the pale batis ( batis soror ) , also known as the mozambique batis or east coast batis is a species of small bird in the wattle-eyes family , platysteiridae .

it occurs in eastern africa , mostly in lowland miombo woodland .

pale batis

pale batis ( batis soror ) is a species of bird in the platysteiridae family .
front view of a male pale batis ( a . k . a . east coast batis ) .
dorsal view of a male pale batis ( a . k . a . east coast batis ) .
pale batis , arabuko - sokoke forest , kenya . [ photo steve garvie © ]
the pale batis is mainly found in light and densely wooded forests , where there are mopane trees .
the description for the pale batis ( latin name batis soror ) can be found in the 7th edition of the roberts birds of southern africa . the batis soror can be quickly identified by its unique roberts identification number of 702 and the detailed description of this bird is on page 717 . you will find a picture of the pale batis on page 720 .
this bird is known as mozambique batis in the roberts 6th edition . there have been no changes in the latin name for the pale batis between the roberts 6th and roberts 7th edition .
1 zomba forest lodge 27th , 1 ruo gorge ( mulanje ) 28th and 1 chelinda ( nyika ) 6th . malawi batis is sometimes treated as a race of cape batis batis capensis .
chinspot batis - photographed this chinspot batis in sabi sands , kruger national park . | my bird board | pinterest | kruger national park
this next one , a batis , used to be called the mocambique batis . it is normally very high on the list that birders dream of seeing .
yet another batis of the eastern littoral that is much sought after by birders .
the pale batis has a height of 11 cms and weighs around 10 gms . the head is coloured blue , grey while the bill is coloured black . the batis soror has a cinnamon coloured throat , black legs and a grey coloured back . the eyes are yellow .
the male batis soror has physical features that are slightly different from the female bird .
the pale batis is a monogamous bird which means that the bird finds and breeds with one partner for the rest of its life . the bird lays between 1 to 2 eggs and they are coloured blue .
the descending single - note call of the pririt batis coming from trees in the kalahari .
a short call from a pririt batis in acacia thicket in a valley in the karoo .
the pale batis is a southern african bird that belongs to the maloconotidae bird family group which includes birds such as bush - shrikes , puffbacks , tchagras , boubous , helment - shrikes , batises , wattle - eyes .
the boldness of those white eyebrows can also vary with freshness of plumage–another nasty complication of iding this genus . while birding in africa , didn’t freud once remark , “sometimes a batis is just a batis ? ”
fjeldså , jon ; bowie , rauri c . k . & kiure , jacob ( 2006 ) the forest batis , batis mixta , is two species : description of a new , narrowly distributed batis species in the eastern arc biodiversity hotspot . , journal of ornithology , 147 ( 4 ) : 578 - 590 .
the 4 note whistle call of a cape batis , in a large tree , overlooking a stream in autumn .
sometimes listed as raja batis which was the name given by linnaeus , however this name is no longer considered valid .
experiences with species pale batises are very similar to chinspot batises . the back is more patchy grey , and the chestnut on the female not as defined . the male has a narrower black chest band . the distribution is also more easterly , only slightly overlapping . other names : mozambique batis
from katiyo we drove throught to the abefoyle tea estates and to the lovely aberfoyle lodge . more serious birding followed as we tracked down singing cisticola , anchieta’s tchagra , black - winged red bishop , pale batis , pallid honeyguide , short - winged cisticola , green - backed woodpecker and many others .
distribution of pale batis in southern africa , based on statistical smoothing of the records from first sa bird atlas project ( © animal demography unit , university of cape town ; smoothing by birgit erni and francesca little ) . colours range from dark blue ( most common ) through to yellow ( least common ) .
froese , rainer and pauly , daniel , eds . ( 2007 ) .
dipturus batis
in fishbase . october 2007 version .
kesson soils are used mainly for wildlife habitat . native vegetation is black mangrove , oxeye daisy , batis , and scattered american mangrove .
the cape batis , batis capensis , is a small passerine bird in the wattle - eye family . it is a small stout insect - eating bird , usually found in moist evergreen mountain forests and wooded gorges . the cape batis hunts by flycatching , or by taking prey from the ground like a shrike . the song is typically a triple whistle cherra - warra - warra or foo - foo - foo .
raptors to look out for include booted eagle , pale chanting goshawk , rock kestrel and large numbers of lesser kestrel in summer . the park also has a high concentration of verreaux’s ( black ) eagle .
similar - looking to the chinspot batis ( but with a narrower breast band and slightly paler overall ) , these birds are local residents of brachystegia and other woodland .
as a postscript i’m amazed at how many of the google images are mis - identified , about the only batis pics you can rely on are chin - spot .
brander , k . ( 1981 ) .
disappearance of common skate raja batis from irish sea
. nature 290 ( 5801 ) : 48–49 . doi : 10 . 1038 / 290048a0 .
- - 6 to 10 inches ; pale brown ( 10yr 6 / 3 ) fine sand ; single grained ; loose ; common fine and medium roots ; about 10 percent shell fragments ; modrately alkaline ; calcareous ; clear smooth boundary . ( 4 to 34 inches thick )
the park’s best birding occurs in and around the campsite . acacia pied barbet , red - eyed bulbul , karoo scrub robin , cape robin - chat , chestnut - vented tit - babbler , layard’s tit - babbler , yellow - bellied eremomola , pale - winged starling , southern ( lesser ) double - collared and dusky sunbird and redheaded finch are all ever present . karoo eremomela , namaqua warbler ( prinia ) and pririt batis are regional specials to be looked out for .
louette , m . ( 2018 ) . east coast batis ( batis soror ) . in : del hoyo , j . , elliott , a . , sargatal , j . , christie , d . a . & de juana , e . ( eds . ) . handbook of the birds of the world alive . lynx edicions , barcelona . ( retrieved from urltoken on 9 july 2018 ) .
hello david , i’m having second thoughts on the id of this one . i can’t find any “molotovs” with red in the eye , they are all pale yellow . i think it may be the other bird from last time . also the tail looks short , but the comparison is difficult to make .
