The Parana Pine (Araucaria angustifolia) is a critically endangered Brazilian conifer tree, though not a true pine. It is also known as the Brazilian Monkey Puzzle Tree and Candelabra Tree, or simply the Brazilian Pine. It is one of many…
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Animal navigation and migration is mysterious, amazing and critical to species survival. For a human being to try to consider flying almost 3,000 miles with no gear, no compass and no map is hard to imagine. Yet, one has to…
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Many non-edible, poisonous or otherwise not pleasant-tasting butterflies have distinct colors and patterns. As a result, other more-palatable butterflies have evolved to mimic those patterns to avoid being consumed by predators. There are several types of mimicry in butterflies: Batesian mimicry, Müllerian…
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San Bruno Mountain, near San Francisco California, is the home of three endangered butterflies: the Mission Blue Butterfly, the San Bruno Elfin Butterfly and the Callippe Silverspot Butterfly. All three are rare. They share four additional characteristics: they all live on…
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According to the North American Butterfly Association, “there are approximately 20,000 species of butterflies in the world.” The names of butterflies include monarch, admiral, swallowtail, harvester, painted lady, lacewing, and yellow, to name just a few. The transformation of a…
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Mycologist Paul Stamets believes in the marvelous mushroom. Stamets, of Washington state, has researched ways in which fungi could be of great value for use as filtration systems for purifying water, for medicine, for protecting soil, for use as insecticide,…
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The Pacific Northwest is known for its aquatic life and biodiversity. Unfortunately, invasive crayfish are threatening that biodiversity in the rich freshwater biomes. Crayfish can have a huge impact on the environment. Non-native species can alter the very structure of…
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The electric eel is an electric fish and the only species in the genus Electrophorus. The electric eel is capable of creating an electric shock, which is very powerful. The electric eel is a predator that has no predators itself…
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Trophic comes from the Greek word for food or feeding, so trophic relationships in marine life are about what eats what in the ocean. Almost all food chains on land or in the ocean begin with plants, the producers. On…
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Dolphin and porpoise both belong to Order Cetacea of the mammals but they are of different family. Dolphin’s is Delphinidae while porpoise’s is Phocoenidae. Thus they are completely different though “porpoise” has been used to refer to small dolphin, especially…
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