Home/Science/BBC Wildlife Magazine/July 2020/In This Issue
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020A drop in the oceanA friend and I were enjoying a dram or two of Highland whisky on the Isle of Eigg when we spotted something sticking out of the water. Reaching for the binoculars, we soon picked out something else a good few metres behind it. This was my first glimpse of a basking shark. But reading Isla Hodgson’s feature (p40), I was struck by how little we actually know about these gentle giants. As we continue to produce this magazine from our homes, such wildlife encounters seem as far away as that Hebridean island. But distance being no distance when it comes to nature, this spring I found myself becoming increasingly intrigued by the variety of bees within a mile of my front door. So, with there being no time like the…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020WILD MONTH1 | CRAB SPIDER Deadly disguise Lurking among the nation’s herbaceous borders and other flowery places are predators with a chameleon-like talent for changing colour. Female crab spiders can often match their background beautifully, but for some reason the smaller males don’t possess this skill. Of the 30 or so species of crab spider in Britain, the most widespread is Misumena vatia, females of which seek out prominent flowers with wide heads such as ox-eye daisies, hogweed, thistles or knapweed. When in position, one of these spiders will sit perfectly still with her two front legs held out in front, waiting for an unsuspecting bee, fly or butterfly to visit her chosen bloom. Big mistake. The ambusher strikes, punctures the exoskeleton of her prey, then slurps out the juices. A…4 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020SPECIES TO LOOK OUT FORCommon butterwort This insectivorous plant has a purple flower, which appears on a single stalk between May and July, but its basal rosette of leaves is arguably more obvious, as they’re bright yellow-green and remarkably starfish-like. The leaves are covered in a sticky fluid that attracts unsuspecting insects, slowly curling around their prey before digesting it. Bog asphodel Spikes of sulphur-yellow, star-like asphodel flowers brighten up peat bogs in early summer, before turning a distinctive shade of deep orange in autumn. Once, the plant was known as the ‘bone breaker’, because it was thought that livestock grazing on it developed brittle bones; however, calcium-poor pastures were the issue. Large heath Despite the odd name, this specialist butterfly is at home in bogs, not heathland. It has three forms found in…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Far sighted friendsNew research shows that rhinos get help with their famously poor eyesight from some feathered friends. The relationship between oxpeckers and the large mammals from which they pick ticks is a complex one. It was long thought to be a straightforward case of mutual benefit, until it was realised that the birds also open wounds and drink their hosts’ blood, suggesting the relationship leans towards the parasitic. Now, though, Roan Plotz of Australia’s Victoria University has discovered that red-billed oxpeckers provide another important service for black rhinos – one that might incline the pachyderms to tolerate a bit of vampirism: they warn their hosts of approaching danger. “Every single time the birds call, the rhinos respond immediately and almost always re-orientate to face downwind,” says Plotz. “Being blind as bats…2 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Salazar’s pit viperWHAT IS IT? This striking new species of venomous pit viper (a group that gets its name from the heat-sensitive pits located between the eyes and the nostrils) can be distinguished from its relatives by the red-orange stripes that run the full length of the body in males. WHERE IS IT? Three specimens of Trimeresurus salazar were spotted coiled up amongst roadside shrubbery during an expedition to Arunachal Pradesh, northeast India. The species has been named after Salazar Slytherin, fictional co-founder of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and speaker of the language of serpents. SB FIND OUT MORE Zoosystematics and Evolution bit.ly/3gKAmfq…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020MARK CARWARDINEPictures of pollution-free skies, wild boar roaming the centre of Barcelona and Kashmiri goats causing havoc on the streets of Llandudno could make you believe that nature is bouncing back during the coronavirus pandemic. For some species, lockdown may indeed be good news. There is some evidence that the number of hedgehogs killed on Britain’s roads has halved, for example, while in India there has been a massive spike in the number of olive ridley turtle hatchlings emerging from beaches devoid of humans. There may be more subtle benefits, too. Urban birds have to sing more often and louder than their countryside counterparts – which is time-consuming and energy-sapping – so they could benefit from a little peace and quiet. But for much of the world’s wildlife, lockdown is anything…3 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Ligers, tigons and white tigersWhat are they and what are the issues around breeding them? A liger is the hybrid offspring of a male lion and a female tiger, while a tigon is produced by a male tiger and a female lion. There is no scientific evidence that these hybrids exist in the wild – even if the species encountered each other, behavioural differences between the two would deter them from reproducing. Lions live in prides and coalitions, while tigers are solitary animals. Crossbreeding makes ligers the largest big cats on Earth, and many suffer from genetic