BBC Wildlife - Killer Country

Horns of plenty

The curved, heavily ridged
horns of male ibex grow
to nearly 1m long and can
weigh over 6kg – intimidating
weapons used during bouts
to establish a place in the
local hierarchy and access
to breeding females. Such a
powerful creature will likely
win more opportunities to mate
than less well-endowed rivals.

52 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

PORTFOLIO

Boys club

A generously proportioned ibex
(centre) uses his impressive

horns to scratch his back in the
meadows he shares with some 70

other males in the Chablais Alps,
along the French-Swiss border,

south of Lake Geneva. During the
summer months – this photo was
taken in July – ibex ascend to find

fresh grass in higher reaches.

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 53

PORTFOLIO

Snow go area

A young male ibex descends a
rocky ridge dusted with snow
following the first fall in late
autumn. These heavy goats
dislike deep snow, which
makes walking arduous and
smothers access to food, so
typically overwinter at altitudes
down to about 1,800m.

Between a rock

An ibex shelters from heavy
rain among granite rocks
near the Mont Blanc massif
during a June downpour. At
this time of year he’s wearing
his shorter summer coat, but
will moult in September to
prepare for the winter.

54 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

PORTFOLIO

Blowing cold

A large male is engulfed by
swirling snow in the Jura
Mountains of north-west
Switzerland. With his thick
winter fur, woolly undercoat
and insulating fat layer, he’s
well equipped to endure the
harsh conditions – but could
lose 50 per cent of his weight
over the coldest months, when
access to food may be scarce.

Twin peak

A pair of males break off from
grazing to peer around from
their ridge-top eyrie in the
Chablais Alps – one of several
locations where Alpine ibex
were reintroduced from the
early 20th century, having been
extirpated from most of their
range by overhunting.

PORTFOLIO

56 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

Under the ridge In bloom

A mother and her offspring Profuse rhododendron
traverse the Aiguille Rouge flowers provide colourful
beneath the jagged ridge of the summer fare for a hungry
Mont Blanc massif in autumn. female ibex in the Aiguille
Having mated in December or Rouge – a welcome change
January, a female gives birth – from the grass that makes
typically to a single kid – in June; up the majority of the
the young ibex will remain with species’ diet, along with
her for about a year. mosses, lichens, leaves and
twigs. Her horns will reach
Back from the brink only about one-third the
length of a big male’s.
By the 19th century, overhunting
had reduced the Alpine ibex discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 57
population to fewer than 100,
clinging on in Italy’s Gran Paradiso
and France’s Vanoise massifs.
Following natural dispersal
and successful reintroductions,
today an estimated 53,000 ibex
– protected across much of the
region – can be found roaming
these dramatic landscapes.

Springwatch’s DAVID GEE/ALAMY
Guide to Sea Birds
episode is available

to watch now

Is the
answer
really
blowin’
in the wind?

58 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

WIND FARMS O

The UK government wants
to generate enough wind
energy to be able to power
every home by 2030

Renewable energy is a necessity as
we aim for net-zero carbon emissions,
but it comes at a cost to wildlife ByJAMESFAIR

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 59

The dunes at
Climping are
home to rare
sand lizards

SSussex beach will impact marine life, including seahorses, The RSPB has expressed particular DUNE: GRAHAM PRENTICE/ALAMY; GEESE: TERRY
while gale- black bream, and oyster and mussel beds.” concern about the potential impacts on WHITTAKER/2020VISION/NPL; GANNET:JEFF J MITCHELL/GETTY
force winds northern gannets, which it said the developer
create a Visram is leading efforts by local – a German multinational company called
maelstrom of residents to stop Rampion 2, a development RWE – was not taking sufficiently seriously.
waves threatening of between 75 and 116 wind turbines off
to inundate the low-lying land behind isn’t the the coast of Sussex, stretching some 50km Bviewpoint. Once up and
best time to argue against wind energy. from Newhaven to Selsey Bill. Modern wind running, Rampion 2 will
Wind, clearly, is an abundant and turbines are enormous – those planned for generate up to 1.2 gigawatts
powerful force, and the swelling surf is a Rampion 2 could reach 325m high, as tall as (GW) of electricity annually
stark reminder that rising sea levels – caused the Eiffel Tower, and will be clearly visible – more than 10 per cent of the total UK
by climate change – could create havoc from the coast. wind energy capacity in 2020, and enough to
for many parts of Britain’s coastline, and power a million homes.
increasingly are. Two official bodies – Natural England
But campaigner Zoe Visram is and the South Downs National Park It would make a substantial contribution
undeterred. “Rampion 2 wind farm is going Authority – along with the RSPB, Sussex towards the government’s commitment to
to cause tremendous harm to wildlife, with Wildlife Trust and Sussex Ornithological quadrupling wind energy generation from
the cable [carrying the electricity] coming Society, have expressed concerns about 10GW to 40GW by 2030 and achieving net-
ashore here at Climping, a Site of Special the potential impacts of Rampion 2. These zero carbon emissions by 2050. To put it
Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its vegetative range from seabirds and migrating songbirds bluntly, could it be worth sacrificing some
shingle, sand dunes and migratory birds,” she colliding with the turbines to the disturbance trees, hedgerows and seabirds for this? After
says. “The trench for the underwater cable caused by laying the underwater cable and all, most scientists are agreed that climate
then digging a 50m-wide cable route that change is the single biggest threat to life as
ABOUT THE AUTHOR winds 37km inland through the South Downs we know it.
National Park.
James Fair is a wildlife and
environmental journalist “We are very concerned about
working on topics from the hedgerows,” says Sussex Wildlife Trust
badger cull to cheetahs in conservation officer Jess Price. “There is no
Iran. See more of his work information on exactly how many will be
at jamesfairwildlife.co.uk. impacted, what length are being removed,
where they are and what state they are in.
Some may not be very species-rich, others
could be remnants of ancient woodland.”

60 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

WIND FARMS O

Dark-bellied brent geese
are among the seabirds
at risk of disturbance
from wind farms

The outbreak of war in Ukraine has but it’s got to be done in a way that’s not
amplified the issue of Europe being harming wildlife.”
dependent on Russian gas and oil. Wind
energy – particularly for an island nation RWE says it has been actively engaging
such as the UK – offers a viable route out with a wide range of bodies throughout the
of this quandary. Increasing our renewable process, and that the wind farm is still in a
energy capacity, said the Guardian within very early, pre-planning application stage of
days of the conflict beginning, “dramatically its development.
reduces the power of autocrats, dictators,
and thugs”. “We are confident that we will be able
to put forward a good proposal that strikes
Jess Price – speaking in mid-February, the right balance between the significant
before Russia invaded Ukraine – says the wider environmental benefit brought by
issue is more complicated than that. “The the renewable energy generated, whilst
climate and nature crises are inextricably minimising, where possible, the local
linked, and efforts to solve one are futile if impacts,” RWE told BBC Wildlife.
they also contribute to the other,” she says.
“We want to see a move to renewables, and A wind farm doesn’t have to be on
a massive decline in the use of fossil fuels, the scale of Rampion 2 to have potentially
disastrous impacts on wildlife. Nearly
1,000km north, in a large commercial

Northern gannets Rampion 2 will generate enough
are on the RSPB’s energy to power a million homes
Amber list
discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 61

O WIND FARMS WIND FARMS WORLDWIDE

Wildcats are on the Construction of both on- and offshore
brink of extinction wind farms can pose severe threats to
in Scotland wildlife, the most obvious of which is
collision with the revolving blades.

Altamont Pass California

One of the earliest wind farms anywhere

in the world, consisting of nearly 5,000

turbines, Altamont Pass was killing up to

60 golden eagles and more

than 200 red-tailed hawks

every year in the mid

2000s. Overall, raptor Red-
mortality has since been tailed
reduced by about half hawk
as a result of lobbying

by bird conservation

groups to replace or

remove some turbines.

Smøla Norway

Located off the coast of west Norway,

Smøla wind farm consists of 68 turbines

and is estimated to kill six to

nine white-tailed eagles White-
every year. But one study tailed eagle
also showed that any at Smøla
white-tailed eagle

territories within 500m

The development will impact at of a turbine were
least ve to six wildcat territories
subsequently vacated,

so displacement was

having an impact too.

