Eurasian otter

Eurasian otter

Introduction:

The Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) is a semi-aquatic mammal that belongs to the family Mustelidae, which includes weasels, stoats, badgers, and ferrets. These otters are widespread in Eurasia, where they inhabit a range of aquatic habitats, from freshwater rivers and lakes to coastal estuaries and marine environments. In this document, we will discuss the distribution and habitat, diet, and breeding habits of Eurasian otters.

Distribution and Habitat:

Eurasian otters are found throughout Eurasia, from the British Isles and Scandinavia in the west to Japan in the east. They are also found in North Africa, although their range there is much more limited. In general, Eurasian otters are found in areas with abundant water resources, including rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal areas.

Eurasian otters are highly adaptable and can inhabit a wide range of aquatic habitats, from fast-flowing rivers to slow-moving streams and stagnant ponds. They are also found in both freshwater and saltwater environments, and can even be found in brackish water where freshwater and saltwater mix.

Diet:

Eurasian otters are carnivores and primarily feed on fish. They are opportunistic predators and will eat whatever is available in their habitat, including crustaceans, mollusks, amphibians, and small mammals. They are also known to consume birds, reptiles, and insects. The otters hunt by diving into the water and catching their prey with their sharp teeth and strong jaws. They are skilled swimmers and can hold their breath for several minutes underwater.

Breeding:

Eurasian otters are solitary animals, except during the breeding season. Breeding occurs in late winter and early spring, with mating typically taking place in the water. After a gestation period of about two months, the female gives birth to a litter of one to four pups. The young are born blind and helpless and remain in the den for the first few weeks of their lives, relying on their mother for food and protection. The mother otter is highly protective of her young and will defend them against predators and other threats. The young are weaned at around 3 months old, and they will stay with their mother for up to a year before becoming independent.

Conclusion:

Eurasian otters are fascinating animals that are well-adapted to their aquatic habitats. Their distribution and habitat range are vast, and they are known to inhabit a variety of aquatic environments, from freshwater rivers and lakes to coastal estuaries and marine environments. Their diet primarily consists of fish, although they are opportunistic predators and will eat a variety of prey. Eurasian otters breed in late winter and early spring and give birth to litters of one to four pups. The young are born blind and helpless and remain with their mother for up to a year before becoming independent.

Common Uk Lizard (Viviparous lizard)

Common Uk Lizards Common Uk Lizards

Introduction:

The common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) is a small, non-venomous reptile that is native to the United Kingdom. Common lizards are widespread throughout the UK, and can be found in a range of habitats, from heathland and moorland to grassland and woodland. In this document, we will discuss the distribution and habitat, diet, and breeding habits of the UK common lizard.

Distribution and Habitat:

The UK common lizard is found throughout the UK, with the exception of some of the Scottish islands. They are most commonly found in England and Wales, although they are also found in Scotland, particularly in the Highlands. Common lizards are found in a range of habitats, including heathland, moorland, grassland, and woodland. They are most commonly found in areas with abundant cover, such as rocks, logs, and vegetation.

Common lizards are cold-blooded and require warm, sunny spots to bask and regulate their body temperature. They are active during the day and are often seen basking in the sun on rocks or logs. They hibernate during the winter months, typically from October to April.

Diet:

Common lizards are insectivores and feed primarily on small invertebrates such as spiders, beetles, and ants. They are opportunistic feeders and will eat whatever is available in their habitat. They are also known to consume other small prey, such as slugs and worms.

Breeding:

Common lizards mate in the spring, typically in April or May. After mating, the female common lizard gives birth to live young rather than laying eggs, which is a rare trait among reptiles. The young are born fully formed and can move around on their own shortly after birth. The female can give birth to up to eight young, but the typical litter size is four to six.

Conclusion:

The UK common lizard is a fascinating reptile that is well adapted to its habitat. They are widespread throughout the UK and can be found in a range of habitats, including heathland, moorland, grassland, and woodland. They are insectivores and feed primarily on small invertebrates such as spiders, beetles, and ants. Common lizards mate in the spring and give birth to live young, which is a rare trait among reptiles. Overall, the UK common lizard is an important part of the UK's biodiversity and is a fascinating animal to observe in the wild.

Cockchafer Beetles (Maybugs)

Cockchafer Beetle /
Maybug Cockchafer Beetle / Maybug
taking flight

Introduction:

The cockchafer beetle, or May Bug / Doodlebug (Melolontha melolontha) is a large, common beetle that is found throughout Europe. These beetles are often seen in the spring and summer, when they emerge from the soil to mate and feed. In this document, we will discuss the distribution and habitat, diet, and breeding habits of cockchafer beetles.

Distribution and Habitat:

Cockchafer beetles are found throughout Europe, from the UK in the west to Russia in the east. They are most commonly found in central and southern Europe, where they inhabit a range of habitats, including forests, grasslands, and agricultural fields.

Cockchafer beetles are nocturnal and spend most of their time in the soil, where they feed on the roots of plants. They emerge from the soil in the spring and summer to mate and feed on the leaves of trees and shrubs. They are most commonly seen during the months of May and June, when they are in the process of mating and laying eggs.

Diet:

Cockchafer beetles feed primarily on the roots of plants, including grasses, cereals, and trees. They can cause significant damage to crops, particularly in agricultural fields. They are also known to feed on the leaves of trees and shrubs, particularly oak and beech trees.

