Spring is in the air – daffodils are starting to grow in the hedgerows, birds are beginning to build their nests and frogs are filling up ponds with frogspawn. Unfortunately there is just one thing lacking this spring – the end of the cold, winter weather and the arrival of some sunshine!

Despite the weather’s best attempt, here in the UK ARKive office we have still been thinking about spring – a time often associated with new beginnings and baby animals. To celebrate the arrival of spring (and to cheer ourselves up about the weather) we have put together a list of our top 10 favourite baby animal photos.

Quokka

Quokka joeys suckle for a further 8-10 weeks after leaving the female’s pouch

The ever smiling quokka is a small marsupial found in Western Australia. Unusually for a marsupial, it has strongly developed hind legs which enable it to climb trees. Quokkas have a short pregnancy of just 4 weeks before the female will give birth to a single joey, which suckles in her pouch for up to 30 weeks.

Asiatic black bear

An infant Asiatic black bear playing

Female Asiatic black bears, also called ‘moon bears’ due to the cream, crescent shaped marking on the chest, normally give birth to a litter of 2 cubs. Born within the safety of the winter den, normally within a tree hollow, cubs usually stay with their mother for 1 to 1.5 years.

Sea otter

Californina sea otter pup resting on its mother

Sea otters are not only the smallest marine mammal, but their coat is also the densest of any mammal, consisting of around 100,000 hairs per cm². Female sea otters normally give birth to 1 pup, which they carry round on their chest grooming meticulously to ensure their fur remains buoyant and insulated. Sea otter pups will stay with their mother for around 3 to 6 months.

American oystercatcher

An American oystercatcher chick showing of its hide and seek skills

American oystercatcher chicks are quick learners! Within 24 hours of hatching, the chicks are capable of running and leave the nest only 1 or 2 days later. Within 5 weeks they learn to fly and begin accompanying their parents to learn basic feeding techniques, becoming fully independent several months later.

Arctic fox

It is hard work being this cute!

The size of an Arctic fox litter varies depending on the abundance of food available; normally ranging from 5 to 10, litter sizes can reach 19 with high food availability. Both parents help rear the young, the female will stay in the den providing milk whilst the male goes out to hunt for food.

Giant anteater

Giant anteaters can carry their young until they are nine months old – the world’s longest piggy back!

The giant anteater, the largest of the extant anteater species, can eat up to 30,000 ants in one day! Female giant anteaters carry their young on their back, where they are aligned with the female’s white stripe so they are camouflaged. Despite being weaned after two months, the young may continue to be carried until they are nine months old.

Mountain chicken

A female mountain chicken and a young froglet emerging from burrow

Despite its name, the mountain chicken is not a bird but is actually a critically endangered frog. Unusually, mountain chickens breed in underground burrows as opposed to breeding in water like most amphibians. After the larvae hatch, mothers will lay upto as many as 25,000 unfertilised eggs, upon which the larvae feed.

The mountain chicken features in ARKive’s latest game – Team WILD.  To find out more and to see if you have what it takes to join this team of elite, science superheroes click here.

Giant panda

It is not hard to see why pandas are so popular

Giant panda cubs are born at a very immature stage of development meaning they are very helpless at birth. It is not until the cubs are five to six moths old that they even start to move about independently! Giant panda cubs will remain dependent on their mothers until they are at least 18 months old.

Harp seal

A 2 day old harp seal pup showing of its warm, white coat

Harp seal pups are also known as ‘whitecoats’ due to their thick, white and very insulating fur. Weighing around 11 to 12 kilograms when they are born, harp seal pups will gain 2.2 kilograms in weight per day whilst nursing on their mother’s fatty milk.

White-tailed tropicbird

This chick looks like it has an attitude problem!

Though not as cute as some of the other babies featured in this blog, this photo of the white-tailed tropic bird is one of my favourites. This chick may not look vulnerable, but once hatched white-tailed tropicbird chicks are left alone in the nest frequently, leaving them open to attack from other parents looking for nesting sites. No wonder this chick is trying to look tough!

Hopefully these images have brightened up your day! Let us know which baby animal photos on ARKive are your favourites and don’t forget to nominate them for the title of the World’s Favourite Species!

