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.
Desert locusts (Shistocerca gregaria) only do two things 🤷♂️
I feed them alive to my animals. I have also tried freeze-dried grasshoppers myself. Tasted a little like sunflower seeds. Did you ever eat insects and did you like it? 😋
When I do something with the terrarium, Dakota always has to watch what's going on. He's very headstrong and likes to design himself. No idea where he got this from. 🤷♂️
It's a big big world for a tiny baby lizard, less than two centimeters tall. 🥺
Native to the Bahamas and Cuba, this iguanian species has widely been introduced to other places like the United States, Mexico and Taiwan. Their eggs often travel via the soil of plant pots. Like other anole, it can change color. In this case from brown to black. The coloration depends on their mood and activity. Brown anole are very communicative in visual ways.
Little stinker in its fourth instar. Two moults remain until adulthood. It's a very common European species. You can find them from North Africa across Europe to Central Asia. It prefers to live on deciduous trees (linden, alder), bushes, nettles and thistles. I found this one below a linden tree. In German we call them Grüne Stinkwanze (green stink bug). My friends from North America have a very similar bug with that name (Chinavia hilaris). But they differ much in color in their larval stage and have a few small differences as adults. Both species are member of the Pentatomidae family, generally called shield bugs or stink bugs. They have in common that they release a pungent defensive spray when threatened, disturbed or crrrrushhhhed.💚
This cute member of the Psychodidae family can reach a length of 3-5 millimeters. It only lives about 12 days as an adult. If it doesn't slurp water or flower nectar, it just hangs on some walls or trees.✌️
It's distribution is worldwide in tropical and temperate areas. The origin of their distribution is unknown.
Their larvae live in aquatic environments and take about 18 days to turn into a pupa, which develops into an adult after 5 days.
Because of their fine water-repellent hairs, adults and larvae are difficult to drown and are not affected by contact with most water-borne toxins. They can also handle very high temperatures.