abnormalities. Simply put, big-cat hybrids are a man-made species that exist purely for entertainment, and they do not benefit the conservation of wild populations. White tigers can occur naturally due to a recessive gene, but this is…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Basking shark biologyBRAIN Despite the shark’s large size, its brain is actually very small (about 10cm). To quote the Scottish poet, Norman MacCaig, “That room-sized monster with a matchbox brain”. However, there is a larger nerval mass around the brain dedicated to sense of smell, highlighting the importance of scent when searching for zooplankton. MOUTH The basking shark is a passive filter feeder. It swims with its mouth open, using forward movement to funnel water into the mouth and out past the gills. Specially adapted bones, called gill-rakers, catch tiny zooplankton and filter them out from the seawater, like a giant sieve. Every once in a while the shark closes that enormous mouth and takes one big gulp! DORSAL FIN At up to 1m, this is a pretty impressive feature, but can…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020THE BEE 120 MILLION YEARS IN THE MAKINGBees are in trouble. From pesticides and parasites to colony collapse disorder and dwindling habitat, the challenges they face have caused widespread declines in honeybees and wild species alike. But after years of reading such headlines, we find ourselves in the odd position of being more familiar with the plight of bees than we are with the bees themselves. What do we really know of their history, their biology and their habits? To address such deficits, the best place to start is with the most basic question of all: what is a bee? Luckily, there is an answer to that query that is both memorable and simple, and that really does sum up the major steps in bee evolution – a bee is a hippy wasp. Bees have been with…10 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Cuckoo beesFemale solitary bees live brief lives of frenetic activity – finding a mate, building nests and provisioning their offspring with as much pollen and nectar as time allows. Not surprisingly, more than a few species have figured out a shortcut. Up to a third of all bees are cuckoos, sneakily laying their eggs in the nests of other species. Their young quickly dispatch the host larvae and take all that hard-earned food for themselves. With no need to gather pollen of their own, adult cuckoos are usually smooth and wasp-like, making them some of the hardest of all bees to successfully identify.…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020In Wallace’s footstepsI was to see many of the animals that Wallace saw on his travels and stand in the places where he had stood. It was one of those chance conversations that did it – the sort of conversation that all at once calls in the bulldozers to re-route life’s immediate trajectory and plant a sign at the junction declaring ‘DIVERSION’. That the conversation should lead to an unexpected travel opportunity was remarkable enough, but it brought in tandem an intimate appreciation of one of history’s most admirable and underrated naturalists, the co-discoverer of the theory of evolution: Alfred Russel Wallace. I have to confess that it had always been Darwin, for me. Wallace was, well, the opposition – an upstart with the audacity to arrive at the theory of evolution…12 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Which mammals are the worst parents?Among British mammals, if we’re talking about quality time with offspring, the brown hare has to be up there as one of the worst offenders. Though we tend to think of ‘mad March’ hares (females boxing unwanted advances from males), these mammals breed any time from December to September. Up to four leverets are born after a gestation of about 42 days. Almost as soon as the youngsters arrive, their mother abandons them. Their days are spent alone, lying motionless in vegetation. As night falls, the leverets regroup to await a visit from the female, who returns to suckle them for just a few brief minutes. After a month of her hands-off parenting, the young hares are weaned and left to fend for themselves. But while this parenting style may…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Which birds gained most from Britain’s lockdown?With fewer people out and about this spring, our birds found a quieter, cleaner environment. Species that sing louder beside busy roads, such as great tit* and song thrushes, could sing more quietly. Ground-nesting birds won’t have been flushed by walkers and dogs as often, so their eggs will have been less at risk. The winners are likely to include skylarks, lapwings and curlews on farmland, and beach-nesting species, such as little terns, oystercatchers and ringed plovers. Some rare birds – raptors especially – will have been more vulnerable to illegal persecution, due to lack of protection by conservation staff, but likewise will have been helped by fewer people wandering near their nests. In the long term, garden birds will benefit from the boost to monitoring – the BTO’s Garden…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Pondwatch: dragons and damsels1 CAN YOU TELL THEIR LARVAE APART? The aquatic larvae, or nymphs, of dragonflies and damselflies look similar at first glance. However, the former are larger. Look closely at their tail. Damselfly nymphs end in three flat, leaf-shaped structures – these are gills that absorb oxygen dissolved in the water and release carbon dioxide. Dragonfly nymphs end in five short spines. Their gills are internal – they obtain oxygen by pumping water in and out of their abdomen. 