Results tagged “reptile” on Earth Touch Blog
Flickr group: pic of the day – Nile crocodile Jun 10 2008
Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) are freshwater reptiles, closely related to alligators. According to the World Conservation Union, they are found widely in Africa.
Tags: africa, crocodile, flickr, nile crocodile, photograph, photography, reptile, vertebrateFlickr group: pic of the day – Texas tree lizard Jun 4 2008
Texas tree lizards (Urosaurus ornatus), also known as ornate tree lizards, are thorny lizards which feed mostly on insects and insect larvae. They perch on rocks and trees, and are territorial, with a male and female (sometimes two females) occupying an area.
Tags: austin, lizard, north america, ornate tree lizard, photograph, photography, reptile, texas, texas tree lizard, united states, vertebrateFlickr group: pic of the day – flap-neck chameleon Jun 2 2008
Flap-neck chameleons (Chamaeleo dilepis) are found widely in Southern Africa. They are named for the small protrusion or flap at the base of the heads. They raise this flap when threatened, in order to appear larger.
Tags: africa, chameleon, flap-neck, photograph, photography, reptile, south africa, vertebrateFlickr group: pic of the day – prairie rattlesnake May 21 2008
The prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis), also known as a western rattlesnake or plains rattlesnake, is a venomous snake native to Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Tags: america, canada, central america, mexico, north america, prairie rattlesnake, rattlesnake, reptile, snake, united states, vertebrateDid You Know? Marsh terrapin May 13 2008
The marsh terrapin (Pelomedusa subrufa) belongs to the family of side-necked terrapins. This genus is found in Africa, Madagascar and the Seychelles, and the species is the most common terrapin in southern Africa.
Tags: africa, aquatic, blyde canyon, egg, freshwater, hluhluwe, imfolozi, marsh, reptile, shell, south africa, terrapinHornbills feed in banyan tree May 12 2008
On a cool, breezy morning in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand, the Earth-Touch crew visited a banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) to watch birds and other wildlife feeding on the fruit.
Tags: banyan, bird, eagle, fig, forest, gibbon, hornbill, khao yai, mammal, monitor, pigeon, reptile, snake, thailand, treeFlickr group: pic of the day – plumed basilisk May 8 2008
The plumed basilisk (Basiliscus plumifrons) is a species of lizard native to South America. The male of the species has three crests on its head and body, the female has only one small crest on its head.
Tags: crest, flickr, lizard, photograph, photography, plumed basilisk, reptile, south america, vertebrateFlickr group pic of the day: Turtle May 5 2008
The green turtle (Chelonia mydas) is a large turtle from the family Chelonidae. It is mostly found in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Tags: flickr, indian ocean, marine, pacific ocean, photograph, photography, reptile, turtle, vertebrateFlickr group: pic of the day – Iguana Apr 2 2008
The iguana is a genus of lizard from the family Iguanidae. It is mostly found in Central and South America, as well as the Galapagos Islands, some Caribbean islands, Fiji and Madagascar.
Tags: communication, diet, iguana, lizard, madagascar, north america, reptile, sight, visionDid you know? Flap-neck chameleon Mar 27 2008
The flap-neck chameleon (Chamaeleo dilepis) of Southern Africa is named for the occipital (relating to the back part of the head) flap that extends from the back of its head over its neck. It raises this flap when agitated, to make itself appear larger, as well as hissing, gaping and changing colour. The size of the flap varies between populations of this species, as well as by sex and age.
Tags: africa, animal, back, black, chameleon, colour, feed, feet, flap-neck, forest, green, head, incubate, insect, kwazulu-natal, male, neck, occipital, reptile, size, tail, temperatureTerrapins take their time Feb 18 2008
In its expeditions around the globe, Earth-Touch has filmed some fast-changing scenes and speedy creatures – but terrapins are not among them.
Tags: blyde canyon, forest, khao yai national park, reptile, south africa, terrapin, thailandDid you know? Turtles Feb 12 2008
Turtles are one of only three groups of reptiles that live in the sea. The others are sea snakes and marine iguanas.
