Rob Wreglesworth’s Post

🐛  Celebrating the unsung ecosystem heroes: UK Invertebrate of the Year 2024 🐝 While vertebrates often steal the spotlight, it’s time to turn our attention to the unsung champions of biodiversity: invertebrates! 🕷 🐜 🦋 Why Invertebrates Matter: More than 95% of the world’s known living creatures—over 1.3 million species—are spineless wonders. From insects to snails, they play vital roles in our ecosystems. 🔍 The Competition: The Guardian, has curated a fascinating shortlist of 10 species for the prestigious title of UK Invertebrate of the Year 2024. These invertebrates tell tales of resilience, adaptation, and survival in our rapidly changing world.  Some are familiar faces, while others remain hidden gems. 🗳️ Nominate your own UK invertebrate candidate! Share your reasons and help celebrate these unsung heroes. The deadline for submissions is midnight on Friday, April 12.   🐞 My Choice: The Ladybird - my horticultural hero. Here’s why:   🐞 Aphid Assassins: Ladybirds are nature’s stealthy pest controllers. Their voracious appetite for aphids— keeps our gardens in balance. Say goodbye to chemical pesticides; the ladybirds have it covered!   🐞 Lucky Charms: Across cultures, ladybirds are symbols of good fortune. Their bright colours and gentle demeanour evoke harmony and balance. Plus, who can resist those charming spots?   🐞  Harbingers of Spring: When winter’s chill retreats, ladybirds emerge—a vibrant burst of colour heralding warmer days ahead. Their arrival signals life awakening anew. Let’s honour these tiny ambassadors of seasonal change. 🐞  Metamorphosis Magic: From egg to larva to pupa, ladybirds undergo a captivating transformation. Their life cycle mirrors resilience and adaptation. In their metamorphosis, we find hope for a changing world. 🎉 Now it’s your turn! Nominate your favourite invertebrate and let’s celebrate these unsung heroes together. 🎉🐛🦋

🦈🚌🦠 It may come as a surprise that an animal as big as a school bus depends on some of the smallest creatures in the ocean to survive. But being the largest fish in the ocean (and the largest non-mammal vertebrate in the world) is just one of the surprising things about the whale shark! These majestic creatures are most commonly found in areas where water temperatures exceed 21˚C (70˚F), but they have been spotted as far north as the Bay of Fundy and the Sea of Okhotsk. Some whale sharks migrate vast distances to enjoy the annual phytoplankton bloom or fish spawning events off of continental shelves. Whale sharks are increasingly common in the waters off of #CapeCod, Massachusetts, where these animals were filmed as part of a study conducted by #WHOI biologst Camrin Braun. Learn more about these amazing sharks: go.whoi.edu/whale-shark 📹 by Eric Savetsky #SharkWeek #TheRealSharksoftheOcean #WhaleSharks

2024's Cicada Symphony: Broods XIX and XII Take Center Stage As the calendar turns to 2024, entomologists are tuning in for a natural phenomenon set to hit the high notes across the United States. This year, periodical cicadas from Broods XIX and XII will emerge in unison, creating a six-week serenade that's been centuries in the making. These cicadas, which spend most of their lives underground, will surface when the soil reaches the right temperature. Their appearance is not just a marvel for scientists but a cultural event that captures the imagination of communities witnessing the spectacle. Brood XIX, known for its 13-year cycle, and Brood XII, with its 17-year interval, will offer a rare duet that last occurred over two centuries ago. The event promises to be a buzzworthy topic as the air fills with the cicadas' distinctive chorus, a sound that's as much a part of summer as the warmth itself. For those looking to experience this entomological extravaganza, the emergence offers an opportunity to engage with nature uniquely. It's a reminder of the intricate cycles that govern the natural world and a chance to observe one of its most fascinating and rhythmic rituals. #CicadaEmergence2024 #BroodXIX #BroodXII #Nature'sConcert Periodical Cicadas | National Wildlife Federation. https://lnkd.in/gsX-HMf7. https://lnkd.in/gRGb2X2v.

In a mighty jungle the Lion sleeps tonight. That is until the invasive ants came. This story could have been written by Rudyard Kipling but it's all true. Years ago, In a Kenyan forest, all animals lived in Peace. Zebras and gazelles grazed on rolling grasslands while Elephants trumpeted from beyond the Acacia trees. Lions hunted Zebras, buffalos, and gazelles but no one seemed to be complaining. But when observed under a microscope, there was a fragile balance at play. The acacia trees were home to a species of ants that protected the trees from leaf eating animals like elephants. The trees in turn provided the ants with a home - a mutualism that kept both species happy. Then a strange new ant species - the "big headed" ants - arrived on the scene and killed off the original ant settlers. Now unprotected, large leaf eating animals like elephants began to devour the trees and soon few trees were left behind. The lions used the trees as cover while they waited to pounce on an unsuspecting zebra. But without the trees, the lions could not hunt properly. Apparently, the lions are now hunting buffalos, which however are hardly as easy ! This work was carried out over a period of 30 years! You can see the difference in the forest in this before and after picture taken by the team. Their work was recently published in Science: https://ow.ly/wtFP50QIyqN [Follow me for your daily dose of Science] #materials #science #technology