Tarifa Spain

forestry plantation in Aberdeenshire, Not all conservation groups agree There are numerous wind farms located
Clashindarroch II will consist of 14 wind these wildcats are threatened. Or, more
turbines generating sufficient electricity to to the point, they don’t agree they are in Tarifa, southern Spain, an area heavily
meet the demands of 55,000 households. wildcats. Saving Wildcats – a partnership of
It will be roughly one-twentieth of the size organisations including the Royal Zoological used by migrating vultures,
of Rampion 2. Society of Scotland, the government’s nature
advisor NatureScot and Forestry and Land raptors and storks in the Spanish
Here, it’s feared the removal of trees to Scotland (FLS) – says that the majority spring and autumn. imperial
make way for the turbines and disturbance of the individuals in Clashindarroch are A programme to eagle
during construction could have a seriously domestic cat hybrids and therefore not a selectively stop
negative impact on wildcats, Britain’s only priority for conservation.
surviving native wild felid. A public inquiry turbines when vultures
held in late February and early March T , FLS,
heard conservationists’ claims that the and manages the land, has were nearby reduced
development will impact at least five to six long known that wildcats
wildcat territories, equating to one-fifth of in Clashindarroch had the mortality rates by 50
a total population estimated to be as low potential to become a major
as 30 wild individuals. Ultimately, the wind stumbling block to the wind farm expansion per cent. This approach
farm could lead to the “wholesale extinction plans. An email in 2017 warned that two
of the Scottish wildcat in the wild due to its wind farms proposed for the area would also benefits the Spanish
critically endangered status,” they said. result in “significant clear-felling [cutting
down most or all trees in an area of wood]”. imperial eagle.
Ecologist Dominic Woodfield says
Clashindarroch is not the right place for the “I will be surprised if the presence The point being that FLS and other
new wind farm because the degree of risk is so of Scottish wildcats does not become organisations were well aware that Scottish
high compared to the “less than 0.1 per cent” a significant issue during the planning wildcats – whether hybrids or not – were
contribution it would make to Scotland’s process,” wrote FLS district manager John in Clashindarroch and therefore potential
renewable energy output. “Should you really Thomson. “I flag this simply to ensure that spanners in the proverbial works, but the
be taking this level of risk with what could be we do not create any hostages to fortune project has managed to reach the public
the most important population of wildcats in regarding the scale of our felling operations.” inquiry stage regardless.
the country?” he asks.
Roo Campbell, NatureScot’s mammals
advisor, says the possible impacts of the
wind farm pale in comparison to other types
of development. “Fragmentation of habitat
comes from major roads, fields without much
cover and conurbations,” he says.

Whatever your view of the wind farm
at Clashindarroch, it highlights something

62 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

WILDCAT: ANDY ROUSE/NPL CONTROLLED CONDITIONS ; HAWK: ALAN MURPHY/ BIA/MINDEN/NPL; WHITE TAILED EAGLE: LOHMANN/ BLICKWINKEL/ALAMY; IMPERIAL that most conservationists agree on – there Skomer’s puffins may “The current flavour of the month is
EAGLE: DANIELE OCCHIATO/AGAMI/ALAMY; PUFFIN: DANNY GREEN/NPL; KITTIWAKE: MAREK SZCZEPANEK/GETTY; HOTEL: ROGER JOHANSEN/ALAMY is very little in the way of proper forward have to negotiate a kittiwake hotels,” says Horswill. “Building
planning on where wind farms are located. floating wind farm artificial structures for kittiwakes to nest
Jack Thompson, the RSPB conservation on.” The idea is that by creating additional
officer dealing with Rampion 2, says the long-term impacts of wind farms could be breeding habitat, you will increase the
organisation sees many proposals that even greater than feared. number of young birds fledging annually.
should never have got to the planning stage
because of how they will affect wildlife. She and other scientists are concerned But, she points out, kittiwakes are
about plans for a trial floating wind farm struggling due to lack of food, not lack
“One of the things we want to push that could be located just 25km from two of nesting space. “The requirement for
for is for the impacts of all wind farm of the UK’s most important seabird islands, companies to compensate for the impacts
developments to be looked at more Skomer and Skokholm, off the coast of of wind farms could have resulted in a
holistically, so that we make sure we direct step-change in marine conservation,” she
the efforts of the Crown Estate [which hands Pembrokeshire. Here, long-term monitoring adds. “For example, if they were to fund a
out licences] and all developers towards is helping scientists understand how reduction in fishing for sandeels, that could
those key spaces where the potential for seabirds are being affected by climate be really beneficial for kittiwakes and other
energy generation is still good, but not close change and fisheries. species such as puffins.”
to seabird colonies,” he says. “In an ideal world, we wouldn’t
be placing wind farms anywhere T’
P– – near these important seabird islands,” new-found zeal for renewable
is not the only problem, Horswill says. energy should surely be
according to Catharine In the Firth of Forth and Tay welcomed, but there’s no
Horswill, a conservation area of north-east Scotland, escaping the potential
scientist with University the concerns are even more costs to wildlife. As Jess Price says: “When
College London and the Zoological Society concrete. A total of eight wind people say that we should put Rampion 2
of London. She says that the way the somewhere else, part of me thinks, ‘Well,
impacts on seabirds are being assessed farms, three with consent and another there’s something there already’. Practically
underestimates what could happen in reality. five in various pre-application phases, are every inch of the sea, if there is not a project
planned in a region that includes Bass Rock – happening, there’s a company trying to get a
Horswill studies black-legged kittiwakes, home to the world’s largest northern gannet licence for one.”
one of the UK’s fastest declining seabirds. colony – the Isle of May and various onshore
It’s not clear exactly what is bringing about seabird colonies. The bottom line, say both campaigners
this decline, but it’s likely a combination and conservationists, is that we should be
of rising sea temperatures changing the Just for those wind farms that have been looking at reducing our energy consumption
distribution of prey such as sandeels, and given the go-ahead, it has been estimated while also making the transition away from
overfishing of the same species. As a result, that “over 1,000 gannets and hundreds of fossil fuels. Otherwise, we’ll merely be
breeding success is considerably kittiwakes could be killed each year during swapping carbon emissions for biodiversity
lower than it needs to be to keep the summer months alone, and many loss. Or, to put it another way, there’s no
populations stable. hundreds of puffins could die as a result of such thing as a free lunch.
losing important feeding areas,” according to
But in a paper published in March, RSPB Scotland.
Horswill shows that modelling used
by developers does not take these Where wind farms that are predicted
breeding declines into account, to have an impact on seabirds do go ahead,
which means the developers are now required to put in place
compensation measures.
Human-made
‘hotels’ (below) for
black-legged kittiwakes are
intended to compensate
for population losses

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 63

O SEASHELLS ALEX HYDE/NATUREPL.COM

Seashell

64 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

SEASHELLS O

This fabulous
array of seashells
was discovered on
the Isle of Skye

secrets

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

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 65

O SEASHELLS

Unicorn horn-like
turret shells can
drill down into the
sand or mud

Gand escape A coat-of-mail shell with of shell made chiefly of calcium carbonate,
between the its eight armoured plates the same chalky material as a hen’s eggshell.
tides. Get sandy Like tree rings, seashells have seasonal
toes, listen to feed on tiny particles. You’ll often find single, growth lines that are sometimes visible from
the waves - and disarticulated bivalve shells or pairs still the outside. Counting the most prominent
always, always joined together. Sometimes, you’ll stumble lines across a bivalve shell can give you an
look for seashells. across the shells of bean clams scattered idea of how old it was when it died.
A day at the beach isn’t complete without across sandy beaches like thousands of
a sandcastle decorated with these marine purple, orange and yellow butterflies. Many marine molluscs live for several
treasures, or a few in the pocket to bring years; some for much longer. Ocean
home. Adorning bathroom shelves and U, quahogs from the North Atlantic can live
windowsills, seashells are not only fond and other crustaceans,
reminders of a visit to the sea, but they have which routinely shed for centuries. One individual, nicknamed
many secrets to share and stories to tell their shells and Hafrún, meaning ‘mystery of the ocean’
about the animals that made them and the grow new, bigger in Icelandic, lived for 507 years,
wonders of their watery world. Any shell, ones, molluscs keep their making it one of the longest-lived
after all, was once part of a living, breathing shells throughout their lives animals ever to have had its age
sea creature. Learn to decipher these hidden and gradually expand accurately measured.
messages and you’ll start to see seashells in a them. Look closely at Scientists use seashells,
whole new light. the inner-most whorl especially the long-lived
Every time you pick up an empty of a sea snail and you ones, as climate archives
seashell, you’re holding a mollusc’s should be able to make that hold a treasure trove of
abandoned exoskeleton, which these soft- out the tiny shell detailed information about
bodied animals use as a multi-purpose tool. it had when it first the changing ocean. Shells can
This is their home, their place to hide and hatched from an egg. tell the past temperature and
the attachment point for muscles to help As it grows bigger, a
them move. There’s a plethora of shells to mollusc uses its soft Long-lived ocean quahogs can
find, made by different kinds of molluscs, in body tissue (the mantle) reach up to 13cm in length
habitats all around the UK coasts. to lay down more layers
Rocky shores and tide pools are home to
lots of sea snails (gastropods) with elegant
spiralling shells, including dog whelks and
periwinkles. When it’s alive, a sea snail pokes
its tentacled head out of its shell’s open hole
and crawls along on a muscly foot.
At low tide, limpet-like chitons with
‘coat-of-mail’ shells, creep about under rocks,
their shells in eight plates across their backs.
Sandy beaches are the domain of cockles,
razor clams and other types of bivalves, each
bearing a pair of crinkled and fan-shaped
shells that clamp tightly together to keep
their soft bodies tucked up inside.
Many bivalves burrow deep down in the
sand and reach into the water with a snorkel
tube, called a siphon, to breathe and filter-

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Helen is a marine biologist,
writer and broadcaster.
Her latest book, on sale now,
is What a Shell Can Tell
(Phaidon, £16.95). Find out
more at helenscales.com.