[ mystery bird ] pygmy batis , batis perkeo , photographed near the pangani river camp , tanzania , africa . the photographer writes : “i was incredibl [ y ] lucky to get such a good view of this little fast - moving guy . he actually responded to pishing , and sat there exposed for 10 seconds or so , allowing photographs in the late afternoon sun ! ” [ i will identify this bird for you in 48 hours ]
back to batis . this time a male , the id of which lies in the width of the breastband and the eyebrow . congratulations on your new blog grrl , although i’m not au fait with the genetics it’s very interesting .
i have not heard this variation of chinspot batis anywhere else in kenya in 10 + years of looking but it is a perfect match for xc166763 . male sings while female clicks i think . open woodlands on lightly grazed slopes .
batis ( pronounced bat - iss ) is a genus of passerine birds in the wattle - eye family . its species are resident in africa south of the sahara . they were previously classed as a subfamily of the old world flycatcher family , muscicapidae .
i have only once recorded this batis while birding arabuko sokoke forest reserve on the east coast of kenya . the bird was high in the canopy and although i had good views of it , it was not close enough for anything more than a record photograph .
batis species are strikingly patterned , typically with a grey crown , black eye mask , dark back , and paler underparts , often with a coloured or black breast band and white on the throat which contrasts strongly with the black eye stripe . male and female plumages usually differ .
i think grrl is sat in her alter - ego costume laughing her socks off ! ! ( please don’t release the ninja parrots ) . after a ( near ) sleepless night with this one i can only conclude it’s pygmy batis , although i could be easily convinced it’s something else , perhaps even chipping sparrow .
this call is a duet consisting of buzzy , frog - like notes from one bird , interrupted by piercing
peeu
notes from a second ( and third ? ) bird . western black - headed batis ( recording from gabon on macaulay library ( # 85689 - incorrectly identified ) ) also gives this same duet call .
notable birds seen : african harrier - hawk , african crowned eagle , long - crested eagle , southern banded snake - eagle , african hobby , lemon dove , fischer’s turaco , silvery - cheeked hornbill , half - collared kingfisher , moustached green tinkerbird , green barbet , white - eared barbet , african broadbill , bar - tailed trogon , greater honeyguide , mountain wagtail , little greenbul , shelley’s greenbul , stripe - cheeked greenbul , cabanis’s greenbul , yellow - streaked greenbul , white - browed robin - chat , white - chested alethe , red - tailed ant - thrush , little rush warbler , dark - capped yellow - warbler , common white - throat , willow warbler , yellow - throated wood - warbler , long - billed tailorbird , black - headed apalis , green - backed caramoptera , kretschmer’s longbill , african dusky - flycatcher , black - throated white - eye , african paradise flycatcher , pale batis , forest batis , southern black flycatcher , yellow white - eye , olive sunbird , uluguru violet - backed sunbird , amani sunbird , banded green sunbird , square - tailed drongo , waller’s starling , black - fronted bush - shrike , red - backed shrike , grey cuckoo - shrike , chestnut - fronted helmet - shrike , green - headed oriole , dark - backed weaver , red - faced crimsonwing , yellow - bellied waxbill , peter’s twinspot , southern hyliota , cabanis’s bunting .
recent discoveries have shown that the common skate is actually made of two more specific species . they are either the blue skate ( dipturus flossada ) or the flapper skate ( dipturus intermedia ) . the d . intermedia takes a while longer to grow in to its full length , but reaches a larger size . the size at 50 % maturity has been reported to be 197 . 5 cm for females and 185 . 5 cm for males . the d . flossada is recorded to be at 122 . 9 cm for females and 115 cm for males . due to the slight difference in size , they are easily confused for one another . the best way to identify the species is through their eye color . the d . intermedia has dark green / olive eyes while the d . flossada has a pale yellow color .
the common skate is a bottom dwelling species . people will most likely find them in waters with a depth of approximately 200m . but , common skates can be found anywhere up to 600m . they are now found in those depths at the waters off northwestern scotland and in celtic sea , and along the edge of the continental shelf . the historic range of d . batis covered much of the continental shelf of the north - east atlantic . it went from madeira and some of northern morocco in the south , all the way to iceland and northern norway in the north . this range also included the mediterranean sea . when the twentieth century started common skates were considered to have a wide range over the shallower waters of the continental shelf surrounding the british isles . now their population and range is severely depleted and fragmented , with disappearances being reported on several .
the historical geographical range of d . batis covered much of the continental shelf of the north - east atlantic , from madeira and the coast of northern morocco in the south , to iceland and northern norway in the north , including the mediterranean sea . in several parts of its range , including the western baltic , western mediterranean and southern north sea , it is considered scarce ( stehmann and brkel 1984 ) . it is absent from the black sea and levantine mediterranean basin ( serena 2005 ) . at the start of the twentieth century it was considered to have a wide distribution over the shallower waters of the continental shelf surrounding the british isles , albeit more common in the northern and western regions ( walker and heesen 1996 ) . though individual specimens are reported very occasionally from the irish sea , bristol channel and central north sea , the current range tends to occupy the deeper waters off northwestern scotland and in celtic sea , and along the edge of the continental shelf .
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zoonomen - zoological nomenclature resource , 2011 . 10 . 27 , website ( version 27 - oct - 11 )
zoonomen - zoological nomenclature resource
maintained by alan p . peterson at urltoken
disclaimer : itis taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available , and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties . however , it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes . while every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up - to - date information available , ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the united states is a party , wildlife statutes , regulations , and any applicable notices that have been published in the federal register . for further information on u . s . legal requirements with respect to protected taxa , please contact the u . s . fish and wildlife service .
