On the Brink
Islands are like an evolutionary petri dishes. Strange things happen to the resident species. Large species morph into small species and small species morph into large species in a process known as Foster’s rule. Some of the results are surprising. On an island where there are no large predators
On the Brink
Trail cameras are marvellous things. They can be set to keep watch on a site 24/7. No need to rely on stumbling across wildlife. No need for live trapping or netting. Trail cameras are revealing rare, ‘extinct’ and unrecorded species and their ranges. Recent trail camera footage has revealed
On the Brink
With poor spring rains, not much rain over summer and then the autumn rains failing it has been an increasingly tough time for the plants and animals of our forest. Much of this has gone unnoticed; only noticed when it becomes blatantly obvious. Most days I go for a walk
On the Brink
Most readers will be familiar with the extinction of the thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus). Its range once extended over Papua and New Guinea, mainland Australia and Tasmania where it was an apex predator. It became extinct in PNG and mainland Australia around 3,500 years ago; probably due
On the Brink
This morning, I was sitting having my morning cuppa on the veranda when a butcher bird landed in a nearby tree. I knew there were butcher birds about -I had been hearing their powerful calls and the small wrens and silvereyes that frequent my garden had made themselves scarce. I
On the Brink
Dire wolves were not a fictional species of wolf created for Game of Thrones. Dire wolves (Aencyon dirus) actually existed in the Americas and went extinct as recently as 10,000 years ago. Their remains show they were bigger and lighter in colour than the modern-day grey wolf (Canis lupis)
On the Brink
By Neil Laurie
On the Brink
By Neil Laurie
On the Brink
By Neil Laurie
On the Brink
By Neil Laurie
On the Brink
By Neil Laurie
On the Brink
By Neil Laurie