Plants and Animals

There was some discussion earlier this year at this blog about polar bear numbers. We couldn't seem to agree whether numbers were increasing or decreasing and what would happen to bears if all the sea ice melted. Well according to Dr. Mitch Taylor, … [Read more...] about More and More Polar Bears in Davis Strait

According to Paul Watson from anti-whaling NGO Sea Shepherd, traditional Makah whalers had no plans to resume whaling. Then Watson's mate Wayne Johnson went out one Saturday morning and killed a gray whale: According to Lynda V. Mapes reporting for … [Read more...] about How Long Does it Take to Kill a Whale and Sink a Ship? An Update from Ann Novek

In the year 2000 I posted an image on wikipedia of a growth that I found on a Ryparosa javanica hoping to get it identified. Seven years older, but no wiser, I thought it worth giving it another shot. I think it's part of the growth of the tree. … [Read more...] about Prue’s Unidentified Anomoly

Step into the rainforests of the Daintree lowlands at the moment and you’re likely to whiff the pervasive scent of the rare Javan Ash (Ryparosa javanica). The abundant flowering emits a sweet, slightly off-smell, like five-day-old socks or raw … [Read more...] about Something Rotten in the Daintree

In the beginning of the Northern hemisphere spring , I asked if 1) Iceland would export Fin whales to Japan 2) Norway would fill its whaling quota Now we know the answers to these questions. Iceland will not renew its permits for commercial … [Read more...] about Whaling in the North – Part 3 from Ann Novek