My Science School

Love the thrill of watching a butterfly flutter by? The excitement of discovering the name of a tree species? Understanding how living beings evolve? If you're a wildlife lover, here are four career options you can explore.

Marine biologist

What to study: BSc in marine biology or a related field such as oceanography, marine science, or earth science, followed by a Masters.

What the job entails: Marine biologists study animal, plant, and microscopic life in oceans. But this does not mean they're always into deep-sea diving! They work with samples in research laboratories for any discoveries, and also prepare reports worthy of publication.

Benefits: In addition to closely observing all kinds of marine creatures, they could be a changemaker. Apparently, a little more than three-fourth of all life on our planet is found under the ocean surface. And since they are also indicators of the changes around us - such as pollution and climate change - marine biologists could be the one to announce this to the world, nudging citizens to be responsible and protect our world.

Challenges: While not always, field work - in oceans - can be physically demanding, due to being in water for a long while, lugging heavy equipment, etc. The location could be remote, affecting one's social life for long periods of time.

Wildlife photographer/ filmmaker

What to study: For both photography and filmmaking, there are degree and short-term courses offered both in India and abroad.

What the job entails: As is evident from the job title, one photographs or shoots films about wildlife. It also involves team work, constant learning, being aware, fit, resilient, quick to adapt, among others.

Benefits: Watching wildlife, learning about them, and enlightening the layperson. Though it is not a 9-to-5 job, it has the potential to be lucrative. Professionals can even be part of wildlife magazines or television channels. And, there is recognition. going by the growing number of awards presented to wildlife photographers and filmmakers globally. But, do they match the reward of watching Nature up-close?

Challenges: While the technicalities of shooting a picture or film/ documentary can be learnt through professional courses offered across the globe, certain aspects are learnt on the job. For instance, patience and acceptance. Nature is what it is one has no control over timing the blooming of a flower or a tiger snagging its prey. Sometimes no matter how much one is prepared, the result may not be what one wants.

Wildlife rehabilitator

What to study: While a degree in biology or ecology is seen as necessary, the subjects covered could include ornithology, mammalogy, animal behaviour, etc.

What the job entails: Wildlife rehabilitators care for and treat injured, orphaned, or displaced wildlife. Their aim is to ensure that the animals are healthy and prepared appropriately to finally return to the wild.

Benefits: In addition to saving and protecting wildlife, they play a huge role in rescuing animals during natural disasters and also educating people about wildlife. Their role helps reduce human-wildlife conflicts, and create a sense of responsibility among people towards wildlife.

Challenges: In this line of work, it is not possible to save every animal one rescues. It is important to understand that sometimes, an animal's life is beyond one's control.

(Natural History) Museum curator

What to study: Masters in biology, ecology, museum studies, etc. Some museums may require doctoral studies in related fields, in addition to work experience.

What the job entails: As with most other jobs, this one too spans a wide range of responsibilities. However, what is particularly vital is that the curator possesses the wisdom and necessary skills to gather, understand, and put together a dynamic collection of relevant specimens that can be viewed on a regular basis or specifically presented in highly stimulating and themed exhibitions.

Benefits: The greatest take away from the job could be the pleasure of learning. and working with a rare and an incredible variety of specimens, some of which could go back even centuries. And, of course, the opportunities to interact with curious visitors who may share the curators joy in natural history.

Challenges: If the museums are small, one is likely to take on several responsibilities, as mentioned earlier. This, of course may mean longer working hours but a richer learning experience too. Since many of the specimens will be very old and fragile, extra care is required in handling them.

Picture Credit : Google 

In protecting and preserving rainforests, we are merely preserving our future.  The year is 2070. Kids are on an expedition to a part of the Amazon rainforest and are clueless when their teachers throw around words such as "Spider monkey" and "Harpy eagle". What else could they be, for, they have never heard about these erstwhile creatures that became extinct well before their time? Back to the present. Today, in 2022, did you know that about 17 % of the Amazon rainforest, the largest in the world, has been destroyed over the last five decades? It is time to wake up and smell the forest fire.

