Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2020 i BBC Wildlife Magazine

1 | CRAB SPIDER Deadly disguise Lurking among the nation’s herbaceous borders and other flowery places are predators with a chameleon-like talent for changing colour. Female crab spiders can often match their background beautifully, but for some reason the smaller males don’t possess this skill. Of the 30 or so species of crab spider in Britain, the most widespread is Misumena vatia, females of which seek out prominent flowers with wide heads such as ox-eye daisies, hogweed, thistles or knapweed. When in position, one of these spiders will sit perfectly still with her two front legs held out in front, waiting for an unsuspecting bee, fly or butterfly to visit her chosen bloom. Big mistake. The ambusher strikes, punctures the exoskeleton of her prey, then slurps out the juices. A…

Common butterwort This insectivorous plant has a purple flower, which appears on a single stalk between May and July, but its basal rosette of leaves is arguably more obvious, as they’re bright yellow-green and remarkably starfish-like. The leaves are covered in a sticky fluid that attracts unsuspecting insects, slowly curling around their prey before digesting it. Bog asphodel Spikes of sulphur-yellow, star-like asphodel flowers brighten up peat bogs in early summer, before turning a distinctive shade of deep orange in autumn. Once, the plant was known as the ‘bone breaker’, because it was thought that livestock grazing on it developed brittle bones; however, calcium-poor pastures were the issue. Large heath Despite the odd name, this specialist butterfly is at home in bogs, not heathland. It has three forms found in…

New research shows that rhinos get help with their famously poor eyesight from some feathered friends. The relationship between oxpeckers and the large mammals from which they pick ticks is a complex one. It was long thought to be a straightforward case of mutual benefit, until it was realised that the birds also open wounds and drink their hosts’ blood, suggesting the relationship leans towards the parasitic. Now, though, Roan Plotz of Australia’s Victoria University has discovered that red-billed oxpeckers provide another important service for black rhinos – one that might incline the pachyderms to tolerate a bit of vampirism: they warn their hosts of approaching danger. “Every single time the birds call, the rhinos respond immediately and almost always re-orientate to face downwind,” says Plotz. “Being blind as bats…

WHAT IS IT? This striking new species of venomous pit viper (a group that gets its name from the heat-sensitive pits located between the eyes and the nostrils) can be distinguished from its relatives by the red-orange stripes that run the full length of the body in males. WHERE IS IT? Three specimens of Trimeresurus salazar were spotted coiled up amongst roadside shrubbery during an expedition to Arunachal Pradesh, northeast India. The species has been named after Salazar Slytherin, fictional co-founder of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and speaker of the language of serpents. SB FIND OUT MORE Zoosystematics and Evolution bit.ly/3gKAmfq…

BRAIN Despite the shark’s large size, its brain is actually very small (about 10cm). To quote the Scottish poet, Norman MacCaig, “That room-sized monster with a matchbox brain”. However, there is a larger nerval mass around the brain dedicated to sense of smell, highlighting the importance of scent when searching for zooplankton. MOUTH The basking shark is a passive filter feeder. It swims with its mouth open, using forward movement to funnel water into the mouth and out past the gills. Specially adapted bones, called gill-rakers, catch tiny zooplankton and filter them out from the seawater, like a giant sieve. Every once in a while the shark closes that enormous mouth and takes one big gulp! DORSAL FIN At up to 1m, this is a pretty impressive feature, but can…

Bees are in trouble. From pesticides and parasites to colony collapse disorder and dwindling habitat, the challenges they face have caused widespread declines in honeybees and wild species alike. But after years of reading such headlines, we find ourselves in the odd position of being more familiar with the plight of bees than we are with the bees themselves. What do we really know of their history, their biology and their habits? To address such deficits, the best place to start is with the most basic question of all: what is a bee? Luckily, there is an answer to that query that is both memorable and simple, and that really does sum up the major steps in bee evolution – a bee is a hippy wasp. Bees have been with…

Among British mammals, if we’re talking about quality time with offspring, the brown hare has to be up there as one of the worst offenders. Though we tend to think of ‘mad March’ hares (females boxing unwanted advances from males), these mammals breed any time from December to September. Up to four leverets are born after a gestation of about 42 days. Almost as soon as the youngsters arrive, their mother abandons them. Their days are spent alone, lying motionless in vegetation. As night falls, the leverets regroup to await a visit from the female, who returns to suckle them for just a few brief minutes. After a month of her hands-off parenting, the young hares are weaned and left to fend for themselves. But while this parenting style may…