2 HOW LONG DO THEY LIVE? Big species, such as the emperor, golden-ringed and hawker dragonflies, usually spend two years as nymphs. In smaller dragonflies and damselflies, the larval stage normally lasts a year. But development time varies according to the local climate, latitude, altitude and pond size. As the nymphs grow,…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Can invertebrates sneeze?Sponges probably can. These simple, ancient creatures were possibly the first multicellular animals to evolve, at least 600 million years ago. It’s generally been assumed that once the swimming larvae settle on the seabed, sponges spend the rest of their uneventful adult lives sitting still, endlessly filtering seawater through the pores in their bodies. But recently, scientists studied 30 years’ worth of time-lapse photography, shot 4,000m deep off the coast of California, and spotted sponges rhythmically expanding and contracting. One possible explanation is that they are expelling irritating particles from their bodies, like a cough or a sneeze. It’s perhaps unsurprising that nobody noticed the sponges’ slow-motion expulsions, which take weeks or months between the expanding ‘ahh’ to the release of the ‘choo’.…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020His Imperial MajestyThe purple emperor is Britain’s largest butterfly and it once carried a cachet and mystique reserved for mythical creatures. Sightings were fleeting, high above the oak canopy. Known localities were closely guarded secrets. First-hand observations formed a body of arcane lore shared by aficionados who lured it to feed on fresh fox scats or rancid shrimp paste. But the butterfly’s empire is expanding – rewilding, possibly climate change, and certainly Oates’ zealous half-century of deep ecological study, have shown it to be more widespread, and spreading still. To say Oates is fascinated by the purple emperor is an epic understatement. It is clear from his rich prose that he has been obsessed for 50 years. He now writes with the authority and gravitas of the true doyen, but you can…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020JIGSAW Blooming WolfJigsaws have enjoyed something of a resurgence since lockdown. If you’re after something a bit different, try this colourful and absorbing 185-piecer. Like all Wentworth products, it’s UK-made (from sustainable sources) and includes the Victorian-inspired ‘whimsy’ pieces, shaped according to theme – so here, wolves, flowers and ornate spirals. These aren’t your standard jigsaws. Aside from the obvious quality of the wooden pieces, they are a law unto themselves – middle pieces can have straight edges and no two are the same. I began mid-morning and emerged mid-afternoon – just the right level of taxing.…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Women BirdersIn this new podcast, Hannah Buschert from the Hannah and Erik Go Birding podcast interviews a range of women birders, to highlight the amazing things they are doing, and to inspire others. Guests so far include fellow birding podcasters and ornithologists. For each episode, Hannah takes one of the birds mentioned by her guest and adapts a drink recipe to suit the species, such as a limonana for a lammergeier and a Texas prairie fire shot for a black-capped vireo. Talking over the internet to each other, there’s a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere – ideal for the ‘happy hour’ vibe that Hannah is aiming for. • NEW TO PODCASTS? Read our guide: bit.ly/wildlifepodcasts…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Colours of the rainbowIn the Peruvian Andes, a unique mineral composition and millions of years’ worth of wind and rain created the Rainbow Mountains – a true wonder of nature. At this altitude of over 5,000m, a herd of alpacas crosses the colourful ridge, enjoying the isolation from human population. I captured this scene using a drone, flying it high up, to avoid disturbing the herd. 1 Spinning around On spotting this white-throated kingfisher perched on a dead tree in Sultanpur National Park, India, I moved around the tree to take a photo and noticed the spiderweb – a symbol of the web of life. Anusheh Hussain Delhi, India 2 Last chance to see In 2018, while teaching wildlife photography in South Africa, I came across these white rhinos. They allowed us to…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020PHILIPPA FORRESTER“99 per cent of the time, camera-traps catch nothing, or just a bison’s bottom.” Why the lifelong fascination with wolves? One of the things that makes wolves most interesting to me is their relationships. I love to hear the stories of individuals that show ingenuity and extreme courage to protect or feed their family, and learn about the interactions between packs. For example, while I was in Yellowstone National Park, US, the Junction Butte pack had grown in power and was not afraid to show it, with the wolves flaunting themselves in their neighbouring pack’s territory, constantly pushing boundaries – they seemed so confident that it was almost like they were doing it for fun! What have you learnt about the grey wolf after relocating to Wyoming? I hadn’t realised…2 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020The people behind our storiesELISABETH BRENTANO The writer and photographer set out to discover more about the story behind hit documentary Tiger King. “Little was said about why the desire to own big cats is so pervasive in American culture,” she says. See p32 ISLA HODGSON Used to diving with giants of the deep, scientist Isla reveals the fascinating world of basking sharks. “An individual shark can weigh up to five tonnes, yet subsists on organisms millimetres in size,” she says. See p40 THOR HANSON Biologist Thor guides us through