Our Blog
Note to readers: ‘Biological Expositions’ is a series of blog-posts each of which is equivalent in content to a book chapter. If a bio-bullet is likened to a starter, our routine blog-post could be seen as a light lunch and a biological exposition as a three course meal. We look forward to your comments on this series.
Dingo: Indochinese jackal as much as Australian wolf
photo © Goran tek-en photo © Ashleyflashley The dingo occurs commensally with the human species in Indochina. Its geographical distribution seems to fit...
Tibetan wild ass is designed to be conspicuous to predators
A counterargument to countershading Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Tibetan wild ass is counter-shaded to blend into the environment. The white ventral surfaces tend to cancel...
Zebra striping frustrates victim-selection by hyena rather than bulls-eye pouncing by lion
A counterargument to countershading Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Prof. Mumblebard: “Zebra striping dazzles the pouncing lion. The pattern bewilders its assessment of range and...
Colouration of dogs suggests jackal-like, not wolf, ancestry
Santiago Atienza A counterargument to countershading www.kelpiegallery.com Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Although various wild members of the dog family could theoretically have been...
Warning colouration in the giant panda
The giant panda is the blackest and whitest of bears, because it is the bear under greatest risk of futile attack by the tiger. Prof. Mumblebard claims: "The black-and-white...
A continent mysteriously lacking tortoises
Testudines failed to colonise dry land on the world’s largest island because of its combination of salt and fire. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Australia is the only vegetated...
What does a pied lizard advertise?
Three extra hints of venom in monitors. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Beaded lizards are the only unquestionably venomous lizards on Earth. One species, the gila monster, has...
The subtlety of simian sightlines
Sideways glances by macho orangutans seem almost human. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Humans communicate with unique complexity, not only verbally but also by showing the...
The competitive edge of the amphibian way
Four wet legs need not damp evolution. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “In the evolution of vertebrates from fishes to mammals, amphibians represent the primitive stage...
Frogs father further than mammals
An oxymoronic devotion to larvae. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Direct care of eggs and larvae has evolved repeatedly in many families of amphibians, with frogs using particularly...
Amphibians are easy anteaters
The meanest frog can play myrmecophage. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Any species of mammal, bird, reptile or amphibian that eats mainly ants and termites deserves to be called...
A grazing bird under the marsupial radar
Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Mitchell grassland, the most extensive treeless grassland in Australia, is surprisingly poor in indigenous grazers. It is safe to assume that grazing...
Zebras use gnus as cover
How to stay out of focus by gnu-immersion Prof. Mumblebard claims: “As this photo in Ngorongoro Caldera shows, the plains zebra is attracted to gnus. The reason is that there is...
Californian oaks refute the assumption that tall trees need groundwater to grow in dry climates
A textbook assumption in Biology is that the amount of water available to plants is the main determinant of the height of the vegetation. For this reason, the tall savannas...
Another aspect of subtle mimicry of lion by leopard
The rosettes on the bodies of leopard and jaguar are so similar that they could belong to the same species. However, only the jaguar has noticeably bold black spots on the...
A country spoiled for choice in megafauna
The desert warthog is more massive than any indigenous mammal on the whole continent of Australia. However, South Africa retains such a diverse fauna of large mammals that the...
True ancestry of the domestic dog
Canis familiaris photo © Sofia Olsson The domestic dog is descended not from the wolf – which never features the black-and-tan pattern – but from an extinct and unnamed ancestral...
Chimaera-mimicry in confusing colour-morph of cheetah
Acinonyx jubatus photo by Blossom78 Acinonyx jubatus photo © Ashleyflashley Acinonyx jubatus photo © HESC Acinonyx jubatus photo © Jitze Couperus The melanistic colour-morph of...
Cursory similarity between predatory hyena and predated wildebeest
Links to the images that inspired this bio-insight: http://www.africa-adventure.com/Jordan/ http://cdn2.arkive.org/media/DD/DD6F184A-CFDA-48C0-A0C6-B28EA73F7779/ The spotted...
Arboreal reflections of amphibian eyes
The bulging eyes of water and tree frogs differ more than they look. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Semi-aquatic frogs have dorsally protuberant eyes placed above the level of...
The giant panda as a sinister signboard
A black and white warning of dangerous teeth. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “The black-and-white pattern of the giant panda was first interpreted as warning colouration half a...