Monthly Archives: July 2015

This photo taken at Bonza Bay captured a Smooth plough shell (Bulia rhodostoma) feeding on a Raft hydroid (Porpita pacifica) – the hydroid is a flat, gas-filled float surrounded by a thin ‘skirt’. Short tentacles, dotted with small spheres (carrying … Continue reading →

Due to high levels of eutrophication (sewage and farming fertilizers) the invasive water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes, has thrived in the Nahoon River system. Recently concerned community members voiced their opinion that the dense surface stands of the hyacinth was disturbing … Continue reading →

A real treat was this Brown water snake, Lycodonomorphous rufulus, which was revealed  under a paving stone close to a water tank at the home of museum scientist Kevin Cole. These are medium sized snakes which typically have a cylindrical body … Continue reading →

Could there be a link between increased incidences of whale and dolphins with severe lesions and polluted marine environments? A 7m humpback whale was recently disentangled (early July 2015) off the KwaZulu-Natal coast. It was found to be covered in skin … Continue reading →

Discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh this icy planet with a possible rocky interior will be visited at a distance of 12 500 km’s by the New Horizons spacecraft. This probe left Earth in 2006 and has travelled almost 5 billion … Continue reading →