Results tagged “skin” on Earth Touch Blog
Wildlife news from around the world
Darwin and the jungle fowl gene Apr 14 2008
Evolution theorist Charles Darwin believed the domesticated chicken descended from the red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus) only, but new research shows there’s more to the story.
Tags: asia, bird, chicken, colour, evolution, forest, fowl, genetics, india, jungle, skinDid you know? Ragged-tooth shark Jan 31 2008
The most obvious distinguishing feature of the spotted ragged-tooth shark (Carcharias taurus, also known as the grey nurseshark or sandtiger) must be its impressive set of teeth. There are around 44-48 upper teeth and 41-46 lower teeth. The shark is constantly replacing its older teeth with new ones. A ragged-tooth shark can go through around 30 000 teeth in its lifetime.
Tags: eastern cape, eye, feed, isimangaliso wetland park, kwazulu-natal, pregnant, ragged-tooth shark, skin, sodwana, south africa, spot, teethCleaning stations of the sea Jan 30 2008
In the Earth-Touch clip, Carpet of devil firefish, fish and eels take shelter in caves and small overhangs at the reef in Ponta Malongane Bay, southern Mozambique, in order to get cleaned.
Did you know? Oxpeckers on the back of mammals Jan 30 2008
Oxpeckers are often seen on the backs of animals like hippo, buffalo and kudu. They feed off parasites such as ticks and bloodsucking flies that live on the mammal’s skin. These birds have a mutual relationship with mammals, removing parasites in exchange for observing the surroundings from an aerial viewpoint and alerting them of danger.
Tags: adaptation, bath, bird, bloodsucking fly, buffalo, cattle egret, ear, egret, elephant, fly, groom, hippo, kudu, oxpecker, parasite, red-billed oxpecker, skin, south africa, tail, tick, trunkDid you know? Clownfish Jan 29 2008
Clownfish, their vibrant colour making them distinctly visible, live amongst sea anemones, immune to their stinging tentacles.
Tags: anemone, clownfish, isimangaliso wetland park, kwazulu-natal, mucus, protect, skin, sodwana, south africa, sting, tentacle, territorial, twobar clownfishWildlife news from around the world
Three new salamander species found Jan 29 2008
Scientists have made a thrilling discovery of three new species of salamander in a remote forest reserve in Costa Rica. Two of the species are nocturnal, belonging to the Bolitoglossa genus, while the third is a dwarf variety from the Nototriton family, growing to little longer than a thumbnail. The three new finds bring the number of Costa Rican salamanders known to science to a total of 43.
“Discovering so many new species in one area is exciting, particularly as this is probably the only place in the world you can find these animals,” said Dr Alex Monro of London’s Natural History Museum, who is leading the project.
Tags: amphibian, bolitoglossa genus, colour, costa rica, gland, invertebrate, lizard, london’s natural history museum, nototriton, salamandar, skin, slug, south america, vertebrae, wormToad chorus Jan 29 2008
Each species of frog or toad has a unique call. You can hear a chorus of olive toads in the Earth-Touch clip, Toad song in the canyon, filmed in the Blyde Canyon in South Africa.
Fishy facts Jan 29 2008
The world’s smallest fish is the Paedocypris progenetica, which belongs to the carp family. It is the smallest vertebrate, being 7.9mm (0.3in) long. The species was discovered in the acidic waters of forest swamps in Sumatra, Indonesia.
Tags: acidic water, asia, carp, disease, ichthyologist, indonesia, infection, mucus, parasite, pup, skin, sumatra, vertebrae, whale sharkDid you know? Baboons Dec 4 2007
Baboons and other primates are often seen grooming each other. Like all animals, baboons pick up parasites, so they groom to rid themselves of these as well as to clean and comb the fur.
Baboons remove seeds and large ticks from the fur of others when grooming, but some small parasites, such as fleas and lice, generally remain. Flakes of skin, salty deposits and scabs are often removed and eaten.
Tags: ape, baboon, baboons, fur, groom, parasite, skin, vertebrateDid you know? Shark skin Oct 25 2007
Did you know? Seals Oct 18 2007
There are 33 seal species and they are found only in cold waters or warmer seas that have colder currents washing into them.
Did you know? Red-billed oxpecker Oct 15 2007
Red-billed oxpeckers (Buphagus erythrorhynchus) live off the ticks and mites that they pick off the skin of their mammalian hosts, to which they cling with their short legs and sharp claws.
Tags: bird, claw, elephant, giraffe, host, impala, kudu, leg, mite, oxpecker, red-billed oxpecker, skin, tick, warthog, waterbuckPage 1 of 1 pages
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