Coronavirus Lockdown Spanish Edition - Day 40 - Alicante fauna

Happy 50th Earth Day! 🥳

I imagine everyone has seen the photos and memes about "Nature is healing" during the quarantine?Dolphins in the canals in Venice, animals roaming city streets... Well this is the Alicante edition! (well, my neighborhood edition, as this is what I've seen at my place and my mom's when I've taken her groceries)

We've got wood pigeons hanging out on the ground instead of in the treetops

Squirrels sauntering along the street (missed the photo-op, he scurried up a palm tree when I got close).

Seagulls and ducks enjoying a freshwater bath in swimming pools.

Not exactly "wildlife", but we do what we can. 😉 I'm sure if I could go walking in the park on the Cape I would see hedgehogs... How about in your neck of the woods? 

By the way, quarantine = 40 days, right? Can we go out now??? 😓

#stayhome #quedateencasa #restecheztoi

Day 14 - Challenge on Nature Photography

DAY 14 in the #challengeonnaturephotography on Facebook.

LAST DAY in the Nature Photography Challenge! I thought I'd go out with a triple bang, and share some shots from the safari I went on in Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania last October (stayed for a couple of days after a work trip in Dar es Salaam). Was amazing!!! (click them bigger)

Giraffes are funny! :)

While zebras are crazy. ;)

And lions are lazy! :p

Well this was a fun experience! Plus it gave me an excuse to dust off some photos... I hope you enjoyed it too.

Day 13 - Challenge on Nature Photography

DAY 13 in the #challengeonnaturephotography on Facebook.

For my penultimate Nature Challenge post, I figured it would be nice to head home: Alicante! And where do I feel most at home? Under the water!!! So here are a couple of photos taken while snorkeling or scuba diving: medusa Cothylorhiza tuberculata, photo from September 2009 while snorkeling at the base of the Peñón d'Ifach in Calpe; and mussles growing on an rope (they'll grow on any hard surface!), photo taken during a deco stop in Cabo de Palos, Murcia. (click them bigger)

So my sister​ challenged me to participate in the #challengeonnaturephotography on Facebook. The idea is to occupy FB with nature photographs. Each nominated person will post a different nature photo for 7 days. With each photo they will nominate another person and give the name of the person who nominated them... 

It seemed to be that this would be a very nice way to start off 2016, and I wanted to share it with you as well! :o)

Unfortunately I'm terrible at following instructions, and after going through my photos I can't choose any more! So I'm going for DOUBLE! Two photos a day for 14 days... :p

I don't know about challenging anyone on the Blog... But if you feel like joining in please do! Don't worry, you can stick to the original challenge of 1 photo a day for 7 days! ;) (just leave me a comment with the link so I can be sure to go see yours)

Day 9 - Challenge on Nature Photography

DAY 9 in the #challengeonnaturephotography on Facebook.

Time to move north, but not too far! In my mind Antarctica is always associated with Tasmania since I always stayed on for a couple of weeks once I got back from the ice. Two trips, ten days exploring, and I barely got to visit a third of the place. Tasmania is definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever been! And the photos don't do it justice, but here are a couple anyways! The beautiful sandstone Painted Cliffs on Maria Island and a cute little wallaby hanging out on Freycinet Peninsula. Photos taken in Tasmania in February 2005. (click them bigger)

So my sister​ challenged me to participate in the #challengeonnaturephotography on Facebook. The idea is to occupy FB with nature photographs. Each nominated person will post a different nature photo for 7 days. With each photo they will nominate another person and give the name of the person who nominated them... 

It seemed to be that this would be a very nice way to start off 2016, and I wanted to share it with you as well! :o)

Unfortunately I'm terrible at following instructions, and after going through my photos I can't choose any more! So I'm going for DOUBLE! Two photos a day for 14 days... :p

I don't know about challenging anyone on the Blog... But if you feel like joining in please do! Don't worry, you can stick to the original challenge of 1 photo a day for 7 days! ;) (just leave me a comment with the link so I can be sure to go see yours)

Day 8 - Challenge on Nature Photography

DAY 8 in the #challengeonnaturephotography on Facebook.

Another day in the frozen lands: icebergs!!! And larval antarctic fish (Antarctic silverfish and an ice fish) seen through a stereoscopic lens. Photos taken in Terre Adélie, Antarctica, in January 2005. (click them bigger)

So my sister​ challenged me to participate in the #challengeonnaturephotography on Facebook. The idea is to occupy FB with nature photographs. Each nominated person will post a different nature photo for 7 days. With each photo they will nominate another person and give the name of the person who nominated them... 

It seemed to be that this would be a very nice way to start off 2016, and I wanted to share it with you as well! :o)

Unfortunately I'm terrible at following instructions, and after going through my photos I can't choose any more! So I'm going for DOUBLE! Two photos a day for 14 days... :p

I don't know about challenging anyone on the Blog... But if you feel like joining in please do! Don't worry, you can stick to the original challenge of 1 photo a day for 7 days! ;) (just leave me a comment with the link so I can be sure to go see yours)

Day 7 - Challenge on Nature Photography

DAY 7 in the #challengeonnaturephotography on Facebook.

