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.
Instagram recently doesn't work that good. As always when they implement new features. I just found this capture too cute but couldn't upload it as wanted... but here it is 🤍
Loki and Berenike and a golden pot of zophobas. While Loki easily catches her meal, Berenike seems to be a bit confused. She doesn't hunt but walks around looking for something. She's actually looking for prey. You can see the same hunting behavior in my post # 330, which you can also find on my website megagroundsloth.de by searching for "lunatic gila monster". There I also explain the social behavior. Berenike doesn't like fighting and she can hear the other zophobas outside. So she prefers to look for them. In the middle of the video you can "see" Nameless catching a worm from the left. She slowly sneaked to the pot and waited for a good moment. She twitched with tension. When I finished the recording, she was startled and gone in a flash. Arsinoë just climbs around in the background.
It's a species of flower chafers 🌸 (a group of scarabs) from west and central Africa. The larvae are called grubs. I sometimes feed them to my animals. Very rich food! 😋
I found this male in the house last night and brought him back outside. It's a nocturnal parasitic wasp species. Females look for caterpillars and inject one egg per host. The caterpillars remain alive until the wasp larva reaches its final instar. The adults feed mainly on plant sap and nectar and continue enjoying their lives. This species is one of the few that fly around even in winter. It's distribution area includes the entire Palearctic and Indomalaya.
Some representatives of the ichneumon wasps (not this one) carry a special virus in their genome and use it to produce virions, which after injection influence the host's behavior, metabolism and immune system.
