Before the invention of fossil-fuel-driven engines human beings were mostly sedentary creatures. My grandfather barely left the Cotswold valley where his ancestors had lived for generations. In stark contrast there …
Why animals are important
Penguins of the Fleurieu Peninsula: life, death and policy failure
One of the very reasons I wrote ‘Wildlife in the Balance’ was to help empower community groups with alternative narrative for wildlife conservationWhy is animal conservation important? Animal conservation is …
Insect rewilding. Love and hate in grasshopper country
A little known insect rewilding project happened this week in Melbourne Australia. Several thousand Key’s Matchstick Grasshoppers were introduced into Royal Park. Rewilding is modern conservationWhy is animal conservation important? …
I had the most extraordinary encounter the other day which got me thinking. Can we talk to animals through body language? It was in Melbourne over Easter. We decided to …
Why are Aardvarks important?
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 …
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 …
A paper just published in the journal Ecography identifies the impact of animals on global ecosystem processes. Researchers used data from the International Union for the ConservationWhy is animal conservation …
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 …
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 …