the history of bees and how they evolved from wasps: “For the basics of bee evolution, just remember that they are the long-haired, flower-loving vegetarians. The hippy wasps.” See p52 PHILIPPA FORRESTER Since moving to Wyoming, the TV presenter and author has gained an…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020MIKE DILGER’S WILDLIFE WATCHINGBleak, frequently shrouded in low cloud and with rain never far away, blanket bogs initially appear to be desolate and forsaken places. Yet these vast, treeless landscapes are at last becoming more widely appreciated. The UK holds around 13 per cent of the world’s surviving blanket bog, which – you might be surprised to learn – covers just under a tenth of our total landmass. These peaty wildernesses are also crucial for both conserving a range of declining species and helping to slow down the juggernaut of climate change. Blanket bogs began to form here about 7,000 years ago, when Britain’s climate became wetter and warmer. The crucial factor in bog formation is for rainfall to be higher than the loss of water through evaporation and via transpiration from plants.…3 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Hidden BRITAINSwifts provide the classic sight and sound of summer. Swift by name and also by nature, they hit about 115kph in level flight. But spare a thought for their passengers. Each bird can be carrying several strange insects, which are arguably even more spectacular. Swift louse flies, Crataerina pallida, have a confusing name – yet they’re most definitely a fly, and a weird one at that. For a start, they can’t – fly, that is. They don’t have operational wings. They are a parasite of common and pallid swifts, and when you have such specialist hosts, you have to be an equally specialist parasite. Swift louse flies are not something many folks will get to see. But if you’ve been lucky enough to hold a swift, or have peered into…3 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Research into ‘pingers’ to stop bycatch shows they are effectiveConservationists are hoping new research into the effectiveness of ‘pingers’ – acoustic devices that deter cetaceans from hunting around fishing nets – will persuade the UK Government to lift its ban on their use in small boats. The move could save the lives of thousands of harbour porpoises and dolphins that drown every year after getting caught in fishing nets. The new study, published in May, found that not only were pingers effective in keeping porpoises away from nets, but that they did not stop the animals from returning to feed when the boats had moved away. According to Ruth Williams, of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, fishermen in the village of Mevagissey want to use the pingers both to save cetaceans’ lives but also because it costs time and money…2 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Jays influence restoration of Californian islandIsland scrub jays on Santa Cruz in California’s Channel Islands National Park are restoring oak woodlands. Researchers have taken notice and are implementing the jays’ strategy on a neighbouring island. “Island scrub jays are ecosystem engineers,” says Scott Morrison, director of conservation science at The Nature Conservancy. “They’ve had a hand in the pretty phenomenal recovery of vegetation on Santa Cruz.” Each adult jay caches between 3,500 and 6,000 acorns per year, efficiently distributing the fruits across the mountainous isle, innately storing them with their points down to generate growth. Following the removal of livestock from Santa Cruz due to overgrazing, the jays’ scatter hoarding has helped reestablish oak groves, which support many other endemic species. Restoring the habitat has also enabled Santa Cruz to capture more fog drip: when…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Dr Patrícia Medici Chair of the IUCN/SSC Tapir Specialist Group“After studying pathways used by tapirs in Atlantic Forest, we built the largest wildlife corridor in Brazil.” When Patrícia Medici co-founded Brazil's Institute for Ecological Research (IPÊ) in 1995, the NGO’s focus was species conservation – particularly animals about which people knew very little: “I chose to study the largest land mammal in South America – the lowland tapir.” The conservationist admits she only started to fall in love with the species after learning more about it. “These gardeners of the forest are super important as they play a key role in shaping and maintaining the ecosystem by dispersing seeds – 50 per cent of their diet is native fruits.” The elusive herbivores are tricky to study but, after 25 years of working across the Atlantic Forest, Pantanal and Cerrado…2 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Seeking a real sanctuaryLifetime refuge for abused and abandoned big cats is provided at legitimate sanctuaries, and many are open to the public. Prior to visiting, it is important to ensure animal welfare is the top priority by looking out for the following criteria. 1 The sanctuary is accredited by a reputable organisation, such as the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) or the American Sanctuary Association (ASA). 2 Visitors are not permitted to have contact with the animals (feeding, cuddling, petting, posing for photos, for example). 3 The facility does not breed, sell or trade animals, and animals do not leave the property except for emergencies or veterinary care. 4 Animals are not required to perform, nor are they used for any commercial purpose that is exploitative in nature. 