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formerly regarded as a race of b . molitor , which it replaces geographically in e african lowlands ( although apparently some range overlap in se tanzania ) . proposed races littoralis ( zanzibar ) and pallidigula ( mozambique ) considered untenable . monotypic .
coastal kenya , e & se tanzania ( including zanzibar i and mafia i ) , mozambique ( s to s of r save ) , se malawi , and eastward - facing slopes of mountains in e zimbabwe .
10·5–11·5 cm ; 8–13·1 g . small flycatcher - like and shrike - like bird with contrasting black , grey and white ( and some rufous ) colours . male has grey crown , darker . . .
long piping 3 - note “pook pook pook” delivered mournfully , repeated at constant rate up to 12 times . . .
woodland in coastal lowlands , but on zanzibar inhabits bushland and open cultivated country . also , . . .
diet insects . forages mostly in middle levels or canopy , by flycatching or hover - gleaning .
season varies with region : jan , mar and may in e africa , aug–jan on zanzibar , sept–oct in malawi , and mostly oct–jan in s . . .
not globally threatened ( least concern ) . generally common . fairly common in kenyan part of range , including arabuko - sokoke forest reserve . fairly common on zanzibar and in s . . .
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it occurs from kenya and tanzania through malawi to mozambique . here it is locally common , preferring miombo ( brachystegia ) as well as other broad - leaved woodlands , such as mopane woodland .
little is known about its feeding habits other than that it forages for insects by gleaning them from leaves and branches .
the nest is a small , deep cup built of thin strips of bushwillow ( combretum ) bark and bits of glass inflorescences , cemented with spider web . it is usually placed in the fork of a branch at least 6 metres above ground .
it lays about 1 - 2 eggs , usually during the months of september - november .
little more is known about its breeding habits , as this has not been well studied .
not threatened , although habitat destruction in southern mozambique may be cause for concern .
hockey par , dean wrj and ryan pg 2005 . roberts - birds of southern africa , viith ed . the trustees of the john voelcker bird book fund , cape town .
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del hoyo , j . , collar , n . j . , christie , d . a . , elliott , a . , fishpool , l . d . c . , boesman , p . and kirwan , g . m . 2016 . hbw and birdlife international illustrated checklist of the birds of the world . volume 2 : passerines . lynx edicions and birdlife international , barcelona , spain and cambridge , uk .
justification : this species has a very large range , and hence does not approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the range size criterion ( extent of occurrence < 20 , 000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size , habitat extent / quality , or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation ) . the population trend appears to be stable , and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the population trend criterion ( > 30 % decline over ten years or three generations ) . the population size has not been quantified , but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the population size criterion ( < 10 , 000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be > 10 % in ten years or three generations , or with a specified population structure ) . for these reasons the species is evaluated as least concern .
the global population size has not been quantified , but the species is reported to be uncommon to common ( urban et al . 1997 ) . trend justification : the population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats .
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i am back at last and yet again i apologise for the inordinately long delays between these ramblings .
i need to start by thanking roger macdonald for his permission to use these fantastic images and to also say how amazing the quality of his pictures is . roger – thanks a tonne .
these images all come from the trip we did to catapu in november of 2014 . when i arrived there , with jnv , i was delighted to find a bunch of the other visitors were friends of mine and all avid birders . this situation works to everyone’s benefit because in forest birding the more eyes the better .
left to right – jnv , roger , cvc and ir . alison is missing and i am behind the lens !
the common guineafowl of forests . on catapu they are amazingly tame and confident .
the next one is also quite common along the eastern littoral and the major rivers but it too is notoriously difficult to capture with a camera .
in years past it was known as the yellow - spotted nicator and the jury is still out on whether it is closer to the shrikes or the bulbuls .
yet again the next two are also not uncommon but getting pics of this quality in dense forest is astounding .
i just love the glint in her eye as she watches her mate displaying below .
next up is probably one if the most difficult birds to photograph that there is . well done roger .
one of the most spectacular sights is the breeding display of the mangrove kingfisher . normally a bird of coastal mangroves ( funny that ) it moves to inland forests to breed .
the rapid and energetic behaviour of this next one makes it another very difficult one to get .
well i guess it would be very remiss of me to leave out a snap of something dear to my heart and frequently a subject of many past ramblings on this site .
böhms bee - eaters . adult on the right and an immature / juvenile on the left .
this bee - eater has been controversial for some decade with some experts denying its existence in the southern african region . that is south of the cunene and zambezi rivers . these photographs finally prove they are here and breeding !
october 2013 saw the arrival in harare of sp and pp . a delightful couple who , although not fanatic birders , wished to tour the eastern highlands of zimbabwe . we started out in nyanga staying at a lovely cottage with great birds including the stunning bronzy and malachite sunbirds .
the cottage was just above a dam and had fantastic walks up the hill behind the house .
the hills behind the cottage have brilliant views and are the ideal habitat for the endangered blue swallow .
there are also some quite exciting different plants up there including some indigenous cycads and of course tree ferns .
