Sunday, March 10, 2024

Rept. isles

Are reptiles - our next most abundant species - fully and fairly represented? Or are some still hiding under rocks, camouflaged? Let's go outside and look.

I would note that they are still very much of interest and a zombie crocodile park lurks further up (don't ask) as a risk when, naturally, there would be an abundance of native reptiles in that very area; along with other wildlife.

Regardless of our interest in observing them, being scared or startled by them, or any in an array of encounters, they are a natural to our sunburnt country. 

To resolve the old argument we have with Americans over their habit of calling tortoises turtles, we need to look at the orders of reptiles and, lo and behold, testudines which includes both but the common term in brackets is - turtles. So perhaps it doesn't hurt not to distinguish.

As for crocodilian.

But the biggest order, taking in skinks, geckos, snakes.. is Order Squamata, or scaled reptiles
[legless lizards, dragons, monitors..]



Friday, March 08, 2024

Fishing for complements

So we seem to be short a few fish (oh no groan the remaining readers) but, don't worry, if I find more that aren't the fifth name for one already listed in either freshwater or saltwater, I'll add them to those posts.

 

 

 

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Luxon, your side

Christopher Luxon is Prime Minister of New Zealand since November, not giving poor old Chris Hipkins long in the job.

We're surrounded

*here representing all the freshwater eels who go into the Pacific [or insert relevant ocean] to breed

 

Friday, September 29, 2023

Dan done

Well I think that makes all the premiers now. Daniel Andrews, Premier of Victoria for nine years, has stepped down and the second female Victoria Premier, Jacinta Allan, leads in his stead.

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Cook's tour

In what must be a trend, Mark McGowan retired and the new Premier of Western Australia since June 2023 (yes this blog is three months behind) is Roger Cook

I think I should probably have known that, being born in WA

Sunday, March 26, 2023

Minns begins

(saving Minns to an End for later) 

 

 Well, while I try to sort out whether I'm going to put bony fish with cartilaginous fish, we've had an even more major change in state politics. Chris Minns is our new Premier. Dominic Perrottet having had seventeen months in the job, the last in a conservative government in power for twelve years. Tasmania is now the only remaining Liberal government in the country. As former Deputy Leader of the Opposition, I assume Prue Car is the new NSW Deputy Premier.

Friday, February 24, 2023

Engle

 Angela Merkel was Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. I always admired her, though I reserve that regard for few conservative politicians indeed.

Current chancellor is Olaf Scholz

In New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern was Prime Minister between 2017 and (January) 2023. She was everything you could want in a good leader so it's nice to know that's not a vanishing trait.

Current PM is another male, Chris Hipkins.