Jemma Pealing, Media Researcher

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They may not be cute or fluffy, but insects are definitely some of the most fascinating animals on the planet. These tiny creatures make up nearly half of all known species and are vital to the world’s ecosystems.

All insects have a hard, chitinous ‘exoskeleton’, six pairs of legs and a body divided into three sections. However, they are extremely diverse and show an incredible range of adaptations.

Join us as we delve into a miniature world and explore ten of ARKive’s most fascinating insects and their adaptations!

Brilliant beetles

A giant of the insect world, the male elephant beetle has a long, rhinoceros-like horn on its head which it uses to fight other males. The larvae of this species grow to an even more impressive size than the adults, measuring up to 22 centimetres in length! Beetles are characterised by their tough pair of modified forewings, or ‘elytra’, and are the most successful group of animals on the planet, making up around 40% of insect species and 1 in 5 of all animals.

Flying beauty

The monarch butterfly is best known for its spectacular long-distance migrations, with some populations travelling as far as 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometres) south to their wintering grounds in Mexico. Millions of individuals congregate in small areas of forest over winter, blanketing the trees on which they roost. Insects are the only invertebrates to have evolved the ability to fly, and this has played a key role in their success.

Powerful predator

The dragonhunter is an aptly named species, as it specialises in hunting other dragonflies as well as other large insects. It is a large and distinctive species with long, powerful legs and wings, and like other dragonflies it is a voracious predator. Adult dragonflies have acute eyesight and superb flying abilities, and are able to catch prey in the air. Dragonfly larvae live in water and are also formidable predators, shooting out their modified mouthparts to catch prey.

Dramatic transformation

A common and widespread butterfly, the large white lays batches of eggs on its food plant, and the eggs hatch into caterpillars a week or two later. The caterpillars feed, grow and moult, and eventually turn into pupae. Some pupae hatch into adults in just two weeks, but later ones remain as pupae over winter, hatching into adults the following spring. This process of metamorphosis occurs in many insects, and means the adult stage has the primary purpose of dispersing and reproducing, while the main function of the larva is to feed and grow.

Super senses

Although unpopular, the house fly plays a vital role in decomposition and the recycling of nutrients. To feed, this species spits onto food before sucking it up with its sponge-like mouthparts. As in other flies, its second pair of wings is modified into small appendages which help with balance, and claws and pads on its feet help the house fly to grip any surface. This species has surprisingly keen senses, with acute vision and an amazing ability to taste with its feet!

Now you see it…

Like many insects, the Lompoc grasshopper uses camouflage to avoid predators. Other species go to the opposite extreme, displaying bright colours that advertise to predators that they are toxic or taste bad. Grasshoppers differ from crickets in their shorter antennae and they produce sound by rubbing their hind legs against their wings, rather than by rubbing their wings together. Intriguingly, grasshoppers have ears on their abdomen, and crickets have them on their front legs.

Sociable species

Like other ant species, the leaf-cutter ant has a fascinating and complex social system. Its colonies contain millions of individuals, divided into different types or ‘castes’, each of which does a different job. Only the queen reproduces, laying thousands of eggs each day, while large soldiers protect the colony and other workers cut leaves to bring back to the huge underground nest. Leaf-cutter ants don’t actually eat leaves, instead using them to cultivate a fungus on which they feed.

Bouncing bugs

The common froghopper is capable of leaping 70 centimetres into the air – the equivalent of a human jumping over a tower block – and its jump is so powerful that it creates G-forces of over 400 gravities, compared to the 5 gravities experienced by astronauts blasting into space! Although many insects are referred to as bugs, the ‘true’ bugs are species in the order Hemiptera, which include the common froghopper. All bugs have specialised piercing and sucking mouthparts, which in the froghopper are used for feeding on plant sap.

Important insect

Honey bees live in hives consisting of wax ‘honeycombs’, which are made up of cells used to store food and rear the young. Only the queen honey bee reproduces, while the sterile workers collect nectar and pollen and store the nectar as honey. The honey bee plays a vital role in pollinating flowering plants, including crops, and has been domesticated by humans for at least 5,000 years. However, this important species is under threat from habitat loss, the use of insecticides and the spread of a parasitic mite.

