Flying Away

Okay, I have been busy, hence the lack of updates.

Experts have spotted a decrease in the Tortoiseshell Butterfly (above) population. In some parts of the U.K., the numbers have dropped by 80%!

It is actually unknown why they are dieing out. It could be due to a fly called Sturmia Bella destroying the caterpillars.

The fly's first appearance was in 1999. A group has been set out to discover why the butterflies are failing, and if it is due to the Sturmia Bella.

I hope they find out and save these wonders.

Please comment.

Thank you.

Look Out!

Drivers have been warned about wildlife on the roads in Britain. Many are being killed. On estimate, 10 million birds and 1 million other animals are coming to an end each year due to road accidents.

It's putting the most endangered species at risk even more. The warning comes at a time that many creatures are coming out of hibernation.

I think this is a good idea and it will help deer, owls, rabbits, hedgehogs, badgers & foxes, to name but a few species.

Please comment.
Thank you.

Six Instead of Eight

Henry (above) isn't an octopus. He is a hexapus, a new species. That's what staff at Anglesey Sea Zoo have said, anyway.

They originally thought that he'd lost two legs in an accident, but now they're having second thoughts. Once they saw him cling onto the side of his tank, they realised that he couldn't have lost his legs in an accident, but he was born like this.

Displays supervisor Carey Duckhouse said, "We've scoured the internet and talked to lots of other aquariums and no-one has ever heard of another case of a six-legged octopus."

Henry is one-of-a-kind. He is now being moved to Blackpool Sea Life Centre to be star in the "Suckers" exhibition.

I personally think it's excellent news that there are hexapi. Who knows if there could be others such as pentapi or heptapi?

Please comment.
Thank you.

Ruffling Wings

A colony of Egyptian Fruit Bats has caused a stir. They live in a wildlife park in south-east England.

Keepers believed that all the bats were females as it's very hard to tell the genders apart in this species. It turned out that they aren't all female, because eight of them have given birth. So there was at least one male in the original fifteen.

This was a complete surprise to them. They are now going to look again and determine how many males there are.

I think it is great that they got it wrong. This means that there are more of the mammals and that isn't bad at all.

Please comment.
Thank you.

Wildlife and You: March 2008

As we enter my favourite month, March, we are starting to see many changes. For starters, migratory birds will be starting to leave on a journey that will take them a couple of months. It will take a couple of months because wherever they are going to is still too cold for them. Whether it's the Bewick's Swans travelling from the U.K. to Russia, or Swallows travelling from South Africa to the U.K., it is still not the right temperature for them. Why, you might ask, are they leaving now? Let me explain.

To start off, let's talk about the Swallows I mentioned. If they stay in South Africa, it will soon become far too cold for them there. Winter is coming to the countries in the Southern Hemisphere that it effects, and they need to leave. In the case of the Bewick's Swans, the longer hours of daylight are making them know instinctively that they should go. Britain is unable for a pair to breed. It doesn't have the right conditions. Siberia, however, does. The swans want to get back soon, so they can have the best breeding grounds.

Off that topic, many animal species are entering their breeding season. Expect excitement.

If you take a photo this month, I'd love to see it. Please send them in to this address. Thanks in advance.

Please comment.
Thank you.