Posts tagged with ‘wildlife’ (131)
A female black widow spider spins her web. (Photo: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Female black widow spiders are known for the rather cruel treatment of their mates; the ‘widow’ in the name gets its origin from the female spider’s unromantic habit of eating her partner after mating. However, according to a new study released this week, there may be black widowers as well.
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Posted by Jimmy Thomson
in Nature
on Saturday, May 04, 2013
An Arctic hare runs across the tundra in Greenland. (Photo: Jimmy Thomson)
At the start of the war in Afghanistan, Canadian troops drew international ridicule when they showed up in the desert equipped with green camouflage designed for forests. Their gear, intended to make the troops blend in with their surroundings, did just the opposite, and brown camouflage uniforms were hastily procured.
According to a new study published in the Journal of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the Canadian army may not be alone. Some Arctic mammals’ camouflage is starting to malfunction as the snow disappears faster than it should each spring and takes longer to appear in the fall. Most notably, snowshoe hares — known for their striking white winter coats and brown summer coats — are struggling to adapt to the changing background colour of their environment.
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Wildlife photographer Mike Beedell has been photographing polar bears such as these ones for 37 years. Click on the image to view more of Beedell's photos.
Mike Beedell has spent more summers in the Arctic than elsewhere. He has been guiding trips in Canada’s Arctic, Antarctica, Greenland and other remote areas for 37 years and taking spectacular photographs all the while. His images have been published in
Canadian Geographic,
National Geographic,
Equinox, and many other publications; his work has even appeared in New York’s Times Square.
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Posted by Kimberly Ryan
in Nature
on Thursday, April 18, 2013
Painted turtles, such as this one, can live to be 100 years old and are the only turtle species not currently on Ontario's endangered species list. Click on the image to see more photos from the Rideau Wildlife Sanctuary. (Photos: Kayla Hannaford)
After a long Canadian winter, nothing screams spring like longer days, warmer temperatures, melting snow and, for the staff at the Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, baby animals - lots of them!
For months the Rideau Valley Animal Sanctuary has been preparing for the influx of animals it will receive this spring and summer. From organizing this year’s volunteers and interns to building new rehabilitation rooms, the sanctuary is finally ready for all that the season may bring.
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Posted by Kimberly Ryan
in Nature
on Monday, April 08, 2013
This great grey owl has become a frequent visitor to Jessica Yerxa's backyard in Grassland, Alberta.
When Jessica Yerxa grabbed her camera nearly three months ago to snap some photos of a great grey owl perched in a tree on her property in Grassland, Alberta, she had no way of knowing that it would mark the beginning of a very unlikely friendship.
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