Tags: beach, dive, egg, endangered, indian ocean, kwazulu-natal, loggerhead turtle, marine iguana, reef, reptile, scuba, sea, sea snake, south africa, turtle, underwaterFledglings prepare for flight Jan 30 2008
Yellow-billed kites (Milvus migrans parasitus) are opportunistic feeders. They glide through the air, scanning the ground for carcasses of dead animals, or for small live prey such as lizards, locusts and frogs.
The adult kite that Earth-Touch has been tracking attends to its chicks’ needs, but soon it will be vital for these young fledglings to learn the ultimate survival skill, flight.
Tags: amphibian, bird, carcasse, chick, fly, frog, glide, kite, kwazulu-natal, lizard, locust, nest, prey, reptile, south africa, wing, yellow-billed kiteFirst find your turtle Jan 30 2008
I had grand visions of all the turtles I was going to find and film for Earth-Touch in southern Mozambique. I’d decided to walk a 5km (3mi) stretch every night and guessed that, according to the law of averages, I’d be onto an egg-laying leatherback or loggerhead turtle every three nights.
The week’s most viewed stories Jan 29 2008
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 11 January to Thursday 17 January 2008) were:
Number 1
These predators patrol the waters constantly, looming powerfully into view with a steely sheen.
Tags:
african rock python, blyde canyon, fig tree, plant, python, reptile, snake, south africa
What’s coming in 2008 Jan 4 2008
In 2007, Earth-Touch users were treated to wildlife video and story packages from four continents – Africa, North America, South America and Asia – and a great variety of habitats.
Earth-Touch’s top 10 videos in 2007 Dec 28 2007
Here are the top 10 videos and stories served on Earth-Touch in 2007, rated by number of views, and listed in reverse order, from 10th to 1st.
A serval cat feeds on a snake she has just killed – an uncommon sight, especially as the snake is a deadly black mamba.
Did you know? Loggerhead turtles breeding Dec 21 2007
From October to February, loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) come to breed on the southern coast of Mozambique and the northern coast of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.
Female loggerheads are believed to mate once in a season as the male’s sperm is apparently copious enough to fertilise as many as 10 batches of eggs. The male, however, can mate multiple times in a season.
Tags: breed, egg, loggerhead turtle, reptile, turtleWildlife news from around the world
New turtle nesting sites discovered Dec 18 2007
An important discovery on the beaches of the West African nation of Senegal has spurred conservationists to boost measures to protect the endangered green turtle (Chelonia mydas).
ScienceDaily reports that nine new green turtle nesting sites have been discovered on the beaches of the Saloum Delta, south of Senegal’s capital, Dakar.
Tags: breed, dakar, green turtle, reptile, turtlePython remains close to kill Dec 17 2007
There is lots of activity at a waterhole at Meno A Kwena camp in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana. Large animals like kudu and zebra can be seen, but also smaller creatures like the African rock python (Python natalensis), in the Earth-Touch clip, Python regurgitates bird.
This snake must have felt threatened in some way and had regurgitated its meal, a young African red-eyed bulbul (Pycnonotus nigricans). The snake had not yet begun to digest the bird, so the meal must have been recent.
Did you know? Pit vipers Nov 29 2007
Pit vipers, as their name suggests, have a heat-sensitive pit on either side of their head. These pits are extremely sensitive to changes in temperature, being covered with a temperature sensitive membrane.
These organs can help the pit viper sense the presence of warm-blooded animals, which is ultimately useful at night when these reptiles most often hunt for small animals such as frogs and lizards. They often form ‘S’-shapes with their body, enabling them to strike at any time.
Tags: asia, frog, hunt, lizard, membrane, pit viper, reptile, snake, thailand, thung salaeng luang national park, viper, warm-bloodedDid You Know? Tokay geckos Nov 27 2007
The best way to track down the nocturnal tokay gecko (Gekko gecko) is to listen out for its loud, distinctive “to-kay” call after sunset.
