Farne Islands: Part I

Last Friday and Saturday I went on a birding trip to Northumberland. Most of Friday was spent either travelling up there from London or on various sites along the way trying to spot as many bird species as we could. A lot of species were seen at Rutland Water in the tiny county of Rutland, famous for its breeding ospreys. Whilst I was there I saw a few new species of bird I'd never encountered before, including the gorgeous yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella), which I had previously only heard, and tree sparrows (Passer montanus), far less common than their once ubiquitous cousin, the house sparrow (P. domesticus). When in Northumberland itself, we decided to stop at various streams and brooks to look for grey wagtails (Motacilla cinerea) and dippers (Cinclus cinclus). We did see a few individuals of both species, and I managed to get a couple of poor shots of the dipper.



White-throated dipper
Cinclus cinclus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Cinclidae; Passeriformes; Aves; Chordata
River Breamish, Northumberland, May 2011

After a comfy night's rest in our bunkhouse near the town of Seahouses, we set off for the harbour in that town for a boat tour of the Farne Islands. These islands, as you are about to see, offer almost unbelievable views of various species of breeding seabirds. The tour took us to Staple Island, then briefly around some of the smaller islands, and finally to Inner Farne Island, before going back to the mainland, lasting six hours with two hours on each island.

The first thing that strikes you as you approach Staple Island is the masses of guillemots, puffins, shags, and kittiwakes that you see. There are simply thousands of birds on the rocks, in the air, and on the sea.



European shag
Phalacrocorax aristotelis (Linnaeus, 1761)
Phalacrocoracidae; Pelecaniformes; Aves; Chordata
Staple Island, Farne Islands, Northumberland, May 2011

The shags are congregated close to the landing point so they are the first of the birds to offer fantastic views. With their dinosaur-like heads, glossy green-black plumage, shaggy quiffs, and emerald-green eyes, they are perfect objects for photographic study.



European shags
Details as above

In the above photo, one shag is providing nesting material for the other in the form of seaweed, which is abundant around the islands. They will also use grass to create their nests.



European shag
Details as above

Although it appears that this shag has caught an eel or a snake, it is carrying the steadfast of the sea kelp (Laminaria sp.) that this seaweed had attached itself to the rocks with. Shags differ from their close relative, the great cormorant (P. carbo) by lacking any white on the plumage. Cormorant colonies are also present on some of the Farne Islands, but none were seen on Staple or Inner Farne.



Northern fulmar
Fulmarus glacialis (Linnaeus, 1761)
Procellariidae; Procellariiformes; Aves; Chordata
Staple Island, Farne Islands, Northumberland, May 2011

Fulmars look quite a lot like gulls to the untrained eye, but differ mainly in their shape whilst flying and features of the head. Fulmars are petrels and are related to albatrosses. As such, the 'tube-noses' as they are called, can be recognised by the namesake nostrils which are used to excrete excess salt from their bodies. Fulmars are also known for vomiting a stale broth containing parts of their last meal when threatened. Thankfully, this is as close as I got to any fulmar.



Atlantic puffin
Fratercula arctica (Linnaeus, 1758)
Alcidae; Charadriiformes; Aves; Chordata
Staple Island, Farne Islands, Northumberland, May 2011

The main attraction for many, including myself, to visit the Farne Islands, is not shags nor fulmars, but puffins. Puffins need no introduction to most, as they are familiar to the majority of people (at least in the UK), and hold a place in many people's hearts. The puffins did not disappoint; they were the only bird to show incredibly well both on Staple and Inner Farne Islands.



Rock pipit
Anthus petrosus (Montagu, 1798)
Motacillidae; Passeriformes; Aves; Chordata
Staple Island, Farne Islands, Northumberland, May 2011

Rock pipits are small birds in the same family as wagtails. They are common on rocky shores around the UK and other parts of western Europe.



Common guillemots
Uria aalge (Pontoppidan, 1763)
Alcidae; Charadriiformes; Aves; Chordata
Staple Island, Farne Islands, Northumberland, May 2011

Guillemots, known as murres in the US, seemed to be by far the most numerous of all the birds on Staple Island. There were thousands perched on a single cliff. They are closely related to puffins, but have a more penguin-like shape, except when flying of course. Guillemots are known for crowding together en masse on cliff faces; they are able to do this because they do not make nests which take up room. Instead, they lay a single pear-shaped egg on the bare cliff. Simple physics dictates that a long egg will roll around in a circle without ever falling off the cliff, unlike a round one.