66 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: GEOFF SCOTT SIMPSON/NPL; NICK UPTON/ SEASHELLS O
NPL; INGO ARNDT/NPL; PREMAPHOTOS/ALAMY; PHILIPPE CLEMENT/NPL
Low tide is the best time to
enjoy some meditative shell-
seeking at coastal spots such
as Porthdinllaen in Wales

Searching
along the
rocky shore

The lower reaches of
rocky shores are good
for finding all sorts of
sea snails, such as top
shells, sting winkles
and cowries. Look out
for dogwhelks laying
clutches of eggs under
rocks and attacking
mussels, which fight
back by tying the
predators up in their
sticky byssus threads.
discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 67

ID GUIDE

10 seashells to spot on the beach

Spotted cowrie Painted Blue ray Slipper limpet Wentletrap
topshell limpet
The size of a little These sex-changing Like a miniature, spiral
fingernail, these small A distinct topshell due The intricate crystal snails form ‘mating piles’ staircase, these are a
beauties are not easy to its neat, conical shape structure of this shell – larger females with rare sight around the UK.
to spot but well worth and eye-catching pink and reflects only blue smaller males on top, Once highly collectable,
the effort. Similar Arctic purple patterns. wavelengths of light. which eventually turn people even made fake
cowries don’t have spots. into females. wentletraps.

acidity of seawater the molluscs grew in; they The shiny interior of SLIPPER LIMPET,CUTTLEBONE, PIDDOCK: PHILIPPE CLEMENT/ARTERRA/ALAMY; COWRIE: JELGER HERDER/BUIEN BEELD; TOPSHELL:
can even indicate when volcanoes erupted or abalones – an edible NICO VAN KAPPEL/BUITEN BEELD; BLUE RAY LIMPET: SUE DALY/NPL; WENTLETRAP: JELGER HERDER/BUITEN BEELD/ALAMY
hurricanes struck. mollusc, its shells are
used for jewellery
Sendless variety of shapes, but in
fact they’re all versions of the Above: just a few centimetres long,
same basic pattern: a spiral. That a janthina snail suspends itself
much is obvious in snail shells from air bubbles beneath the sea
and less so in clams and other bivalves, but surface. Right: a spiny oyster blends
their shells are indeed spirals, just ones that in with the ocean floor.
flare wide open.

The precise shapes of molluscs’ spiralling
shells are a nod to their different habitats
and modes of living and moving. Scallops
rest their flattened, fan-shaped shells on
the sandy seabed. Occasionally, they stir
themselves into the water column and
swim for short distances by clapping their
shells together like castanets and squirting
propulsive water jets through their siphon.
Turret or auger shells are long and slender,
resembling little unicorn horns, enabling
them to drill down into sand and mud.
Limpets have volcano-shaped shells that they
clamp down tightly to rocks so they don’t
get swept away by waves or pecked off. Their
conical shells are difficult to grasp, and they
use their foot like a suction cup and glue
themselves in place with specialised slime.

Molluscs often ramp up their defences
by adding corrugations and spines to their
shells, making them difficult for predators to
handle. Spiny oysters in the Mediterranean
are covered in prongs that encourage
seaweeds and sponges to settle and grow,
giving them camouflage on rocky reefs.

Lots of molluscs add a shiny layer of
mother-of-pearl, or nacre, to the insides of
their shells. Abalone are some of the shiniest

68 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

SEASHELLS O

Cuttlebone Rough Common Spiny cockle Razor clam
periwinkle piddock
Commonly seen, these Look out for cockles These champion diggers
are the spongy, internal The world’s most A boring bivalve! Piddocks covered in bristly look like overgrown
shells of cuttlefish, misidentified mollusc, bore burrows in soft rocks, spines. Like many shell fingernails. They swiftly
another type of mollusc the shells exist in many starting when they’re adornments, these help bury themselves in the
that are distantly related colours and patterns. small larvae. deter predators from sand, sometimes squirting
to snails and bivalves. eating them. out water.

PERIWINKLE: PAUL R. STERRY/NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS LTD/ALAMY; COCKLE: ALAMY; ABALONE: GETTY; RAZOR CLAM: PHILIPPE shells, their insides swathed in oily greens
CLEMENT/NPL; JANTHINA: GEORGETTE DOUWMA/NPL; SPINY OYSTER: VISUALS UNLIMITED/NPL; HERMIT CRAB: ALEX HYDE/NPL and blues, and people often use them to
make jewellery, buttons and decorative inlays
in furniture.

Yet the gleaming interiors of these shells
evolved not for beauty, but for strength.
Engineers have discovered the nanostructure
of nacre helps to make shells crack-proof.
Nacre, made from essentially the same
calcium carbonate as the outer shell, is
laid down in a series of tiny, brick-like
layers held together in a stretchy matrix
of chitin – the chief structural material of
insect exoskeletons. This can stop cracks
from spreading when a crab grabs a shell in
its claws, or when a fish bites down. If you
find a seashell that’s shiny on the outside,
it’s been worn away in the tumbling waves,
revealing the nacre underneath.

Opigments in their shells The borrowers
that help hide them in their
habitat. Flat periwinkles While you’re exploring rockpools, keep an eye out for shells that are scuttling about in a
have rounded shells that distinctly non-molluscan fashion. If you glimpse little legs and pincers poking out, then you’ve
resemble the green and brown gas chambers found a hermit crab. These crustaceans lost their ability to make shells and instead pick up
of the bladderwrack seaweeds they inhabit empty seashells. If you’re especially lucky, you might spy hermit crabs lining up to swap shells.
along rocky shores. Janthina snails float
below the sea surface, suspended from a
raft of air bubbles and their shells are deep
violet-blue, camouflaging them in open
water. Meanwhile, the colours and patterns
on many seashells remain much more
mysterious and serve no obvious purpose.
The rayed artemis, for instance, is a bivalve
common along European shores with a shell
covered in saw-tooth zigzags. It spends its
time burrowed deeply in sand, mud and
gravel, so those patterns aren’t seen until
empty shells wash up on a beach.

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 69

O SEASHELLS HANDS: ZUZANA JANEKOVA/EYEEM/GETTY; RAYED ARTEMIS: PHILIPPE CLEMENT/NPL; SINGLE HOLE: HELEN SCALES; DOGWHELK & PERIWINKLE: PAUL R.
STERRY/NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS LTD/ALAMY; COCKLE: CARSTEN KRIEGER/MYN/NPL; ETCHED CIRCLE & ENCRUSTING SPONGE: PHILIPPE CLEMENT/NPL
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Can you
take shells
home?

In the UK, there are no laws against
collecting empty seashells from beaches.
But you can be mindful of minimising
your impact on the environment
by making sure you carefully turn
rocks back over after you’ve peered
underneath and by not trampling over
delicate habitats. Be sure to only take
seashells whose occupants have already
departed and resist the urge to take
bucketloads home. Leave some for other
people – and hermit crabs – to find.

Buying seashells is a different
matter. Large, shiny shells on sale in
good condition have most likely not
been picked up empty on beaches,
but were taken from living animals.
A lack of regulations means it can be
very hard to know if shells on sale have
been collected without impacting wild
populations of molluscs.

Be careful not to take too many Mysterious patterns

The rayed artemis (above), common along European shores, is covered in sawtooth zigzags.
It lives buried in the seabed where its patterns remain unseen, so their purpose is a mystery.
It’s possible the decorations are a form of molluscan note-taking, reminding the animal where
to add more layers to its shell.

No-one has yet worked out exactly why the notch in their shells. This is where their A shell covered in dozens of holes wasn’t
molluscs evolved their shell patterning. elongated nose (or proboscis) pokes out and attacked by dozens of whelks, but by the
One idea is that they use their patterns as sniffs the water for chemical traces wafting encrusting sponge Cliona celata, also known
a marker to guide them as they lay down from their prey. A sea snail follows its nose as the boring sponge, which looks like gooey
more shell material. Shell-making is not and creeps up on its target. yellow paint. These sponges excavate the
a continuous process. A mollusc needs to calcium carbonate of seashells, creating
remind itself where the previous growing You can also tell how a mollusc died characteristic branching chambers known as
season left off, so it can align its mantle from clues left behind on its shell. A single, entobia, which palaeontologists have found
and continue to grow in the right places, neat hole shows it was the victim of another in fossilised shells that lived hundreds of
otherwise it could easily grow a useless, mollusc, likely a whelk or a necklace shell. millions of years ago.
wonky shell. They use their sharp tongue (the radula) and
release acid secretions to drill through shells, Boring sponges colonise various shells
Tfor on seashells that will tell then slurp out the soft insides. Dog whelks around the UK coast, oysters in particular.
you what kinds of food their have a penchant for eating mussels, but these They don’t eat the mollusc inside, but they
resident molluscs ate when bivalves can fight back. Mussels make sticky do weaken shells and make them more likely
they were alive. Herbivorous, byssus threads to fix themselves to rocks and to get crushed and eaten by other predators,
seaweed-eating snails, such as periwinkles, these also come in handy for wrapping up such as crabs. Sponge-smothered oysters also
tend to have smooth, rounded openings to dog whelks and halting them in their tracks. divert more energy into adding additional
their shells. You can spot predatory snails by An etched circle on a seashell that hasn’t material to shore up their shells, and as a
drilled all the way through is evidence of an result they don’t grow as big, much to the
unsuccessful attack. annoyance of oyster farmers.