Sponges probably can. These simple, ancient creatures were possibly the first multicellular animals to evolve, at least 600 million years ago. It’s generally been assumed that once the swimming larvae settle on the seabed, sponges spend the rest of their uneventful adult lives sitting still, endlessly filtering seawater through the pores in their bodies. But recently, scientists studied 30 years’ worth of time-lapse photography, shot 4,000m deep off the coast of California, and spotted sponges rhythmically expanding and contracting. One possible explanation is that they are expelling irritating particles from their bodies, like a cough or a sneeze. It’s perhaps unsurprising that nobody noticed the sponges’ slow-motion expulsions, which take weeks or months between the expanding ‘ahh’ to the release of the ‘choo’.…

The purple emperor is Britain’s largest butterfly and it once carried a cachet and mystique reserved for mythical creatures. Sightings were fleeting, high  above the oak canopy. Known localities were closely guarded secrets. First-hand observations formed a body of arcane lore shared by aficionados who lured it to feed on fresh fox scats or rancid shrimp paste. But the butterfly’s empire is expanding – rewilding, possibly climate change, and certainly Oates’ zealous half-century of deep ecological study, have shown it to be more widespread, and spreading still. To say Oates is fascinated by the purple emperor is an epic understatement. It is clear from his rich prose that he has been obsessed for 50 years. He now writes with the authority and gravitas of the true doyen, but you can…

In the Peruvian Andes, a unique mineral composition and millions of years’ worth of wind and rain created the Rainbow Mountains – a true wonder of nature. At this altitude of over 5,000m, a herd of alpacas crosses the colourful ridge, enjoying the isolation from human population. I captured this scene using a drone, flying it high up, to avoid disturbing the herd. 1 Spinning around On spotting this white-throated kingfisher perched on a dead tree in Sultanpur National Park, India, I moved around the tree to take a photo and noticed the spiderweb – a symbol of the web of life. Anusheh Hussain Delhi, India 2 Last chance to see In 2018, while teaching wildlife photography in South Africa, I came across these white rhinos. They allowed us to…

Bleak, frequently shrouded in low cloud and with rain never far away, blanket bogs initially appear to be desolate and forsaken places. Yet these vast, treeless landscapes are at last becoming more widely appreciated. The UK holds around 13 per cent of the world’s surviving blanket bog, which – you might be surprised to learn – covers just under a tenth of our total landmass. These peaty wildernesses are also crucial for both conserving a range of declining species and helping to slow down the juggernaut of climate change. Blanket bogs began to form here about 7,000 years ago, when Britain’s climate became wetter and warmer. The crucial factor in bog formation is for rainfall to be higher than the loss of water through evaporation and via transpiration from plants.…

Conservationists are hoping new research into the effectiveness of ‘pingers’ – acoustic devices that deter cetaceans from hunting around fishing nets – will persuade the UK Government to lift its ban on their use in small boats. The move could save the lives of thousands of harbour porpoises and dolphins that drown every year after getting caught in fishing nets. The new study, published in May, found that not only were pingers effective in keeping porpoises away from nets, but that they did not stop the animals from returning to feed when the boats had moved away. According to Ruth Williams, of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, fishermen in the village of Mevagissey want to use the pingers both to save cetaceans’ lives but also because it costs time and money…

Island scrub jays on Santa Cruz in California’s Channel Islands National Park are restoring oak woodlands. Researchers have taken notice and are implementing the jays’ strategy on a neighbouring island. “Island scrub jays are ecosystem engineers,” says Scott Morrison, director of conservation science at The Nature Conservancy. “They’ve had a hand in the pretty phenomenal recovery of vegetation on Santa Cruz.” Each adult jay caches between 3,500 and 6,000 acorns per year, efficiently distributing the fruits across the mountainous isle, innately storing them with their points down to generate growth. Following the removal of livestock from Santa Cruz due to overgrazing, the jays’ scatter hoarding has helped reestablish oak groves, which support many other endemic species. Restoring the habitat has also enabled Santa Cruz to capture more fog drip: when…

Lifetime refuge for abused and abandoned big cats is provided at legitimate sanctuaries, and many are open to the public. Prior to visiting, it is important to ensure animal welfare is the top priority by looking out for the following criteria. 1 The sanctuary is accredited by a reputable organisation, such as the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) or the American Sanctuary Association (ASA). 2 Visitors are not permitted to have contact with the animals (feeding, cuddling, petting, posing for photos, for example). 3 The facility does not breed, sell or trade animals, and animals do not leave the property except for emergencies or veterinary care. 4 Animals are not required to perform, nor are they used for any commercial purpose that is exploitative in nature. 5 The animal…

Many a time I’ve tried to capture a portrait of a drongo among flames, but the heat and smoke were just too strong. As winter fades towards spring in the grasslands of Singur, Kolkata, farmers burn their fields in preparation for a new season of crop planting. As the flames devour the land, grassland birds and invertebrates are forced out of their homes by the heat and smoke. The sudden abundance of insects does not escape the attention of the local drongos – glossy black birds with distinctive forked tails, common in eastern India – which have learnt to turn the situation to their advantage. “I’ve been photographing birds in India for more than seven years,” says Kallol, “and of the roughly 600 species I’ve observed, the crow is by…