Razorbill
Alca torda Linnaeus, 1758
Alcidae; Charadriiformes; Aves; Chordata
Staple Island, Farne Islands, Northumberland, May 2011

The razorbill was not as numerous as either of the other auks (puffin and guillemot) on the Farnes, but it still afforded great views. Reminiscent both of penguins and its close extinct cousin, the great auk (Pinguinus impennis), the razorbill is so called because of the similarity of its bill to the old fashioned razor.



Black-legged kittiwake
Rissa tridactyla (Linnaeus, 1758)
Laridae; Charadriiformes; Aves; Chordata
Staple Island, Farne Islands, Northumberland, May 2011

Kittiwakes are small gulls that are quite numerous on the Farnes as well as in other parts of the northern British Isles and coastal North America. In any of these places though, the kittiwake chooses only the most inaccessible cliffs on which to build its nest, providing excellent protection for their eggs and chicks.



Female eider
Somateria mollissima (Linnaeus, 1758)
Anatidae; Anseriformes; Aves; Chordata
Staple Island, Farne Islands, Northumberland, May 2011

Whilst walking around on the dolerite cliffs of Staple Island, I nearly stepped on a female eider sitting on her nest. Thankfully, I saw her before I almost extinguished her life. I was soon to see many more ducks in a similar position, including this individual. She was the most confiding duck I have ever seen, even more so than domestic mallards. I was afraid to touch her, although I could have done so very easily, for fear of stressing her out, but my trip buddies were stroking her like a pet cat. I can tell you, the eider very easily deserves its reputation for having the softest feathers around; no wonder they were used to stuff pillows and duvets.





Grey seal cow (above); and cows and bulls (below)
Halichoerus grypus (Fabricius, 1791)
Phocidae; Carnivora; Mammalia; Chordata
Farne Islands, Northumberland, May 2011

Lying on almost every rocky shore on the Farnes were colonies of grey seals. The bulls (around twice the size of the cows) can be easily distinguished from the cows in the above photo.

In the following post, I get bombarded by Arctic terns and get even closer to some puffins, all on Inner Farne Island, and you will hear about the case of the missing robin.

A Selection from my Portfolio

So, tomorrow I'm taking a trip to Northumberland in the north of England, close to the Scottish border, where I'll be staying for one night. On Saturday I'll be taking the boat to the Farne Islands, well known for its breeding colonies for hundreds of thousands of birds, including eiders, terns, puffins, guillemots, kittiwakes, and more. Until I've gone, come back, and edited my photos, here are some photos from my portfolio taken in the last few months. All photographs by Mo Hassan.



Poet's narcissus
Narcissus poeticus Linnaeus, 1753
Amaryllidaceae; Asparagales; Liliopsida; Angiospermae
Hyde Park, London, April 2011



Canada goose goslings
Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Anatidae; Anseriformes; Aves; Chordata
Forty Hill, Enfield, North London, May 2011



Great crested grebe
Podiceps cristatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Podicipedidae; Podicipediformes; Aves; Chordata
Hyde Park, London, April 2011



Daisies
Bellis perennis Linnaeus
Asteraceae; Asterales; Magnoliopsida; Angiospermae
Forty Hill, Enfield, North London, May 2011



Great tit
Parus major Linnaeus, 1758
Paridae; Passeriformes; Aves; Chordata
Lee Valley Park, Cheshunt, North London, February 2011



Male common (ring-necked) pheasant
Phasianus colchicus Linnaeus, 1758
Phasianidae; Galliformes; Aves; Chordata
Tyttenhanger, Hertfordshire, April 2011



Eurasian robin
Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758)
Muscicapidae; Passeriformes; Aves; Chordata
Lee Valley Park, Cheshunt, North London, February 2011



Jackdaw
Corvus monedula Linnaeus, 1758
Corvidae; Passeriformes; Aves; Chordata
London Wetland Centre, May 2011



Blue tit
Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Paridae; Passeriformes; Aves; Chordata
Lee Valley Park, Cheshunt, North London, February 2011