70 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

SEASHELLS O

SINGLE HOLE SHELL NOTCH SMOOTH
Indicates this is a
The victim of another mollusc, predatory species. ROUND OPENING
which has pierced the shell then The elongated nose
sucked out the soft insides. (or proboscis) pokes Shells without a
Holes are often much neater out to sniff out prey. notch are commonly
than this one pictured. herbivores, including
Shell periwinkles and
topshells.

detectives

Clues to a shell’s past life

MULTIPLE HOLES LINES ACROSS

A shell peppered RIDGES
with multiple
holes was infested Some shells show
with an encrusting their age with
sponge, which seasonal growth lines
drills chambers across their shells.
called entobia.

Humans aren’t the only shell-collecting most intelligent molluscs of all, the octopuses, ETCHED CIRCLE
animals. Carefully watch the seashells in have learned how to use seashells as tools. Like A neat ring that hasn’t
a rockpool and you might spot some that hermit crabs, the octopuses’ ancestors gave up punched all the way through
aren’t gliding slowly around, but scuttling. the ability to make shells long ago. But today, indicates a mollusc that
Hermit crabs have lost the ability to make they can sometimes be observed with a pair survived a drilling attack.
their own shells and must instead borrow of matching clam shells in their possession.
empty ones. When the time comes for When the octopus feels threatened, it quickly discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 71
hermit crabs to find a bigger shell, they fashions them into a shelter.
organise themselves into orderly queues,
with the smallest individual at one end and Sto tell us about the sea, what
the largest at the other. Two big crabs may lives there and how everything is
tussle over the biggest, best shell. Once their connected – often in unexpected
contest is decided and the victor claims the ways. Every day, as the tide rises
prize, all the other smaller crabs move into and falls, new shells arrive on the beach and
the vacated shell of the crab next in line. lie waiting for us to come along and find
them. Next time you pick up a pretty seashell
Down in the deep sea, carrier shells on the seashore, take a moment, as you
(Zenophoridae) pick up empty seashells, as admire it shape and form, to think about who
well as pebbles and coral fragments. They glue made it and the life it might have had.
these bits and pieces onto the outside of their
shells as extra defence from predators. And the

O UMBRELLABIRDS

A male long-wattled
umbrellabird perches
quietly during the day, with
its wattle in ‘normal’ mode
72 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

DANCINGUMBRELLABIRDSO

DARKINTHE

The long-wattled umbrellabird
always eluded the limelight, until one
photographer succeeded in bringing
this striking avian out of the shadows

Story and photos by MURRAY COOPER

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 73

O UMBRELLABIRDS

Typical lowland
Choc rainforest in
a downpour – wet!

EC
Ecuador and Colombia, the male long-
wattled umbrellabird is without doubt
among the most extravagant-looking birds
of the neotropics. This handsome, black-
feathered species looks most impressive during the mating season
from November to February, when his outlandish, Elvis-like hairdo

74 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

A world first:
Murray’s shot of
a male courting a
female in 2014. With
wattle engorged, he
bows and emits his
mooing mating call.

expands over his beak, and his extraordinary reference to this mysterious bird and its Life in the Chocó
wattle – resembling a phallic necktie – swells ostentatious courtship display, and decided
to twice its normal size. it had to be seen to be believed. COLOMBIA

Given its legendary looks, you may It wasn’t until 2001, however, that I ECUADOR
wonder why the umbrellabird has managed actually set eyes on the species, having
to evade the limelight for so long. It joined a scientist who had located a nest PERU CHOCÓ
has never been photographed properly in the southern stretch of the Chocó, and RAINFOREST
before – and this has a lot to do with the needed images for his research paper. I’ll
hours it keeps, and the dark, dangerous never forget the thrill of being one of the The Chocó rainforest is not well studied,
neighbourhood in which it lives. first photographers to witness the first but scientists estimate that it is home to:
officially described nest of the long-wattled
I first learned about the long-wattled umbrellabird, complete with resident female. O Over 10,000 vascular plants, with
umbrellabird in 1991, when I left South Africa the highest endemism in the world –
for Ecuador and took up the job of creating One afternoon, returning to camp after about 25 per cent are only found here
the 21,000-acre Los Cedros Reserve in a day at the nest, I stumbled across a male
Ecuador’s north-western Chocó. Thumbing perched in plain view and managed to snap O About 800 bird species – of which
through my bird guide, I chanced across a a few shots. They were not good enough to more than 50 are endemic
be publishable, but it was a serious ‘eureka
ABOUT THE AUTHOR moment’ nonetheless. I knew then that O 190 or so mammal species
photographing this charismatic species
Originally from South and its flamboyant courtship ritual would O More than 185 reptile species
Africa, Murray lives in the become my life’s mission.
Ecuadorian Amazon and O 139 known amphibian species
is a photographer and After all, there could surely be no better
conservationist. See more ambassador for the precious, dwindling O More than 300 butterfly species
at murraycooper.com. habitat that is the Chocó. Encompassing

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 75

A mother feeds a
katydid to its small
chick. It took over
five minutes to be

swallowed.

more than 140,000km from south-eastern The male’s preferred display areas
Panama through Pacific Colombia into comprise steep ridges in wet, remote
north-western Ecuador, this is a Pleistocene rainforest where deadly vipers live
refuge (it escaped the mass extinctions of
the last ice age) located on the equator and fruits they depend on. The bird has declined where scores of deadly vipers, including
subject to the highest recorded permanent by at least 30 per cent in the past decade to the 3.5m-long bushmaster, pose a serious
rainfall on the planet – up to 14m a year in fewer than 10,000 individuals. threat to anyone that dares to walk the
some places. Together, these conditions trails at night, and where vectors of tropical
create the perfect recipe for off-the-charts Little did I know what I was getting diseases, including leishmaniasis, cluster in
diversity (see box on p75). myself into. Capturing images of this creature the vegetation.
would be mercilessly difficult. I remember
A WWF, talking to seasoned photographer Tui du Even if you can summit the skiddy,
just five per cent of Roy about the two weeks she spent trying to muddy slope unbitten, unstung and
the Ecuadorian Chocó document the very same bird, emerging from unscathed, you must then contend with
remains, following waves the forest with not a single usable image. “It’s the technical difficulties of photographing
of deforestation from about the hardest subject matter and situation what is essentially a very dark bird in very
1970 to the 1990s. The umbrellabird itself imaginable,” she told me. dark surroundings. Focusing is nigh-on
is currently classed as vulnerable, but impossible, since there is barely any detail
scientists postulate that this status should First, there’s the location. The males’ for a camera to register, and even if you’re
be upgraded to endangered, not only on preferred display areas comprise the tops lucky enough to capture some semblance
account of habitat loss, but also owing to of steep ridges in wet, remote rainforest,
its highly specific requirements. To survive,
umbrellabirds need healthy primary forest
with an abundance of chapil palms, whose

76 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

UMBRELLABIRDS O

AT A GLANCE

Murray’s
expedition log

Chapil palms give
way to coastal
plains and then
Andean mountains
in the distance

of your subject, there’s a 90 per cent chance to show how umbrellabirds help disperse The only passable
that thick mist will shroud your image into the seeds of chapil palms, highlighting the shot from Murray’s
nothing but a hazy memory. importance of these birds in maintaining 2008 expedition
genetically diverse local palm populations.
BI , 2008
and planned for my first The team went on to create the
expedition in 2008. I was Foundation for the Conservation of the One trip. Unsuccessful. Misty every day
looking into potential Tropical Andes (FCAT), which has since and too dark. Achieved just one decent
locations when I met established a 600ha reserve in the area, silhouette of a male using a 1/5 second
ecologist Jordan Karubian, who was leading improving the chances of survival of the camera exposure.
a local research team in a study of the umbrellabirds and their forest cohorts.
umbrellabird’s role in the seed dispersal of 2009
the chapil palm. I joined the researchers on a trek to their
best lek-site at the Bilsa Biological Reserve, Three trips – one for a fruiting chapil
By attaching tiny radio-transmitters to the and knew immediately that this was the spot. palm only. Managed just a handful of
birds’ tails, the researchers were able to track It was the perfect ridgetop, affording almost images due to bad weather and bad
their movements. Knowing that the birds take eye-level views of good display branches, luck. One close call with a bushmaster
roughly an hour to regurgitate the chapil seeds and boasted a large, active umbrellabird viper. Two new cases of leishmaniasis
after feasting on the fruits, they learned that community, which comprised about 15 males. in the research crew.
the males deposit about half the seeds near As a bonus, it included a dry place to rest
their lek sites, while the females distribute before the return hike home, in the form of a 2011
them more evenly throughout the forest. basic research station.
One trip. Entirely unsuccessful. Raining
Then, using DNA to identify which adult Yet success would not come easily. It constantly and bad light.
trees the seedlings came from, they were able would take me 10 expeditions up these muddy
slopes – a total of 140 days over 11 years – to 2013
Murray had to complete my portfolio. Each mission lasted
avoid hognosed 10-25 days, and my game plan was always the One trip. Lots of looking for nests and
same. I would meet with Jorge Olivo, a field new lek sites. Unsuccessful. One camera
pit vipers biologist and a member of Karubian’s team, short-circuits due to the humidity. Two
and we’d head to the lek site together. We’d very bad snake encounters. Extremely
go without cameras first, to determine the disheartening. Gave up early but couldn’t
most active display branch and thus where to return home as road washed out.
site my hide. We’d spend a few days making
as informed a choice as possible, but because 2014
I could only train my camera on one branch,
luck would inevitably play a role. On some One trip. Subpar conditions. Capture
occasions, the birds displayed tantalisingly the male displaying to the female for the
close to, but not on ‘my’ branch; other times first time, with all kinds of jiggin’! I finally
they displayed on obscured branches. have my moment!

