BBC Wildlife - Killer Country

discoverwildlife.com JULY 2022 Issue 08 Vol 40 SEASHELLS TO FIND THIS SUMMER 10 Why wind farms are bad for nature Meet the exotic umbrellabird Ibex: the ultimate Alpine rock stars KILLER COUNTRY Why the orca is still making a splash in British Columbia’s waters P40

Field Studies Council is a registered charity (no. 313364 in England & Wales, SC039870 in Scotland. Learning formats to suit you Our bird courses are available in a range of formats, including 1-day, 2-day and online delivery. Courses are designed to follow a progressive framework, enabling you to study at a level to suit your needs and advance your learning as your knowledge increases. From garden birds to birds of prey :H WHDFK LQWURGXFWLRQV WR RXU FRPPRQ JDUGHQ ELUGV LGHQWL FDWLRQ E\ ELUGVRQJ WKURXJK WR habitats and behaviours of British birds of prey, helping you expand your birding knowledge. ZZZ HOG VWXGLHV FRXQFLO RUJ HFR VNLOOV FRXUVHV Book Your Course Our bird courses are part of our range of natural history courses, supporting learners in building the knowledge and skills they need to better understand our natural environment. All courses are taught by expert tutors with engaging content. Expert tuition in a range of subjects FOR 20% OFF BIRD COURSES USE CODE BIRD20 BOOK TODAY Bird courses

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 3 Growing up by the coast, many of my happiest childhood memories are from days spent at the seaside, splashing along the shore and exploring the rockpools. By home time, I would invariably have a fresh stock of interesting shells in my bucket to take and add to my collection. Back then, like a lot of children, I thought shells were things that animals lived in, rather than them actually being part of the animal itself. It came as quite the eye-opener when I twigged. Ever since my ‘road to Damascus’ moment, I’ve been fascinated by how shells grow. Their ba ing mathematical complexity is a great example of the gobsmacking beauty of nature. Helen Scales’ brilliant feature about them this issue (p64) has me itching to get back to the shoreline with my son this summer and see what he’ll choose for his own bucket. I used to wonder where all the shells came from PAUL McGUINNESS, EDITOR [email protected] instagram.com/bbcwildlifemagazine twitter.com/WildlifeMag facebook.com/wildlifemagazine Keep in touch Homemade tipples Homemade tipples discoverwildlife.com The world’s largest survey of butter ies needs your help! It takes place from 15th July until 7th August and all you need to do is nd a sunny spot, spend 15 minutes counting the butter ies you see, and submit your records via the website or app. Learn more at discoverwildlife. com/bigbutter ycount. Get ready for the Big Butter y Count COVER: DAVE HUTCHISON/ALL CANADA PHOTOS/ALAMY; THIS PAGE: ID CHART: BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION; JERSEY TIGER: LUIGI SEBASTIAN/BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION; SHELLS: ALEX HYDE/NATUREPL.COM. Butterfly Conservation can supply an ID chart – and moths, such as the jersey tiger here, count too! There’s no need to shell out at the seashore

PAUL SOUDERS/GETTY BBC Wildlife champions ethical wildlife photography that prioritises the welfare of animals and the environment. It is committed to the faithful representation of nature, free from excessive digital manipulation, and complete honesty in captioning. Photographers, please support us by disclosing all information about the circumstances under which your pictures were taken (including, but not restricted to, use of bait, captive or habituated animals). BBC Wildlife provides trusted, independent travel advice and information that has been gathered without fear or favour. We aim to provide options that cover a range of budgets and reveal the positive and negative points of the locations we visit. The views expressed in BBC Wildlife are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the magazine or its publisher. The publisher, editor and authors accept no responsibility in respect of any products, goods or services that may be advertised or referred to in this issue or for any errors, omissions, mis-statements or mistakes in any such advertisements or references. Our Media Ltd is working to ensure that all of its paper is sourced from well-managed forests. This magazine is printed on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper. This magazine can be recycled, for use in newspapers and packaging. Please remove any gifts, samples or wrapping and dispose of it at your local collection point. BBC Wildlife (ISSN 0265-3656 USPS XXXXX) is published monthly with an extra copy in June by Our Media Ltd (an Immediate Group Company), Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST United Kingdom. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by World Container Inc., c/o BBT 150-15 183rd St, Jamaica, NY 11413-4037, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Brooklyn, NY 11256. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BBC Wildlife magazine, World Container Inc., c/o BBT 150-15, 183rd St, Jamaica, NY 11431, USA. All rights reserved. No part of BBC Wildlife may be reproduced in any form or by any means, either wholly or in part, without prior written permission from the publisher. Not to be resold, lent, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade at more than the recommended retail price (subject to VAT in the Republic of Ireland) or in mutilated condition. Printed by William Gibbons Ltd. BBC Wildlife is published by Our Media Ltd under licence from BBC Studios. © Our Media Ltd 2022. Richard Eccleston Tom Gilks - Megan Shersby Tanya Jackson Ingo Arndt, Nick Baker, Margaret Bartlett, David Bebber, Simon Birch, Sabena Jane Blackbird, Stuart Blackman, Paul Bloomfield, Gillian Burke, Jo Caird, Laurie Campbell, Mark Carwardine, JV Chamary, Philippe Clement, Brandon Cole, Lucy Cooke, Murray Cooper, Hannah Couzens, Mike Dilger, Theo Douma, Georgette Douwma, Oliver Edwards, Holly Exley, James Fair, Michelle Gachet, Dave Hamilton, James Hanlon, Ben Hoare, Sam Hobson, Ross Hoddinott, Alex Hyde, Laurie Jackson, Adam Jacot de Boinod, Richard Jones, Roz Kidman Cox, Dan Kitwood, Alexander Lees, David Lindo, James Lowen, Archie McGuinness, Alex Mustard, Steve De Neef, Flip Nicklin, Paula Olson, Kush Patel, Marcos Ponce, Jenny Price, Andy Rouse, Helen Scales, Peter David Scott, Emile Séchaud, Richard Smyth, Paul Souders, Wanda Sowry, Pip Stewart, Kenny Taylor, Olav Thokle, Chris Vick, Leoma Williams, Eric Woods Our Media, Eagle House, Bristol BS1 4ST [email protected] @wildlifemagazine @WildlifeMag @bbcwildlifemagazine discoverwildlife.com bit.ly/bbcwildlifeyoutube Jacky Perales-Morris Aimee Rhymer M M Natalie Lawrence Emma Cooney - Charles Thurlow Julia Young D Sarah Powell - Emily Mounter , , Nicholas Brett , & Stephen Davies , Mandy Thwaites Cameron McEwan [email protected] Nicholas Brett Lee Bacon , Alasdair Cross , 4 Jane Lomas , Bill Lyons , , , Susy Smith Mary Blanchard , Laura Jones [email protected] Amy Thacker 0117 3008858 [email protected] Dan Baker 0117 3008280 [email protected] Mia Dorrington 0117 300 8266 [email protected] Stephanie Hall 0117 300 8535 [email protected] Marc Hay 0117 300 8758 [email protected] Laurence Robertson 00353 876 902208 [email protected] Emma Brunt 0117 300 8979 [email protected] Tim Hudson Andy Marshall Andrew Davies Rob Brock Rosa Sherwood Lara Von Weber Jo Price Sarah McPherson Catherine Smalley Carys Matthews Paul McGuinness 4 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

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6 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022 Every month, only in BBC Wildlife The Alpine ibex is thriving in the Western Alps NICK BAKER “The oddest and most interesting thing about star-headed liverworts is their sex life” P.34 MIKE DILGER The broadcaster and naturalist tells us about how gannets have adapted to dive for fish P.30 LUCY COOKE “The mole sow has bulging male gonads that give her an evolutionary edge underground.” P.27 GILLIAN BURKE The Springwatch presenter asks whether slow travel may be the answer for a sustainable future P.17 MARK CARWARDINE “The world’s first commercial octopus farm is an appalling concept.,” says our frank columnist P.25 48 THE COVER Nature photographer Dave Hutchinson spotted a pod of orcas playing off Vancouver Island. “I sensed action was going to occur and was ready with my camera, pre-focussed and settings dialled in for the shot,” he says. Dave used a Nikon D850, 300mm, 1/1600th sec at f7.1, ISO800. Jul. BBC W N . 08 V . 40