Male red-crested pochard
Netta rufina (Pallas, 1773)
Anatidae; Anseriformes; Aves; Chordata
Amsterdam, March 2011



Male stag beetle
Lucanus cervus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Lucanidae; Coleoptera; Insecta; Arthropoda
Enfield Town Park, North London, May 2011



Male mandarin duck
Aix galericulata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Anatidae; Anseriformes; Aves; Chordata
Forty Hill, Enfield, North London, May 2011



Viviparous, or common, lizard
Zootoca vivipara (Von Jacquin, 1787)
Lacertidae; Squamata; Sauropsida; Chordata
London Wetland Centre, April 2011



Male marsh frog
Pelophylax ridibundus (Pallas, 1771)
Ranidae; Anura; Amphibia; Chordata
London Wetland Centre, May 2011



White-winged wood duck
Asarcornis scutulata (Muller, 1842)
Anatidae; Anseriformes; Aves; Chordata
London Wetland Centre (captive collection), April 2011



Peacock butterfly
Inachis io (Linnaeus, 1758)
Nymphalidae; Lepidoptera; Insecta; Arthropoda
Kings Meads Nature Reserve, Hertfordshire, April 2011

Antwerp Zoo

Antwerp Zoo was by far the most accessible of the three zoos I visited two months ago (wow, it's been that long already!?) in Europe. It is located adjacent to the city's central railway station, ideal if you're coming from out of town, but even more conveniently, our hotel was located a mere two minutes' walk away. It's a small zoo, about the same size as Artis in Amsterdam. Although I don't feature any of their inhabitants in this post, the reptile house and the aquarium were very impressive. Less impressive though is the zoo's exhibit for nocturnal creatures. It was far too dark in there, lacking even the usual long wavelength lighting for the benefit of visitors. I wasn't able to get any photos in there. Oddly, Europe's only kiwi is kept in a standard-looking aviary. With it being completely nocturnal, and the sleeping quarters being off view, I'd be very surprised if anyone ever saw the bird. The same is true for the Cape genets (Genetta tigrina) apparently sharing their enclosure with African brush-tailed porcupines (Atherurus africanus) in an enclosure with visitor access only to the part exposed to sunlight.

Antwerp Zoo's inhabitants seem to be quite heavily biased towards those from central Africa (the okapi, eastern lowland gorilla, turacos aplenty, bongos, and Congo peafowl being a few examples): my thinking on this is that Belgium had imported lots of creatures from what is now The Democratic Republic of Congo (then, the Belgian Congo), and many have carried on breeding up until today. This won't remain the case for the eastern lowland gorilla, however (see below).

Here's a few of the highlights from Antwerp Zoo, heavily biased towards birds and mammals...



Siamang (male)
Symphalangus syndactylus (Raffles, 1821)
Hylobatidae; Primates; Mammalia; Chordata
Antwerp Zoo, March 2011 (and all other photos on this post)

The male siamang is a distinctive type of gibbon with his throat sac clearly visible in the above photo. He uses it to create an apparently almost deafening call which reverberates around the southeast Asian rainforests in order to communicate with other members of its species. They are a plain black coloured species of gibbon, unlike most of the other members of the family, and it now resides in its own genus Symphalangus. That, and the species name syndactylus, both mean "fused digits", describing the partially webbed toes that put apart the siamang from other gibbons. I highly dislike the term "lesser apes" to refer to the gibbons, as although it is accurate in that they are smaller, lighter, and more agile than the chimpanzees, gorillas, orang utan and humans, it implies that they are lesser than us in other ways, i.e. more primitive.



Eastern lowland gorilla (female)
Gorilla beringei graueri (Matschie, 1914)
Hominidae; Primates; Mammalia; Chordata

There are four types of gorilla in existence today, making up two species: Gorilla gorilla is the western gorilla, and G. beringei is the eastern. Within G. gorilla we have the well known and widely distributed (in captivity) western lowland gorilla G. g. gorilla from central Africa, and the critically endangered Cross River gorilla G. g. diehli from the border between Cameroon and Nigeria, representing the westernmost gorilla race. The eastern gorilla consists of the well known but extremely threatened mountain gorilla G. b. beringei from Uganda, Rwanda, and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and the eastern lowland gorilla whose range is adjacent to the mountain gorilla's but does not extend to high elevations.