With the hide in position, my daily 2019
routine was: wake at 2.30am, get food and
caffeine in the system, load equipment onto Three trips – two for the nest, one for
the lek. Stayed on site with local farmers.
Perfect weather and plenty of action. New
camera takes things to a whole new level.
Finally complete the portfolio.

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 77

O UMBRELLABIRDS

SPOTTER’S GUIDE

Other birds
in the Chocó

Banded ground-cuckoo

Endangered and decreasing
– 600-1,500 individuals.
Chocó endemic. One
of the rarest and most
sought-after birds of
the neotropics.

Great green macaw A clan will defend the males before her interest is piqued, at
aAnhuimgemtaetrurriteory and which point she flies in closer. That’s the cue
Critically endangered tmraavleleuypestoso4m0kem to to pull out all the stops: mooing, gurgling,
and decreasing – hjuuicnyt wpahlemnfprureitys is head-bobbing, wing-spreading – anything
35-50 individuals that comes to mind as the shortlisted suitor
in the Ecuadorian donkeys, hike 40 minutes to my four-wheel desperately attempts to win her over. The
subpopulation. It is the drive, drive 30 minutes to the reserve, and female then flies off to see what the other
second heaviest macaw hike another 40 minutes through nasty mud candidates have to offer, eventually returning
– constantly scanning for vipers – to be in to whoever left the best impression.
in the world. my hide by 5am. Rinse and repeat, 140 times.
As if in a grand finale, the selected
Esmeraldas woodstar S ,I beau – at this point so utterly exhausted that
spectacle, nor the challenge. he is almost falling off his branch – ups his
Vulnerable and decreasing The action starts at about game in a frenzied last display, after which
– 1,000-2,700 individuals. 5.20am, when the first suitors copulation takes place. And that’s the last
Chocó endemic. At 6cm, fly into the lek site. By 5:45,
it’s one of the smallest with all the males present, the show begins
hummingbirds. There’s in earnest. Each contender gets busy
only one good location to staking out his territory and preferred
see it in Ecuador. courtship branches, performing various
warm-up moves and calling with what can
Scarlet-breasted dacnis only be described as a haunting ‘moo’. As
the displays gets underway, the males flap
Vulnerable and decreasing. their wings loudly and emit a cacophany of
Chocó endemic. Relatively peculiar guttural sounds. Around them, a
easy to see in one locale raucous mix of birdsong mingles with
in Ecuador, usually the sounds of the fading night, and
foraging in mixed- howler monkeys throw in their
species flocks. tremendous roars.

Club-winged manakin Up to five females can be present at
a lek and they are fussy to say the least.
Least concern and An individual can spend days observing
decreasing. Chocó
endemic. Beats its wings Murray’s aim is to make his photography
at 107 times per second, work for local conservation causes
producing a ‘tik-ting’
sound to attract females.

Toucan barbet

Near threatened and
decreasing. Chocó
endemic. Recent DNA
shows it’s more closely
related to toucans than
Old World barbets.

Rose-faced parrot

Least concern and
decreasing. Chocó
endemic. Stunning parrot
that can be seen flying
overhead in large flocks.

78 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

UMBRELLABIRDS O

A particularly
well-endowed
male seen in
full daylight

There’s mooing, gurgling, the world’s first known images of a male
head-bobbing, wing-spreading umbrellabird displaying alongside a female.
– anything that comes to mind At long last, my moment had come.

the male will see of his mate until the next umbrellabird is a highly intelligent and rare I returned to the Chocó three times in
time she is ready to breed, as males have no species, I couldn’t use any artificial light for 2019, twice to shoot the nest and chicks,
role in building nests, nor in the rearing of fear of disrupting its reproduction. and once to shoot the lek. Vast gains in
the single chick. It may be something of an camera technology allowed for faster shutter
anticlimax after all that fanfare, but, if the I was shooting at 1/2 to 1/4 second speeds, making things considerably easier.
nest is not predated by a toucan or snake, shutter speeds, which is far from easy with I achieved an almost grainless image of one
their brief union starts a new generation. a monster 600mm zoom and an incredibly well-endowed male with one of the best
hyperactive subject, and I’d usually end up wattles I had ever observed. I also captured
The drama at the lek would seem the with little more than a few blurry blobs. I a female nesting, and witnessed a fledgling
moment for a photographer to make his was also enveloped in thick mist and rain on taking flight.
move – except you can’t see a thing. In the a daily basis. Reluctantly, after four years of
understory of the tropical rainforest, it is still effort, I called it quits, and decided to wait The long-wattled umbrellabird is a
essentially the dead of night. Even at 7.30am, for technology to improve. wonder of nature: sensational, unforgettable,
when the party abruptly ends as the males almost supernatural. Projects such as
abandon the dance floor in search of food, it’s B 2013, FCAT provide hope for its future, but the
still hopelessly dark. camera sensors had taken challenges – including habitat loss and
a huge leap forward, so off fragmentation caused by palm and coca
I kept on trying though. My first I went on my sixth shoot. plantations and extractive industries; weak
five expeditions between 2008 and 2011 Nothing much came of that, government management and growing
produced very little by way of images, due but on my seventh, in 2014, luck was on my human populations – are many. The world
largely to camera sensors lacking the high side. The mist had lifted and the birds were is starting to wake up to the consequences
ISO (light-gathering) capabilities needed for performing well – and I managed to capture of human actions, but the big question is
such intensely gloomy conditions. As the whether we can react in time to preserve the
hidden marvels of the rainforest.

For now, I should be calling this mission
a wrap, but I know I will be back. The long-
wattled umbrellabirds and I have way too
much history.

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 79

Email your questions to
[email protected]

Do any male
marsupials
have pouches?

STUART BLACKMAN ANSWERS minimus) is the world’s only semi-aquatic
marsupial. While females use their pouch
A marsupial’s pouch is surely its most in the conventional way, in males it has
obvious distinguishing feature. And yet more to do with making babies than
only slightly more than half of them nurturing them.
possess one.
A male opossum tucks his testicles
In the vast majority of species, they into his pouch before entering the
are found only in females, who famously water. It’s not known whether this is for
use them to nurture and transport their protection, streamlining or both.
young, which are born at a very early and
helpless stage of development. Males of the extinct thylacine, or
marsupial tiger, once native to Australia
In only one species of living marsupial and New Guinea, possessed a similar
do the males have one too. The South organ, thought to have protected their
American water opossum (Chironectes genitals from snagging on undergrowth.

80 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

Monk parakeets
are cute but a
pest to some

A baby kangaroo,
or joey, will stay in
its mother's pouch
for about six months

Which parrots reside wild
in the UK?

DAVID LINDO ANSWERS small car, causing the poles to collapse. The KANGAROO: SEBASTIAN KENNERKNECHT/MINDEN/ALAMY; PARAKEETS: JEARU/ZOONAR/ALAMY
birds also raid fruit farms in large flocks.
Aside from the familiar ring-necked
parakeet, found mainly in London, there Another parrot with a fingernail grip
may be a tiny population of monk parakeets in Britain is the Alexandrine parakeet,
in the UK. About 15 years ago, the species a denizen of south-east Asia, which
was earmarked for eradication by DEFRA sometimes appears at ring-necked parakeet
due to fears of it becoming a pest. In its roosts. There was also once a colony of
native Argentina it can build colonial nests budgies on the Isles of Scilly. The birds were
on telegraph poles that reach the size of a being fed by a resident and when he left the
islands in 1975 the population died out.

