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This previously seen but still undescribed species of fruit bat endemic to Papua New Guinea was observed by Conservation International?s Rapid Assessment Programme (RAP) researchers in 2009. The Tube-nosed Fruit Bat Nyctimene sp. from the Muller Range mountains does not yet have a name, though it is popularly called Yoda Bat. It is likely restricted (endemic) to hill forests on the island. Fruit bats are important seed dispersers in tropical forests. Goliath bird eating spider (Theraphosa blondi). The largest (by mass) spider in the world, reaching the weight of 170g and leg span of 30cm. Observed by RAP scientists in Guyana in 2006. They live in burrows on the floor of lowland rainforests and despite the name feed primarily on invertebrates (but have been observed eating small mammals, lizards and even venomous snakes). They have venom fangs (not deadly to humans) but their main line of defence are urticating hairs that cover their entire body ? when threatened their rub their legs agains the abdomen and send a cloud of microscopic barbs that lodge in the skin and mucus membranes of the attacker, causing pain and long-lasting irritation. The Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus). This was observed on a RAP survey in the Mantadia-Zahamena corridor of Madagascar in 1998. (The species was first described in 1888, and it is not rare in primary forest in Madagascar.) The Satanic Leaf Tailed Gecko, is the smallest of 12 species of bizarre looking Leaf-tailed geckos. They are nocturnal, arboreal geckos which exhibit extremely cryptic camouflage and are endemic to Madagascar. They are only found in primary, undisturbed forests, so their populations are very sensitive to habitat destruction. Large Uroplatus species have more teeth than any other living terrestrial vertebrate species. The Leaf-Tailed Gecko is part of the complex cycle of circulating organic matter in the ecosystem. They are predators of small insects and small vertebrates In 2004, WWF listed all of the Uroplatus species on their "Top ten most wanted species list" of animals threatened by illegal wildlife trade, because of it "being captured and sold at alarming rates for the international pet trade". |
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view Pinocchio Frog, Et Salamander, Yoda Bat And Dinospider: Species Near Extinction as presented by: Telegraph Media Group |
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These underwater creatures are masters of deception so cleverly adapted to their environment that many would never be found without expert knowledge. Brandon Cole, a photographer from Washington state on the west coast of the US, uses his expertise as a marine biologist to hunt for the almost invisible animals. Brandon explains why these creatures take such trouble to remain hidden. "It has to do with survival," he said. "They adapt to their environment through natural selection. Most of these animals are camouflaged against the background of their natural habitat. This increases their odds of survival so they are less likely to be found by predators. Many are small and defenceless so rely on this trick to survive." Brandon has travelled the world to capture his pictures, and says: "I think a great place to go to see mimicry in action is Lembeh Strait in Sulawesi, Indonesia. It's an especially critter rich habitat where lots of camouflage is present." A bearded scorpionfish hides in a coral garden in Indonesia. A Coleman's shrimp camouflaged among spines of a poisonous fire sea urchin in Indonesia. |
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view Marine Camouflage: These Colourful Underwater Creatures Are Masters Of Disguise as presented by: Telegraph Media Group |
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One in five people in the UK suffer from hay fever every year - but even the worst affected could appreciate the beauty of pollen grains blown up by a million times. This gallery features false-colour scanning electron microscope pictures of the causes of hay fever. The number one culprit according to scientists is grass pollen - which close-up looks like a bundle of knobbly peas. The second biggest cause of hay fever is birch pollen. Steve Gschmeissner, a retired scientific photographer from Bedford who has access to a scanning electron microscope, says: "A single birch catkin can contain five and half million pollen grains. Since a birch tree may carry several thousand catkins, the amount of pollen produced by several thousand trees in whole birch woods boggles the mind." A false-colour scanning electron micrograph of a pollen grain from a birch tree, which is highly allergic. Birch tree pollen is transported by the wind, and so is light with a smooth, non-sticky surface to aid its dispersal over distances of thousands of kilometres. |
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view Scanning Electron Microscope Pictures Of Pollen Grains as presented by: Telegraph Media Group |