and the next port of call had to be troutbeck hotel for tea and cream scones .
it was now time to move on so we took a back road to ensure we did some more of the touristy scenic stuff on our way to the bvumba .
we also found a nest ! it was late afternoon when we found it purely by chance .
sp wasn’t particularly happy with the above picture so we went back early the next day for another go … .
we left the bvumba and proceeded to drive down and down into the honde valley where we camped overnight at katiyo on the pungwe river .
that’s right 400 masl ! that puts us 2 . 1 kilometres lower than the top of worlds view in nyanga ! !
the singing cisticola like the tea bushes . we also found some interesting reptiles .
anchieta’s tchagra , which used to be known as the marsh tchagra , is found here … .
it was now time to wend our way homewards but i couldn’t resist taking a snap of this delightful bit of africa .
and when we eventually got back to harare my dear wife showed us her discovery in the garden .
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note : the reference for the information following is
roberts birds of southern africa
, 7th edition * . this edition contained a number of taxonomic changes as well as changes to english names used traditionally and in earlier editions of most bird books in south africa . the following paragraph notes such changes if any .
take note of the bird ' s main distinguishing features such as colour , size and leg length relative to the body size of the bird . colours of a bird ' s body parts can be helpful . be aware what may appear brown to one person is described in roberts birds using some other word . . . for example brown , black . see
this bird eats insects such as butterflies , bees , wasps , locusts and ants . these invertebrates are usually hawked aerially , killed and then eaten .
the nest is built high up in the tree canopy and is protected from predators by branches and the dense green foliage .
the skate is the largest ray species found in the north sea . it can grow to 2 . 5 meters long and weigh 100 kilogram . the skate used to be very common in the north sea . because this species is known as a delicacy , it used to be intensely fished . however , skates are only sexually mature at age twelve . the chance of being caught before reproducing was high and therefore they have almost disappeared . until the early 1960s , egg capsules from the skate used to wash ashore regularly , but now that is extremely rare .
the common skate is often seen travelling in same sex / age groups ( 3 ) , near to the sea floor ( 4 ) . mating occurs mainly in the spring and during copulation there is a distinct embrace between males and females ( 4 ) . the female then lays long oblong egg capsules , which are anchored into the muddy or sandy substrate by their stiff pointed horns ( 4 ) . an individual will lay around 40 eggs a year ( 4 ) . males only reach sexual maturity once they have reached a length of 125 cm , which corresponds to around 10 years of age ( 2 ) . the common skate is thought to live for as long as 50 years ( 2 ) , and it takes around 14 years for the population to double in size ( 4 ) . common skates feed on a variety of bottom dwelling organisms but preferentially consume fish ( 4 ) . unlike most other skates , these fish are active by both day and night ( 5 ) .
the common skate is the largest european ray ( 1 ) . the undersurface is dark grey with black spots or stripes and the uppersurface is more of a greenish brown colour ( 3 ) , often with lighter mottling ( 5 ) . the snout is pointed and the flattened body has a rhombic shape with sharp corners ( 4 ) , and slightly concave outer edges to the wings ( 3 ) . there is a row of 12 - 18 thorns along the tail ( 4 ) .
benthic species in shelf and slope waters with a wide tolerance for depth and temperature ( ref . 4426 ) . found in coastal waters mainly within the 200 m range ( ref . 3167 ) . feed on all kinds of bottom animals , large individuals prefer fish ( ref . 3167 ) . oviparous . distinct pairing with embrace . young may tend to follow large objects , such as their mother ( ref . 205 ) . mate in spring and the egg capsules are laid during the summer . eggs are oblong capsules with stiff pointed horns at the corners deposited in sandy or muddy flats ( ref . 205 ) . egg capsules are 10 . 6 - 24 . 5 cm long and 5 . 0 - 14 . 5 cm wide ( ref . 41250 ) . about 40 eggs per individual are laid annually ( ref . 41250 ) . flesh is marketed fresh or smoked ( ref . 35388 ) .
a large ray with a long pointed snout . males growing up to 2 m in length , while females may reach up to 3 m in length . the leading edge of the wings is slightly concave and the small dorsal fins near the tip of the tail almost touch . the young have large thorns near the eyes and one row of thorns along the back of the tail , while older specimens lack the thorns near the eyes but have two rows of along the tail . the upper ( dorsal ) side is brownish - green with lighter spots and the underside dark grey , sometimes with black stripes , spots or marbling . immature skate under 40lb in weight are jet black underneath which fades to grey as they get larger ( davy holt , pers . comm . ) . following a report in recent taxonomic literature , this species now belongs to the genus dipturus , although may still be referred to as raja in some texts , ( see mceachran & dunn , 1988 ) . other common names include the ' blue skate ' and the ' flapper skate ' .
baltic sea , north sea , mediterranean sea , eastern atlantic : norway to senegal .
eastern atlantic : norway , iceland , the faroes to senegal , including western mediterranean and western part of the baltic . extirpated by trawling from much of its former range ( ref . 27438 ) .
the common skate is found in the eastern atlantic ocean from madeira and northern morocco , north to iceland and norway . despite its widespread distribution , this species is extremely scarce in european waters and may already have disappeared from the irish sea ( 2 ) .
285 cm tl ( male / unsexed ; ( ref . 35388 ) ) ; max . published weight : 97 . 1 kg ( ref . 40637 )
snout very long and pointed ; length before eyes 2 , 5 - 4 , 0 times distance between them ; disc broadly rhombic with acute outer corners ; upper surface and underside smooth in young , partly prickly in larger specimens ; no thorns on disc , a row of 12 - 18 thorns along tail ; 40 - 56 tooth rows ; upper surface olive - grey or brown with a variable pattern of light spots , underside ashy - grey to blue - grey ( ref . 3167 ) .
