Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2020 i BBC Wildlife Magazine

1 | SCARLET ELF-CUP Fruits of the forest The naturalist Nick Baker, who writes our Hidden Britain column (see page 21), has compared them to split billiard balls. They can also resemble carelessly discarded pieces of satsuma peel. But they’re a different type of fruit altogether – the fruiting bodies of a beautiful fungus called the scarlet elf-cup. One of its many other traditional names was fairy bath, and it is not hard to see why superstitious folk might imagine pixies taking a dip in these mysterious little ‘hot tubs’ lying on the woodland floor. Scarlet elf-cup is a common and widespread species you can find from late autumn through to spring, but most sightings come in February and March, when the smooth inner surfaces of this eye-catching fungus seem…

Biologists have developed a cheap, fake rhino horn, which they believe could be deployed in East Asia to reduce demand for the real thing. Made of horsehair bound together with a protein cement, the material is highly realistic, even under a microscope. It’s the brainchild of Fritz Vollrath, a professor of zoology at the University of Oxford and chairman of the charity Save the Elephants, who developed it with colleagues at China’s Fudan University. The team has no intention of manufacturing it themselves, but by formally publishing the recipe, they have made it possible for anyone else to do so. It has the potential, says Vollrath, to disrupt the market in East Asia, where rhino horn is used in Chinese traditional medicine to treat fever and is also sought as…

Common shore crabs are able to solve complex mazes in order to find food, according to new research. To investigate whether the crustaceans had this ability, known as spatial learning, scientists from Swansea University introduced 12 wild crabs to a maze and placed food at the end. The route required five changes in direction and included three dead ends. “We know that insects, especially ants and bees, have some impressive mental abilities, but we haven’t really looked for them in their aquatic counterparts,” says marine biologist Ed Pope. The crabs were tested weekly on the same day for four weeks. During this period, both the time taken to reach the end of the maze and the number of wrong turns decreased. When the crabs returned to the maze after a…

BELUGAS CAN BE PLAYFUL in captivity – blowing bubbles, for example – but in the wild it’s not natural behaviour to retrieve objects like some sort of giant aquatic dog. So doubts soon surfaced about this video, though not before it had been viewed millions of times. The beluga in the footage, shot anonymously in November in northern Norway, is a male called Hvaldimir. He was first spotted last April, having come from a Russian military programme. “Maybe Hvaldimir escaped on a training exercise,” says Cathy Williamson of Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC). “He was tame and local people had been feeding him.” Belugas seldom breed in captivity, so the Russian navy takes them from the wild. It keeps them in small sea pens between open-water exercises to carry or…

There was a time when many of us accepted a straw in our Friday-night cocktail without a second thought. But in October 2017, Blue Planet II hit our screens, opening eyes to the damage that plastic waste is causing to the world’s oceans. While conservationists and marine scientists had long been aware of the issue, it was this series that brought the problem hurtling into public consciousness. Since then, many of us have tried to restrict our use of single-use plastics, while governments have been urged to take action – in the UK alone, microbeads in toiletries have already been banned, and from spring 2020 plastic stirrers and straws will be restricted. Currently, around 350 million tonnes of plastic are produced each year – a large proportion of it single-use…

At the height of his fame, UK television’s self-styled “jolly green giant” – he also used the typically witty, self-deprecating moniker for his autobiography – was given an unusual 50th birthday present: a jail sentence. It was 1983, and David Bellamy had flown out for the second time to support a peaceful campaign by the Tasmanian Wilderness Society (TWS) to stop the damming of the Fraser River and associated logging of its ancient, uniquely rich temperate rainforest. His arrest made headlines around the world, changing the result of the forthcoming Australian election. BBC Wildlife’s then-editor Roz Kidman Cox recalls that the magazine supported his battle with a press conference, exhibition and articles. “David was a conservation hero,” she says, “and the TWS and Australian conservationists still love him. He was…