5 The animal…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020How to see basking sharks in the UKWHEN? Basking sharks begin to return to the UK in May and can be around until October. Peak season typically runs from July to September. WHERE? Like much of our marine life, it’s tricky to predict exactly where basking sharks will show up. They can appear anywhere, but there are a few hotspots dotted around our coast. On the west coast of Scotland, the Sea of the Hebrides – which includes the waters around Coll and Tiree, the small isles, the Uists and Skye – is a major hotspot. Later in the year, basking shark aggregations can also be seen in the Firth of Clyde, which was the location of a large shark fishery until as recently as the 1990s. Further south, the western coasts of Cornwall and the Isle…2 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Helping beesIn spite of the complex challenges facing bees, we know enough to take action to help them. Simply providing more flowers and nesting habitat and reducing pesticide use makes bees healthier, and healthier bees are more resilient and prolific. Putting these straightforward ideas into practice can be transformational at any scale, from farms to parks, gardens and roadside verges. Useful how-to guides are available online, including those from The Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Buglife and The Xerces Society.…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Out of the frying panMany a time I’ve tried to capture a portrait of a drongo among flames, but the heat and smoke were just too strong. As winter fades towards spring in the grasslands of Singur, Kolkata, farmers burn their fields in preparation for a new season of crop planting. As the flames devour the land, grassland birds and invertebrates are forced out of their homes by the heat and smoke. The sudden abundance of insects does not escape the attention of the local drongos – glossy black birds with distinctive forked tails, common in eastern India – which have learnt to turn the situation to their advantage. “I’ve been photographing birds in India for more than seven years,” says Kallol, “and of the roughly 600 species I’ve observed, the crow is by…2 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Why do seahorses look like tiny horses?Resembling miniature gee-gees makes perfect sense. Seahorses hide among blades of seagrass, or camouflage themselves on a coral colony, then wait for their prey – often minute crustaceans called copepods. It turns out that having a narrow, elongated snout and big cheeks is the ideal combination for life as stealthy ambush predators. The shape of the head is hydrodynamic, so it slips through the water, producing almost no ripples that would alert a copepod to the danger it’s in. Once within striking range, a seahorse flicks its snout upwards, releasing elastic energy stored at the back of its head, like a catapult. In under a millisecond, it sucks in the hapless crustacean, puffing out those big, equine cheeks. Employing this technique, known as pivot feeding, seahorses are tremendously successful hunters,…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Why are some moths flightless?winds, both of which make flying more challenging. The females release chemical pheromones to attract males, and instead of maintaining flight muscles can devote more energy to reproduction. But why be active in winter at all? It could be because fewer predators are around. However, there are always exceptions. One is the vapourer moth – the orange-brown males flit erratically around British treetops from July to September, while the curious, near-wingless females stay on the trees. Flight offers many advantages, but is hard work. This is why some birds and many insects have given it up. At least 25 families of moths have either small wings or none at all. Often only the female moths become flightless, leading to striking visual differences between the sexes. In temperate climes, many flightless…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020VeteranisationThis is a last-ditch conservation technique where trees are prematurely aged to create new habitat for rare species that depend on decaying ancient trees. Mature trees are carefully selected, then inoculated with fungi that cause heart rot, speeding up the process by which the trees decay and are hollowed out. As part of the Back from the Brink project, old beech trees in Windsor Great Park have been veteranised to help an endangered cranefly found here and at just one other site worldwide.…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020RETICULATED GLASS FROGNo prizes for guessing how glass frogs got their name. Thin, oxygen-breathing skin is, of course, something shared by adult amphibians worldwide, but its appearance is fantastically diverse. The glass frogs of Central and South America have gone for ultra-transparency. Their blood vessels, digestive tract and other organs – sometimes even the beating heart – are clearly visible. Being see-through probably helps these frogs evade predators, as when lit from above, their whole body picks up the colour of whatever leaf they happen to be sitting on.…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Swift MapperSeen or heard a nesting swift? There’s an app for that! Launched earlier this year by the RSPB and swift conservation organisations, Swift Mapper is a citizen science recording app where you can submit your sightings of breeding swifts. This includes swift nests and the records of swifts flying at roof height and screaming (which indicates nests nearby), but not feeding swifts. The records can then be used to focus local conservation action for swifts, such as protecting active nests and choosing the best locations for new nesting opportunities. The app is easy to use and also includes a handy ID guide on the differences between swifts, house martins, swallows and sand martins. If you don’t have a smartphone, it’s also possible to submit records online at swiftmapper.org.uk.