Many animals are present temporarily, like migratory birds or even wildebeest, while insects and rodents are tiny and fastidious. Aardvarks on the other hand are ancient. Indeed, there are fossil …
Biodiversity processes
Why are Orangutans important?
The power of orangutans in ecosystems Have you ever asked, or answered the question ‘why are orangutans important?’ Because for most people it may never have occurred to them, yet …
Why is Queensland flooding? Koalas may be your best hope
Why is Queensland flooding? Climate models couldn’t predict it. Climate scientists are saying that the water cycle is intensifying twice as fast as models suggest. Many of us who observe …
The scale, magnitude and intensity of animal impactWhat is Animal Impact? Without wildlife, Earth would not be habitable for humans, because it’s animals that stabilise ecosystems. It’s a fundamental law of …
Coevolution explains the mystery of animal migration
The other day I was listening to an ABC show talking about the miracles of migration. Always we cut to a technical explanation of how animals navigate. Barely ever do …
Sea urchin barrens, how to rebuild an ecosystem without killing it
In this blog I want to talk about sea urchin barrens and how to rebuild an ecosystem. These are the among the reasons I won’t personally be killing sea urchins …
When I wrote my article about the significance of animals for pollen nutrient dispersal the other day, I missed this fantastic reference. Pollen-eating increases spiderling survival according to a study …
Cloud albedo pollution and seabirds
A study just came out with former NASA climate scientist James Hansen. Therein, he warns that a reduction in the amount of atmospheric pollution could lead to an acceleration in …
How do Sperm Whales catch squid? Five curious adaptations.
One of my favourite books is Sperm Whales by Hal Whitehead. Reading this rounded off a lifetime of fascination with the species. Sperm Whales are one of the biggest animals …
Life is serendipitous as we’re all victims of circumstance, born into our local environment. The Galápagos Penguins’ Pacific climate deal ensures that it can survive but only just. This animal …