depth range based on 991 specimens in 1 taxon . water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 706 samples . environmental ranges depth range ( m ) : - 9 - 400 temperature range ( °c ) : 6 . 608 - 11 . 319 nitrate ( umol / l ) : 2 . 655 - 12 . 900 salinity ( pps ) : 30 . 162 - 35 . 515 oxygen ( ml / l ) : 5 . 684 - 6 . 485 phosphate ( umol / l ) : 0 . 397 - 0 . 836 silicate ( umol / l ) : 1 . 925 - 9 . 253 graphical representation depth range ( m ) : - 9 - 400 temperature range ( °c ) : 6 . 608 - 11 . 319 nitrate ( umol / l ) : 2 . 655 - 12 . 900 salinity ( pps ) : 30 . 162 - 35 . 515 oxygen ( ml / l ) : 5 . 684 - 6 . 485 phosphate ( umol / l ) : 0 . 397 - 0 . 836 silicate ( umol / l ) : 1 . 925 - 9 . 253 note : this information has not been validated . check this * note * . your feedback is most welcome .
demersal ; marine ; depth range 100 - 1000 m ( ref . 4426 ) , usually 100 - 200 m ( ref . 4426 )
the skate lives on sandy and muddy bottoms . the adults live in depths of 10 to 600 m while younger specimens prefer shallower waters .
depth : 100 - 1000m . from 100 to 1000 meters . habitat : demersal . eurybathic and eurythermic benthic species in shelf and slope waters ( ref . 4426 ) . found in coastal waters mainly within the 200 m range . feeds on all kinds of bottom animals , adults prefer fishes . oviparous .
occurs over firm ground in coastal shelf waters ( 3 ) , from depths down to 200 metres and occasionally as deep as 600 metres ( 2 ) .
oviparous , paired eggs are laid . embryos feed solely on yolk ( ref . 50449 ) . egg - cases laid in spring and summer , very large ( ref . 3167 ) . distinct pairing with embrace . young may tend to follow large objects , such as their mother ( ref . 205 ) . eggs have horn - like projections on the shell ( ref . 205 ) .
the following is a representative barcode sequence , the centroid of all available sequences for this species . no available public dna sequences . download fasta file
dulvy , n . k . , notarbartolo di sciara , g . , serena , f . , tinti , f . & ungaro , n . , mancusi , c . & ellis , j .
classified as critically endangered ( cr ) on the iucn red list 2006 ( 1 ) .
common skates are long - lived and slow to mature , factors that make them particularly vulnerable to both direct and accidental targeting by the fishing industry ( 2 ) . during the mid 20th century , skates and rays made up a considerable amount of commercial fishing in the united kingdom ( 6 ) . the population of common skates has seen a drastic decline in european waters following this intensive fishing pressure , making a mockery of its name . although no longer targeted in the majority of areas , as the population is too low , these fish are still threatened by fisheries bycatch ( 2 ) .
a uk biodiversity action plan ( uk bap ) species , the common skate is the subject of an action plan that aims to stabilise key populations by the year 2004 and allow skates to migrate to areas where they are scarce , by minimising the fishing pressure on the species ( 2 ) . further research on the distribution of the species and the monitoring of life - cycles , growth and so on will also need to be undertaken in order to successfully manage the recovery of this fish ( 2 ) .
and rhombic shape , with a row of spines or thorns along the tail .
the top surface is generally colored olive - grey to brown , often with a pattern of spots , and the underside is lighter blue - grey .
males usually grow up to a length of 125 cm . female have yet to be accurately measured for size , it is reported to be approximately 150 cm . for every male common skate there is approximately one female common skate , so the sex ration is 1 : 1 , however this changes depending on the season and geography . when juveniles are born , they are measured at 21–22 cm long .
it takes a female common skate around 11 years to reach sexual maturity . once it has reached sexual maturity , they will only reproduce every other year . they mate in the spring and during the summer they lay approximately 40 eggcases which they put in sandy / muddy flats . the embryos then develop for 2–5 months before leaving their eggcase .
eggcases are measured up to 25 cm long ( excluding the horns ) and 15 cm wide . they are covered in close - felted fibers and often washed up on the shore . they have distinct lateral keels and deep anterior fields .
eggcase hunts have been done to see the general distribution of the common skate . eggcases were only found in northern scotland and the north of ireland . in the 19th and 20th centuries eggcases were usually seen along the entire british coastline in high numbers , but now they are only found in a few selective areas .
currently , the common skate is listed as a critically endangered species . it is threatened both in the atlantic ocean and mediterranean sea . in both cases , it seems likely due to fishing trawls that are after things like hake or anglerfish , and who simply catch the common skate by accident . due to the popularity and profitability of trawling fishing , it
it is unlikely that fishing effort will decrease
.
because the common skate is a long - lived and slow to mature creature , it is difficult for it to repopulate quickly .
that , coupled with danger from careless fishing trawls , means that not only is the skate population drastically decreasing , but that it is likely the common skate will soon disappear entirely unless more is done to preserve it .
like the rest of the skates , the common skate is a bottom feeder . their diet typically consists of crustaceans and clams , oysters , snails , and small fish .
the size of the individual can affect its diet . larger ones eat larger things like fish .
the bigger the skate is the more food that will be needed to sustain its large body size . for common skates their activity level determines how much it eats , the more active it is the more it eats .
in addition to crustaceans and clams , skates can also eat bristle worms , sand eels , crabs , and other species of flatfish .
the common skate does not only feed on creatures at the bottom of the ocean , as some do ascend to higher depths to feed on mackerel , herring , and other species of fish .
once a common skate has caught a prey it envelopes it before consuming it . the common skate captures its prey by going rapidly upward and gripping the fish before returning to the seabed to consume it
marine species .
icun global marine programme . 2003 . icun . 26 november 2006 < urltoken > .
kindersley , dorling ( 2001 , 2005 ) . animal . new york city : dk publishing . isbn 0 - 7894 - 7764 - 5 .
helcom ( 2013 ) .
helcom red list of baltic sea species in danger of becoming extinct
. baltic sea environmental proceedings ( 140 ) : 72 .
eol content is automatically assembled from many different content providers . as a result , from time to time you may find pages on eol that are confusing .
