The Cynipid Gall Wasp (Neuroterus quercusbaccarum) is an insect in the Cynipidae family of gall wasps.
The Cynipid Gall Wasp is found throughout Europe, Asia, and North Africa in the Northern Hemisphere.
In June, the female wasp lays eggs on leaves, usually the underside. She produces a hormone – or the egg secretes a hormone – that stimulates the growth of Common Spangle Galls – red lumps – around the eggs.
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Hundreds of new animal species have been found in Asia’s remote Mekong region, say scientists, due to the inaccessibility of humans and other animals in the mountainous area. Not only new animal species, but also new plant species have been found, reported the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in May 2023.
The greater Mekong region is a forested mountain area around the Mekong River that separates the countries Laos and Thailand, and also covers areas in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Myanmar. It has no roads, making it remote and inaccessible to humans.
Scientists from universities, research institutes, and conservation organizations have, to date, found 290 new plants, 19 new fish, 24 amphibians (such as frogs), 46 reptiles (such as snakes), and one mammal (a bat).
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Gibbons plan ahead for breakfast to beat out their rivals and competitors. This is the view of scientists studying Gibbon behaviour, who maintain that the reason they plan ahead is to get the best breakfast spots.
Scientists say that the Gibbons remember the locations of the best food and they go to these locations earlier than other animals when they want to eat fruit for breakfast.
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What are the similarities and differences between the Siberian Ibex (Capra sibirica) and the West Caucasian Tur (Capra caucasica caucasica)?
The Siberian Ibex and the West Caucasian Tur are both mountain goats in the Bovidae family of bovines and Capra genus of goats. The West Caucasian Tur is also known as the Caucasian Ibex.
The Siberian Ibex and the West Caucasian Tur are both large, wild, ungulate (hoofed) mammals.
The Siberian Ibex and the West Caucasian Tur both have ridged or ringed horns – the male has large horns and the female has much shorter horns.
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The Lilac Point Siamese Cat (Felis catus) is a common and popular domestic mammal in the Felidae family of cats. It is a version of the Chocolate Point Siamese and the Blue Point Siamese. The colour breed was officially recognized in 1955.
The Lilac Point Siamese Cat has an elongated, muscular body, a triangular-shaped head, almond-shaped eyes, and large ears. It has a long neck, and a thin, long tail. It has sharp teeth, a triangular snub nose, and long, white whiskers. It has a creamy-white body with short, glossy fur and lilac-grey points with pink undertones. It has blue-grey eyes.
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Scientists found that cockatoos understand when a job requires a toolkit and multiple tools.
Scientists at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, in Austria, studied Goffin’s Cockatoos (Cacatua goffiniana) from Indonesia, reported the New Scientist LIFE magazine in February 2023.
Antonio Osuna-Mascary, a researcher at the University, said that the cockatoos know when to use more than one tool to retrieve food which, previously, scientists thought only chimpanzees could do. This makes the cockatoos only the second non-human animal to use multiple tools to achieve one task.
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What does a Yellow-Throated Marten eat?
The Yellow-Throated Marten (Martes flavigula) is a mammal in the Mustelidae family.
It is a muscular animal with an elongated body, small pointed head, a long neck, and a long tail.
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The Hairy Shieldbug (Dolycoris baccarum) is an insect in the Pentatomidae family of shieldbugs. It is also known as the Sloe Bug.
The Hairy Shieldbug can vary in colour, although the pronotum (plate part that covers the thorax) and the elytra (wing casings) are reddish-purple. The scutellum (shield) is ochre-brown. During winter, the basic colour is dull brown. The edges of the connexivum have black and whitish markings. The whole body underneath the shield is quite hairy – it looks like it is covered in dust and carpet hair. Its antennae have 4-5 black and white sections. It has big, round, black eyes on a small head. The male and female look similar.
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The Red-Veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) is an insect in the Libelludlidae family of dragonflies. It is also known as the Nomad Darter.
The male Red-Veined Darter has a deep-red abdomen with a red-brown thorax. Its eyes are brown above and blue-green below. Its wings have red veins and the base of its hind-wings (back wings) is yellow. The female is similar, but her abdomen is yellow-brown with two black lines along each side. Her wings have yellow veins. Both the male and female have black legs with some yellow markings.