Under threat

The large, heavy-bodied Lord Howe Island stick-insect was thought to have become extinct around 1920 after rats were introduced to Lord Howe Island, the only place it was known to exist. Fortunately, the species was rediscovered on a small rocky outcrop 23 kilometres away in 2001. This unusual insect, sometimes known as the ‘tree lobster’, is now being bred in captivity with the hope of reintroducing it into the wild.

Insects are not always the most popular or well-loved of animals, and are often overlooked in favour of furrier, cuddlier and cuter species. However, they are vitally important to the planet and are captivating creatures in their own right.

The insect world is currently being celebrated in the new ‘Alien Nation Season’ showing on BBC Four in the UK, and you can also find out more these fascinating creatures at BBC Nature – Insects.

You can also view more photos and videos of insects on ARKive.

With over a million species of insect described so far it’s tricky to pick a favourite, but if there’s one you think we should be celebrating we would love to hear about it!

Liz Shaw, ARKive Text Author

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Today marks Saint Patrick’s Day, a day that traditionally involves the wearing of green. To celebrate, we thought we’d have a look at species on ARKive that are already dressed for the occasion!

Join us as we delve into the animal kingdom and explore the world of all things green…

Stunning macaw

This large, stunning macaw is certainly dressed to impress! The great green macaw has particularly vibrant plumage, with a green body and wings, a scarlet red patch on the forehead, blue patches on the wings, and an orange and blue tail. It lives in rainforests in Central and northern South America, where it is an important ‘flagship’ species for the conservation of its habitat.

Terrific turtle

One of the largest and most widespread of all marine turtles, the green turtle is actually named for the green colour of its fat and connective tissue, rather than its outward appearance. This large reptile takes up to 40 years to reach maturity, and some individuals migrate over 2,000 kilometres to reach their breeding grounds.

Fearsome tiger

Like all tiger beetles, the green tiger beetle has long legs and is a fast runner. This species is named for its beautiful iridescent green body, and is also patterned with yellowish spots on its wing cases. The adult green tiger beetle is a fearsome predator of other invertebrates, and its larvae are also predatory, digging pits in the ground to trap unwary prey.

Migrating dragonfly

The beautiful common green darner is one of North America’s most common and widespread dragonflies, and is one of very few dragonfly species known to migrate. A large insect, it has a green head and thorax, and a distinctive ‘bull’s-eye’ mark on its forehead. The name ‘darner’ is thought to come from the long, narrow abdomen of these dragonflies, which somewhat resembles a darning needle in shape.

Spot the iguana!

A popular reptile in captivity, the green iguana is, as its name suggests, usually a shade of green, although bright orange individuals also occur. This large lizard has an impressive spiny crest along its back and tail, and typically lives in trees, where it feeds on leaves and flowers. However, the green iguana is also a capable swimmer, and may dive into water to escape predators.

Brilliant bird

A small, chunky bird with a short, stumpy tail, the green broadbill occurs in parts of Asia and feeds mainly on fruit. As its name suggests, it has a particularly wide beak and mouth. The brilliant green plumage of this species provides it with excellent camouflage in its forest home.

Fabulous frog

The green and golden bell frog is a large, robust frog with pale green upperparts which are blotched with metallic golden or brassy-brown markings. Despite being a member of the tree frog family, this species spends most of its time on the ground or in water. The call of the green and golden bell frog has been likened to the sound of a motorbike changing gears!

Aquatic giant

Although not the world’s longest snake, the green anaconda is certainly the largest when its large girth is also taken into account. Growing up to nine metres in length, this semi-aquatic giant has olive-green upperparts marked with dark spots, giving great camouflage. It can take prey up to the size of deer, capybaras and even fully grown caimans, killing its prey by constricting it in its coils before swallowing it whole.

Prehistoric fish

The green sturgeon is one of the largest and longest-lived freshwater fish, with a lifespan of around 70 years. This unusual species has remained almost unchanged for over 200 million years, and its rows of bony plates give it a prehistoric appearance. Its body is usually olive to dark green, with olive-green stripes, and although it breeds in freshwater it spends most of its life in the ocean.

Marvellous monkey

Although perhaps not the most obviously green-looking species, the green monkey is nonetheless named for the greenish tinge to its golden fur. This West African monkey is highly social and usually occurs in large groups, spending its time both in the trees and on the ground. Although native to Africa, the green monkey has been introduced to some Caribbean islands.