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depth range based on 6 specimens in 1 taxon . environmental ranges depth range ( m ) : 1 - 1 note : this information has not been validated . check this * note * . your feedback is most welcome .
they are small stout insect - eating birds , usually found in open forests or bush . the nest is a small neat cup low in a tree or bush . they hunt by flycatching , or by taking prey from the ground like a shrike .
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nikon d300 , 600 mm vr lens , iso 400 , 1 / 250 , f / 6 . 3 , exposure compensation 0 .
hello david , looks like the two of us again . yes i think it’s the “explosive” one as well .
“this absolom , that jolif was and gay , gooth with a sencer on the haliday , sensynge the wyves of the parisshe faste ; and many a lovely look on hem he caste , and namely on this carpenteris wyf . ”
si david , i’m looking at the last one and this appears more compact , the only description i can find states ” restricted white eyebrow sometimes indistinct or absent… . breastband wider at sides and narrowing in the centre , eye orange - yellow . ” this group is proving more problematic than i thought , i suspect that the current taxonomy will change soon .
nice photo david , i think that’s our guy . i can’t find any info on subspecies for this though , so i don’t know what geographical variation occurs .
welcome kim , i didn’t get the chaucer reference either , i was thinking about heath ledger’s film . the finnish ref is to molotov ( inventor of the petrol bomb ) = “molitor” = chin - spot . mini italian job = perche = perkeo = pygmy . you have to remember david seems to be able to switch between any number of languages .
nam et ipsa scientia potestas est ( and thus knowledge itself is power ) — sir francis bacon . the…
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all dates between 22nd and 30th relate to september , all dates from 1st to 10th relate to october .
1 just inside the entrance to nyika on 4th and 1 not much further into the park on 7th .
1 - 2 dzalanyama 1st . i can ' t find any other photos of this species anywhere on the internet ; it ' s not nearly so richly coloured as the description and illustration in the sinclair & ryan field guide but apparently this is ok .
1 zomba forest lodge 27th , satemwa guest house ( thyolo ) 29th , 2 dzalanyama 1st - 2nd ( nesting just outside the lodge ) and at nyika 2 4th and 3 7th .
1 ku chawe ( zomba plateau ) 27th , 1 ruo gorge ( mulanje ) 28th and a juvenile there 29th ; another juvenile thyolo mountain 30th .
3 ku chawe ( zomba plateau ) 27th and up to 5 nyika ( mostly around chelinda ) 5th - 6th .
very much a garden bird : 3 malosa 23rd , 1 zomba forest lodge 27th , singles satemwa tea estate ( thyolo ) 29th and 30th , 1 dzalanyama 2nd , 1 makuzi lodge 8th and up to 3 cool runnings ( senga bay ) 9th - 10th .
1 lujeri tea estate ( mulanje ) 28th and 1 satemwa tea estate ( thyolo ) 29th .
2 zomba plateau 27th , 2 thyolo mountain 30th , up to 20 daily nyika 4th - 7th ( probably over 50 in total ) .
1 beside the runway at lilongwe airport , seen from the plane on arrival 22nd and another ( or perhaps the same ) on departure 10th .
1 beside the runway at lilongwe airport 22nd ( seen from the plane ) and 2 probables dzalanyama 2nd ( whose identity wasn ' t clinched as i was distracted by a boulder chat ! ) .
2 dzalanyama 2nd . in malawi this species only occurs in the extreme sw of the country and elsewhere it isn ' t found at many sites outside of zimbabwe .
1 liwonde 23rd , 2 ( an adult feeding a juvenile ) makuzi lodge 8th and 1 cool runnings ( senga bay ) 9th .
1 - 2 pairs liwonde 24th and 25th , 3 dzalanyama 2nd and a probable nyika 7th .
one of the highlights of the holiday was finding this little gem just outside our chalet at mvuu camp : 1 liwonde 24th . these photos don ' t do it justice , but i ' ve searched several image databases and search engines and failed to find a single photo of this species on the internet , so i guess they ' ll do !
on zomba plateau 1 near zomba forest lodge 26th and 27th and 1 ku chawe 27th .
1 malosa 23rd , singles liwonde 23rd , 24th and 25th and at dzalanyama 2 1st - 2nd and 3 3rd .
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the kesson series consists of deep , very poorly drained , rapid to moderately rapid permeable soils that formed in thick marine deposits of sand and shell fragments in tidal swamps and marshes along the gulf coast of peninsular florida . slopes range from 0 to 1 percent .
- - 0 to 6 inches ; black ( 10yr 2 / 1 ) fine sand ; single grained ; loose ; common fine and medium roots ; about 15 percent shell fragments ; moderately alkaline ; calcareous ; clear smooth boundary . ( 0 to 7 inches thick )
- - 10 to 13 inches ; light brownish gray ( 10yr 6 / 2 ) fine sand ; single grained ; loose ; about 10 percent shell fragments ; moderately alkaline ; calcareous ; clear smooth boundary . ( 3 to 22 inches thick )
- - 13 to 23 inches ; light gray ( 5y 7 / 1 ) and gray ( 5y 6 / 1 ) fine sand ; common medium distinct dark gray ( 10yr 4 / 1 ) streaks ; single grained ; loose ; about 5 percent shell fragments ; moderately alkaline ; calcareous ; gradual wavy boundary . ( 10 to 18 inches thick )
- - 23 to 38 inches ; light gray ( 5y 7 / 1 ) fine sand ; single grained ; loose ; about 30 percent shell fragments ; moderately alkaline ; calcareous ; gradual wavy boundary . ( 15 to 18 inches thick )
- - 38 to 80 inches ; white ( 5y 8 / 1 ) fine sand ; single grained ; loose ; about 5 percent shell fragments ; moderately alkaline ; calcareous .
lee county , florida ; about 1 mile west of intersection of bailey road and bay drive and 14 feet north ; ne1 / 4ne1 / 4 sec . 19 , t . 46 s . , r . 23 e .
sulfur content is more than 0 . 75 percent within depths of 20 inches . the calcium carbonate equivalent is more than three times the sulfur content for some portion . reaction ranges from mildly alkaline to strongly alkaline and the soil is calcareous . it does not become extremely acid when dry . texture is sand or fine sand throughout .
the a horizon has hue of 10yr , value of 2 to 6 , chroma of 1 to 3 . content of shell fragments ranges from about 5 to 15 percent . some pedons have organic horizons less than 8 inches thick above the a horizon .
the c horizon has hue of 10yr to 5gy , value of 2 to 8 , chroma 1 to 3 . content of shell fragments ranges from about 5 to 30 percent .
series . dianola and tatton soils have more than 10 percent silt and clay in the 10 - to 40 - inch control section . hallandale soils are shallow to limestone . plantation and sanibel soils have histic epipedons . pompano soils are not subject to tidal flooding and have very low salinity .


