Professor Marcus Byrne teaches us about the fantastical and unexpected world of dung beetles, their ecological importance, their connections to human culture and history, and how this lowly creature finds its way home by looking to the stars.
Category: Animals
The Wild Life of the Black-and-Yellow Lichen Moth
Order| Lepidoptera Species| Lycomorpha pholus Uh-ah, you know what it is—the Black-and-Yellow Lichen Moth! “Wait, black and yellow? They’re clearly orange-er, right?” Who knows what they were thinking. One thing’s for sure though, mimicry is their flex. As caterpillars, when they spend most of their time munching on a symbiotic snack of lichen, they texturally … Continue reading The Wild Life of the Black-and-Yellow Lichen Moth
The Wild Life of the Nicobar Pigeon
Order| Columbiformes While it may come as a shock, the Nicobar Pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica) is indeed a Pigeon. It’s also the closest living relative of the now extinct Dodo bird! These birds are named for an island chain of the coast of India where many of them live, though they can be found all the … Continue reading The Wild Life of the Nicobar Pigeon
The Wild Life of Red Pandas
Red Panda Order| Carnivora Family| Ailuridae Red Panda's, like the Giant Panda, eat mostly bamboo (and are impossibly adoreable). But here's the thing, they aren't pandas. They're actually more closely related to skunks and raccoons, and make up their own subfamily alongside skunks, raccoons, and weasels. Much like the Eau de Popcorn smelling Binturong, the … Continue reading The Wild Life of Red Pandas
Home Is Where The Log Is: A Velvet Worm Short Story
When most people think of Australia, their mind conjures up images of a Mad Maxian landscape—brick red sand blemished with gray-green freckles of saltbrush. Standing tall in a rigid defiance, the occasional gum or eucalyptus serves as safe haven for koalas and kookaburras under a big hard sun. Maybe they think of the Great Barrier … Continue reading Home Is Where The Log Is: A Velvet Worm Short Story
Is it a Worm? Is it a Wasp? No! It’s the Elm Sawfly!
This past weekend as I sat below an old oak tree while drinking my morning cup of coffee and looking out on a glassy Lake Darling in Alexandria, Minnesota, something fell from the sky and landed at my feet. Small and curled up like a slightly puff green and yellow sour gummy worm. It's face … Continue reading Is it a Worm? Is it a Wasp? No! It’s the Elm Sawfly!
Sunday Fish Sketch| Freshwater Elephantfish
This #SundayFishSketch comes from Ichthyologist, Rene Martin. Visit her shop on InPrint to see more of her artwork or to order prints! Meet the Freshwater Elephantfish Mormyridae Mormyridae is an African family of 200 or so species in the biological order Osteoglossiformes. Oddly enough, but fitting in line with the peculiar and weirdly specific nature of systematics, … Continue reading Sunday Fish Sketch| Freshwater Elephantfish
The Dragonhunter
In the skies across Minnesota (and much of the eastern US and southeastern Canada, for that matter), roams a fierce and agile predator, capable of taking down prey you would never imagine---and some many wouldn't dare to try at themselves. Hagenius brevistylus, is a clubtail dragonfly known as the Dragonhunter, and is one of nearly … Continue reading The Dragonhunter
Get your head out of the sand! Ostriches are actually pretty amazing.
It's #ThursdayBirdsday! This week, it's time to bust some myths, bow down in awe, and learn something new about the big birds that look like emus. (Rhyming was the only reason for that last bit and I don't regret it.) You’re probably wondering why the ostrich in the main image seems so shocked. Well, then … Continue reading Get your head out of the sand! Ostriches are actually pretty amazing.
The American Goldfinch
A few days back while at the park with my son, we were sitting beneath a shady cedar tree watching a family of Canada Geese graze in the grass when, from above, came a familiar summer song--- po-ta-to chip, po-ta-to chip.
The Trouble with Trilobites
It's #FossilFriday, and you know what that means---fossils. Big surprise, right? This week, with an unoriginal but begging to be used titular parody on the classic Star Trek episode 'The Trouble with Tribbles"---we're talking trilobites. Here is my trilobite. It was a gift from my brother (podcast co-host) he picked up at a rock convention. … Continue reading The Trouble with Trilobites
Spot the Difference: Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers
It's #BirdThurs here at #TheWildLife. This week, learn how to tell the difference between a Down and Hairy Woodpecker!