I am not completely certain that the above photo is of an eastern lowland gorilla, but going by the number of western lowland gorillas I have seen, this one just looked different. The fur was more uniform black without the brown and grey shades that westerns have, and the head was less dome-shaped, which indicated a female. If I'm wrong and anyone out there knows otherwise, let me know in the comments.

This is the only eastern lowland gorilla kept in captivity in the world, and the only one outside of Africa. It was formerly more common in zoos, but has not had the same success as its western relative. It's likely, although I haven't had this confirmed, that Antwerp and other Belgian zoos had a population of eastern lowland gorillas since colonial times, and since exportation of wild gorillas doesn't happen anymore (hence why there are no mountain gorillas in zoos either), the population has dwindled, and the Antwerp individual is the only one of its kind left.



Great blue turaco
Corythaeola cristata (Vieillot, 1816)
Musophagidae; Musophagiformes; Aves; Chordata

Turacos are an exclusively African order of birds, most of which are very brightly-coloured. The less vivid members, the excellently-named go-away birds, and the plantain-eaters (because they apparently like the small bananas which also give Musophagiformes its name) are grey, brown, and white in colour, but the members of the genera Musophaga, Tauraco, Ruwenzorornis, and Corythaeola are coloured mostly in shades of green and blue, with highlights of every other colour possible. Such a range of hues is possible due to the presence of a unique pigment called turacoverdin. This is the only true green colour to be found in birds (with the exception of parrots, who have their own pigment too), as the green present in other birds is really yellow refracted in a way to appear green. The red in the turaco's wing, a pigment called turacin, is a copper-based pigment that differs entirely from the red in other birds. Most birds obtain their red coloration from carotenoids in their food, from fruits to brine shrimp, but it is unknown how the turaco synthesizes its own pigment, but both turacin and turacoverdin are known to be similar to porphyrins such as haemoglobin and chlorophyll which are both extremely widespread pigments in the animal and plant worlds respectively. Turacos have been allied with the cuckoos for most of taxonomic history, but they are now placed in an entirely different order with unknown affinities within the bird class as a whole.



Guira cuckoo
Guira guira (Gmelin, 1788)
Cuculidae; Cuculiformes; Aves; Chordata

The guira cuckoo is a South American member of the cuckoo family. Apart from the roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus), made famous by Warner Bros., the most famous member of this family is the Eurasian cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), infamous for being a brood parasite, almost comedically so, with the hatchlings dwarfing their foster parent, often a teeny warbler or other small songbird. It was this that went through my mind when I saw this guira cuckoo at Antwerp Zoo, with what looked to be a newly-hatched bird in its beak. It wasn't until I was able to study the photos I took in detail that I noticed that it wasn't a baby bird but a baby rodent in its grasp, probably a pinkie (the term given to newborn rodents fed to reptiles in the pet industry). Soon after this photo was taken, the cuckoo swallowed its prey. Guira cuckoos are not brood parasites like their Old World cousins. They regularly feed on hatchlings in the wild, and although this bird was sharing its cage with other birds, none of them have hatchlings that look like a baby mouse.



Barred buttonquails
Turnix suscitator (Gmelin, 1789)
Turnicidae; Turniciformes; Aves; Chordata

Buttonquails are partridge-like birds of unknown affinity, most usually closely allied with the cranes and rails in the order Gruiformes or just outside it in their own order Turniciformes. Buttonquails are unusual in that they show a sexual role reversal: in the above photo, the bird towards the top of the photo, despite being more boldly coloured than the lower one, is the female. The male buttonquail takes care of the eggs and chicks, and the female is polyandrous, meaning she mates with many males. This is the opposite case of most birds, where the males are either monogamous, staying with their mate for one brood or for life, or polygynous, mating with many females. The female is also the more territorial sex, expelling rival females from her own home range. The female is also the one to attract males by producing a booming call.

Perhaps because of the lack of parental care from the mother, the buttonquail chicks hatch highly developed and can fend for themselves despite being looked after by their father. Buttonquails are distributed in most of the Old World with one species penetrating southwest Europe. The barred buttonquail has a broad distribution across southern Asia.

