Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2024 i BBC Wildlife Magazine

Science in Action Wild pig populations have dropped by 90-100 per cent in some regions of Borneo, as African swine fever spreads across South-East Asia. What does this mean for local people and big cats that rely on the pigs as a food source? Catch up on BBC Sounds Silverback Award-winning wildlife cameraman Vianet Djenguet documents efforts to protect the eastern lowland gorilla, travelling to the Democratic Republic of Congo and spending three months living with the Critically Endangered great ape. Catch up on BBC iPlayer CrowdScience A father and his two young sons ask whether it’s possible to plant enough trees to soak up all the extra carbon we are putting into the atmosphere? The episode takes listeners on a trip to a remote reforestation project in Romania.  Catch…

COME MARCH, THE BREEDING season is in full swing for several British birds – ravens included. By now most ravens will be incubating eggs and some pairs, especially in southern England and Wales, will have hungry chicks to feed. Nesting so early in the year is not a problem for such adaptable, omnivorous birds. After all, there’s plenty of carrion to be found. Once, ravens were more or less restricted to hill country and were associated with cliffs, desolate peaks and wilderness, but in recent decades, following a welcome decline in persecution, they have returned to many of their former haunts throughout the lowlands. A few ravens have even started nesting again in the arable landscapes of East Anglia. The giant crow’s dramatic change in fortune is matched by the…

SCIENTISTS HAVE DISCOVERED THE fossils of a new group of predatory worms in North Greenland. The large worms, more than half a billion years old, may be among the earliest carnivorous animals to have colonised ancient seas, revealing a past dynasty of predators that challenges previous beliefs about the dominant carnivores of that era. Named Timorebestia, meaning ‘terror beasts’ in Latin, the worms had fins down the sides of their bodies, distinct heads with long antennae and massive jaw structures inside their mouths. They grew to more than 30cm in length, placing them among the largest swimming animals at the time. “Timorebestia were the giants of their day and would have been close to the top of the food chain,” says Jakob Vinther from the University of Bristol Schools of…

IT’S A SUNDAY AFTERNOON in March. Yet again, I’m opening and checking my weather app. As a regular volunteer for the Charlcombe Lane Toad Patrol in Bath, this is something I do frequently at this time of year. Late February to March is when the UK’s adult amphibians emerge from their overwintering sites and embark on often long and perilous journeys to their natal breeding grounds, where they’ll seek a mate. But they tend to be extremely picky about conditions for travel. They prefer mild, damp evenings, just as dusk is turning to night, with temperatures hovering around 8-10˚C. If the weather has been cold and dry, they’ll patiently wait it out – which means anyone out on toad patrol is in for a quiet night. As the days pass,…

“The only way to reach the fossil was to abseil down the cliff and conduct the whole dig on ropes” SEA MONSTERS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH MYTH AND legend, but there were definitely terrifying animals that once swam in our oceans. Following the recent unearthing of an enormous skull in the south of England, science is uncovering the tale of a powerful marine reptile. The exceptionally rare find is the focus of a BBC One documentary, presented by Sir David Attenborough, and is captivating palaeontologists as they reveal new and thrilling information about a ferocious ‘sea rex’. The 150-million-year-old fossil belongs to a pliosaur, believed to be the biggest and most fearsome hunter that ruled prehistoric waters off the coast of Britain. “The creature would have been horrendously scary,” says executive…

• Kaja the lion lived for another year at Poznań Zoo, being cared for amongst other tigers before finally passing away in May 2023. • Ruru the lion was successfully evacuated to Poland. In July 2022, he was moved to a sanctuary in Spain. • All six tiger cubs from the first transit are still at Poznań Zoo. • The caracals from the first transit went first to Belgium, and are now in the UK. • Yana the lion passed away a few months after the invasion. She had been cared for by Nataliia for four years.…