I read Simon Birch’s article on carbon offsetting with much interest (Carbon offsetting: guilt-free flying?, Spring 2020). I cannot help being somewhat cynical about this topic. Somewhere there are a lot of companies, shareholders and individuals making a comfortable living out of attempting to sell these indulgences to us. The criteria and mathematics are vague to a lot of people. Is the amount of carbon dioxide from individuals, ever factored into their equations? Maybe one day we will realise the absurdities of these. They are only a mask over our profligate way of life. Modern aeroplanes are better designed now, being both lighter and more fuel efficient. We should not feel guilty of flying, as economies depend upon it. Flying cannot become the exclusive domain of politicians and wildlife film-makers…

It’s amazing how stealthy an African elephant can be, but once they meld into the forest, they are efficient at ghosting. One late afternoon, while photographing wildlife in Savuti, Botswana, I accidentally walked right into the derriere of a tusker. Responding to my clumsiness, the elephant did a sudden 180, ears flared, head tossing, trunk raised like a king cobra. Its right tusk was broken almost to the nub, the left one completely broken. I froze, then ran out of the trees and back to the tented camp. Another visitor happened to film my sprint to safety – until the elephant, caught up in the pursuit, knocked his camera clean over. Soon, the tusker gave up the chase and went back to the forest. That night, a full moon brightened…

Under cover Lurking in the western Pacific is an ambush predator that relies on its camouflage – the crocodile fish. Even its eyes are partially concealed behind iris lappets – seen here drooping, like inverted eyelashes, over the top of the eye. Vein-like in appearance, their purpose is to break up the black of the pupil as this drab, 50cm-long creature blends in amid the sandy ocean floor around coral reefs, waiting for an opportune moment to grab some lunch. Water hogs During particularly harsh dry seasons in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, local wildlife congregate in great numbers around what relatively little water remains. In these extreme conditions, hippos are left with fewer options when it comes to choosing the perfect spot to submerge themselves and while away the day, before…

The well-publicised decline in insect populations is having knock-on effects up the food chain, according to new research showing a startling drop in one of Europe’s most widespread and familiar spiders over the last four decades. The research, conducted in Switzerland, found that the garden cross spider – the classic orb web spinner – was about 140 times more abundant in the 1970s and ’80s than it is now. The most extensive and up-to-date estimate for the decline in terrestrial insects worldwide suggests that they are disappearing at a rate of nearly one per cent per year, or 24 per cent over the last 30 years. “This must have consequences for spiders, birds, bats, et cetera, since flying insects are the major diet for many of these creatures,” says Martin…

THIS MAY mainstream media hyped the prospect of the world’s largest hornet spreading from its native east and southeast Asia. Given it is nearly 4cm long, the Asian giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia, carries a lot of venom. Its fearsome sting can be fatal in humans, though cases are too rare to justify the “murder” tag. Professor Helen Roy of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, which leads monitoring of non-native species in Britain, says the brouhaha arose from just two confirmed sightings of the insects, in Canada and the USA, one of which was already dead. “Vespa mandarinia hasn’t reached Europe,” she says. Confusingly, a second, smaller though still large species, known simply as the Asian hornet, V. velutina, is fast moving west. “It spread rapidly through France and is…

The Netflix documentary Tiger King became a smash hit, thanks to wild storylines and interpersonal drama, but the series largely ignored the myriad issues affecting captive big cats in the United States. Even after it was revealed that Joseph Maldonado-Passage, aka Joe Exotic, killed five tigers while running the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, very little was said about why the desire to own big cats is so pervasive in American culture. There is currently no federal law regulating the private possession of big cats in the US, and while the majority of US states have banned the practice, some require a permit and several have no limitations whatsoever for keeping tigers, lions, leopards, jaguars, cougars, cheetahs and hybrids like ligers as ‘pets’. Laws for exhibition also vary in each…

Somewhere in the wilderness of the Atlantic Ocean, four of us bob around like corks, kept afloat by buoyant wetsuits. The sea surrounds us, glittering under the June sun. There is no land for miles – in fact, facing west, nothing lies between us and the USA. Beneath our fins stretches a vast expanse of turquoise, eerily quiet and seemingly empty, made more daunting by the knowledge that it is anything but. Our boat is just behind us – far enough to limit disturbance, but close enough to scoop us up in a heartbeat – and yet there is a sense of vulnerability. We are, quite literally, out of our depth. This world belongs to cryptic giants, who have roamed this territory long before we even existed. One of which…

