(A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.)
-- Japanese proverb
More like a single flap, for some. Such as those wanderlust-iest of migrators, arctic terns. It isn't just terns that do it though, here is another article this week about some not-so-well-known travelers: puffin peregrinations. Undersea tales of the fish police, what gills are good for and wait for it ... tool-using stingrays ! And in other news, orchid-pollinating crickets and why Neanderthals were just made up.
In pictures, find out how aircraft contrails can form clouds, and why identifying narwhals is anything but a fin-ished task. Two video gems that I came across recently -- a wild tribute to my favorite Kurosawa: Riparian Rashomon, and a wonderful talk by someone who has been an inspiration for a very long time: Rom Whitaker on gharials and cobras. The epilogue to the talk is this case of the crocodile blues from back before the llamasaurit - watch the video clip of gharial hatchlings, and for good measure pay a visit to the gharial in Romer Hall. Round it off with an article that KT sent in, about new research showing that birds breathe like crocodiles (here is a Quirks & Quarks interview with Dr. C G Farmer, for more about one-way lungs).
Finally, a couple of excellent science blogs that I stumbled across:
Tetrapod Zoology and Not Exactly Rocket Science.
Bookmark them, stray forth and explore !