What is a hornbill? The hornbill is a large bird belonging to the family Bucerotidae, instantly recognisable by its long, curved beak and the bony structure, or casque, on top of its head. The birds’ unique traits and behaviours make them an interesting topic of study for ornithologists and conservationists alike. How many species are there? There are around 62 known species of hornbills, each with its own characteristics. Where do they live? Hornbills inhabit the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They generally prefer forested areas but can thrive in a variety of habitats, from dense forests to open plains. What is the casque for? The casque, a hollow structure on top of the beak, serves multiple purposes. It is used as visual signal of sexual…

Those living on European soil would be forgiven for never having heard of a fisher. But it might be more familiar to our friends across the pond. Looking something like a miniature wolverine, fishers are carnivorous mammals of the Mustelidae or weasel family – along with marten, wolverine and mink – and are found only in North America. Why are they also called fisher cats? The term is believed to stem from European settlers in North America who misidentified the fisher for a polecat (which was later domesticated and is now known as the common ferret). The word for the pelt of a polecat is ‘fiche’, which is where the name ‘fisher’ is believed to have derived. So that may be how we arrived at ‘fisher cat’. What do fishers…

When did your career start? I’ve been into cameras since forever, largely thanks to my parents, who taught me to love, respect and play in the outdoors. So, getting into photography and ecology in my 20s was second nature. What has been your most challenging experience in the field? I once witnessed an African forest elephant that had been hit by a train. What started as an intervention to end its suffering turned into a deeply disturbing ordeal. The railway cutting through a national park, primarily for mineral extraction, tells a larger tale. You have been documenting a special flamingo called Bob. What’s his story? Bob was rescued by my cousin Odette, after he hit a hotel window on the Caribbean island of Curaçao. He recovered, but Odette knew he…

I WAS SURPRISED BY THE REPORT IN YOUR January issue that the Soviet Vostok Station on Antarctica was the coldest place on earth. I can experientially confirm that Castle Dyke Playing Field on the moors outside Sheffield is colder still. Global warming may have taken the edge off from the days when my school did sports there in the 1970s, but I’m sure it’s still as exposed as ever. David E Flavell, Hexham National Grid I really enjoy reading BBC Wildlife and always look forward to its arrival on my doormat. However, I was really disappointed to see a two-page advertisement feature in the February issue for National Grid. I am currently involved in a battle against National Grid’s Sea Link proposal in Kent and Suffolk (#rethinksealink). Despite National Grid…

AGHOSTLY WHITE COAT, SHADOWY EYES and enormous, arched horns – the scimitar-horned oryx has an almost mythical appearance. Indeed, were it not for long-term conservation efforts, this majestic wanderer of North Africa’s sun-baked deserts may well have drifted quietly into folklore. Once common across Tunisia, Chad and Niger, this large oryx species (a member of the antelope family) experienced rapid decline in the latter part of the 20th century as a result of overhunting, persistent droughts and competition with livestock. It had disappeared from the wild altogether by the end of the 1990s. The species was officially declared Extinct in the Wild in 2000, though a global captive breeding programme – led by the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi (EAD) and the Chad government, with help from international partners (including…

AN UNUSUAL GREEN HONEYCREEPER that exhibits green (female) plumage on one side and blue (male) on the other has been sighted at a reserve in Colombia. While this may sound like an April Fools’ joke, it is in fact a condition known as bilateral gynandromorphy. The bird represents only the second documented case of the condition in this species, and features male and female plumage on opposite sides from the first green honeycreeper gynandromorph seen more than 100 years ago. Bilateral gynandromorphism is believed to occur when a female bird’s egg develops two nuclei and is then fertilised by two different sperm, known as double fertilisation. The resulting offspring has female cells on one side of its body and male on the other. As well as the split in plumage,…

