Issuu

Issue 51 | £3.50

WARE BE

D E RS I NS

It’s time to In this issue... go wild! 3 Crossword 4 Spooky specimens 8 Ask the expert 12 Let’s read… 14 Spotlight on 16 News 18 Get surveying 22 Nature’s champion

Welcome to the October issue of Wild World – the Natural History Museum’s magazine for kids.

Senior editor

Come and see more than 50 objects from the Museum’s collection in our new temporary exhibition that looks at the relationship between humans and nature. Find it in the Central Building. 2 Wild World

sT ou

ng You e h :T

E x p l or e

K id

s dU n a

Na tu

Things to do...

a nz

nt ho Fossil fragments found in the n UK have been identified as the remains of the largest scorpions ever. Measuring more than a metre in length, with 16-centimetre-long pincers, Praearcturus gigas was among the first large predators to stalk the land. Towering over the floodplains during the Early Devonian Period, 415 million years ago, this giant scorpion would have had its pick of prey as it hunted small arthropods on land. It would likely have been a fearsome aquatic predator as well, feeding on fish and other large animals. For more science stories go to nhm.ac.uk/discover.

Use a map, discover clues and take part in activities to uncover surprising secrets across our galleries. For ages 4–7. nhm.ac.uk/events/kids-tourthe-young-explorers

This is your magazine so get in touch and tell us what you think. We want to hear your stories, see your drawings and find out what you love about the natural world.

Wild World reader Hari Alexander meets Dr Marc Jones in the Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep exhibition for our Ask the expert article; we shine a spotlight on a new species of wasp named in honour of Sir David Attenborough; go adventuring in Jamaica in search of coney poo; and give you a full year’s calendar of nature surveys to get involved in.

Science news

r pe

ts h

elp

Ge ta n

In this issue we feature some of our collection’s spooky specimens, from sharks to plants and mummies to squids; and ask for your spooky specimens for our Your Wild World page. You could win a visit to the Tank Room with a curator to see some spooky specimens for yourself.

23 Odd jobs 24 Curious collections 26 Tales from Tring 27 Adventures in the field 28 Top 5 30 Your Wild World

The Museum’s Identification and Advisory Service can answer your queries about insects, fossils, plants, and other wildlife and natural history specimens found in the UK. nhm.ac.uk/take-part/identify-nature

Close up

ace keep carap sm y es M : e af u e Cl

lut have f tering fl I : igh ue t Cl

o before co n Zo min o d g n o to L t

Clue: I’m

Clue :Il ive d

um use eM th

e reptile on d arin isp m t lay n ie a c n

seum Mu he tt

Can you work out what is being looked at under the microscope?

Find the answers on page 30

Wild World 3

Spooky specimens O

KY LEV

Bigfin squida

One of the high points for Museum scientists on a research cruise in 2019 was seeing cookiecutter sharks swimming about at the surface at night chasing squid.

Magnapinn

5/5

of global in: Deep waters Country of orig ntic and la At , e Pacific th g in ud cl in , ns ocea Indian Oceans ag ists think they dr Strengths: Scient ered ov -c er ck scopic su their long, micro or on h water columns tentacles throug ap prey the seabed to tr ss -moving so are le Weaknesses: Slow from predators likely to escape acingly for floating men Fun fact: Known h has extremely rare fis in the water, this caught via footage than been seen more

The Museum has one of two specimens in the world – a juvenile male caught in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1997. The Smithsonian in the US, has a juvenile female.

4 Wild World

YL OK EV

2/5

Cookiecutte r shark Is

SPO

With Halloween just around the corner, we’ve picked eight spooky specimens from the Museum’s vast collection, and you can get involved too.

istius brasilie nsi

Country of o rigin: Deep, tropical and warm-temp erate oceans, including th Atlantic, Pac e ific and India n Oceans Strengths: W hen their teet h wear out, these sharks swallow the old row and reabsorb the calcium to b uild new teet h Weaknesses: Their small si ze (around 4 56 centimetre 2– s) leaves the m vulnerable larger predat to ors Fun fact: Take s round bite s out of great white sharks and whales

The Museum holds the holotype of the threadfin dragonfish, the unique specimen used when the species was first described in 1843.

ariensis ubentonia madagasc KY LEV Da EL

3/5

Threadfin dragonfish Echiost

YL OK EV

4/5

pical forests and Country of origin: Tro scar rainforests of Madaga elongated middle Strengths: Its slender, ping on tree trunks to finger is used for tap ide the wood detect insects deep ins destroying their Weaknesses: Humans tely killing aye-ayes habitats and delibera d omen as they are seen as a ba o use their unusually Fun fact: Aye-ayes als pick their noses and long middle finger to f afterwards then lick the mucus of

Research on the species picking its nose to eat its snot was possible thanks to Museum specimens and scientists. Anne-Claire Fabre and Roberto Portela Miguez wrote on this previously unknown behaviour and even CT-scanned specimens to digitally recreate how deep the finger would go inside an individual’s nostril.

SPO

Aye-aye

oma barba tum

Country of origin: Dee p o c e an s a the world cross

Strengths: Uses a biolu minescent attract pre lure to y, which it then snaps its rows of up using sharp curv ed teeth Weaknesse s: The male has a large his head be lig hind the ey es that mak ht on more obvio es him us to preda tors Fun fact: T heir entire body is cov in tiny light ered organs call ed photop that help it hores blend in w ith any fain backgroun t d light

Wild World 5

KY LEV

SPO

Mummified cat

3/5

SPO

2/5

Cats are the most familiar of the Egyptian mummified animals. However, considering the huge numbers of mummified cats that were removed from Egypt, only a small proportion survived in museum collections. We have 54 cat mummies.