🦖 They really do move in herds ! 🐢 In the freshwaters of Belize, live the Central American river turtles (Dermatemys mawii). While studying movement and home ranges, scientists, noticed how turtles move in groups through the water. This was very strange, as turtles are generally believed to be nonsocial. 🐢 🕵♂️ A group of researchers were tracking their positions up and down the river and began to notice that the turtles were side by side, there were a few notable cases where they were behind a group of turtles, and the whole group seemed to move downstream together, in other cases one turtle moved several kilometers up or downstream and stopped right next to one of the other individuals being tracked. All of these things, suggested social behavior. 😵 There were no large logs or vegetation in the river, just a very smooth, muddy bottom. Plant surveys, dive surveys and side-scan sonar were conducted to confirm that this was just an open area with no structure to attract the turtles and drive this behavior. 🌿 This behavior is considered strange because only this species of turtle, exhibit social behavior. Understanding the social aspect of a species like the critically endangered Dermatemys mawii is really important for creating long-term conservation plans, and this knowledge can be incorporated into conservation management plans and future research goals. 👉 If you have read as far as here, please give feedback or share so that I know that such material is worth publishing here. 👈 Ref: Donald T. McKnight, Jaren C. Serano, Denise M. Thompson, Day B. Ligon, They really do move in herds: evidence of group living in an aquatic turtle. Animal Behaviour, Volume 205, 2023, Pages 197-226. #reptile #reptiles #chelonien #cheloniens #chelonian #chelonians #tortue #tortues #turtle #turtles #CentralAmericanriverturtle #aquaticturtle #Dermatemysmawii #behavior #socialbehaviour #biodiversité #biodiversity #wildlife

SAVE THE EAGLES DAY - January 10 Each year on January 10th, Save the Eagles Day reminds us of the majestic raptors that soar above the Earth - whether they are well populated or endangered. Due to the work of scientists and the public, the bald eagle was removed from this list in June 2007. Poaching, pesticides, and other dangers continue to threaten eagle populations. #SaveTheEaglesDay While the day started as a way to save a specific pair of bald eagles and to raise awareness about the species, the observance has grown to encompass all species of eagles. Approximately 60 species of eagles populate the world. Most of the species are found in Eurasia and Africa. North, Central, and South America and Australia only account for about 14 species. However, no eagles are found in Hawaii. The most common species in North America are the bald and golden eagles. Eagles are powerful birds of prey. An eagle's sharp sense of sight paired with powerful muscles, piercing talons, and beak, make them primed for the hunt. They are also monogamous, mating for life. HOW TO OBSERVE SAVE THE EAGLES DAY Learn more about eagles. Watch documentaries or read about them. Visit an aviary or a bird sanctuary. We have provided a couple of books to review, too. Participate in preservation and conservation in your area, too. The Eagle Watchers: Observing and Conserving Raptors Around the World by Todd E. Katzner Eagles by Melissa Gish Use #SaveTheEaglesDay to post on social media. (photo taken by Paul R. Gierhart along the Rock River in Whiteside County in NW Illinois)

Time to learn about snakes! With over 3,000 species of snakes worldwide, it’s important to understand their general biology and their vital role within ecosystems. This lovely snake is Gord- he’s a Western Gaboon Viper who lives in the African Rainforest region of our Toronto Zoo. They are native to most parts of Africa and are a terrestrial species (found primarily on the ground). Gaboon vipers are a combination of both light and dark brown which allows them to camouflage into leaf litter on the forest floor. They are the largest species of viper found in Africa, with adults weighing approximately 20kg. The diet of a Gaboon viper consists mostly of small mammals and birds, and they can use their venomous fangs to secure prey. Their fangs can grow up to 2 inches in length, which is the longest of any venomous snake. These snakes tend to be even-tempered and are rarely known to bite humans. Having snakes in an ecosystem helps enrich biodiversity and increase overall stability! They act as both a predator and a prey species. They keep rodent populations from overpopulating, and they also act as seed dispersers in the same process. We can encourage stable snake populations by respecting their natural spaces, admiring from afar, and sharing scientific information. Having a fear of snakes is relatively common but learning more about them is a great way to promote peaceful coexistence. 🐍 #TorontoZoo #wildlifeconservation #nature

Anthropomorphism - the attribution of human characteristics to other non-human living creatures - used to be a dirty word in animal behavior. Scientists are rethinking how they study animals, and some are deeply considering emotions and motivations! This article (with video) explores the changing attitudes of scientists towards anthropomorphism 🤔 Is it okay to attribute human characteristics to animals? Find out! 👇 👇

Today is „Save the Egales Day“ reminding us of the majestic raptors that soar above the Earth – whether they are well populated or endangered. Due to the work of scientists and the public, the bald eagle was removed from this list in June 2007. Poaching, pesticides, and other dangers continue to threaten eagle populations. While the day started as a way to save a specific pair of bald eagles and to raise awareness about the species, the observance has grown to encompass all species of eagles. Approximately 60 species of eagles populate the world. Most of the species are found in Eurasia and Africa. North, Central, and South America and Australia only account for about 14 species. However, no eagles are found in Hawaii. The most common species in North America are the bald and golden eagles. Eagles are powerful birds of prey. An eagle’s sharp sense of sight paired with powerful muscles, piercing talons, and beak, make them primed for the hunt. They are also monogamous, mating for life. How to celebrate? Learn more about eagles today: Watch a documentary or read about them. Visit an aviary or a bird sanctuary.