View allAll Photos Tagged SPECIES
Tarantula is the common name for a group of hairy and often very large spiders belonging to the family Theraphosidae, of which approximately 900 species have been identified. Tarantulas hunt prey in both trees and on the ground. All tarantulas can emit silk, whether they be arboreal or terrestrial species. Arboreal species will typically reside in a silken "tube web", and terrestrial species will line their burrows or lairs with web to catch wandering prey. They mainly eat insects and other arthropods, using ambush as their primary method. The biggest tarantulas can kill animals as large as lizards, mice, or birds. Most tarantulas are harmless to humans, and some species are popular in the exotic pet trade while others are eaten as food. These spiders are found in tropical and desert regions around the world.
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Family Nymphalidae; sub-family Apaturinae (only two butterfly species in Maryland; the other one is the Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis); both sharing the same host plant, the Hackberry tree (Celtis occidentalis).
I loved the rich muted colors of this Olive-backed Euphonia...another of my 'treasured species' found in Costa Rica.
Eurycea arenicola from North Carolina. This species has been long anticipated, having previously been referred to as "Sandhills Eurycea". Staff from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences have long worked to describe this species and it was finally officially published as a new species today. These salamanders primarily inhabit seeps, streamhead pocosins, and blackwater creeks in the sandhills region of the Carolinas. Despite the fact that most of the habitat this species inhabited was converted to agriculture or developed long ago, the species remains well-protected in its limited range between large tracts of public and military lands that are managed with prescribed fire. The pictured animal was found under a coverboard right outside my office this fall. It was a gravid female, as evidenced by the light appearance of her underside, which appears so because of the yolked eggs visible through her opaque skin. The pattern is diminished in comparison to other Two-Lined salamanders, and mature adults appear with a striking reddish-orange coloration.
Congratulations to the many people who worked hard to describe the species, which has been in the works for many decades.
Stuart, BL, DA Beamer, HL Farrington, JC Beane, DL Chek, LT Pusser, HE Som, DL Stephan, DM Sever, and AL Braswell. 2020. A New Two-Lined Salamander (Eurycea bislineata Complex) from the Sandhills of North Carolina. Herpetologica 76(4): 423-444.
Mule Deer are the common species in western North America - they get their name from the size of the ears
08629 is about to cross Dirft Drive with 325015 and 325011 in tow running the units back to the main line and back on the juice for the run back to Scotland. With Royal Mail due to ditch rail transport as early as September 20th the sight of an 08 being used to tow these distinctive units will be history ironically a RM truck heads for the M1. The working was 1S05 15:34 Daventry to Shieldmuir.
Species: Poecile palustris.
Despite its name, the marsh tit actually lives in woodland and parks in England and Wales. It is very similar to the willow tit, but has a glossier black cap and a 'pitchoo' call that sounds like a sneeze! Info: The Wildlife Trust.
Many thanks to people who view or comment on my photos.
Predatory beetle larva in family Coccinellidae feeding on greenfly.
Thanks to Pete for correcting identification.
Immature
Bonaparte's Gull BOGU (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)
Rathtrevor Beach
Parksville BC
DSCN9909
Teaser
perspective was fun but not that helpful diagnostically
If you have any idea about the species don't hesitate to let me know. I found a few species that look quite similar but none of them matched perfectly. A genus would already help a lot!
This is one species of a selection of day-flying moths found at a local Somerset reserve. The ease on the Covid lockdown here in the UK has enabled us to drive to exercise which is fantastic whilst the warm weather continues.
Hellebore from the garden, they have been in the garden for a long time so I have forgotten which species they are, some years they come up and flower and other's they dont.
The streaked bulbul, or green-backed bulbul, is a songbird species in the bulbul family. It is found on the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is becoming rare due to habitat loss.
Scientific name: Ixos malaccensis
Conservation status: Near Threatened (Population decreasing)
Elachee Nature Center, Hall County, Georgia
In this time of stress and uncertainty, what a joy it was to find a new species tucked away in the crevice of a tree's roots! Thank you to the clever person who brightened the day of everyone who stumbled upon this mysterious creature.
Seeking an outdoor escape from the confines of my home, I decided to explore an area where I have not visited. What a delightful surprise! Over 1,400 acres and 12 miles of trails span a number of diverse habitats. Early spring wildflowers were emerging and it was a lovely day!