Native to parts of Asia and the Indo-Australian Archipelago, this species also makes a variety of other calls which sound like “gah”, “eck” and, sometimes, a small dog’s bark.
Tags: asia, colour, gecko, lizard, noise, reptile, thailand, throat, thung salaeng luang national park, tokay gecko, tongueThe week’s most viewed stories Nov 23 2007
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 16 November to Thursday 22 November 2007) were:
The presence of frogs in the damp grass suggested that there might be snakes in the vicinity, and sure enough a young pit viper was soon spotted.
The week’s most viewed stories Nov 16 2007
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 09 November to Thursday 15 November 2007) were:
Number 1
Predators and prey share bat caveIt’s the circle of life: cockroaches feed on bat guano, spiders feed on cockroaches and snakes feed on bats.
Wildlife news from around the world
How turtles turn Nov 1 2007
Creatures with hard shells, such as turtles and beetles, have to be able to flip themselves over if they land on their backs, otherwise they will be in danger. New research has linked the geometry of turtles’ shells with techniques the animals use to right themselves.
Wildlife news from around the world
Crocodilians do cry while they eat Oct 22 2007
The old expression “crying crocodile tears”, meaning false or insincere weeping, was based on the belief that crocodiles cry with fake remorse while tearing into their prey. And there’s some truth in it after all.
Did You Know? Pantanal Oct 18 2007
The Pantanal wetland of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay supports 650 species of birds, 80 species of mammals, 260 fish species and 50 reptile species. It is estimated that there are 10 million caimans here. (See the Earth-Touch clip, Caimans swim and bask.)
Our 250th story hits the site! Oct 11 2007
Today Earth-Touch published its 250th story, Seabirds forage in the intertidal zone.
What happened to the skimmers? Oct 10 2007
Much to everyone’s surprise, the migratory African skimmers have already left the sandbank at Nxamaseri in the Okavango Delta, where they were nesting and attempting to raise their chicks. This abrupt departure brings to an end a spectacularly unsuccessful season for the endangered birds.
Did you know? Pythons as incubators Oct 10 2007
Although snakes are cold-blooded creatures, the female southern African python (Python natalensis) is able to raise her body temperature and regulate it to within a few degrees of the required 30ºC (86ºF) throughout the incubation period of her eggs (65 to 80 days). During this time she seldom leaves the nest.
Did you know? Snakes Oct 5 2007
In our recent clip, Python regurgitates bird, we see an African rock python which has just regurgitated an African red-eyed bulbul. One reason snakes sometimes regurgitate food is to get away from a threatening situation quickly.
Living the hide life … is for the birds Oct 2 2007
By Graham Springer, field crew
I’ve been filming out of Nxamaseri for the past three weeks. The Nxamaseri Channel is a major tributary of the Okavango River, about halfway up the panhandle area of the Okavango Delta in Botswana.
Tags: basin, bird, chick, cubango river, cuito river, egg, hide, hippo, kalahari desert, monitor lizard, monkey, panhandle, papyrus, reed, reptile, sitatunga, snakeWildlife news from around the world
Eleven new species discovered Oct 1 2007
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has announced the discovery of 11 new species exclusive to Vietnam. They include a snake, two butterflies and five orchid varieties discovered in the Green Corridor, a lowland wet evergreen forest region in the Thua Thien Hue province.
Wildlife news from around the world
Turtle mystery solved Sep 27 2007
The hatchlings of the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) enter the ocean soon after they are born – and vanish for up to five years. For 50 years, researchers have been unable to explain what happens to them during this period, before they return closer to shore fully grown.
A wildlife photographer’s ways of seeing Sep 17 2007
By Graham Springer, field crew
The following are some of my own rambling musings on the subject of photography. Feel free to disagree with or deride them – after all, if we all had the same ideas, life would be very dull indeed!
Coming soon: Scenes from Ecuador Sep 13 2007
The culturally and environmentally diverse country of Ecuador in South America is the next location Earth-Touch will be screening footage from.
