RedKite

Geoffroy's cat

Geoffroy’s cat is a beautiful cat found in the wilds of South America, it is a small feline but this species of cats has become very popular with local people.  It is good to have around because it eats mice and rats, lizards, birds and other small pests. 

It has upright ears that make it look alert and agile, detailed markings on the face, and a chiselled bone structure make it look quite sophisticated.  Light brown coat with spots and markings, with a pale lower face and chest.   They are about 700mm long with a striped tail that is 350mm.  

 The cats look as though they have been painted by an experienced artist and are just beautiful to look at.

Black rat

The black rat is probably the most famous animal in British history because it was blamed for the plague that killed 25 million people in Europe but this fact is disputed now.

Rats were was first found in Asia and spread across Europe as they got trapped in cargo and goods on boats and trucks.  It soon established itself  and acclimatised in its new location and bred into large colonies. 

It likes a warm climate and therefore when the English weather gets cooler in rushes for shelter in buildings, houses and manmade structures. 

It has soft large brown eyes, black fir and a long hairless tail.  It is rare in Britain now due to the brown rat.  It is easy to locate because it leaves dirty marks along walls and entrances of its territory.  They are great climbers and can get into most places but they hate water and refuse to go in it. 

You will seldom see the in the UK but the black rat still makes up a part of our history and myth.

The Oxford ragwort - a fascinating tale

The Oxford ragwort is a flower  that was specially bred in Oxfordshire, UK  by the Oxford Botanical Gardens in 1690.  They experimented with the seeds and pollination, crossing breeds and eventually discovered a beautiful species that would grow well in the county.

1794 proved to be the most popular year for the new plant.  It had been introduced to many parts of Oxfordshire and had taken to this kind of soil and was now flourishing in the most prominent parts of the city.  Many travellers and academics wrote about this new member of society and it became a very famous flower.

The flower is attracted to strange habitats and became famous for spreading across the railway lines of Oxford and some say the little yellow flowers went as far as Reading.  Anyway it livened up an otherwise dull manmade structure.

This hybrid is beautiful and its history is a fascinating tale.

Flamingos in the soda lakes

Flamingos live in soda lakes that are uninhabitable to the majority of creatures, the have beautiful pink feathers and this colouring is gained from the pigment held in the food they eat.  The have an ingeniously designed beak that they tilt upside down  and it filters water through the beak  whilst capturing all the food they need.  It is a unique system and probably only found in flamingos.

They love the soda lakes and spend most of their time wading through them but the soda is corrosive and they cannot drink the thick water.  However not far away there are fresh water falls.  These serve as drinking water and water to bathe in.  This washes the soda from their feathers and makes their plumage waterproof again.  The soda does help the birds because there are many minerals in its depths that nourish them.  However, a good shower under the waterfalls renews and refreshes them.

They produce one grey chick that stays close to them for 12 weeks and then is strong enough to go on flying expeditions.   

 

Amazing termites

Termites live in colonies with a King and Queen,  they build their home with some amazing feats of engineering which is little understood even today.  The Queen termite lives in the middle where the temperature of the nest is the most even and there are many avenues that lead off from her quarters.  This makes it extremely difficult for intruders to find her exact location.  Her job is to produce termite larvae, which then populates the nest and forms a ferocious fighting army around the King and Queen.

The termites can only live and survive at temperatures in the 80s and will wilt if the temperature falls below these parameters.  The other problem is that there are a lot of bodies in the nest and they all have to breathe.  Therefore the termites have invented an air-conditioning system  that keeps the centre of the nest at a constant temperature so that the Queen  can be comfortable and evens out the temperature in the rest of the nest.  Termites alter the system throughout the seasons  to make sure the temperature remains even and that the outside air flows into the nest.

We have no idea how termites devised this system or quite how they regulate the system but it works and they have thrived for centuries.

Rhino

The blackrhino is quite rare today  this is because the African habitat has changed and the rhinoceros need s certain requirements to live happily and breed successfully.  To start with they need a large area of water this is for them to drink but they also like to bathe in the water so it needs to be a reasonable size pool of fresh water that can be replenished.

Secondly, the rhino  is a big African animal and it needs lots of grass and shrubs to graze on day after day and week after week. There also needs to be enough shade for them so they can escape the hot sun and rest during the day.  The last thing is they like to coat their bodies in mud because the mud has minerals in the help to nourish their skin.  It also adds as a kind of protection against the hot sun during the day.

 So they have to relocate to a suitable shrub land that has water and can sustain their appetite.

These African animals are solitary, the stay by themselves most of the time only coming together for breeding and little else.  One calf is usually born after 15months and the mother looks after it for a year and after that they have little to do with each other.

 

Birds helping animals

Birds are very clever and very helpful.  They have managed to make friends with larger animals without being attacked by providing a service for them.  They remove ticks and other pests from the animal’s body and as they disturb the land.

Noone is sure how this partnerships started.  How they communicated with these normal predators.  But at sometime one brave bird flew up to a rhinos aurous and plucked a leach from its back and the friendship began.

Now these birds are welcomed on many animals, there are claims that some birds help crocodiles although these claims are not substantiated.  Some help whales and elephants.  The birds are welcomed and do a great job of freeing these animals of pests.  The animal is relieved and more relaxed and it is easy food for the bird.  Also it takes the risk out of hunting for prey in the normal way where the bird exposes itself to predators.  If the bird feeds off an elephant it is protected for that meal and does not have to hunt and defend itself.

Therefore, these partnerships have evolved over the centuries and the animals and birds of this nature have formed strong and lasting bonds.  

 

The blue ringed octopus

The blue ringed octopus lives on the great barrier reef and is one of the most interesting animals. It has an oval body with bright blue rings display prominently across it, there is a touch of orange behind the blue rings which just emphasises them even more.  The tentacles are closely ringed in blue.

The octopus is extremely good at camouflaging itself can get away from all kinds of predators and tricky situations by manipulating its body and changing colour. It is difficult to find as it keeps itself well hidden.  But some clever photographers have managed to take pictures of the blue-ringed octopus in all its glory and they are abundant on the internet for you to see.

The octopus eats crabs, small fish and other shellfish.