Flightless Cormorant in Galápagos

Flightless Cormorant (Phalacrocorax harrisi)

Status: Endangered

Galapagos Islands,

Ecuador,

April 2009

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A Cow in the Sunset (Gerês, Portugal)

Peneda-Gerês National Park, Portugal

July 2010

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Bioversity and the Library

"The loss of biological diversity is the loss of a giant library that contains answers to questions that we haven't learned to ask"

- Lynn Caporale

Blue-Footed Booby in Galapagos

Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii)

at the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

April 2009

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Conservation and the emergency ward by Edward O. Wilson

"Because extinction is forever, rare species are the focus of conservation biology.

Scientists in this young scientific discipline conduct their studies with the

same sense of immediacy as doctors in an emergency ward.

They look for quick diagnosis and procedures that can

prolong the life of species until more

leisurely remedial work is possible"

Edward O. Wilson

-The Diversity of Life

Hood Mockingbird in Galapagos

Galapagos Islands,

Ecuador,

April 2009

Hood Mockingbird (Mimus macdonaldi)

Endemic to the island of Española Island in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

Status: VULNERABLE

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African Lions: Afraid of the Full Moon

Study by the University of Minnesota found that the risks of attacks by African Lions may decrease in full moon nights.

Study Abstract:

"Nocturnal carnivores are widely believed to have played an important role in human evolution, driving the need for night- time shelter, the control of fire and our innate fear of darkness. However, no empirical data are available on the effects of darkness on the risks of predation in humans. We performed an extensive analysis of predatory behavior across the lunar cycle on the largest dataset of lion attacks ever assembled and found that African lions are as sensitive to moonlight when hunting humans as when hunting herbivores and that lions are most dangerous to humans when the moon is faint or below the horizon. At night, people are most active between dusk and 10:00 pm, thus most lion attacks occur in the first weeks following the full moon (when the moon rises at least an hour after sunset). Consequently, the full moon is a reliable indicator of impending danger, perhaps helping to explain why the full moon has been the subject of so many myths and misconceptions."

Read more:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110720210651.htm

Full Article: http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0022285

References:

Craig Packer, Alexandra Swanson, Dennis Ikanda, Hadas Kushnir. Fear of Darkness, the Full Moon and the Nocturnal Ecology of African Lions. PLoS ONE, 2011; 6 (7): e22285 DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0022285

University of Minnesota (2011, July 20). Full moon indicates impending danger from lion attack, study shows. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 29, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­/releases/2011/07/110720210651.htm

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Marine Iguana in Galapagos

Galapagos Islands,

Ecuador,

April 2009

Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus)

Status: Vulnerable

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Swallow-tailed Gull in Galapagos

Galapagos Islands,

Ecuador,

April 2009

Swallow-tailed Gull (Creagrus furcatus)

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Primates: More than just a pretty face

Study by UCLA biologists proposed a possible reason for the astonishing diversity in the faces of Neotropical primates

"The rich diversity of primate faces has interested naturalists for over a century. Researchers have long pro- posed that social behaviours have shaped the evolution of primate facial diversity. However, the primate face constitutes a unique structure where the diverse and potentially competing functions of communi- cation, ecology and physiology intersect, and the major determinants of facial diversity remain poorly understood. Here, we provide the first evidence for an adaptive role of facial colour patterns and pigmen- tation within Neotropical primates. Consistent with the hypothesis that facial patterns function in communication and species recognition, we find that species living in smaller groups and in sympatry with a higher number of congener species have evolved more complex patterns of facial colour. The evol- ution of facial pigmentation and hair length is linked to ecological factors, and ecogeographical rules related to UV radiation and thermoregulation are met by some facial regions. Our results demonstrate the interaction of behavioural and ecological factors in shaping one of the most outstanding facial diversities of any mammalian lineage."

Read more:

http://www.science20.com/curious_cub/evolution_colored_faces-86120

Full article: http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2012/01/11/rspb.2011.2326

References:

Sharlene E. Santana, Jessica Lynch Alfaro, and Michael E. Alfaro. Adaptive evolution of facial colour patterns in Neotropical primates. Proc. R. Soc. B, January 11, 2012 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.2326

University of California - Los Angeles (2012, January 11). Evolution is written all over your face. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 28, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­/releases/2012/01/120111223744.htm

Toucans and Seed Dispersal

Study by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Balboa, Panama revelead that toucans play a significant role in see dispersal.