These species give just a taster of the many shades of green worn by animals on ARKive. Of course, plants have a natural advantage when it comes to dressing up in this popular colour!

Why not join the Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations and check out some more of ARKive’s green species for yourself? Let us know if you have a favourite!

Liz Shaw, ARKive Text Author

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On Saturday 23^rd March hundreds of millions of people across the world will take part in WWF’s Earth Hour by turning off their lights for one hour. WWF’s Earth hour is a unique annual phenomenon that focuses the world’s attention on our amazing planet, and why we need to protect it.

During Earth Hour 2013, people are asked to think about the type of energy we use. How we need to move away from fossil fuels and onto clean renewable energy, which works with nature and not against it.

In 2012, 6,950 towns and cities in 152 countries took part, with over 7.6 million people in the UK joining in alone. Earth Hour 2013 takes place at 8:30 pm local time on Saturday 23^rd March, so get ready to flick those switches and join in the fight for a healthier planet! Here at ARKive, to get ready we have been thinking about species which prefer life in the dark and have put together a list of our top ten nocturnal species.

Aye-aye

Despite originally being classified as a rodent, the unusual looking aye-aye is actually the world’s largest nocturnal primate. The aye-aye’s hand has an extended middle digit which it uses for foraging. This finger has a range of uses, including scooping the pulp out of fruit and tapping on trees to find cavities concealing insects.

An aye-aye using its elongated finger to find insects in wood

Sri Lankan frogmouth

The strange looking Sri Lankan frogmouth certainly looks like it could do with some beauty sleep! This nocturnal bird is very distinctive due to its unusual appearance and its loud laughing song. Found only in India and Sri Lanka, it hunts insects at night and rests during the day.

The Sri Lankan frogmouth gets its name from its large, gaping mouth

Horsfield’s tarsier

Like other tarsier species, the Horsfield’s tarsier has some very strange adaptations. Tarsiers have the biggest eyes of any mammal compared to body weight, and due to the unique shape of their spine they possess the ability to rotate their head almost 360º! Tarsiers are also the only entirely carnivorous primate, feeding on a diet of insects and small vertebrates at night.

Tarsiers have the biggest eyes of any mammal, relative to their body weight

Night-flowering orchid

The night flowering orchid is the only known orchid species which opens its flowers at night. This newly discovered species is only found on the island of New Britain, in Papua New Guinea. In cultivation, this orchid opens its flowers at around 10pm keeping them open for about 12 hours. The flowers of this orchid are short lived, only lasting for one night.

The night-flowering orchid is the only orchid species to open its flowers at night

Philippine flying lemur

The Philippine flying lemur is not actually a true flier or a true lemur, but is actually a rather unique gliding mammal. It possesses a distinctive gliding membrane, or patagium, that when stretched out enables the Philippine flying lemur to glide through the forest for over 100 metres! It is a secretive and nocturnal animal which ventures out at dusk to find food.

The Philippine flying lemur gliding between trees

Lemur leaf frog

The lemur leaf frog is a nocturnal frog species, with the incredible ability to change colour depending on whether it is active or resting. During the day, it has a bright green colouration to provide it with camouflage whilst curled up on leaves. At night, when it becomes active, the lemur leaf frog’s eyes turn grey and the upperparts of its body turns brown. This provides the lemur leaf frog with excellent camouflage during the day and night.

Lemur leaf frogs have the ability to change colour between green and brown

Great spotted kiwi

As the name suggests, the great spotted kiwi is New Zealand’s largest kiwi species. This nocturnal bird finds its prey at night by tapping the ground with its beak and sniffing the earth. For the first six weeks of their life great spotted kiwi chicks may feed during the day, before becoming exclusively nocturnal.

Two great spotted kiwis foraging at night

Pyjama shark

Despite what its name suggests, you will not find the pyjama shark tucked up in bed at night in its pyjamas, as this strange looking shark is actually nocturnal. It is in fact the seven dark longitudinal stripes running the length of its body which gives this shark its name. The nocturnal pyjama shark spends its day concealed in caves or crevices and becomes active at night to hunt fish and molluscs.

