassuming ungulates
before it’s too late
Words Charlie Ginger
In a world illed with all manner of bright and bizarre
animals it is all too easy to forget the less exotic yet
no less important creatures that live alongside us.
The donkey is one such neighbour, its dull-coloured
coat and quiet munching drawing little attention from
passersby. Yet the role of the humble donkey shouldn’t
be underestimated. Without them parts of the developing
world would grind to a halt.
Thanks to the use of DNA analysis, scientists are now
conident that the wild asses of North Africa are in fact
the ancestors of all modern-day domestic donkeys. The
original progenitor is believed to have been the Nubian
ass, although it is likely that many subspecies played a
part in establishing what is today a global population of
44 million donkeys, 5.4 million of which reside in China.
According to archaeological indings, the many
potential uses of a donkey became apparent to humans
over 4,000 years ago, with donkey bones unearthed at
84
© Getty; Justin Okoye / EyeEm
Time to save some ass
85
Time to save some ass
ABOVE Donkeys are used for a range of tasks in the developing world, from
lugging heavy loads and water to transporting tourists
El-Omari, an ancient site in Upper Egypt. These patient
equids were relied upon as the main mode of transport
in ancient Egypt and across the north of the continent, as
well as being used to haul goods and draw water.
The irresistible march of the Roman Empire from the
3rd century BCE onwards eventually took donkeys out
of Africa and the Middle East and transported them into
their burgeoning territories further abroad. Trudging along
the Silk Road, donkeys eventually found their way into
Europe, where the inhabitants put them to work cultivating
vineyards and turning water and grain mills. However,
they didn’t set hoof on British soil until Claudius’ invasion
in 43 CE, and they wouldn’t reach the Americas until the
15th century. By the 1860s only Australasia remained for
the docile donkey to conquer (with the chilly exception of
Antarctica, which they have wisely avoided to date), but in
1866 their global tour was completed as racehorse owner
and businessman Thomas Elder began importing them.
While the developed world has since replaced pack
mules with automobiles and trains, much of the developing
world is still heavily reliant on donkeys for a range of jobs
that would otherwise be almost impossible to do. Yet while
domestic donkeys do not face the same threats, their wild
cousins are now confronted by the very real prospect of
extinction. So how has this dire situation come about?
We spoke to Alex Mayers, head of programmes at The
Donkey Sanctuary, a charity established in 1969 and based
in Devon in the UK, about why donkeys are now trotting
towards the abyss.
“Donkeys are often perceived as not being of the
same status as other animals; they’re widely portrayed as
stubborn or comic igures,” explained Alex. “Far from these
popular perceptions, donkeys are the silent servants of
communities around the world.
“There is a lack of understanding of the economic,
cultural and social beneits that donkeys bring to
communities, and this means they are often taken for
granted and their welfare not taken into consideration.
For example, evidence shows that women often rely
on working animals to do tasks they would otherwise
How you can help
ABOVE Studies
have shown that
donkeys are capable
of independent
thinking and will
never do anything
they deem unsafe
There are many things we can all do to
help save the world’s donkeys
Donate
It is easy to make a donation on The Donkey Sanctuary
Website. Just £3 ($4) covers the cost of caring for a donkey
for half a day, while £5 ($7) funds a visit from the farrier.
Wild donkeys by numbers
96
km
Distance at
which a donkey’s
bray can be
heard (59.7mi).
86
25
5,000 YEARS
The approximate
number of donkeys
cared for by The
Donkey Sanctuary.
How far back
a donkey can
remember.
8.4
50
570 million
KPH
Estimated current
population of
African wild ass.
donkeys in Ethiopia,
the world’s largest
population.
Top speed of an
African wild ass
(equivalent to 31mph).
Volunteer
From caring for the donkeys to raising money or helping
out with jobs at The Donkey Sanctuary office, if you have
some spare time you could make a real difference to a
donkey in need.
Give a donkey a home
If you have the room, time and dedication, rehoming
a donkey can be an incredibly rewarding option. They
require around an acre of space and access to shelter.
Other
endangered
equids
Albino
This striking mule is native to the
island of Asinara, off the northwest
coast of Sardinia, Italy. It is thought
that they may be the descendants of
donkeys imported from Egypt.
Andalusian
A popular one with holidaymakers,
the Andalusian donkey population hit
a new low of just 749 in 2013. Efforts
are being made to ensure they work
less in a bid to save them.
have to do themselves, including collecting water
and transporting goods. By empowering women to
be economically active donkeys also increase the
community status of women.”
