Did you know there are around one million known insect species on the planet? This easily makes the insect the most diverse animal in the world. All insects belong to the animal classification: Insecta, which defines them as a six-legged invertebrate with three body segments and an antenna. The beetle is the most abundant species…
Monotremes? I guess not many of us are too familiar with the egg-laying mammals of the world. There are only five, which are the renowned duck-billed platypus and the four extant species of echidna. Also known as spiny anteaters, echidnas are solitary medium-sized mammals covered with coarse hair and spines. They could easily be mistaken…
Mammals Most of us know that mammals are vertebrate animals and could probably name several hundred. However, did you know there are some 6,400 extant species in the world, which are divided into 29 different orders. All mammals belong to the taxonomy class ‘Mammalia’ and small groups have adapted for life at sea, in the…
To earn the accolade of greatness in any field is obviously a subjective matter. Shakespeare’s take on the subject was “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” How about great racehorses? In no particular order, here’s a brief narrative on what can be considered five of the greatest…
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed for its safeguard. Its “Red List” is an easily and widely understood system that identifies wildlife whose status on the planet is of some concern. A species is listed as “critically endangered”…
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