"Seed dispersal is critical to understanding forest dynamics but is hard to study because tracking seeds is difficult. Even for the best-studied dispersal system of the Neotropics, Virola nobilis, the dispersal kernel remains unknown. We combined high-resolution GPS/3D-acceleration bird tracking, seed-retention experiments, and field observations to quantify dispersal of V. nobilis by their principal dispersers, Ramphastos toucans. We inferred feeding events from movement data, and then estimated spatio- temporally explicit seed-dispersal kernels. Wild toucans moved an average of 1.8 km d␣1 with two distinct activity peaks. Seed retention time in captive toucans averaged 25.5 min (range 4e98 min). Estimated seed dispersal distance averaged 144 ` 147 m, with a 56% likelihood of dispersal >100 m, two times further than the behaviour-naive estimate from the same data. Dispersal was furthest for seeds ingested in the morning, and increased with seed retention time, but only up to 60 min after feeding. Our study supports the long-standing hypothesis that toucans are excellent dispersers of Virola seeds. To maximize seed dispersal distances trees should ripen fruit in the morning when birds move the most, and produce fruits with gut-processing times around 60 min. Our study demonstrates how new tracking technology can yield nuanced seed dispersal kernels for animals that cannot be directly observed."

Read more at:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110728123115.htm

Full article at:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1146609X1100107X

References:

Roland Kays, Patrick A. Jansen, Elise M.H. Knecht, Reinhard Vohwinkel, Martin Wikelski. The effect of feeding time on dispersal of Virola seeds by toucans determined from GPS tracking and accelerometers.Acta Oecologica, 2011; DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2011.06.007

Smithsonian (2011, July 28). Toucans wearing GPS backpacks help Smithsonian scientists study seed dispersal. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 28, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­/releases/2011/07/110728123115.html

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(one of) The most colourful animal in Galapagos Islands

Grapsus grapsus or the Sally Lightfoot Crab

The great American writer John Steinbeck described such crab in this way:

"any people have spoken at length of the Sally Lightfoots. In fact, everyone who has seen them has been delighted with them. The very name they are called by reflects the delight of the name. These little crabs, with brilliant cloisonné carapaces, walk on their tiptoes, They have remarkable eyes and an extremely fast reaction time. In spite of the fact that they swarm on the rocks at the Cape [San Lucas], and to a less degree inside the Gulf [of California], they are exceedingly hard to catch. They seem to be able to run in any of four directions; but more than this, perhaps because of their rapid reaction time, they appear to read the mind of their hunter. They escape the long-handled net, anticipating from what direction it is coming. If you walk slowly, they move slowly ahead of you in droves. If you hurry, they hurry. When you plunge at them, they seem to disappear in a puff of blue smoke—at any rate, they disappear. It is impossible to creep up on them. They are very beautiful, with clear brilliant colors, red and blues and warm browns.
…
Man reacts peculiarly but consistently in his relationship with Sally Lightfoot. His tendency eventually is to scream curses, to hurl himself at them, and to come up foaming with rage and bruised all over his chest. Thus, Tiny, leaping forward, slipped and fell and hurt his arm. He never forgot nor forgave his enemy. From then on he attacked Lightfoots by every foul means he could contrive and a training in Monterey street fighting has equipped him well for this kind of battle). He hurled rocks at them; he smashed at them with boards; and he even considered poisoning them. Eventually we did catch a few Sallys, but we think they were the halt and the blind, the simpletons of their species. With reasonably well-balanced and non-neurotic Lightfoots we stood no chance."

in Galapagos, Ecuador

April 2009

more: flick set

What is nature worth?

On site: Gêres and a special cow

So meet the Barrosã ox, a very unique animal that is uniquely found in a northern area of Portugal: Gerês.

