In the 1950’s the late Sir William (Bill) Hamilton, high country farmer and self taught engineer, developed the water jet propulsion system that allowed motorised exploration of rivers too shallow to traverse with traditional props.
The Hamilton water jet propulsion system is used in craft all over the world and became a regular feature in the New Zealand tourism industry.
During an interview in 1962 when hailed as the “inventor” of marine jet propulsion he replied “That honour probably belongs to a gentleman named Archimedes, who lived some years ago”. A position he maintained for the remainder of his life.
Skippers Canyon Jet, Shotover River, Skippers Canyon, New Zealand.
The Addo Elephant Park’s flightless dung beetle (Circellium bacchus) has no wings, but uses the sealed wing case as a CO2 store to exhale less frequently and thus minimize moisture loss during breathing.
This allows the beetle to survive the arid conditions prevalent in that part of the Eastern Cape.
And yes, in Addo dung beetles have right of way.
Give way to dung beetles, Addo Elephant Park, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Stillsuit is a moisture saving suit from the book Dune (by Frank Herbert).
Did you know, during their lifetime, elephants have six successive sets of molars? A new set develops in the back of the jaw and moves forward to replace an older set that has worn away grinding down the vegetation they eat.
A single tooth can weigh as much as 5 kilograms.
African elephant (Loxodonta africana) foraging in the Addo Elephant National Park.
Due to New Zealand’s isolation from other large land masses, its natural ecosystems develop in rather unique ways.
It is well known that the only native land mammals are a few bat species, but less well known is that New Zealand has no native
eusocial bees or wasps, and very few native ants or termites.
Humans have accidentally introduced 4 social wasp species and about 30 ant species.
What inspired the unusual common name, Secretarybird, (Afrikaans: Sekretarisvoël) for this bird?
Perhaps we will never know for certain.
It is regularly told in South Africa that the common name of the Secretarybird is due to the dark quill like feathers, resembling a quill pen behind the ear (apparently common practice for an 18th century secretary).
A more recent theory is that “secretary” is a French corruption of the Arabicsaqr-et-tair or “hunter-bird”. Inspiration or after the fact fit?
Secretarybird (Sagittarius serpentarius) at Spier, outside Stellenbosh.
Off all the diseases in the world only two have been eradicated through human effort, smallpox and rinderpest (cattle-plague).
Rinderpest is an infectious viral disease of cattle and some other species of even-toed ungulates, including buffaloes and large antelopes.
Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) at rest, Addo Elephant Park, South Africa.
In the 1890s a rinderpest epidemic swept through Africa and destroyed large portions of the wild life and domestic cattle. In South Africa alone 2,500,000 head of cattle was lost due to this disease.
Partial Kudu skull, Addo Elephant Park, South Africa.