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 7 08 Wild Times Catch up with all the latest developments and discoveries making headlines in the world of wildlife 30 Speed of sound Mike Dilger on the fishing and breeding habits of the gannet, Britain’s largest seabird 34 Hidden Britain Fertilising the tall starry heads of the star-headed liverwort is a tricky business, but a drop of water goes a long way 40 Cover feature: killer country Orcas can still be seen off the coast of British Columbia, but we find out what is putting these apex predators in peril 48 Ibex: the ultimate Alpine rock stars We follow French nature photographer Emile Séchaud on the trail of the Alpine ibex 58 Why wind farms are bad for nature Renewable energy is a necessity as we aim for net-zero carbon emissions, but is our wildlife paying the price? 64 10 seashells to nd this summer The intricate shape and form of seashells reveal so much about their mysterious former inhabitants 72 Meet the exotic umbrellabird This extravagant-looking South American avian has long eluded the limelight. Now, one photographer has brought it out of the shadows Discover MORE 82 Q&A Are bluefin still endangered? 86 Go Wild The Syrian refugee helping refugee families get back to nature, plus our books round-up 89 ID Guide Top tips for identifying dragonflies this summer 97 Crossword Plus Spot the Difference 98 Photo Club This month’s competition 102 Your Letters Join the debate 106 Tales from the Bush A loo with a view in the Guyanese jungle 72 BAT: THEO DOUMA/AGAMI/ALAMY; MYA ROSE: OLIVER EDWARDS; IBEX:EMILE SÉCHAUD; UMBRELLABIRD: MURRAY COOPER DON’T MISS... ...greater mouseeared bats pretending to be insects to avoid predation by owls Page 14 ‘Birdgirl’ MyaRose Craig talks about her new book p86 Wattle it be? Discover the male long-wattled umbrellabird displaying

What’s happening right now Berries, fungi, mosses, grasses and insects all make rich pickings for a foraging brown bear. This individual in eastern Finland, snapped very near the Russian border, might well be searching forest clearings in order to pack on the pounds before the long winter hibernation ahead. Surprisingly, despite having the fearsome strength to take down a moose, only about a third of the bear’s diet comprises meat. BEAR’S PICNIC OLAV THOKLE 8 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

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discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 11 Keeping an eye out in the reefs Community-run patrols are guarding marine life against illegal shing T R A are home to the greatest diversity of marine species anywhere in the world, boasting an estimated 1,400 fish species and over 550 species of coral. Yet the creatures that live there, such as this margined sole (Brachirus heterolapis), seen here in extreme close-up, face intense pressure from both climate change and destructive fishing practices, including the use of dynamite and cyanide. Blast fishing is illegal worldwide, but local authorities simply don’t have the resources to effectively police Raja Ampat’s entire marine area (which covers 46,000 km2 ). Fortunately, community-run monitoring groups – known as Pokmaswas – have stepped in to fill the gaps, with local fishers, both women and men, patrolling in their own boats. They report any illegal fishing activity via Whatsapp groups that include representatives from the marine police, the park agency and the Indonesian navy, who can respond straightaway. British underwater photographer Alex Mustard spotted this margined sole fish on a patch of sandy seabed off the small island of Sanoek in the Raja Ampat archipelago. “The photographic challenge is telling the story of the camouflage,” he says. “Either the viewer can’t work out what they are seeing or they’ll think it isn’t camouflaged at all!” “Finding it is the rst challenge” MEET THE PHOTOGRAPHER ALEX MUSTARD/NATUREPL.COM

12 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022 Moving on up Climate change is causing dragon ies to dramatically expand their ranges W , dragonflies are the canaries in the coal mine. Arguably more than any other group of animals, they are showing dramatic changes in distribution, with some species advancing north and west, and new arrivals reaching the south (eight species have colonised the UK since 1995). A recent survey, ‘State of Dragonflies in Britain and Ireland 2021’, reported that the emperor dragonfly has expanded its range the most, pushing into much of Scotland, where it was not found before 2003. A truly impressive beast, the emperor is our largest and heaviest dragonfly, both in its adult and aquatic larval form. June and July are peak season for the flying adults – and indeed for many dragonfly and damselfly species. Females have a green abdomen, males blue, while the huge eyes can be either colour. They are fast and powerful fliers, and you’ll seldom see one resting on waterside vegetation. Like hobbies and some other falcons, they may devour prey in midair, passing it to the jaws with their bristly legs. Ben Hoare

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 13DRAGONFLY:ROSS HODDINOTT; JOHN BURTON:DAVID BEBBER/WLT A , right reasons, John A Burton ditched school for an education in the woods, fields and bomb sites around his South London home. He was already a brilliant naturalist by his early teens though eschewed university in favour of fieldwork. The one institution he loved was the Natural History Museum. Based on his field skills alone, in 1963 he got a job there, as assistant information officer. Then in 1969 he became assistant editor of the partwork Birds of the World. John’s subsequent journey through the world of wildlife journalism and conservation is long and varied, but he was always at the head of the wave. In 1970 he became a consultant to the fledgling Friends of the Earth, lobbying for changes in legislation. He was also founding chairman of the Bat Conservation Trust. By that point, he was writing and editing natural history books – more than 40 by the end of his life. It was in 1971 that he became assistant editor of this magazine – at that time called Animals – staying in post for a year. He went on to become a long-term contributor – campaigning among other things to bring back the lynx – and eventually joined BBC Wildlife’s advisory board. In 1975, at the age of 31, he became the first leader of IUCN’s TRAFFIC International – the trade watchdog – and executive secretary (CEO) of FFPS, now Fauna and Flora International – a supporter of on-the-ground conservation groups. In 1988, he and his wife Viv Burton set up the highly effective World Land Trust, of which he was CEO for 30 years, fundraising through the simple idea of ‘selling’ acres to help local conservation groups buy valuable habitats. He died on Biodiversity Day, 22nd May 2022. Roz Kidman Cox, former BBC Wildlife editor The conservationist John A Burton, who died on 22nd May 2022 at the age of 78 He was always at the head of the wave JOHN A BURTON 1944 2022 OBITUARY Look out for a full feature on John A Burton and his conservation work next month. A male emperor dragonfly, caught at a rare moment of rest

14 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022 Buzzing bats bamboozle birds In the rst documented case of its kind in a mammal, a bat sounds like an insect to scare o bat-eating birds R ’ can be a good way for a potential prey species to deceive a predator. Some harmless, palatable insects mimic distasteful ones to deter hungry birds, for example, often through conspicuous warning colouration that gives a false impression of nastiness. Known as ‘Batesian mimicry’ after the Victorian naturalist who discovered it in Amazonian butterflies, the effect has fascinated evolutionary scientists, from Charles Darwin onwards, for 160 years. Most examples involve visible overlap between creatures that are very different in terms of food potential. Deceptive mimicry using sound is noticed much less often. Now a team of researchers, led by Danilo Russo from Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II in Italy, has found what is claimed to be ‘acoustic mimicry’ in a mammal. The study was developed after Russo noticed that greater mouse-eared bats (Myotis myotis) made loud buzzing noises when handled, akin to those made by hornets and wasps. This was confirmed by computer-based analysis of greater mouse-eared bat distress calls and those from several stinging insects. Russo’s team then played recordings of both hornets and bats to captive owls, and filmed their reactions. When the birds heard calls recorded from relaxed bats, they often approached the speakers, an effect strongest in owls that had spent some time in the wild. But the owls moved away from recordings of both distressed bats and hornets, suggesting that by mimicking a stinging insect, greater mouse-ears could deter predators. The researchers reckon that there’s now fresh scope to explore the evolutionary meaning of sonic mimicry of insects. Sounds like it would be music to Darwin’s ears. Kenny Taylor Danilo Russo has identified acoustic mimicry in bats

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 15 T of those ‘little brown jobs’ that somehow still has bags of charisma. Its pale brown and white plumage is unremarkable – dull, even. Despite this, it is an entertaining bird to watch on a July day because of its habit of sitting on an exposed twig, flitting out to catch a passing insect with an audible snap, turning 180° and landing back on the same perch. Nicola Chester, in her book On Gallows Down, describes the flycatcher’s there-andback sallies as “crochet loops” – as if the bird is stitching the air. For birders over the age of 40, mention of this summer migrant is tinged with sadness, for its British population has crashed during their lifetime, a decline of 87 per cent between 1967 and 2016. Old bird books treat it as a common visitor to gardens, churchyards and woodland glades; now, any sighting is a red-letter day. BH Catch me if you can From common visitor to rare sighting, the spotted ycatcher is more precious than ever IN BRIEF David Attenborough – who is the same age as the Queen at 96 years old – has received a prestigious royal honour for his services to television, broadcasting and conservation. The accolade, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George, was awarded by the Prince of Wales at a special investiture ceremony held at Windsor Castle. Royal honour FACT. Mixing chemicals can be deadly – ask a bombardier beetle. If threatened, it opens two chambers in its abdomen to create an explosion of boiling poison. A spotted flycatcher's prey includes moths and butterflies BAT: THEO DOUMA/AGAMI/ALAMY; SPOTTED FLYCATCHER:ERIC WOODS; SIR DAVID: ANDREW MATTHEWS POOL/GETTY The greater mouseeared bat feeds on larger flying and ground insects David was knighted in 1985 Steve Backshall presents spotted flycatchers on Tweet of the Day

