This weeks Big Picture: Slimy Nature

Big Picture: Keeping Up with Warmer Weather

 


When winter looms some mammals experience a transition from their brown summer coats to whiter fur to blend easily with the expected snowcover.  What happens when climate change causes weather to warm earlier than expected and the snow to which they've adapted disappears? These animals will lose their camouflage which protects them from predators.
recent study on white-tailed jack rabbits suggests that diversity among the three genes responsible for coat color change within different populations may allow rapid adaptation.  As Ferreira et al note, these species are "predicted to adapt rapidly, providing a trait-based genetic framework to facilitate evolutionary rescue."
While this is good news for the jack rabbits, how adaptive are other species who rely upon camouflaged fur for their survival?  Take a look at this gallery of animals in their dramatic summer and winter coats. 
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Big Picture: Oregon Views - photos by Tim Fitzharris

Photographer Tim Fitzharris captures peaceful landscapes in the Pacific Northwest in this new selection of images. Towering sea stacks along the coastline, sheer cliffs of tuff and basalt in Smith Rock State Park, and a rosy sunset at Harris Beach State Park are examples of the open wilderness found in Oregon. 

Click on any image to see the full selection.
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9565 Soquel Drive,  Suite 202    Aptos,  CA  95003  USA
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Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) female and male, Cape York Peninsula, Australia

The galah, also known as the pink and grey cockatoo or rose-breasted cockatoo, is the only species within genus Eolophus of the cockatoo family. Found throughout Australia, it is among the most common of the cockatoos. Wikipedia

Galahs are monogamous, they will stay with the same breeding partner for life.

Very commonly in Australian English galah is used to refer to a fool or idiot. This figurative sense is recorded from the 1930s, and derives from the perceived stupidity of the bird. The following quotations give an indication of how the term is used:

1951 E. Lambert Twenty Thousand Thieves: 'Yair, and I got better ideas than some of the galahs that give us our orders'.

1960 R.S. Porteous Cattleman: 'The bloke on the other end of the line is only some useless galah tryin' to sell a new brand of dip'.

1971 J. O'Grady Aussie Etiket: 'You would be the greatest bloody galah this side of the rabbit-proof fence'.

Via: Meanings and origins of Australian words and idioms


See 180 more photos of Galah here: https://www.mindenpictures.com/search?s=galah

Big Picture: Our Plastic Problem

Our planet is swamped with plastic. From tiny microplastics entering our diets to synthetic fishing debris entangling and killing wildlife, we are swimming in this petroleum-based product. 

Some are recycled, some are buried in landfills, but more is washed into our oceans where wildlife mistake it for food, which is fed to seabird chicks choking their digestive tracks; bags, bottles, and other debris wash back onto beaches, and sea turtles mistake floating plastic bags for delicious jellyfish - an error which is often fatal. 

What can we do? What can you do to reduce your use of plastic products? The planet and its occupants are counting on humans to come up with a solution....click on any image to view the whole gallery.

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9565 Soquel Drive,  Suite 202    Aptos,  CA  95003  USA
p: 831.661.5551  f: 831.661.5497   info@mindenpictures.com

Roland Seitre Photo Embed Demo

The photos on this blog are Minden Pictures Photo Embeds.

The intent behind this new product launch is that access to premium images at no cost can help conservation and science writers make their online posts more compelling and their messaging more effective.

The SmartFrame technology protects your photos, keeps track of everything, and makes them useable to promote conservation and science. They work similarly to a YouTube Embed, except for photos, not video. If we find misuse, we can turn them off anywhere they appear. 

If you click the "Share" button and share the Photo Embed (with a comment) on a social network, the photo appears, and you do not need to upload a jpeg. When clicked, the traffic goes to wherever the photo is embedded. In this case, it would send you back to this blog post, much like the link we sent you.

Learn more about Minden Pictures Photo Embeds at the following links:




We encourage you to try it; click the "Share" button on any of the photos here or select a photo from your collection:

Richard Herrmann Photo Embed Demo

 The photos on this blog are Minden Pictures Photo Embeds.

The intent behind this new product launch is that access to premium images at no cost can help conservation and science writers make their online posts more compelling and their messaging more effective.

The SmartFrame technology protects your photos, keeps track of everything, and makes them useable to promote conservation and science. They work similarly to a YouTube Embed, except for photos, not video. If we find misuse, we can turn them off anywhere they appear. 

If you click the "Share" button and share the Photo Embed (with a comment) on a social network, the photo appears, and you do not need to upload a jpeg. When clicked, the traffic goes to wherever the photo is embedded. In this case, it would send you back to this blog post, much like the link we sent you.

Learn more about Minden Pictures Photo Embeds at the following links:




We encourage you to try it; click the "Share" button on any of the photos here or select a photo from your collection:


Feel free to contact us for questions or support. Robbie Schmelzer

Richard Du Toit Photo Embed Demo

 The photos on this blog are Minden Pictures Photo Embeds.

The intent behind this new product launch is that access to premium images at no cost can help conservation and science writers make their online posts more compelling and their messaging more effective.
The SmartFrame technology protects your photos, keeps track of everything, and makes them useable to promote conservation and science. They work similarly to a YouTube Embed, except for photos, not video. If we find misuse, we can turn them off anywhere they appear. 

If you click the "Share" button and share the Photo Embed (with a comment) on a social network, the photo appears, and you do not need to upload a jpeg. When clicked, the traffic goes to wherever the photo is embedded. In this case, it would send you back to this blog post, much like the link we sent you.

Learn more about Minden Pictures Photo Embeds at the following links:




We encourage you to try it; click the "Share" button on any of the photos here or select a photo from your collection:


Feel free to contact us for questions or support. Robbie Schmelzer

Pete Oxford Photo Embed Demo

The photos on this blog are Minden Pictures Photo Embeds.

The intent behind this new product launch is that access to premium images at no cost can help conservation and science writers make their online posts more compelling and their messaging more effective.

The SmartFrame technology protects your photos, keeps track of everything, and makes them useable to promote conservation and science. They work similarly to a YouTube Embed, except for photos, not video. If we find misuse, we can turn them off anywhere they appear. 

If you click the "Share" button and share the Photo Embed (with a comment) on a social network, the photo appears, and you do not need to upload a jpeg. When clicked, the traffic goes to wherever the photo is embedded. In this case, it would send you back to this blog post, much like the link we sent you.

Learn more about Minden Pictures Photo Embeds at the following links:




We encourage you to try it; click the "Share" button on any of the photos here or select a photo from your collection:

Pete Oxford Photo Embed Collection

Feel free to contact us for questions or support. Robbie Schmelzer

Big Picture: Jaguar vs. Caiman


In the edge between jungle and river in Brazil's Pantanal region lives a population of jaguars well-adapted to their riparian habitat. The cats' swimming ability, large size, and staggeringly strong jaws aid them in hunting an abundant prey species - caimans. Jami Tarris brings us an energizing series of photos of a successful hunt. This male jaguar, locally known as Bororo, stalked and battled with its strong prey for so long that the photographer was able to put down her camera to take video. In the end, the cat prevailed and dragged its meal onto the shore where it could feed in peace.
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9565 Soquel Drive,  Suite 202    Aptos,  CA  95003  USA
p: 831.661.5551  f: 831.661.5497   info@mindenpictures.com