Mainau, Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, Deutschland.
Mainau es una isla de Alemania, localizada en el Lago de Constanza y más precisamente en la parte noroccidental conocida como lago de Überlingen (Überlinger See). La isla está conectada por el sur con la tierra firme mediante un puente.
Mainau se encuentra comprendida en el territorio comunal de la ciudad de Constanza y de hecho la mejor forma de llegar a la misma es por medio del transporte urbano de esta ciudad, que tiene una línea de autobús con parada en el acceso a la isla. Ésta es un importante destino turístico gracias a su suave clima, merced al cual alberga una vegetación muy rica en especies, incluso subtropicales y tropicales.
La entrada a la isla se hace previo pago, pero su cuidada vegetación, los millones de flores que la decoran (como es evidente, fundamentalmente en los meses de primavera y verano), sus invernaderos de palmas y de mariposas - en el cual estas sobrevuelan libremente a los visitantes y son de gran variedad y grandes tamaños -, su espacio con variados tipos de columpios complejos, y su pequeña zona con diferentes animales, junto a otros detalles, son de un interés objetivo.
De acuerdo con todo lo anterior, el lugar también es denominado La isla de las flores.
Mainau is an island in Germany, located on Lake Constance and more precisely in the northwestern part known as Lake Überlingen (Überlinger See). The island is connected by the south with the mainland by means of a bridge.
Mainau is included in the communal territory of the city of Constanza and in fact the best way to get there is through the urban transport of this city, which has a bus line with stop at the access to the island. This is an important tourist destination thanks to its mild climate, thanks to which it shelters a vegetation very rich in species, even subtropical and tropical.
The entrance to the island is made after payment, but its careful vegetation, the millions of flowers that decorate it (as is evident, mainly in the months of spring and summer), its greenhouses of palms and butterflies - in which they fly over freely to visitors and they are of great variety and size - their space with varied types of complex swings, and their small area with different animals, together with other details, are of an objective interest.
In agreement with all the previous thing, the place also is denominated the island of the flowers.
O. americana americana (Reeve, 1856) & O. americana cleryana (Petit de la Saussaye, 1856)
Scientific classification:
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Mollusca
Class:Gastropoda
Subclass:Caenogastropoda
Order:Neogastropoda
Superfamily:Volutoidea
Family:Volutidae
Subfamily:Cymbiinae
Tribe:Odontocymbiolini
Genus:Odontocymbiola
SpeciesO. americana
From left to right 62mm - 61mm - 43mm - 53mm - 52mm
Brazil
From my collection
Inocybe Species, we thought we knew what these were when taking the photos, but after a good look at them realised we didn't and it is still not known which one it is, still a nice pair though.
This species is a far northwestern North American breeder... mostly in Canada, but including our northern border states and Alaska. It passes through our lower western states only during its migratory excursions. This was my second sighting up here and I'm not that familiar with this species. The prior observation here was in 2017. I spotted both sexes this weekend. This may be a first-year bird... but the color differences of the females are very subtle and you likely need ideal lighting to make this distinction. Males tend to have darker head markings than this.
IMG_3770; Townsend's Warbler
An early morning shot taken at Lake Baratz in north east Sardinia back in 2013.
I was going over some older images when I found this one which didn't look that interesting initially which is probably why I ignored it first time around. No idea which species it is.
Best viewed very large.
Visit Heath McDonald Wildlife Photography
You can see more of my images on my other flickr account Heath's moth page
A species of pit viper, the world's only semi-aquatic viper, native to the southeastern United States, large and capable of delivering a painful and potentially fatal bite, found in or near water, particularly in slow-moving and shallow lakes, streams, and marshes. This individual was encountered while walking on the trail around Horseshoe Lake, Brazos Bend State Park, Needville, Texas.