16 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022 O , and prickles are different names for the same things. Botanists would disagree, though. They are different structures used for a common purpose: defence against hungry herbivores. Spines – most spectacularly deployed by cacti – are highly modified leaves. Thorns are pointed branches or stems. While a hawthorn’s thorns are true thorns, a rose’s famous ‘thorns’ are actually prickles – outgrowths from the bark more akin to thick, sturdy hairs. Stuart Blackman ORIGIN OF PIECES A rose’s thorns The characterful two-spot is just one of our 46 ladybird species Welcome garden guests The non-native harlequin ladybird (inset) is a cause of the two-spot ladybird's population decline A rose's ‘thorns’ help protect the plant from predators AN ANATOMICAL MISCELLANY L colourful and abundant beetles, but people are often only familiar with the seven-spot variety and don’t realise Britain actually has 46 species (there’s a great guide at discoverwildlife.com). Many are named after their number of spots, though names can be misleading. The two-spot ladybird can boast as many as 16 spots. You may well have the species in your garden or local park: it’s frequent in urban and suburban areas. Consider yourself lucky if you do, as it is every gardener’s friend, a voracious predator of ‘pest’ aphids such as greenflies. Entomologists have long known that the recent population decline in several ladybirds, this one among them, is due partly to the spread of another ladybird, the harlequin. The invasive species, originally from Asia, unfortunately preys on the larvae, pupae and eggs of its relatives. BH ROSE:GEORGETTE DOUWMA/GETTY; HARLEQUIN:SABENA JANE BLACKBIRD/ALAMY; TWO SPOT:JAMES LOWEN

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 17 I anymore. We are, after all, in a climate emergency. Yet, there I stood in a queue, making painfully slow progress towards a glumlooking immigration official in Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Meanwhile, a herd of elephants, wild and free, could be seen moving serenely across the TV screens mounted throughout the terminal. As they basked in the backlit glow of an African sunset, it was as if they were mocking the human spectacle below. Wild animals did once roam free, not just on the TV screens, but on the very soil where the airport now stands. This is recent enough for me to remember keeping a watchful eye for the long neck of a giraffe rising above the acacias around the airport perimeter. Air travel has done more than contribute to a warming planet: it has literally robbed these animals of a home to serve tourists and film crews alike as they flock to Kenya. It has enabled us to reach the remotest corners of the globe so that we can experience and share the natural wonders of our beautiful planet. But there is one big elephant in the room: our passion also helps pump up carbon emissions and destroy habitats. If I know all this, then what was I doing there along with all the other travellers? I wanted to see my mum. But was this enough to break my flight-free pledge? I have had the good fortune of living and working on every continent bar Antarctica. Now, as I begin the hopefully slow descent to my inevitable touchdown, my plan is to move to a cabin in the woods, grow hairy and die. Family ties aside, reeling in my horizons and going flight-free is an easy sell. But what about my children? My daughter wants to see Hawaii and my son dreams of Siberia. What would flight-free holidays mean for future generations? And what of the wildlife and communities that now depend on eco-tourism? If ever there was a moment for an ‘It’s not easy being green’ hashtag, this surely is it. For the most part, travel has gone the way of fast food, one-click shopping and swipe-right dating, where instant holiday gratification means crash-landing into a fantasy world of all-you-can-eat buffets, pool parties and open bars. Before I talk myself into booking an all-inclusive, there is another way. Slow travel is the art of exploring the world by becoming fully immersed in the environment. At its most extreme, What if things were different? What if, as in Iceland, we embraced shorter working weeks and flexible working hours? What if sabbaticals were encouraged and mental health breaks prescribed? With the huge strides that have been made in remote working, for at least some professions, you might find you can even take your job with you. Slow travel may not be for everyone, but for those of us that make up this merry band of wildlife travellers, this feels like the leading edge of a movement that could transform the way we all travel in years to come. Just imagine it: a way of seeing the world, without costing the earth. slow travellers go completely flight-free, finding their way around the globe by any other means available. A more moderate approach to travel is simply to slow down and seek deeper connection to people and environment – the net effect is an altogether more sustainable experience. There are a few snags, however. As the name implies, slow travel takes more time, something regrettably few of us have enough of. My mind is quick to pounce on this as a reason why slow travel won’t work. But isn’t it strange how it is easier to argue for the world we know, when we could be fighting for the world we dream of? For further reading, try Slow Travel: A Movement by Penny Watson and Overland: Travelling with No Plan by Richard Kauffman Slow travel is about taking your time not packing things in HANNAH COUZENS GILLIAN BURKE “Could we travel the world, without costing the earth?” OPINION Catch up with Springwatch on iPlayer.

18 O BBC WILDLIFE July 2022 n drowsy July days, male common blue butterflies dazzle like scraps of summer sky that have fallen to Earth. Research has shown that the colouration is a form of territorial defence, warning rivals against flying over ‘their’ piece of grassland heaven. Females, by contrast, have mostly brown upper wings in many regions – except Scotland and Ireland, where they’re usually bluer. BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR Common blue butterflies are the most widespread of our blue butterflies

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 19 T G E P honours the achievements of grassroots environmental activists from around the world. Alexandra Narváez and Alex Lucitante from Ecuador were announced as joint winners of one of this year’s prizes. The pair led an indigenous movement to protect their people’s ancestral territory from gold mining. Their efforts resulted in a historic legal victory in October 2018, when Ecuador’s courts cancelled 52 illegal gold-mining concessions. Their action also contributed to the country’s supreme court ruling for stronger land rights for indigenous communities in early 2022. “The A’i Cofán community of Sinangoe consists of about 300 people, and we protect about 63,000ha of land, including some of the most biodiverse flora and fauna in the world,” says Narváez. The Sinangoe live on the shores of the Aguarico River, in the Ecuadorian province of Sucumbíos and have relied on the natural environment for subsistence farming, hunting and wild harvesting for thousands of years. “I saw my father, as a former president of the community, always leading, and my grandfather emphasising the need to preserve our culture and land,” she says. “Although it was all our responsibility to defend our territory, I didn’t see a lot of women taking up the fight.” Narváez decided to join a forest patrol called La Guardia, Goldman Environmental Prize 2022 winner for environmental activism against illegal gold mining Many scientists have taken inspiration from popular culture when naming new species which was formed in 2017 to monitor and halt illegal activities taking place in Cofán territory. It was La Guardia that discovered that the Ecuadorian government had issued 20 large-scale mining concessions without informing or consulting the community. While Narváez organised patrols and served as the spokesperson for Sinangoe, Alex Lucitante organised the legal and media strategies. “The legal precedents that we achieved in 2018 and in 2022 have inspired other communities to fight for their land and stand up for their rights,” says Narváez. “We all have the responsibility to take care of the planet and say ‘yes’ to life.” Jo Price 1 ALEIODES SHAKIRAE Wasp species named after the Colombian singersongwriter Shakira 2 PLINTHINA BEYONCEAE Horse fly with a golden abdomen, named after the popstar Beyoncé 3 HETERAGRION FREDDIEMERCURYI ET AL Damselflies named after the four members of the rock band Queen 4 SERICOMYRMEX RADIOHEADI Ant named after the band Radiohead, honouring their environmental activism 5 PINKFLOYDIA A genus of orb-weaver spiders was named after the rock band 6 ETMOPTERUS BENCHLEYI The ninja lanternshark was named after Jaws author Peter Benchley 7 BAICALELLIA DAFTPUNKA Flatworm named after the electronic music duo 8 PRISTIMANTIS GRETATHUNBERGAE A rainfrog, one of many species named after the environmental activist 9 ELSEYA IRWINI Turtle discovered by the late zookeeper Steve Irwin 10 NANNARIA SWIFTAE Millipede named after the singer-songwriter Taylor Swift 10 celebrity species names Boxing clever The famous University of Oxford study of great tits at Wytham Woods celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. The project, which involves 1,209 nestboxes, has produced more than 350 research papers on the birds’ ecology, evolution and behaviour. This year, the first egg was laid a month earlier than in 1947. IN BRIEF COMMON BLUE:ROSS HODDINOTT; GREAT TIT:GETTY; ANT:ANA JESOVNIK; ALEXANDRA NARVÁEZ X2 : MICHELLE GACHET/GOLDMAN ENVIRONMENTAL PRIZE Great tits are the largest of the UK’s tits Alexandra Narváez (right) while on patrol with La Guardia in Ecuador Alexandra Narváez was the first woman to join La Guardia forest patrol MEET THE SCIENTIST Alexandra Narváez Sericomyrmex radioheadi

