Species of the week

The caddis fly, specifically as a larvae (suggested by PhD student Pete Boyd http://all-that-is-interesting.com/hubert-duprat-caddis-fly/1)

Obdurodon tharalkooschild – an ancient giant platypus http://news.sciencemag.org/paleontology/2013/11/scienceshot-meet-giant-platypus

Marmosets take it in turn to speak, just like humans, suggesting conversations http://www.nature.com/news/marmosets-prove-to-be-polite-conversationalists-1.13974, more on Ed Yong’s blog here http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/10/17/are-marmoset-monkeys-taking-turns-to-talk/ Original article http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982213011172

The Omani owl http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/like-nothing-we-had-seen-before-new-species-of-owl-discovered-8859083.html

We have peregrine falcons on campus but they’re nesting near a damaged Vodafone mast, leading to some mixed responses and amusing web stories http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/nesting-peregrine-falcon-hits-vodafone-mobile-coverage-in-southampton-8573653.html http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/Network/Signal-in-Southampton/td-p/1489676/page/4 http://www.wessexscene.co.uk/pause/2013/04/14/vodafone-signal-disrupted-by-ee-sponsored-falcon/

The greater wax moth – it can sense frequencies higher than any other animal http://www.nature.com/news/moth-smashes-ultrasound-hearing-records-1.12941

The mallard duck http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2313006/Record-breaking-Mallard-takes-water-huge-brood-TWENTY-FOUR-ducklings.html

Help name a species and a very important one at that, the first placental mammal http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blogland/2013/feb/26/the-naming-of-the-shrew/

Last week it was world pangolin day http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2012/02/16/meet-pangolin-threatened-traditional-asian-medicine/

Darlington’s peacock spider – thank you to PhD student Emma Brooks, watch its courtship here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-nmeYirsvA&feature=youtu.be