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Here's a photographer who will go to great heights in his search for the ultimate picture. Jimmy Chin, probably the world's greatest adventure photographer, has travelled the world with highly-skilled mountain climbers, scaling huge peaks and even skiing down the face of Mount Everest. To work with Steph Davis as she became the first woman to free climb El Capitan's Salathe Wall in Yosemite, was an honour and a privilege. "I am always concerned with finding the right spot and the right shot, so sometimes I forget to appreciate the skill of my fellow adventurers, but I am aware of how my life has been changed by my ability with a camera." Dean Potter, one of the greatest high line walkers in the world, walks on a one-inch thick piece of webbing over a 500 foot deep chasm at Canyonlands National Park in Indian Creek, Utah, in January 2007. Of all his adventures though, his ascents of Everest stand out as his most physically demanding and rewarding. "You do wonder - when you are at 28,000 feet, the height that aeroplanes cruise at, when you are struggling to draw breath and every limb aches - why do I do this?" |
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view Mountain Climbers Scale Some Of The Highest Peaks In The World as presented by: Telegraph Media Group |
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This series of pictures by acclaimed wildlife photographer Paul Goldstein shows a wildebeest calf turning the tables on a hungry lioness and chasing her off over a stretch of water in the Masai Mara, Kenya. Finally with hunger overcoming feline fear of water, a medium-sized female closed in. Moments later, the lioness was fleeing, pursued by a furious wildebeest one-third of its size. Dripping blood from previous injuries, this callow calf showed the now disgraced lion a clean set of cloven heels and somehow rejoined the herd. |
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view A Wildebeest Calf Turns The Tables On A Hungry Lion In The Masai Mara as presented by: Telegraph Media Group |
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A male orangutan named Tuan gets his teeth into a pumpkin at the Hagenbeck zoo in Hamburg. Jemima the racoon enjoys a feast of pumpkin at Drusillas Park in Alfriston, East Sussex. A Japanese macaque plays with a pumpkin at the Bioparco zoo. Delivering the animals' meals in imaginative and unusual ways ensures they receive a varied and diverse diet, as well as encouraging them to think and work for their food as they would in the wild. North China leopards (Panthera pardus japonensis) also investigate Halloween pumpkin treats at the zoo in Hungary. |
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view Animals Tuck Into Halloween Pumpkins At Zoos Around The World as presented by: Telegraph Media Group |
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Standing inside a live volcano hoping to catch a chicken or some vegetables for some might be the height of stupidity. For these people on the Indonesian island of Java it serves as a way to provide food for their families despite the incredible danger. The Hindu festival of Yadnya Kasada is the main festival of the Tenggerese people in Probolinggo, East Java. The festival lasts about a month but on the fourteenth day, the Tenggerese make the journey to the volcano of Mount Bromo to make offerings of rice, fruits, vegetables, flowers and livestock to the mountain gods by throwing them into the volcano's caldera. The origin of the festival lies in the 15th century when a princess named Roro Anteng started the principality of Tengger with her husband Joko Seger, and the childless couple asked the mountain Gods for help in bearing children. |
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view Villagers Catch Offerings Thrown Into The Crater Of Volcano as presented by: Telegraph Media Group |
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Weather forecasters have warned of a fresh onslaught of downpours across southern China, which has already been battered by floods and landslides that have killed more than 200 people. The disaster, which has hit 10 provinces or regions, has caused an estimated 43 billion yuan (more than four billion pounds) of economic losses and displaced 2.4 million people. Thousands of soldiers have been dispatched to flood-hit areas to help in rescue and evacuation work. Troops have been seen struggling up soaked hills with food supplies to help residents stuck in their villages and carrying rowing boats to areas submerged in brown, muddy water. Alternating floods and droughts have plagued China's people for millennia. The current floods are among the worst in south China since 1998, when over 3,600 people were killed and more than 20 million displaced. Large flood-hit areas of southern and southwestern China, particularly Guizhou, Guangxi and Chongqing, had only just recently emerged from a crippling drought that in some regions was the worst in a century. |
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view China Floods: Hundreds Killed And Thousands Displaced By Deadly Flooding as presented by: Telegraph Media Group |
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