Mid-Season Finale| S2E5: No Brainer
In the mid-season finale, Devon and Richard talk to Lucas Brotz, research associate at the Marine Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries at the University of British Columbia and a Cnidaria Scientist for Quantitative Aquatics, to discuss how a creature without a brain dominates the worlds oceans, and the many ways they impact our lives.
TWL Hiking Club| Ravens and Crows
This is merely a sample of the wonders of Ravens and Crows.
TWL Hiking Club|The Always Adorable, Sometimes Vicious, Shrew
It's #TWLHikingClub Tuesday! To continue our series on often less appreciated critters, this week we are talking about the always adorable, and sometimes vicious, shrew.
#SundayFishSketch| Larval Fish and a Podcast
The theme for this week's #SundayFishSketch was fish that don't look like fish, which is most definitely the case with almost all larval marine fish.
TWL Hiking Club| Mallards are Actually Really Awesome
It's #TWLHikingClub Tuesday| Today, we're kicking off a new series on appreciating the little things---from urban wildlife to the oh so common Mallard.
#SundayFishSketch| Tripodfish
#SundayFishSketch| Meet the Tripodfish, a deep sea dwelling hermaphrodite that, well, looks like a tripod---designed by Tim Burton.
#SundayFishSketch Lipogramma idabeli
It's Sunday, which means #SundayFishSketch ! This week, learn about the stunning, newly discovered, deepwater basslet Lipogramma idabeli #SciArt
#SundayFishSketch Xiphactinus
It's Sunday, which means #SundayFishSketch . This week, travel back to the time of dinosaurs to discover the Xiphactinus. #SciArt
#SundayFishSketch Banded Scuplin
The banded sculpin (Cottus carolinae) is a mottled brown freshwater fish with dark vertical bands native to swift moving streams of the eastern United States where they dine on insects, various larvae, and occasionally, though sparingly, on other smaller fish or crustaceans.
19 Creepy Critters and Monster Themed Animals That Will Get You In The Halloween Spirit
Halloween may already be near its end, but if you're having trouble getting in the ghoulish spirit ahead of trick or treating or the witching hour, check out these 19 creepy critters and monster themed animals to help you be more David S Pumpkins and less David S No-Fun-kins. Instead of the normal explanatory captions, I'm opting for as little detail as possible. After all, the unknown is most terrifying of all!
#SundayFishSketch Goliath Tigerfish
If there is any fish that lives up to its name it's the Goliath Tigerfish---a truly gigantic African predator with razor sharp teeth. The largest on record weighed over 150 pounds at nearly five feet in length. For perspective, that's two German Shepard's stacked on top of each other, or a welterweight fighter---and a fighter they certainly are.
#SundayFishSketch Redeye Piranha
Piranhas need no introduction being that their teeth and diet have earned them quite the reputation, especially around Hollywood as a super villains aquarium species of choice or as the center of several B-movies.
#SundayFishSketch Ribbon Eel
Gracefully snaking through the water as if under the control of a rhythmic gymnast, the Ribbon Eel is quite the spectacle.
Mud-Puddling: The Dirty Truth About Butterflies
Ever have a butterfly land on your skin and start licking you and thought "Awe, I've got a new best bro!" Well, you were wrong. Butterflies have a dirty secret!
ATTACK OF THE BRYOZOANS
If you've ever seen a gelatinous blob of ick floating in the water and wondered what type of alien life you were seeing, it was probably a Bryozoan, and they're honestly pretty neat.
Gulls and the Concrete Sea: Why do Seagulls Love Parking Lots?
Most know them as seagulls, a name which implies a proclivity for life at sea. Yet this familiar moniker is neither accurate (scientifically speaking), nor seems to fall in line with a universal observation---gulls love parking lots, whatever their distance from the salty sea
Carrion my Wayward Beetle
This is circle of life---or at least an ugly, albeit necessary, curve of it. This is the life of the American Carrion Beetle.
More than a Long Neck: 16 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Giraffes
Who doesn't love Giraffes? Yet, despite their international love and viral webcam footage with thousands tuning in to watch their birth, there is much about them that is unknown by the masses, which is a shame because they are truly fascinating animals with a multitude of fun facts about them. Here are 16 things you probably didn't know about Giraffes.