If I were a bumblebee... 🌸🐝

This common carder bee (Bombus pascuorum), a species of bumblebee, is looking for sweet nectar, but only finds pollen in this flower, which is also tasty. The garden lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus) does not offer nectar, but has a kind of pumping mechanism in its flowers that is triggered by the bumblebee and delivers the valuable pollen. This is transported to the nest of this social species, where it mainly serves as food for the offspring. Bumblebees fly to up to 1000 flowers every day in up to 18 hours to look for food.

🐝 What would you do if you were a bumblebee?

1. Fly from flower to flower all day
2. Rest on a sunny flower and take a nap
3. Hide in a blossom and watch people
4. Something else (please explain)

🌤🌸🦗🪻 A fragrant summer sun spot for a tiny bush-cricket (Phaneroptera species) 😊

Loki: "Nothing to eat? You are of no interest. 😒"

Dakota is the only one of my animal roommates who would most likely never snap or bite. But because he's a snake, people are afraid. A 2008 study showed that the sight of a snake silhouette triggers stress in babies as young as 8 to 14 months old. So it's not something learned, but innate. Other studies have confirmed similar reactions in non-human primates. But the stress reaction does not automatically lead to a fear of snakes. As early as the 1980s, it was recognized that rhesus monkeys only react fearfully to snakes after they have observed it in other monkeys. It was an advantage for our ancestors to be able to recognize a snake quickly and react immediately. For one thing, venomous snakes pose a danger, and for another, our ancestors were also natural prey for giant snakes. But Dakota is just a harmless corn snake that strangles its prey.😇

Bruce checks the situation 👀 There are a lot of crickets running around... Maybe one will jump into his mouth. 🛎🦗

I am a great ape! 🐵🍌

Even in my childhood I was interested in the systematic classification of living things. I was given a set of a few thousand information cards. There was a picture on the front and information on the back. There was also a large index card box. I sorted all living things according to their relationship. Humans and their ancestors were listed in a separate family, which was next to the great apes. However, this made no sense to me. The fact that chimpanzees are more closely related to humans than to orangutans told me that they must at least be in the same family, or each should have their own family.

When I was at school, humans were not considered great apes. The idea that humans are just apes is still met with a lot of rejection today. But not in science, where, based on genetic research, humans are listed in a common family, the great apes (Hominidae), together with the orangutan, gorilla and chimpanzee species.

Many people, even those who are inclined towards scientific explanations of evolution, have a problem with this because they see it as a threat to the uniqueness and specialness of humans.

I often argued with my mother that humans are animals. She - who studied biology - was strictly against this. She said that humans have unique characteristics and abilities and that the mind is something that separates us from animals. A widely held view - still today. I do not share this. Humans are animals and, like every animal species, humans have special abilities. The mental abilities that were once only attributed to humans have long been observed in other animal species - albeit in different ways: self-knowledge, logic, language, culture, grief and more. But the idea that animals are similar to us in their perception and thinking is a tough pill for humanity to swallow.

Drop it like it's hot 💩

A mirid bug (Deraeocoris ruber) defecates on a hemp leaf. In fact, insect excrement is about as warm as its surroundings.

We are cuddle buddies 🥰

Should I stay at home or go to a rave? We all know the feeling when a certain position feels just right. Bruce, in keeping with the natural nature of leopard geckos, probably just happened to get into this exact position and stayed like that for a few minutes. If you see your animals doing things like this frequently, you should be careful. It could indicate weakness, for example due to illness. But Bruce is in great shape and probably just appreciated the relaxed moment. The photo is a few months old and shows him shortly after moving into the newly furnished terrarium.

Please put something sweet here! 😒