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The Small Common Blue Butterfly (Polyommatus icarus) is an insect in the Lycaenidae family of blue butterflies.
The Small Common Blue male has iridescent blue wings above with a thin, black-brown border and white fringe. The female is brown above with blue flecks, like dust, and orange spots. Both the male and the female have a row of red or orange spots along the edge of the hindwing (back wing).
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The wild tiger population in Nepal is increasing due to a program to prevent its extinction. There are now three times more wild tigers in Nepal than there were in 2009, according to the Nepalese government.
In 2009, the Nepal National Tiger and Prey Survey found that there were only 187 wild tigers in Nepal. This year’s 2022 survey found that there are now 355 wild tigers in the country, which is an increase of 190% since 2009.
The low numbers of wild tigers in Nepal in 2009 were due to poaching for the illegal animal trade and loss of habitat. At the St. Petersburg International summit on tiger conservation in 2010, governments of 10 countries with wild tigers set a goal to double the number of wild tigers by 2022, said Ginette Hemley, senior vice president for wildlife conservation of the United States World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
In collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Nepalese government initiated a conservation program in 2010 to save the wild tigers.
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Which bird is the most talkative?
Some birds can imitate human speech, and they often know quite a lot of words. Of all of the bird species, parrots and parakeets can mimic human speech more than other bird species. But which parrot or parakeet is the most talkative?
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The Corsac Fox at the Paris Zoo is rarely seen because it is nocturnal – active at night and sleeping during the day. Fortunately, I got a glimpse of the Corsac Fox.
The Corsac Fox (Vulpes corsac) is a medium-sized mammal in the Canidae family of carnivorous dogs, wolves, foxes, and jackals. It is also known as the Steppe Fox and the Sand Fox.
The Corsac Fox has yellowish-brown fur with paler underparts. It has pale markings on its mouth, chin, and throat. It has pointed ears with excellent hearing and small eyes with excellent vision. It has small teeth. Its feet have sharp claws.
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The Red-Whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) is a bird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is also known as the Crested Bulbul.
The Red-Whiskered Bulbul has brown feathers with white underparts. It has a black crest, red cheeks, and thin black moustache. Its tail is long and brown with white tips. The vent area is red.
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The juvenile Bornean Orangutan at the Paris Zoo is almost four years old. Java was born on 17 October 2018 to her mother Theodora. Theodora watches Java as she plays on the ropes and beams.
The Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is a great ape and a primate mammal in the Hominidae family.
It is native to the rain forests of Borneo. It is arboreal, living in trees.
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The photographed juvenile White-Naped Crane is three months old. It was born between 8-10 May 2022.
The White-Naped Crane (Antigone vipio) is a large wetlands bird. It is native to Asia, in Mongolia, China and Russia. The adult measures about 130 centimetres (51 inches) tall, with a large wingspan of 2 metres (6.5 feet). The young (juvenile) White-Naped Crane looks very different from its parents.
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What is the heaviest animal that lives in a tree?
An animal that lives in a tree (tree-dwelling) is an arboreal animal.
If an arboreal animal is too heavy, the tree branches might break.
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The Ivory Featherleg Damselfly (Platycnemis dealbata) is an insect in the Platycnemididae family of dragonflies and damselflies. It is also known as the Needles Swallows Damselfly.
The Ivory Featherleg Damselfly has an elongated, cylindrical ivory-coloured body, enlarged white legs, a large head with large eyes, and a bulbous tail. The male’s abdomen is almost all-white. It has black markings down its abdomen. Its head had broad, pale-brown double antehumeral stripes. Its wings are long and translucent.
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The Puss Moth (Cerura vinula) is an insect in the Notodontidae family of moths.
The Puss Moth is creamy-white to yellowish-grey with light-brown lines and markings. The female has blackish lines and markings. It has a wide whitish-grey head, thorax, and abdomen that are very fluffy, like a hairy cat.
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The Short-Toed Snake Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) is a medium-sized bird of prey in the Accipitridae family of raptors and accipiters.
The Short-Toed Snake Eagle is greyish-brown with a pale earthy-brown chin, throat, and upper chest. It has a predominantly white underside. Its tail has three or four bars. It has an owl-shaped head, with yellowish eyes. It has sharp claws called talons.
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