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Australian Walking Stick Insects are Three Times Weirder Than You Think | PBS – Deep Look (2022)

February 11, 2022 at 3:20 pm / Ecological Documentaries, Evolution, Natural history, PBS Nature, Short Observations

It is a seed, no it is an ant, no it is a leaf, no it is a stick,… Actually, it is all of the above through a temporally spaced sequence of disguises (*): It is the Australian walking stick (Extatosoma tiaratum). This insect is indeed a master of deception. It is a fascinating example of a series of adaptations that maximized its survival by multiple versions of mimicry successfully fooling predators at every stage of their life cycle. (*) […]

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Cone-headed Planthoppers (Acanalonia conica) on Passion Flower

February 5, 2022 at 2:11 pm / Evolution, Natural history, Short Observations, Video

This observation has been registered in the iNaturalist database with the following accession 105647409. Observed on August 9, 2014 at the Georgia State Botanical Garden in Athens, GA, USA. Here, you can see a number of cone-headed planthoppers (Acanalonia conica) feeding on a passion flower vine (Passiflora incarnata). The passion flower family (Passifloraceae) is well known for its sugar producing glands called extrafloral nectaries. These nectaries attract ants and here in this observation we see two species of ants (Formica […]

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Ants Defending Plants

February 4, 2022 at 11:00 am / Ecological Documentaries, Evolution, Natural history, NatureDocumentaries.org, Video, Wildlife Documentaries

Plant eaters are called herbivores and they pose a threat for plants. Understandably, nobody would like to get eaten. In order to prevent tissue loss and damage from herbivores plants have evolved defensive adaptations such as hard to digest tissues and poisonous chemicals. Some plants however, have evolved a different solution. Plants can use nectar as drivers of beneficial behaviors such as pollination and protection from herbivores. Nectar is an attractive fluid for many animals. It is a rich calorie […]

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The Science in Saving the Fowler’s Toad – Ryan Mariotti (2017)

June 19, 2021 at 11:15 am / Ecological Documentaries, Natural history, Short Observations, Wildlife Documentaries

Like many amphibians, Fowler’s Toad (Anaxyrus fowleri) is facing myriad threats caused by Human activities. Filmed and directed by environmental filmmaker Ryan Mariotti this short documentary follows Canadian herpetologists Dr. David Green & Dr. Katherine Yagi from McGill University studying populations of this sand specialist frog on Lake Erie. Researchers identify the threats facing the Fowler’s Toad and how to save it. These threats include habitat alteration due to invasive Phragmites plants and demographic bottlenecks arising from low recruitment rates […]

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Horseshoe Crabs Mating in Maine

April 9, 2021 at 11:25 am / Ecological Documentaries, Evolution, Natural history, NatureDocumentaries.org, Short Observations, Video, Wildlife Documentaries

This is a quite rare footage of Atlantic horseshoe crabs (Limulus poyphemus) recorded during high tide about 10:00 am in Recompence Shore, Freeport Maine on May 26th 2010. Mating mostly happens in moonlit nights (romantic animals) on sandy beaches. Here they are mating in broad daylight on a rough pebble beach. External fertilization is one of the ancestral ways to produce offspring however it can be rather costly. Egg production requires more resources compared to sperm. Females therefore need more […]

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Big Bear Bald Eagle Cam – Friends of Big Bear Valley (2021)

March 4, 2021 at 2:28 pm / Natural history, Video, webcams

An eagles’ nest cannot have a better view that this! The pair of unbanded eagles, Jackie and Shadow have mated and laid their eggs. They have been tending the eggs with beautifully coordinated shift changes. Big Bear Bald Eagle Cam is presented by the Friends of Big Bear Valley from Fawnskin, California. Here you can find their brief history. NatureDocumentaries.org follows a number of webcams and these charismatic birds of prey occupy a significant chunk. Thanks to continent-wide conservation efforts […]

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My Africa – David Allen (2018) | Conservation International – (360 film)

March 4, 2021 at 1:25 pm / Human Nature, Natural history, Video, Wildlife Documentaries

The the short film “My Africa” is directed by David Allen and narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o. Commissioned by the Conservation International, it takes viewers to an elephant sanctuary in Kenya, where a community is reknitting the bonds that have long enabled people and wildlife to coexist. My Africa is presented in stunningly immersive virtual reality through a series of establishment shots of the African savanna including lions, wildebeests, and elephants. The movie introduces the intensity of wildlife […]

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Chasing Ghosts – bioGraphic / Eric Bendick (2019)

February 25, 2021 at 9:11 am / Ecological Documentaries, Evolution, Natural history, Video, Wildlife Documentaries

