Otter of the week is back!
I've been awfully slack with the weekly otter - my excuse is that i have a new baby! But it's back, with Monterey Bay Aquarium's Otter Days: http://tiny.cc/otters821. If you're going to be in northern California before 13 September, check out the freshwater otters! And Monterey Bay is a great place to see wild sea otters, harbour seals, and other marine life (including whales in season - i saw a blue whale there a few years ago, incredibe!).
Gorillas in Rwanda On a trip to Rwanda, we had the opportunity to visit four families of wild mountain gorillas, a species with only 720 remaining members. We were fortunate to have Craig Sholley, who has been intimately involved in the preservation of African wildlife for more than 30 years, as our guide.
djebru Fantastic! I just had a look on your site and noticed you have a gorilla video people might be interested in: http://explore.org/explore/africa. Thanks for not using the group to push your own barrow, too :)
Dugong, Sydney Aquarium I was lucky enough to see some wild dugongs in WA recently, but getting up close to these creatures at the aquarium was magic. Definitely worth a visit if you're in Sydney. It's better than the Melbourne aquarium i reckon (though i haven't been to see the penguins yet). Anyone else have aquarium recommendations?
7 natural wonders of the world Ometepe Island, Nicaragua is the largest island in a fresh water lake - there are fresh water sharks too but they are rarely seen. Iguanas such as this one full of eggs are common as are many other species including various types of monkeys, small deer, many migrating birds pass through here too. There are 2 volcanoes - one recently reactivated, 4,000 year old petroglyphs, tropical rainforests, waterfalls, mineral springs, indigenous farming community too. definately on the wild side!
Baby loggerheads These little loggerheads were injured and are recuperating at Ocean Park: www.oceanpark.com.au, just outside Denham in Shark Bay, WA. It's a privately run aquarium, and has displays of local species including sharks and rays. They seem to do quite a bit of catch and release as well as rehabilitation of injured wildlife, and i found their guides really knowledgeable. Worth checking out!
Otter of the week
OK, anything with the words 'otter', 'twins' and 'unbearably cute' in the one url is bound to catch my eye. Auckland Zoo has new baby otters: http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2009/06/otter-twins-in-auckland-unbearably-cute.html
Not sure when they'll be on display, but at least we can enjoy the pictures!
Thanks nog_boinb for sending this!
Spirit of Australia I'm from the East, so i'm used to seeing Eastern Grey Kangaroos. The big reds were an exciting change - they're the kangaroo of your childhood imagination. It was overcast for one day of the trip, and we were out quite early, so we got a good look at this little group before they retreated from the heat of the day.
Dolphin at Monkey Mia Monkey Mia's dolphins are famous, and interacting with them was pretty amazing. Dolphins have been coming to the beach since the 60s, and it's now a carefully managed tourist attraction. They only feed a small number of adult dolphins, to ensure that the juvenile dolphins learn to hunt, and they limit the food so that the dolphins still have to hunt in order to get enough to eat.
Otter of the week
I must apologise for not providing a weekly otter for so long! Today, i give you the marine otter. They live along the coast on Chile and Peru, and are seldom seen. They're about a metre long, and nest on land but hunt at sea. This site has info and pictures: http://tiny.cc/marineotter
Has anyone seen them in the wild? I'd love some travel tips. Apparently, local fishermen are prepared to act as guides - does anyone have tips?
The world is full of majestic beasts, little critters and charismatic megafauna. If you think it's fun to explore the wildlife while you're exploring the world, join us!
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