by Anthony | Jun 15, 2020 | Countering Mumblebard
Equus kiang photo © Jan Reurink 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 give-away shading in the sunlight, making the animals plain and...
by Anthony | Jun 15, 2020 | Countering Mumblebard
A counterargument to countershading Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Zebra striping dazzles the pouncing lion. The pattern bewilders its assessment of range and speed, causing the predator to miss its target.” Robin and the Honey Badger respond: “The spotted hyena, the most...
by Anthony | Jun 15, 2020 | Countering Mumblebard
The apparent failure of bats to fill empty niches in New Zealand is owing to the ecological unsuitability of these islands for mammals. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Bats didn’t evolve to fill flying or flightless niches in New Zealand because birds pre-empted them.”...
by Anthony | Jun 15, 2020 | Countering Mumblebard
The ostrich uses the same advantages as used by flying birds, namely greater mobility and heat-tolerance than those of mammals, to compete as a herbivore with the many African antelopes. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “The ostrich fits in among African mammal communities by...
by Anthony | Jun 15, 2020 | Countering Mumblebard
Metrosideros angustifolia © Julian Sutton. Native biotas are today overwhelmed by a series of invasions by plant and animal species introduced artificially from foreign lands and waters, for example Lance-leaf myrtle (Metrosideros angustifolia, above). However,...
by Anthony | Jun 15, 2020 | Countering Mumblebard
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 pattern of the giant panda is probably an accident of evolution. If this colouration is...
