Germany, a country with a rich history and diverse landscapes, is characterized by impressive biocultural diversity. From the dense forests of the low mountain ranges to the expansive coastlines of the north, Germany offers a wide range of ecosystems and habitats. The flora is diverse, encompassing a wealth of plant species, including deciduous and coniferous trees in the forests, as well as typical German flowers like the Edelweiss in the Alps. The fauna is also abundant, with a variety of bird species in the forests and wetlands, as well as mammals such as deer, wild boar, and foxes. German culture is closely connected to nature, and the protection and preservation of biocultural diversity play an important role in the country's environmental and conservation movements. Despite urban development and environmental pressures, conserving this diversity remains crucial for Germany's future and the well-being of its residents.
Just a bark-eating zophoba beetle. In addition to isopods and springtails, they take care of the cleanliness of my corn snake terrarium. They cope better with the conditions in the terrarium than isopods and springtails. In the nature of their Central and South American homeland, they feed on guano from fruit-eating bats. In my terrarium they eat undiscovered remains of my snake. However, you should make sure that the zophobas don't take over. They could become a stress factor and life risk for the main residents. The larvae also like to eat styrofoam, from which many back walls are made. They eat almost everything! That's why it's important to keep an eye on it. Since zophobas pupate only in isolation, there is only a small risk of overpopulation (depending on the interior). Also, the larvae from the terrarium shouldn't be fed to other animals because this could spread diseases. If you notice that they become too many, you can put wet pieces of bark in the terrarium. An hour later you collect the bark together with the larvae and kill them friendly in the freezer. The easiest way is to collect the adult beetles and allow only a few to lay eggs. Because of these peculiarities, I cannot fully recommend it, but I have had good experiences myself. We're all pioneers with different experiences.
Today I sent another cheek swab to the DKMS ( German Bone Marrow Donor File, @dkms_de ).🤗 I was asked to do because they need to know if I was infected with the cytomegalovirus. This is a herpes virus, harmless to healthy people, but quite dangerous for weakened people, such as leukemia patients. I registered as a stem cell donor 14 years ago. At that time, it already worked very simply with cheek swabs. You could easily order a set at home. The tissue characteristics are stored in a database and compared with patients who are waiting for a transplant. So far there hasn't been a sufficient match, so I haven't yet been asked to donate cells. If someone needs my help, I'm there!🙃✌ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ (You aren't a bad person just because you don't! Tissue characteristics are sensitive data. I just want to raise awareness.)
I've adopted the nest of a Giant African land snail. I suspect it's Achatina (Lissachatina) fulica. 🐚
The parent was alone for several years and suddenly had the idea to lay fertilised eggs. 🐌💡 The freshly hatched snails first eat their own eggshell, but don't stop at the shells of the others. I made plenty of sepia available, but as you can see in the last video, snail eggs are more attractive.