Rainforests are home to some of the most biologically diverse and important ecosystems in the world more than half of Earth's plants and animals are found in them. June 22 was World Rainforests Day, and doesn't it make sense that one of our most important natural resources has a day dedicated to it? In a bid to raise awareness and encourage action to protect the world's rainforests, the first World Rainforest Day was celebrated on June 22, 2017, by the Rainforest Partnership, an international non-profit.

Fear factor

 So, how serious is the threat to rainforests? In an interview, Gabriel Labbate, head, United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEPS) Climate Mitigation Unit, shed some light on the issue. "There are worrying signs that some of these systems may be close to tipping points. For example, an article I read in the last six months documented clear signs that the Amazon was losing resilience. The Amazon is like a gigantic recycler, a water pump. Water may be recycled up to five times as it travels from the southeast to the northwest of the Amazon. When rain falls on trees and vegetation, part of it is absorbed, and part of it goes back up into the air following evapotranspiration. You stop this water pump and the whole system may transform into a savannah because there is not enough water left to sustain a tropical forest. There will be a cascade of impacts following the disappearance of an ecosystem like that."

While Labbate has spoken specifically about the Amazon Rainforest, the danger to other rainforests is just as real. Many of them have suffered from heavy logging for their hardwoods, slash-and-burn cultivation, and forest fires, throughout the 20th century. Consequently, the area covered by rainforests around the world is shrinking, and large numbers of multiple species are being driven to extinction

Almost 90% of West Africa's rainforests have been ravaged, as have two-thirds of Madagascars. In fact, the situation turned so dire that several countries, most specifically Brazil, declared deforestation a national emergency, and it was instrumental in slowing down the damage from 2004 to 2012. deforestation reduced by about 80 % in the country.

While it is arduous to completely reverse the effects of rainforest destruction, here are a few steps you can take to tackle the problem:

• Start by reading more about it and teach others about the importance of the environment and how they can help save rainforests.
• Try and restore damaged ecosystems by planting trees on land where forests have been cut down.
• Encourage people to live in a sustainable manner, one that won't harm the environment.
• While not all of us have the resources financial or otherwise to protect) rainforests and wildlife on a large scale, it is possible to support organisations that help minimise damage to the environment. The time is ripe. Spread the word.

Picture Credit : Google 

An unplanned, uncontrolled fire that burns in a natural area such as a forest, grassland, or prairie, wildfires can happen anywhere at any time. Likely caused by human activity or natural phenomenon like lightning, it is not known as to how over half of the recorded wildfires began. Even though wildfires keep the ecosystem healthy and are even essential for the continued survival of certain plant species, they also simultaneously impact weather and climate by releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and fine particulate matter into the atmosphere.

Wildfires can burn in vegetation located both in and above the soil. Ground fires typically ignite in soil thick with organic matter that can feed the flames, like plant roots. Ground fires can smolder for a long time—even an entire season—until conditions are right for them to grow to a surface or crown fire. Surface fires, on the other hand, burn in dead or dry vegetation that is lying or growing just above the ground. Parched grass or fallen leaves often fuel surface fires. Crown fires burn in the leaves and canopies of trees and shrubs.

Some regions, like the mixed conifer forests of California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range, can be affected by different types of wildfires. Sierra Nevada forest fires often include both crown and surface spots.

Wildfires can start with a natural occurrence—such as a lightning strike—or a human-made spark. However, it is often the weather conditions that determine how much a wildfire grows. Wind, high temperatures, and little rainfall can all leave trees, shrubs, fallen leaves, and limbs dried out and primed to fuel a fire. Topography plays a big part too: flames burn uphill faster than they burn downhill.

Wildfires that burn near communities can become dangerous and even deadly if they grow out of control. For example, the 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County, California destroyed almost the entire town of Paradise; in total, 86 people died.

Still, wildfires are essential to the continued survival of some plant species. For example, some tree cones need to be heated before they open and release their seeds; chaparral plants, which include manzanita, chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum), and scrub oak (Quercus berberidifolia), require fire before seeds will germinate. The leaves of these plants include a flammable resin that feeds fire, helping the plants to propagate. Plants such as these depend on wildfires in order to pass through a regular life cycle. Some plants require fire every few years, while others require fire just a few times a century for the species to continue.

