Biology

The sandy beaches sparkle in the semi darkness of the moonless light in the night sky as it had done long before time was every written. The waters in the deep blue were dark and cool rushing in and out…
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Strepsiptera: a strange word for a strange group of animals. The title identifies them as a kind of insect so they must have six jointed legs. What does the name mean? First, it defines the taxonomic status of the animals it names. It is an order…
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Most gardeners consider musk thistle a noxious weed and dig it up and try to eradicate it. Carduus nutans is specifically a plumeless thistle. It has reddish purple spines on a rounded bloom. It belongs to the sunflower family. It…
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Killer whales, also known as the orcas, are the top predators in the marine food chain.  Despite its name, the killer whale is actually a dolphin instead of a true whale.  Like most dolphin species, killer whales belong to the…
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The Mecoptera are small to medium-sized insects known commonly as scorpion-flies because the males tend to curve their abdomens upwards, making them resemble a scorpion’s tail. There are about five hundred described species worldwide. The scientific name comes from the Greek…
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Im sure at one point or another you have been swimming and had this incredible yet vile feeling come over you, a feeling that you were being watched and scoped out from beneath. For you at the time, this was…
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For those who are fascinated by the penguin, or simply wish to know more about these interesting birds, there are some amazing books of interest easily available. From tales of pure entertainment that will generate many laughs to awe-inspiring photos…
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The big appearance of penguins in pop culture probably started when Mary Poppins (1964), starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, arrived on the movie scene, shortly thereafter becoming one of Walt Disney’s classic films. The heartwarming story of Mary…
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The insect order Strepsiptera consists of over 600 species. They are fairly unique in that the female insect is parasitic, primarily infecting bees, wasps, cockroaches, leafhoppers, and silverfish.  She is an endoparasite, living inside the host body but does not…
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There are three great invertebrate phyla: Mollusca, Annelida and Arthropoda. Together they make up the majority of invertebrate species. Molluscs are true shellfish and they first appeared back in the Cambrian Period or even earlier. The phylum is quite diverse,…
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