• Question: what kind of animal that still alive today interest you most and why?

    Asked by 07quiambaoj to Alastair, Emma, Hywel, Keith, Vicki on 18 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Alastair Sloan

      Alastair Sloan answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      I would have to say most species of lizard because they have the ability to regenerate their limbs if they lose one! They are one of the few species that can actually regenerate limbs which is quite amazing – the really grow a new one!

    • Photo: Hywel Vaughan

      Hywel Vaughan answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      Hmm, that’s a tricky one!
      For me it is probably the butterfly. Apart from the really interesting way that it eats (using its feet), its wings have an exceptionally complex structure that was only analysed in fine detail for the first time a few months ago – it showed that they have a structure that has been theorised as possible for a long time by mathematicians, but never actually discovered in nature… it explains why they have such bright coloured wings!

    • Photo: Keith Brain

      Keith Brain answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      Humans! They still have lots of animalistic behavior, but they’re more interesting to talk to.

      However, if you wanted a non-human animal: Orangutans. While they’re not strictly our closest great ape relative, I think they have the most human-like behavior. Studying Orangutans really helps us to see where we fit in the great scheme of things. By the way, it would be totally inappropriate to do the type of experimental work I’m involved with in great apes; but I enjoy following with behavioural work done by others with apes.

      Others that are really interesting are: Dolphins, Dogs, Moths and Coelacanths, all for very different reasons!

      If you’re interested in animals and evolution, I’d really recommend reading “The Ancestor’s Tale”, by Richard Dawkins. Its a big book, but takes you on a wonderful voyage back through time and thinking about animals. I learnt a lot by reading it.

    • Photo: Vicki Stevenson

      Vicki Stevenson answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      Bees! Bees are really important to us since they pollinate the vast majority of our plants – without them we’d only have wind pollinated crops to eat which would get a bit boring.
      Bees have had a hard time recently and their numbers have dropped drastically – some of the causes are known (a parasite called varroa has reached UK and done a lot of damage) but there are a lot of unknown problems too. There seems to be a danger that chemical treatments on plants which individually don’t harm bees, can be a problem when the bees get exposed to several of them (a bit like a glass of wine is fine, but a cocktail of 20 different types of alcohol leaves you with a stinker of a headache, but a lot more severe!). I’ve started to keep bees in my garden and I’m learning a lot!

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