Y LEV OK

Ghost plant Monotropa unifl ora

Country of orig in: Nor th Americ a, Asia, and parts of Central and nort hern South America

Strengths: Stea ls energy from ot her plants by connec ting to them via a ‘fungi highway’ underg round

Weaknesses: La cks chlorophyll which gives them a ghostly white and transparent colo ur although ther e are rare recordings of pi nk and deep red ghost plants

t, at least in: Ancient Egyp Country of orig 2,000 years ago mifying practice of mum e Th s: th ng re St beings revered as divine e er w ch hi w , ts ca ed, was deeply sacr in ancient Egypt, d an n tio daily devo reflecting both for the af terlife s enduring hope ling idity, pests, hand Weaknesses: Hum to ks an UV light, but th e and exposure to ar s en pertise, specim our scientists’ ex nserved protected and co ned mummies contai Fun fact: Not all any m so al there were animal remains, that were fakes

6 Wild World

Fun fact: Have be en used in herbal medicines as an anti-anxiety trea tment

The Cherokee of North America feature the ghost plant in some of their creation stories. It is said the plant grows wherever friends have quarrelled.

KY LEV O

Goblin shark

Mitsukurina owstoni

You can see a Pesquet’s parrot on display at the NHM in Tring, Hertfordshire in Gallery 1, (case 14). It is part of the much larger collection left to the Museum by Lord Walter Rothschild on his death in 1937.

SPO

All illustrations by Al Schular

3/5

Y LEV OK

Country of origin: Western US coast, Australia, Japan in the Pacific Ocean, and the Atlantic and Indian Oceans

SPO

Pesquet’s/Vampire parrot

2/5

Psittrichas fulgidus

Strengths: Catapults its jaw forward to catch prey and its long, flat snout is packed with sensors that detect faint electrical signals made by other animals in the darkness of the deep sea Weaknesses: Weak muscles, small soft fins, and soft skeletons make them slow swimmers when chasing fast-moving prey Fun fact: This incredibly rare shark was only filmed for the first time in its natural habitat in June 2026

An extremely rare and elusive shark, the Museum only has three specimens, all received from Alan Owston in the early 1900s from Japan. The species was named after him.

Country of origin: Its screeching call can be heard in the mountain rain forests of New Guinea Strengths: Its bald head is an evo lutionary adaptation to keep its feathers from becoming matted with sticky, pul py fig juice Weaknesses: Listed as Vulnerable due to habitat loss and poaching for its prized feathers Fun fact: For a parrot, they’re larg e, growing up to 46 centimetres lon g and weighing up to 800 grammes

Win a visit to the Museum’s Tank Room Design your own spooky specimen card. Send it to us at wildworld@ nhm.ac.uk, with your name and age, or post it to the address on page 31 and we could feature it in the next issue of Wild World. The lucky winner will also receive a tour of the Museum’s Tank Room to see an array of spooky specimens in jars. Closing date is Sunday 28 February 2027.

Ask the expert

Where are we?

What is this fossil?

We are in the Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep exhibition. All of the specimens on display are from the Museum’s collections. The exhibition starts with an introduction to the Mesozoic Period, when there were dinosaurs on land, pterosaurs in the sky, and amphibians and reptiles in the water. It was a much hotter and wetter world. There are also some wonderful interactive videos and stamps to collect of some of the animals on display in the exhibition.

This is a cast of a skeleton of Paracyclotosaurus, a big amphibian that’s a bit like a salamander or newt you would see in ponds today. This animal is from the Triassic rocks of New South Wales in Australia. The way this fossil was preserved is interesting. After the animal was buried, the rock around it hardened whereas the flesh and skeleton rotted away and left a negative space or gap within the rock. Eventually people found it and recognised there was a natural mould that a cast could be made from.

This looks scary!

8 Wild World

Wild World invited Hari Alexander to get the low-down on all things Jurassic Oceans from scientist Dr Marc Jones…

This is a type of small marine reptile called an Askeptosaurus. These were found in the Late Triassic, swimming around in coastal regions eating small invertebrates and fish. They had slightly reduced limbs and a long narrow snout that helped them move through the water without much resistance, and snap at prey. Their pointed teeth allowed them to penetrate their prey without needing much bite force.

Are these all ammonites?

②

①

Hari found some ammonites and belemnites while fossil hunting in Charmouth, Dorset.

Yes. Ammonites are a type of mollusc and were found all over the world, including along the Jurassic coast in the UK. They are related to squid and octopus. They all had spiral shells and could modify the air within these chambers ①. This allowed them to change their density and thus position in the water column, enabling them to hide from predators and to catch food. Less air meant they could move downwards, while more air increased their buoyance and allowed them to move upwards. These protrusions ② would have been the bottom of spines that gave the ammonites some protection from predators. Ammonites also used jet propulsion, like cuttlefish and nautilus today, to propel themselves through the water. But because soft tissue doesn’t fossilise, we don’t know for certain how many arms or tentacles they had. They were most likely similar to a squid, with eight arms and two tentacles.

