Through the years I have always had a passion for wildlife and nature. As soon as I was on two feet, I indulged myself in anything having to do with the outdoors.

Whether that be taking walks through the woods, or diving into a bush after a toad, I would do it with the utmost sense of joy. As I grew older I began collecting animals starting with fish and escalating to lizards.

Recently I have been enrolled in a school with a zoo, and work there caring for Lemurs. My love for these things has been thriving ever since I knew they existed. All aspects of the environment that have impacted me create valuable moments, and over time, those accumulated moments have allowed my passion to bloom.

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The Sian Ka’an biosphere reserve is the third largest protected area in Mexico. Located on the Caribbean coast near the Mayan ruins of Tulum, two hours south of Cancun, this UNESCO World Heritage site consisting of 1.3 million acres has spectacular palm fringed beaches, 23 known archeological sites dating up to 2,300 years old and ecosystems ranging from islands to coastal lagoons to mangroves.

The boundaries of the reserve extend to the sea and encompass 68 miles of the Mesoamerican Reef, the second largest barrier reef in the world.

The Centro Ecologico Sian Ka’an (CESiaK) located on site is a small ecotourism and educational center dedicated to the conservation of the reserve, and serves as a model for sustainable development in sensitive tropical ecosystems.

On a recent trip, when my friend Maria and I wanted to ride our bikes to CESiaK from Tulum, the hotel receptionist warned us about the pythons and pumas we might encounter. …read more of Off the Beaten Path in Mexico: Biking to Sian Ka’an Biosphere here

Photo: Bird strike damage and remains. Photo courtesy of SI Photo Services.

When US Airways Flight 1549 went down in New York’s Hudson River on that 20-degree day in January 2009, just six minutes after take-off, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and First Officer Jeffrey Skiles suspected the cause: a bird strike. “Hit birds,” they reported. “We lost thrust in both engines. Turning back towards LaGuardia.”

While typically the result is not as catastrophic, birds and other wildlife strikes to aircraft cause over $600 million in damage to U.S. civil and military aviation each year. How can we prevent an eight-pound bird from bringing down a 93,000-pound airplane?

To reduce the chances of bird strikes, airport authorities must first know what species are being hit. That’s where the Smithsonian Institution’s Feather Identification Lab comes in. …read more of Bird vs. Machine: How Wildlife Forensic Science Prevents Crashes here

You probably have a BFF, right? A best friend forever. Someone you talk to every day whether it be in person, on the phone, or online.

Someone you hang out with and go to for advice, for laughs, for his or her stash of Double Stuf Oreos. Someone you can celebrate the good times with and trust not to tell your deepest, darkest secrets. A BFF makes life a little more interesting.

Especially when you’re an orangutan and a dog… …read more of Kids Connect! Unusual Animal BFFs here

When I was three I had an obsession with worms. I simply couldn’t keep myself from digging and sifting through dirt to uncover my prized little friends. I would spend hours upon hours in the hot summer sun with a dirt-covered face, just to obtain a single smile possessed by attaining a beautiful worm.

To me there was nothing better, until the day a painter came over. I was told the he didn’t like children and to leave him alone, but naturally being an impatient child, I disobeyed my mothers harsh orders and waltzed up to him. I bluntly asked if he would relocate himself somewhere other than my favored dig site.

At first he stared at me in confusion and after three or four blank moments he chuckled. He replied yes and walked around the house. Before I could set up camp he had returned with an overflowing bucket of precious worms. …read more of A Blooming Passion: From Worms to Frogs here

http://www.phenomenica.com/2010/02/sumatran-tiger-may-become-extinct.html

Blending in perfectly with its dark rainforest habitat, a predator crouches in wait as a wild boar roots around in the soil. Watching intently, the animal waits until the perfect moment to pounce.

Before the boar can even sense trouble, jaws are clamping tightly around its neck and it breathes its last breath within a matter of seconds. Within minutes, a large cat and its two young cubs are feeding on fresh meat as their species has been doing for thousands of years.

Though hypothetical in this case, this situation does happen in reality and represents an example of the natural food chain on the island of Sumatra, home of the Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae). …read more of The Endangered Unknown: Sumatran Tiger here

Source: bspb.org

Another threat for Imperial eagles seems to be growing, as a dead eagle was found in Southern Bulgaria on June 10^th. The cause of death, according to experts from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, is poisoning.

The bird was found just under the hanging body of a pigeon, which was previously poisoned and obviously used as a bait for larger bird species like eagles and falcons.

The dead eagle, called Sofia, was one of the birds with satellite transmitters …read more of A Story about Birds, Money and Foul Play here

 
Crab spider camouflages beautifully with the grass stalk

My fascination with arachnids continued as we sat in the grass having lunch. I noticed a small animal float before me and suddenly wiggle its way onto a grass stalk. Intrigued I took a closer look and discovered my first Kenyan crab spider.

Crab spiders are amazing. They use very little silk and instead rely on their stealth to catch insects. Usually they can be found on flowers, waiting for an unsuspecting pollinator, such as a fly or a bee, to come to the flower. Some crab spiders can even change colors to blend in with the flower of their choosing.

These small spiders get their names from the way they hold the two pairs of front legs, spread wide and ever ready to give some insect prey an unwelcome hug. This particular spider was camouflaging so well that it took me nearly touching it for my field assistant to see it.

Initially it had been climbing around the grass stalk unaware, but when it noticed the attention it was receiving it went into hiding mode. It looked just like a part of the grass stalk with its legs stretched out like tiny seeds.

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http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Worlds-rarest-insect-sticks-with-life/2005/04/21/1114028484296.html?from=moreStories

Imagine the most isolated place in the world. Perhaps the middle of the Sahara comes to mind, or maybe it’s an island. But we can get more isolated than that. Imagine a pyramid of rock, less than a mile square, that is lashed relentlessly by the ocean that surrounds it for several miles.

The closest land mass is 13 miles away, but it’s only a tiny island located 370 miles from the closest continent. The image in your head accurately reflects a real place called Ball’s Pyramid. Surely nothing interesting, besides maybe sea birds, would ever inhabit such a place, right? Wrong. …read more of The Endangered Unknown: Lord Howe Island Stick Insect here

What’s a habitat? It’s home, sweet, home for a species. A habitat includes the food, water, cover, and places to raise young that a creature needs in order to survive on this planet.

There are several kinds of habitats such as deserts, forests, grasslands, wetlands, and the tundra. Each of these habitats supports the animals that live in it and contributes to the overall beauty of Earth.

Don’t believe me? Check out these …read more of Kids Connect! Healthy Habitats here