20 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022 A to rising temperatures, a new survey by the University of Exeter reveals that wildlife enthusiasts are broadly welcoming of new arrivals from mainland Europe. Britain is currently gaining more species than it is losing, according to Regan Early, who led the new research. While some of these additions have been introduced – deliberately or accidently – by humans from far-flung places, often to the detriment of resident wildlife, many others have made their own way here by expanding their ranges northwards as temperatures Amateur naturalists tend to be welcoming of species arriving on our shores in a changing world IN BRIEF WHAT IS IT? This brightly coloured amphibian is a newly described salamander, encountered by Panamanian scientists during an expedition. Bolitoglossa cathyledecae can be distinguished from its close relatives by its colour (pinkish flesh with flame scarlet speckles), the appearance of the webbing on its hands and feet, and the fact it has more upper teeth. The scientists suggest that it should be classified as critically endangered by the IUCN due to its restricted distribution and the high likelihood of anthropogenic pressure in the areas it inhabits. WHERE IS IT? The team had been investigating the Panamanian side of Cordillera de Talamanca, one of the least-explored regions of Central America. The species was found in the Boquete district in Chiriquí province, at an altitude of 1,900m. WHAT IS THE MEANING BEHIND THE SCIENTIFIC NAME? The scientists honoured Cathy Ledec, a long-time supporter of conservation organisations working to preserve the habitat of neotropical salamanders. Find out more: bit.ly/ChiriquiFireSalamander Chiriquí re salamander rise. Nearly two per cent of our native species, including the little bittern, spoonbill, small red-eyed damselfly (see p22) and the mottled shieldbug, arrived on our shores only after 1900. The survey, published in People and Nature, sought the opinions of people who are actively involved in recording UK wildlife. “Understanding how people think about these species is incredibly important if we are to decide how to treat them,” says Early. “Wildlife recorders viewed range-shifters more as vulnerable ‘ecological refugees’ than as threatening ‘climate opportunists’,” the scientists found. Respondents expressed strong opposition to eradicating or controlling range-shifters, although they were not in favour of efforts to actively conserve them or to boost their numbers. There is little evidence that rangeshifters, unlike introduced species, have negative impacts on resident wildlife, according to Early. Stuart Blackman FISH: REINHARD DIRSCHERL/ULLSTEIN BILD/GETTY; SPOONBILL:GETTY; SLAMANDER: MARCOS PONCE The University of Exeter’s Regan Early led the research into range-shifters Spoonbills have been breeding in the UK since 2010 NEW SPECIES DISCOVERY Panamanian scientists saw red! Warm reception Tra c calming Scientists cut noise from motorboats on three reefs in Australia for an entire breeding season. They tracked the breeding of spiny chromis and found 65 per cent of nests on quieter reefs still contained offspring at the end of the season, compared to 40 per cent on reefs with busy motorboat traffic.

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22 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022 Lost & Found W Terry Crow posted pictures online in May of an apparent common blue damselfly he’d seen near Southampton, he couldn’t have expected what was to come. His subject was reidentified as a female common winter damselfly – potentially only the second British record following one found inside a house in South Wales in 2009 and a presumed vagrant that may have come from somewhere along the French coast. The species, like the similar Siberian winter damselfly, overwinters in its adult form, hence its name. Its geographical range includes northern Africa, southern and central Europe, and western Asia. It has occurred (and possibly bred) on the Channel Islands and has been tipped as a potential UK colonist, expected to follow in the footsteps of others such as the southern and willow emeralds, and the small red-eyed damselfly – the latter two are now common and widespread in southern England. Rarer damselflies are easily overlooked, being small and similar in appearance to commoner congeners. Once a new colonist species is on the radar for enthusiasts, other colonies are often quickly discovered, although it’s too early to say whether that’s what’s likely to happen here. This individual could be an exceptionally rare visitor doomed never again to see its own kind, part of an undiscovered colony, or it may become a colony founder itself if it can find a mate. This occurrence highlights how social media and the internet has revolutionised the discovery of those lost – or perhaps not so lost – rare visitors to our shores. James Hanlon Common winter damsel y IN BRIEF Monkey hybrid A primate spotted in a Bornean forest fragment is a thought to be a hybrid between a proboscis monkey and a silvered leaf monkey, reports International Journal of Primatology. The find is yet further evidence of the ecological turmoil that has followed the destruction of lowland rainforests. VAGRANT SPECIES DIARY DAMSELFLY:RAMOS HERNANZ IGNACIO/ALAMY MONKEY:NICOLE LEE; RAGWORT:LAURIE CAMPBELL The common winter damselfly could be pioneering natural range expansion in a changing climate

T discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 23 his golden wildflower, seemingly everywhere in July, is the hen harrier or fox of the plant world – stunning, native, yet reviled by many. The notorious 1959 Weeds Act deems it a menace on grounds where it can be toxic to livestock. However, they would need to eat large amounts to su er, and studies show ragwort is one of Britain’s most valuable plants for pollinators. SUNNY SIDE UP Poet John Clare revelled in ragwort’s simple beauty: “...thou humble flower with tattered leaves...”

24 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022 T ‘ ’ refers to the fact that while a rhino can run up to 48kph it can only see 9m ahead. So, when a number of them move at full speed, they’re not exactly sure what is in front of them and hence could cause a crash. As big herbivores they impact their habitat by spreading seeds around and disrupting vegetation. Their other collective nouns include herd as well as stubbornness. Adam Jacot de Boinod COLLECTIVE NOUNS A crash of rhinoceroses A , the world’s most endangered marine mammal, which is now confined to a small refuge in Mexico’s Gulf of California. The vaquita’s decline – the result of entanglement in gillnets – has been precipitous. Numbers have fallen from 567 in 1997 to just 10, all confined to a 24km-by-12km area in the north of the gulf. There are also concerns that recovery might be further hampered by inbreeding, which is inevitable within such a small population. But a new analysis of tissue samples from preserved specimens shows that vaquitas’ genetic diversity has always been low. “Genetically they still have the diversity that let them thrive for hundreds of thousands of years, until the gillnets arrived,” says Jacqueline Robinson of the University of California, first author of the study published in Science. The team estimates that, if gillnet fishing can be entirely eliminated within the vaquita’s range, the chances of recovery are high. Stuart Blackman New research provides a thread of hope for the future of the world’s smallest – and rarest – cetacean Vaquita not vanquished WHAT’S IN A NAME? Vaquitas in the Gulf of California, Mexico. Below: a vaquita caught in a gillnet for sharks and other fish The collective noun for rhinos is linked to their poor eyesight RHINOS:DAVID WALL/ALAMY; GILLNET:FLIP NICKLIN/MINDEN/NPL; VAQUITAS:PAULA OLSON/NOAA

At up to 27m long and weighing almost 80 tonnes, the fin is the second largest species of animal on Earth after the blue whale. It consumes nearly 2 tonnes of food daily. T ’ octopus farm, in the Canary Islands, aims to be fully operational by 2023, and to produce 3,000 tonnes of octopus meat a year by 2026. It’s an appalling concept. The world’s appetite for octopus is growing exponentially: at least 420,000 tonnes is caught each year (more than 10 times the amount caught in 1950) and annual global trade in octopuses is now worth $2.72bn. Not surprisingly, most of the world’s biggest octopus fisheries, in China, Japan, Morocco, Mauritania and the EU (mainly Spain, Portugal and Italy), are already over-exploited. The owners of the new octopus farm argue that it is the only way to ensure sustainability while satisfying demand. But that’s rubbish. It’s the beginning of a slippery slope – a disaster waiting to happen. There are three fundamental problems. Octopus farms are likely to stimulate a greater worldwide demand for octopus, which will add to the growing pressure on wild stocks; as with many forms of aquaculture (the fastest-growing foodproducing sector in the world) they will hoover up wild stocks of other overfished species (fish, prawns, crabs and mussels) to feed the octopuses – which consume about three times their weight in food a day; and, quite simply, octopus farming is unethical. Octopuses are about as close to intelligent aliens as we’re ever likely to get. They have three hearts, blue blood, eight sucker-covered arms and nine ‘brains’ (each arm can act intelligently on its own). They can change colour and texture to match their environment – or their mood – and their boneless, eight-legged bodies have no fixed shape. The largest species, the giant Pacific octopus, has an average arm span of 16 feet and yet can squeeze through an opening just a few inches wide (the only limiting factor is its tough beak). Most of all, they are impressively bright, capable of learning, solving problems, playing and using tools. Indeed, the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022, which is moving slowly through our own Parliament, specifically includes octopuses as sentient beings. I think they are among the least-suited animals in the world for commercial farming – and that’s saying something. Yet, where octopus farming is being developed, there are no laws to regulate their welfare or farming practices. Fortunately, octopus farming is far from easy. The prize is cultivating an animal that grows quickly, reproduces easily and commands a high price, but concerted efforts in Australia, Mexico, Hawaii and Japan have so far failed to solve the myriad challenges it poses. The delicate larvae eat only live food and need a carefully controlled environment (which is why, until now, octopus ‘farming’ has involved capturing young octopuses in the wild and growing them to market size in aquatic pens). The adults are highly territorial and solitary by nature and, given that they’re renowned escape artists, clearly do not like being kept in tanks. Octopus is a delicacy – not a staple food. It’s particularly popular in South Korea (where live animals are cut up and served raw, still wriggling on the plate), Japan, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Mexico and, lately, the USA. Many other countries eat smaller quantities (about 1,300 tonnes of octopus is consumed in the UK every year). But it’s a luxury product. By no stretch of the imagination is it essential to food security. The only intelligent solution is a complete worldwide ban on octopus farming. And those affluent consumers will just have to pay more for increasingly scarce, wild octopus (or, better still, not eat them at all). Surely, we’re not going to repeat the mistakes we’ve already made with factory-farmed terrestrial animals? “It’s the beginning of a slippery slope – a disaster waiting to happen” MARK CARWARDINE OPINION Pacific giant octopuses have learnt to open jars, mimic other octopuses and solve mazes “Octopuses are impressively bright, capable of learning, solving problems, playing and using tools.” Conservationist Mark Carwardine highlights the fundamental problems with BRANDON COLE/NATUREPL.COM farming octopuses discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 25

