Am 19.10. um 18 Uhr seid ihr herzlich zu meinem Vortrag über die Antarktis und ihre Tierwelt und mehr bei Draiflessen in Mettingen eingeladen. Mehr Infos gibts hier.
Not very exotic but not less fascinating and extremely important: our local wildlife. Very often we appreciate those things the least that we have right under our nose: Bees, bugs, butterflies, spiders & co. However, they are extremely important for us – for example as pollinators. Yet, they are not doing very well. Pesticides, habitat…
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EN: Back to the Kimberley! New places, new species, new experiences. On a wonderful boat tour on the Ord River, I finally got to see my first Freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus johnstoni)! They’re quite a bit smaller and less notorious than their „big brother“, the saltwater crocodile. Even though like them, freshies are also tolerant to…
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EN: First visit of South Georgia this season! February is the perfect time of year to observe the female Antarctic Fur Seals nurse their pups. The lactation period is much longer in this species compared to the other Antarctic seal species – up to 4 months! The moms can’t stay with their pups the entire…
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EN: The vast majority of Antarctic cruise operators are members of IAATO, the International Association Of Antarctic Tour Operators. All staff working on these expedition cruises have to pass the IAATO online assessment each season to demonstrate that we are familiar with regulations within the Antarctica Treaty as well as IAATO’s guidelines. After pretty much…
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This summer, it was time for a change! Instead of working in the Polar Regions, I went to Australia (i. e. in the southern winter). The Kimberley region on the continent’s Northwest was one of the earliest settled parts but is still among the most remote wilderness areas on the planet. Let me show you…
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EN: Encountering wildlife is always exciting, no matter how big or small. This year, I had the privilege to work in Australia’s Kimberley for the first time. However, the wildlife here can be scarce and shy. That makes the encounters even more exciting and special. Hunter River offers a wonderful mangrove habitat with a large…
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As of now, there are 132 different species of marine mammals in the world. These animals are lumbed together because of their life style but they don’t actually have a lot of things in common. Yes, they all are mammals. That means there are certain characteristics that all of them share with other mammals, marine…
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Butt-breathing is a very little known ability of a small group of animals. It is more formally known as enteral respiration or cloacal respiration. It means that the gas exchange occurs in the posterior cavity of the enteral system. Typically this is not the major way for an animal to breathe. However, for some species…
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In July 2020, I worked on a couple of cruises along the Norwegian coast. One day in Melfjorden, beyond the Arctic Circle, we came across a dead whale. The carcass had started decomposing and was floating at the surface. It looked white as the skin had come off and the body was bleached (I guess…
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