Couple of yellow-billed ducks synchronously swimming on a farm dam. The Walsingham Farm, Port Alfred, Eastern Cape (2024). A dark brown with a distinctive, bright yellow bill with a black saddle. Blue-green speculum narrowly edged with white and grey underwings in flight. Pale feather edges give it a scaled appearance at close range.Sexes virtually alike,… Continue reading Yellow-billed duck (Anas undulata)
Author: fockfish
Grey heron (Ardea cinerea)
Adult grey heron cruising the river in search of food. Kowie River, Port Alfred, Eastern Cape (2022) - iNaturalist A large, greyish heron of wetland habitats. Told in flight by its uniform grey underwing. Adult has mostly white head and neck, with black eye stripe ending in a wispy plume. Foreneck streaked black, with broad,… Continue reading Grey heron (Ardea cinerea)
Southern periwinkle (Afrolittorina knysnaensis)
Gang of Southern periwinkles hiding in a rock crack. Port Alfred, Eastern Cape (2024) - iNaturalist Aperture rounded and closed by a transparent, horny operculum. Shell smooth, with a short conical spire. Colour from flecked brown with a dark ring around each coil to almost pure black. Usually under 10 mm. Congregates in crevices, or… Continue reading Southern periwinkle (Afrolittorina knysnaensis)
Common dogwhelk (Nucella dubia)
Details of the yellow speckled foot of the common dogwhelk. Doringbaai, Western Cape (2020). Extraordinarily variable (hence, dubia). Aperture usually large. Body whorl weakly ridged. Colour variable, from grey with black flames, to red-brown with dotted bands, plain grey or brown. Aperture usually dark, often purple. About 20 mm. Extends almost to the high-tide mark… Continue reading Common dogwhelk (Nucella dubia)
Chili pepper sponge (Tedania anhelans)
Probable specimen of chili pepper sponge on the side of a rock pool, surrounded by a mat of Spirobranchus kraussii. Port St Johns, Wild Coast, Eastern Cape (2021) - iNaturalist Reddish-brown, also reported as orange-green or blueish. Massive sponge with conical oscular elevations, and thinner blind-ending fistules and projections. Surface smooth, consistency soft, compressible and… Continue reading Chili pepper sponge (Tedania anhelans)
Striped bubble shell (Hydatina physis)
Details of the two eye-spots visible in the gap of the headshield. Port Alfred, Eastern Cape (2024) - iNaturalist Also called the striped paper bubble, green-lined paper bubble, brown-lined paper bubble, and rose petal bubble shell. Shell external, delicate and oval, bearing numerous spiral brown lines. Foot large and pink with thin wavy margin edged… Continue reading Striped bubble shell (Hydatina physis)
Cape false-limpet (Siphonaria capensis)
Two Cape false-limpets (Siphonaria capensis) in a shallow rock pool. Mosselbaai, Western Cape (2022) - iNaturalist Apex of the shell almost central. Outline oval but slightly swollen on the right to accommodate a siphon that extends outwards from the lung cavity. About 40-50 low, flat ribs that are roughly equal in size and scarcely project,… Continue reading Cape false-limpet (Siphonaria capensis)
Bearded limpet (Scutellastra barbara)
A bearded limpet on a rock surface. Port Alfred, Eastern Cape (2024). Highly variable, but typically tall, with strong, spiky ribs. Sides of the foot white, speckled grey. About 80 mm. Maximum size : 100 mm (Kensley, 1973; Kilburn & Rippey, 1982). Occurs on the low-shore and subtidally. On the East Coast, it defends 'gardens'… Continue reading Bearded limpet (Scutellastra barbara)
Marine springtail (Anurida maritima)
Springtail cruising on a rock surface. Doringbaai, Western Cape (2020) - iNaturalist Minute, mauve-coloured, six-legged, wingless creatures, covered in short waxy hairs. About 2-3 mm. During high tides, shelters in air pockets under rocks and shells, or in crevices. Emerges during low tide to scavenge, sometimes congregating around dead or dying animals. Often seen floating… Continue reading Marine springtail (Anurida maritima)
We Found Invisible Coral Reefs 🐠🛰️ [11 min]
Let's Start A Conversation ! 💬 #12 - Biological & Ecological News Video published on my YouTube channel as part of the 'Let's Start A Conversation' playlist, that shares biological and ecological news in a fun and concise manner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpNo1yvXWQI&t=2s In a world where every square meter of the planet is accessible at our fingertips,… Continue reading We Found Invisible Coral Reefs 🐠🛰️ [11 min]
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