This is a very big tail

Yo u

o ne c an t ouch this

Fast Facts

It is! It’s from a bony fish (like cod and trout today) called Leedsichthys, which lived in the sea. You might be able to see that some of the tail bones had healed after being broken, probably from an attack by a predator. It shows that although Leedsichthys didn’t have spikes or armour it was able to escape predation – probably by using its huge size.

Leedsichthys would have been around nine metres long like whale sharks today, but some could’ve reached 15 metres. And just like whale sharks they were filter feeders that used gill rakers – comb-like projections – to sift tiny creatures, such as plankton, shrimp and jellyfish, from the water as they swam.

 T here is evidence that the Paracyclotosaurus specimen was killed by a heavy object, probably a falling tree that hit its head.  P redators would bite the base of ammonites, which made it difficult for them to control their buoyancy and escape.  H ari counted 31 vertebrae in the plesiosaurs’ neck. Wild World 9

This is a very rare fossil that shows Hybodus hauffianus with its fin spines, which were roughly the size of kitchen knives, attached. Like modern day Port Jackson sharks this animal would have moved along the seafloor looking for food and used its spines to protect itself from predators swimming above it.

What are these spines?

One of the reasons why this specimen has preserved so well is that during the Jurassic Period it was much warmer as there was a lot more CO2 in the atmosphere, and water temperatures were eight to 10 degrees higher than today. Due to the warmer waters currents were slower, so there were areas of low oxygenation and even stagnation near the seafloor, which were deadly to a lot of sea life. This meant that when an animal died and fell to the seafloor it was often very well preserved due to a lack of scavenging. And this is a 200-million-year-old ichthyosaur fossil that was found fairly recently on the south coast of England in Charmouth. You can see the individual bones of the backbone (spine) and the rib cage, and bits of food, such as fish scales and belemnite hooks, in the stomach area. As well as its jaws and teeth and the eye bones. The teeth are loose. Unlike a lot of reptiles where the teeth are cemented into the jawbone, this animal’s teeth were held in place with tiny ligaments made of soft tissue that doesn’t fossilise well.

Ichthyosaurs had large eyes for the size of their head, although only the pupil would have been exposed. The size of the eye would have allowed a lot of light in, enabling them to see in low light conditions. Like modern leatherback turtles, ichthyosaurs may have dove down during the day to locate resting nocturnal prey, so they knew where the best surface waters were to hunt at night. 10 Wild World

Hari said ‘You can feel what shark skin is like in the exhibition.’

Yes. This is a cast of a longnecked plesiosaur species called Thalassiodracon. The actual specimen is in the Fossil Marine Reptiles gallery (Central Building), but this one you can get up close to and touch. We often see plesiosaur fossils as slab specimens or pancake display because they’ve been crushed under layers of rock, so they give us an idea of their body shape but only in two dimensions.

Is this a plesiosaur?

But this mount of a Futabasaurus – also a long-neck plesiosaur, allows us to see the animal in three dimensions. This specimen was found in Japan with more than 87 sharks’ teeth from at least six different animals scattered around it. This makes scientists think that the animal was scavenged after it had died (probably from old age). Four of the Futabasaurus bones had a total of five shark teeth embedded in them. One of the vertebrae had a tooth embedded in each side, which is direct evidence of a bite.

Who did these teeth belong to?

These are the teeth and jaws of a pliosaur, one of the Jurassic ocean’s top predators. Its teeth were very robust, and could withstand a lot of force, so the animal would use them to immobilise other marine reptiles before eating them. The length of the teeth meant they travelled deep into prey causing a lot of damage to internal organs. They wanted to kill their food as quickly as possible.

Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep is open until 3 January 2027. Members and Patrons get free, unlimited entry, do not need to book and have priority access. Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep is generously supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation.

Don’t forget to pick up your trail when you visit the exhibition.

Want to ask an expert about their work? Tell us your favourite natural history subject or part of the Museum on the form on page 31, or email us at wildworld@nhm.ac.uk, and we’ll look to match you up. Wild World 11

We asked Wild World reader, Tabitha Jiwa-Purvis to review Mammoth Rider.

s ’ Let What’s your favourite thing you learnt from the book?

I liked learning that sometimes, when you don’t think that you can do something, you can do it. You just have to believe you can. Ash was really nervous about trying to stop mammoths rampaging the city, but she did it anyway.

12 Wild World

What is the book about? A young girl called Ash dreams of being a mammoth rider like her dad. She lives in the Arctic with a group of people who are studying mammoths and taking care of them. Mammoths used to be extinct, but scientists brought them back to life to help stop climate change. When poachers attack, Ash has to act fast and figure out how to save the world.

Did anything surprise you? Ash has dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia. These are kinds of neurodiversity. Her neurodiversity doesn’t stop her from being brave. Her brain is even more special because she can communicate with the mammoths just by touching the snow. I also learned that the author of the book has dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia, like Ash. I thought this was amazing.

Would you recommend this book to our readers? Yes. It’s good for readers who have worries. Ash doesn’t know what’s going to happen to her and the mammoths, so she gets very worried. Ash faces her fears and good things happen. Then she feels happier and more confident.

Mammoth Rider

to nw

et on

y Po

After millennia, mammoths have returned, brought back by scientists to help combat climate change. Ash Grimes, born and raised at the Arctic research centre responsible, dreams of becoming a mammoth rider, just like her dad. But mammoths are wild animals and it isn’t easy to earn their trust. So, when Ash meets a white mammoth calf, the first of its kind, she’s determined to do anything to protect her new friend.

