Children's Book Publisher | Kenga Publishing

What are algae?

Derek Keats — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 06:01:20 +0000

What are algae?

The word ‘algae‘ is an informal name given to a large collection of mostly photosynthetic organisms that may also include photosynthetic bacteria (cyanobacteria). They vary in size from tiny, unicellular forms to giant kelps that may measure up to 50 metres (160 feet) in length. Plants evolved from the green algae.

Although in the book we mentioned green, red and brown algae, there are many more groups among the microscopic algae. Green algae are called Chlorophyta, red algae are Rhodophyta and brown algae are Phaeophyta.

Fun fact: In South Africa one of the kelps, called sea bamboo, has a hollow stalk and a hollow bulb at the end. In drift kelp, you can collect these stalks and trim them so that the bulb and other end of the stalk is open. The then act like a trumpet or vuvuzela. A few crazy phycologists, myself included, once collected some of these kelp stalks, and tried to create noise-making orchestra. There was a time when brown algae were called Phaeophycophyta, so we called ourselves the ‘phaeophycophyta philharmonic’.

Fun fact: The study of algae is called phycology (from Greek phykos ‘seaweed’) and people who study algae are called phycologists.

Fun fact: I studied algae, so I am a phycologist, which sounds similar to psychologist. I was once introduced on a radio programme as a marine psychologist. I suppose they thought I studied the behaviour of seaweeds!

Bluefin Trevally has amazing colours

Derek Keats — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 08:55:25 +0000

Bluefin Trevally has Amazing Colours

The bluefin trevally is a large member of the jack family of fishes, which displays beautiful blue, gold and silver colouration. This beautiful fish is found throughout the tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. These photos were taken at St John’s Reefs in the Egyptian Red Sea. It’s beautiful dark blue fins, golden back with light blue spots, and silver and gold belly are unmistakable.

Adults are sleek predators, and have a diet consisting mainly of fish with some squid and crustaceans. They move quickly over the reef, and can conduct speed-based attacks. They can also remain still and conduct ambushes. Younger fish move around in small schools, but as they get older they become more solitary.

Did Birds Evolve from Dinosaurs?

Derek Keats — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 07:35:10 +0000

Did Birds Evolve from Dinosaurs?

This is a question that we often get asked. The answer is emphatically “No!”. The important word here is “from“. Birds did not evolve from dinosaurs, birds are dinosaurs.

It is interesting that this distinction is often not made by birders, even those with a biological background. It creates a great misunderstanding of the timeframe over which birds evolved.

If we go way back to the early Cretaceous, birds already existed, and a group of birds known as the Enantiornithines accounted for at least half of them. Almost all had teeth and clawed fingers on each wing, but otherwise looked like modern birds. Much of what we know about early bird evolution comes from the study of rich fossil beds in China. These fossil beds have many species of Enantiornithines, with lots still to be studied.

There were lots of species of the dinosaurs that we call birds long before the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs.

“S” is for Springhare

Derek Keats — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 05:31:14 +0000

"S" is for Springhare

In the “Wild Alphabet” book, on the aardwolf page, we mentioned that they spend the day in springhare burrows. The springbok won the “s” position, so here we will tell you a little bit about springhares.

The springhare is a small, furry animal that looks a bit like a rabbit but is actually more like a kangaroo. It lives in parts of southern and eastern Africa, especially in dry areas such as deserts, semi-deserts and grasslands. Springhares are most active at night, hopping around on their strong hind legs to search for food. They use their long tails to help balance as they leap great distances, making them excellent jumpers! They like to eat grass, leaves, and sometimes dig for roots.

During the day, springhares hide in burrows underground to stay safe from predators such as eagles and jackals. They dig these burrows with their sharp claws and can make them up to 2 metres deep! Even though they are called “hares,” they are actually rodents, more closely related to squirrels than rabbits. Springhares are shy and quiet, but they play an important role in their ecosystem by helping to spread seeds and providing food for larger animals.

An unusual feature of springhares is that their fur has patches of fur is biofluorescent. Biofluorescence happens when ultra-violet or blue light are absorbed and subsequently reemitted as a glow with brilliant colors including blues, greens, and reds. It seems to be concentrated in areas that play a role in how they interact with one another. This makes sense for animals active at night, but this biofluorescence has not been studdy and little is known about it.

There are two species of springhare, the South African springhare and the East African springhare. Until recently they were thought to be the same species.

A is for Aardvark

Derek Keats — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 17:09:09 +0000

"A" is for Aardvark

“A” is also the letter that starts the word “aardvark”, an animal that very few people get to see in real life. We are lucky enough to have aardvarks around our house. We hope you will enjoy the little video we put together about their activity.