the madagascar hissing cockroach ( gromphadorhina portentosa ) , also known as the hissing cockroach or simply hisser , is one of the largest species of cockroach , reaching 2 to 3 inches ( 5.1 – 7.6 cm ) at maturity .

they are native to the island of madagascar , which is off the african mainland , where they are known to be found inside of rotting logs .

it is one of some 20 known species of large hissing roaches from madagascar , many of which are kept as pets , and often confused with one another by pet dealers ; in particular , g. portentosa is commonly confused with g. oblongonota and g. picea .

unlike most cockroaches , they are wingless .

they are excellent climbers and can scale smooth glass .

males can be distinguished from females by their thicker , hairier antennae and the very pronounced " horns " on the pronotum .

females carry the ootheca internally , and release the young nymphs only after her offspring have eclosed within her .

as in some other wood-inhabiting roaches , the parents and offspring will commonly remain in close physical contact for extended periods of time .

in captivity , these insects have been known to live up to 5 years .

they feed primarily on vegetable material .

madagascar hissing cockroach

we strongly recommend housing your pet hissing cockroach in a josh’s frogs hissing cockroach kit .
madagascar hissing cockroach . wikipedia article with some neat information , including hissing roaches in the movie .
the madagascar hissing cockroach is believed to be the only insect that can hiss .
madagascar hissing cockroach care , from about . com . a very basic care sheet .
the hissing cockroach is one of the largest species of cockroach , reaching 2–4 inches at maturity .
madagascar hissing cockroaches kingdom the madagascar hissing cockroaches kingdom is animalia what they eat associations with other animals gromphadorholaelaps schaeferi , is a parasite that lives on some of the cockroaches back and steals some of its food . the mites are not harmful though . location madagascar hissing cockroaches are found on the island of madagascar , of the african mainland . madagascar hissing cock roaches are herbivores so they only eat plant , fruits , vegetables , and rotting plants .
the madagascar hissing cockroach ( gromphadorhina portentosa ) has become popular as a pet and as an educational tool in classrooms , zoos , and museums .
if you think lizards and snakes are too cuddly , you might love the madagascar hissing cockroach , possibly the weirdest pet i’ve ever heard of .
the madagascar hissing cockroach is a large , wingless cockroach from madagascar , an island off the coast of africa . little is known about its ecology , but this insect probably lives on the forest floor in rotten logs and feeds on fallen fruit . the madagascar hissing cockroach is a fascinating insect because of its unusual ability to produce sound . however , its unusual appearance and elaborate behavior also contribute to its appeal .
the madagascar hissing cockroach , is an interesting insect because of its appearance , behavior , and mode of communication . this cockroach is easily maintained and reared which makes it an ideal organism to study in the classroom .
this insect looks—and sounds—like anything but a run - of - the - mill roach . madagascar hissing cockroaches are one of many fascinating animal species to hail from the island of madagascar .
madagascar hissing cockroaches : information and care . one of the best resources out there on hissing cockroaches . excellent ideas for using hissers as teaching aids in the classroom .
as you might expect , madagascar hissing cockroaches can eat anything , but unless you are into maximum gross - out , you may want to skip the meat . instead , opt for vegetables or special food formulated for madagascar hissing cockroaches . yup , it exists .
hissing cockroaches can grow to about 3” long . you will likely notice that , unlike many of the more common types of cockroaches in the us , madagascar hissing cockroaches never develop wings .
madagascar hissing cockroaches are large , wingless , live - bearing cockroaches that may be the best starter cockroach species . they ' re relatively common , inexpensive , and very interesting additions to any collection , as well as great food items for reptiles , large tarantulas , and large centipedes . madagascar hissing cockroaches have a tough exoskeleton for protection , for they do not possess wings like many other cockroach species . they can also produce a loud hissing sound to scare away predators . madagascar hissing cockroaches generally live 2 to 3 years as adults , but some adults can live for up to 5 years . they can be raised in large numbers in a matter of months , yet are not a pest species . madagascar hissing cockroaches have been used as creepy effects in movies for many years as well . the madagascar hissing cockroach makes an amazing , exotic , and easy - to - care for insect pet !
madagascar hissing cockroaches live in forests on the island of madagascar . they are herbivores . they live in hollow logs and scavenge amid the leaf litter and rotting wood of the forest floor for food like fallen fruit .
there are around 4500 species of cockroach . just a few are kept as pets or feeder insects . the most common cockroach species bred as feeder insects are the dubia cockroach ( blaptica dubia ) , the red runner roach ( blatta lateralis ) and the green bananna roach ( panchlora nivea ) . the most common cockroach species that are kept as pets are the madagascar hissing cockroach ( gromphadorhina portentosa ) , the death’s head roach ( blaberus craniifer ) and the indian domino cockroach ( therea petiveriana ) .
new research shows that male madagascar hissing cockroaches with smaller horns—which they use in battle over females—compensate with larger testicles that may help them fertilize females .
in case you were wondering how this wingless cockroach got its name , it’s because the hissing is real : the insects force gas through their breathing pores to create a hissing or growling sound .
references : pueblo zoo notes ; insects and spiders , eleanor graves , editor ; wikipedia ; carolina biological supply co . ; unl entomology ; the madagascan giant hissing cockroach web site ; madagascar hissing cockroach care sheet ; excerpt from the poem
archy declares war
from
the lives and times of archy & mehitabel ,
by don marquis .
hissing cockroaches are from the island of madagascar , where they live in a tropical / subtropical climate in rotten logs and the leaf litter on the forest floor .
hissing cockroaches ( gromphadorhina portentosa ) , also known as madagascar hissing roaches or hissers , are relatively large insects that are known for their ability to make noise and their ease of handling . hissing cockroaches make ideal insect pets , as they are easy to care for , inexpensive , and make interesting captives .
range and habitat : under leaf litter upon which they feed in the moist forests of madagascar .
the madagascar hissing cockroach , gromphadorhina portentosa , native to the large island of madagascar off the african mainland , grows up to 3 inches long at maturity , making it one of the world & apos ; s largest cockroach species . in the wild , where these wood dwellers are commonly found in downed logs , they live two to three years , but in captivity they have been known to live up to five years .
native to the island of madagascar , the hissing cockroach lives in rotting logs and is one of the largest species of roaches in the world , growing from 2 up to 4 inches long . they can’t fly , but they love to be handled .
amato and siddall offered to show a visitor some of the institute’s roaches . there were several tanks’ worth , sitting in a hallway . one tank was occupied by madagascar hissing cockroaches , which are even larger than american cockroaches and , as their name suggests , produce a curious hissing sound . the madagascar cockroaches seemed right at home on the upper west side .
the madagascar hissing cockroach even begins its life in an unusual manner . females create a cocoon - like egg case called an ootheca and carry their eggs ( and neonatal nymphs ) inside their bodies . they then bear living young—as many as 60 nymph roaches .
allergists , teachers , parents , and patients should be aware that sensitization and allergic reactions to the madagascar hissing cockroach can occur . caution should be taken if these exotic cockroaches are used in educational exercises in schools , museums , and zoos to protect predisposed individuals .
the tiny organisms crawling on your hissing cockroach aren’t bugs at all ; they’re tiny mites . these mites will not leave the cockroach’s body . they help to keep it clean by consuming any saliva or organic matter that may build up on its surface . this helps to prevent mold or fungus growth on the cockroach’s body .