J lly Author Sa

Suitable for children aged 8+ (Tabitha is 7)

el sk h ith a real mammot

Priced £14.99, Mammoth Rider by neurodiverse writer Sally J Poyton is published by Simon & Schuster Children’s Books and available from all good bookshops.

Would you like to review a book for the next issue of Wild World? If so, send in the form on page 31 or email wildworld@nhm.ac.uk with your name, age and the sorts of books you like to read. All illustrations ©Johanna Tarkela

Wild World 13

l t i g o h p t S

.. on

Although only about four millimetres long, Attenboroughnculus tau is a giant compared to the smallest parasitoid wasps, which measure 0.1 millimetres.

Some relatives of Attenboroughnculus eat spider eggs as larvae, so perhaps Attenboroughnculus tau does the same.

14 Wild World

te n b

u c

The insect collections at the Museum are full of unknown treasures waiting for keen eyes to spot them. One such treasure is a small parasitoid from Chile, and the keen eyes that spotted it belong to Augustijn De Ketelaere, a student from Belgium. This little wasp was collected in 1983 in the Valdivia province in Chile, but has been overlooked ever since – easily done when there are more than one million wasps in the collections.

. A wasp named in honour of Sir David Attenborough…

o ro

n h ug

David said, ‘I’ve been coming here [the Museum] since I was a boy of eight and it’s one of the holiest of holies – one of the great places for natural history.’

The species name, ‘tau’, is the Greek letter ‘T’, after the T-shaped mark on the abdomen, and chosen to be a lot shorter than the genus name.

Parasitoid wasps lay their eggs in or on other insects or spiders. When they hatch, the larvae eat their host alive. We find many new species all the time, but it is much more difficult to find a new genus. This wasp from Chile was both an undescribed species and undescribed genus, so it was named Attenboroughnculus tau after David Attenborough, in honour of his 100th birthday. Sometimes it’s the smaller gifts that are the nicest.

The new species belongs to a group of parasitic wasps known as the ichneumonids or Darwin wasps, along with 30,000 other known species. Although there’s a large number of species, they’re not particularly species rich in Chile and down into the southern part of South America. But what’s there is really interesting. This is because they have something called a Gondwanan distribution.

u know? o y

Attenborough’s wasp keeps good company in the Museum, with a genus of plesiosaur named after him, a species of dragonfly, an echidna, a fossil fish and others. It is largely thanks to David Attenborough that generations of eyes have been opened to the wonders of the natural world.

Sir David Attenborough’s career spans more than eight decades, during which he has inspired generations with his passion for the natural world and commitment to environmental issues.

e and se m Co Find some e

.. .

The continents of South America, Antarctica and Australia were once attached to each other in a supercontinent known as Gondwana. When this continent broke up about 200 million years ago, it left populations of animals and plants scattered seemingly randomly across the southern hemisphere. So, this wasp is one of those Gondwanan relics, existing in isolation in Chile since Gondwana broke up. Their nearest relatives now live in Australia.

Di d

This wasp has a little polished groove at the end of the hind tibia (where our shinbone is). It’s not known what it’s for, but it’s very distinctive.

parasitic wasps in the display of swarming insects in Hintze Hall (Central Building) as well as the bowler hat of Lord Rothschild containing a wasp nest, on the west side balcony.

Wild World 15

Wild World News Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep

Join the best party in town Ever wanted to dance with a dino, boogie with some butterflies or do the worm under a whale? Then come and listen to your favourite tunes at our family-friendly headphone Dino Disco. Grab the family and come to our new Dino Disco where you can don a set of headphones and dance the evening away. With tunes suitable for kids and adults alike from a choice of three different DJs, there’s something for everyone at our headphone disco with a difference. • This roar-some event is most suitable for children aged 6–12. • Various dates, 19:00–21:00 • Price: £20, Members: £18 nhm.ac.uk/events/dino-disco 16 Wild World

Meet the legends of Earth’s prehistoric oceans, from the pliosaur, a gigantic, gnarly toothed creature, to the ichthyosaur, a majestic and speedy, dolphin-like predator. And the fiercest hunter to ever rule the waves, the T. rex of the sea, the mighty mosasaur. Explore how marine reptiles rose to dominance and decide who really was the most ferocious of them all. Dare to touch a mosasaur tooth, feel a shark’s skin and come face-to-face with fearsome marine crocodiles. You’ll even get to touch fossil poo. •D ive in, if you dare! Recommended for ages 8+. • J urassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep is open until 3 January 2027. •R emember Members and Patrons get free, unlimited entry to all of the Museum’s exhibitions and a 20% discount in the Museum’s shops. nhm.ac.uk/jurassic-oceans

Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep is generously supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation.

Mammoth Rider

We hope you enjoyed the ‘50 things to do at the Museum’ trail in the 50th issue of Wild World (sent to you in June). We had so much to pack in, we didn’t have room for these ones… 1 Sleepover at the Museum

and enjoy a night of exploration and adventure nhm.ac.uk/dino-snores

2 Go on a spirit collection

tour and meet Archie the giant squid (ages 10+) nhm.ac.uk/events/behindthe-scenes- tour-thespirit-collection 3 Discover sea monsters in our

exhibition, Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep (Members and patrons go free)

