Jellyfish or Jellymonsters?

Jellyfish or Jellymonsters?

Imagine a creature older than dinosaurs themselves, with lips pulled back in an endless scream, trailed by a ghoulish bunch of tentacles laced with poison. You guessed it, cnidarians, more commonly known as jellyfish. Before I tell you more about these graceful aliens of the sea, I would like you to first know that there are approximately 50 million jellyfish stings each year, which equates to around 411,000 stings each day, 17,000 stings per hour or 4-5 stings every second. So, by the time you have read this sentence (depending on how quickly you read) 105 people across the world will have been stung by a jellyfish. I would like you to keep that in mind while you read this blog. Did you know that jellyfish are older than dinosaurs? This means that they have been pulsing through Earth's waters for at least 600 million years! So, by my calculations, if all of the time that jellyfish have lived on Earth was...
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Making the Coronavirus Wildlife Trade Ban Permanent

Making the Coronavirus Wildlife Trade Ban Permanent

The coronavirus. Where to start? Well, the coronavirus started in the city of Wuhan, China and has spread to several countries across the world within a matter of weeks. To date, 43,104 cases have been reported, of which 38,043 people are currently infected, 7,345 are in a serious or critical condition and 1,018 have died. The total number of people who have recovered from the virus currently stands at 4,043 people. The name ‘corona’ refers to the virus’s distinct wreath-like shape. It is common in mammals and birds and in rare cases can spread to humans like it has done. Researchers believe that SARS-CoV-2, newly named Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), originated from an animal in a seafood and animal market in Wuhan. Identification of this animal is key to controlling the current outbreak and gauging its threat going forward. It is estimated that 70% of emerging infections have come from wild animals and strong evidence now indicates that Covid-19 originated from...
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Pangolins ‘Scaly Anteaters’ – The Worlds Most Trafficked Mammal

Pangolins ‘Scaly Anteaters’ – The Worlds Most Trafficked Mammal

Pangolins are rare, secretive, slow-moving, solitary and nocturnal scaly mammals - the world's only! They have a tapered body shape, varying in size from 30-100cm, with males being larger than their female counterparts. Covering their body and tail are sharp, overlapping keratin scales - the same material as human fingernails. Although pangolins share similar characteristics with Xenarthrans (anteaters, armadillos and sloths), they are actually more closely related to to the order Carnivora (cats, dogs, bears, etc.) [1]. They are also insectivorous and it has been estimated that an adult pangolin can consume an excess of 70 million insects per year! ‘Pangolin’ originates from the Malay word ‘penggulung’ which means ‘rolling ball’. As a defensive posture, pangolins curl up into a tight sphere, projecting their sharp-edged scales. There are eight extant species. Four species are native to Asia and include the Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), Malayan Pangolin (Manis javanica) and Palawan Pangolin (Manis culionensis). The other four species are native...
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The Devil’s Fingers Fungus

The Devil’s Fingers Fungus

A rare and spooky looking fungus called the Devil’s Fingers (Clathrus archeri) was discovered on Halloween at a Nature reserve near Bristol. The Devil’s Fingers is a saprotrophic fungus (soil-forming mushroom) native to Australia and New Zealand [1]. This organism lives off decaying matter and is part of a family of death reeking funguses known as stinkhorns. The Devil’s Fingers was first recorded in Europe in France, 1914. Presumably, this species was transported to Europe with Australian wool or, alternatively, with military supplies at the beginning of the First World War [2]. Its first recorded presence in Britain was in Cornwall, 1946. This was a surprising identification by an Avon Wildlife Trust conservation team on October 31st as there have only been two known records in this region, both from 1999. Also known as Octopus Fungus, this fungal species sprouts red tentacle-like arms from a partly buried white gelatinous ‘egg’. These arms stand vertically and are initially joined at the tip before unfolding backwards into a star shape. 5-7 (sometimes up...
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A Creepy Crawly Crisis?

A Creepy Crawly Crisis?

A new in German study published in the journal, Nature, confirms that some insect species are being pushed to the brink of extinction! Invertebrates make up 97% of the Earth’s animal species [1] and range in size from microscopic mites and almost invisible flies to giant squids with football sized eyes. Invertebrates are the most diverse group of animals and so far around 1.25 million invertebrate species have been described, most of which are insects. Indeed, every day new invertebrate species are being described by morphological and molecular data [4]. The success of insects comes from their ability to reproduce quickly and their adaptability to environmental change. Despite this, more than 40% of insect species are declining and a third are endangered worldwide – with an extinction rate eight time faster than that of birds, mammals and reptiles! New research has found insect and spider populations to be declining rapidly in forests and grasslands across Germany, scientists describe these findings as ‘alarming’ [3]. This...
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Dogs help to keep you happy and healthy!

Dogs help to keep you happy and healthy!

Dogs have long been associated with a range of health benefits such as: Improving your heart health - dog owners have been found to reduce your risk of heart disease. Improving your physical health - dog owners are recommended to do 2 and a half hours of moderate exercise. Helping you lose weight as a result of moderate exercise. Decreasing your stress levels - dogs have been found to help decrease stress hormones in the human body. Improve your social life as you meet more people through your dog. Decrease depression - dogs provide great companionships which helps to decrease loneliness and depression. A new study has recently added increased lifespan to that list! Researchers at Uppsala University, Sweden [1]carried out a 12 year longitudinal study to investigate dog ownership and lifespan. The study analysed 3.2 million Swedes aged 40-80 years old who had no history of illness. In Sweden, all dogs must be registered with the Swedish Board of Agriculture and, consequently,...
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