Species of the week
Species of the week- The Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)
Lauren is a recent graduate in microbiology interning at the Society of Biology until June 2013. She is interested in a career in science communication and writes for her own blog, Science Says as well as for the Student Hubs blog. The long-awaited spring is finally here. And what better to bring with it than … Continue reading
Species of the week: the parasitic barnacle Sacculina
Krystal Deutsch describes a parasite which chemically castrates its host Sacculina is a parasitic barnacle that depends on crabs for its growth and reproduction. A female Sacculina larva finds a crab, sheds its hard outer layer and injects her soft inner body through a joint in the crab’s shell, entering the crustacean’s body and using … Continue reading
Species of the week: Bottlenose dolphin
by Pippy Downs, a Year 11 work experience pupil from The Folkestone School for Girls Bottlenose dolphins are well known for being able to perform complex tricks. They have a friendly, permanent smile from their curved bottle like noses. Most people call them ‘dolphins’ however the scientific family name for dolphins is Delphinidae. They are … Continue reading
Species of the week: The Scottish wildcat
By Amy Whetstone, Qualifications and Skills Officer at the Society of Biology. The Scottish wildcat, Felis silvestris grampia, is an iconic species with a long history of roaming the British landscape. The Highland tiger, as the wildcat is otherwise affectionately known, previously ranged across the whole of mainland Britain but is now restricted to the … Continue reading
Species of the week: the swallowtail
The swallowtail (Papilio machaon), a beautiful species confined in the UK to a small area of East Anglia, is perhaps Britain’s most cherished butterfly. The subspecies Papilio machaon britannicus is unique to the UK, found only in the fens and marshes of the Norfolk Broads. Although its range is restricted, populations of the swallowtail remain stable. … Continue reading
Species of the week: Tenrecs
Guest blog by Sive Finlay, a PhD student from Trinity College Dublin Tenrecs are one of the most interesting and fascinating mammal groups yet many people have never heard of them. They are one of only four mammalian groups to have colonised Madagascar, a land filled with evolutionary curiosities. Tenrecs are a striking example of … Continue reading
Species of the week: the crayfish
by Zara Gladman, intern at the Society of Biology My name is Zara and I’m an “astacologist”, which is a fancy way of saying that I study crayfish, lobster-like freshwater crustaceans of which there are more than 640 described species. In Australia, they go by the name of “yabby” (as in “Yabby Creek” – Home … Continue reading
Species of the Week: the Coelacanth
Many species of Coelacanth, a primitive fish, are present in the fossil record, but they were thought to have gone extinct with the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Then, in 1938, a museum curator on a South African fishing trawler caught a living species: Latimeria chalumnae. Decades later, in 1998, a second species, L. menadoensis, … Continue reading
Species of the week: The Green Turtle
The green turtle, Chelonia mydas, occurs throughout tropical waters and, to a lesser extent, in subtropical seas as well. They nest occurs in more than 80 countries worldwide. Green turtles are slow growing and long lived; those that reach maturity may live to be 80 years old. Fully grown they are approximately 69 to 79 … Continue reading