4 Join a fun members S

5 Make an origami T. rex

nhm.ac.uk/discover/ origami- tyrannosaurusrex-dinosaur

family morning nhm.ac.uk/the-hive

6 Review a book for Wild

World magazine – get in touch at wildworld@ nhm.ac.uk Illustratio

ns by

Al Turner

https://a vsturner .com/

Issue 50

| £3.50

Issue 50

| £3.50

7 Visit the dressed fleas (and

hundreds of other specimens) at our Museum in Tring, Hertfordshire nhm.ac.uk/tring

8 Try a self-guided tour –

download a map or themed trails to help you explore at your own pace nhm.ac.uk/visit/familyfavourites-self- guided-tour

WIN

After millennia, mammoths have returned, brought back by scientists to help combat climate change. Ash Grimes, born and raised at the Arctic research centre, dreams of becoming a mammoth rider, just like her dad. But mammoths are wild animals and it isn’t easy to earn their trust. So, when Ash meets a white mammoth calf, the first of its kind, she’s determined to do anything to protect her new friend. Author Sally J Poyton is a neurodiverse writer, who struggles with dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia, she also has POTS, hyper flexibility, and mobility issues, which means her spelling is wobbly and so is she. To be in with a chance of winning one of 10 copies of Mammoth Rider, simply tell us the scientific name for the woolly mammoth. To enter the competition, send an email with your name, age and answer to wildworld@nhm.ac.uk and put ‘Mammoth’ in the subject line. Or post your answer to us using the form on page 31. The closing date is Sunday 28 February 2027.

Andy Day book bundle

An exciting new young fiction series, Dino Racers: The Jungle Cup and The Lava Cup and Dino Racers: Dylan the Dino Boy Saves the Zoo have recently been published. It’s race day at Rumble Ridge, and the Dino Racers are getting ready to put their totally roarsome race cars through their paces. Join Trexy, Bumper, Stretch, Flappa and Zoomer as they compete in the Jungle and Lava Cups, and navigate not just the track but tricky teammates too. Who will get stuck in the mud – and who will speed their way to glory? To be in with a chance of winning one of 10 bundles, simply tell us where in the Museum you can find Andy’s clock. To enter the competition, send an email with your name, age and answer to wildworld@ nhm.ac.uk and put ‘Dino’ in the subject line. Or post your answer to us using the form on page 31. The closing date is Sunday 28 February 2027.

WIN

Wild World 17

good hearing ve an a d sh

November: The BIG hedgehog map The national Hedgehog Street campaign is a conservation project by People’s Trust for Endangered Species and British Hedgehog Preservation Society that aims to help Britain’s declining hedgehogs. Join in by recording and mapping where and when you see them and tell us if you have a ‘hedgehog hole’ in your fence. bighedgehogmap.org

ell sm of 18 Wild World

sses to build s a r m eg al us

aped nests -sh up lc

Goldfin ch es

Botanists of all ages and abilities are asked to record which wild plants they can find in bloom. By recording the wild plants in flower in your local patch in the depths of winter, you can help the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland gather valuable data about how our wild or naturalised plants are responding to a changing climate. bsbi.org/new-year-plant-hunt

ale holly plan ts em f p y nl

red berries ce du ro

December: New Year Plant Hunt

developed s e ell n se aw

Hedg eh og

Taking part in surveys is a great way to learn more about nature; and you can help scientists understand what’s out Many there and how species’ behaviour surveys run throughout the may alter through changes in the year, so check back anytime environment and climate. Whether you’re into birds, plants, Remember record mammals or butterflies, here’s a few towhat you see surveys to get involved in and when…

January: RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch Every year, people contribute to the Big Garden Birdwatch by counting the birds they see in their patch. By taking the time to monitor and record your garden birds, you’ll be playing an important role in helping conservationists build a valuable picture of how each species is faring and form an action plan to help native bird species. rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/big-garden-birdwatch

February: Garden Dragon Watch Amphibians start to become active around February to March, so you might start to spot them at this time of year. Gardens can provide important habitats for reptiles and amphibians. Spend 10 minutes in your garden and look around ponds and features like compost heaps and log piles to find some of your own garden dragons. arc-trust.org/garden-dragon-watch

om ec Th

m on

lying in circles and by f si n ite g ing ts es an

April: City Nature Challenge

fro gc

an be

an ap J s found as far east a

March: Nature’s Calendar Join thousands of other people and let us know what’s happening to wildlife near you. Have you seen your first butterfly or swallow of the spring? Is it a good year for wild autumn fruits? Take part in Nature’s Calendar and help scientists to monitor the effects of climate change on wildlife. naturescalendar.woodlandtrust.org.uk

ne specie us on o s in Foc eac hp ho t

arn swallows attrac le b t fe a M ma les t

d an

es from all ang ictur les p e tak

From 30 April–3 May help gather observations of nature and find species in the City Nature Challenge. This annual fourday global bioblitz sees cities collaborate to discover what can be accomplished when we all work toward a common goal. Your records will be verified by a community of naturalists. citynaturechallenge.org

Wild World 19

May: Recording Mammals

The ba rre l

or m r so m r can eat up to 200 wo

ish

as known the dustb inlid jel ly f se o cau be

Ba dg ers

f lly

lso is a

h fis

as ing le n ight

Mammals including rabbits, hedgehogs, shrews, voles, badgers, otters and pine martens, to name but a few, are some of the most under-recorded species in Britain. If you see a mammal or signs of one (including their poo), please record it using the Mammal Society’s Mammal Mapper app or online form at mammal.org.uk/how-to-record-mammals.