26 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022 The colouration of a green shore crab relates to its age and whether it is breeding season On the rocks W rockpools in the summer? In his brilliant book The Sea is Not Made of Water, Adam Nicolson calls these magical miniature habitats “half-worlds”. The book has several chapters on myriad animals that call them home. Rockpools are “as silent and beautiful and full of threat as any rats’ alley or Roman circus”. Crabs are near the top of any rockpooler’s spotting list, and the green shore crab is the species you will probably find. In French, it is le crab enragé, as it defends itself with open claws. Often, one bigger pincer acts a crusher, while the small one is used for cutting. If you’re bold enough to pick a crab up, placing a finger each side of the shell, gently turn the animal over. In males, the central plate is pointed and triangular; it is rounded in females. BH It’s prime time for rockpooling, and the green shore crab is the star of the show

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 27 FEMALE OF THE SPECIES T I’ underground to meet a highly secretive female: enemy number one of the landscape gardener and greedy consumer of worms. I’m talking about the mole (Talpa europaea). Most of you will be familiar with the mole’s handiwork, if not the beast itself. Their conical piles of freshly turned earth can make a manicured lawn look like a chronic case of acne – the ultimate pain in the grass. The female mole – known as a sow – is indeed a wondrous creature: a solo operator who makes her living by hunting worms using a network of tunnels that act as her own form of animal trap. When a worm pushes through her subway ceiling, she quickly sniffs it out using a long pink snout that can actually smell in stereo – each nostril acts independently, allowing her brain to accurately compute the direction of dinner in the pitch black. Once caught she doesn’t kill her quarry immediately, but paralyses it with her venomous saliva so it can be stored alive in a specially constructed larder without rotting. As many as 470 wrigglers have been recorded in one mole’s pantry, which is helpful as she needs to consume over half her body weight in worms each day. Life underground is tough. Burrowing earth is exhausting and there’s little oxygen to breathe. To survive this hostile environment, evolution has equipped the female mole with some extremely cunning specialisations. Her specialised red blood cells enable her to eliminate toxic waste gases from her blood more efficiently, and she sports an extra ‘thumb’. Just like the panda, a bone from her wrist has shot off on its own evolutionary path and formed a useful new digit for shifting extra earth. But perhaps most impressive of all are the female mole’s bulging male gonads. Described as ‘ovotestes’, these internal reproductive organs consist of ovarian tissue at one end and testicular tissue at the other. The ovary side produces eggs and expands during the short breeding season, from March to May. Once the job of reproduction is done, this egg-making tissue shrinks, and her testicular tissue expands until it is actually larger than the ovarian. It doesn’t produce sperm, but it does pump out testosterone, which gives the mole sow an evolutionary edge underground: extra digging power and added hostility for defending her pups and worm larder. Such high levels of testosterone also give the sow genitalia that are indistinguishable from the male’s, including a vagina that seals up outside of breeding. From a gonadal, hormonal and genital level the female mole challenges age-old assumptions about what distinguishes the sexes. It illustrates the extraordinary plasticity of sex and its expression in nature. Lucy is a broadcaster, zoologist and author of Bitch: A Revolutionary Guide to Sex, Evolution and the Female Animal. Whale sharks killed by ships Whale shark numbers have declined steeply in recent years. A University of Southampton tagging study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals this is due to collisions with ships. Whale shark migration paths coincide with shipping lanes – as plankton feeders, the sharks often swim just below the surface, making them very vulnerable. EUROPEAN MOLE CRAB:JASON STEEL; CAT:ANDY ROUSE/NPL ILLUSTRATION BY HOLLY EXLEY CAPTIVE ; WHALE SHARK:STEVE DE NEEF/VW PICS/GETTY Wildcat lifeline The first eight Scottish wildcat kittens were born at the Highland Wildlife Park this spring as part of the Saving Wildcats project. The hope is that the youngsters, whose parents are genetically close to pure-bred wildcats, will eventually be released. “These kittens are the future of wildcats in Scotland,” says Saving Wildcats conservation manager, David Barclay. Catch up with Political Animals, Lucy’s recent three-part series DOWN UP ighly cape sumer ut the iliar Talpa europaea rarely emerge above ground Lucy Cooke on a mammal with an extraordinary evolutionary edge

28 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022 CHAFER:ROSS BOWER; DROPPINGS: PTES; RABBITS: LAURIE CAMPBELL B J , , does, will already be raising their third or fourth litter – and some born earlier in the spring are now old enough to breed for the first time. Not for nothing do we talk about ‘breeding like rabbits’! The phrase can be offensive, but in rabbit terms the behaviour is crucial, given their many predators. Rabbits have a hierarchical breeding system, which means lower-ranking does are kept away from the best burrows. Forced to use less attractive areas, their kittens are even more likely to be predated. Fights between does can be vicious. In his new book, Birds, Beasts and Bedlam, conservationist Derek Gow says it was impossible to keep two does in the artificial warren he constructed for BBC Two series The Burrowers. They would always fight to the death. BH High predation means that multiple litters are a must Rare in the UK, noble chafer beetles are found in old, hollowing fruit trees in traditional orchards and in old beech and oak trees in the New Forest. “The larvae feed on the rotting heartwood inside living trees, and produce droppings called frass,” says Laura Bower, conservation officer at wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species. “Sometimes you just find frass scattered amongst the wood mould but occasionally, if you disturb a loose piece of bark, it can pour out of the base of hollow trees.” Megan Shersby POO CORNER Noble chafer Breeding like rabbits ID GUIDE Rabbits can turn their ears 180° to listen out for signs of danger The pellet-like droppings of the noble chafer are called frass

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 29 The endangered secretary bird will hopefully not follow the path of the now-extinct Alagoas foliage-gleaner (below) A populations around the world is being driven by increasingly destructive human impacts, say scientists in a stark new global review. Half of all the world’s 11,000 bird species are undergoing population declines, while just six per cent are increasing, according to BirdLife International’s State of the World’s Birds report. With the best available data coming from North America and Europe, almost 3 billion individual birds have been lost in North America since 1970, with a loss of up to 620 million individual birds across Europe since 1980. The review identifies the key human activities having a negative impact on birds, from the destruction of natural habitat and the climate crisis to pesticides, pollution and invasive species. The fate of the world’s birds is viewed as a valuable barometer as to the state of the natural world. “We use birds as indicators of the health of global ecosystems because we know more about birds than any other group of animals,” explains ornithologist Alexander Lees, FROM THE BBC WILDLIFE ARCHIVE July 1998 Discovering a species somewhere unexpected is always intriguing – so imagine Andrea Bonetti’s surprise when he came across a population of chameleons among Roman relics in Greece that were far larger than those living in the rest of Europe. “I suspected that I’d found something special, but I couldn’t prove it,” writes Bonetti in the July 1998 issue. DNA sequencing later confirmed that the animals are ancestors of Chamaeleo africanus, a species thought to have been introduced to the Mediterranean by the Romans, who were known to keep chameleons as pets. Reptiles among the relics NEXT ISSUE SLOW WORM Learn why the female slow worm gives birth to hatchlings and not eggs like fellow reptiles D A R “ in a t R lead author of the study from Manchester Metropolitan University. With the continuing collapse of natural habitats, the review warns that the world is entering a period of unparalleled change. “We are now witnessing the first signs of a new wave of extinctions of continentally distributed bird species, which has followed the historic loss of species on islands, like the Dodo,” says Lees. The near-total destruction of the Atlantic forests of north-east Brazil for sugar cane production, for example, has led to the extinction of three endemic bird species within the past two decades: the Pernambuco pygmy-owl; the Alagoas foliage-gleaner; and the cryptic treehunter. Despite the plentiful bad news, the review nonetheless highlights conservation success stories such as that of the black-browed albatross, where mitigation measures have reduced albatross bycatch fatalities in the hake trawl fisheries of South Africa by up to 99 per cent. “The good news is that conservation does work, and we have turned various species away from extinction through conservation,” says Lees, adding that people have a vital role to play in reversing the decline in bird populations. “The decisions we take on a daily basis as individuals over what we buy and eat all add up to the human impact on the planet.” SLOW WORM: KRISTIAN BELL/GETTY; ALEXANDER: ROBERT MARTIN; GLEANER: ANDY & GILL SWASH/AGAMI/ALAMY; SECRETARY BIRD: ALEXANDER LEES Simon Birch Human behaviour is to blame for the downward spiral of bird species – but there is hope Global bird populations face huge declines Lead author Alexander Lees