Wildfires also help keep ecosystems healthy. They can kill insects and diseases that harm trees. By clearing scrub and underbrush, fires can make way for new grasses, herbs, and shrubs that provide food and habitat for animals and birds. At a low intensity, flames can clean up debris and underbrush on the forest floor, add nutrients to the soil, and open up space to let sunlight through to the ground. That sunlight can nourish smaller plants and give larger trees room to grow and flourish.

While many plants and animals need and benefit from wildfires, climate change has left some ecosystems more susceptible to flames, especially in the southwest United States. Warmer temperatures have intensified drought and dried out forests. The historic practice of putting out all fires also has caused an unnatural buildup of shrubs and debris, which can fuel larger and more intense blazes.

Credit : National geographic 

Picture Credit : Google 

 

Rainforests are regions that consist of several tall trees, most of which are evergreen ones, and receive a large quantity of rainfall. They play an important role in taking in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and so, are often referred to as the lungs of the planet. They host an impressive variety of wildlife, and also influence weather patterns elsewhere in the world. All continents except Antartica house rainforests. The Amazon in South America is the world's largest rainforest.

Tropical rainforests are home to 80 percent of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, all squeezed into a narrow strip of equatorial land. They are also home to millions of human beings that have been a part of forest ecosystem for thousands of years. While tropical rainforests are perhaps the most iconic, temperate rainforests are equally diverse and beautiful. Together, rainforests offer a gallery of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring places and creatures on Earth.

Since the beginning of history, humans have relied on rainforests, finding in them a steady supply of wood, plants, and animals, as well as fruits, fibers, grains, medicines, cloths, resins, pigments, and other materials. As millennia passed and many human communities moved farther away from the forest, our reliance on the forests did not weaken. Major trade routes, and even empires, developed to control the flow of the rainforest’s treasures.

Today, most of the industrialized world senses little connection to the rainforest, living in large, busy cities far away from these fertile ecological powerhouses. We forget that the forest regularly saves our global food supply by offering new, disease-resistant crops. We forget about the hundreds of billions of dollars worth of trade in timber, non-timber forest products and forest-derived pharmaceuticals. We forget about things that are ultimately beyond value: the livelihoods of millions of forest communities, a stable and livable climate for us all, the existence of most of our fellow species, and simple things we take for granted, like regular rain and clean air.

In tropical nations, many developing and debt-ridden, the forest is cleared in the hope of securing an economic future. Huge industrial interests—such as timber, agriculture, and mining—see an endless, profitable supply of cheap resources just waiting to be taken. Meanwhile, family farmers and loggers feel they have no option but to deforest in order to feed their families. However, innumerable studies and recent history show that little security can be found in tropical deforestation.

Thus far, our human family has erased half of our original endowment of rainforests. Our world is now facing a sixth mass extinction—the greatest extinction crisis since the fall of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. The future of over half of Earth’s plants and animals—and hundreds of human cultures—will be determined within the next few decades. Since our lives are so dependent on the forest’s bounty, our future is at stake as well.

Credit : Rainforest aligns 

Picture Credit : Google 

Mangroves are bushes or trees that grow in thick clusters along sea coasts and riverbanks.

Their roots stick out of the mud in thick tangles and prevent the waves from washing away the sand (or dirt) from the coastline Sundarbans in Bangladesh and India is the world's largest single tract of mangroves.

Where Are Mangroves Found?

Mangroves grow in sheltered tropical and subtropical coastal areas across the globe. In general, this is an area between latitudes of 25 degrees north and 25 degrees south, however, geographical limits are highly variable depending upon the area of the world and local climates. In Eastern Australia, the mangrove Avicennia marina can grow as far south as 38 degrees and Avicennia germinans can grow as far north as 32 degrees in the Atlantic. A major restriction for where mangroves can live is temperature. The cooler temperatures of northern temperate regions prove too much for the mangroves. A fluctuation of ten degrees in a short period of time is enough stress to damage the plant and freezing temperatures for even a few hours can kill some mangrove species. However, rising temperatures and sea level due to climate change are allowing mangroves to expand their ranges farther away from the equator and encroach on temperate wetlands, like salt marshes. Also, on some isolated tropical islands, such as Hawaii and Tahiti, mangroves are not native and are sometimes considered invasive species.

Growth and Reproduction

Life by the ocean has its perks—for mangroves, proximity to the waves and tides helps with reproduction. 