BBC WILDLIFE EXPERTS

STUART BLACKMAN JV CHAMARY DAVE HAMILTON DAVID LINDO
Horticulturalist Naturalist
Science writer Biologist
CHRIS VICK ASK US
SARAH MCPHERSON HELEN SCALES WDC
Email your
questions to
wildquestions
@immediate.

co.uk

BBC Wildlife Marine biologist

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 81

QA Why do plants

Bluefin are the contain drugs? PILL COCKROACH: NICKY BAY; BUMBLEBEE: HENK WALLAYS/ALAMY; COCA: YAKOV OSKANOV/ALAMY; TUNA: RICHARD HERRMANN/MINDEN/NATUREPL.COM
largest tuna species
and can live for up DAVE HAMILTON ANSWERS
to 40 years
Unlike insects and animals, plants can’t
run away from predators. Instead, they
need to use different forms of defence.
Some plants, such as blackthorn and roses,
have thorns, while others prefer to employ
powerful chemicals.

The coffee bean, the coca plant and the
opium poppy produce alkaloids to either
overstimulate or sedate their predators. An
insect that feeds on a coca leaf will become
so overstimulated it can’t keep itself on the
plant, for example, while those feeding on
opium poppies become too lethargic to eat.

Caffeine, too, may overstimulate insect
prey, but its presence in a flower may also
attract bees. Studies suggest that low levels
of the drug in the nectar are just enough to
tap into the reward centre of a bee’s brain
without doing it any harm.

Are blue n tuna no longer
an endangered species?

HELEN SCALES ANSWERS bluefins are showing signs of recovery: Some Indigenous communities in the Americas
in 2021, the IUCN categorised Atlantic chew the leaves of coca plants as a pick-me-up
Bluefins are the biggest and most valuable bluefins as of least concern, meaning
tuna in the ocean. They have also been they’re unlikely to go extinct any time soon;
the most endangered. All three species southern bluefins have been downgraded
– Atlantic, Pacific and southern – have from critically endangered to endangered,
been overfished since the 1950s when they reflecting their increasing population size;
became popular for sushi. and Pacific bluefins are still listed as near
threatened and they could still face trouble.
Fears grew that they were heading for
extinction and catch limits were introduced. Demand remains high, but they’re doing
That seems to be paying off, because better than they were.

RECORD BREAKER! The large garden FACT
bumblebee in its .
Britain’s largest bright stripes
bumblebee Female nursery
web spiders prey
This honour reputedly goes to the
aptly named large garden bumblebee on males, so in
(Bombus ruderatus) – but only by a order to mate the
smidge: the queens of several other male attaches a
species are barely 1mm smaller. Once bundle of food to
common in the UK, Bombus ruderatus himself, pretends to
now has a patchy distribution across have carked it and,
the southern half of the country, when she tucks in,
mainly buzzing around the Fens, springs to life and
Cambridgeshire and the East Midlands. makes his move!

82 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

Chill pill WHAT

There is little love out there for cockroaches. ON EARTH?
But this fine specimen is clearly way too
cool to let that bother her. Then again,
she’s no ordinary cockroach. While male pill
cockroaches are of the traditional, scuttling,
winged variety, the flightless females look
more like a woodlouse or pill millipede, and
share their ability to roll up into an armoured
ball in the face of danger. They also happen
to be a rare example of an insect that suckles
its young. The nymphs sup ‘milk’ exuded
from glands on their mother’s legs. SB

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 83

QA FAST ANSWERS

Dolphins are mammals A female glow-worm lights up for love BAMBOO: GETTY; WARBLER: D. OCCHIATO/AGAMI/BLICKWINKEL/ALAMY;
and so must visit the GLOW WORM: EVAN BOWEN JONES/ALAMY; DOLPHINS: NATALIA PRYANISHNIKOVA/ALAMY
surface to breathe air, How long do glow-
even when dozing worms glow for?

How do dolphins It’s the female that glows, often perched
sleep underwater? atop a grass stem, to attract a mate.
On late evenings in June and July, she
CHRIS VICK ANSWERS So what evolutionary trick illuminates the tip of her abdomen for an
must they perform to get the sleep hour or two until a suitor comes along.
Like humans, dolphins have two they need? Dolphins close the left eye Pairing may happen right away or could
hemispheres in their brain. But while we when the right half of the brain sleeps, take a few days, at which point she turns
rest the whole of our brain (and body) and vice versa, alternating which half off the beacon, descends with the male
through sleep at the same time, for dolphins of the brain is sleeping so that they and lays her eggs. SM
it is not so easy as all that. can rest without losing consciousness.
Who is Cetti
Dolphins have to come to the surface Dolphins often lie motionless at of Cetti’s
when they rest in order to breathe, which the surface, breathing regularly, or warbler?
they do consciously (ie by choice). If they swim slowly close to the surface.
didn’t surface, they could drown. They In shallow water, they might sleep on Francesco Cetti was an 18th-
also have to be alert to changes in local the seabed, rising regularly to breathe. century zoologist and Jesuit
conditions and to the presence of predators So, they do sleep, but not like we do. priest. Born in Germany to
such as sharks, or even humans. Italian parents, he relocated to
Sardinia in 1765 (at the invitation of
the king himself) to improve standards
of education. The warbler that carries his
name was first recorded in Britain in 1961
and today breeds in wetland habitats
in southern England and South Wales.
Listen out for its loud, almost angry-
sounding song. SM

What is
the fastest
growing
plant?

Bamboo! Thick
rhizomes store
energy produced
by mature canes

to give the emerging
shoots an energy-rich,
speedy start in life.

In optimum conditions,
some species can grow
a staggering 91cm a day.
Bamboo evolved to outcompete
trees in dense woodlands. DH

Bamboo can grow 4cm an hour

84 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

have a body with two distinct A fiddler crab
sides – one left and one right – shows off his
that are roughly mirror images, mega claw
at least in the embryo. That
‘bilateral symmetry’ can even be INSTANT EXPERT
seen in starfish, before the larvae
develop into adults with multiple Asymmetry: why it
exists in animals
Aarms radiating from the centre
WITH EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGIST JV CHAMARY
(‘radial symmetry’). But while left and
MICROBE: CHRISTOPH BURGSTEDT/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/GETTY; CRAB: ZINA HEG/500PX/GETTY right may look similar, the bodies of most abnormal, mirror-image arrangement body enabled vertebrates to absorb nutrients
creatures are only superficially symmetrical. (heart on right) gives the rare condition efficiently. But to pack in that extra length
‘situs inversus’. It causes health problems the gut had to start by twisting either left or
How are animals asymmetric? for some individuals with the condition, right, which had knock-on effects within the
but most suffer no ill effects. limited space of the body cavity.
Asymmetry can appear across the whole
body. One example is flatfish: a juvenile What causes asymmetry to develop? What’s special about snails?
starry flounder swims vertically and has eyes A snail’s asymmetry is clear from the
on opposite sides of its head, but one eye Forming a symmetrical body is the default direction of the coil of its shell. Snails are
will migrate across its skull as it matures so path during the development of an embryo, the only animal group in which individuals
both eyes end up on either the left or right so the process of establishing distinct flip chiral form without causing disease.
of a lopsided adult. The male fiddler crab, left and right sides is called ‘symmetry
meanwhile, has one major claw – used to breaking’. Details vary among animal Compared to common ‘righties’, rare
fight rivals and impress females – that can groups, but it’s triggered by the chirality leftie garden snails have genitals on the
reach half the animal’s total size. (handedness) of molecules that interact other side of their heads. That causes
with the cell’s scaffolding system, the difficulty in mating, unless you’re internet
Each body part can have asymmetry cytoskeleton. Just as being left or right- ‘shellebrity’ Jeremy the Snail, who produced
too. Parts can exist in mirror-image forms handed affects how people manipulate offspring after geneticist Angus Davison
that can’t be superimposed on one another objects, chiral molecules transfer their recruited citizen scientists to find other
– like our right and left hands, for example. asymmetry to the body by shaping cells. lefties for Jeremy to mate with.
Known as ‘chiral’ structures, they can take
either right-handed (dextral) or left-handed Why does asymmetry evolve? NEXT MONTH WITH JV
(sinistral) forms.
Natural selection has favoured some THE MICROBIOME
What determines the direction of asymmetries directly, like flatfish adapted
the asymmetry? to life as bottom-feeders. Other features are Life in and around organisms
indirect by-products of evolution, like the
The direction of asymmetry can be fixed arrangement of internal organs. According
or random. Fixed asymmetries include a to one theory, having a gut longer than the
narwhal’s tusk – an elongated left tooth
with a left-handed spiral in 100 per cent
of individuals. By contrast, studies of
American lobsters show that the dominant
crusher claw forms from whichever side is
preferred as a juvenile, so the proportion
of left to right ends up 50:50. Generally,
random asymmetry is determined by
chance and influenced by environmental
cues, whereas fixed asymmetry is largely
inherited and programmed by genes.

Is asymmetry common?

Yes. Asymmetric features can be striking,
but many are subtle. The vast majority
of animals have fixed asymmetries that
aren’t visible externally. The position of the
human heart (as well as the stomach and
spleen) is off-centre to the left of the body,
while the liver and gall bladder are to the
right, for instance. Lungs typically differ in
many vertebrates: humans have two lobes
on the left and three on the right side;
mice have one lobe on the left and four on
the right; and most snakes have only one
functioning lung on the right side.

