Our Wonderful Nature: Double Bill

I had to debate for a second or two where to place these – on Kuriositas or our natural world sibling site the Ark in Space.  As these are (extremely) tongue in cheek looks at what goes on under our noses then ultimately this was the place they landed.  The first deals with the water vole, whose unassuming appearance belies its truly bellicose nature.  The second concerns the common chameleon which simply cannot get enough to eat.  Great fun!

The Water Vole - Back from the Brink

Forgive the image related pun, but the Water Vole has been skating on very thin ice in the UK for a number of years. You and I know him as Ratty from Wind in the Willows but a rat he is not.  Scarce, yes: rat, no.

In fact conservationists warned a decade ago that very soon there would be none left – extinction within the British Isles was it seems a done deal. However, the water vole has made quite a comeback in several areas, thanks to environmentalists and not least its own remarkable fecundity. The Ark in Space reports on this happy tale from the riverbank.

Image Credit Flickr User Cracker08