While we tend to think of pollination as a win for bees and plants alike, there is no small amount of trickery at work. Many orchids deceive their bee visitors, luring them in with fragrant, colourful flowers that contain no nectar or usable pollen whatsoever. The most famous example may be the bee orchids, the blossoms of which take on the shape, texture, and odour of particular female bees. Males then unwittingly transfer pollen as they move from plant to plant, mounting the flowers in a pollination scenario defined by a telling botanical term – pseudocopulation.…

Bees are basically vegetarian wasps. Way back in the Cretaceous, some solitary wasps made the transition from feeding their young on animal (usually insect) protein to feeding them on pollen, which is another good source of protein and energy. Bees are characterised by pollen-gathering adaptations, ‘pollen baskets’, often a scopa on the hind leg, or a specialised ventral surface of the abdomen. Bees also have branched setae (hairs), whereas these are simple in wasps. Another group of wasps, the pollen wasps, has also made the transition to feeding their young on pollen, though these still look typically waspy.…

About 70 species of butterfly have been seen in Britain. That total is frustratingly low compared to other northern European countries – Sweden, say, has around 120 species. All our butterflies colonised after the retreat of the last great ice sheet, about 15,000 years ago. When the ice melted, rising sea levels flooded the Doggerland land bridge to the continent and created the English Channel, and for most butterflies the 43km-wide Dover-Calais strait is too big a barrier. Only a few strong-flying, adventurous species, such as the painted lady and clouded yellow, can manage it. The map butterfly and the European swallowtail are potential colonists in the near future, but most butterflies move only a few hundred metres from their hatching grounds. Butterfly colonisation is more likely to be through…

At the blast’s epicentre, the vaporising heat is like the centre of the sun, so it’s safe to say no life could withstand that. Further out, organisms able to hide in cracks and crevices would naturally be more protected, but there is then the penetrating power of radiation to deal with. The animals best able to handle this apocalypse would be tiny tardigrades, or water bears, which are about 1mm in size. European Space Agency experiments have shown that these micro-organisms can withstand the vacuum and radiation of space, and we also know they can practically rise from the dead after years of desiccation. All useful attributes for surviving a nuclear bomb. In terms of radiation resistance, tardigrades comfortably beat the fabled cockroaches. Their lethal dose is 5,000 grays (the…

Fake news, alternative facts, white lies. Humans are prodigious fibbers, but what about other species? Many animals are unconsciously deceitful, in that they fool others via mimicry and camouflage. Yet purposeful pretence akin to human lying requires a ‘theory of mind’ – an understanding that others’ beliefs and intentions can be different to your own. Studies suggest this capability is unique to humans, but that some animals possess elements of it. Potential cases of intentional deception have been seen in primates, including white-faced capuchins giving false alarm calls (watch a clip on Story of Life, the BBC’s free app that explores the work of David Attenborough) and red-capped mangabeys misleading group mates about the location of food. Meanwhile, a captive chimpanzee has been seen hiding stones from his keepers to…

Anyone who’s walked along a high street or station platform is likely to have been startled by pigeons taking off with a clatter. The feral pigeon has wingtip (or outer primary) feathers that produce this purposeful sound on the downstroke. Pigeons don’t use loud alarm calls, like blackbirds or blue tits, so mechanical sound is their way of surprising a predator or letting their flock know of danger. Woodpigeons incorporate wing-clapping into their undulating flight display and when taking off from a nest, while Australia’s crested pigeons have modified flight feathers that ‘whistle’ when they lift off suddenly, warning others nearby to scarper, too. A variety of other birds also make mechanical sounds, including male nightjars and short-eared owls, which clap wings during aerial displays, and snipe – which dive…

Belgian photographer Tui De Roy was raised in the Galápagos Islands, having arrived in the extraordinary Edenic Ecuadorian  archipelago with her parents at the age of just two. Part photobook and part memoir, A Lifetime In Galápagos is the result of what is now her five-decades-long Galápagoan odyssey. De Roy’s photography of endemic wildlife is of course exemplary, but some of her landscape shots are otherworldly. Rough-hewn cliffs battered by storms, lava rivers oozing from volcanos, sumptuous celestial photography – each a reminder that the Galápagos is much more than an island safari experience. The archipelago’s most recognisable stars are heavily featured, too – from marine iguanas to giant tortoises to Galápagos sharks and penguins. Booby fans will not be disappointed either – they’re well beyond page three, but the…

The eruption in 2014 of an underwater volcano in the South Pacific gave birth to the island of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, one of the world’s newest islands. And while scientists expected it to be washed away within months, today, it is reported to be home to flowering plants and even burrowing owls. In 2018, Hurricane Walaka washed away the whole of Hawaii’s East Island, home to Hawaiian monk seals and green sea turtles. As a reminder of the impermanence of everything we take as stable, Amazing Islands is aptly named. Beautifully illustrated, this isn’t a natural history so much as a look at islands of every kind – from the unique wildlife on Madagascar to the culture of island nations. Along the way, we explore the geological wonders and artificial…