its size

June: Wildlife spotting

– ed d r co re

ecosystem

20 Wild World

an mark a c they c han ge in th e f an no itio nd co

14 indicator specie sa re be in

Whether you live by the coast or visit the seaside on your holidays, we would like you to tell us every time you spot a jellyfish. Or, if you’re lucky enough to spot a turtle, we would like to hear about that too. Your sightings provide vital information about our ocean’s inhabitants and contributes to scientific research that finds solutions to protect our seas. mcsuk.org/sightings

July: Big Seaweed Search The UK is home to more than 650 species of seaweed. It creates underwater habitats for thousands of creatures, but the distribution of seaweeds around the UK is changing. Help monitor the effects of environmental change on sea life by exploring the seashore and recording the seaweeds that you find. nhm.ac.uk/take-part/citizenscience/big-seaweed-search

August: Big Butterfly Count tion and cl , pollu ima s s te lo t ch a t i an ab ge H

beaches all a ean up l c rou to g nd n i k th or e w

affect on the UK’ sb ut te rfl es

K U

ern Ireland orth dN an

W e'r e

In the summer (including July) help assess the health of our environment by counting the amount and type of butterflies (and a few day-flying moths) you see. Spend 15 minutes in an outdoor space during sunny conditions and count what you spot. You can do as many counts as you like. bigbutterflycount.org

an ing v a eh r a

If you miss the Big Butterfly Count, you can take part in the Garden Butterfly Survey all year round.

September: The Great British Beach Clean

A squirrel’s front te eth wi ll c o

Every September, people across the UK come together for the Marine Conservation Society’s biggest annual clean-up and citizen‑science survey. By recording every piece of litter collected, volunteers provide vital data that helps shape government policy and reduce pollution at its source. mcsuk.org/what-you-can-do/beach-clean

throughout its l ife row og et inu nt

October: Living with mammals Towns and cities are busy, noisy places, but it’s here that most of us live and encounter nature day-to-day. We know the importance of connecting with nature for our own health and wellbeing. So, whether you have hedgehogs under your hedges, squirrels in your school grounds or even a pine marten on your patio, join in this survey. ptes.org/get-involved/surveys/garden/living-with-mammals

Discover even more wildlife surveys and activities, which are great to do in a variety of settings and seasons, at nhm.ac.uk/take-part/ monitor-and-encourage-nature/getting-started-with-wildlifemonitoring/surveys-for-kids. Wild World 21

Nature’s champion Curator of Diptera (flies) and Siphonaptera (fleas), Dr Erica McAlister My chosen specimen is a flattened fly, stored amongst the pages of a book. It is a species of robberfly (Asilidae), Asilus crabroniformis, and the specimen was collected by Dr Leonard Plukenet (1642–1706), who was appointed by Queen Mary II to be the physician and botanist of the Hampton Court Gardens in London. At more than 300 years old, it is one of the oldest specimens in the world, where we know exactly where it was collected. This species of robberfly is mainly found in the south of England and Wales and, at approximately two and a half centimetres long, it is one of the largest, and arguably one of the most magnificent, insects found in the UK. We still don’t know everything about its life cycle, although we do know they are venomous predators. The adults are formidable hunters that feast on large insects – I have seen them stabbing dung beetles with their robust mouthparts – and the larvae are believed to feed upon other species within dung (where they live).

Our Diptera collections Included in the Museum’s collection of more than 2.5 million specimens is important historical material collected by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, who are jointly credited with coming up with the theory of evolution by natural selection. 22 Wild World

Asilus crabroniformis is not a common species and is threatened by habitat loss and the use of insecticides. Gaining a better understanding of this species, its behaviour and its ecology, will bring about a change of fortune for this enigmatic assassin.

Kieran Miles uncovers ancient fossils from rock…

Fossil extracting Kieran says, ‘As a fossil preparator my job is to carefully remove fossils from the rock that surrounds them. I do this to enable scientists to study the fossil, but sometimes it’s so the fossil can be put on display in the Museum’s galleries. I use all sorts of tools to do this, from pins and needles, to hammers and chisels, to pneumatic (air-powered) tools – some of my equipment is what dentists use to clean teeth. It’s an exciting, if a little odd, job because you know that when you remove the rock to reveal the fossil, you are the first human to ever see it. To be a preparator you need to be good with your hands, good at solving problems and be very patient. As well as knowledge of palaeontology, it also helps to know some anatomy (the study of the body parts of living creatures) and some chemistry, since I sometimes use acids to dissolve rock. My job also involves cleaning and repairing fossils, helping put dinosaur skeletons together (including our iconic Diplodocus, Dippy), and going out on digs to collect new fossils. When fossil hunting, it can sometimes be hard to tell if what you have is a bone or a rock. One trick to help identify fossil bone is to put your tongue against it – bone will stick slightly, a bit like Velcro. This is because bone is porous (contains lots of tiny holes), which creates suction. I suggest giving it a quick clean before you try this.’ Wild World 23

Curious collections

Brachiopods were once thought to be part of the bivalve molluscs (with clams), but they are in fact a completely different animal. They tend to attach to hard surfaces in the oceans and filter feed, so live a lot like bivalves. Heavy metal This is one of the largest species of brachiopods – Gigantoproductus. They are found in parts of Derbyshire in the UK and are about 340–320 million years old. This specimen is a fossil from the Thomas Davidson collection. We also have a funny oddity in our collections - a cast iron copy of this fossil specimen.

