Have you ever heard of a Peacock Spider? These little arachnids are members of the 'Maratus' genus, and are not just your everyday spider. There are around 108 species known so far, but the vast majority have only recently been discovered and described in the last decade.The … [Read more...]
The Mouse Deer – Exploring the Smallest Hoofed Mammal
The Mouse Deer, also known as Chevrotain, is a really peculiar little ungulate. Captivating and elusive in equal measure. They belong to two genera 'Tragulus' and 'Moschiola', which are members of the 'Tragulidae' family. This is the only family in the infraorder 'Tragulina', … [Read more...]
Horny Toads – The Desert’s Miniature Lizards
The Horny Toad, is quite a misleading name for an animal that, despite their appearance, is neither a toad, or even an amphibian. They are often mistaken for toads however, due to their flattened, rounded bodies. They are also known as the Horned Lizard, which is more accurate, … [Read more...]
Bandicoots – Small Marsupials With Big Snouts
Ever heard of the Bandicoot? You might have heard of the infamous 'Crash Bandicoot' that was centre stage to a host of PlayStation games. But do you know much about the incredible little marsupials on which that character is very loosely based?These fascinating marsupials, … [Read more...]
Giant Grouper
The giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus), also known as the Queensland grouper, brindle grouper or mottled-brown sea bass, is a species of fish from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae. The family Serranidae also includes the anthias and sea … [Read more...]
Spiny Lobster
Spiny lobsters, also known as langustas, langouste, or rock lobsters, make up the family Palinuridae in the order Decapoda and infraorder Achelata. There are around 60 species of these achelate crustaceans which are split into 12 genera.Spiny lobsters are found in almost all … [Read more...]
The Atlantic Wolffish
The Atlantic wolffish (Anarhichas lupus) is also known as the seawolf, Atlantic catfish, ocean catfish, devil fish, wolf eel, woof or sea cat. It is a marine fish of the wolffish family Anarhichadidae and is native to the North Atlantic Ocean. It belongs to the genus Anarhichas … [Read more...]
Galapagos Minke Whale
The minke whale, also known as lesser rorqual, is a complex species of baleen whale. There are two species of minke whale; the common minke whale (also known as the northern minke whale) (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and the Antarctic minke whale (or southern minke whale) … [Read more...]
Galapagos Hammerhead Shark
Hammerhead sharks are most common near Wolf Island and Darwin Islands in the north of the archipelago. Galapagos is one of the last remaining places where large schools of scalloped hammerhead sharks can be observed. They can be observed cruising over reefs and boulder-strewn … [Read more...]