SYMMETRY IS ONE OF THE RULES In nature – and it’s a rule few birds break. One group of birds that do confound expectations, however, are the crossbills. These finches have a famously wonky beak, with the upper and lower halves of the beak crossing each other at the tip. It looks strange, even uncomfortable, but the twisted beak is perfect for splitting pine cones to reach the tiny seeds hidden inside. The chief species in Britain is the common crossbill, and amazingly, in March pairs are already feeding young. Males are brick red, females olive green, though it’s difficult to get a decent look at these birds as they like staying out of sight at the top of pine, fir and larch trees. Usually, you’ll hear the crossbills first.…

ID GUIDE Roe deer Roe deer are common in the UK, so you stand a good chance of spotting clusters of their droppings along paths, or in fields and woodlands. The pellets are relatively small – between 1-1.4cm in size – and oval-shaped, with one end pointed and the other end indented or flat. They are also shiny and brown. Roe deer are known to consume buds, leaves and grasses, however, because they ruminate – meaning they chew their food twice before it is digested – there aren’t usually any visible signs of what they have been munching on in their droppings.…

Running the gauntlet It is not only chicks on dry land that must be wary of predators. Adults, particularly when close to shore, will be targeted by orcas and leopard seals. In fact, recent filming on South Georgia for the series Our Planet revealed that normally antisocial leopard seals sometimes feed cooperatively on the same penguin. Warmer waters As the oceans warm due to climate change, the king penguins’ primary hunting grounds may be forced further south. As the distance between breeding grounds and food increases, entire colonies may be forced to rapidly relocate or could potentially be wiped out altogether. Super-sliders Where ice is present, kings alternate between walking and ‘tobogganing’ The latter involves sliding over the ice on their bellies while using a combination of feet and flippers…

WINTER Amphibians are in hibernation in dead wood, piles of leaves, compost heaps or at the bottom of ponds. SPRING Temperatures rise, bringing mild, wet days. Amphibians wake up with the instinct to find a mate – and return to their breeding grounds. SUMMER Adults keep cool in damp, shady spots in gardens or near natal ponds. Toadlets and froglets start to move en mass. Newtlets also leave their breeding ponds. AUTUMN Amphibians start looking for places to spend the winter, often returning to a ‘des res’ from previous years.…

Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster relies on cutting-edge visual effects to bring the pliosaur to life, highlighting its size, strength and how it may have hunted in Jurassic seas. “CGI really comes into play in the programme,” says Victoria. “We created the creature based on the scientific information we have.” The biomechanics of the animal are deduced from analysis of skeletal joints, muscle attachments and comparative anatomy (looking at the similarities in the anatomical structure of different species, including animals that are alive today). From this data, a computer model can be built of the basic skeleton and musculature. By inputting parameters that can be adjusted, an initial swim cycle is created and revised until the pliosaur starts to behave like a real animal. “Human intuition is an important part…

SINGAPORE HAS LONG HAD A REPUTATION AS ONE of the world’s greenest cities. Following independence from Malaysia almost 60 years ago, efforts began to transform this island nation into a ‘garden city’. Today, as the world looks to nature as an ally in the climate crisis, it seems Singapore was way ahead of its time. Among the tightly packed high-rise apartments, offce blocks and shopping malls, there are nature reserves, parks and buildings adorned with flowering trees and shrubs. “It’s highly adaptable, able to carve out an existence in a variety of habitats, including urban settings” Greenery is everywhere in Singapore, bringing with it an abundance of wild creatures that have adapted to this very human landscape (see box, page 76). Many are taken for granted, yet some of these…

Email your questions to wildlifemagazine@ourmedia.co.uk What’s the difference between hair and fur? THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT IS… not much. Hair is an umbrella term for a range of essentially similar structures – fur, wool, whiskers, bristles and lashes – growing from the skin of mammals. That said, fur is widely understood to be the particularly thick hair that covers much of the body. Hair is a defining characteristic of mammals. Like the scales of reptiles and the feathers of birds, it’s made of a tough protein called keratin. Indeed, feathers and hair are both thought to have evolved from the scales of our reptilian ancestors. The transition may well have accompanied the development of warm-bloodedness. By trapping a layer of air against the skin, hair helps an animal…

