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by Elena Mogilevich

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coyote play time :)

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Phil Davies

"The Egret was in shadow and the background was in full sun"

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textures from the houston museum of natural science ✨

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Genus Brachycybe

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Godman's Sarota Metalmark (Sarota myrtea), family Riodinidae, Costa Rica

photograph by José Alberto Cubero Guevara

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Flock of blackbirds in Louisiana By: C. C. Lockwood From: Natural History Magazine 1985

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oh to be a pangolin squirming around in the sludge 🥺🥺🥺 this would fix me

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Chimney swift doing what a chimney swift does best…clinging to stuff

📸: South Florida Wildlife Center

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as promised, the owlfly (family Ascalaphidae) I found in Singapore!

if you’re familiar with antlions, these work similarly, except instead of building a pit they rely on camouflage to hide from predators and ambush prey. a beautiful combination of lichen-y fringes and wickedly sharp mandibles.

it blended in perfectly with the mossy rope railing, even tucking back its mandibles at a 270° angle so that they lay hidden beneath the head.

it was one of several successful “oh-wait-was-that-a-bug-let’s-go-back-and-check” moments I had, and was glad I doubled back to see it for what it was! my first owlfly, now I’ve got to find an adult, which are dragonfly-like aerial predators

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Tiny friends

Photographed by Miles Herbert

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The Hunt

(As usual, the wolves lost this one, but after a few more attempts overnight they did eventually take a sickly bison down from that same group)

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pcareless

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"In a historic step toward the first-ever restoration of the tiger population to a nation where they were once extinct, two captive Siberian tigers have been translocated from Anna Paulowna Sanctuary, Netherlands, to the Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve in Kazakhstan.

This remarkable event is part of an ambitious program led by the Government of Kazakhstan with support from WWF and the UN Development Program to restore the Ile-Balkhash delta ecosystem and reintroduce tigers to the country and region, where the species has been extinct for over 70 years.

“It is a high priority for Kazakhstan to work on the restoration of rare species. For ecological value it is important that our biodiversity chain is restored. And that the tiger that once lived in this area is reintroduced here,” said Daniyar Turgambayev, Vice-minister of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan.

In the early 21st century, genetic studies were carried out on bones and furs held in national collections which revealed that the population of tigers living between Iran, southern Russia, Central Asia, and the areas around the Caspian Sea was extremely similar to Siberian tigers.

This led scientists to conclude that Felis vigrata, the former name of the Caspian tiger, was simply the Siberian tiger that developed into a distinct population, but not a new subspecies, over generations of being separated by habitat fragmentation.

Bodhana and Kuma, the male and female tigers, will be housed in a spacious semi-natural enclosure of three hectares [7.4 acres] within the Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve. Any of their offspring will be released into the wild and will become the first tigers to roam Kazakhstan in decades, and potentially the first-ever international tiger reintroduction.

They will play an important role in the establishment of a new tiger population in the region where they had previously been wiped out as a result of excessive hunting.

“Today marks a monumental conservation milestone to bring tigers back to Kazakhstan and Central Asia,” said Stuart Chapman Leader of WWF Tigers Alive. “This tiger translocation is a critical step to not only bring back the big cat to its historic homeland but also to rewild an entire ecosystem.”

Progress towards restoration of the area is already well underway with recovering and reintroduction of critical tiger prey species like the Kulan (Asiatic wild ass), and reforestation of over 120 acres with native trees. Being the apex predator, tigers will play a significant role in sustaining the structure and function of the ecosystem on which both humans and wildlife rely...

“With the launch of the tiger reintroduction program, we have witnessed a significant change—the revival of nature and our village of Karoi,” said Adilbaev Zhasar, the head of the local community group Auyldastar.

“This project not only restores lost ecosystems, but also fills us with pride in participating in a historic process. Because of small grants from WWF, we have the opportunity to do what we love, develop small businesses, and create jobs in the village, which brings joy and confidence in the future.”

From the very beginning, the local community around Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve has been closely involved in the project. This includes support for improved agricultural techniques and the future development of nature tourism in the area.

The translocation of these tigers is the first of several planned in the coming years, with a goal to build a healthy population of about 50 wild tigers by 2035, starting with this pioneering pair for breeding. This initiative is not only a testament to the resilience of the species but also a powerful example of governments, conservation organizations, and local communities cooperating in wildlife and nature conservation."

-via Good News Network, November 27, 2024

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A double crested saguaro. A rare sight.

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pssst the Monterey Bay Aquarium workers are unionizing and you can show your support 👇

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Rare mid-galumph shot

(Credits to Adam Slazok/ComedyWildlife)