The Peneda-Gerês National Park is known for its breathtaking beauty, where hikers of all ages can enjoy a great mountainous landscape. However the landscape is far from being harmonious as it has a lot of pressures from human impact that challenge the survival of the flora and fauna. This ox in particular is highly endangered, and one of its threats is the also endangered Iberian Wolf. Thus a lot of programs have been devised in order to make these two species co-exist peaceful, because if the bovines are kept safe, then the wolves will hunt something else, and voilá, problem solved. That simple.

It is without a doubt gorgeous region, incredibly photogenic, so it's well worth a trip :)

July 2010
all photos by Laura Nunes

On Site: Castro Marim, Portugal

This Nature reserve is perhaps one of the best locations to observe and photography birds in Portugal. Squashed near the Spanish Border, it might be small and often overlooked but it still shelter an enormous diversity of fauna and flora.

Unfortunately with the recent construction of a bridge that crosses right in the middle of the natural reserver, connecting Portugal and Spain across the Guadiana rivers, it might not be a very quiet area, but its vast natural beauty extends miles from the highway so a few moments of peace can be encountered for those that enjoy a good walk. In the mean time, you may be rewarded with a great flock of flamingoes either on land or cutting through the blue sky

April 2010

Reserva Natural do Sapal de Castro Marim V.R.S.A, Algarve Portugal

all photos by Laura Nunes

April 2010

The turtle and the Grape

"This tiny month-old Egyptian tortoise at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, Bedfordshire, is dwarfed by a juicy grape."

Endangered Penguins Caught in Oil Spill in Nightingale Island

"On March 16, 2011, the MV Oliva, a freighter carrying soybeans from Brazil to Singapore, ran aground at Nightingale Island in the South Atlantic Ocean. Fuel from the ship spilled into the water and onto the shore, and the local population of endangered northern rockhopper penguins came in contact with the oil. National Geographic Expeditions' contributor Andrew Evans arrived March 23rd, and filmed what he saw."

On Site: Ducks in Schiltach

Schiltach is considered by many as the most beautiful town in the Black Forest, Germanyand surely all of those people cannot be all wrong.The town is cute indeed, the building are colourful and well-preserved and it has avery 'homey' atmosphere. But enough about the town, this post is about the ducks :) These ducks were photographed in the water canal that passed by the car park. Spending some time observing the group and some interesting behaviours can be seen and photographed.

Some are more restless than others, but all of them provide a great deal of entertainment and great photo opportunities!

Spent, perhaps too much time, feeding and looking at these individuals and with my camera in hand, I managed to get an interesting collection, from moving to static, young and "old".

Schiltach is worth a lot of frames but the nature around it is also equally worth a (many) shot(s)

On site: Triberg

The town of Triberg, hidden in the dense Black Forest, Germany is most famously known for its waterfalls, but while I was walking around, the waterfall, as beautiful as can ben, was what capture my attention the least.In fact, the flora and fauna that embraces the waterfall is also worthy of recognition. There are squirrels, black and red, nutcrackers and other birds, marching around, trying to escape the human eye and the camera lenses.

Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris)

by Laura Nunes

But of course, the biggest nature enthusiasts know how to keep an eye on the wildlife around them and so these cute little animals could be easily seen and photographed. A lot of patience and rather nice results came out :)

Spotted Nutcracker

(Nucifraga caryocatactes)

by Laura Nunes

Black Squirrel

by Laura Nunes

On Site: On the move

So there is nothing more frustrating than trying to freeze an animal in a frame and fail. All that blurriness makes the majestic scenery that was witness look like nothing more than just a bad photo. However that might not always be the case, and sense of movement can add something quite special to an otherwise "lost frame".

I am not saying that these two examples are any good, maybe I was just trying not to put these two photos in the back room, seeing that I enjoyed capturing them so much.

Both were during my travels through the Black Forest in Germany this summer and in Triberg, where an immense waterfall was surrounded by flourishing dense forest, these two species could be easily seen, delighting any passing tourist and photographer :D

Spotted Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes) By Laura Nunes

Triberg, Black Forest, Germany August 2010

The Black Forest houses a lot of interesting biodiversity and thus should be handled with care and is well worth a visit.

Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris)

By Laura Nunes

Triberg, Black Forest, Germany August 2010