Oddities from Rotterdam Zoo

Rotterdam Zoo, or to give it its proper name, Diergaarde Blijdorp, is by far the largest of the three zoos I visited on my recent jaunt to the Netherlands and Belgium. So large in fact that I couldn't see it all before closing time. OK, so that could be partly due to the rain and the fact that I took several rest stops, but still, it's immense, on the scale of San Diego Zoo almost. And it's still growing, apparently.

The zoo is relatively new, having built up bit by bit since the 1930s. It now has an impressive Oceanium, containing themed exhibits such as Bass Rock (see below), Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, the Falklands, and the Sea of Cortez, containing not just aquatic creatures but also birds, mammals, and reptiles. There are themed areas on the Arctic, with polar bear, arctic fox, and steppe lemming, and South America, with vicuna, Darwin's rhea, and scarlet ibis, before reaching the African and Asian sections, which are both massive. There is a small European section which I didn't get to see, and some wallabies which apparently constitutes an Australasian section. Finally, there is the Rivierahal containing most of the zoo's reptiles and amphibians, fishes, a tropical plant greenhouse with free-flying birds, and the indoor enclosures for the large ungulates like giraffes and hippos.



Atlantic puffin (in winter plumage)
Fratercula arctica (Linnaeus, 1758)
Alcidae; Charadriiformes; Aves; Chordata
Rotterdam Zoo, March 2011 (and all other photographs in this post)

The Bass Rock exhibit is the first in the Oceanium after you pass the California sea lions at the zoo entrance. It consists of a tank containing, appropriately, sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), and simulated cliffs for the four bird species, common guillemot (Uria aalge), razorbill (Alca torda - although I didn't see any), black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), and of course, Atlantic puffin. These are some of the more prominent species seen at the real Bass Rock off the coast of Scotland, which is an important breeding colony for these and countless other sea birds. Gannets (Morus bassanus) are probably the most famous inhabitants of Bass Rock, the place even being honoured in their specific name by Linnaeus. The puffins at Rotterdam didn't look as clean and brightly-coloured as those you see in photographs, but that's because they're in winter plumage, which is grey where the white is on the face, and the brightly-coloured beak plates are shed after breeding. Never mind, it was nice to finally see these iconic birds in the flesh, and I'll hopefully get to see them in a more natural setting next month when I go to the Farne Islands off the coast of Lincolnshire in the east of England, which is home to puffins and other auks, terns, waders, and gulls.



Cuban, or Desmarest's, hutia
Capromys pilorides Say, 1822
Capromyidae; Rodentia; Mammalia; Chordata

These zoos love their unusual rodents, don't they? Hutias are an exclusively Caribbean group of fairly large rodents, with many members becoming extinct in historic times. The Cuban hutia is still common on its native island, especially in mangrove swamps. In Rotterdam Zoo, there are two hutias of different colours, one very pale one, seen above, and the other a darker shade of brown. They were in the Caribbean section of the Oceanium, with a variety of Caribbean fishes, Toco toucans, and Cuban boas completing the themed area.



Swift fox
Vulpes velox (Say, 1823)
Canidae; Carnivora; Mammalia; Chordata

I got excellent views of a pair of swift foxes, living in the Sea of Cortez exhibit within the Oceanium. The fox is smaller than the red fox but quite large for a desert fox, being found in parts of southern Canada throughout the prairies of the US south towards the border with Mexico, so it isn't really from the Sea of Cortez. That would be the kit fox (V. macrotis), its close relative. They are reminiscent of the corsac foxes (V. corsac) of central Asia that I've seen in captivity fairly often.



Asiatic golden cat
Pardofelis temmincki (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827)
Felidae; Carnivora; Mammalia; Chordata

I'd been waiting for aeons to see this species, and I got fantastic views at Rotterdam in the Asian section of the zoo. Although technically a 'small cat', it's certainly not small, being at least lynx-sized, but not quite as big as a puma. It is one of the most beautifully patterned of cats, with an overall golden tone which has silvery-grey patches in parts, and a subtle spotting which is often completely absent, but sometimes quite bold. The face, as you can see, is wonderfully patterned in stripes. The tail is long and tipped with white on the underside. They are distributed in southeast Asia from Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula north to southern China and the Himalayan foothills. On Borneo, a closely related species, the bay cat (P. badia), is found, which is extremely rare and very rarely seen.