…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020OUT IN THE GARDENBUG BUFFET Keep an eye out for bats’ aerial displays as night starts to fall. These winged mammals are likely to swoop down into gardens to dine on insects. MAKE COVER Ensuring there’s plenty of low-growing greenery around ponds will allow emerging juvenile frogs to take shelter as they make a break for terrestrial habitats. THINKING AHEAD Now is the time to think about which wildlife-friendly plants you might want to add to your garden for next year – download our free wildlife gardening digital magazine for plenty of ideas. See p17.…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020The Bird WayFrom cave-dwelling oilbirds that use smell and sound to find their food by night, to the explosive vocal mimicry of lyrebirds in the depths of Australian forests, The Bird Way takes us on an enthralling journey through every aspect of bird behaviour, revealing just how complex and intelligent this fascinating group of animals is. Ackerman shows us what it is to see the world from a bird’s-eye view, drawing on eloquent scientific research and first-hand experiences all across the world, to give readers a new appreciation for birds and the immense variety of ways they communicate, socialise, mate, feed, play and sense the world around them.…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020FeedbackCulling cormorants One of my favourite parts of BBC Wildlife is Mark Carwardine’s column and I often find myself in agreement. I was appalled to read that there have been authorised killings of millions of birds under special licence already and anglers want to add cormorants to that list. Anglers often catch fish apparently for ‘fun’ and not for eating, which also brings me to this point – humans are omnivores. Cormorants’ only food source is fish. I would also suggest that pollution of rivers has more to do with declining fish numbers than cormorants. Lorraine Peden, Birmingham I was saddened to read Mark Carwardine’s article (My way of thinking, spring 2020) on the possible culling of cormorants in order to satisfy fishermen’s desire for sport. Before the lockdown, we…4 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Up in the airI read Simon Birch’s article on carbon offsetting with much interest (Carbon offsetting: guilt-free flying?, Spring 2020). I cannot help being somewhat cynical about this topic. Somewhere there are a lot of companies, shareholders and individuals making a comfortable living out of attempting to sell these indulgences to us. The criteria and mathematics are vague to a lot of people. Is the amount of carbon dioxide from individuals, ever factored into their equations? Maybe one day we will realise the absurdities of these. They are only a mask over our profligate way of life. Modern aeroplanes are better designed now, being both lighter and more fuel efficient. We should not feel guilty of flying, as economies depend upon it. Flying cannot become the exclusive domain of politicians and wildlife film-makers…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Fancy bumping into youIt’s amazing how stealthy an African elephant can be, but once they meld into the forest, they are efficient at ghosting. One late afternoon, while photographing wildlife in Savuti, Botswana, I accidentally walked right into the derriere of a tusker. Responding to my clumsiness, the elephant did a sudden 180, ears flared, head tossing, trunk raised like a king cobra. Its right tusk was broken almost to the nub, the left one completely broken. I froze, then ran out of the trees and back to the tented camp. Another visitor happened to film my sprint to safety – until the elephant, caught up in the pursuit, knocked his camera clean over. Soon, the tusker gave up the chase and went back to the forest. That night, a full moon brightened…2 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020The expert viewWolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1995, and became one of the world’s most heavily studied wolf populations. Their high visibility along with the dedicated monitoring efforts of park staff has allowed unparalleled insight into the life history, behaviour, and ecology of wolves. Knowledge gained from Yellowstone has assisted wolf conservation, management, and conflict-resolution efforts across the northern hemisphere.…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020IN FOCUSUnder cover Lurking in the western Pacific is an ambush predator that relies on its camouflage – the crocodile fish. Even its eyes are partially concealed behind iris lappets – seen here drooping, like inverted eyelashes, over the top of the eye. Vein-like in appearance, their purpose is to break up the black of the pupil as this drab, 50cm-long creature blends in amid the sandy ocean floor around coral reefs, waiting for an opportune moment to grab some lunch. Water hogs During particularly harsh dry seasons in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, local wildlife congregate in great numbers around what relatively little water remains. In these extreme conditions, hippos are left with fewer options when it comes to choosing the perfect spot to submerge themselves and while away the day, before…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020CHOICE LOCATIONS1 RSPB Forsinard Flows is quite comfortably the charity’s largest reserve, covering 21,000ha of prime blanket bog real estate in the heart of Scotland’s Flow Country. 