Category Archives: Animals on land

Not your average Christmas reindeer

Posted on Tuesday, 5 November 2019 by

Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) are endemic to Svalbard and are the smallest subspecies of reindeer – about half the weight of other reindeers. They sure do look small with their short legs and pot bellies. We saw several small … Continue reading →

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Walruses suck!

Posted on Tuesday, 15 January 2019 by

They really do! Let me explain. I’d only seen walruses (Odobenus rosmarus, ‘odobenus’ from the Greek meaning ‘tooth-walker’; they sometimes haul themselves out of the water using their tusks) in TV documentaries, a la David Attenborough. I think Taronga Zoo … Continue reading →

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Polar paws

Posted on Sunday, 13 January 2019 by

There are two types of polar paws on Svalbard: those of the arctic fox and the polar bear. I find bears interesting, possibly because we don’t have any in Australia (no, a koala is not a bear),  so I can’t … Continue reading →

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Koala aloha

Posted on Thursday, 8 November 2018 by

The local male koala has been creating quite a din over the last few nights, and we finally got a shot of him at twilight, high up a gum tree. You can hear a recording of the call here. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals on land, Koalas | Tagged | 6 Comments

In the Arctic circle

Posted on Sunday, 15 July 2018 by

After a couple of days in Oslo, we flew to Longyearbyen in Svalbard (aka Spitsbergen, the island of pointy mountains, halfway between the north of Norway and Greenland) via Tromso, but I will leave talk of Longyearbyen, Tromso, Bergen and … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals on land, Travels | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Red-legged pademelon

Posted on Wednesday, 12 April 2017 by

We see red-necked pademelons (Thylogale thetis), usually alone but sometimes two or three together, in our backyard in early morning and twilight. They are very shy and bolt at the slightest disturbance. The joeys are tiny and very cute. Up … Continue reading →

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The peregrinating spider

Posted on Friday, 3 March 2017 by

Prue and I went to Mt Tomah Botanic Gardens, whose trees and shrubs have grown tremendously since I first went there. While sauntering along its mossy paths, a movement caught my eye. It was a very fast-moving, colourful little spider. … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals on land, Birds, Spiders, Travels | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Tiny treasures: the invertebrates

Posted on Sunday, 18 September 2016 by

Some of the many enjoyable activities on the Hinterland Bush Links course involved the invertebrates of the subtropical rainforest. Our fearless leader was the enthusiastic Michelle Gleeson (of Bugs Ed and author of Miniature Lives).           … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals on land, Insects, Spiders, Travels | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Lichen larva

Posted on Tuesday, 26 July 2016 by

Here’s another photo from deepest, darkest Ashby, near Maclean. Peter asked me to ID this strange leafy thing (all the photos of the lichen monster below are Peter’s). I initially thought it might be some sort of lichen fruiting body, … Continue reading →

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Blistered grasshopper

Posted on Wednesday, 6 July 2016 by

Field ecologist Liam Bolitho has been walking the Larapinta Trail in the Northern Territory and gave me this photo of the stunning blistered grasshopper (Monistria pustulifera), also known as the inland painted grasshopper or blistered pygromorph. It’s gorgeous! The Atlas … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals on land, Insects, Travels | Tagged , | 1 Comment