30 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022 sites such as Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth are truly gannet-free zones. Gannets are generally monogamous and long-lived species, with breeding success enhanced by mate fidelity. Well-established pairs will not only return to the same ancestral site year upon year, but may even use precisely the same nesting location within the colony each season. This small patch of real estate is vigorously defended by the male, with help from his mate, against both pushy neighbours and any young pretenders trying to muscle their way in. Rearing only one youngster each season, the parents’ chick will generally emerge in the first half of June. For the first few weeks it will need to be “Rocky cli s, islands and stacks transform into noisy seabird cities” Be wowed by torpedo-like gannets plunging into the sea for sh during the summer breeding season SPEED OF SOUND GANNETS MikeDilger’s WILDLIFE SPECTACLES The broadcaster, naturalist and tour guide shares the most breathtaking seasonal events in Britain M B ’ , windswept coastlines are the mustvisit habitat for any ardent ‘spectacle spotter’ come high summer. For this is when a select number of rocky cliffs, islands and stacks become transformed into noisy seabird cities, with guillemots jostling for ledge space with razorbills, while kittiwakes and fulmars plug the gaps in between. Substantial colonies of Britain’s largest and arguably most majestic breeding seabird, the gannet, also grace 21 of these locations. Reaching a wingspan of about 180cm, the tips of an adult gannet’s snow-white wings are inked black and, when combined with a distinctive yellow-orange head and nape, make the gannet confusable with no other. It’s also the seabird most strongly linked to its breeding colony location, with perhaps November to early February being the only period when CHICK: SAM HOBSON/NATUREPL.COM; UNDERWATER: SCOTLAND: THE BIG PICTURE/NATUREPL.COM Did you know? Gannet chicks start off naked, so the parents sit on them until they grow a fluffy white down Watch Deadly Predators to see Steve Backshall testing the speed of a gannet dive

discoverwildlife.com discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 31 BBC WILDLIFE 31 Britain's coasts host 60-70 per cent of the world's total gannet population

32 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022 guarded around the clock by at least one of them from opportunistic predators such as herring or great black-backed gulls. This will leave the other parent free to fish out at sea, both for itself and the pair’s hungry chick back at the gannetry. The gannet’s ability to locate mackerel and herring shoals has been known for centuries. In his seminal book The Atlantic Gannet, ornithologist Bryan Nelson, quoted Clyde fisherman Donald McIntosh, who said “when ye see them hinging’ yon way, cocking their nebs, that’s when the herrin’ wir right thick”. While foraging expeditions have been recorded at distances of over 300km from land, gannets will equally feed far closer to home when opportunities prevail. Binocular vision and polarising eyesight help them spot shoals while covering large areas – even in choppy waters. Once fish are located, the gannet will fly into the wind to give it the necessary control while assessing the best line of attack. Capable of diving from heights of about 30m (although 10-15m is more common), the descent is mostly powered by gravity. By folding its wings both inwards and backward from the tail, the gannet becomes a streamlined dart, with the bill cleaving the water as it hits the surface at speeds of over 90kph. To help cushion the impact, gannets have an extensive network of air sacs between their powerful neck muscles and skin. Additionally, the base of the bill possesses a spongy shock-absorbing plate, and the internal nostrils close to prevent the entrance of water. To help protect feathers over repeated dives, their waterproofed nature is maintained by a sebaceous (oil-producing) gland, while a subcutaneous fat layer (deep within the skin) and dense down feathers enable the handsome birds to withstand the cold temperatures. Rarely diving deeply, they can, if necessary, use their wings and feet to propel them the short distance to their target. Most dives last just a few seconds, during which time they will hope to grab the slippery customer with the help of bill serrations, before their positive buoyancy returns them to the surface. When a shoal is discovered, the sight of one gannet rising up before successfully plunging into the water will not go unnoticed for long as news travels along the gannet grapevine. And with more than enough to go around when large shoals are located, a huge feeding frenzy can quickly develop as hundreds of birds plummet beak-long in a series of criss-crossed dives. Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire host the biggest gannet breeding colony on the UK mainland Fishy kisses Established pairs will reaffirm their bonds by standing breast to breast with their wings spread, while extending their necks and bills vertically. They will then clack their bills together and call enthusiastically in a flamboyant display. Parenting duties When the chick is young, changeovers between the parents at the nest have to be carefully coordinated to make sure the chick isn’t left unguarded. This is ensured by one of the parents pointing its bill directly upwards, which can be translated as ‘I’m about to leave the nest’. Once acknowledged, this leaves the sky-pointer free to go fishing. Seafood scraps Gannets will take advantage of any external help on offer in their perennial search for food. They will not only pick off any weakened fish that have been herded out at sea by feeding whales and dolphins, but also take advantage of any discard left in the wake of commercial fishing trawlers. LOOK CLOSER TOP FIVE PLACES “It becomes a streamlined dart, hitting the surface at speeds of over 90kph” 3 RSPB BEMPTON CLIFFS and its adjacent coastline hosts half a million seabirds each summer. The gannet population rapidly increased from about 2,550 pairs in 2000 to 23,400 in 2017. 4 GRASSHOLM RSPB RESERVE is an uninhabited island off the Pembrokeshire coast. It is the third largest gannetry in the world and hosts about 39,000 pairs or about 13 per cent of the entire British population each summer. 1 TROUP HEAD RSPB RESERVE on the Moray coast is Scotland’s largest mainland gannetry, with a portion of the 5,000 pairs easily viewable from the clifftop walk. Mike Dilger’s WILDLIFE SPECTACLES COLONY:DAN KITWOOD/GETTY; COURTSHIP:DAVID OSBORN/ALAMY; BASKING SHARK:REBECCA BELLENI/GETTY 5 BASS ROCK in the Firth of Forth has over 75,000 gannet pairs at the height of the breeding season. You can see the colony from the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick on the mainland. 2 HERMANESS NATIONAL NATURE RESERVE on Unst in the Shetland Isles has one of Britain’s most impressive seabird colonies – 30,000 pairs of gannets nest here each summer. NEXT MONTH How to see basking sharks swimming off the UK coast

Call | Visit hurtigruten.co.uk | Contact your preferred travel agent Scan the QR code to learn more The world’s most beautiful voyage is one of the greenest and most sustainable too. We’ve cut our CO2 emissions by 25% to help protect Norway’s coastline for the next generation as well as the diverse range of wildlife known to live there. From pu ns and sea eagles to king crabs and whales, the coast has it all. Respect for nature is in our nature Book now FROM ONLY £1,899pp -day Classic Round Voyage Flight-inclusive departures: October 2023 – March 2024 Experience the original spirit of Norway From prices quoted are in GBP and are per person, based on full occupancy of an inside two berth cabin, on a full board basis. Single supplements may apply. Prices are subject to availability. From price of £1899 per person is based on travelling from the UK, subject to availability and subject to change. All flights and flight-inclusive holidays are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. Please note some excursions are not included in the per person price and will be an additional charge (subject to availability). Images © Hurtigruten/Olaf Heitplatz.

34 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022 Fertilising the tall starry heads of this mossy plant is a tricky business, but a drop of water goes a long way REACH FOR THE STARS STAR HEADED LIVERWORT The popular naturalist, author and TV presenter reveals a secret world of overlooked wildlife T , - liverwort (Marchantia polymorpha) is at the peak of its reproductive cycle. For most of its life, the species is a thin, flat-lobed ribbon of green about 1-1.5cm wide. The thallus (plant body) hugs anything on which it grows – it is a lumpy carpet of flattened fingers quietly getting on with photosynthesising. Liverworts are, however, unlike other plants. They are descendants of some of the first life-forms to tackle a terrestrial existence. Get down close to them and you’ll see a strange landscape. Their surface is broken up into polygons, like reptilian scales, each punctured by a white pore through which the gasses of photosynthesis pass in and out. Lift a liverwort and you’ll see they are pinned down by thread-like rhizoids on the underside. These are not really roots – each consists of just a single cell. If you were to slice through one and examine it under a microscope, you’ll see it is divided into a Nick Baker’s HIDDEN BRITAIN thin upper layer containing chloroplasts, while below is a layer of spongy cells acting as a store for the synthesised sugars. But perhaps the oddest and most interesting thing about liverworts is their sex life. Over 50 per cent of them are what are known as dioecious, meaning they exist as separate male and female plants. If you start looking around for liverworts, you’ll also notice that they only grow in shady or damp locations. There are two good reasons for this: first, because they don’t have a vascular system they rely on direct diffusion over their surface. Liverworts have, at least evolutionarily speaking, only just left the water. They need to be thin and must stay damp to survive. The second good reason for staying wet is, well, sex. During the summer ‘Mr and Mrs’ Marchantia become easy to tell apart. Female star-headed liverworts have a tall, star-shaped head – a fan of green fingers looking like a cocktail umbrella. s, y ng r at ist u l or y e “Perhaps the oddest and most interesting thing about liverworts is their sex life” Star-like female parts (top), table-like male parts (bottom right) and cups holding special reproductive tissue (below)