Chinese giant salamander
Andrias davidianus (Blanchard, 1871)
Cryptobranchidae; Caudata; Amphibia; Chordata

It's a giant salamander. The biggest amphibian currently alive today, in fact. It's very rarely seen outside of China, although there are a few in zoos in the States, but none in the UK. As a salamander fan, I was thrilled to see this guy in the flesh. It just looked rather apathetic to see me, however. An extinct close relative, Andrias scheuchzeri, was once identified as the remains of humans living before the Biblical Great Flood. It was hastily re-examined and identified as an amphibian. Thank goodness for that.



Klipspringer
Oreotragus oreotragus (Zimmerman, 1783)
Bovidae; Cetartiodactyla; Mammalia; Chordata

Meaning 'rock jumper' in Dutch and Afrikaans, the klipspringer is an extraordinary antelope. Not just for its cute-as-a-button eyes with adorable thick eyeliner and white eye shadow, or even its horns-but-not-quite-horns. No, even better than that, if you look closely at its hooves, you'll notice that the klipspringer walks on the tips of its hooves, like a ballerina. Even more impressively, it manages to do this on steep, practically vertical rock faces. Klipspringers are widespread in eastern and southern Africa, but live mostly on the kopjes, large granite rock formations. They subsist on rock foliage like crassulaceans (house leeks, or money plants), obtaining all their required moisture from their succulent leaves. They are housed in a large indoor enclosure in the African section of Rotterdam Zoo, sharing their kopje-like enclosure with a group of rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis), and giant tortoises, most likely Aldabra giant tortoises (Dipsochelys dussumieri), but I didn't stop to check. We were so pressed for time at that point, not to mention a couple were getting married and having photos taken in the kopje house, so I felt in the way a bit.



Slender-snouted crocodile
Mecistops cataphractus (Cuvier, 1825)
Crocodylidae; Crocodilia; Sauropsida; Chordata

The least known of the three African crocodiles, the other two being the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus - also found at Rotterdam Zoo, next door to this guy), and the dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis), the slender-snouted crocodiles at this zoo are the oldest of all their animals. When the zoo was located in the centre of Rotterdam by the railway sidings in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the slender-snouts were hatchlings, probably imported from the French or Belgian African colonies (I'm currently reading Heart of Darkness, thus that kind of stuff is on my mind). The zoo relocated to its current location in Blijdorp in the 1930s, and they have survived since then. This beast was huge, larger and fatter than the false gavials I saw at Artis. Slender-snouted crocodiles live in the same habitat as their larger and smaller cousins, in western and central Africa, but can co-exist due to a difference in diet. While the Nile crocodile will take larger prey (including large ungulates, as anyone who watches wildlife documentaries knows), and the dwarf croc eats small fish and crustaceans, the slender-snout will take those prey items of intermediate size. It is also able to use its snout in a different way to the broad-snouted crocodiles, in that being more slender allows the snout to enter smaller nooks on river beds and such.

Antwerp Zoo coming up soon.

Crocodile Lizard, and more...

Chinese crocodile lizard
Shinisaurus crocodilurus (Ahl, 1930)
Shinisauridae; Squamata; Sauropsida; Chordata
Artis Zoo, Amsterdam
March 2011

So, yes, that hyper-macro shot in the previous post was of the Chinese crocodile lizard. It's rare in zoos and almost as rare in the wild. The derivation of its name is obvious; it's from China and looks like a crocodile. As such, it's in its own family within the lizard and snake order Squamata, and its closest relatives within that group aren't known.

Here follow some other interesting and rarely seen mammals and reptiles, all photographed at Artis Zoo.



False gavial (or gharial)
Tomistoma schlegelii Muller, 1838
Gavialidae; Crocodilia; Sauropsida; Chordata

There were two false gavials in their indoor enclosure, one relatively small and slender, and the other, pictured above, who was huge. Never underestimate the apparent sluggishness of a crocodilian at rest; they can leap up without warning, as I discovered that day. If I hadn't been behind the extra barrier, which I wanted to jump over to get better photos, I might have been a goner. I can truly appreciate the terror that such a dangerous animal makes people feel.