For most plants, the seeds remain dormant until after they are dispersed to a favorable environment. Not mangroves. Mangrove offspring begin to grow while still attached to their parent. This type of plant reproduction is called vivipary. After mangrove flowers are pollinated the plants produce seeds that immediately begin to germinate into seedlings. The little seedlings, called propagules, then fall off the tree, and can be swept away by the ocean current. Depending upon the species, propagules will float for a number of days before becoming waterlogged and sinking to the muddy bottom, where they lodge in the soil. Propagules of Rhizophora are able to grow over a year after they are released from their parent tree, while the white mangrove, Laguncularia racemosa, floats for up to 24 days, though it starts losing its ability to take root after eight. The flotation time allows for the propagules to vacate the area where their parent grows and avoid competition with an already established mangrove.

Mangroves as Ecosystems

Mangroves are among the most productive and biologically complex ecosystems on Earth. They cover between roughly 53,000 and 77,000 square miles (138,000 and 200,000 square km) globally, acting as a bridge connecting the land and sea. Though most will be less than a couple miles thick along the coastline, in some areas of the world they are massive aquatic forests. The Sundarbans Forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site at the mouth of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Megha Rivers in the Bay of Bengal fronting India and Bangladesh, is a network of muddy islands and waterways that extends roughly 3,860 square miles (10,000 square km), two times the size of the state of Delaware. 

Credit : Ocean find your blues

Picture Credit : Google

Keystone species play a unique and crucial role in the functioning of an ecosystem. The animals and organisms that come under this category help to maintain biodiversity within their community either by controlling populations of other species that would otherwise dominate the community or by providing critical resources for the survival of a wide range of organisms.

These species act as the glue that holds the system together. The term was coined by Dr Robert Paine in 1969, to describe the power a single species exerts on an ecosystem. Examples of keystone species include starfish, sea otters, beavers, wolves, elephants, prairiedogs and bees.

Keystone Species Examples

Sea Otter

The sea otter (shown below) is considered a keystone species as their consumption of sea urchins, preventing the destruction of kelp forests caused by the sea urchin population. Kelp forests are a critical habitat for many species in nearshore ecosystems. In the absence of sea otters, sea urchins feed on the nearshore kelp forests, thereby disrupting these nearshore ecosystems. However, when sea otters are present, their consumption of sea urchins restricts the sea urchin population to smaller organisms confined to protective crevices. Thus, the sea otter protects the kelp forests by reducing the local sea urchin population.

Large Mammalian Predators

While small predators are important keystone species in many ecosystems, as mentioned above, large mammalian predators are also considered keystone species in larger ecosystems. For example, the lion, jaguar (shown below), and gray wolf are considered keystone species as they help balance large ecosystems (e.g., Central and South American rainforests) by consuming a wide variety of prey species.

Sea Star

Sea stars (shown below) are another commonly recognized keystone species as they consume mussels in areas without natural predators. In many cases, when the sea star is removed from an ecosystem, the population of mussels proliferates uncontrollably, and negatively effects the resources available to other species within the ecosystem.

Credit :  Biology dictionary  

Picture Credit : Google 

An invasive species is any kind of living organism that is not native to an ecosystem, but grows aggressively and causes harm to it human health and even impacts the economy. Human activity, pet trade, wet markets etc. are common ways in which invasive microbes, plants, animals and other organisms enter new habitats. Most species that are transported to new habitats do not survive for a long period. But some do possess innate advantages over the indigenous species and begin to thrive in the invaded areas.

What Makes a Species "Invasive"?

An invasive species can be any kind of living organism—an amphibian (like the cane toad), plant, insect, fish, fungus, bacteria, or even an organism’s seeds or eggs—that is not native to an ecosystem and causes harm. They can harm the environment, the economy, or even human health. Species that grow and reproduce quickly, and spread aggressively, with potential to cause harm, are given the label “invasive.”

An invasive species does not have to come from another country. For example, lake trout are native to the Great Lakes, but are considered to be an invasive species in Yellowstone Lake in Wyoming because they compete with native cutthroat trout for habitat.