Acid preparation This specimen is important for two reasons. Firstly, it is part of an important collection; that of Thomas Davidson who wrote a series of valuable monographs in the nineteenth century that are still used today. It also shows a type of fossil preparation we wouldn’t use today – slowly dripping vinegar onto the fossil to reveal its intricate spiral brachidium (the structure inside the shell), which holds its lophophore (filter feeding organ). This would have taken about three months work.

Future predictor? One of the largest ever to have existed, this brachiopod was collected from a site that no longer exists in Suffolk in East Anglia. It is significant to climate change research as it is from a time when the atmospheric CO2 was at the same level it is today. By analysing the shell, we can get an idea of the sea temperatures 4.4–3.7 million years ago, to help us understand how our oceans might be affected today.

24 Wild World

Royal brachiopod

We call it the royal brachiopod as it has been held by several members of the Royal family, including the late Princess Diana.

Charles Darwin sailed around the world on the HMS Beagle between 1831–36. Along the journey he collected a wide range of natural history specimens, including fossils. This specimen was collected in the Falkland Islands. The red label on the back of it is Darwin’s original collection label, which he would have stuck on the fossil when he collected it.

Bottom dwelling This little Disciniscid brachiopod looks a lot like a limpet. This species lived in the Jurassic Period (201–145 million years ago), in places like Lyme Regis in the UK, stuck on the posterior (bottom) of little burrowing bivalves. This brachiopod isn’t waiting to eat the poo of the bivalve, it is using the only part of the bivalve sticking up from the muddy sea floor to safely stick to, so it doesn’t get swallowed up by the mud.

Pioneering voyage Brachiopods are really old. Linguilids are a group of brachiopods that are particularly old. This fossil is nearly 500 million years old. It doesn't have its pedicle preserved, this allows them to bury themselves in the mud and hold on. The specimens in the jar were collected as part of the Challenger expedition, a voyage on HMS Challenger that took place between 1872–76 and made many important discoveries.

If you look at the shells in the jar, you can see that they are a very similar shape to the fossil one. The body shape of these animals hasn't changed much in 500 million years!

Wild World 25

Tr in

Ta l e s

m o fr

Dear supporter At the end of a dark gallery – past the bones of long forgotten birds – the Museum is home to a simple cabinet that houses some ‘spooky’ creatures. At Tring we have more than 20 bats on display, representing species from all over the world. You may be familiar with one of them – the leafnosed bat, commonly known as the vampire bat, from the Desmodontinae family. Vampire bats are the only mammals that have evolved to feed exclusively on blood. They do not suck blood like traditional vampires, instead they make a small incision in the skin of their prey and lap up the flowing blood with their tongues. As well as taxidermied specimens, we have living bats that have made the museum roof at Tring their home. So, every year we run a bat survey so that we can keep an eye on what species have moved in. This year we have long-eared bats – distinguished by their exceptionally long ears, which aid in silent hunting and precise echolocation; pipistrelle bats – microbats common across Europe and known for their rapid flight and echolocation abilities; and serotine bats – one of the largest bat species in the UK, roosting primarily in older buildings. You may be lucky enough to see bats flying above your own garden or in your local park, so be on the lookout just after sunset. But if not, why not pop into Gallery 6 and get up close and personal with our bats.

26 Wild World

Come and see for yourself You can visit the Natural History Museum at Tring in Hertfordshire from Tuesday–Sunday and bank holidays, 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00). Find out how to get there, gallery highlights and what’s on at nhm.ac.uk/tring.

Adventures in the field Hi, I’m Jennifer Panitz, a PhD student in the ancient DNA laboratory at the Natural History Museum, the Zoological Society of London and University College London.

Last year I spent three months in Jamaica to learn more about the Jamaican coney – a rodent that looks like a big guinea pig. Coneys live only in Jamaica and are a threatened species. We still have much to learn about them, including how well they get along with humans and how closely related different groups of coneys are to each other.

about in little family groups, chattering to each other while foraging on leaves, shoots and roots – yams are their favourite! I also visited the Natural History Museum of Jamaica (Institute of Jamaica) to look at the bones of coneys that lived 100 years ago. My Jamaican colleagues allowed me to take little samples of these bones and bring them back to London.

For my research, I have taken four trips to the Caribbean island, for example spending time camping at a ranger station in the dry tropical forest of the south coast to understand how coneys live in that environment. My trips also included spending a few months living in a community of Jamaican Maroons – Indigenous people who are the original inhabitants of the island – to understand how they interact with coneys. Jamaican Maroons have co-existed with coneys for more than 250 years.

Back at the Museum in London, I use these bone samples and coney samples from other museums to extract DNA. I also extract DNA from fresh coney poo, little hard pellets that look similar to rat poo – luckily they’re not stinky. By comparing coney DNA from different areas across Jamaica, we can understand how closely related coneys are. This way we learn more about how they have spread across the island. I hope that my research will provide new information for Jamaican conservationists to help them protect the coney and keep the species from going extinct.

To see the dens in which these vegetarian rodents live I had to hike many miles through the tropical Jamaican rainforest. Observing their dens helps us understand how and where they move. They are often

This research is supported by NERC grant number NE/S007229/1, an NHM Graduate Centre travel grant, the EDGE of Existence Programme at the Zoological Society of London, and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.