A disregard in some quarters for the welfare of
donkeys has resulted in two particular species now
confronting an uncertain future. “The African wild ass is
currently classiied as Critically Endangered. The main
threats to this species are illegal hunting for their meat,
hides and fat, which is believed to have medicinal uses,
as well as competition with humans and livestock over
water and pasture use,” Alex revealed.
The Asian wild ass, on the other hand, is classiied as
Near Threatened, but while it is not quite in the same
position as its African cousin, having a global population
of around 28,000, it is in decline. “The main causes of
decline are hunting, limited access to drinking water
and forage, and potential interbreeding with domestic
donkeys,” said Alex. So what is The Donkey Sanctuary
doing to help them?
“The Donkey Sanctuary’s mission is to transform the
quality of life for donkeys, mules and people worldwide
through greater understanding, collaboration and
support, and by promoting lasting, mutually life-enhancing
relationships,” Alex told us.
“Improving welfare and conditions for working
donkeys through advocacy and education not only has
the beneit of ensuring the creatures have a better life
but also supports the communities in which they live.
By demonstrating the positive impact donkeys have on
human health and happiness, the charity aims to transform
their status and transform negative attitudes.”
While The Donkey Sanctuary is no doubt the bestplaced organisation to ight a continued campaign aimed
at securing donkeys the conditions and recognition that
they deserve, they face a daunting task, one not helped by
the demand in China for donkey-hide gelatin.
Considered by many to be a miraculous ‘elixir’, it is made
by boiling donkey skin, and the surging demand for this
product has resulted in the Chinese donkey population
crashing from 11 to 5.4 million, followed by a sharp rise in
the number of donkeys being stolen and then slaughtered
in Africa in order to make ejiao, as it is known in China.
Marketed as a cure for ageing and infertility, a 250gram (8.8-ounce) box of ejiao can cost from $180
(approximately £127) upwards. Initially, the potential proit
“While the developed world has replaced pack mules
with automobiles and trains, much of the developing
world is still reliant on donkeys for a range of jobs”
© Getty; David Baileys; Jeff Attaway; NaturePL/Roger Powell
Time to save some ass
Despite being gentle,
docile creatures, it’s
believed donkeys
possess a bite force in
the region of 400psi
Baudet de Poitou
These stocky mules were once the
engine of French agriculture and
viewed as a symbol of wealth. It’s
believed they’ve been in France since
Caesar pacified Gaul in 54 BCE.
Woolly Paramo
Found at elevations as high as 5,000
metres (16,404 feet), these fluffy
donkeys were introduced to South
America by European settlers.
© Picture credit
Balkan
A herd of 120 of these rare donkeys
is kept in the Zasavica Reserve in
northern Serbia to produce pule
cheese, the most expensive in the
world at £406 ($576) per pound.
87
Time to save some ass
An average-sized donkey can carry
50kg (110.2Ib) on its back or double its
own body weight over even ground
ABOVE In South America donkeys are
farmed for their milk, a commodity
that even Pope Francis himself has
confirmed he drank as a child
AfricAn WilD ASS
Equus africanus
© Getty; KorradolYamsattham; CHRISTIAN MIRANDA / Stringer
class Mammalia
88
Territory Eritrea and Ethiopia
(possibly some remain in
Djibouti, Sudan, Somalia and
Egypt)
Diet Leaves, bark and grass
lifespan 25–30 years
Adult weight 80–480kg
(176.4–1,058Ib)
conservation Status
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
generated from selling ‘spare’
donkeys incentivised African
owners to sell them, but as their
herd depleted and farmers began
to refrain from parting with their
donkeys thefts rocketed.
In a bid to tackle a burgeoning
problem, various African
governments have imposed a
range of measures, some more
effective than others. The Tanzanian
Government moved to ban the
slaughter and export of donkeys in 2017,
a policy that has restored the cost of a
donkey to a normal price and therefore
curbed incidents of theft. Uganda, Botswana,
Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali have also imposed
the same rules.
However, the Kenyan authorities have taken an
opposite approach, opening three slaughterhouses to
date that are believed to process 500 donkeys a day,
dispatching them with a bolt to the head. This is a decision
they’ve stood by despite public outrage. Thankfully, similar
public disgust managed to close a slaughterhouse recently
opened in Ethiopia.