2 Moor House, otherwise known as the Upper Teesdale National Nature Reserve, boasts an almost complete range of upland habitats typical of the North Pennines. It has extensive blanket bog below the high fells. 3 RSPB Lake Vyrnwy in Mid Wales is part of the Berwyn Special Area of Conservation, which contains the largest blanket bog in Wales. Large-scale bog restoration is proving a great success here. 4 Cranmere Pool lies in Devon, in the northern section of Dartmoor National Park. Its bogs host the world’s most southerly breeding population of dunlins. 5 Garron Plateau, County Antrim, is the largest area of intact blanket…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020MILKING ITFly milk is similar to mammalian milk in many ways. It is a creamy concoction of fats, proteins and symbiotic bacteria. That last ingredient is particularly important in the gut of parasitic flies. This is because the bacteria can synthesise essential vitamins and other nutrients not found freely in the blood of the host. Once the maggot has completed its development, nourished entirely by the milk, it is ejected into the world by its mother. She is, effectively, a fly in labour!…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020A tangled web of invertebrate declinesThe well-publicised decline in insect populations is having knock-on effects up the food chain, according to new research showing a startling drop in one of Europe’s most widespread and familiar spiders over the last four decades. The research, conducted in Switzerland, found that the garden cross spider – the classic orb web spinner – was about 140 times more abundant in the 1970s and ’80s than it is now. The most extensive and up-to-date estimate for the decline in terrestrial insects worldwide suggests that they are disappearing at a rate of nearly one per cent per year, or 24 per cent over the last 30 years. “This must have consequences for spiders, birds, bats, et cetera, since flying insects are the major diet for many of these creatures,” says Martin…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020CONSERVATION OR COMMODIFICATION?The Netflix documentary Tiger King became a smash hit, thanks to wild storylines and interpersonal drama, but the series largely ignored the myriad issues affecting captive big cats in the United States. Even after it was revealed that Joseph Maldonado-Passage, aka Joe Exotic, killed five tigers while running the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, very little was said about why the desire to own big cats is so pervasive in American culture. There is currently no federal law regulating the private possession of big cats in the US, and while the majority of US states have banned the practice, some require a permit and several have no limitations whatsoever for keeping tigers, lions, leopards, jaguars, cougars, cheetahs and hybrids like ligers as ‘pets’. Laws for exhibition also vary in each…7 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020GENTLE GIANTSomewhere in the wilderness of the Atlantic Ocean, four of us bob around like corks, kept afloat by buoyant wetsuits. The sea surrounds us, glittering under the June sun. There is no land for miles – in fact, facing west, nothing lies between us and the USA. Beneath our fins stretches a vast expanse of turquoise, eerily quiet and seemingly empty, made more daunting by the knowledge that it is anything but. Our boat is just behind us – far enough to limit disturbance, but close enough to scoop us up in a heartbeat – and yet there is a sense of vulnerability. We are, quite literally, out of our depth. This world belongs to cryptic giants, who have roamed this territory long before we even existed. One of which…8 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Songs in the key of lifeOn a raw evening at the tail end of last year, I found myself huddled among a gaggle of likeminded people in Somerset. As the light faded, so did our chatter. The whisper of starlings performing their sinuous aerial ballet mesmerised us; spirits took flight, soaring and swooping with songs and wingbeats clattering softly like hundreds of paper fans unfolding. Then, after the last of the birds’ calls ebbed away, we were led along a storm-lashed shore, and ambled upriver along meanders writhing with elvers. A trio of microadventures – all experienced not among the reedbeds of the Somerset Levels or on the Quantock coast, but in a small arts venue in central Bath. My lyrical guide for the evening was Bristol-based singer-songwriter Kitty Macfarlane. Starling Song, which opened her…9 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020BEES VS WASPSBees are basically vegetarian wasps. Way back in the Cretaceous, some solitary wasps made the transition from feeding their young on animal (usually insect) protein to feeding them on pollen, which is another good source of protein and energy. Bees are characterised by pollen-gathering adaptations, ‘pollen baskets’, often a scopa on the hind leg, or a specialised ventral surface of the abdomen. Bees also have branched setae (hairs), whereas these are simple in wasps. Another group of wasps, the pollen wasps, has also made the transition to feeding their young on pollen, though these still look typically waspy.