Heliconia, is a genus of flowering plants in the monotypic family Heliconiaceae. Most of the 194 known species are native to the tropical Americas, but a few are indigenous to certain islands of the western Pacific and Maluku. Many species of Heliconia are found in the tropical forests of these regions. Most species are listed as either “vulnerable” or “data deficient” by the IUCN Red List of threatened species. Several species are widely cultivated as ornamentals, and a few are naturalized in Florida, Gambia and Thailand. Common names for the genus include lobster-claws, toucan beak, wild plantains or false bird-of-paradise. The last term refers to their close similarity to the bird-of-paradise flowers (Strelitzia). Collectively, these plants are also simply referred to as heliconias. These herbaceous plants range from 0.5 to nearly 4.5 meters tall depending on the species. The simple leaves of these plants are 15–300 cm. They are characteristically long, oblong, alternate, or growing opposite one another on non-woody petioles often longer than the leaf, often forming large clumps with age. Their flowers are produced on long, erect or drooping panicles, and consist of brightly colored waxy bracts, with small true flowers peeping out from the bracts. The growth habit of heliconias is similar to Canna, Strelitzia, and bananas, to which they are related.The flowers can be hues of reds, oranges, yellows, and greens, and are subtended by brightly colored bracts. Floral shape often limits pollination to a subset of the hummingbirds in the region. 23495
Crow in the spotlight ...
Sony ILCE-7R
300mm F2.8 G
The mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) is a perching duck species found in East Asia. It is medium-sized, at 41–49 cm (16–19 in) long with a 65–75 cm (26–30 in) wingspan. It is closely related to the North American wood duck, the only other member of the genus Aix. Aix is an Ancient Greek word used by Aristotle to refer to an unknown diving bird, and galericulata is the Latin for a wig, derived from galerum, a cap or bonnet.
The adult male is a striking and unmistakable bird. It has a red bill, large white crescent above the eye and reddish face and "whiskers". The breast is purple with two vertical white bars, and the flanks ruddy, with two orange "sails" at the back. The female is similar to female wood duck, with a white eye-ring and stripe running back from the eye, but is paler below, has a small white flank stripe, and a pale tip to its bill.
Both the males and females have crests, but the crest is more pronounced on the male.
Like many other species of ducks, the male undergoes a moult after the mating season into eclipse plumage. When in eclipse plumage, the male looks similar to the female, but can be told apart by their bright yellow-orange beak, lack of any crest, and a less-pronounced eye-stripe.
Mandarin ducklings are almost identical in appearance to wood ducklings, and very similar to mallard ducklings. The ducklings can be distinguished from mallard ducklings because the eye-stripe of mandarin ducklings (and wood ducklings) stops at the eye, while in mallard ducklings it reaches all the way to the bill.
The hooded crow (Corvus cornix) (also called hoodie is a Eurasian bird species in the Corvus genus. Widely distributed, it is also known locally as Scotch crow and Danish crow. In Ireland it is called grey crow, just as in the Slavic languages and in Danish. In German it is called "mist crow" ("Nebelkrähe"). Found across Northern, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, as well as parts of the Middle East, it is an ashy grey bird with black head, throat, wings, tail, and thigh feathers, as well as a black bill, eyes, and feet. Like other corvids, it is an omnivorous and opportunistic forager and feeder.
It is so similar in morphology and habits to the carrion crow (Corvus corone), for many years they were considered by most authorities to be geographical races of one species. Hybridization observed where their ranges overlapped added weight to this view. However, since 2002, the hooded crow has been elevated to full species status after closer observation; the hybridisation was less than expected and hybrids had decreased vigour. Within the hooded crow species, four subspecies are recognized, with one, the Mesopotamian crow, possibly distinct enough to warrant species status itself.
Except for the head, throat, wings, tail, and thigh feathers, which are black and mostly glossy, the plumage is ash-grey, the dark shafts giving it a streaky appearance. The bill and legs are black; the iris dark brown. Only one moult occurs, in autumn, as in other crow species. The male is the larger bird, otherwise the sexes are alike. Their flight is slow and heavy and usually straight. Their length varies from 48 to 52 cm (19 to 20 in). When first hatched, the young are much blacker than the parents. Juveniles have duller plumage with bluish or greyish eyes and initially a red mouth. Wingspan is 98 cm (39 in) and weight is on average 510 g.
The mallard or wild duck (Anas platyrhynchos) is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, the Falkland Islands and South Africa. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae.
The male birds (drakes) have a glossy green head and are grey on wings and belly, while the females (hens or ducks) have mainly brown-speckled plumage. Both sexes have an area of white-bordered black speculum feathers which commonly also include iridescent blue feathers especially among males. Mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are social animals preferring to congregate in groups or flocks of varying sizes. This species is the main ancestor of most breeds of domesticated ducks.
