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.
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 in the Public Domain Acinonyx jubatus photo © Ashleyflashley Acinonyx jubatus photo © HESC Acinonyx jubatus photo © Jitze Couperus The melanistic...
Cursory similarity between predatory hyena and predated wildebeest
The spotted hyena and its prey species the white-bearded wildebeest seldom resort to trotting because their sloping backs and disparity between fore- and hindlimbs make this gait...
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...
The dagger looks of golden toads
Black eyes can be poisonous exclamations in orange frogs. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Most species of frogs have prominent eyes. Despite this, frogs avoid using their eyes for...
Frogs’ tails hiding in plain sight
De-tailed amphibians conceal a hiptail of unknown potential. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Frogs are consistently tailless despite varying greatly in other respects and having...
Frogs are more dexterous than lizards
Primitive amphibians can be surprisingly handy. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Frogs remain at a lower evolutionary level than lizards. Although certain frogs possess an...
Happy festering in the lives of tadpoles
Frogs grow on soup, not vegetables. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “The free-swimming larvae of most frogs[1] worldwide are herbivorous. Whereas the adults eat animals[2], the larvae...
Why no southern salamanders?
Urodeles have a continental form. Prof. Mumblebard claims: "Salamanders have varied habitats but are restricted to the Northern Hemisphere except for one genus which...
The riddle of the failed frogs of Gondwana
Zealandic amphibians are a damp squib. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “New Zealand, like Tasmania and Patagonia at similar latitudes, is a former piece of Gondwana. However, it...
A thumbs-up on amphibians
Digital opposability in perching frogs. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Living amphibians consistently retain only four fingers on the forelimb. The missing digit is either number 5,...
The paradox of the fire-loving crayfishes
Buttongrass as a pyrotechnic engineer. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Through evolutionary time, fire has controlled the structure of vegetation, determining whether a landscape is...
Archaeopteryx is neither the first bird nor a bird in the first place
Prof. Mumblebard claims: "Archaeopteryx has stood the test of time as a primitive bird and as proof of the evolution of dinosaurs into birds. Although this particular genus...
Aposematic uniformism in butterflies versus mob-mentality in forest birds
Is Müllerian mimicry a misnomer and a non-concept in Lepidoptera? Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Coexisting butterflies with warning colouration tend to resemble each other even...
Plumosaurs flew as dinosaurs, not as proto-birds
Some feathered reptiles evolved into birds, but others flew in parallel right until all dinosaurs died. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Flapping flight has only evolved thrice in...
Authentic mega-killers kept their mouths shut
Why would any felid flaunt what’s obvious? Prof. Mumblebard claims: “The extinct Smilodon, largest of all sabretooth cats, is particularly well-known because of the...
Five newly revealed ‘conspicu-cats’
Black-and-white armbands remind bullies that small cats can punch above their weight. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Skunks defend themselves by spraying obnoxious...
What lies behind the kidney’s iron curtain?
Despite its rusty colour, urine is revealingly rust-free. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “A main function of the human kidney is to excrete toxic substances including any excesses...