Orchids have a special place in plant biologists’ hearts. How can they not? They are the beetles (*) of the plant world. One in every five flowering plant species living today is an orchid. Although orchids are so diverse, they are also rather rare. Most people think of orchids as showy, vibrant and beautiful, but Gastrodia agnicellus, named in 2020 from a forest in Madagascar, is quite the opposite. The evolutionary alliance of orchids and their pollinators go as far […]

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The Kingdom of the Lion Tailed Macaque – Poorna Kedar (2019)

December 18, 2020 at 11:37 pm / Ecological Documentaries, Natural history, Video, Wildlife Documentaries

Lion Tailed Macaques is an endangered primate endemic to the Western Ghats of India with a restricted geographical range. Due to habitat loss and human pressures populations have been on the decline. The filmmaker Poorna Kedar has recorded these vulnerable primates at one of the critical habitats of this species near the town of Valparai. India’s Western Ghats is an ecologically unique biodiversity hotspot recognized by the United Nations as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The exceptionally high level of […]

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Human Bot Fly – Piotr Naskrecki (2015)

August 5, 2020 at 12:10 am / Human Nature, Natural history, Video, Wildlife Documentaries

Piotr Naskrecki achieved what many tropical biologists (including the author of this post) tried but failed multiple times: raising a tropical Human bot fly (Dermatobia hominis). This parasite is frequently covered by major TV channels since it is quite gruesome to the unititiated and most certainly attracts viewers. In my opinion this is the best bot fly documentary ever. In the video Dr. Naskrecki outlines the life cycle very well with the calmness of an entomologist without drama. You can […]

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Baby Ground Squirrels Endemic to Anatolia – Hakan Gür (2020)

July 10, 2020 at 8:09 am / Natural history, Short Observations, Video

They indeed are Meerkat look-alikes. But no they are not Meerkats. Locally they are known as “Gelengi”. Scientifically, they are the Anatolian ground squirrels (Spermophilus xanthophrymnus). In this short observation you can see 5 juveniles that are reported to be approximately 5-6 weeks old hanging out in their nest entrance. A Turkish research team lead by Dr. Hakan Gür who studies their population dynamics recorded the observation on May 8th 2020 near Ankara. Female ground squirrels mate soon after they […]

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A Red Shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)

July 7, 2020 at 4:41 pm / Natural history, NatureDocumentaries.org, Short Observations, Video

It appears like nothing too exciting is going on in this short observation but in reality there’s a lot happening inside that brain of this bird perfectly chilling with the self confidence of a top predator. The confidence is well earned: they are the descendants of dinosaurs. Looking and seeing are two separate actions. In order to “see” a higher order brain function called “attention” is needed. Scientists define the foundation of attention with two concepts called Context Generalization and […]

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Plants are Cool Too! (All Episodes)

May 20, 2020 at 10:27 am / Ecological Documentaries, Evolution, Natural history, Video, Wildlife Documentaries

The “Plants are Cool Too!” series is supported by the Botanical Society of America (BSA) and hosted by Dr. Chris Martine. Here you will find all episodes of the series in reverse chronological order (last-in-first-out). Ecologists have hypothesized that there has to be a level of disturbance acting pretty regularly on communities. The intensity of disturbance has to be “mild” so that it doesn’t wipe every living thing but clear out some habitable zones for re-colonization by some species that […]

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Return of the Cicadas – Samuel Orr (2013)

May 19, 2020 at 12:44 pm / Ecological Documentaries, Natural history, Video, Wildlife Documentaries

Cicadas are Hemipterans (true bugs). The genus Magicicada groups 13-year and 17-year periodical cicada species of eastern North America. The Spring of 2020 corresponds to the emergence of Brood IX of periodical cicadas in North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. Such emergences are spectacular feats of nature. After living underground feeding with tree roots for 13-years or 17-years (depending on the brood type) the adult insects dig themselves out synchronously in massive numbers to change their exoskeletons, mate and die. […]

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The Ancient Oak Tree that Taught the World a Lesson – BBC (2020)

May 14, 2020 at 1:39 pm / BBC documentaries, Natural history, Video

The Turner’s oak is a hybrid of the European oak (Quercus robur) and the Mediterranean holm oak (Quercus ilex). It is a prime example of a hybrid that exhibits blended characteristics of its progenitors: a semi-evergreen tree. Grown out in the open field for centuries, this tree experienced no competition from others and developed a dome shaped canopy. The tree was grown at the Holloway Down Nursery of Spencer Turner, Leyton, Essex, UK. In 1783, it caught the attention of […]

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