In 2009, a team of Iranian research scientists with a special interest in large carnivores started work on a camera-trapping study in Kavir National Park, a protected area spanning 4,000km2 a couple of hours south of Tehran. Regarded as one of the country’s most important wildlife reserves, its herds of native gazelles and wild sheep, which are preyed on by packs of wolves and solitary leopards, have given it the nickname of Iran’s Serengeti. The scientists weren’t interested in these big beasts, however – they were looking for the presence of a speed merchant more usually associated with the real Serengeti. They hoped that their work would reveal Kavir to be an important stronghold for the Asiatic cheetah, a subspecies that must surely count, along with Eastern Russia’s Amur leopard,…

Hunched down with my back leaning up against the cool peat bank, I scan my binoculars across the algae-covered rocks, kelp and wind-whipped sea. Local naturalist, photographer and guide Brydon Thomason had already spotted them: “See that triangular-shaped rock? Go up from that and then slightly left.” Nothing. Then, suddenly, the rocks grow wet, brown fur, sleek heads and long Labrador-like tales – otters. First the mother, then her three cubs, slip with one fluid movement into the water. They are a single writhing mass, twisting and gliding over each other as they swim out into the bay off the east coast of Yell, one of the North Isles of Shetland. “This is magic,” Brydon whispers. He grew up on the archipelago and has studied these mammals for more than…

I’m loath to give succour to Brazil’s odious President Bolsonaro, who did little to stop the destructive fires in Amazonia last year. But he had a point when he rebuffed Western protests by observing that Brazil was simply doing what Europe had done to its forests over the past few thousand years. The UK was particularly successful in its long programme of deforestation. We currently have about 12 per cent of land under trees, less than half the European average. So it was good news when a raft of reforestation plans and ambitions surfaced just a week before news of the Amazonian fires broke. The Government reiterated its very modest targets, Tetley Tea announced it was planting a million trees, and Friends of the Earth insisted that Britain should double…

1 WHERE ARE BRITAIN’S OSPREYS NOW? Most ospreys that breed in the northern hemisphere migrate south for winter, because when lakes freeze they can’t fish. British birds head to West Africa, mainly Senegal and Gambia, though a few now winter in Portugal and Spain. They have exceptionally long wings and can make longer sea crossings than other birds of prey, which manage only a few hours over water. One tagged osprey flew an amazing 350km across the Bay of Biscay. 2 WHAT DO THEY DO IN WINTER? Tagging studies show that ospreys winter along coasts and estuaries, switching their diet to salt-water fish. They have no trouble fishing in the sea. Food can be so plentiful that they spend over three-quarters of the day perched in trees by…

“Guyana’s total bird species list is roughly 850, of which 754 are on eBird.” When Leon Moore first started using eBird in 2013, he was the only active Guyanese on the app. He has since trained others and become a verifier for the country’s bird records. “I was introduced to eBird by a wildlife tour leader while I was working at a lodge in central Guyana,” he says. “I already knew a lot about birds, so he suggested I submit my records and become a reviewer.” Leon works alongside Dr Brian O’Shea, a US ornithologist studying birds in Guyana and Suriname, to verify between 30 to 50 lists from birdwatchers per month. “Guyana’s total bird species list is roughly 850, of which 754 are on eBird,” says Leon. “Every year…

The ongoing restoration of beavers to Britain will continue in 2020 with the release of three pairs into fenced enclosures on National Trust properties in Devon and Sussex. Four beavers will go into two enclosures on Holnicote Estate, north Exmoor, where the trust believes they will help restore natural processes and complexity on local rivers. “The dams the beavers create will hold water in dry periods, help to lessen flash-flooding downstream and reduce erosion and improve water quality by holding silt,” says Ben Eardley, project manager at Holnicote. Another pair will go to the Black Down estate on the edge of the South Downs in Sussex. A spokesperson for the National Trust says this could just be the beginning: “We’re keen to see how these go, but if there are…

This system moves with the currents, winds and waves – just like plastic does. Its design consists of a 600m-long floating boom (1) that sits on the water’s surface, and a 3m skirt (2) that sits below to prevent plastics from escaping underneath. Meanwhile, a parachute-like sea anchor (3) slows down the system, so that plastics can be captured. A support vessel will periodically visit the system to take the collected plastic for recycling (4).…

