| The Ark In Space

Skeletorus! Amazing New Species of Peacock Spider Discovered

Saturday, 18 April 2015

It is, of course, just a nickname. In September 2013, American PhD student Madeline (Maddie) Girard from Berkeley in California and her Sydney friend Eddie Aloise King alighted upon five males of a hitherto unknown species of peacock spider in Wondul Range National Park in Queensland, Australia. They were not able to resist a nod to He-Man’s primary adversary in the Masters of the Universe franchise, Skeletor (left). The bold, skeleton-like aspect of the male spider demanded a designation both apposite and memorable.

Girard took one of the spiders to Dr Jürgen Otto, handing it over with the words approximating to “This is what I call Skeletorus. When you look at him you will know why.” Although professionally an acarologist (he studies mites and ticks), Otto is fascinated by the peacock spider and is considered one of the world’s foremost authorities on the genus. He and David Hill, the American editor of the journal Peckhamia that specialises in the publication of articles on the jumping spider family, began studying this species in preparation for a scientific description.

The scientific name arrived at – its binomial nomenclature – is a little different to Girard’s creative nickname. This incredible new discovery has been named Maratus sceletus by Otto and Hill. Maratus is a genus of Salticidae which means that this is a peacock spider, one of the jumping spider family. Sceletus is Latin for (you probably know or have guessed this already) skeleton, which Otto and Hill thought it resembled more than the fictional character. Although Skeletorus was a strictly working name, it may, however, be the name that’s going to stick.

Monster Fish - In Search of the Last River Giants

Saturday, 11 April 2015

Are there still enormous fish swimming in our lakes and rivers?

To find out the answer you will have to watch this short film animated by Daniel Gies.

It was made for the National Geographic Museum.

This is a beautifully made piece. I am sure you will enjoy this.

Why Sharks Matter

Thursday, 9 April 2015

It’s ironic that movies like Jaws present sharks as ravenous maneaters when the real villain of the piece is… you guessed it. The human population of the planet eats hundreds of thousands of sharks each year – more specifically their fins. Often what remains after the fin is removed – the bulk of the shark – is simply dumped back in to the ocean.

The shark has been the apex predator in the Earth’s oceans for 400 million years – the species has been around since before the dinosaurs. Yet if we remove the shark from the oceans – and that seems likely if the demands from ravenous sharkeaters for shark fin soup persists – what will happen to the rest of the ecosystem?

Sign the pledge to ban the trade of shark fins in Texas, Rhode Island, Vermont and New Jersey: sharks-racingextinction.nationbuilder.com

Baby Elephant’s Bathtub is a Tight Squeeze

Kids are kids, whatever the species. So when this baby elephant at the Elephantstay sanctuary in Thailand saw his bath being filled his first reaction is, like any sensible child, to make a run up to it and dive in head first.

Unfortunately there comes a time when one outgrows the paddling pool and this pampered pachyderm hardly fits!
I never knew that elephants were capable of such contortions (but the older one in the background is doing its best been there done that air of nonchalence.

Lembeh Straits, A Macro Symphony

Monday, 6 April 2015

The red ‘orang-utan’ crab that you can see in the picture on the left is so tiny that its home is a discarded Coca-Cola bottle top. The shrimp that you will see after it is barely 4mm tall.

Such is life in Malaysia’s Lembeh Straits and these two creatures along with all the others in this underwater macro short, filmed by Kay Burn Lim, make for fascinating viewing. To paraphrase a commenter, it makes one aware of the incredible diversity of life in our oceans and the paramount importance of preserving it.

Happiest Video EVER!

The folks at Edgar's Mission Farm Sanctuary in Australia have called this the Happiest Video Ever which is something of a claim. However, I do believe that you will find the hyperbole warranted. This video shows many of the inhabitants of the farm sanctuary which currently provides life-long love and care to over 250 rescued animals. Watch it and I dare you not to go “aaaaw” at least five times!

Dolphins: The World's Best Surfers

You can find the world’s best surfers at Dolphin Cove near Esperance in West Australia but don’t expect to see any surf boards – the clue is in the name.

This remarkable footage captured by Jennene and Dave Riggs who have been wildlife filmmakers since 1998 shows a pod of dolphins simply enjoying themselves with what nature provides. If we can’t have lives spent quite in the same pursuit of happiness then at least we can share the pleasure of watching our dolphin friends having fun. Who was it who said we were the most intelligent species on the planet?

Quiz: Can You Name These 20 Common North American Backyard Birds?

Friday, 3 April 2015

Can you name twenty of the most common North American birds? Certainly if you live there you should be able to name a good number of these beautiful avian species. You might see a few of them if you look out of your window right now – if you are lucky and it’s not the middle of the night. Even if you don’t live in America you will be able to guess a number of these because they might just be found in your backyard too!

If the answer you choose goes GREEN, then you got it right. If it goes RED then you got it wrong. You will also see how many other people chose the different answers (in terms of a percentage).

Would you like to do another quiz?

Fifteen big cats and wild cats are to be found here - but can you guess the species? Click here or on the picture to do the quiz.

Image Credits
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Quiz: How Many of these Endangered Mammals are Left?

Sunday, 29 March 2015

Fifteen species, fifteen multiple choice questions. Yet how many of each species do you think still exists in the wild?

If the answer you choose goes GREEN, then you got it right. If it goes RED then you got it wrong. You will also see how many others chose the different answers (in terms of a percentage).

Would you like to do another quiz?

If this quiz has left you a little depressed (the numbers of some of the species are of massive concern to everyone, after all, then try a quiz which, it is hoped, can only raise the spirits. Fifteen big cats and wild cats are involved - but can you guess the species? Click here or on the picture to do the quiz.