©Ric a

rd o

lle

This camera trap still shows an adult coney with four juveniles who are playing with each other. I am grateful for the support of the following Jamaican collaborators: Colonel Wallace Stirling of the Moore Town Maroons, the Natural History

Museum of Jamaica, the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust, the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation, the Natural Environment and Planning Agency, the University of the West Indies, and many others. Wild World 27

Super spiders Top 5 There are more than 50,000 species

of spider living on the planet and they come in all shapes and sizes. There are big ones, small ones and even jumping ones... 1. Goliath birdeater A member of the tarantula family, this spider is the heaviest in the world. Female Goliath birdeaters can weigh around 100 grammes and have a huge leg span of just under 30 centimetres. Native to the rainforests of South America, they primarily feed on insects (rather than birds), as well as rodents and frogs. With poor eyesight, they rely on sensitive hairs on their legs to detect the vibrations of prey before delivering a paralysing venom through their fangs.

2. Jumping spider Unlike many other spiders, jumping spiders don’t spin webs to catch prey. Instead, they are active hunters, using their powerful legs to leap several times their body length to pounce on insects. Before jumping, they anchor themselves with a strand of silk that acts like a safety rope so that if they miss, they can climb back up and try again. Their eyesight is among the best in the spider world, allowing them to track, stalk and leap precisely onto prey. 28 Wild World

3. Brazilian wandering spider Native to South and Central America, these spiders move about the forest floor at night in search of prey. In fact, it’s this nocturnal hunting behaviour that gives this group of spiders its name. Brazilian wandering spiders are typically brown and hairy, and some species have bright red or orange markings on the underside of their legs or near their fangs. During the day, they hide in dark, sheltered areas, such as log piles. They have leg spans that can reach up to 15 centimetres.

4. Water spider This may be the only spider in the world that lives almost entirely underwater. They live in freshwater environments such as lakes, ponds, canals and slow-moving streams, mainly across Europe and parts of northern Asia. Water spiders still need to breathe air, so they produce a silk structure called a diving bell. The spider fills the diving bell with air bubbles, creating a place to breathe, rest, store food and even raise its young.

5 . Giant huntsman spider There are more than 1,000 species of huntsman spider, which get their name from the way they catch their prey – instead of using a web, they are active hunters. The largest species is the giant huntsman spider. Males can have a leg span of around 30 centimetres – the length of a standard ruler. They live on the walls of caves, using their long legs to grip the surface. They tend to stay near the entrance where there is more light.

Wild World 29

Every issue, these pages are handed over to you. If you love natural history as much as we do then we want to hear about it.

Your Wild World

Thomas Palmer, age 8, sent in this fabulous drawing of some of the creatures that swam in the Jurassic oceans.

Arlo Martin, age 6, sent us a drawing of a gigantic titanosaur. He was inspired to send in a drawing by seeing others in the magazine. We love it so much that we’ve hidden 10 more in the magazine for you to find.

30 Wild World

Never miss an issue. Family membership holders receive a free copy of Wild World three times a year. To become a member visit nhm.ac.uk/membership.

Well done to Marcel Cseh, age 7, who had fun completing the 50 things to do at the Museum trail (June issue). Here he is with Andy’s clock, a London lion skull, the Pteranodon and Hope in Hintze Hall.

Get in touch Do you have a question for our experts (page 8) Would you like to review a book? Tell us what you enjoy reading (page 12) Mammoth Rider book competition (page 17)

Andy Day book bundle competition (page 17)

Tell us what you think What’s the best thing in this issue of Wild World?

What’s your least favourite thing?

What’s your favourite Museum exhibit? Want to tell us something amazing? Email us at wildworld@nhm.ac.uk. About you Name

Age

Email Send this coupon to Wild World, Membership Office, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD. If you choose to take part in one of our competitions, send us a drawing or question, write us a book review or take part in our meet the experts activities, we (The Natural History Museum) will need to collect your name, age and email address. We will always process this personal information in accordance with data protection legislation and will only ever use your information for the purpose of administrating the aforementioned activities, and contacting you about them if we need to, which we consider to be the Museum’s legitimate interests. Once the above activities have completed and we no longer need to contact you about them, we will delete your information. Your details will not be passed to any third party. If you would like to know more about how the Museum uses personal information, including how you can exercise your rights, please see our privacy notice (http://www.nhm.ac.uk/privacy-notice).

Now it’s your turn We want to see your pictures, photos, jokes, stories and poems, so send them to us with your name and age to wildworld@nhm.ac.uk or by post to Wild World, Membership Office, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD. Every one that is printed will win a prize.

Senior Editor Helen Sturge Editorial team Dr Nick Crumpton, Stacey Endres, Lewis Morgan, Holly Murphy, Al Schular Copy Editor Michael Allen Designer Stuart Woolf, NHM Design Studio Illustrations Al Schuler Contributors Hari Alexander, Dr Gavin Broad, Zoë Hughes, Tabitha Jiwa-Purvis, Dr Marc Jones, Dr Erica McAlister, Kieran Miles, Jennifer Panitz With thanks to Jon Ablett, Mark Adams, Lucie Goodayle, James Maclaine, Emily Osterloff, Roberto Portela Miguez, Charlie Waller All information in this issue of WILD WORLD was correct at the time of going to press. Page 3 answers: Skull and eye socket of an ichthyosaur on display in Marine Fossil Reptiles (Central Building). Turtle shell showing interlocking hexagonal plates. Scanning electron microscope image of a butterfly wing (scale x11,000). The left eye of Chi Chi the panda on display in Hintze Hall (Central Building).

We regret we cannot return your work to you, so please keep a copy before you send it. Wild World 31

Now open Free for members and patrons

Lead Corporate Sponsor