#nature

[typhlonectes]

Komodo dragons have iron-tipped teeth, new study shows

Komodo dragons, the world’s largest species of lizard, have iron-tipped teeth that help them to rip their prey apart, according to new research. The metal is concentrated in the cutting edge and tips of their curved, serrated teeth, staining them orange, scientists wrote in a paper published Wednesday in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. Komodo dragons are native to Indonesia and weigh around 80 kilograms (176 pounds) on average. They eat almost any kind of meat and are known as deadly predators...

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/24/science/komodo-dragons-iron-teeth-scli-intl/index.html

[silverhaize]

credit/amanda iceton

[ur-daily-inspiration]

[daily-spooky]

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[wachinyeya]

https://ktla.com/news/california/goats-unleashed-by-san-manuel-tribe-as-part-of-fire-prevention-strategy/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaaJJAE-Kl55wk4vm1cYc0zjGRUEv8w6ps0HX0z-rxwwa7YXnTDCsgIU2vs_aem_0djT-2NoD-E87Ic6UeeqGw

Firefighting goats have been deployed by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians to protect tribal land and neighboring property from potentially devastating brush fires.

The goats are unleashed by the San Manuel Fire Department to eat up dry brush and grass that would normally be ideal fuel for fires — a recent fire was actually partially stopped once it reached an area cleared by the caprine crew earlier this year.

The herd, officials said, is about 400-strong and is made up of generations of goat families.

On Tuesday, the goats were treated to a feast of fruit before being sent on their brush-eating mission.

The goats will spend the next several months trimming and thinning out vegetation on the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Reservation and nearby properties in San Bernardino.

Tribal officials said the brush that covers the hillsides in and around San Manuel property is thriving and diverse, boosted by the recent history-making rainy season. The plant life is an ideal food source because goats prefer food that’s at their eye level.

The Tribe has used goats as a natural, environmentally friendly fire preventative tool since 2019; the plants get trimmed in a sustainable fashion, which allows them to survive and recover naturally overtime unlike most chemical sprays.

Tribal officials called the practice an extension of the Tribe’s “culture of lands stewardship.”

“Caring for the land is a sacred duty of the Tribe,” said Lynn Valbuena, chairwoman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. “Stewardship is a responsibility given to our people by the Creator. No matter who owns the land.”

San Bernardino County residents shouldn’t be surprised to see the goats in the mountains fulfilling this divine task from now through the end of fire season.

[daily--cats]

[nnobodysdaughter]

[landsccape]

[maviyenot]

[makrustic]

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[typhlonectes]

Giant millipede lost to science rediscovered in Madagascar’s jungle

A giant dark-brown millipede, not documented for 126 years, has been recorded in Makira Natural Park, home to the largest and most intact forest in Madagascar.

It is one of 21 “lost” species rediscovered by Re:wild during an expedition to the African island in September last year, the results of which have just been published. The conservation organization aims to locate species that have not been seen and recorded for a minimum of 10 years, hoping that by removing data deficiencies it will be able to help prevent species extinction.

Christina Biggs, lost species officer for Re:wild, spotted the giant millipede crawling over her boot outside her tent one morning. “I filmed it for a while because I thought it was cool, having no clue that it was an actual lost species,” she told CNN in an email. “It wasn’t until Dmitry Telnov, a beetle specialist with the Natural History Museum in London, sent material to a German colleague specializing in Madagascan myriapods, that we found out it hadn’t been documented since 1897"...

Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/science/giant-millipede-madagascar-c2e-spc

[herpsandbirds]

Dracula Parrot aka Pesquet’s Parrot (Psittrichas fulgidus), family Psittaculidae, order Psittaciformes, endemic to New Guinea

photograph by Kow Hao Rui

[ur-daily-inspiration]

[expressions-of-nature]

by Vadim Trunov

[maureen2musings]

Monet's Pond, Gifu, Japan

_ka0ri