ABC Wednesday: E is for Electric Blue Gecko

A male Electric Blue Gecko (Lygodactylus williamsi), also called William's Dwarf gecko. The species is native to Tanzania and there only to a small forest area that is rapidly dwindling in size. The prefer screwpines to live in, feeding on small insects and sometimes nectar. Their feet have lamellae that enable them to walk on and stick to smooth surfaces, as you can see here


This is a female. Both sexes have orange bellies, males are usually bright blue, females more green-ish. But it's not reliable, there can be very blue females or males that are not at all blue, it depends on the animal's mood, age and social status as well.



Aside from deforestation, this species is threatened by the pet trade. If you see a wild-caught Electric Blue Gecko, know that the animal has been harvested illegally, their whole habitat is protected. There may be as little as 100,000 animals left and over the last few years, a huge percentage of those have been caught (possibly up to 40%). I don't think anyone needs one as a pet that badly, especially since they are fairly easy to breed in captivity.

More Es at ABC Wednesday Yay, I completed my second animal ABC (I started with F is for Fairy Bluebird)! Let's see if I can do anther one.

Photos were taken at Wilhelma, Stuttgart.

Sources and further reading:
Wikipedia German and English
Reptile Database
Zwerggeckos.com German site

World Bird Wednesday: Little Bittern

Little Bitterns (Ixobrychus minutus) are native to much of Europe, Africa and Asia. they are small birds, only 25-35cm long and weighing only 60-150 gramm (!).


Bitterns are herons and the Little Bittern may be the smallest heron species of all. They feed on all kinds of invertebrates, small reptiles, amphibians, fish and may also take other birds' eggs. Usually, the birds are found hidden among the reeds growing along a river or lake. Watch a Little Bittern catch a fish.


The nest is build among the reeds as well and may be used for several years. A clutch is between 2 and 9 eggs and both parents incubate and care for the chicks. The chicks grow very fast and will have left the nest after a week, becoming fully independent after only 27 says.

More birds at World Bird Wednesday

Photos were taken at Burgers Zoo, Arnhem

Sources and further reading:
Internet Bird Collection
Arkive.org
Wikipedia

ABC Wednesday: Daddy Longlegs

Daddy Longlegs are also called Harvestmen and are not to be confused with the crane fly and the spider of the same name. Their scientific name is Opiliones and they are arachnids, but not spiders. Over 6000 species of Daddy Longlegs are known, but there are probably thousands more.



Usually, they feed on pretty much anything they find: plant matter, dead insects, live insects, even small lizards with some species. A few species have specialised, there are several who feed only on snails for example.


Their eyes, located on a raised part of their head, only see light and dark, so they use their long legs to feel for prey, particularly the second pair of legs that is longer than the others. If attacked, the legs can be dropped and will continue to twitch for some time, giving the daddy longlegs time to escape while the predator is busy with the leg. They also have scent glands that excrete a defensive liquid, sometimes so strong that even humans can smell it (but we're not harmed by it).


There's a myth that the daddy longlegs is the most deadly animal in the world and it's not true. They are completely harmless, inoffensive creatures and they have been around for over 160 million years. There are many discoveries yet to be made about them and a lot of fascinating fact are already known. For example, with some species, the male cares for the eggs. He builds a nest and females come by to mate and lay their eggs there. Some females will attempt to eat the eggs, though, and he needs to watch closely to prevent this.

I don't know the species of the daddy longlegs I photographed for this post, but I think that the first and third photo may show Phalangium opilio, one of the most common species.

More Ds at ABC Wednesday

Sources and further reading:
Wikipedia
European Daddy Longlegs
North American Daddy Longlegs
Arachnology.org Daddy Longlegs FAQ

World Bird Wednesday: White-Eared Catbird

A White-Eared Catbird (Ailuroedus buccoides), a species native to Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. They live in tropical forests, both in dry and humid habitats.


They belong to the Bowerbirds and like al birds of that species, courtship involves the display of colourful fruit, berries and flowers by the male to attract the female. Catbirds don't build structures like other bowerbirds do, but will display their offerings in their beak.