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 35 Males of the same species have a growth that looks like a small, round table, known as an antheridiophore. On top of this table sit structures called antheridium and, when ripe, they produce sperm. The sperm cell can only swim a short distance and needs a continuous film of water between it and the egg cell to manage (fertilisation is external in liverworts). The eggs are held on the star-like ‘umbrellas’ (archaegoniophores) of the female liverworts. Once fertilisation takes place here, the sporophyte, which produces the spores, grows in situ on the umbrella. Each spore is then capable of either making a male or female plant. To think this complicated sex life could be happening on your driveway is incredible enough, but it is fraught with risk. To guarantee they can spread and colonise suitable habitats, liverworts have another trick up their sleeve. Look again at the surface of the thallus and you might see what look like little cups. These hold another secret. Inside there are gemmae – asexual reproductive buds of tissue that look like tiny green birds’ eggs. All it takes is a drop of rain or splash of water and the gemmae are spread further than any sperm might swim: from this speck of life, a new clone of the original liverwort can grow. ILLUSTRATIONS BY PETER DAVID SCOTT/THE ART AGENCY Dri away The spores of a liverwort need dry conditions to waft away and start a new plant. To help, specialised cells called elaters respond to changes in humidity – they are hygroscopic, meaning as they dry out, they change shape. So when it is dry, the liverwort’s elaters twist out of the sporangium (spore-holding) capsule and push the spores out with them. Helical, ribbonshaped elaters with released spores There are over 300 species of liverworts in the UK: whipworts, notchworts, earworts, threadworts, fingerworts, frostworts, ghostworts and veilworts among them. LOOK CLOSER

36 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022 ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE TIME TO CHANGE GEAR? The technology used in the film and photography industry is rapidly evolving and the same can be said for the kit required. Pro brands such as Nikon, Panasonic and Canon are making huge strides forward in producing impressive cameras, lenses and accessories. With newer, more cutting-edge gear constantly being introduced, there’s always a shiny new camera on the market attracting interest and it can certainly be hard for keen camera enthusiasts to rise above it. A common predicament is feeling the compulsion to always purchase new kit, and this is understandable. But you don’t necessarily need a professional’s budget to be a professional photographer. By and large, the type of camera you require will depend on the kind of photographer or videographer you are. FINDING THE RIGHT CAMERA The specification of a camera becomes especially important if you happen to specialise in an area of photography or film that demands particular features. For example, a wildlife photographer will need a camera that o ers a decent burst mode, a good bu er depth and ideally a decent zoom lens already attached to it. In this case, the Sony Cyber-shot RX10 IV is a good all-in-one and the Canon EOS 90D is ideal for a speedy performance. But it goes without saying that you’ll want to add value to your photography, whether it’s a fun pastime or a part of your profession. However, buying brand-new equipment isn’t always feasible. Not to mention the fact that the added costs of accompanying kit such as lenses and batteries can really mount up, getting what you need can end up being a costly endeavour. This is where MPB comes in. MPB is changing the way consumers buy and sell used Whether you have a passion for photography or you’re a casual hobbyist, transform the way you buy, sell and trade camera kit Change the bigger picture with MPB

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Enjoy our Premium App experience now available from 64 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022 discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 65 O SEASHELLS SEASHELLS O ALEX HYDE/NATUREPL.COM Heading to the seaside this summer? Take a moment to admire the intricate shape and form of seashells, which reveal so much about their mysterious former inhabitants. By HELEN SCALES Seashell secrets This fabulous array of seashells was discovered on the Isle of Skye SEASHELLS O s n BBC Wildlife magazine is full of breathtaking photos and fascinating features on the most interesting animals and habitats in the UK and around the world. With the latest news and conservation issues, practical expert advice and ideas for really wild days out, you will understand and enjoy nature more.

40 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022 Orcas are surviving o the coast of British Columbia, but only just. We nd out what is putting these apex predators in peril. By KUSH PATEL ORCAS ON THE EDGE

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 41 Sometimes called killer whales, orcas are in fact a species of dolphin HIROYA MINAKUCHI/MINDEN/NATUREPL.COM ORCAS O

2018, experienced an unusual connection with another species. Tahlequah, an orca, was seen carrying her dead calf for 1,600km around the Salish Sea. Apparently grieving her youngster, she sacrificed feeding and compromised her own health. 42 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022 O ORCAS I

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 43 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Raised in Kenya, Kush Patel has a deep interest in the natural world. Through his writing, he aims to inspire others to discover nature and preserve our diminishing wilderness. Headlines filled every major news outlet and social media carried outpourings of support for Tahlequah. Orcas, particularly the Southern Resident population – the well-studied group in the eastern North Pacific to which Tahlequah belongs – were in the spotlight, highlighting their precarious survival. Having experienced two decades of recovery following the 1974 ban on capturing orcas for marine parks, with numbers increasing from 71 to 98, the population has since shrunk to 74, a result of declining prey, pollution and disturbance from ocean traffic. Here was an apex predator with an apparent sensitive side, struggling to flourish in what, on the surface, appears to be pristine wilderness. So, in August 2018, I went to see these iconic creatures for myself. V I , - west Canada, is a lozenge of land that shelters the mainland from the whims of the Pacific Ocean. Nestled in its embrace is a scattering of islands, some no larger than a sea lion’s sun-lounger, that make up the Broughton Archipelago. Hanson Island is one of these, positioned strategically between the aptly named Blackfish Sound and Johnston Strait – prime orca habitat. Here, under a canopy of firs, a simple camp is my home for the next few days. I am surrounded by mountains, forest and air so fresh it almost stings. I drop into a kayak and, together with seven companions, paddle out into Blackfish Sound. Within minutes, an orca appears. I lean forward, eyes straining on the featureless water ahead. Without warning, a column of spray erupts as if from the chimney of a steam engine. A 2m fin slices the water – a silky black triangle with a white brushstroke circling its base. The size indicates it’s a male! Seconds later, he dives. The summer sun is fuelling a rich food-web encompassing everything from microscopic plankton to 40-tonne humpback whales. If you’re an orca in these waters, you’ll be after one thing: salmon. “Salmon, particularly chinook, are critical for the survival of Resident orcas,” says Deborah Giles, science and research director at conservation organisation Wild Orca. Salmon migrate for miles along this coastline and return to their historic spawning grounds in the region’s many rivers to breed. From May to October, the glut of travelling salmon brings orcas into inland waters, where they can be seen chasing Here is an apex predator struggling to ourish in what, on the surface, appears to be pristine wilderness This orca belongs to the Transient group which migrates along the west coast and preys on marine mammals Kush came thrillingly close to an orca pod when kayaking in Blackfish Sound MAIN IMAGE: DAVE HUTCHISON/ALL CANADA PHOTOS/ALAMY; KAYAK: KUSH PATEL

44 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022 down their prey. But with salmon stocks now severely depleted – a result chiefly of overfishing and habitat loss – feeding is becoming ever more challenging. S to orcas, but are also a vital economic commodity. Governments, industry, indigenous communities and conservationists have been rearing salmon fry in hatcheries and releasing them into the ocean in what’s known as ‘restoration aquaculture’. “Without these hatcheries, the Southern Resident orcas would not have survived this long,” says Deborah. Dams have also been removed in some rivers, such as on the Elwha in Washington State, allowing salmon free passage upstream. Plans are afoot to remove four more dams on the Snake River in Washington State, previously considered one of the world’s greatest breeding grounds. While these strategies are working in some places, many complexities remain. Underwater, the orcas are echolocating, rattling o clicks into the seascape to locate prey up to 150m away Climate change and pollution have reduced the salmon’s food supply, so populations are continuing to decline, despite the releases. Hatcheries are also known to reduce genetic diversity – something that is key to ensuring resilience – and tend to breed smaller, less nutritious individuals. Orcas take vast amounts of salmon, but so do humans. “Commercial fisheries are tightly regulated around the Salish Sea and British Columbia’s waters, but further north, in Alaskan fisheries, 97 per cent of fish caught are not native to their waters [and include migratory salmon]. Bycatch and targeted fishing significantly reduces the salmon population, meaning fewer return south to sustain the resident orcas,” Deborah explains. “As a society we need to pay more attention to how we obtain our fish.” A squadron of orcas follows in the male’s wake. Several females and their calves cruise abreast, tracing the coastline. They all belong to the same family, led by an alpha female. Fin, our guide, informs us that underwater, the orcas are probably echolocating, rattling off clicks into the seascape to locate prey up to 150m away. As the signals bounce back, the vibrations are absorbed by the orca’s fat-filled lower jaws and channelled straight into their ears. So honed is this technique that they can distinguish one species of fish from another, allowing them to specifically target chinooks. Like a team of synchronised swimmers, they surface and dive in front of us in a spectacular 10-minute show. O N P have evolved into three major ‘ecotypes’ depending on their environment: the Residents (comprising the Southern, Northern and Alaskan Residents), which tend to stay locally within certain coastal areas; the Transients, which migrate long distances along North America’s west coast; and the Offshores, which spend a lot of time far out at sea. Each ecotype has developed differences in appearance, dialect, social group size and food preference. Essentially, they have their own cultures. Is it play? Scientists are working to understand the meaning of tail slapping, flipper waving, rolling and other orca behaviours. O ORCAS POD, SEA OTTERS & HUMPBACK: ROLF HICKER PHOTOGRAPHY/ALAMY; SPYHOPPING: BRANDON COLE/NATUREPL.COM; SALMON: DAVID HALL/NATUREPL.COM

