ANIMALS

Scientists Discover Four Mysterious Tracks, None Belonging to Snakes

In Scotia, Australia, at the Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary, numerous endangered animals freely wander across a vast protected area spanning over 30 miles.

Not long ago, scientists studying the region came across four different sets of animal footprints. The Australian Wildlife Conservancy shared pictures of these tracks on their Facebook page, inviting people to guess which animals left these intriguing imprints in the sand.

But what made it difficult to guess was that none of the snake-like footprints belonged to actual snakes.

Image source: Piers Cresp/Australian Wildlife Conservancy

After some speculation, the Wildlife Conservancy unveiled the real animals responsible for the footprints.

The first tracks were made by a centipede, and their numerous legs might have given them away.

Image source: Left: Piers Cresp/Australian Wildlife Conservancy. Right: Trevor Bauer/Australian Wildlife Conservancy

The second set of tracks belonged to an Australian legless lizard. These creatures resemble snakes, but they have distinct features like unforked tongues and visible ears, as explained by Bush Heritage Australia.

Image source: Left: Piers Cresp/Australian Wildlife Conservancy. Right: Shutterstock

The third set of tracks was created by another lizard, called a sand goanna. You can see the curved footprints alongside the main trail in the sand.

Image source: Left: Piers Cresp/Australian Wildlife Conservancy. Right: Alice Si/Australian Wildlife Conservancy

The last set of tracks was left by a burrowing beetle. These beetles spend most of their lives underground, digging tunnels. You can see the soil they excavated piled up, indicating their underground home, as shown in the picture.

Image source: Left: Piers Cresp/Australian Wildlife Conservancy. Right: Shutterstock

While these footprints may puzzle someone who isn’t familiar with them, scientists dedicate years to understanding and identifying them. Being able to recognize the creatures behind these tracks is valuable for studying the area and its wildlife.

“A lot of it is getting out there and practicing,” Trevor Bauer, an Australian Wildlife Conservancy field ecologist, told The Dodo. “Spending time observing and looking at the small details in the tracks, watching animals, and once they have moved on, going over and having a look at the details in the sand that they leave behind.”

So, if you ever come across some marks in the sand, remember to inspect them closely. You might be in for a surprise when you discover who left those prints behind.

ANIMALS

Amazing Video of Unseen Ocean Creatures in the Ningaloo Canyons

The Schmidt Ocean Institute recently explored the Ningaloo Canyons on the western coast of Australia using a robotic underwater vehicle called the ROV Sebastian. Check out the amazing video of what they discovered in the deep parts of the Indian Ocean.

More info: Youtube

ANIMALS

These Pics Are Art and the Artists Are Insects

Flying insects move so quickly that they are hard to follow, but new technology and some smart ideas have helped Spanish photographer Xavi Bou do just that. After spending 10 years focusing on birds in flight for his Ornithographies project, he turned his attention to insects.

For Entomographies, he uses high-speed video footage taken by Adrian Smith, an insect expert at North Carolina State University, to study and record how insects move. Bou then picks multiple frames and combines them into single images that show the fast movements of one or more insects through space and time.

With Smith’s help, Bou has captured the aerial tricks of wasps, the jumps of leafhoppers, and the fluttering of butterflies in amazing detail. He hopes that by doing this, he can make people more aware of the decline in important insect populations around the world.

1. Zebra longwing

This butterfly, which is common in many areas of the Americas, really fits its name. It can fly very high with just a few flaps of its large wings.