Image Credits
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The Brown Bear: King of the Nordic Forests

This short film by Chris Schmid strives to highlight the wild brown bears, it is the result of filming in remote locations in Finland over a couple of days.

While the brown bear's range has shrunk and it has faced local extinctions, it remains listed as a least concern species by the IUCN with a total population of approximately 200,000.

Penguin the Magpie and Noah take an Outdoor Shower

Photographer Cameron Bloom’s son Noah rescued a magpie when it was a chick. Since then, although the appropriately (more or less) named Penguin is as free as a bird (ahem) it keeps coming back to re-engage with its adopted family. Here Noah (an even more appropriate name, perhaps!) and Penguin take an outdoor shower together on a hot summer’s day.

You can see more photographs of this amazing friendship on Cameron Bloom’s Instagram feed.

Quiz: Can You Name All 15 of These Big Cat and Wild Cat Species?

Sunday, 22 March 2015

Most of us know a lion or a tiger when we see one but some of the other big cats can be a little more difficult to name. Throw in a number of wild cat species and it becomes more difficult to name them all. Just how many of these amazing animals can you name here? The quiz is multiple choice so you do have some chance at least so why not give it a go?

If the answer you choose goes GREEN, then you got it right. If it goes RED then you got it wrong. You will also see how many others chose the different answers (in terms of a percentage).

Would you like to do another quiz?
If this quiz has left you thirsty to test your general knowledge a little more then why not try our endangered mammals quiz?

Click on the picture on the left or HERE to go and do the quiz. Good luck!

Image Credits
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

Watch an Amazing Murmuration of Starlings

Tuesday, 17 February 2015

It’s a great word, isn’t it, murmuration? Whoever invented it to describe a huge gathering of starlings needs a special medal for eccentrically but lovingly mauling the English language. No one really knows why starlings do this. Some say it is for protection, others to indicate a roost is nearby. Or maybe it’s just because they can. This staggering murmuration was captured in Brighton (UK) by the film making partnership of Sim Warren and Mia Xerri, The Contrast Collective.

Laundry Basket Cat

Sunday, 11 January 2015

If you never quite seem to get your aim right when throwing things in to your laundry basket then this might be the solution. Get yourself a cat like this one. Simply place cat in laundry basket and then begin to throw your clothes.

Laundry Basket Cat will ensure their safe arrival at their final pre-wash destination by leaping out and retrieving your errant (and flying) socks, shirts and sundries. Cat-tastic!

Watch the Beautiful Hoopoe in Slow Motion Flight

Saturday, 10 January 2015

The hoopoe is a beautiful, exotic looking bird which is found across three continents. It is distinctive to say the very least – a pair of striking black and white wings, a long and elegant beak and a pink-brown body topped with a magnificent crest. This lovely clip from The Life of Trees by Polish wildlife filmmaker Artur Homan catches this magnificent creature in slow motion flight – and it will take your breath away.

The Hidden Life in Pond Water

Although we bring you footage of strange creatures from the deepest oceans, here is proof that you don’t have to go very far to experience the truly bizarre. Filmed by Daniel Stoupin, you will see a variety of strange and bewildering creatures in the local pond. Experience a new universe of water fleas, bryozoans, water mites, mayfly nymphs, ostracods, and, of course, hydras. They jump, crawl, and float in a completely alien environment filled with mesmerizing algae and bushes of ciliates on stalks.

The Boreal Caribou of British Columbia

The number of caribou in British Columbia is shrinking and as this happens both the ecology and local human culture changes.

This fascinating short film shows us some of the issues they face as well as the attempts by wildlife biologists to help sustain this species, truly one of Canada’s iconographic animals. It was commissioned by the 14th North American Caribou Workshop hosted in Fort St John, British Columbia in September 2012.

Damselflies – The Killer Lips

Saturday, 13 December 2014

Get up close and personal with the damselfly, thanks to director Hasan Samur. Here he reveals that far from being identical, each damselfly has its own unique colorings and patterns – and they are striking to say the very least. Many carry the scars of battle – some blind, some missing legs. We also get to see some remarkable footage of damselflies mating which to our eyes may seem very strange behavior indeed.

Gorillas in the Crossfire

Andre Bauma works with orphaned gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since the outbreak of civil war in 1996 the gorillas have been caught not in the mist but the crossfire. The human cost is also staggering with 150 park rangers murdered trying to protect them. However, this vital job is carried on by a brave few as only about 800 gorillas survive in the wild. Created by Orlando Von Einsiedel of the New York Times, this moving video follows Andre and his group of orphans as they struggle through daily life in the Congo.

Watch Amazing Drone Footage of Humpback Whales Bubble Feeding

If you don’t have nets to use then you can always make your own. This is what humpback whales do when they sense an opportunity to enjoy a feast and this behavior is only seen in Southeast Alaska where this rare and remarkable footage was taken by AkXpro Productions. Other whales do use bubble feeding but this method is unique to the Alaskan whales. Anywhere from four to twenty whales will join in with the hunt. One will release a ring of bubbles from its blowhole beneath the herring. This curtain of bubbles acts as a wall which keeps the fish inside it. Then another whale will produce vocalizations (which we can’t hear in this video, of course!) which makes the herring squeeze together in tight balls.

Then the whales lunge in unison. Breaking the surface simultaneously with their mouths wide open, then roll over and down. This captures as many fish as possible as well as forcing the water they take in out through their baleen plates. With the water forced out they can then gulp down their prey. Altogether, pretty amazing!

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