Betty the Butterfly's Blog

Why Are Red Squirrels So Threatened In The UK?

Once one of the most widespread and common woodland creatures in the country, red squirrels are now seldom seen in many parts of the UK as numbers have declined significantly over the past century. Still commonly found in isolated regions and throughout the European continent, one of our most historically iconic native species is becoming increasingly threatened in the UK due to a number of factors but most notably with the introduction of grey squirrels from America.
Red squirrels are a highly distinctive squirrel species and are easily recognised by their dark to bright red fur, long ear tufts and fluffy tails. They are relatively small in size compared to grey squirrels and can be found inhabiting coniferous and deciduous woodlands from the UK and Northern Ireland, throughout Europe and as far east as northwest China. They mainly ingest plant materials such as seeds, green acorns, fungi and hazelnuts as well as occasionally consuming eggs and small birds.

The Brunei River

Nestled amongst the Malaysian state of Sarawak in Northern Borneo lies the tiny, oil-rich sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. Run by the Sultan of Brunei, the country is rich in ecological diversity and is home to some of the rarest and most unique animal species on the planet. Despite covering an area of just over 2,200 square miles (less than 1% of Borneo's landmass), the discovery of oil in 1906 has led to the per capita income being one of the highest in world.
Previous Brunei sultans controlled the whole of the island along with parts of the Philippines and Indonesia but due to the dense jungle covering the region, relied heavily on the rivers and waterways both for transportation and communication. The Brunei River is the shortest major river in the country. Fed by the Kayal and Limau Manis Rivers, the Brunei River flows just 41km (25m) to the river mouth of the Brunei Bay in the north-eastern capital of Bandar Seri Begawan where it flows into the South China Sea.

Caring For Your Guinea Pigs

Guinea Pigs are one of the world's most popular household pets and are domesticated all around the world. Their sweet, docile nature and highly affectionate and sociable personalities make them a firm favourite animal particularly amongst children, who are able to care for these little creatures with relative ease (providing they have the constant supervision of a responsible adult). Originally from the Central Andes Mountains of South America where they were first domesticated by local people, they were introduced to the rest of the world by the Spanish after their South American "discovery" in the 1500s.

Guinea Pigs (also known as Cavies) are herbivorous and highly sociable animals that spend many hours grazing on grasses, leaves and other plant materials such as seeds, flowers and bark. Although naturally diurnal, they are most active during the twilight hours of dusk and dawn when there is less of a threat from potential predators, who find it difficult to hunt in the drastically changing light. They have sharp eye-sight and an exceptional sense of smell and hearing ensuring that they can pick up on approaching danger effectively.

Are Great White Sharks Really Man-Eaters?

Known as being one of the world's most prolific "man eaters" Great White Sharks are one of the most powerful and formidable ocean predators in the modern day world. Accountable for up to half of shark attacks on people worldwide every year, Great White Sharks often crop up in the media with high profile stories about their latest human victims and are often then hunted down because of it. But are they really out to prey on people or is it us that are intruding in their natural environments that cause such instances to occur?
 

New Orangutan Species Discovered In Sumatra

Last week it was announced that a new species of orangutan has been discovered in a remote region of northwestern Sumatra, which is a remarkable breakthrough in modern biology. Following an expedition to the remote mountain forests in South Tapanuli in 1997, scientists have been puzzling for years over the genetic peculiarity of a tiny population of orangutans there as they appeared to have subtle differences to the other orangutan species on the island, the Sumatran Orangutan.