Tags: amazon basin, amphibian, bird, butterfly, crew, cuyabeno reserve, ecuador, fauna, flora, footage, monkey, plant, reptile, south america, titi monkeyDid you know? Crocodiles Sep 11 2007
The crocodile has the most highly developed brain of all reptiles and is the most vocal. Their call differs according to species, age, size and sex. There are 23 species of crocodiles.
Tags: africa, crocodile, dinosaur, nile, nile crocodile, reptileDo or die? Sep 10 2007
By Andy Crawford, field crewNature is harsh. Sometimes exceedingly so. This is obvious to anyone who has seen the Earth-Touch video clip of the nesting skimmer colony in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, entitled Tension mounts on skimmer bank. The seemingly senseless killing of a two-day-old skimmer chick by an adult skimmer is difficult to watch, and even more difficult to comprehend. Since mentioning this incident to a few people, the question most often asked is, “Why didn’t the film crew help the chick?”
Up close with endangered loggerhead turtles Sep 10 2007
Loggerhead turtles are the world’s second biggest marine turtle, after the leatherback, reaching a length of up to 1m (3’3’’) and a weight of 160kg (353lb).
Wildlife news from around the world
New species of frog discovered Sep 4 2007
Scientists have discovered a tiny new species of poisonous frog in a forest in Colombia, several news agencies have reported, including Fox International and National Geographic News.
The golden frog’s range is limited to only about 20 hectares (50 acres) in a mountainous area in Colombia’s Cundimarca region.
Tags: columbia, conservation international, cundimarca, dart frog, discovery, frog, golden frog, mountain, reptile, south americaEarth-Touch team’s favourite stories of all time – please tell us yours? Aug 31 2007
We’ve canvassed the Earth-Touch team internally, and asked them to nominate some of their favourite footage published on the web portal so far. The results follow below.
We’’d love to hear what your favourite clips are – please post your votes and thoughts
as a comment to this blog.
The following stories received multiple votes:
Eyeball to eyeball with a great white shark
Watch the footage was filmed near Dyer Island, off the south-eastern coast of South Africa.
Tags: amphibian, bird, breathe, cheetah, crab, crocodile, crustacean, eastern cape, eel, gannet, great white shark, hippo, kwazulu-natal, mamba, mudhopper, mudskipper, plant, reptile, serval, snake eel, south africa, tsessebe, whale, wildebeest, zebra
What’s in a name? Aug 31 2007
By Reina Luck, editorial team
One of the challenges the editorial team faces on a day-to-day basis is to get our heads around some of the strange and confusing names that we humans have given to the various species which our film crews encounter.
Tags: barbet, bird, black mamba, black-collared barbet, cowfish, crew, footage, malachite kingfisher, mamba, mudskipper, name, reptile, rubberlip, slimehead, snake, squirrelfish, trumpetfishWildlife news from around the world
Nifty adaptation to desert environment Aug 23 2007
Some desert-dwelling lizards, such as the Australian thorny devil (Moloch horridus), have the amazing ability to suck up water and transport it along microscopic channels in between their scales to their mouths for drinking.
After rains, thorny devils will dip their stomachs in puddles. Their ability to soak up the water is detailed in a new paper by American and Australian authors, ScienceNOW Daily News has reported.
Endangered birds’ eggs adding up Aug 21 2007
The African skimmers’ eggs are adding up on the sandbank in the Nxamaseri Channel in the Okavango, where Earth-Touch has been filming them - the total for this year so far now stands at 18. Watch African skimmers’ eggs nestle safely to see the eggs, and the ingenious nest design which keeps them safe from crocodiles.
Wildlife news from around the world
Congo forest home to at least 6 new species Aug 20 2007
Six new animal species – a bat, a rat, two shrew and two frog species – have been identified by a Wildlife Conservation Survey expedition to a remote forested area in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The area covers 1000km squared (621mi squared) and is in the eastern part of the country, near Lake Tanganyika, and has been inaccessible to researchers since 1960 because of political instability, the BBC reported in an article on the new finds.
Tags: bat, democratic republic of congo, frog, lake tanganyika, plant, rat, reptile, shrew, wildlife conservation survey