The mallard is a medium-sized waterfowl species although it is often slightly heavier than most other dabbling ducks. It is 50–65 cm (20–26 in) long (of which the body makes up around two-thirds), has a wingspan of 81–98 cm (32–39 in),[16] and weighs 0.72–1.58 kg (1.6–3.5 lb). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 25.7 to 30.6 cm (10.1 to 12.0 in), the bill is 4.4 to 6.1 cm (1.7 to 2.4 in) and the tarsus is 4.1 to 4.8 cm (1.6 to 1.9 in).
The breeding male mallard is unmistakable, with a glossy bottle-green head and white collar which demarcates the head from the purple-tinged brown breast, grey brown wings, and a pale grey belly. The rear of the male is black, with the dark tail having white borders. The bill of the male is a yellowish orange tipped with black while that of the female is generally darker ranging from black to mottled orange. The female mallard is predominantly mottled with each individual feather showing sharp contrast from buff to very dark brown, a coloration shared by most female dabbling ducks, and has buff cheeks, eyebrow, throat and neck with a darker crown and eye-stripe.
Owing to their highly 'malleable' genetic code, Mallards can display a large amount of variation, as seen here with this female, who displays faded or 'apricot' plumage.
Both male and female mallards have distinct iridescent purple blue speculum feathers edged with white, prominent in flight or at rest, though temporarily shed during the annual summer moult. Upon hatching, the plumage colouring of the duckling is yellow on the underside and face (with streaks by the eyes) and black on the back (with some yellow spots) all the way to the top and back of the head. Its legs and bill are also black. As it nears a month in age, the duckling's plumage will start becoming drab, looking more like the female (though its plumage is more streaked) and its legs will lose their dark grey colouring. Two months after hatching, the fledgling period has ended and the duckling is now a juvenile. Between three and four months of age, the juvenile can finally begin flying as its wings are fully developed for flight (which can be confirmed by the sight of purple speculum feathers). Its bill will soon lose its dark grey colouring and its sex can finally be distinguished visually by three factors. The bill colouring is yellow in males, black and orange for females. The breast feathers are reddish-brown for males, brown for females. The centre tail feather is curled for males (called a drake feather), straight for females.[citation needed]
During the final period of maturity leading up to adulthood (6–10 months of age), the plumage of female juveniles remains the same while the plumage of male juveniles slowly changes to its characteristic colours.[citation needed] This plumage change also applies to adult mallard males when they transition in and out of their non-breeding eclipse plumage at the beginning and the end of the summer moulting period. The adulthood age for mallards is 14 months and the average life expectancy is 3 years, but they can live to twenty.
In captivity, domestic ducks come in wild-type plumages, white, and other colours. Most of these colour variants are also known in domestic mallards not bred as livestock, but kept as pets, aviary birds, etc., where they are rare but increasing in availability.
A noisy species, the female has a deeper quack stereotypically associated with ducks. Male mallards also make a sound which is phonetically similar to that of the female, but it is a deep and raspy sound which can also sound like mek or whak. When incubating a nest, or when offspring are present, Females vocalise differently, making a call which sounds like a truncated version of the usual quack. They will also hiss if the nest or their offspring are threatened or interfered with.
The mallard is a rare example of both Allen's Rule and Bergmann's Rule in birds. Bergmann's Rule, which states that polar forms tend to be larger than related ones from warmer climates, has numerous examples in birds. Allen's Rule says that appendages like ears tend to be smaller in polar forms to minimize heat loss, and larger in tropical and desert equivalents to facilitate heat diffusion, and that the polar taxa are stockier overall. Examples of this rule in birds are rare, as they lack external ears. However, the bill of ducks is very well supplied with blood vessels and is vulnerable to cold.[citation needed]
Due to the malleability of the mallard's genetic code, which gives it its vast interbreeding capability, mutations in the genes that decide plumage colour are very common and have resulted in a wide variety of hybrids such as Brewer's duck (mallard × gadwall, Anas strepera).
Source:
Wikipedia
My 53rd species of 2018
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3 recent photos of Nomada Bee's could be all the same species but look to have slight differences. 28 species in UK & difficult ID due to similarity of several species. sometime referred to as homeless bees as they are cleptoparasites targeting mainly Andrena species
ƒ/5, 1/5 s, ISO 200 - stacked from 31 exposures; natural light
OLYMPUS OM-D E-M1 MARK II + Olympus M.Zuiko 60 mm F/2,8 Macro + Hoya Fusion ONE CIR-PL + Berlebach Mini Stativ + Manfrotto 410 Junior + Novoflex Castel XQ II
Species: Passer montanus.