While numerous organisations are loudly appealing to
both Chinese and African governments, there doesn’t yet
seem to be any sign of a decline in the demand for this
devastating product. The fact that donkey hides manage
to enter the Chinese market from countries as far-lung as
Brazil, Colombia (where police in one region have begun a
‘Guard Your Donkey’ campaign) and Mexico makes it even
harder to track down those responsible and apprehend
them. This is not only catastrophic for donkeys; it is also
having a crippling effect on many people’s livelihoods.
In November 2016, the inhabitants of Naberera village
in northern Tanzania awoke to ind their entire herd
of donkeys had been stolen, a single act of theft that
instantly deprived them of their mode of transport for
both themselves and their crucial water supply.
Fortunately, the picture is brighter in Europe, a continent
that has worked hard in recent decades to introduce some
of the most stringent animal rights laws in the world. In a
further step in the right direction the European Parliament
voted on 14 March of this year to prevent the deregulation
of animal welfare post Brexit. It is an announcement that
The Donkey Sanctuary warmly welcomes.
“The recent vote by EU ministers in Brussels is a positive
step to ensure animal welfare standards will be adhered to
following Brexit, assuming the framework is approved by
the UK Government,” explained Valentina Riva, advocacy
manager at The Donkey Sanctuary.
“The charity is part of the Brexit Task Force within the
Eurogroup for Animals and has been working at a national
level to ensure there are no reductions in animal welfare
standards when Britain leaves the EU, and we will continue
to play a role.”
As well as being part of the political conversation, The
Donkey Sanctuary also promotes the highest standards
of donkey welfare by sharing its knowledge and expertise
with animal welfare professionals around the world. In
April the charity launched its new professional text book,
The Clinical Companion of the Donkey, at the World
Equine Veterinary Association Congress in Beijing.
Focusing on all aspects of donkey health and welfare,
the text book demonstrates the charity’s commitment
to promoting best practice to all those who work with
and care for donkeys, concentrating on the differences
in the equine species that are unique to the donkey. It
aims to help professionals globally to support donkey and
mule owners in preventing disease, as well as supporting
clinicians in diagnosing and treating sick donkeys.
It can now only be hoped that the global community
can cooperate effectively to ensure that donkeys have a
secure future. For too long humanity has willingly used
and abused these sweet-natured, patient ungulates,
using them in mines and warzones, riding them on sun-lit
beaches and trekking them through arid wastelands. Now
it is time for their sacriices and immense value to be
recognised before it’s too late.
If the ruthless demand for donkey products can be
stemmed then their may come a day when a donkey
can cast us a glance that relects the immortal words of
Eeyore: “Thanks for noticing me.”
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PORTRAIT GUIDES
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The 2018
WildlifePhoto.com
Contest Series is now
open for entries
The contest series is made up of three
separate photo contests: Wildlife Portraits,
Habitats and Landscapes, and Animal Behaviour.
The final deadline for the 2018 contest is 31
December 2018, and there are some exciting
new prizes up for grabs this year, including
a luxury African safari for two and the
chance to have your photo displayed
at a winners’ exhibition in
New York City!
BEHIND
LENS
Guide to the galaxy
THE
When it comes to snapping wildlife under the
stars, award-winning nature photographer Ripan
Biswas is never afraid to try something new
I took this photo in a village in Cooch Behar. A
crystal-clear sky is not always available in the
time of the monsoon here, so I have to wait for
a perfect cloudless night when the Milky Way is
clearly visible.
I used a Nikon D750 camera body, which has
excellent low-light performance and image quality
and a unique lens – the Laowa 15mm. This is a
fully manual lens so it doesn’t have any electrical
connection to the camera body. It has a focus ring
and an aperture ring that is adjusted manually by
rotating the rings. Except for my camera and lens,
I used a sturdy tripod, a cable releaser and a lash
with diffuser.
This year I found three to four Theobald’s ranid
frogs in the swamp where I generally shoot macro
shots of insects and amphibians. When night falls
these frogs start croaking. Previously I’d shot this
frog with my normal Tamron 90mm macro lens, so
for a change I tried my 15mm 1:1 macro lens.
I approached silently, placed my camera in
position and set a 30-second shutter speed. First I
pressed the shutter with a cable releaser to get rid
of any kind of shake. This time I set the lens on f8
and focused on the frog. The lash was in my other
hand, which I ired by pressing the test button.
90
This took me two to three seconds, after which
I rotated both the focus ring to ininity and the
aperture ring to f4, which is the maximum aperture
of the lens. For the rest of the shoot my camera
stayed on the latter setting. I used iso 2000 for
this shot. This is how both the frog and the Milky
Way both stayed in sharp focus.