They feed on fruits and flowers. I had a hard time finding out much about this species, so I cannot tell you about such things as lifespan or breeding, I'm sorry. You can listen to their calls on Xeno Canto and here are a few videos.

More birds at World Bird Wednesday

Photos were taken at London Zoo.

Sources and further reading:
Internet Bird Collection
Animal Diversity Web - Green catbird, a related species
BirdLife
Wikipedia

ABC Wednesday: Chameleon

A Panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis), a species endemic to Madagascar (they live nowhere else). Males can reach a length of up to 50cm, females are only half that size.



Chameleons do not change colour according to their surroundings. You don't get a tartan-pattern chameleon if you place it on a kilt or something (octopuses are absolutely capable of that, though). Chameleons use their colours to show their mood and to signal to others, the colours are also influeced by temperature and light. Here are gorgeous photos of panther chameleons in various colourings, some of it depends on where the individual chameleon lives (particularly, the populations on islands off the coast look different).

Here's a video of two fighting males, showing off with incredibly bright colours and here's another one, look at how dark and dull the inferior chameleon looks.



Panther chameleons live in tropical forest, often spending their life in just one particular tree, although males usually range further to find mates. They are well adapted to climbing with their tongs-like feet and their long tail that can be used for balance and as a fifth hand if need be. For the night, they climb high up into the trees and settle down at the tips of branches to make it harder for predators to reach them.



They feed on insects, waiting motionless until prey comes into view and then shooting it with their long tongue. Here's a video of this - note the broad tip of the tongue: the tip is formed like a tube and works like a suction cup. Together with their sticky saliva, it's very effective and insects have very little chance of freeing themselves once they stick to it.

Panther chameleons are sometimes kept as pets, but they are very sensitive and the vast majority of them die a slow death in captivity, even when they are not wildcaught. For information on how to keep a pet chameleon, take a look here and here, but know that they are among the most complicated lizards to keep.
In the wild, they are threatened by habitat destruction and by being caught for the pet trade - the majority die even before they reach a pet shop and the ones that do usually die in their first year in captivity, usually because the owner did not do any research on how to keep them.

More Cs at ABC Wednesday

Photos were taken at Hagenbecks Tierpark Hamburg.

Sources and further reading:
Arkive
Animal Diversity Web
Reptile Database
Wikipedia

Nature Notes: Walk in the Park

While there's still no snow, it has gotten quite cold. The frost made last year's fern into a beautiful sculpture.


A Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius) was watching me, but seemed to feel that I wasn't worth screeching a warning.


Witch Hazel (Hamalelis virginiana) is sometimes called Winterbloom for obvious reasons. The witch part come from the Middle English word wice, that means bendable (wicker has the same source).


a Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) - an unusual bird for the Hamburg Stadtpark, usually there are only Mute Swans (Cygnus olor) and they are now all in their winter home - all swans living on the Alster (the Stadtpark lake is part of that) are captured and cared for during the winter. That's the job of the Swan Father (really, the job is called just that). I wonder where the Black Swan came from.


a Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra)

Nature Notes is hosted by Michelle at Rambling Woods

World Bird Wednesday: Superb Starling

Superb Starlings (Lamprotornis superbus) are native to Eastern Africa. They are slightly smaller than Common Starlings, but just as bold and inquisitive. With their beautiful metallic plumage they are instantly recognisable.



Listen to a group of superb starlings chattering and calling here. The birds are not very fastidious when it comes to habitat, they are found in forests, grassland, savannahs and will also comfortably live near humans. They are equally broadminded when it comes to food. Insects make up the main part of their diet, but they will also take berries and fruit, nectar, seeds and table scraps. Superb starlings will beg for food and forage for crumbs near humans.


An almost adult juvenile, he still has white traces in the corner of his beak. Here's a photo of a younger chick with its parents.

Superb starlings are a very social species and are often found in huge flocks. During breeding season, a pair raises their chicks, but it's also possible that the female mates with several males and all work together to raise the chicks. This is called cooperative breeding.

More birds at World Bird Wednesday
Photos were taken at London Zoo, Wilhelma Stuttgart and Tierpark Berlin.

Sources and further reading:
Wikipedia
Internet Bird Collcetion
Oiseaux Birds
Birdlife