Time to move even further south, the frozen south!  Three Emperor penguins and Adelie penguins feeding their chicks at Dumont d'Urville base in Terre Adélie, Antarctica. Photos taken in January 2004. (click them bigger)

So my sister​ challenged me to participate in the #challengeonnaturephotography on Facebook. The idea is to occupy FB with nature photographs. Each nominated person will post a different nature photo for 7 days. With each photo they will nominate another person and give the name of the person who nominated them... 

It seemed to be that this would be a very nice way to start off 2016, and I wanted to share it with you as well! :o)

Unfortunately I'm terrible at following instructions, and after going through my photos I can't choose any more! So I'm going for DOUBLE! Two photos a day for 14 days... :p

I don't know about challenging anyone on the Blog... But if you feel like joining in please do! Don't worry, you can stick to the original challenge of 1 photo a day for 7 days! ;) (just leave me a comment with the link so I can be sure to go see yours)

Day 5 - Challenge on Nature Photography

DAY 5 in the #challengeonnaturephotography on Facebook.

I think you'll agree with me that the New Zealand summer scenery has been beautiful, but how about we liven it up a bit with some animals? ;o) 
New Zealand Fur seal (Otago Peninsula, South Island, NZ) and Fiordland Crest penguin (Milford Sound, South Island, NZ). Photos taken in January 2011. (click them bigger)

So my sister​ challenged me to participate in the #challengeonnaturephotography on Facebook. The idea is to occupy FB with nature photographs. Each nominated person will post a different nature photo for 7 days. With each photo they will nominate another person and give the name of the person who nominated them... 

It seemed to be that this would be a very nice way to start off 2016, and I wanted to share it with you as well! :o)

Unfortunately I'm terrible at following instructions, and after going through my photos I can't choose any more! So I'm going for DOUBLE! Two photos a day for 14 days... :p

I don't know about challenging anyone on the Blog... But if you feel like joining in please do! Don't worry, you can stick to the original challenge of 1 photo a day for 7 days! ;) (just leave me a comment with the link so I can be sure to go see yours)

9 months of silence... and so much to tell!

Has it really been 9 months since I shared the wonderful news of my "sister's" kidney? How on earth has that happened? Where did the time go? And why didn't I write about it??? 

9 months... I could have had a baby and not said a word (although I promise if that happens I will definitely NOT be quiet about it! :p ).

The only thing I can say is work, work, WORK! :o(

When I started this blog I was only semi-employed, and self-employed at that (teaching private lessons, some periods with more hours a week, others with less), so of course I had plenty of time and energy to write! But then I started doing an MBA while increasing my teaching hours by working part time for a language academy (all the while keeping my own students) and although there was still some time to write, the energy started draining. And then it morphed into a full-time job in a clinic, keeping up with the always-running-behind-with-the-work MBA and still teaching my own students. So it was "little time, little energy". And then I switched to my current job, almost 18 months ago and now I'm like "Time? what's that? Energy? Where can I get a refill please???"

Who am I??? I am a...

It's finally here! The day you've all been waiting for! The answer to my World Oceans Day riddle!!! ;o)

First of all I just wanted to give a big thank you to Kim from Snug Harbour Bay whose holiday photos from Sanibel Island gave me the idea to choose this critter, and her daughter Chablis who kindly sent me a series of photos she took so I could use them in this post! :o)

Let's start by reviewing the clues, which I've enhanced with a few links to useful information. Try and figure it out as we go along, no cheating by jumping to the end! :p
 

1. I am a LIVING FOSSIL! I am very old. I pre-date flying insects, dinosaurs and man.

2. I am a marine animal, with only four species alive today.

3. My closest living relatives are found on land. (I do have one lesser-known distant cousin who still lives in the ocean like me)

Who am I? (5)

It's the final day in the World Oceans Day guessing game!!! And these last three clues pretty much give it all away! You'll get the full scoop on our mystery critter tomorrow during the Oceanic Blog-A-Thon!

Ready?  

Set? 

GO!!!

13. My first pair of appendages, which I use to place food in my mouth, are called chelicerae. They're present in all my relatives, which is why our subphylum is called the Chelicerata.

14. Some people find my shape reminds them of a horseshoe...

15. My name is a misnomer! I am not a crab!!! (but we are distantly related)

WHO AM I???

Who am I? (4)

Ready for the next batch of clues in our World Oceans Day guessing game? If you think you know who it is, perhaps these will help you confirm your guess! If not... maybe these will be the ones to guide you to an answer. Good luck!

Remember: you'll get the answer this Friday in time for the Oceanic Blog-A-Thon!

Here are today's clues:

10. I come out at night to eat worms and small molluscs, but hide (usually in the sand) during the day.

11. If I'm a male I'm smaller than the females and my first pair of "legs", the pedipalps, are modified as a grasping appendage so I can hold on to the female during spawning.

12. We (males and females) meet up on the beach during spawning season (May-June). I detect her through the pheromones she releases, and "hold on" to her as she lays the clutches of eggs while I fertilize them.

WHO AM I?