Ripan Biswas
WWW.RIPANBISWAS.COM
I come from the small village of
Cooch Behar, West Bengal, India. I
have a master’s in environmental
science and I’m presently teaching
in a school. Ever since my childhood
nature has always inspired me. The
life and death of a grasshopper, the
flashing green hue of a bee-eater, the sound of dry leaves on a
forest floor in spring – it’s always kept me enthralled.
When it came to photography, I had no option but to choose
nature photography, which I began in 2008. My pictures are
published in various national and international magazines, and I
have received many national and international awards in wildlife
photography competitions. Recently I was awarded overall
winner at a wildlife photo competition run by Will Burrard Lucas.
Location: Cooch Behar, West Bengal, India
Camera used: Nikon D750 (15mm Laowa lens)
Guide to the galaxy
Life from dawn to dusk
Nature’s miniature members are easily snapped with the right camera
Frog and reflection
A Theobald’s ranid frog examines the world
around it while sitting on aquatic vegetation.
Spiderlings emerge
These spiderlings are making their first
journey out into their unknown surroundings.
Tips for the
amateur
photographer
01 Get to know your subjects
and their habitat by spending as
much time as you can with them.
It’s also vital to know where and
when to find the Milky Way; there
are some apps that can help.
02 Learn the techniques of longexposure photography and don’t
be afraid to get down to ground/
water level.
03 Get creative, mix things up,
experiment with new ideas and
camera settings and plan a shot
before going out into the field.
© Ripan Biswas
Sunrise ants
The red weaver ants in this image are
marching in search of food.
91
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Animal
answers
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Send your animal questions to us at:
questions@animalanswers.co.uk
Most frogs only
have teeth on the
upper jaw
Do frogs bite?
Almost all species of adult frogs have two kinds of teeth that
can only be found on the upper jaw. Known as maxillary teeth,
they are tiny, usually cone-shaped protrusions that occur
around the rim of the mouth. Vomerine teeth, meanwhile,
project from the roof of the mouth. Both types of teeth are
useful for holding prey that a frog has pulled into its mouth.
A few species do have sharper teeth that might help in
catching food, but only one known species has teeth-like
structures on the lower jaw. Because of these dental limitations
most adult frogs do not chomp on what they are eating,
although they might bite in self-defence. Tadpoles have teeth,
but these are used for rasping off thin layers of plant material
rather than biting. Toads do not have teeth of any kind.
Are porcupines and hedgehogs related?
Although porcupines and hedgehogs
both have prickly backs, they are not
biologically related. Porcupines are
rodents, like mice and rats, while
hedgehogs are relatives of shrews
and moles. Furthermore, the spiny
defences of these animals are only
superficially similar.
The prickles on a hedgehog are
much shorter than a porcupine’s
quills, which can be up to 51
centimetres (20 inches) long. While
hedgehogs can roll up their bodies
for protection, porcupines will revert
to shaking their quills and stamping
their feet to intimidate predators. If
this fails they will charge backwards
in self-defence. Contrary to popular
belief, porcupines do not fire their
quills, although they can shed any
that lodge in an attacker’s flesh.
Both are native to parts of Africa,
Asia and continental Europe, and
porcupines also occur in North
America. Hedgehogs are usually seen
on the ground, where they hunt for
invertebrates. Porcupines, however,
can climb trees and are herbivores.
Follow us at...
94
Predators beware!
Porcupine quills act
like miniature spears.
Porcupine quills are
much longer than a
hedgehog’s prickles.
Porcupines
are vegetarian,
whereas
hedgehogs
will eat meat.
Unlike hedgehogs,
porcupines have feet
adapted to climbing.
@WorldAnimalsMag
worldofanimalsmag
Animal answers
Which cat breeds
are hypoallergenic?
No species of cat is guaranteed to be totally
hypoallergenic, but a few breeds are less likely to
cause an extreme reaction.
Most people who have an allergy to cats react to
cat dander or the protein Fel d 1. Dander is the cat
equivalent of dandruff: lakes of dry cat skin or hair.
Fel d 1, meanwhile, is in cat saliva and is the most
potent cause of cat allergies. All cats shed dander
but some breeds produce more than others.
Bengal, Burmese, Siamese and Sphynx are among
the breeds that tend to shed less. Similarly, not all
cat breeds carry the same concentration of Fel d 1 in
their spittle. Siberian and Balinese cats, for example,
are less likely to have you reaching for antihistamines
if they lick you.
“Bengal, Burmese,
Siamese and Sphynx
are among the breeds
that tend to shed less”
Science iction writers often use blood that isn’t red to
emphasise the extraterrestrial nature of aliens in their stories.