White-bellied lizard (female)
Darevskia unisexualis (Darevsky, 1966)
Lacertidae; Squamata; Sauropsida; Chordata

I know this critter is a female not because of any distinctive markings, or a size difference, or obvious genitalia, but because there are no males. Not all animals have to mate to produce offspring. There are a few lizard species that are able to reproduce asexually, with the resultant offspring being exact genetic clones of their mother. As such, they are all female, all each other's sisters and their own mothers... I'm confused too. Anyhow, parthenogenesis (from the Ancient Greek, meaning 'virgin birth') is now being found in many species of reptile, and may be a viable form of reproduction when no males are present.



Spectacled bear
Tremarctos ornatus (Cuvier, 1825)
Ursidae; Carnivora; Mammalia; Chordata

The spectacled bear is the only surviving member of the short-faced bear lineage (Tremarctinae), which were found in North and South America. The short-faced bear itself, Arctodus simus, was a huge, long-legged beast capable of running after its prey. The closest thing we have to it today is the spectacled bear, a mostly herbivorous mammal from the cloud forests of South America. I'd been waiting to see this species for years, and have finally seen all the world's eight living bear species in zoos.



Round-eared elephant shrew (or sengi)
Macroscelides proboscideus (Shaw, 1800)
Macroscelididae; Macroscelidea; Mammalia; Chordata

Elephant shrews, or sengis, are an exclusively African group of mammals in the group Afrotheria, which also contains the outwardly dissimilar aardvark, tenrecs, golden moles, manatees, hyraxes, and elephants. The round-eared elephant shrew from South Africa is one of the smaller members of the group, being similar in size to a small mouse.



Yellow-throated marten
Martes flavigula (Boddaert, 1785)
Mustelidae; Carnivora; Mammalia; Chordata

This beautiful creature comes from Asia, from the cold forests of southern Russia and the Himalayas to the tropical rainforests of Malaysia and Borneo. It is vividly coloured in shades of brown from near black through to yellow and white. It is the largest of the eight marten species distributed throughout the northern Hemisphere, with the pine marten (M. martes) being the most well known in the UK, and the fisher (M. pennanti) and American marten (M. americana) being the two New World species.



Rock cavy, or moco
Kerodon rupestris Wied-Neuwied, 1820
Caviidae; Rodentia; Mammalia; Chordata

Cavies are also known as guinea pigs, the species Cavia porcellus being the one kept as pets and laboratory subjects the world over. There are a number of other species, the largest being the Patagonian mara (Dolichotis patagonum). The rock cavy, however, is rarely seen in captivity. It's found only in Brazil, and are adept climbers, scaling near vertical walls like the ecologically similar rock hyrax (Procavia capensis). According to Wikipedia, they have been recorded displaying homosexual behaviour. 



Common gundi
Ctenodactylus gundi (Rothmann, 1776)
Ctenodactylidae; Rodentia; Mammalia; Chordata

Another rodent oddity, the gundis are a North African family from the dunes and mountains of the Sahara Desert. They have unusual external ears, having almost no pinna (flap). The generic name Ctenodactylus means 'comb finger', as the gundi has comb-like claws which it uses for grooming.



Coypu (or nutria)
Myocastor coypus (Molina, 1782)
Myocastoridae; Rodentia; Mammalia; Chordata

Despite looking somewhat like a beaver, the coypu (called the nutria in North America, from the Spanish word for otter) is more closely related to cavies and chinchillas, and is thus placed in the Caviomorpha with them. It differs externally from the beaver by having a slender, unflattened tail, and thick orange enamel on the front teeth. Originally from South America, they have been reared in captivity for their cheap yet luxuriant fur, and have escaped numerous times, forming feral populations in East Anglia (now presumed extinct), other parts of Europe, in swampy parts of North America, as well as parts of east Africa. Like a giant rat, they are considered pests, as they destroy crops, but are relatively free from disease.

What on Earth?

So, what on Earth is that? A couple of (poor) clues: it's not an extant crocodilian; it was photographed two weeks ago at Artis Zoo in Amsterdam (so it's not likely to be a Deinosuchus or something). Answers as comments or to the usual email address.