How invasive species spread

Invasive species are primarily spread by human activities, often unintentionally. People, and the goods we use, travel around the world very quickly, and they often carry uninvited species with them. Ships can carry aquatic organisms in their ballast water, while smaller boats may carry them on their propellers. Insects can get into wood, shipping palettes, and crates that are shipped around the world. Some ornamental plants can escape into the wild and become invasive. And some invasive species are intentionally or accidentally released pets. For example, Burmese pythons are becoming a big problem in the Everglades.

Threats to Native Wildlife

Invasive species cause harm to wildlife in many ways. When a new and aggressive species is introduced into an ecosystem, it may not have any natural predators or controls. It can breed and spread quickly, taking over an area. Native wildlife may not have evolved defenses against the invader, or they may not be able to compete with a species that has no predators.

The direct threats of invasive species include preying on native species, outcompeting native species for food or other resources, causing or carrying disease, and preventing native species from reproducing or killing a native species' young.

There are indirect threats of invasive species as well. Invasive species can change the food web in an ecosystem by destroying or replacing native food sources. The invasive species may provide little to no food value for wildlife. Invasive species can also alter the abundance or diversity of species that are important habitat for native wildlife. Aggressive plant species like kudzu can quickly replace a diverse ecosystem with a monoculture of just kudzu. Additionally, some invasive species are capable of changing the conditions in an ecosystem, such as changing soil chemistry or the intensity of wildfires.

Credit : The National Wildlife Federation

Picture Credit : Google 

A geographic area where plants, animals, and other organisms, along with weather and landscape, work together to form a sphere of life is known as an ecosystem. Ecosystems thus contain biotic or living parts like plants, animals and other organisms as well as abiotic factors like temperature, humidity and rocks. The interdependence of these various parts and factors. either directly or indirectly, is what makes ecosystems thrive.

Ecosystems are controlled by external and internal factors. External factors such as climate, parent material which forms the soil and topography, control the overall structure of an ecosystem but are not themselves influenced by the ecosystem. Internal factors are controlled, for example, by decomposition, root competition, shading, disturbance, succession, and the types of species present. While the resource inputs are generally controlled by external processes, the availability of these resources within the ecosystem is controlled by internal factors. Therefore, internal factors not only control ecosystem processes but are also controlled by them.

Ecosystems are dynamic entities—they are subject to periodic disturbances and are always in the process of recovering from some past disturbance. The tendency of an ecosystem to remain close to its equilibrium state, despite that disturbance, is termed its resistance. The capacity of a system to absorb disturbance and reorganize while undergoing change so as to retain essentially the same function, structure, identity, and feedbacks is termed its ecological resilience. Ecosystems can be studied through a variety of approaches—theoretical studies, studies monitoring specific ecosystems over long periods of time, those that look at differences between ecosystems to elucidate how they work and direct manipulative experimentation. Biomes are general classes or categories of ecosystems. However, there is no clear distinction between biomes and ecosystems. Ecosystem classifications are specific kinds of ecological classifications that consider all four elements of the definition of ecosystems: a biotic component, an abiotic complex, the interactions between and within them, and the physical space they occupy.

Ecosystems provide a variety of goods and services upon which people depend. Ecosystem goods include the "tangible, material products" of ecosystem processes such as water, food, fuel, construction material, and medicinal plants. Ecosystem services, on the other hand, are generally "improvements in the condition or location of things of value". These include things like the maintenance of hydrological cycles, cleaning air and water, the maintenance of oxygen in the atmosphere, crop pollination and even things like beauty, inspiration and opportunities for research. Many ecosystems become degraded through human impacts, such as soil loss, air and water pollution, habitat fragmentation, water diversion, fire suppression, and introduced species and invasive species. These threats can lead to abrupt transformation of the ecosystem or to gradual disruption of biotic processes and degradation of abiotic conditions of the ecosystem. Once the original ecosystem has lost its defining features, it is considered "collapsed". Ecosystem restoration can contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Credit : Wikipedia 

Picture Credit : Google 

Many of our busy national highways cut deep through forests. Animals that cross these roads may sometimes get run over by fast-moving vehicles. To avoid this, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has built nine dedicated underpasses for wildlife on the national highway NH47 that passes through the Kanha-Pench forest belt.

