Interesting or Unusual Behaviour

Discussions and information on all Southern African Invertebrates

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Lisbeth
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Re: Centipede behaviour :-

Post by Lisbeth »

It looks like something from the space :shock: ....and it is also venomous 0-


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Re: Centipede behaviour :-

Post by Dzombo »

Lisbeth wrote: Thu Jan 17, 2019 5:51 pm It looks like something from the space ....and it is also venomous
Extremely venomous, and with big jaws which can deliver a nasty bite.
Really no need to handle it.
And feeding it a sandwich???? -O-


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Processionary Worms

Post by Richprins »

From Mrs Dwarf in Marloth:



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Prof Braack says:


Processionary worms, moth species Anaphe reticulata, family Thaumetopeidae. They feed on Grewia bushes.


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Re: Processionary Worms

Post by Lisbeth »

Aren't they called caterpillars? Worms is another thing -O

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_processionary


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Re: Interesting or Unusual Behaviour

Post by Richprins »

A wasp catching a spider on the S127 by Ratel:


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Re: Interesting or Unusual Behaviour

Post by Flutterby »

I have seen this before at my in-laws. Amazing, when the wasp is so much smaller than the spider! :yes:


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Re: Dung Beetle

Post by Lisbeth »

Discovering the fascinating world of dung beetles

Posted on November 14, 2019 by Tailor Made Safaris in the SPONSORED CONTENT post series.

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© Tailor Made Safaris

SPONSORED POST by Tailor Made Safaris

Dung beetles are amazing creatures!
They are unique insects that play an important role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Even their name is very fitting as their life revolves around dung – they literally can’t live without it!

There are four broad categories of dung beetle: rollers, tunnellers, dwellers and stealers. Rollers shape dung into balls and roll them away from the pile, which they then bury to either munch on later or to use as a place to lay their eggs. Tunnellers dive into the dung pile, usually working in a male-female pair, and dig a tunnel beneath it. Dwellers, on the other hand, simply live inside the dung pile. Then there are the stealers – these lazy beetles will just steal the dung balls from the rollers for their own use.

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© Rhino Walking Safaris Post Camp

So, why would an insect want to eat dung? Well, when an animal (such as an elephant or a rhino) munches on some tasty grub, there are always parts of the food that pass through its body undigested, and end up in its dung. Its these nutritious bits of undigested food that dung beetles tuck into.

These cool critters may be small, but they are they mighty! The taurus scarab (Onthophagus taurus) – a species of dung beetle – is considered the strongest animal on Earth in relation to body weight to lift ratio. This insect can pull 1,141 times its own body weight – that’s the same as a human dragging six full double-decker buses!

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© Tailor Made Safaris

Dung beetles use the polarised light of the sun and the moon to navigate. According to research, there are some nocturnal dung beetles that have been observed navigating using the Milky Way. Currently they are the only known non-vertebrate animal to navigate and orient themselves using this bright stripe of light generated by our galaxy.

As you can see, dung beetles are quite fascinating – so be sure to take some time to observe these little creatures the next time you’re on safari!


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Re: Centipede behaviour :-

Post by Lisbeth »

Millipedes – 10 facts that we find interesting

Posted on December 20, 2019 by Africa Geographic Editorial in the DECODING SCIENCE post series.

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©Christian Boix

Millipedes of all shapes and sizes are a common sight in Africa, particular after rain, when they are seen marching around in search of decaying plant matter to eat. Some are HUGE – easily the size of your hand, and many have brightly coloured bodies and legs – possibly to scare off predators.

We rounded up 10 interesting facts about these wonderful creatures:

• The indigenous people of southern Africa call the millipede ‘shongololo’, which is derived from from the Xhosa and Zulu word ‘ukushonga’, meaning to roll up…

• The name “millipede” is derived from Latin, meaning “thousand feet”. However, no known species has that many legs, and the record for the most legs on a millipede species belongs to Illacme plenipes, who has 750 feet.

• There are about 12,000 described species of millipedes!

• Their primary defence mechanism is to release a foul-smelling toxin, which is made up of hydrochloric acid (which burns) and hydrogen cyanide (which asphyxiates). This keeps most predators at bay, with the exception of shrews and civets, which appear to be immune to these toxins. Millipedes also curl up into a tight ball when threatened, to protect their soft underparts.

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©Simon Espley

• When disturbed, millipedes escape predation by moving away in a slithering, snake-like motion, which may scare off some predators.

• Hornbills have been observed using crushed millipedes to line their cavity nests in trees – possibly to avoid mite and other infestations. Some primates have been observed intentionally disturbing millipedes to obtain the foul-smelling toxins which they rub onto their bodies, also as a repellent.

• Millipedes are some of the oldest land animals on Earth. The first known millipede, Pneumodesmus newmani, was only 1 cm long and appeared during the Paleozoic era, 252-541 million years ago. This is the oldest known creature to have lived on land, and was discovered in 2004 from a single specimen in Scotland.

• Some extinct prehistoric millipedes (Arthropleura spp.) grew up to 2 metres in length!

• The longest living millipede is the giant African millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas), reaching a length of up to 38.5 cm.

• It is thought that the bright body and leg colours of some millipedes is to warn off or repel predators.

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©White Elephant Safari Lodge


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Re: Insect or Invertebrates Identification

Post by Richprins »

Interesting! \O




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Re: Insect or Invertebrates Identification

Post by Lisbeth »

Amazing animals! and the speed for the size of this one is :shock:


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