What’s the hottest place on Earth? The official record, verified by the World Meteorological Organization, has stood since 1913, when a thermometer placed at a standard 1.5m off the ground in Furnace Creek in California’s Death Valley, recorded an air temperature of 56.7°C. The ground can get hotter than the air, though. In 2005, a satellite measured a soil-surface temperature of 70.7°C in Iran’s Lut Desert. But tarred rooftops in New York have been recorded reaching a scorching 82°C. What is a zoonotic disease? It is estimated that more than 60 per cent of the bacteria, viruses and other micro-organisms that make us sick started out in other animals before making the jump to Homo sapiens. Such zoonotic diseases, or zoonoses, include swine flu, ebola, HIV and various strains of…

ACROSS 1 Marshy; boggy (6) 4 Reproductive organ of a plant (6) 8 Mediterranean marine fish (3,4) 9 Of a leaf, tapering at the tip (7) 11 Migratory raptor of Asia and Africa (4,6) 12 Palm, cultivated for its berries (4) 13 River fish in the superfamily Cobitoidea (5) 14 Returned to an uncultivated state (8) 16 Pembrokeshire island, famous for its seabirds (8) 18 Male rabbits or roe deer, for instance (5) 20 Gorse (4) 21 Insect order that includes crickets and grasshoppers (10) 23 Former lake of Asia, once noted for its many fish subspecies (4,3) 24 ___ hyena, carnivorous mammal (7) 25 Seed harvested from the Asian tree Myristica fragrans (6) 26 Venomous vipers of Europe and Asia (6) DOWN 1 ___ whale, large-toothed cetacean (5) 2…

1 Venus flytrap Undoubtedly the best-known example of a carnivorous plant, the Venus flytrap can be found growing wild in the wetlands of eastern USA. A bit like a mousetrap, the hinged leaves snap shut when prey touches one of the sensitive hair-like projections on the inner surface of the leaf. The animal is then trapped behind the flytrap’s spiny ‘teeth’ and digested by red sap. 2 Common bladderwort Bladderworts create an internal vacuum in their ‘bladders’ by pumping out water, then suck prey in through hinged ‘trapdoors’. In the aquatic species, the doors have long trigger hairs that release the vacuum mechanism when touched by small invertebrates. They can be found in freshwater or wet soil on every continent bar Antarctica. 3 Sundew Sundews have ‘flypaper traps’ that use…

THE DEATH OF A POLAR BEAR IN northern Alaska has shown that bird flu has made the jump into yet another mammal species. The dead individual was found in October 2023 near Utqiagvik, and while bird flu was not initially detected in swabs taken from the carcass, further examination revealed that the virus was the cause of death. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), often called bird flu, has different strains of varying severity. H5N1 is a highly contagious strain thought to have originated in poultry farms in China. It rapidly spread around the globe, impacting both domestic and wild birds. In the UK, the virus has been particularly devastating for some seabird populations, such as gannets, terns and great skuas. Though it primarily affects birds, the virus sometimes spills over…

AN ANATOMICAL MISCELLANY A fish’s gills LUNGS AREN’T MUCH use underwater. Pumping water in and out of inflatable sacs is very energy consuming. Instead, fish employ a one-way system to extract life-giving oxygen. Water enters the fish’s mouth and passes through the gills – blood-rich, curtain-like tissues that hang from stiff supporting structures – where oxygen dissolved in the water diffuses into the blood, while carbon dioxide is expelled in the opposite direction. The water then exits through slits on the side of the head.…

