Adventure Ausrama Blog

A little penguin just flies through ocean water. The little penguin (Eudyptula minor) literally flies through the water. It is uniquely adapted to live in the sea. The aerodynamically shaped wings of the penguin provide "flight" while their tiny legs are used as rudders.     little penguin water White bellies blend in when viewed from below. Dark blue on the back makes it difficult to pick out when seen from above. Short oily feathers insulate them from sea water.        little penguin summer At night little penguins return to familiar colonies on land. Animals brought to Australia by Europeans are an imminent danger to them. Dogs, Cats and foxes will quickly snap them up.    penguin water The birds use old burrows to breed. one parent sits on two eggs while the other gathers food. They alternate roles each day. As youngsters grow they remain outside the burrow waiting for parents to return to satisfy their ravenous appetites. ◆ Australiana   ◆ Ty

GENETICS I've been everywhere man - I mean mouse! João   Gonçalves  Zarco, the Portuguese explorer, thought he had discovered a pristine island untouched by man. However, Madeira had been reached earlier by other people . Mouse move with man and their genetic fingerprint showed that Vikings had got there first. Mice began "travelling" with humans when people stated storing grain. There is nothing like a free feed to hitch a ride. As grain was moved aboard ship, mice got on too. When a ship reached its destination the mice alighted and started a new colony of their own. The mice who populated Madeira do not have DNA traces of Portuguese mice. They are related to north eastern European mice. Apparently, viking did not construct any lasting structure on the island. This is also the case in North America where very little evidence has been found of Viking exploration. Carbon dating of mice skeletons on Madeira show the earliest to be 1,000 years old. T

If you are human, knowing one's enemies is easy. The brain evaluates another person as to whether he/she is friendly or not. It may be necessary to work alongside an enemy but the enemy tag still remains. Insects do not have have such advanced brain power to discriminate friend or foe. Ants need a frame of reference to identify who they have to attack. When an ant from a colony meets an ant from another and they fight, the ants keep a memory of the enemies' odor. This occurs even though they may be of the same species. The "smell of fear" is passed on to fellow ants in the same colony. Ants also use scent to know other ants in their colony. In tests individual ants were familiarized with individuals from another colony. They could see each other. Actual contact was prevented. When 20 intruders were placed near to the other colony they were attacked despite attackers knowing the other ants. http://www.adventure--australia.blogspot.com/ http://www.tysaus