In rare cases, genetic mutations or
accidents during development can create
reversed mutants: having organs in an

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 85

GoWILD!
Your guide to getting closer
to nature this month

BOOK HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

A personal story
of birding, activism
and family

Birdgirl Her adventures are now being brought political and environmental activism and
to life in her second book, in which campaigning as a natural progression
By Mya-Rose Craig, she tells the story of how she – and her from her birding. Following on from her
Vintage, £16.99 family – came to love these extraordinary debut book We Have a Dream, here she
creatures. Beyond the expected tales of continues to highlight the importance
Twho haven’t heard of ‘Birdgirl’ thrills and adventures around the world, of including indigenous communities in
– the 20-year-old ornithologist this is a frank, open account of how conversations about climate change.
Mya-Rose Craig. At 17, she became birdwatching provided solace during
the youngest person to see half Mya-Rose’s teenage years, when her This is just as much her family’s story
the bird species in the world and mother was suffering a breakdown as Mya-Rose’s own. We are taken on a
has established a global reputation as brought on by bipolar disorder. trip around the globe, introduced to
a leading birder, environmentalist and dozens of vibrant, characterful birds and
diversity activist. As she reflects on the journeys she given an insight into a fascinating family
has taken, it’s clear that Mya-Rose sees of bird-lovers.

86 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

‘Birdgirl’ wants to share
her passion for nature
with other visible minority
ethnic children, teenagers
and their families

MEET THE AUTHOR

Mya-Rose Craig

The activist, birdwatcher and author shares
her experiences and hopes for the future

Your family has long been involved in community, because at present it is only
the birding community. Do you think 0.6 per cent VME, meaning that it does not
you would have found your way into it have knowledge of those communities and
without their influence? so finds it impossible to engage with them.

As a dual-heritage white British and third- This is the first time you’ve placed your
generation British Bangladeshi young own – and your family’s – story at the
woman, I think the chances of me taking centre of your work. How did that feel?
up birding or being part of the UK birding
community without my parents already It was incredible to have the opportunity
being into it would have been extremely low. to write my book, especially as I had the
I am enormously grateful for their influence space of the Covid-19 lockdown to write it.
and their determination to ensure both my I had been thinking about this book since
sister and I went out into nature as much as I was nine years old, even having some of
possible from an early age. I understand I the chapter names. However, it was totally
am privileged to have had these experiences different to be thinking about a cohesive
and feel sad that others who are of minority book. Lots of birding tales went into it
ethnic or urban backgrounds never but I then deleted them, so the whole
experience the beauty and tranquility of thing was a journey for me. I also had no
nature. That is why setting up Black2Nature idea at the start that I was going to write
and running nature camps for other young anything about my mum’s mental illness, as
minority ethnic young people and their it seemed too private, but our family story
families is so important to me. didn’t make sense without that context.

In 2020, Bristol Why do you think we need diverse What do you want people to take away OLIVER EDWARDS
University awarded voices in the ornithological community? from your book?
Mya-Rose an honorary
doctorate for her As a British Sylheti woman, my mum has My most important message is that things
activism work always been a huge role model to me. are often not as they seem on the outside.
I hope I can be that role model to other While I might have seemed lucky to have
visible minority ethnic (VME) children and travelled so much, going birding around the
teenagers. It’s essential to have ethnically world, as a child I would have given it all up
diverse voices within the ornithological in a second for my mum to be better.

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 87

CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE MONTH

Wild Life: The Extraordinary
Adventures of Sir David
Attenborough

By Leisa Stewart-Sharpe, illustrated by Helen Shoesmith, Hatchette, £12.99

L S -S through his early career in television, to his
on to the BBC Wildlife radar when adventures over land and sea. He has been
she wrote the children’s books to an inspiration to generations, and this book
accompany the BBC’s Blue Planet serves as a great introduction into the work
II and The Green Planet. Her latest of this most legendary of broadcasters.
non-fiction book for children is this
charming biography of natural historian But this is more than just another
Sir David Attenborough. biography. We also meet many of the
animals that have inspired Sir David, which
Working with illustrator Helen allows us to view the wild world through his
Shoesmith, Leisa takes us on a journey with eyes. A beautiful celebration of an icon.
Sir David from his childhood in Leicester,

Lucy Hodson
shares her
experiences

RADIO HIGHLIGHT

Clipped Wings

Catch up on BBC Sounds

In this new documentary for BBC
Radio 4, naturalist Lucy Hodson recounts
an incident where she suffered a sexual
assault while birding on a nature reserve,
and the effect it had on her: anxious
about watching nature alone, carrying
anti-assault spray, putting her back to a
tree when looking through binoculars.
She speaks to four other women with
outdoor hobbies – mountain biking,
backpacking, running and birding – about
their experiences, how they mitigate risks,
and their advice for her on how she can
assuage her fears and enjoy nature again.

BOOKS ROUND UP Birds, Beasts An Immense World Cornerstones
and Bedlam
The Hidden By Ed Yong, Bodley Head, £20 By Benedict Macdonald,
Kingdom of Fungi By Derek Gow, Bloomsbury, £17.99
Chelsea Green Writer Ed Yong
By Keith Seifert, Publishing, £20 examines the While the
Greystone Books, animal realm natural world
£18.99 Derek Gow, in his second is under threat,
farmer-turned- book. Go this book by
Mycologist Keith rewilder, is beyond the conservationist
Seifert takes on a mission confines of Benedict
us deep into to try to save your own Macdonald
the fascinating Britain’s shows us
world of fungi. threatened senses to how Britain’s
We learn about species. In this book he tells us discover how cornerstone
the role that all about the realities of turning other animals experience the species, such as beavers,
fungi have played in everything, his Devon farm into a wildlife world – how bees see flowers boars, whales and lynx, may
from the development of breeding centre for white storks, and songbirds hear their own provide the answers we’ve
antibiotics and making wine, water voles, harvest mice, tunes. You’ll soon discover that been looking for – and help us
cheese and beer, to creating wildcats, dormice and more. each animal has its very own rescue our biodiversity.
alternative energy sources and unique sensory bubble.
reducing plastic pollution.

88 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

ID GUIDE

Dramatic
dragons

Discover the UK’s dragonfly species
this summer. Larger and bulkier than
damselflies, dragonflies rest with
their wings open rather than closed.
For more ID guides, visit our website:
discoverwildlife.com/identify-wildlife

LUCY HODSON: JAC PHILLIMORE/BESPOKEN MEDIA; DRAGONFLIES: FELICITY ROSE COLE; DIPPY: TRUSTEES OF THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, LONDON. FOUR SPOTTED CHASER

This species’ name comes from the
two dark spots along the leading
edge of each wing.

Dippy has
returned home
to London

BROAD BODIED CHASER EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHT
The males have broad and bright-blue
abdomens, dotted with yellow spots Dippy returns
along the sides.
Natural History Museum until 2nd January 2023
SOUTHERN HAWKER
A large dragonfly measuring up to Dfeatures of London’s Natural History January 2023, at which point Dippy will
70mm in length, males are dark with Museum and has thrilled visitors for continue on his travels.
green-and-blue markings. the last 100 years. But the diplodocus
skeleton has been absent for three Dippy the dinosaur is a replica of a
years, visiting eight venues around Diplodocus carnegii skeleton, the original of
the country with ‘Dippy on Tour’. He’s which is based at the Carnegie Museum of
impressed over two million people along Natural History in Pittsburgh, USA. There
the way, and has now returned home for a are several casts of this dinosaur around
new exhibition at the museum. the world, but Dippy was the first of its
kind, a gift to King Edward VII from the
The free installation celebrates the industrialist and philanthropist Andrew
places Dippy has visited on his travels, Carnegie, who funded both the Pittsburgh
and highlights the changing states of the museum and the original dinosaur’s
nation’s wildlife. It will run until 2nd excavation. This replica was unveiled at
the Natural History Museum in 1905.