THE TRANSITION TO RENEWABLE ENERGY is central to our efforts to build a low-carbon future. But it is not without its own environmental downsides, as highlighted by a new review showing that the majority of birds and mammals studied to date are displaced from their habitats by wind-power developments. Wildlife and wind turbines are an uncomfortable mix. Rotating blades can make short work of anything unlucky enough to collide with them, but direct mortality is only part of the story. Having reviewed the available evidence worldwide, biologists in Finland have found that 63 per cent of bird species, 72 per cent of bats and 67 per cent of terrestrial mammals are displaced from areas where turbines are installed. Some of the most pronounced effects were found among owls, cranes and…

FIREFLY ON A BALMY SUMMER’S EVENING IN Massachusetts, I was lucky to witness thousands of fireflies carving their illuminated arcs into the night sky. These synchronised courtship dances are a true spectacle. Male fireflies blink their bioluminescent love code into the sky while females, waiting in the grass, respond with their own sexy signal. If all goes well, these flashy characters will meet and mate. But within this magical display lurk femmes fatales using this sparkling dating scene as a cloak for cannibal warfare. Each of the hundreds of different firefly species has its own pattern of light emissions that identify it. I’d joined two entomologists, Andy Moiseff and Chris Cradsley, who cast pulsing lights on fishing lines into the night to crack the firefly code. They told me how…

OPINION DEPENDING ON WHO YOU BELIEVE, the latest UN Climate Change Conference, COP28, held in Dubai in December, was an historic success, a huge disappointment or a step in the right direction. Whoever is right, it did culminate in an agreement of sorts, which is quite an accomplishment after 14 days of intense negotiation involving 85,000 attendees from nearly 200 countries. But the agreement was merely to ‘transition away’ from fossil fuels instead of phasing them out altogether – which is critical – and had no clear goals or fixed timelines. Essentially, the world agreed to ‘try harder’, which is shorthand for ‘not happening any time soon’. No one can deny that we are failing. Eight years after the Paris Agreement, which committed to limiting global warming to no more…

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER Brydon Thomason is a naturalist, photographer and tour leader, and was born and bred on Shetland. These images are from his new book: Wild Shetland Through the Seasons (The Shetland Times Ltd, £36.99).…

INSIDE A DIMLY LIT ROOM AT POZNAŃ Zoo, Poland, two men pry open a makeshift wooden crate. As the lid pops, a tiger cub springs out, all claws and fangs. It has endured a three-day transit by truck with no food or water, and is starving and stressed. The cub has not arrived at the zoo alone; various other containers are still in a truck outside. While their occupants await release, staff use tweezers to pass small items of food through roughly drilled breathing holes and between bars. It’s 3rd March 2022, day seven of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Being unboxed before me is an extraordinary menagerie of animals: six tigers, four lions, two caracals, an African wild dog, a capuchin and even a stray cat. All have been rescued…

The greening of Singapore and the cleaning of its rivers means that the city now provides a habitat for an array of urban wildlife. Here are just three species that have carved out a home here.…

The hose-nosed cycad weevil’s snout can be twice the length of its body. But sporting its mouth on its tip (used to drill holes in plants), it’s stretching the definition of a nose. Zoologically, a nose is a structure bearing nostrils, through which air enters and exits the lungs. That’s something found only in vertebrates. And no vertebrate is more generously endowed in the nasal department than an elephant. Indeed, a trunk is the nose to which others aspire: elephant seals, elephant fish and elephant shrews are all named for their possession of schnozzes that are not to be sniffed at.…

Why do so many species have two sexes? Well, it’s partly because having separate male and female body parts, each dedicated to making either sperm or eggs, helps prevent inbreeding. Those two reproductive cells or ‘gametes’ each contribute half the genetic material (DNA) needed to build a new organism, and they share similar features due to common functions in an embryo: eggs nourish, sperm fertilise. What is an egg? The female gamete is an unfertilised embryo, generally a giant cell that either contains or is surrounded by a stockpile of materials for growing that embryo. An egg’s size is influenced by where an embryo will develop. In true mammals, a mother supplies her baby with nutrients during an internal pregnancy before she gives birth to live young (viviparity), whereas reptile…

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