Inner Nature: Parasitoids
By Vidya Rajan, Columnist, The Times
Beekeepers need no homily on the awesomeness of insects, nor do picknickers need one on the annoyance of midges, mosquitoes and ants and yellowjackets. These well-known insects make up only a small fraction known insects. To put numbers in context, a figure compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species lists numbers...
Inner Nature: Animals of Japan
By Vidya Rajan, Columnist, The Times
In the fall, I spent a month in Japan. It’s an interesting country geographically, sociologically, and ecologically. Geographically, Japan is a comma-shaped stretch of some 14,125 islands to the east of the Korean peninsula. About 120 are inhabited, and five islands (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and the tiny southernmost island of Okinawa) host 95% of...
Inner Nature: Aposematism – Worn Warning
By Vidya Rajan, Columnist, The Times
Aposematic coloration refers to the conspicuous colors some animals exhibit to advertise their unpalatability or warn of peril to potential predators. A familiar example is the black and yellow/orange stripes of bees. Black and orange aposematic coloration extends to flatworms (ex. sea slugs), reptiles (ex. coral snakes), fish (ex. lionfish) amphibians (ex....