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 89

Abdulhafez has 5 THINGS
been volunteering WE LOVE
to help refugee kids
connect with nature

MEET THE VOLUNTEER 1 Avocets limited edition print,
from £125, robertefuller.com
“I had nowhere to go
and breathe fresh air” 2

Abdulhafez Al Ibrahim is determined to help kids Steve Backshall
from refugee families develop a passion for nature Adventure
women’s T-shirt,
SHANA WILLS/REACH A USA being stuck in a place where I had nowhere £22.99, mountain
Syria in 2017, Abdulhafez Al Ibrahim joined to go and nowhere to breathe fresh air, warehouse.com
Refugee Education & Adventure Challenge or even ask a simple question outside of
(REACH) as a youth participant and fell in my house. Joining REACH allowed me to 3
love with nature and wildlife. He has since discover all the activities you can do in
climbed the ranks of the organisation and nature, so I want to give more kids the Truckee BP 250 LX
is now an adult volunteer, helping kids chance to experience nature as I did. Plus, camera backpack,
from refugee families get out and about in I want to do everything in my power to £106.95,
Chicago’s nearby forests and waterways. protect nature. lowepro.com

What does your average trip as a Looking back, what are some of your 4
volunteer look like? volunteering highlights?
Solitary bee hotel,
I take refugee kids on outdoor adventures All the countless times I’ve seen the kids £25.99, shopping.
within a three-hour drive of the city, really start to engage with the environment rspb.org.uk
introducing them to the natural world and and push each other to fall in love with
doing activities, such as wildlife and habitat local wildlife, such as frogs, snakes and bald 5
assessments, river clean-ups, cutting down eagles. My proudest moment as a volunteer,
harmful invasive species, kayaking, camping, however, was during a camping trip last The Lost Spells Card Game, £14,
cycling and hiking. As part of the team, I’ve summer. It started raining while we were thamesandkosmos.co.uk
been able to co-create floating gardens on making lunch, and we watched the kids
the Chicago River, clean up riverbanks to come together and build an improvised
protect wildlife and humans, and clear forest tent above the campfire using trees, rope
spaces for native plants and animals to grow. and logs found around the campsite. I was
impressed with the teamwork and the fact
Why did you decide to stay on with the we barely had to give any instructions.
organisation as a volunteer? I have grown and become more responsible
with so many kids depending on me to
When I was one of those kids – young, mentor them.
curious and full of energy – I remember

90 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

Photo © [henk bogaard] / Adobe Stock ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

BIRD
GUIDE

Celebrate all things birding with these top
picks, from must-have optics and cameras to

unmissable holidays and tours

July 2022 BBC WILDLIFE 91

MORE

BY APPOINTMENT TO
HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II

SWAROVSKI OPTIK
SUPPLIER OF BINOCULARS

NL PURE
ONE WITH
NATURE

SEE THE UNSEEN

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The P3 is incredibly durable.

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Find out more at nikon.co.uk
July 2022 BBC WILDLIFE 93

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BIRDS OF THE WORLD

BIRDWATCHING BOAT TRIPS AMAR AVES BY MEXICO KAN TOURS

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mexicokantours.com | [email protected]
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The River Exe estuary in Devon is a Ramsar Site of Special This 527-acre preserve is host to a wonderful assortment of birds
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Put a feather in your cap with these brilliant bird holidays and tours

NT BIRD SPECIALISTS BIRDING & LORD HOWE ISLAND
PHOTOGRAPHIC SAFARIS
©Ian Hutton

©Rian Cope ©Ian Hutton

Join renowned bird guide Luke Paterson (21 years’ local, Lord Howe Island is Australia’s premier seabird island. Taking just
professional experience) on award-winning birding and a 90-minute flight from the capital, Sydney, you are immersed
photographic adventures in Australia’s Northern Territory. in one of the world’s most stunning island landscapes, with 14
You’ll seek many of the 300 plus endemic and specialty bird seabird species breeding on its beaches, cli s and ridges. There
species, plus iconic fauna in Darwin, Kakadu and beyond. Our are three shearwater species; three petrel species, including the
special-interest services and experiences are amongst the best white-bellied storm petrel; five tern species; masked boobies and
on o er. Come and experience it for yourself (spaces are limited, the world’s largest breeding colony of red-tailed tropicbirds. Most
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ntbirdspecialists.com.au | [email protected] noddies and white terns nest in the island Central Business District.
lordhoweisland.info | @visitlordhoweisland
CAVE CREEK RANCH
MALLORCA TOURISM

©Robert Royse

A visit to Cave Creek Ranch is a return to a quieter, more peaceful Mallorca is a birding hotspot with easy access to a mosaic of
time in a spectacular canyon setting. The Ranch has been hosting
guests for over 100 years and has been a sanctuary for much of Mediterranean habitats. The location of the island means that
that time, so the wildlife, while not tame, is not afraid of people.
Some of the peacefulness comes from no cell service, no phones, many birds stop here during their spring and autumn migrations. In
WiFi or televisions in the rooms. The o ce does have WiFi which
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Balearic shearwater, are just a few examples of bird species that

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The crossword

ACROSS 20 Vast desert habitat of North Africa (6) May answers
8 Turbot or grouper, say (4) 22 Preserved remnant or impression of a
9 Concerned with living systems (10) prehistoric organism (6) Across: 1 aquatic warbler, 10 osier, 11 ear covert,
10 Small predatory mustelids (6) 24 Sunfish (4) 12 wolf eel, 13 deep sea, 14 trout, 16 net-winged,
11 Hooved mammal in the genus Moschus, 25 ___ eel, marine fish, important as food 19 botanists, 20 salpa, 22 tuatara, 25 stooped,
native to Asia (4,4) for seabirds (4) 27 in eclipse, 28 tiger, 29 hare’s-tail grass.
12 Small, upright-swimming marine creature Down: 2 quillwort, 3 aerie, 4 ice plants, 5 World,
in the genus Hippocampus (3,5) 6 rookeries, 7 leeks, 8 Rutland, 9 godwit,
14 Rook or jackdaw, perhaps (6) 15 tentacles, 17 tusk shell, 18 Galapagos, 19
16 Omnivorous mammal that might be black batfish, 21 alders, 23 A Year, 24 alpha, 26 otter.
or grizzly (4)
17 Large 14 Across (5)
18 Undeveloped shoot (4)
19 Modified gland found in squid, cuttlefish
and octopus (3-3)
21 Wren-like bird of New Zealand (8)
23 Scottish lake, sometimes said to be home
to an unknown water creature (4,4)
26 Shelled gastropod (6)
27 Predatory sea fish of the Indo-Pacific (10)
28 Hearing organs (4)

DOWN
1 Small, shingle-nesting seabird with a yellow
bill, Sternula albifrons (6,4)
2 New World passerine species related to
the mockingbirds (8)
3 ___ kestrel, small migratory falcon (6)
4 Limbless, long-bodied invertebrate (4)
5 ___ nuthatch, bird endemic to a
Mediterranean island (8)
6 Twitcher, possibly (6)
7 Cold-water marine fish of the family
Merlucciidae; often eaten with chips (4)
13 Immature eel (5)
15 Songbird native to South Asia (6,4)
17 Deciduous US trees, Ulmus thomasii (4,4)
18 Brightly coloured bird of Asia, Africa and
Southern Europe (3-5)

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

BRENT DURAND/GETTY

A pod of Atlantic spotted dolphins plays in the waters north of Bimini, a chain of islands in the Bahamas. They can hold their breath for up to
10 minutes, though most dives are less than six minutes. Five changes have been made to this image. Find the answers on page 103.

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 97

PRIZE-WINNING PHOTO WIN A YAK WOOL JERSEY

Vision in blue Worth £116!

A late-summer visit to the beautiful St Catherine’s Hill nature This month, our star photo wins a kora
reserve in Hampshire saw it still busy, with Yardang jersey. Kora creates technical
summer butterflies flitting around feeding on activewear using premium yak wool from
the abundant devil’s-bit scabious. As the sun the Himalayan communities it supports.
was just emerging from behind a cloud, I Its mission is to create fabrics that
managed to get this image of a spectacular harness the incredible properties of this
common blue butterfly perched with its wool to allow you to go further on your
wings rimmed with light. It turned out to adventures. Visit koraoutdoor.com.
be my shot of the day.
Mike Blacknell, Hampshire

98 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022

How’s it
hanging?

This great horned
owlet jumped out of
the nest a little too
early. He didn’t know
how to fly yet and was
also not very good at
hanging on to his tree.
He fell from high up but
managed to grab onto
these low branches.
He tried to get back
up but he didn’t have
the strength or the
skills. Soon he got tired
and he started to look
below and around.
Amazingly he made a
flip and landed without
a hard crash!
Jack Zhi,
California, USA

Hiding in
plain sight

I was volunteering at
Easter Lake when I
came across this bizarre
insect. At first I thought
it was a shrivelled
flower petal, until I saw
it move. It turned out to
be the caterpillar of the
camouflaged looper.
Ashton Jordan,
Iowa, USA

He’s behind you

I was at the Bor Dam near my hometown of Amravati,
trying to capture a bokeh effect. These black-winged stilts,
with their impressive long legs, started mating with the
male standing on top of the female’s back.
Vinay Badhe, Maharashtra, India

discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 99

That’s my perch!

I captured this interaction between an Indian roller
(left) and a black drongo (right) in the grasslands of
Tal Chhapar, with a group of drongos trying to mob
and chase the roller away from its perch. However,
the roller stayed in place and the drongos gave up.
Sudhanshu Tiwari, Rajasthan, India

Pelicans in the mist

This was taken from a small fishing boat on the
lake, early on a misty morning, and the Dalmatian
pelicans were towards us as we drifted. I attempted
to shoot with over exposure, keeping the rear two
birds slightly out of focus to add to the atmosphere.
Andy Edge, Lake Kerkini, Greece

Beach bully Send your pics to discoverwildlife.com/
submit-your-photos for a chance to win!
Whilst visiting Anna Maria Island, I saw
a great blue heron seem to get quite
irritated by a sanderling, and suddenly
strike out and catch the smaller bird.
After a short struggle, the sanderling
managed to get free and fly off.
Kirk Behymer, Florida, USA

100 BBC WILDLIFE July 2022