Finally, some answers

Answers:
a) African hunting dog (Lycaon pictus) - skull #14
b) grey wolf (Canis lupus) - skull #3
c) cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) - skull #8
d) Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) - skull #16
e) aardwolf (Proteles cristatus) - skull #7
f) South American sea lion (Otaria flavescens) - skull #5
g) white-nosed coati (Nasua narica) - skull #24
h) binturong (Arctictis binturong) - skull #22
i) Soay sheep (Ovis aries) - skull #17
j) guanaco (Lama guanicoe) - skull #20
k) Chinese water deer (Hydropotes inermis) - skull #10
l) Reeves' muntjac (Muntiacus reevesii) - skull #2
m) white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari) - skull #11
n) western hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) - skull #13
o) European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) - skull #18
p) donkey (Equus asinus) - skull #4
q) Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) - skull #9
r) okapi (Okapia johnstoni) - skull #6
s) aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) - skull #1
t) white-crested gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys) - skull #23
u) Patagonian mara (Dolichotis patagonum) - skull #12
v) aardvark (Orycteropus afer) - skull #21
w) yellow armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus) - skull #19
x) giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) - skull #15

The winning entry was by Andrea J., so congratulations! No-one got them all right though, if you did but didn't enter, well done but shame on you. New puzzle coming shortly... um, eventually!

Panthera leo & Panthera tigris & Tremarctos ornatus...

...oh my! Just got back from Antwerp Zoo in Belgium, the last of three zoos I have been to this week, beginning with Artis in Amsterdam, and followed by Diergarden Blijsdorp in Rotterdam. They've all been amazing, and I have seen many species of animal for the first time. A brief list of critters I've seen at these zoos would include: giant anteater, two-toed sloth, common tree shrew, red ruffed lemur, hamadryas baboon, mandrill, Javan lutung, siamang, eastern lowland gorilla, gundi, rock cavy, capybara, Cuban hutia, North American porcupine, coypu, swift fox, African hunting dog, yellow-throated marten, binturong, margay, serval, Asiatic golden cat, Amur leopard, spectacled bear, polar bear, harbour seal, rock hyrax, Asiatic elephant, Indian rhinoceros, Malayan tapir, Grevy's zebra, lesser Malay chevrotain, sika deer, okapi, wisent, American bison, Egyptian rousette, southern cassowary, Darwin's rhea, macaroni penguin, Atlantic puffin, lapwing, ruff, monk vulture, milky eagle owl, emerald hummingbird, great blue turaco, Asian fairy bluebird, false gharial, slender-snouted crocodile, Japanese giant salamander, greater siren, bamboo cat shark... there are loads more. Unfortunately, I missed out on the sea otters at Rotterdam, and the kiwi and genets at Antwerp. Photos to come at some point, if not here, then on my Facebook group.

Greetings from Amsterdam

I'm currently in the capital of the Netherlands relaxing after a long day of travelling here from London via Brussels. It's taken nearly ten hours, but I'm now in the hotel where I'll be staying for the next three nights. Tomorrow's plan is to visit the zoo in Amsterdam, commonly known as Artis, as well as the natural history museum and botanic gardens in the same area. Although today was mostly spent in transit, I did get a bit of birdwatching done from my seat in the train from Brussels. Below is a list of birds I saw, including a couple of dubious ones that went just that little bit too quickly...

Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
Grey heron (Ardea cinerea)
Mute swan (Cygnus olor)
Greylag goose (Anser anser)
Canada goose (Branta canadensis)
Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Wigeon (A. penelope)
Tufted duck (Aythya fuligula)
Hen harrier (Circus cyaneus)
Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
Coot (Fulica atra)
Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
Black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Herring gull (Larus argentatus)
Feral pigeon (Columba livia)
Wood pigeon (C. palumbus)
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Magpie (Pica pica)
Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)
Carrion crow (C. corone)

I'm not sure about the hen harrier, as I say, we were moving at a helluva speed, but I'd like to think it was one. Saw many birds on large water bodies, but without bins and at high speed I had no chance of identifying them as anything other than "bird".

That's all for now, dinner beckons...

Some more time perhaps...

Oops, I forgot I was supposed to reveal the answers to the quiz a few days ago... I'll attempt to hide that by giving you another week or so to send your answers in. The new closing date will be 21st March.