The cameras installed in the underpasses have revealed that a number of wild animals use them. The animals, including tigers, used the underpasses mostly at night to cross over to the other side of the forest. While some stayed back to take a nap or to have some fun with their playmates, a few others prowled the dark underpasses hoping for a good catch!

The concept was first developed in France in the 1950s. It took off in the Netherlands, where more than 600 crossings have been constructed to protect badgers, elk and other mammals. The Dutch built the world's longest animal crossing, the Natuurbrug Zanderij Crailoo, an overpass that spans more than 0.8 kilometers (0.5 miles). Wildlife crossings can also be found in Australia, Canada and other parts of the world. The idea took a little longer to catch on in the United States, but wildlife bridges and tunnels began appearing there in the 21st century.

Picture Credit : Google 

Researchers have found out the intricate physics and neural controls that enable dragonflies to right themselves when falling

Their stretched bodies, huge wingspan and colouring, make dragonflies a unique sight. The fact that they are one of the oldest insect species on Earth also makes them one of the earliest to discover aerial flight.

A group of researchers led by a professor of Mechanical engineering and Physics in Comell University's College of Art and Sciences have determined the physics and neural controls that allow dragonflies to correct themselves while they are falling. This paper that speaks about a dragonfly's recovery mechanism was published in May in Science.

3D-tracking

In order to study this subject, a controlled-behavioural experiment was designed wherein a dragonfly would be dropped upside down from a magnetic tether. The researchers found that the insect's manoeuvres followed the same pattern. After capturing these using high-speed cameras, the motions were reconstructed using 3D-tracking software.

 Once they had successfully completed the challenging part of creating a computational model that simulated the dragonfly's aerobics, what remained was finding out how the dragonflies knew they were falling. Unlike human beings who have an inertial sense, dragonflies rely on all five of their eyes to gauge their uprightness.

Less than 200 milliseconds Dragonflies visual cues thus trigger reflexes that send neural signals to their four wings. As a set of direct muscles modulate the left wing and right wing pitch asymmetry accordingly, all that a dragonfly requires is three or four wing strokes. In less than 200 milliseconds, a dragonfly that is tumbling downwards can thus roll 180 degrees and resume flying the correct way.

By combining kinematic analysis, physical modelling and 3D simulations, researchers have come with crucial inferences of an insects behaviour in a non-invasive manner. Engineers might be able to employ these insights in order to improve the workings of small flying machines and drones.

Picture Credit : Google 

The inland taipan is the world’s most venomous snake, but this Australian taipan is so shy that hardly anything was known about it by Western science for nearly a hundred years after it was first described in 1879.

The inland taipan’s alternative name, ‘fierce snake’, points to the potency of its venom rather than its behaviour. The other Australian taipan that it shares a common ancestor with, namely the coastal taipan, is far more aggressive.

The inland taipan lives in the remote black soil plains of the outback where the borders of South Australia and Queensland meet.

The inland taipan is most active in the early hours of the day, when it surfaces to hunt for prey and to bask in the morning sun. After a few hours it retreats back into its shelter for the remainder of the day, although in cool weather it may show up above ground in the afternoon too.

The inland taipan has adapted to the extremes of the outback climate by dramatic seasonal changes in its coloration. The color of its back varies from a dark brown to almost black in winter. During the summer months it changes to a pale straw color.

These color changes allow the inland taipan to control its temperature, with the darker markings efficient at absorbing heat and the lighter ones good at reflecting it. The head of the inland taipan is much darker compared to the rest of the body, which makes it possible for the snake to warm up quickly by exposing only its head to the sun.

The inland taipan is one of the few Australian snakes to specialize in eating mammals. It will mainly prey on small to medium-sized rodents, especially the native long-haired rat (Rattus villosisimus), though it will also eat the plains rat (Pseudomys australis) and the introduced house mouse (Mus musculus). The venom of the inland taipan is considered to be the most lethal of any snake, surpassing even the venom of sea snakes. It has evolved over time to be especially effective in killing mammals, which also makes it extremely toxic to humans.

The venom from a single bite is said to be enough to kill at least 100 men. On top of its extreme neurotoxicity, the venom also contains an enzyme called a ‘spreading factor’ that speeds up the absorption. An untreated bite has the potential to kill a person in 30 to 45 minutes, which makes immediate medical attention critical. If provoked, the inland taipan curves its forebody into a raised S-shape in an attempt to fend off the offender. This threat display also prepares the snake for striking.

