paulaboer

Antarctica – Whales

Blue whales are the largest animals ever known to have lived on Earth, being up to 100 feet long and weighing 200+ tons. To put that in perspective, their tongue alone can weigh as much as an elephant! Seeing one in Antarctica would have been amazing, but being rare I wasn’t so fortunate this visit.Continue reading “Antarctica – Whales”

Antarctica – Seals

When is a seal not a true seal? When it’s an eared seal! So what’s the difference? True seals (phocids) are unable to use their rear flippers for propulsion and thus generally move slowly and clumsily. They loll around on land yet swim with grace. The true seals I saw around the Antarctic Peninsula includedContinue reading “Antarctica – Seals”

Antarctica – Penguins

What is it about penguins that we find so adorable? Their clown-like walks? Their formal attire? Their grace in water? Or maybe it’s their dedication as parents, raising one or two chicks, requiring weeks without eating while they stand guard. They are birds who can’t fly yet swim better than fish. I recently had theContinue reading “Antarctica – Penguins”

Mingling Wombats

The main aim when rescuing wildlife is to return the animal to the wild, healthy and with the skills to cope. Orphaned wombats (joeys) that are hand raised on bottled milk need to learn to dig burrows, burrow etiquette when encountering other wombats, and many other coping strategies that their mothers would normally teach them.Continue reading “Mingling Wombats”

Antarctic Climate Expedition

I am thrilled (to the point of shaking with joy!) to be invited to participate in this amazing expedition in February 2023. Visiting Antarctica has been a life-long dream for me, and is the only continent I haven’t yet travelled on. This exciting adventure brings together my love of wildernesses, being a citizen scientist, andContinue reading “Antarctic Climate Expedition”

Great Southern BioBlitz

Over the weekend I participated as a citizen scientist in the Great Southern BioBlitz. All the images in this post were taken on my property in the last two days. Amazing how much diversity there is! And spring has certainly sprung with an abundance of colour and new life. In total, I contributed 175 observationsContinue reading “Great Southern BioBlitz”

Wombats Wombats Wombats!

Or should that have an extra ‘wombat’ in the title? Four hand-raised orphaned wombat boys are the first to experience the pre-release enclosures at Docsden. These gorgeous boys had a rough start in life but are now ready to learn to be wild wombats and go out into the big wide world. Wombats are comparativelyContinue reading “Wombats Wombats Wombats!”

Eureka!

The Australian Museum’s Eureka Prizes are the country’s most comprehensive national science awards, honouring excellence across the areas of research & innovation, leadership, science engagement, and school science. Presented annually in partnership with some of the nation’s leading scientific institutions, government organisations, universities and corporations, the Eureka Prizes raise the profile of science and scienceContinue reading “Eureka!”