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Posts Tagged "predators"

Extinction Countdown

Rarest Kiwi Species Takes Flight

Kiwis, under normal conditions, do not fly. But this week 20 young members of the rarest kiwi species were special guests on board a military helicopter, flying across the Tasman Sea on their way to their new habitat off the coast of New Zealand. Rowi (formerly known as Okarito brown kiwi, Apteryx rowi) are in [...]

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Extinction Countdown

Lions vs. Cattle: Taste Aversion Could Solve African Predator Problem

After coexisting for thousands of years, humans and African lions (Panthera leo) are on a collision course. Lion populations have dropped from 450,000 animals 50 years ago to as few as 20,000 today. Most of that decline has taken place over the past two decades, and experts are now predicting that the big cats could [...]

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Octopus Chronicles

Deadly Octopus Flashes Bright Blue Warning with Super-Reflective Skin [Video]

blue-ringed octopus flashes blue warning muscles iridophores

The diminutive blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata) looks like a sweet, possibly even fantastical creature. Often measuring less than 20 centimeters long and covered with dozens of bright blue rings, it spends most of its time hiding out in shells or rocks near the beach. But don’t be fooled—this little cephalopod is trouble. One small nip [...]

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Tetrapod Zoology

Great tits: still murderous, rapacious, flesh-rending predators!

Thanks to Ville Sinkkonen, I’ve just learnt of this Finnish news article: it reports wildlife photographer Lassi Kujala’s discovery of more than ten Common redpolls Carduelis flammea killed by Great tits Parus major. A Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella was killed as well. I understand that tits are called titmice in some parts of the world. So, [...]

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