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 45 This type of breach, when an orca raises its head out of the water to survey the surroundings, is called a spyhop Large and calorie-rich, Chinook salmon make up 80 per cent of the Southern Resident orca’s diet SPOTTERS GUIDE Other wild highlights of Broughton Sea otters Sea otters have made an impressive comeback to these waters after their population was decimated by the fur trade. They are often found close to Vancouver Island, but sightings are increasing within the archipelago. They are frequently seen hunting along the coastline and have an almost insatiable appetite for sea urchins. Humpback whales Humpback whales make the trip to these waters to feed during spring and summer. They often use a technique of lunging from the depths towards a mass of krill or herring. Occasionally a humpback breaches, providing a spectacular show for onlookers. In autumn, they tend to head south towards warmer waters. Their distinct dialects are particularly interesting. All orcas make calls and whistles to communicate socially. To the trained ear of a scientist, each ecotype sounds unique. In fact, each pod has its own distinct repertoire of sounds. “Among the Residents, there are shared vocalisations enabling different pods to communicate and socialise. However, different ecotypes do not communicate as they do not share any common vocalisations,” adds Deborah. The Transients, which hunt whales and seals, tend to vocalise less, so as not to alert their prey. The fish-eating Residents, in contrast, are highly reliant on echolocation. And this is where ship disturbance comes in. “Large vessels produce sound at a similar

46 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022 wavelength to that used by orcas, effectively drowning out their ability to echolocate and therefore feed,” says Deborah. The solution is to reduce ship-based physical and acoustic impact in key orca habitats, and two initiatives are underway to make this happen for the Southern Resident orcas: the Enhanced Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) programme in Canada, in operation since 2014, and Quiet Sound in the USA, launched in 2021. R A , leads Quiet Sound, says that by using an app that identifies the location of orcas, mariners can slow down, reducing noise and the risk of collisions. Collaboration between the government, industry, research and nonprofit organisations is threading the needle between orca conservation and development, and proving to be quite successful. “Ninety per cent of ships participate in the ECHO programme, and this has halved the amount of shipping noise,” says Carrie Brown, director of ecosystem health and environmental programmes at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. As Carrie explains, the successes and knowledge gained from ECHO British Columbia’s largest marine park, Broughton Archipelago is popular with sea kayakers keen to encounter orcas Tahlequah’s story Tahlequah (J35) is a member of the Southern Resident J-Pod and is about 24 years old. She shot to fame in 2018 after she was witnessed carrying her dead calf, a female known as Tali, for 17 days around the Salish Sea. Tali was Tahlequah’s second baby; her first, a male known as Notch (J47), arrived in 2010. In September 2020, she gave birth to a new calf, a male called Phoenix (J57). O ORCAS Phoenix with his mother Tahlequah. Orca calves depend on their mothers for milk for up to two years.

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 47 are being adopted elsewhere and influencing ship-builders to construct quieter, cleaner and more efficient vessels. Mornings in the Broughton Archipelago are frosty, still and almost ethereal. I lie awake, cocooned in my sleeping bag, reluctant to brave the chill. Meanwhile, life stirs outside my tent. A raven clears its throat, a pair of bald eagles squeal, and waves agitate pebbles on the beach. Then, a distant whoosh, muffled yet familiar – the unmistakable sound of a blowhole opening – followed by another and one more. I stumble outside and make for the rocky promontory. A pod of Pacific white-sided dolphins surfaces, their languid movements in keeping with the pace of life in this corner of Canada. These serene, glassy waters hide the third major threat to the orcas here. “Toxins in the environment accumulate in increasing concentrations at every stage of the foodweb,” says Deborah. “Orcas, being at the top of the chain, have high concentrations of these toxins in their blubber.” The impacts are severe. According to Rachel Aronson, toxins, combined with malnutrition from a decline in prey, have resulted in 70 per cent of all pregnancies failing to reach term and half of all calves dying before their first birthday. This sobering fact is the reason the Southern Resident population is not increasing. Indeed, L-Pod, the largest of the group’s three pods, has only had two successful births in the past three years, despite containing 14 females of breeding age, and the new arrival to K-Pod in April this year was the first since 2011. J-Pod has seen three new calves since 2020. It’s not all bad news, though. The Northern Resident orcas that frequent the Broughton Archipelago and north to Haida Gwaii are faring slightly better, increasing by 2.2 per cent a year, possibly because they get first picks of the salmon migrating south from Alaskan waters. The Southern Residents have to make do with the leftovers. W a 10-strong pod. As the current sweeps us around a rocky promontory, the family steams towards us. Fin ushers us into a tight group against the rocks to give the orcas space. I can make out some small fins – babies – nestled among larger ones, including the six-footer of another huge male. One female has a visible back injury, inflicted by a boat propeller. “The family keeps to her pace and probably help to feed her,” says Fin. Social bonds within a family are strong and orcas take great care of one another. One orca starts tail-slapping, perhaps as a form of play, perhaps as a means of communication; scientists are still trying to work out the meaning of such behaviour. Two break the surface and briefly eyeball us, probably as curious of us as we are of them. The family passes a few feet away, leaving me ecstatic and, with the wind blowing in my direction, drenched in what can only be described as orca snot. The orcas drift into the distance, towards Robson Bight Ecological Reserve, for an orca ‘spa’. As Fin informs us, the reserve’s shallow shoreline is lined with pebbles on which the orcas rub their undersides – one way to scratch an itch. Across the world’s oceans, these predators have used intelligence and cooperation to develop behaviours tailored to particular areas. In New Zealand, orcas have learned how to hunt stingrays by flipping them upside down and rendering them catatonic. In the Crozet Islands in the Southern Indian Ocean, the sound of a longliner hauling up its catch is like a dinner bell for orcas, as they have learned to pick off Patagonian toothfish from the hooks. Antarctic orcas create a bow wave by swimming in sync towards a seal resting on an ice floe, washing their quarry into the water. “Genetic studies indicate that different orca populations differ significantly enough to be classified as subspecies,” says Deborah. Geographic isolation and cultural differences are leading to their evolution. Combined with their specific diets, varied dialects, complex social lives, strong family bonds and intelligence, orcas are more relatable to us than previously thought. On my final evening, as the sun wanes beneath a silhouette of hills, I ponder the orcas I have seen. If they are to survive, they need the same things we need: a healthy home, enough food and safety. Tahlequah’s story captured our hearts. Our response will determine her species’ future. Simply slowing down the speed of large ships has significantly cut noise pollution levels in Vancouver’s waters PHONIX: ANTHONY SOUFFLE/ALAMY; AERIAL: ROLF HICKER PHOTOGRAPHY/ALAMY; SHIP: MARK CARWARDINE/NPL “Vessels produce sound at a similar wavelength used by orcas, drowning out their ability to echolocate” DEBORAH GILES, SCIENCE AND RESEARCH DIRECTOR AT WILD ORCA

48 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022 RISEABOVE Roaming the crags and sheer slopes of Western Europe’s highest mountain range, the Alpine ibex is now thriving again – having come perilously close to extinction Photos by EMILE SÉCHAUD

Cloud cover A lone male ibex (known as a bouquetin in French-speaking regions of the Alps) stands sentinel above the clouds cloaking Lake Geneva in France’s Haute-Savoie region. On this December dawn, at the peak of the mating season, he’s on the lookout for females – hoping that at least one will be impressed by his hefty horns. discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 49 PORTFOLIO

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER Emile Séchaud is an award-winning French nature photographer. You can find more of his work at emilesechaud.com. High and wild A magnificent male grazes among shattered rocks beneath the Mont Blanc massif in south-west Switzerland. Living at altitudes up to 3,300m in summer across their Alpine range, these large goats – a big male can top 100kg at his pre-winter peak – prefer south-facing slopes and ridges. Social climber An ibex scales a stratified cliff-face in Haute-Savoie to join a cluster of females with kids above her; in summer, ibex form same-sex groups comprising several dozen individuals. 50 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022 PORTFOLIO