Smaller than a house sparrow and more active, with its tail often cocked. It has a chestnut brown head and nape (rather than grey) and white cheeks and collar with a contrasting black cheek spot. They are shyer than house sparrows in the UK and are rarely associated with people.
The UK tree sparrow population has suffered a severe decline, estimated at 93 per cent between 1970 and 2008. However, recent Breeding Bird Survey data is encouraging, suggesting that numbers may have started to increase, albeit from a very low point. Info: RSPB.
Many thanks to people who view or comment on my photos.
The Blanding's Turtle is listed as threatened species in Ontario. The most significant threats to the Blanding's Turtle are loss or fragmenting of habitat, motor vehicles, and raccoons and foxes that prey on eggs. Illegal collection for the pet trade is also a serious threat.
Blanding's Turtles are slow breeders - they don't start to lay eggs until they are in their teens or twenties - so adult deaths of breeding age adults can have major impacts on the species.
Merlin
The Merlin (Falco columbarius) is a small species of Falcon from the Northern Hemisphere, with numerous subspecies throughout North America and Eurasia. A bird of prey once known colloquially as a Pigeon Hawk in North America, the Merlin breeds in the northern Holarctic; some migrate to subtropical and northern tropical regions in winter. Males typically have wingspans of 21-23 inches, with females being slightly larger. They are swift fliers and skilled hunters who specialize in preying on small birds in the size range of sparrows to quail. The Merlin has for centuries been well regarded as a Falconry Bird. In recent decades Merlin populations in North America have been significantly increasing, with some Merlin's becoming so well adapted to city life that they forgo migration.
For more info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_(bird)
Commonly known as moth orchids, is a genus of about seventy species of orchids in the family orchid. Orchids in this genus are monopodial epiphytes or lithophytes with long, coarse roots, short, leafy stems and long-lasting, flat flowers arranged in a flowering stem that often branches near the end. Orchids in this genus are native to India, China, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and Australia with the majority in Indonesia and the Philippines. A few to many, small to large, long-lasting, flat, often fragrant flowers are arranged on erect to hanging racemes or panicles. The sepals and petals are free from and spread widely apart from each other. The lateral sepals are usually larger than the dorsal sepal and the petals much wider than the sepals. The labellum is joined stiffly to the column and has three lobes. The side lobes are erect and more or less parallel to each other and the middle lobe sometimes has a pair of appendages or antennae. 65443
visiting the Butterfly Jungle exhibit at Safari Park in Escondido - sooc © All rights reserved. Per mmmavacado "Perhaps a Bulbina or a Bulbinella."
Dendrochilum convallariiforme is a miniature flowering species orchid from the Philippines. The flowers are about 5mms across and a lovely salmon colour, arranged along the raceme in an interesting spiral formation. There are more than 50 flowers per inflorescence.
The lesser white-fronted goose is considered an endangered species, but there are programmes to reintroduce animals into the wild to strengthen the population. Additionally it is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
This genetically distinct population is now estimated at about 20 breeding pairs or 60–80 total individuals at most. They breed in Northern Norway and overwinter in Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey. There is a major stopover site at Hortobágy National Park, Hungary where the birds spend up to two months during autumn and one month during the spring migration.
This shot taken in Lahti (Finland), near lake Pikkuvesijärvi :-)
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Uhanalaisin arktinen hanhilaji.
1900-luvun alussa Pohjoismaissa pesi tuhansia kiljuhanhipareja, nykyisin pesiviä pareja on jäljellä alle 15. Laji rauhoitettiin Suomessa 1969. WWF:llä on kiljuhanhityöryhmä. 1980-luvulta alkaen kiljuhanhia on kasvatettu tarhoissa ja istutettu luontoon sekä Suomessa että Ruotsissa, jonne on syntynyt pysyvä kanta. Suomessa istutuksia kokeiltiin 2000-luvun alussa, mutta kokeilu epäonnistui. Vuonna 2009 on aloitettu uusi kokeilu, jossa mukana on kiljuhanhen poikasia ja niille emoiksi valkoposkihanhia.
Tämän hanhin kuva otettu Lahdessa Pikkuvesijärven rannalla. :-)
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