Credit : Active wild 

Picture Credit : Google 

Dominated by a variety of landscapes, the El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve in Mexico is an important region for many migratory marine and bird species

Rich in biodiversity

Mexico's largest protected area, the El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve spreads over more than 250 sq.km. It covers a large region between Baja California and the Gulf of California (also known as the Sea of Cortes), making it rich in both terrestrial and marine life. Dominated by scrublands, pine forests, coastal dunes, mangroves, and lagoons, the Reserve is fertile too. It supports more than 400 floral species and 300 vertebrates, in addition to several species of fish. It is an important region for many migratory marine and bird species. The Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino, which falls within the boundaries. of the Reserve, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. It is an important reproduction and wintering site for not just the grey whale but also other species such as seals and sea lions.

The Reserve faces threats in the form of agriculture, illegal fishing, and hunting, in addition to infrastructure development projects. It is believed that all these could have a major impact on the biodiversity of the region..

Wildlife

While the grey whale is the most significant creature of the region, there are several species of birds and mammals found here. Marine mammals seen here are turtles. seals, sea lions, and dolphins. Among the birds spotted are ospreys, pelicans, egrets, cormorants, gulls, terns, plovers, eagles, and falcons. Migrant species that arrive here include the Pacific black brant and northern pintails. In addition to mammals such as pronghorn, deer, bobcats, coyotes, sheep, and squirrels, there are also many types of reptiles and amphibians, including lizards and snakes.

Picture Credit : Google 

Have you heard of Nature's eating machines? They are nothing but caterpillars. What are they and why do they eat so much? Come, let's find out

You may have heard your mother give a small shriek when she is shelling peas and flinging away the offending pod. The culprit is a tiny green worm-like creature with miniature bristles - a caterpillar - the larva of a butterfly or moth!

Caterpillars are the animal kingdom's most voracious eaters. They range in size from 1 mm to 75 mm. They grow phenomenally, moulting or shedding their skin several times before they spin a cocoon around themselves in the last stage. The tobacco hornworm, for instance, will increase its weight by ten thousand times in less than 20 days!

Hairy horrors

The name derives from the Latin term for hairy cat. That's because most caterpillars are covered with spiky bristles, fine hairs or spines that are usually connected to venom glands. The secretion from the glands situated at the base of the spines can cause intense irritation and burning. The hairs can also detach and lodge in the skin.

A species of American moth caterpillar carries a sting which can cause temporary paralysis. The Brazilian flannel moth caterpillars sting is so painful, it has been christened 'bizos de fuero' or 'the fire-beast!

The caterpillar of the lasiocampid moth has spiny hairs hidden beneath the folds of skin on its back. When threatened by danger, it arches its back porcupine-like and attacks the predator with its sharp quill-like hairs.

More defences

Besides hair and venom, caterpillars have evolved a variety of tactics to deter predators.

Plants have toxins to defend themselves against herbivores. Some caterpillars have managed to get around this. The caterpillars of the monarch butterfly feed only on the poisonous leaves of the milkweed plant. Not only do they remain unaffected, they are able to store the poison in their bodies unchanged! Even as pretty orange-and-black butterflies, they make a nasty mouthful and predators avoid eating them. Some caterpillars vomit acidic digestive juices on their attackers and some produce bad smells from glands which they can extrude.

A few caterpillars wiggle long, whip-like organs attached to the ends of their bodies to frighten away flies or spin a line of silk and drop off from branches when disturbed. Many species thrash about violently when disturbed to scare away predators. One species called amorpha juglandis lets out a high-pitched whistle that scares away birds.

Clever camouflage

To escape detection, caterpillars can take on the appearance of bird droppings, leaves or twigs. Some lunch in peace within a woven silk gallery, or roll up inside leaves, or mine into the leaf surface.

Do or Diet  

A majority of caterpillars feed solely on plants, but there are others that feed on decaying animal matter such as wool and the hooves and horns of dead ungulates. Predatory caterpillars eat the eggs of other insects, aphids, scale insects, or ant larvae or even caterpillars of other species. A few are parasitic on cicadas and leaf hoppers. Hawaiian caterpillars use silk traps to capture snails.

