Day 5161: Mission Safari Bound & Tiny Marsupial, the Planigale.

"Timmy": ink brush, watercolor, junk papers collage, digital.

  

Want music?

   Click: Aretha Franklin, Ain't No Way

2GN2S

 

   

 
As you read this the Superheroes and buddies are still in the air! They left Saturday from LVN on Delta @ 9:25 am, flying to JKF NY ...

Arrived JFK, ready to board for 9 hours to Paris

then at boarded Delta @ 7:15pm to fly to Paris, to arrive there at 9:05am Monday, and board Air France @ 11:05am to Nairobi arriving @ 8:45 pm.

Nairobi is ten hours ahead of us here (PST)

* I plan to add a trip update, so you may want to skip if you aren't interested? For those like me who will probably never go to Kenya, here's our chance. SM & WW will send a couple of photos each day when they have time.

   A Tiny Marsupial Revealed as a Species New to Science

Australia has added another remarkable species to its rich wildlife record after scientists confirmed that the Arnhem Plateau planigale is genetically and physically distinct from other known planigales.

Among the world’s smallest marsupials, planigales may look like mice, but they are not rodents. They belong to Australia’s marsupial family, alongside better-known animals such as quolls and Tasmanian devils.

The newly recognized species is found in the rugged Arnhem Plateau of northern Australia, an ancient landscape shaped by sandstone cliffs, rocky crevices and isolated habitats. Its remote environment may have helped the tiny marsupial develop along its own evolutionary path.

Scientists identified the animal as a separate species by comparing its physical characteristics and genetic makeup with those of other planigales. What was once considered part of a related population was found to have distinct biological and evolutionary traits. Despite their tiny size, planigales are active predators. They feed on insects, spiders and other small creatures, using their narrow heads and flattened skulls to squeeze into remarkably tight cracks while hunting or seeking shelter.

The discovery also highlights an important reality in modern wildlife science: a species does not always have to be completely unknown to be newly recognized. Sometimes an animal has been observed and studied for years, only for detailed genetic and anatomical research to reveal that it is actually a distinct species.

Recognizing the Arnhem Plateau planigale as its own species could also have important conservation implications. Because it appears to be restricted to a relatively small and isolated region, it may face threats that differ significantly from those affecting more widespread relatives. 

 

  

 

A 7 minute video, Home Memories, here.

 

 

Just because ...

PAINTED FRANCOLIN

Sunday's Smiles ... 

 

by  Juliana Kolesova,

Hoping you see all the good things in your day.