…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020How come Britain doesn’t have more butterflies?About 70 species of butterfly have been seen in Britain. That total is frustratingly low compared to other northern European countries – Sweden, say, has around 120 species. All our butterflies colonised after the retreat of the last great ice sheet, about 15,000 years ago. When the ice melted, rising sea levels flooded the Doggerland land bridge to the continent and created the English Channel, and for most butterflies the 43km-wide Dover-Calais strait is too big a barrier. Only a few strong-flying, adventurous species, such as the painted lady and clouded yellow, can manage it. The map butterfly and the European swallowtail are potential colonists in the near future, but most butterflies move only a few hundred metres from their hatching grounds. Butterfly colonisation is more likely to be through…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Would any animals survive a nuclear explosion?At the blast’s epicentre, the vaporising heat is like the centre of the sun, so it’s safe to say no life could withstand that. Further out, organisms able to hide in cracks and crevices would naturally be more protected, but there is then the penetrating power of radiation to deal with. The animals best able to handle this apocalypse would be tiny tardigrades, or water bears, which are about 1mm in size. European Space Agency experiments have shown that these micro-organisms can withstand the vacuum and radiation of space, and we also know they can practically rise from the dead after years of desiccation. All useful attributes for surviving a nuclear bomb. In terms of radiation resistance, tardigrades comfortably beat the fabled co*ckroaches. Their lethal dose is 5,000 grays (the…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Can animals lie?Fake news, alternative facts, white lies. Humans are prodigious fibbers, but what about other species? Many animals are unconsciously deceitful, in that they fool others via mimicry and camouflage. Yet purposeful pretence akin to human lying requires a ‘theory of mind’ – an understanding that others’ beliefs and intentions can be different to your own. Studies suggest this capability is unique to humans, but that some animals possess elements of it. Potential cases of intentional deception have been seen in primates, including white-faced capuchins giving false alarm calls (watch a clip on Story of Life, the BBC’s free app that explores the work of David Attenborough) and red-capped mangabeys misleading group mates about the location of food. Meanwhile, a captive chimpanzee has been seen hiding stones from his keepers to…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Why do pigeons fly so noisily?Anyone who’s walked along a high street or station platform is likely to have been startled by pigeons taking off with a clatter. The feral pigeon has wingtip (or outer primary) feathers that produce this purposeful sound on the downstroke. Pigeons don’t use loud alarm calls, like blackbirds or blue tit*, so mechanical sound is their way of surprising a predator or letting their flock know of danger. Woodpigeons incorporate wing-clapping into their undulating flight display and when taking off from a nest, while Australia’s crested pigeons have modified flight feathers that ‘whistle’ when they lift off suddenly, warning others nearby to scarper, too. A variety of other birds also make mechanical sounds, including male nightjars and short-eared owls, which clap wings during aerial displays, and snipe – which dive…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Images from an ldBelgian photographer Tui De Roy was raised in the Galápagos Islands, having arrived in the extraordinary Edenic Ecuadorian archipelago with her parents at the age of just two. Part photobook and part memoir, A Lifetime In Galápagos is the result of what is now her five-decades-long Galápagoan odyssey. De Roy’s photography of endemic wildlife is of course exemplary, but some of her landscape shots are otherworldly. Rough-hewn cliffs battered by storms, lava rivers oozing from volcanos, sumptuous celestial photography – each a reminder that the Galápagos is much more than an island safari experience. The archipelago’s most recognisable stars are heavily featured, too – from marine iguanas to giant tortoises to Galápagos sharks and penguins. Booby fans will not be disappointed either – they’re well beyond page three, but the…2 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Deep Ocean: Giants of the Antarctic Deep“It’s the coldest place on Earth. A world locked away under snow and ice. So hostile and inaccessible, it has long concealed its secrets from us.” A mysterious start to this new BBC Four documentary, narrated by David Attenborough. This programme follows the journey of a scientific expedition on MV Alucia, exploring the icy waters around Antarctica. On average, the ocean here measures between 4,000–5,000m in depth, so the team must use deep-sea submersibles that can carry passengers and descend to 1,000m – the first time this has been done here. The dives reveal a diversity of extraordinary creatures, many of which are new to science. They also find astonishingly large species, a phenomenon known as polar gigantism, including squids and jellyfish.…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2020Amazing Islands: 100+ Places that will Boggle Your MindThe eruption in 2014 of an underwater volcano in the South Pacific gave birth to the island of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, one of the world’s newest islands. And while scientists expected it to be washed away within months, today, it is reported to be home to flowering plants and even burrowing owls. In 2018, Hurricane Walaka washed away the whole of Hawaii’s East Island, home to Hawaiian monk seals and green sea turtles. As a reminder of the impermanence of everything we take as stable, Amazing Islands is aptly named. Beautifully illustrated, this isn’t a natural history so much as a look at islands of every kind – from the unique wildlife on Madagascar to the culture of island nations. Along the way, we explore the geological wonders and artificial…1 min