Lamba Ness is a beauty spot and wildlife haven in Unst, where otters are seen in the voes all around the island’s coast, including in Haroldswick Bay, which is just a few kilometres away. But it’s not only otters that have taken an interest in the area. It has also been identified by the UK Space Agency as being the best site in the UK to launch satellites into orbit. At the beginning of 2019, Shetland Space Centre declared plans to launch small satellite vehicles from the site by mid 2021. The suggested spot on this most northerly island is particularly remote, allowing direct flights straight into orbit without dog-legging manoeuvres over populated areas. There has been significant interest in the proposed launch facility from international companies and a ‘memorandum…

AUSTIN FERGUSON is a wildlife and underwater conservation photographer and camera assistant. Originally from Bainbridge Island, Washington, he currently lives in Bristol. See more of his work at: austinrferguson.com…

Protecting sloths Whilst I appreciate Lucy Cooke’s concern for the pygmy three-toed sloth (Wildlife Champion, December 2019), it is surely a mistake to name its only home on the planet? I also said this to the producers of BBC’s Planet Earth II at the time of transmission, which also included this species. There’s a real risk of collectors taking the sloths, after all, the sloths don’t exactly run away. Naming its only home must be more of a threat than tourism and development. Wouldn’t just “a tiny island in the Caribbean do?” Richard Brock, via email Lucy Cooke replies: ZSL is open about the island name on its conservation websites. It does not consider the illegal pet trade a significant issue for this species. The urgent threat is the development…

“To appreciate the magic of my prize, you have to go under cover of darkness.” Rows of dockyard lights twinkled as we approached, the car’s temperature gauge plummeting. Pick a warm night, they’d said. Clearly we hadn’t, I reflected, as we parked on the high street by a telephone box beneath an imposing brick perimeter wall. Down the road, a neon sign advertised an adult-themed shop, and from the adjoining building echoed the sound of human voices, suggesting some kind of drinking den was in operation. If there was a posh part of town, this wasn’t it. “Look in the darkest spots, away from the streetlights.” We flicked our torches on. One emitted a small, ultra-violet beam as we moved along the wall, slowly and silently. It was very different…

Starstruck It may appear to be hurtling down a celestial wormhole, but – perhaps disappointingly – this nudibranch is merely cruising a frond of kelp off Gulen, Norway. These hardy marine molluscs don’t mind the sub-zero temperatures and lack of sunlight that accompany a Norwegian winter, even blooming here at this time of year. “Life blossoming in the dark” is what photographer Alex Mustard hoped to convey in this unearthly image, created by layering 80 long-exposure shots. Stately pile Framed by the blossom of a pink trumpet tree is the tallest flying bird in South America. The jabiru stands at 1.4m, with a 2.8m wingspan (second on the continent only to the condor). Those females suitably wowed by the male’s nest of sticks will alight nearby, but can often be…

Lesser celandine One of the first heralds of spring, the lesser celandine has glossy, star-shaped yellow flowers that seemingly float atop a low bed of heart-shaped dark green leaves. Look for it along woodland rides from February onwards, when it’s an important nectar source for pollinators emerging from hibernation. The petals only tend to unfurl in direct sunlight, and seem to track the sun across the sky like miniature satellite dishes. Sweet violet Varying in colour, with blue, pink, yellow and even white forms, sweet violet is our only fragrant member of the Viola genus. It’s also the earliest of all violets to flower and can be found sprouting in discreet tufts along woodland rides and hedge banks from February until May. Reeves’s muntjac First introduced into the grounds of…

Why are gharials unique? Gharials are unlike any other crocodiles or alligators, with bulging round eyes on top of their head, a long, comically thin snout with sharp, white teeth protruding at all angles, and they exhibit complex parental behaviours. They are on the Zoological Society of London’s EDGE (Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered) reptiles list and are considered to be the only living species in the entire Gavialidae family, with only one remotely close relative, the false gharial. They are considered to be evolutionary distinct. Where can they be found? They were once spread across Nepal, northern India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Now they’re only found in small, fragmented populations in northern India – more than 75 per cent of the global population is in National Chambal Sanctuary…

