October 2014 – Page 2

The sound of summer

The Cicada (sonbesie in Afrikaans) lives for several years but of that only a few weeks are spent above ground.

The female lays her eggs in the stems of plants. A few weeks later when the young nymphs hatch they drop to the ground and burrow into it. They live underground through several nymph stages and feed on plant sap from plant roots until they emerge, depending on species, between three and 17 years later (yes that is seventeen).

Once above ground the cicada moults for the last time to reveal the adult form which lives for around four weeks.

(#58 of 100)

Flightless and Nocturnal sure, but a Parrot?

There are three surviving parrot species endemic to New Zealand (and a number of parakeets).

They parrot species are:

Kaka (Nestor meridionalis) (Image)
Kea (Nestor notabilus)
Kakapo (Strigops habroptilus)

The Kakapo is critically endangered and there are to all knowledge only 126 birds alive globally.

The Kakapo is a strange kind of parrot:

it is nocturnal (one of only three parrot species)
it is flightless (the only flightless parrot)
it uses a lek breeding system (the only parrot to do so)

It is also the worlds largest parrot (by weight) with males weighing over 2kg (and the heaviest ever recorded weighing 4kg).

200904-001_030-JPG_PAWW-DC-ZZ000 — Kaka (Nestor meridionalis) on Kapiti Island

(# 57 of 100)

Thank you Farmers!

The Bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygargus) was endemic to the fynbos and renosterveld habitats in the Western Cape. In the early 19th century the Bontebok was hunted to near extinction. In fact at the turning point there were only 17 of them left.

In 1837 a local farmer, Alexander van der Bijl, realising that these animals can’t even jump over a three foot sheep fence, fenced of a section of his property and persuaded his neighbours to do the same. The Bontebok was in all likelihood saved from extinction by the temporary reserve created by Alexander van der Bijl, his father P van der Bijl and the Van Breda and Albertyn families.

The first official Bontebok National Park was proclaimed in 1931. Today there are an estimated 3,000 Bontebok globally.

Bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygarus)

(#56 of 100)

I breath with my muscles.

The blood carries oxygen effectively through a protein called hemoglobin which is present in red blood cells.

All vertebrates also have a protein called myoglobin that does not occur in the blood stream, but rather in the muscles. It is this protein that gives flesh its red colour.

Diving mammals have very large quantities of a myoglobin so much so that their flesh appears almost black. These large concentrations of myoglobin and resulting stores of muscular oxygen is one of the factors that allow these mammals to hold their breath for extended periods.

(#55 of 100)

Gone Fishing

Fishing spiders (genus Dolomedes) do not spin webs to catch pray. Instead they hunt by anchoring themselves to shore with their hind legs and extending their front legs onto the water surface to detect movement much like other spiders use webs. When they detect the ripples from prey, they run across the surface to subdue it using their foremost legs, which are tipped with small claws.

They are able to travel on water because they are covered all over in short, velvety hairs which are unwettable (hydrophobic).

They are also more than capable of going underwater. The hairs on the abdomen trap air, allowing it to carry its own air supply when it submerges.

The nursery web spider (Dolomedes minor) do not restrict themselves to stay close to open water but are capable fisherman none the less.

New Zealand Nursery Web spider (Dolomeded minor)

(#54 of 100)

Honey – a sweet wound dressing

Written records show that honey was used to treat infected wounds more than 2,000 years before it was known that bacteria caused infections.

Honey produced by the honey bee (Apis mellifera) is one of the oldest traditional medicines for a number of human ailments and it can even be effective on antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.

The antimicrobial activity in most honeys (that has not been heat treated) is due to an enzyme Glucose Oxidase that catalyses glucose to form hydrogen peroxide. Certain types of nectar like manuka also have antibacterial properties that can act in addition to the hydrogen peroxide or on its own.

(#53 of 100)

The Windiest Little Capital

Wellington, New Zealand is the windiest city in the world. It does not experience some of the extremely strong winds other places are subject to, but wind gusts in excess of 32knots (about 60km/h) are recorded on average on 173 days a year.

The strongest wind speed recorded is 248km/h and winds in excess of 140km/h are not uncommon.

This results in an annual mean wind speed of 22km/h and thus the windiest city in the world.

Trees exposed to frequent winds, Western Hills, Hutt Valley

(#52 of 100)

King of the Beasts

By popular expression, the lion is the king of the animals. The oldest known reference to the lion as the king of beasts is found in the fables of Aesop. Aesop is believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 560 BC.

In modern times lion regularly become not only the king of beasts but also the king of the jungle.

Many are willing to point out that the lion can’t be king of the jungle as it is an animal living on the African savanna.

To be fair “jungle” is a word of sanskrit origin meaning “uncultivated land” and the asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) used to roam across large parts of Asia and Europe.

Given the right lion, lion is king of the jungle.

201101-001-647-CR2_PAWW-DC-ZZ000 — Lion (Panthera leo).

(#51 of 100)

Off to wonderland or beyond

The mushroom fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) contains hallucinatory poisons and can cause death if eaten.

Some of the changes in size and time perception described in Alice in Wonderland are characteristic effects of the mushroom intoxication.

There is some speculation that Lewis Carroll drew inspiration from either consumption of the mushroom or from the then popular book A Plain and Easy Account of British Fungi by M.C. Cook.

(#50 of 100)

Insectopia

Both the German wasp (Vespula germanica) and the common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) were accidentally introduced to New Zealand. Both species spread rapidly and became significant pests.

Wasp are particularly problematic in certain parts of the South Island where beech forests are home to a native scale insect that produces large quantities of energy-rich honeydew. This honeydew which is a major source of food for native birds and insects is also a super-fuel for wasps.

These forests now have the highest densities of wasps recorded anywhere on earth.

A survey on public attitudes towards pests identified wasps as the most hated pest in New Zealand.

(#49 of 100)