Zoopedia: Arapaima

The Amazon is home to so many amazing forms of life, including one of the largest freshwater fish. The arapaima, or piracuru, are giants of the Amazon’s waters which we’ll look at today. Looking prehistoric, they are one of the many wonders of South American fauna. Taxonomy and Evolution For a long time it was

Zoopedia: Tisza Mayfly

Once a year in June and July the Tisza river in Hungary, Serbia, and Slovakia for one day is swarmed by thousands of beautiful and rare mayflies. Also known as the long-tailed mayfly, the Tisza mayfly has become iconic in Hungary and their spawning for a few hours every summer attracts tourists from all around.

Zoopedia: Red-crowned crane

For centuries it had been the symbol of immortality and peace in China, Japan, Mongolia, and Korea this week we’re looking at the red-crowned crane. One of the rarest cranes in the world, either the second or third rarest depending on the source, it is ironic that the symbol of logevity is being driven to

Zoopedia: Fire salamander

Once thought to be born from flames this week we’re looking at the fire salamander. These black and yellow amphibians are found across continental Europe and are famed for their colouration. Taxonomy and Evolution Fire salamanders have the easy to remember name of Salamandra salamandra and is closely related to other salamanders including the alpine

Zoopedia: Sand Eels

Some of the most important animals sustaining a habitat are the most unassuming. The seas around Europe are teaming with life that rely on much smaller animals to sustain them – sand eels. While not actually eels, one alternate name for them is ‘sand lances’, these fish belong to a family of closely related fish

Zoopedia: European Spiny Lobster

The European spiny lobster goes by many names including the Mediterranean red lobster, the common spiny lobster, crayfish, crawfish, and langouste depending on where you are. These lobsters are well known in Europe for their appealing taste making them a delicacy across Europe. Taxonomy and Evolution European spiny lobsters, Palinurus elephas, belong to a staggeringly

Zoopedia: Red Deer

At the end of the last Ice Age most of Europe’s large mammals went extinct leaving the red deer as one of the largest land mammals in Europe. And the red deer is truly one of the most magnificent animals in Europe. Taxonomy and Evolution Red deer belong to the genus Cervus and have the

Zoopedia: Western Honey Bee

One of the most important insects in the world is the bee, and the most common species of bee is the western honey bee. Naturally found in three continents the western honey bee pollinates roughly a third of all crops worldwide. Taxonomy and Evolution The western honey bee, Apis mellifera, is one of the roughly

Zoopedia: Hoatzin

Continuing April’s theme of weirdest animals’ today we are looking at one of the strangest birds, the hoatzin. These prehistoric looking birds have a gut similar to a cow, claws like a dinosaur, and reek to high heaven. Taxonomy and Evolution Hoatzins, Opisthocomus hoazin, have had a very confusing taxonomic history as for years zoologists

Zoopedia: Hellbenders

Not the forgotten part of Avatar: The Last Airbender or an abandoned Hellraiser title, as part of our look at weird animals over April we’re looking at North America’s largest amphibian, the hellbender. A species of salamander, it spends its entire life in the water and was seen as something bent on returning to Hell