However, you don’t have to go into space to ind species
with blue or green blood. Among the former here on Earth
are octopuses and squids, while the name of Papua New
Guinea’s green-blooded skink speaks for itself.
Human blood is red because it contains the oxygencarrying molecule haemoglobin. Blue-blooded octopuses
use haemocyanin instead of haemoglobin because it keeps
working at extreme temperatures. The chemical
responsible for the green-blooded skink’s
peculiar shade of plasma is biliverdin,
a by-product of the breakdown of
haemoglobin. The ocellated iceish
is another oddity where blood
colour is concerned; it has
neither haemoglobin nor
haemocyanin in its blood,
which therefore has no colour.
How do butterlies ly?
When they are actively flying, rather than
gliding, butterflies rapidly move their forewings
in a figure-of-eight pattern. This creates small
differences in air pressure around the wings
that produce forward momentum. Rather than
flying in a straight line like birds, butterflies flit
up and down.
Studies of air movements around the wings
have indicated that this is due to turbulence
created by the wings and could help butterflies
avoid predators. Scientists believe that a
butterfly’s wings are much larger than they
need to be to support its weight in the air.
Big wings, however, might attract mates or
improve manoeuvrability.
A butterfly’s wings
work like those of
an airplane
© Getty; Brian Lasenby; RootBangna; Farinosa; NexTser
Why do some animals
have blue blood?
Q. Can mosquitoes
smell danger?
Find out at…
animalanswers.co.uk
Bizarre!
The smiling squid
that looks like a pig
Deep water is home to a host of odd and sinister-looking
creatures, but in the murky depths of the Atlantic swims
a creature that’s definitely more comical than creepy
Banded piglet squid
Helicocranchia pfefferi
Class Cephalopoda
territory North Atlantic and
Paciic oceans, possibly
worldwide
diet Unknown
lifespan 18 months
adult weight Unknown
Conservation status
© NaturePL; David Shale
DATA DEFICIENT
They’ve got
built-in lamps
They inflate
like a balloon
Piglet squid live over 100 metres (328
feet) below the surface of the sea where
the water is murky and dark. However,
they can still be seen through the gloom
because they have a photophore (lightproducing organ) under each eye.
This squid doesn’t always look
like a happy balloon. Its body
is usually narrow, but it has the
ability to ill itself with water so
that it bobs through the ocean
like a beach ball.
They can shoot
water out of
their snout
They’re
constantly
smiling
They are
upside-down
swimmers
The ‘snout’ is created by the unusual
position of the squid’s siphon. The siphon
is a muscular tube that serves lots of
functions: it can be used for respiration,
discharging waste and even squirting out
a jet of water for propulsion.
There’s a permanent grin on
the barred piglet squid’s face.
Disappointingly, it’s not because
it’s really happy all the time – the
smile is just a line of pigmentation
on its largely translucent skin.
Compared to other
cephalopods, the piglet squid
swims upside down. This odd
angle causes its tentacles to fall
in such a way that they look like
an unruly mop of hair.
96
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Animal trivia
Test your animal knowledge
1. WIZARDS OF OZ
3. KING COBRAS
Which animal is the nearest relative
to the echidna?
How long does it take for a large dose of king
cobra venom to kill a human?
a. 30 minutes
b. 1 hour
c. 10 minutes
d. 5 minutes
2. MEET THE RHINOS
4. LET IT SHINE!
Can you name these rhino species?
Name the iridescent animal
a.
b.
c.
d.
a.
b.
c.
d.
5. THE SHOCKING TRUTH
a.
b.
© Getty; Encyclopaedia Britannica/UIG; Dorling Kindersley;
Pascal Vuylsteker; Christine Ferdinand; Photononstop / Alamy
“My ‘nose’ is
used like a metal
detector.”
Shark
Match the animal to the correct phrase
c.
d.
“I have built-in
solar panels.”
Electric eel
“I’m capable
of producing
650 volts of
electricity.”
Oriental hornet
e.
“I use electricity
as a sixth sense.”
“I ind food using
electricity to detect
the movements of
my prey.”
Platypus
Elephantnose ish
Answers 1. The platypus 2. a. Javan rhino b. Indian rhino c. White rhino d. Black rhino 3. a. 30 minutes 4. a. Peacock spider b. Madagascan sunset moth
c. Fiery-throated hummingbird d. Siamese ighting ish 5. a. Elephantnose ish b. Oriental hornet c. Electric eel d. Shark e. Platypus
98
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