Bin chickens is an Aussie slang term given to the much maligned white ibis. The Australian white ibis is actually one of three ibis species that are native to Oz, but their emergence as urban dwellers is a relatively recent phenomenon Bin chickens would normally feed on a wide range of food including yabbies, worms,…
Animals
Shaun the sheep (slug)
I know slugs aren’t usually what you think of when you think cute, but have you seen the Shaun the Sheep (or Leaf Sheep) slug? About the size of a grain of rice, this slug (Costasiella kuroshimae) is quite fascinating because it uses photosynthesis, retaining the chloroplasts from the algae they eat in a process…
The Tibetan Sand Fox stare
Have you heard of the Tibetan Sand fox? As the name suggests you find them in Tibet, but also Nepal. Like all foxes it feasts on small mammals (rodents) and lizards. It’s common and ranges the grass plains and are considered of least concern. But it isn’t so much the life of the fox I…
Blue tongue
The photo below is of an Eastern Blue Tongue (Tiliqua scincoides). I took the photo today as she was scurrying to hide behind the pot plant you can see top right (in the neighbour’s yard). At some point she must have been frightened and dropped her tail as a new, stumpier one has grown back.…
Penguin soap opera
Turns out, penguins can leave any daytime soap opera for dead when it comes to relationships – the ones locked up at Kyoto Aquarium, anyway. Back in July, a Kyoto-based researcher, Oliver Jia, posted about the penguin shenanigans, saying the penguins are “known to be vicious animals who cheat on their partners and steal other’s…