Who am I? (3)

Day three means three new clues to help you identify the mysterious oceanic critter!
Maybe these will be the ones to help you figure it out?
You'll get the answer on Friday in time for the Oceanic Blog-A-Thon!

Here are your new clues!

7. I have two compound lateral eyes and five simple eyes on my carapace. 

8. I "breathe" (capture oxygen from the water) using book gills (flat, leaflike gills), present on some of my abdominal appendages.

9. I am a true blue-blood! (You can call me "your highness"!) This is because my blood uses hemocyanin instead of hemoglobin to carry oxygen. The copper present in the hemocyanin makes it blue!

WHO AM I?

Previous clues here and here. New clues tomorrow! 

Who am I? (2)

Day two of our World Oceans Day guessing game, and three new clues to help you identify the mysterious oceanic critter! The riddle will be solved on Friday in time for the Oceanic Blog-A-Thon!

Here are your new clues! (first batch of clues here)

4. I can walk using my five pairs of walking legs. I have an extra pair of cephalothorax appendages which I use to get food to my mouth. These have a special name which I won't share just yet 'cause they might give the whole game away! ;o)

5. I can swim ("upside down"!) using my abdominal plates (fused abdominal appendages)

6. I have a hard dorsal shell called a carapace and a long needle-shaped tailpiece called a telson. In order to grow in size I will have to molt, shed my shell, several times during my life.

WHO AM I?

Newer clues here.

Who am I? (1)

 

Since it seemed to be quite popular last year and the year before (follow the links and try to guess!), my contribution to the Oceanic Blog-A-Thon this year is going to be another marine animal guessing game! Five posts with three clues each... feel free to ask questions or guess the answer in the comments!

Friday I'll post the answer and launch the Oceanic Blog-A-Thon. I sure hope you're planning on joining in! ;o)

Now... let the World Oceans Day guessing game begin!!!

1. I am very old. I pre-date flying insects, dinosaurs and man.

2. I am a marine animal, with only four species alive today.

3. My closest living relatives are found on land. (I do have one lesser-known distant cousin who still lives in the ocean like me)

WHO AM I???

(You didn't think I'd make it easy right at the beginning, did you?) ;o)

More clues here.

Musical ode to an octopod

Another little musical moment... this one I discovered via i09, a homage to an inquisitive octopus! I dare you not to smile! ;o)

A fishy taste of things to come...

I don't know how long it will take me to prepare the post (takes a while to edit the photos and video footage)... but I wanted to give you guys an aperçu of something special I'm putting together for you! ;o)

Thing is... I have another dive post I wanted to do first (and should have already done! the photos are finally all edited), so I don't know whether to have this skip ahead or do things in order! One of them is about a WWI wreck off the coast of Alicante... I'll let you guys decide! 

Wreck first?

 or night-time first? ;o)

Mystery Fish for WOD

Happy World Oceans Day!!! 

Shall we have a lovely little fishy celebration? ;o)

Over the past several days I've been leaving a trail of breadcrumbs to help you figure out whom I've chosen to celebrate WOD:

• 1. I'm a marine fish (although some people might think I don't look like one)
• 2. I can been found in deep and shallow and warm and temperate waters all over the world

• 3. I've got a mouthful of teeth and my bite can have very nasty consequences
• 4. But I'm shy so if I bite you it was probably your fault! (see story here)

• 5. I'm usually nocturnal. That means I prefer coming out of my hiding place (in crevices or holes) at night to look for food.
• 6. I rely on my sense of smell to find my prey, so if you're a stinky dead critter all the better for me! I help clean up the sea bottom of rotting corpses. But I also hunt for small tasty critters to munch on! ;o) 

• 7. I'm part of a big family: around 200 species ranging in size from 10 cm to over 2 m in length and many different possible colours.
• 8. We might vary in size and colour, but we pretty much all have an elongated body which flattens a bit towards the end and we have a single dorsal fin and a ventral fin.

Final Fishy Clues!

Last two clues in our fishy guessing game! Have you figured it out yet? These two should confirm any guesses you might have made! Might also help if I reminded you that many of those clues are things I've told you about this fish in a Fishy Fridays episode... did anyone remember that? ;o)

Final clues:

9. I look like a snake

10. I've played a villain in a Disney movie

So, tomorrow is WORLD OCEANS DAY!!!  :o)

And Saturday the Oceanic Blog-A-Thon begins! You've got until Sunday evening to finish up with your posts! ;o)

Fishy Clues 7 & 8

Two more clues!!!

7. I'm part of a big family: around 200 species ranging in size from 10 cm to over 2 m in length and many different possible colours.

8. We might vary in size and colour, but we pretty much all have an elongated body which flattens a bit towards the end and we have a single dorsal fin and a ventral fin.

Fishy clues 5 & 6

Ready for a couple more clues about the mystery fish? ;o)

5. I'm usually nocturnal. That means I prefer coming out of my hiding place (in crevices or holes) at night to look for food.

6. I rely on my sense of smell to find my prey, so if you're a stinky dead critter all the better for me! I help clean up the sea bottom of rotting corpses. But I also hunt for small tasty critters to munch on! ;o) 

Remember, World Oceans Day and the Oceanic Blog-A-Thon are just a couple of days away!!!