Farmers' Pe(s)ts

Caterpillars are extremely destructive and can chomp their way through fruits, vegetables and other food crops, mainly feasting on the leaves. However, there are some species of moth caterpillars that are cultivated by man for their ability to spin lustrous silk.

Picture Credit : Google 

The Bialowieza Forest, running between Poland and Belarus, is most noted for its incredible variety of trees. But logging is threatening not just these age-old trees but also the diverse wildlife dependent on them.

Spanning the two European countries of Poland and Belarus, the Bialowieza Forest is spread across more than 1.400 sq.km. Dominated by primeval (old-growth) forests, the region is of great significance in eco-conservation since it clearly shows on-going natural processes in areas that have remained undisturbed over years. This preserved forest ecosystem is marked by dead wood as much as live wood, with the former helping many species of fungus and insects (and, in turn, birds) live. The forest was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, and one of the few cross-country sites in the world. The Bialowieza National Park in Poland is part of the forest. The primary forest is home to broad-leaved trees in addition to vasular plants such as conifers, and supports a variety of wildlife. However, over the last few years, conservationists have been worried about human interference that could possibly ruin the region. This includes logging too.

Wildlife

The forest is home to more than 50 mammal species, 250 bird species, and several reptile and invertebrate species. In addition to the European bison, the mammals in the region include beavers, moose, lynx, wolves, stags, deer, boars, otters, and elk. Among the birds that can be spotted here are woodpeckers, eagles, owls, flycatchers, warblers, tree-creepers, black birds, tits, nuthatches, starlings, wrynecks, pigeons, wrens, robins, buzzards, and hawks.

Threats

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the conservation outlook for the forest in the latest assessment cycle (2020) has been that of "significant concern". It is said that the forest intitially comprised two national parks. However, about eight years ago, more areas were brought under the UNESCO site, and this brought about management issues because at least three forest management districts entered the picture. Further, within just two years of this expansion, logging activity increased in the forest By 2018, logging was halted through a court ruling. But there are concerns because thefelling of trees impacts creatures dependent on them, both directly and indirectly. This could lead to loss of habitat, species, and eventually biodiversity.

Because of the absence of an integrated boundary, which will make management easier, the forest is likely to be subjected to different kinds of approaches depending upon the governments ruling the respective countries. And this is not good news for the region since continuity and focussed methods are crucial for the upkeep and protection of any natural habitat.

Further, Bialowieza, just like almost all regions of the world, is threatened by climate change. This again means potential crises related to water and weather conditions in the region, in addition to crisis for wildlife themselves. Another potential area of concern is a type of swine fever affecting the wild boar population of the region. Their population is already threatened by human hunting.

Picture Credit : Google 

Brazil's snake island or Ilha de Queimada Grande is one of the world's deadliest islands as it has the highest concentration of venomous pit vipers in the world. It is the only known home of the Golden Lancehead whose venom is five times stronger  than that of any mainland snake and eats away at flesh and tissue. The Brazilian government strictly controls visits to the uninhabited island. However, wildlife smugglers called "bio pirates" illegally catch and sell the snakes for upto US$10,000-30,000 for a single Golden Lancehead.

Located approximately 33 kilometres (21 mi) off the coast of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, the island is approximately 430,000 square metres (110 acres) in area. The island ranges in elevation from sea level to 206 metres (676 ft) above sea level. The island has a temperate climate that is similar to that of its neighbouring island Nimer. 0.25 square kilometres (62 acres) of the island is covered by rain forest; the remaining areas consist of barren rocks and open grassland. Queimada Grande ranges from an average of 18.38 °C (65.08 °F) in August to 27.28 °C (81.10 °F) in March, and rainfall ranges from 0.2 millimetres (0.0079 in) per month in July to 135.2 millimetres (5.32 in) in December. The snakes became trapped on the island thousands of years ago following the end of the last ice age when rising ocean levels disconnected the island from the mainland. The ensuing selection pressure allowed the snakes to adapt to their new environment, increasing rapidly in population and rendering the island dangerous to public visitation.

Credit : Wikipedia 

Picture Credit : Google