Green tree ants swarm over oak blue caterpillars but they are not attacking them. They are drinking a sweet liquid that the caterpillars give off especially to attract the ants. The ants act like living armor, shielding the caterpillar from wasps that might lay eggs on it. The ants and the caterpillars are partners in nature.
Too many amphibians disappearing, study finds
Too many amphibians disappearing, study finds A study published today in the journal 'Nature"
warns that global populations of frogs, toads, newts and
salamanders are in decline. Human interference, acid rain,
ultra-violet rays, chemicals and even sport-fishing are all factors
in the degredation of amphibian populations world-wide. The
research was conducted by a doctoral student, Jeff Houlahan, from
the University of Ottawa. He spent 1.5 years searching the Internet
for studies of amphibian populations from around the world and
collected 936 studies to investigate. When he analyzed the results,
Mr Houlahan found that, globally, amphibians have been in decline
for several decades, especially in North America. Scientists had
long suspected this trend, which is now confirmed. Some of Canada's
amphibian populations are protected by law, but many others still
remain vulnerable. 13 APRIL 2000
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