WHAT IS IT? Let’s face it, if anyone’s likely to identify a new species of ant in their own back garden, it’s an ant taxonomist. Jack Longino first assumed that the unusual workers he found patrolling his vegetable patch had been imported with pot plants or compost, but it turns out they were probably there well before his garden was. WHERE IS IT? Longino lives in a “dense urban neighbourhood” in Salt Lake City, Utah, an irrigated green oasis in a hot, dry landscape. He suspects the species usually seeks out moisture deep underground, while in the irrigated city, it is able to flourish at the surface. FIND OUT MORE Western North American Naturalist: bit.ly/2t6nYSF…

Living in groups is a double-edged sword in terms of the health of group members. While sociability increases the transmission of infections, social connections can reduce stress levels with knock-on benefits for health. New research suggests that, for crows at least, socially integrated individuals are healthier than socially isolated ones. Biologists led by Claudia Wascher of Anglia Ruskin University have examined the relationship between sociability and health among a captive population of carrion crows. Over a period of six years, they mapped each bird’s social network and assessed their health in terms of the number of gut parasites present in their faeces. It turned out that individuals that formed stronger social bonds hosted fewer gut parasites than more solitary birds, suggesting that sociability does indeed bring health benefits. It’s quite…

The solar-powered Interceptor is located in a river. Floating barriers divert debris into the mouth of the system (1). A conveyor belt then extracts the rubbish from the water and onto a shuttle (2/3), which will place the waste into one of six bins located on a barge. When the Interceptor is full, it will send a message to local waste operators and the barge is brought to shore, so the waste can be recycled (4). The empty barge is then reinstalled onto the Interceptor, ready to be filled again.…

When we think about evolution, we very often consider incredible behaviours and impressive skeletons, hearts and brains, but skin rarely gets the attention it deserves. The largest organ of the body is far more than a passive barrier between us and the outside world. It allows us to defend ourselves, move, sense our environment and even communicate with others around us. The vertebrate integument – that’s skin, feathers, hair and scales – is a wonder of evolution and adaptation, and has permitted vertebrates to explore, inhabit and dominate nearly every habitat on the planet. Here are some extraordinary ways in which these forms are key to an animal’s success. Gecko grip It’s always mesmerising watching a gecko run effortlessly over a pane of glass but, until recently, it was assumed…

Meet marooned wildlife in the tropics Gain an insight into the diversity of life that has evolved on islands. EARTH’S TROPICAL ISLANDS BBC TWO, CATCH UP ON IPLAYER A tiny fish patiently inches its way up the glistening rock of a waterfall. A snake leaps, flailing, from a tree. On ancient and far-flung islands, species found nowhere else on Earth have evolved while being isolated from all other life. This new BBC series, from the makers of Earth’s Great Rivers , brings the wildlife of three remote tropical islands closer than ever before. Covering Madagascar, Borneo and Hawaii, in three separate episodes, this series looks at how the islands were formed, the remarkable life they support, and the threats they now face. The programme doesn’t shy away from showing the…

From way up high During a break from working at the Elephant Valley Project, Cambodia in June, I headed to the Kep coast. Along the edges of the beach were trees, overhanging the sand. Suddenly, out of nearby bushes exploded a family of macaques. As they leapt into the nearby trees they came right above us. I photographed this juvenile looking down upon us from the heavens! Adam Roberts, Kent 1 Perfect camouflage It was my first visit to Agumbe, India. Walking at night, this lichen huntsman spider would have definitely gone unnoticed. Luckily, I was able to see its outline with my flashlight. Saketh Upadhya, Bengaluru, India 2 Going for a dip A friend spotted this grass snake in a local fishing pond on a hot day in June.…

Having received my copy of BBC Wildlife’s December issue, I realised that it is a very welcome anomaly amongst the last year. It is the first that does not feature a mammal as the main photograph on the front cover. I do feel that there is often a mammalian bias in the media, which is reducing the amount of exposure for other species that warrant just as much interest and protection. Seven Worlds, One Planet focused far too heavily on well-known mammals such as bears and big cats. The Europe episode showed only one bird and one amphibian, the olm, which incidentally was by far the most interesting part. Edward Gill, via email Editor Paul McGuinness replies: The olm sequence was amazing, wasn’t it? I was reminded of Megan Shersby’s…