The Ark In Space

The Red Elephants of Kenya

Sunday 31 January 2021

Ask anyone what color an elephant should be and you may get a raised eyebrow (or two) but the answer will normally be grey or greyish – perhaps even black or brown. The more observant might say there is pinkness around some parts of the body such as the ears and trunk. Red would almost certainly not be the answer even though some would swear they had witnessed pink elephants on parade. Yet in the Kenyan National Park of Tsavo East you will find red elephants aplenty.

Image Credit Flickr User Fagasam

Cat on the Menu

Image Credit Flickr User Laszlo Photo

Sometimes you should take things a little more literally! This charming picture was taken outside of the Dolphin Restaurant in Sultanahmet, Istanbul. We would not dream of giving places which would serve up cat for lunch or dinner a molecule of the oxygen of publicity! Yet, for at least one day there really was cat on the menu at the Dolphin Restaurant!

The Duck Squad

Do you have a pest problem? Then perhaps you should consider calling in the Duck Squad! This team of over 1000 ducks have a serious job – to keep down the number of snails and other pests on the South African winery they call home. Created by Great Big Story, this is a charming portrait of how animals can be used rather than pesticides to keep the grapes growing. The sight of over 1000 ducks ambling through the countryside in formation is quite something!

This is Probably the Most Amazing Footage of Honey Bees You will Ever See

Thursday 21 January 2021

Have you ever seen a host of honey bees using their wings to cool down their hive? This and many other wonderful moments were caught by Mike Sutton when he recently had the opportunity to film hives at Hillside Apiaries in New Hampshire. He has managed to capture some wonderful close-ups of honey bees in their natural environment, marrying his film with a brilliant soundtrack and some honey bee facts. Plus he was only stung three times during the whole filming process.

Meet the Black Squirrel

Sunday 17 January 2021

Image Credit Flickr User Bobolink

You have probably seen the grey. You may even have encountered or at least heard of the red. However, have you ever seen a black squirrel? Take a look at this small but dark beasty of the forest.

This is the black squirrel. Out of the squirrel population of the United States and Canada perhaps only one in ten thousand is black. However, this is not a separate species in itself. It is in fact a sub-group of the grey squirrel and, little by little their numbers are growing. In fact in some areas they outnumber the greys. However, this black coloring is not a recent trend among the squirrel community – research indicates that in the days before the European settlement of the America the black squirrel was probably much more numerous than the grey.

Image Credit Flickr User James Martin Phelps

Image Credit Flickr User afamiliarletter

Image Credit Flickr User tree-species

Instead of being a separate species, the black squirrel is in fact what is known as a melanistic subgroup. Midwestern North America is their stomping ground although there are groups to be found in the UK (more of which later). Melanism is caused by an increased level of black pigmentation, a compound which determines color called melanin. This subgroup of the Eastern Grey has stacks of melanin and these melanistic traits are the opposite of albinism which occurs when flora or fauna have a lack of the compound.

Great Egret Rising

Wednesday 13 January 2021

Image Credit Flickr User Wolfpix

With its all white plumage that can often reach a meter in height, the Great Egret is a sight to behold as it soars up in to the sky. Considered safe, only a century ago the species was highly threatened. Read on to discover how and why the species was able to make a dramatic come back.

Image Credit Flickr User Mike Baird

The Spiders That Decorate Their Own Webs

Spider webs – possibly the most beautiful and intricate animal structures of the natural world. However, some spiders are not content with a simple web. They go one step further.

Image Credit Flickr User Chasingtheflow

Some spiders decorate their own webs with even more elaborate and complex patterns than are necessary. Could they be the best exterior designers on the planet? Certainly from the look of these examples, they would be in the competition but the verdict is still out as to why they produce these extra web configurations. Some scientists argue that it is nothing more than ’spidey’ aesthetics. Take a look at some of these arachnid designs and come to your own conclusions.

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