The aptly named pyjama shark

Aardvark

The unusual looking aardvark is primarily a nocturnal animal which spends its day in its burrow and ventures out at night to find food. The aardvarks diet is composed of ants and termites which it swallows whole and then grinds them up in a muscular area of its lower stomach. The aardvark not only holds the title for being the first word in dictionary, but its powerful limbs means it can dig a hole quicker than several men with shovels!

An aardvark showing of its digging skills

Kakapo

The kakapo is a very unusual nocturnal parrot species endemic to New Zealand. This unique species is not only the world’s largest and heaviest parrot but it is also the only flightless parrot in the world. The kakapo was once widespread in New Zealand but now this Critically Edangered species only occurs on Codfish and Chalky Islands.

The kakapo is the largest and heaviest parrot and also seems to be the best at hide and seek!

Don’t forget, Earth Hour is on Saturday  23^rd March at 8:30 pm local time, so join the ARKive team and millions of other people worldwide and switch off those lights!

Find out how to get involved on the WWF’s Earth Hour website

Jemma Pealing, ARKive Media Researcher

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Once again Red Nose Day is almost upon us and around the UK people will be encouraged to ‘Do Something Funny For Money’ to raise funds for charitable projects in both the UK and Africa. Its not just us humans that can raise a laugh with a silly schnoz or two though, the animal kingdom is packed full of hilarious hooters and comical conks. Here are some of our favourites…

Baird’s tapir

The largest indigenous mammal in Central America, Baird’s tapir is well known for its elongated, flexible upper lip that is extended into a proboscis, resembling a shorter version of an elephant’s trunk. It’s just a shame that it doesn’t quite have the ears to match!

Tennent’s leaf-nosed lizard

Tennent’s leaf-nosed lizard is one of five species endemic to Sri Lanka, commonly known as ‘horn-nosed lizards’ becuase of the elongated projections that the males possess at the tip of their snout. It is thought that these strange ‘horns’ may be important signals in territory defence or courtship – perhaps size really does matter?

Golden snub-nosed monkey

The nostrils of the golden snub-nosed monkey are wide and forward-facing, creating a bizarre look and certainly making this species a contender for the title of strangest nose. And if that wasn’t weird enough, these remarkable monkeys can produce a wide range of vocalisations without making any facial movements, just like a ventriloquist!

Great spotted kiwi

While its long slender bill may not appear that unusual at first glance, the kiwi is the only bird in the world with external nostrils on the tip of its beak, giving it a highly developed sense of smell. Foraging at dusk, kiwis literally follow their ‘noses’, as prey is found by tapping the ground with their beaks and sniffing the earth.

Long-nosed tree frog

The long-nosed tree frog was first discovered in 2008, and this strange looking amphibian is instantly recognisable by the long protrusion on its nose, which has given rise to its alternative name, the ‘Pinocchio frog’. Only the males have this long nose, which becomes inflated when calling.

Shield-nosed leaf-nosed bat

Leaf-nosed bats such as this shield-nosed leaf-nosed bat certainly have some of the most elaborate noses in the animal kingdom. While the exact function of the leaf is not know for certain, it is thought that is may help the bats with echolocation.

Golden-rumped elephant-shrew

The snout of the golden-rumped elephant-shrew is long, pointed and flexible, and is used to forage for invertebrates among the leaf litter of the forest floor. Despite the name they are not actually closely related to shrews, and are more closely linked to elephants, hyraxes and golden moles, amongst others.

Siberian sturgeon

The Siberian sturgeon lives for up to 60 years and can reach weights of up to 210 kg. Like other sturgeon species, it has sensitive barbels which are positioned on the lower jaw and are used to locate prey, which is then sucked into the mouth. What a handsome fellow!

King vulture

The king vulture occurs from Mexico to Argentina, and is easily distinguished from other vulture species by its colourful head. While the yellow fleshy wattle on its face may not technically count as a nose, we just couldn’t leave this weird looking bird out of our top ten.

White-nosed saki

It wouldn’t be Red Nose Day without a red nose or two, and thankfully we’ve found just that in the form of the white-nosed saki. In spite of its common name, the white-nosed saki actually has a red nose and upperlip in contrast to its shiny black fur, as well as a stylish centre parting!

Will you be taking part in any Red Nose day activities this year? Or perhaps you have a favourite strange-nosed species you’d like to share? Leave a comment below and let us know!

Claire Lewis, ARKive Researcher

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