Breeding:

Cockchafer beetles mate in the spring and lay their eggs in the soil. The eggs hatch into larvae, which feed on the roots of plants for several years before pupating and emerging as adult beetles. The life cycle of the cockchafer beetle can take up to four years, with the larvae spending the majority of this time in the soil. The adult beetles live for only a few weeks, during which time they mate and lay eggs before dying off.

Conclusion:

Cockchafer beetles are a common and important part of the European ecosystem. They inhabit a range of habitats, including forests, grasslands, and agricultural fields, and feed primarily on the roots of plants. Cockchafer beetles mate in the spring and lay their eggs in the soil, with the larvae feeding on plant roots for several years before emerging as adult beetles. Although they can cause significant damage to crops, cockchafer beetles are an important part of the food chain and play a key role in maintaining the health and balance of the ecosystem.

In culture:

Children since antiquity have played with cockchafers. In ancient Greece, boys caught the insect, tied a linen thread to its feet and set it free, amusing themselves to watch it fly in spirals. English boys in Victorian times played a very similar game by sticking a pin through one of its wings. Nikola Tesla recalls that as a child he made one of his first "inventions"—an "engine" made by harnessing four cockchafers in this fashion.

Cockchafers appear in the fairy tales Thumbelina by Hans Christian Andersen and Princess Rosette by Madame d'Aulnoy.

The cockchafer is featured in a German children's rhyme similar to the English Ladybird, Ladybird:

Maikäfer flieg...
Dein Vater ist im Krieg
Deine Mutter ist in Pommerland
Pommerland ist abgebrannt
Maikäfer flieg!
Cockchafer fly...
Your father is at war
Your mother is in Pomerania
Pomerania is burned to the ground
Cockchafer fly!

The verse dates back to the Thirty Years' War in the first half of the 17th Century, in which Pomerania was pillaged and suffered heavily. Since World War II, it is associated in Germany also with the closing months of that war, when Soviet troops advanced into eastern Germany.

The cockchafer was the basis for the "fifth trick" in the well-known illustrated German book Max and Moritz, dating from 1865.

Jim Dixon, in Kingsley Amis's comic novel Lucky Jim (1954), repeatedly calls his department head, Professor Welch, an "old cockchafer."

The Italian – specifically Neapolitan – collection of stories Il Pentamerone of Giambattista Basile (in its English translation by Norman M. Penzer from Benedetto Croce's Italian) contains a tale on Day 3, Night 5: "The Cockchafer, Mouse and Grasshopper".

There have been four Royal Navy ships named HMS Cockchafer.

Common Slow Worm (Anguis fragilis)

Common Slow Worm (Anguis fragilis) Common Slow Worm (Anguis fragilis)

Anguis fragilis is a reptile native to Eurasia. It is also called a deaf adder, a slowworm, a blindworm, or regionally, a long-cripple, to distinguish it from the Peloponnese slowworm. These legless lizards are also sometimes called common slowworms. The "blind" in blindworm refers to the lizard's small eyes, similar to a blindsnake (although the slowworm's eyes are functional).

Slowworms are semifossorial (burrowing) lizards, spending much of their time hiding underneath objects. The skin of slowworms is smooth with scales that do not overlap one another. Like many other lizards, they autotomize, meaning that they have the ability to shed their tails to escape predators. While the tail regrows, it does not reach its original length. In the UK, they are common in gardens, and can be encouraged to enter and help remove pest insects by placing black plastic or a piece of tin on the ground. On warm days, one or more slowworms can often be found underneath these heat collectors. One of the biggest causes of mortality in slowworms in suburban areas is the domestic cat, against which it has no defence.

Physical traits

These reptiles are mostly active during the twilight and occasionally bask in the sun, but are more often found hiding beneath rocks and logs. They are carnivorous and, because they feed on slugs and worms, they can often be found in long grass and other damp environments.

The females give birth to live young (ovoviviparous birth). In the days leading up to birth, the female can often be seen basking in the sun on a warm road.

Although these lizards are often mistaken for snakes, a number of features differentiate them. The most important one is that they have small eyes with eyelids that, like other lizards, blink. Unlike snakes, they may also have visible ears. They shed their skin in patches, whereas most snakes shed their skins whole. Slowworms may also shed their tails (autotomy) as a defence mechanism, by breaking one of their tail vertebrae in half. The pattern of a slowworm's ventral scales is also different from that of a snake's.

Size and longevity

Adult slowworms grow to be about 50 cm long, and are known for their exceptionally long lives; the slowworm may be the longest-living lizard, living about 30 years in the wild and up to at least 54 years in captivity (this record is held by a male slowworm that lived at the Copenhagen Zoo from 1892 until 1946, the age when first obtained is unknown). The female often has a stripe along the spine and dark sides, while the male may have blue spots dorsally. Juveniles of both sexes are gold with dark brown bellies and sides with a dark stripe along the spine.

Protected status in the UK

In the United Kingdom, the slowworm has been granted protected status, alongside all other native British reptile species. The slowworm has been decreasing in numbers, and under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, to intentionally kill, injure, sell, or advertise to sell them is illegal.

Ireland

The slowworm is not native to Ireland, but is believed to have been illegally introduced in the 1970s. It has been sighted only in parts of County Clare, mainly in the Burren region.