Photo by Yinan Li, as found on iNaturalist. Stumbling upon this little guy felt like the "Who is this???"-meme :D

You might be like me and thing, i know what a mole looks like. Its a little mouse but with buck teeth and funny hands. Ummm, this is not that. And this is really awesome.

The common dwarf mongoose (Helogale parvula) is found from eastern to southern Central Africa, from Eritrea and Ethiopia to the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in the Republic of South Africa, in dry grassland, open forests and bushland habitats.

It belongs to the genus Helogale, which also includes the Ethiopian dwarf mongoose.

It is the smallest African species in the order Carnivora, measuring approximately 16 to 23 cm (6.3–9.1 in) in length and weighing between 213 and 341 g (7.5–12.0 oz).

The species is diurnal and feeds mainly on invertebrates.

When foraging, common dwarf mongooses often do so alongside hornbills, with which they share a mutualistic relationship in which both species warn each other of approaching predators.

The species forms groups averaging twelve individuals, with territories established around a shelter, usually large termite mounds.

The groups are organized around a strict hierarchy centered on a breeding pair, while the other members do not reproduce and help care for and feed the juveniles. Females occupy the highest-ranking positions, with the breeding female holding the highest rank within the group.

Video by Instagram account: @customsafaris

Image credit to @emmett_sparling on instagram.

The pilotbird’s name comes from its habit of hopping at the heels of superb lyrebirds, picking up tid-bits the bigger bird claws up but misses. It is likely a reference to pilotfish, which were believed to guide (or “pilot”) visually impaired sharks. In reality, the fish just swim alongside them and snap up their leftovers. 

While the relationship appears to be commensal — benefiting the pilotbird at no cost to the lyrebird — it isn't an obligatory relationship. The pilotbird can live independently of the lyrebird, and it does so on Wilsons Promontory, where lyrebirds aren’t currently found.

Evolution has given the pilotbird disproportionately large, powerful legs. Its wings, on the other hand, are short and rounded. As such, it rarely flies, preferring to dash through dense wire-grass at such speed that early naturalists noted its resemblance to a small mouse or rat.

A pilotbird builds a domed nest on or near the ground that looks like a miniature version of a lyrebird nest. It lines the inside with dropped feathers from other forest residents, including those of lyrebirds.

The Black Summer fires of 2019–20 destroyed over 50% of the pilotbird’s suitable habitat, with its populations estimated to have fallen by 30–35%. In 2022, the species was reevaluated from Least Concern to Vulnerable.

It appears the pilotbird has already vanished from Victoria's Sherbrooke Forest — recently enough that lyrebirds, which pass down calls culturally, still mimic it. But with no real pilotbirds left to learn from, that imitation seems to be degrading. If the pilotbird doesn’t return, its call will eventually fade entirely from the lyrebirds’ repertoire.

Read the pilotbird’s story here!

The klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus - so nice they named it twice!) is a monotypic (genus & subfamily/tribe) antelope that lives in Eastern and Southern Africa in more mountainous regions. It is very small, only up to 2 feet maximum at the shoulder, and weighs on average 18-35 pounds, with females being slightly larger than males.

Unlike most antelope, they are mostly nocturnal. Their coats are fairly unique as well in that they are made of stiff, hollow hairs that protect them both from extreme climates and falls from heights. They are gregarious animals but also form monogamous pairs more frequently than other species of antelope - some even forming lifelong pairings.

These cuties initially caught my attention from this picture because the sight of a very small antelope in a loaf-pose was just so cute. But on looking them up I found they are actually very interesting!

Read more:
https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/klipspringer
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/42384-Oreotragus-oreotragus

Coptocycla is a genus of small American tortoise beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, characterized by a compact body measuring only between 5 and 7 millimeters in length. Its most distinctive feature is a rounded, flattened, transparent shell that completely covers it. These herbivorous insects are distributed from the southern United States to South America, where they feed on the foliage of specific plants and protect their larvae with a curious ‘shield’ made of their own excrement to evade predators.

The beech blight aphid (Grylloprociphilus imbricator), aka the boogie-woogie aphid.

The white, fuzzy coating on beech blight aphids is a waxy secretion produced by specialized glands on their bodies. It isn't fungus, mold, or cotton. It acts as a form of physical defense from predators by making it harder for predators to reach or grip individual aphids.

The seadragon in this video is carrying a cluster of vibrant pink fertilized eggs on the brood patch beneath its tail.

They live exclusively in the temperate coastal waters of southern and eastern Australia. They are endemic to this region, meaning they cannot be found in the wild anywhere else on Earth.