These little spring-loaded insects are more than just grasshoppers. They have short, stout antennae and unique hearing organs called tympana, tucked right onto the sides of their bellies.
These guardians of crops also need to protect themselves🛡️, thus their hemolymph (sort of blood in invertebrates) contains pederin which acts as a toxin. For humans, contact with crushed individuals can cause skin irritations called dermatitis linearis.
Their legs are heavily sclerotized or hardened and transformed into broad, flattened, toothed structures. Interestingly, despite being subterranean, they are proficient swimmers. In flooded rice fields, they can be seen paddling between plants using their broad forelegs.
This powerful intrinsic potential for rejuvenation allows even tiny fragments to survive and develop into entirely new colonies. 🌱Scientists are leveraging this characteristic through "micro-fragmentation" techniques ✂️ to accelerate reef restoration.
Studies in the UK show that stealing from humans is a “low-risk, high-reward” strategy. If a person looks directly at the gull👁️, it is far less likely to strike, but if the human looks away, the gull seizes the opportunity.
Their display of chrome or pale yellow coloration and red-dusted patterns helps them blend into forest foliage and mimic bird droppings to deter predators. Although they are yellow as adults, the caterpillars are bright green with a yellowish belly and a brown head.
During the process of glycolysis, molecules of pyruvate are produced and reduce the pH value that lowers the affinity of oxygen to haemoglobin inside the light organs, resulting in limited concentration of oxygen, a signal for the fish to sense the level of light emission, and eventually control it
During hot sunny days, these insects engage in the obelisk posture, which is a thermoregulatory behavior used by dragonflies to prevent overheating. By elevating their abdomens to point directly at the sun, they minimize the surface area exposed to direct solar radiation.
Most marine gastropod shells are dextral. Using specialized teeth at the base of the pincer, the crab spirals into the shell from the opening, efficiently breaking it apart to access the soft animal inside.
When the weather gets warmer, if you want to come across these beetles. Try and look for these flowers 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘮 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦, 𝘝𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘶𝘮 𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘶𝘮, 𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘢 sp., and 𝘡𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘹𝘺𝘭𝘶𝘮 𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘦 in your next outing.
Research suggests that this unusual cooperation among males gives them a significant advantage when hunting larger prey. By working together, they can take down animals much larger than themselves, including deer and monkeys !
Bee Flies are active during warm, sunny days in mild weather. They are typically found in mountainous and open areas where flowering plants are abundant. Adults primarily act as pollinators as they feed on nectar from local flowers such as those in the Asteraceae and Apiaceae families.
Termite colonies may survive for up to five decades, but the mounds tend to outlive the colonies. One mound may house more than one species of termites after the previous colony has perished, with other insects and animals like aardvarks and warthogs also living in and on the mounds.
The HKBM was recently honored to receive a specimen donation of 11 dry lichen and algae specimens collected decades ago. Often hiding in plain sight, these organisms serve a significant role in monitoring the environment.
Brown is the new black! This week’s neighbor is 𝘌𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘹 𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘺𝘮𝘢 (Hampson, 1892), also commonly known as the Lappet Moth, is a moth that elegantly masters the different tones of brown. It is a member of the Lasiocampidae family, and a fairly common native species in Hong Kong.
An myth surrounding Black Muntjac that they are “Vampire Deer” due to their long, dagger-like upper canines, which can grow up to 6 centimeters in males—the longest among deer species. 🧛♂️🗡️ The length of their canines often determines dominance in fights, longer canines will have stronger competition.
Unlike most caterpillars, these larvae lack typical prolegs. Instead, they have a flattened, adhesive underside and move with an undulating motion similar to a slug, often using a lubricant of liquefied silk to glide across surfaces.
While Long‑spine Porcupinefish is typically less toxic than the more famous pufferfish, the poison was at such low levels that laboratory equipment could not detect it in any part of the fish. Another study proved that even when the meat appears safe, toxin can still be found in the ovaries.
This week’s metallic emerald green neighbor is the Oriental Flower Beetle, 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘢 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴 (Linneus 1758). These beetles, from the Scarabaeidae family, are widely distributed across the countryside and outlying islands of Hong Kong, such as Lantau and Sai Kung.
This sticky feat is made possible by barnacle cement that barnacles secrete from glands on their heads. It’s a complex cocktail of proteins that solidifies into a tough bond🧪, a natural adhesive works underwater, withstands salt and pressure, and remains effective for years⏳
Hopping into the new year is our neighbor, the carinate locust, also known as 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘢. These locusts get their name from the prominent ridges, or carinae, on their pronotum, which is the plate covering the thorax. This gives our neighbor a robust and armored appearance.
Crucially, if environmental conditions become too harsh or resources too scarce, the viviparous lizard can halt or even reabsorb the development of her embryos, preserving her own health and increasing her chances of future reproduction. This behaviour illustrates the “selfish mother hypothesis”.
Our neighbor for this week is 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘢, commonly known as the six-spotted zigzag ladybird (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). A highly common and ecologically beneficial beetle, it is found across the city's gardens, agricultural fields, and urban parks.
Arctic fox use a special technique to hunt lemmings, known as ‘snow dive’ or ‘mousing’. With their acute sense of hearing👂🏼, they could locate the lemmings moving beneath the thick snow and capture them by leaping into the air and diving into the snow.
Males gather in special trees called leks, where they can display themselves to the females. To make sure he stands out, a male will clear the leaves from his chosen branch, so he can be easily seen. Sometimes, up to 12 males will display in the same tree.
This vibrant and iridescent critter with a shield-like back is 𝘏𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘶𝘴, also known as the Shield Bug.Scutelleridae bugs are predominantly phytophagous, meaning that they are plant-feeding insects. They use their enlarged, beak-like mouthparts to extract juices from plants
If the mother has another fertilized egg in her uterus when there is already a joey inside the marsupial pouch, something astonishing happens. The mother can pause the development of the embryo, known as embryonic diapause.The reason behind this ability is to prevent competition between offsprings.
Beyond their intriguing life cycle, these beetles play a vital ecological role. Their diligent burrowing helps aerate the soil and contributes to essential nutrient cycling by breaking down organic material.
One special feature of 𝘊. 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘳𝘢 is its ability to handle toxins. It possesses a unique protein in its hemolymph that grabs onto poisons like saxitoxin. The protein safely holds the toxin, protecting the crab from getting sick and possibly scaring off predators like fish or bigger crabs.
𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘴 are brightly colored, typically red and black. The specimen shown on the picture is a nymph, meaning that it is the immature stage of insects that undergo incomplete metamorphosis. Unlike larvae, nymphs generally look like smaller wingless versions of the adult insect.