hissing is also part of the cockroach ' s mating ritual , and can be used as an effective alarm cry . most insects that make noise do so by rubbing their body parts together or by employing vibrating membranes . madagascar hissing cockroaches , however , exhale air through their breathing holes . this audible use of the respiratory system is far more common in vertebrates .
sera from cockroach - sensitive individuals and control subjects were used to probe immunoblots for the presence of circulating ige that bound to proteins present in extracts of 4 cockroach species .
the madagascar hissing cockroach is one of the most widely recognized exotic insects because of its large size and dynamic behavior . a staple in science museums and classrooms , it never fails to attract a crowd . if you have ever wanted to know more about this fascinating insect , keep reading .
while madagascar hissing cockroaches cannot hurt you , students should be aware of the tiny spines on their legs that can cause an often unexpected tickling sensation when holding the insects . these spines help the cockroach cling to different surfaces and offer some protection from predators . they will not harm you .
despite its fearsome title , the madagascar hissing cockroach , which its human fans describe as hardy , docile , and easy to handle , actually fits that description to a t . the easygoing nature of these survivors makes them well suited to those who are beginners at caring for exotic insect pets .
science channel ( usa , 2008 ) cockroach controlled mobile robot from garnet hertz on vimeo .
although they make loud hissing sounds , these cockroaches aren’t aggressive and won’t bite . by :
like 99 percent of all cockroach species , madagascar hissing cockroaches are not pests and do not inhabit human dwellings . these insects live on forest floors , where they hide amidst leaf litter , logs , and other detritus . at night , they become more active and scavenge for meals , feeding primarily on fruit or plant materials .
madagascar hissing cockroaches , or
hissers ,
are dark reddish brown to black , with a hard exoskeleton and , unlike most cockroaches , no wings . these wingless wonders compensate by being excellent , determined climbers who can even scale glass walls . they are one of about 20 species of large cockroaches on madagascar , many of which are kept as exotic pets .
many insects lay eggs , but female madagascar hissing cockroaches create a cocoon - like egg case called an ootheca and carry the eggs ( and neonatal nymphs ) inside their bodies . they then bear up to 60 living young , called nymphs .
case , j . f . : the median nerves and cockroach spiracular function . j . insect physiol .
3 . they tend not to possess the universal cockroach baggage : harmful bacteria , viruses , or worms .
the zoo ' s hissing cockroaches live in the insect zoo . they are fed a diet of fruit .
they are from the island of madagascar off the african coast , where they can be found in rotting logs , leaf litter , and other detritus .
most people kill cockroaches on sight . in 2006 , six flags amusement parks granted unlimited line - jumping privileges to anyone who could eat a live madagascan giant hissing cockroach . ( the record was 36 in one minute ! )
the giant madagascar cockroach , gromphadorhina portentosa , hisses by expelling air from a pair of specialized abdominal spiracles . the anatomy and innervation of serially homologous respiratory and sound - producing spiracles were compared in order to determine the evolutionary steps by which a new behavior has developed .
8 . tape record a male hissing , replay it for a female , and watch her body palpitate with excitement .
hissing cockroaches typically live 2 - 3 years , but can live up to 4 or 5 years with excellent care .
the madagascar cockroach has become characterized by its hissing sound , large size , and appearance . in this insect , sound is produced by forcibly expelling air through a pair of modified abdominal spiracles . spiracles are breathing pores which are part of the respiratory system of insects . because the spiracles are involved in respiration , this method of sound production is more typical of the respiratory sound made by the vertebrates .
some might think this is the grossest pet ever , but many people consider this large , hissing insect their love bug . if you can get past the idea of keeping a cockroach on purpose , you might realize these hissers actually make really good pets . they don ' t fly or bite , and the hissing sound they make is pretty cool , too .
cockroach : yes , you can eat cockroaches ! just not the ones you find around your house . contrary to popular belief , cockroaches can actually be very clean and tasty insects , especially if they are fed on fresh fruits and vegetables . they can be eaten toasted , fried , sauteed , or boiled . madagascar hissing cockroaches have a taste and texture like greasy chicken . ( image via shoichi uchiyama . )
the cockroach is placed on top of a modified trackball - a computer - mouse - type device - that is hooked up to some electronics . the cockroach is held gently in place above the ball so that when the cockroach moves it makes the ball spin : a little bit like a two - dimensional treadmill . the electronics ( optical encoders ) within the trackball send out small electrical pulses to some electronics that make the motors move in a similar direction to where the cockroach is moving on the ball .
to determine whether proteins in g . portentosa are allergens and whether these allergens cross - react with those of other cockroach species .
artbots 2005 dublin , ireland ( cockroach controlled mobile robot # 2 ) from garnet hertz on vimeo . video by markus lerner - urltoken
to determine your hissing cockroach’s sex , first look at its prothorax . the prothorax is the dark , rounded region covering the head on the cockroach’s dorsal surface . if there are 2 large lumps , or tubercles , you have a male . if the prothorax is smooth and lacks the hornlike tubercles , you have a female . note that some males have very pronounced tubercles , while others do not .
hissing cockroaches hiss for several reasons . the most common reason is that the cockroach has been disturbed . it then hisses to scare away whatever organism disturbed it . this disturbance hiss is performed by both males and females . hissing is also used as a form of communication among male cockroaches within a colony . the frequency and tone of the hiss differs based on whether the male is dominant , subordinate , or ranked somewhere in between . males also use hissing to attract females or to engage other interested males in battle over a female .
rather than having a nose with only one pair of nostrils , insects have many pairs of spiracles along their body surface . when the hissing cockroach quickly forces air out of these spiracles , it creates a hissing sound . you can do something very similar . try forcibly pushing air from your nostrils . did you hear a sound ? just imagine what that would sound like if you had multiple pairs of nostrils !
while rare , it’s important to note that the development of an allergic sensitivity to cockroaches , including the madagascar hissing cockroach , is possible . if you or your students exhibit any allergy symptoms ( breathing difficulties , rash ) when around or handling the cockroaches , discontinue all contact with the insects . this sensitivity can worsen with continued exposure . all individuals should wash their hands with soap and water after handling the cockroaches , even if no allergic sensitivity is noted .
miller , p . l . : spatial and temporal changes in the coupling of cockroach spiracles to ventilation . j . exp . biol .
siddall noted that the roaches new yorkers encounter are often german cockroaches— blattella germanica —rather than american ones . the german cockroach is thought to have originated in southeast asia . in germany , it is known as the russian cockroach . the american cockroach , meanwhile , is native to africa , and is sometimes referred to as the bombay canary . this cosmopolitanism is presumably one reason that the cockroach lineage has endured , and that it is likely to keep on doing so long after the museum , new york , and all its raid - toting inhabitants are gone . ♦
orf radio - gelinda lang - cockroach controlled mobile robot 2 . 6m mp3 audio file ( interview broadcast on orf from ars electronica 2005 ) .
no . the cockroach is temporarily put into position at the driver ' s seat of the robot , and is removed after the demonstration is done . the cockroach typically stays on the robot for about 10 to 20 minutes , and then is removed and is returned to its terrarium home .
from
archy declares war
by don marquis , this poem reflects the rage of one cockroach at the eternal war between humans and cockroaches .
be sure to provide your hissing cockroaches with a dark place to hide . this could be a paper towel roll , an overturned paper egg crate , or a hollowed - out log . hissing cockroaches prefer dark environments . because of this , we recommend not placing your cockroaches in front of a window .
hissing cockroaches have a pair of modified spiracles ( the tubes insects use for breathing ) that they use to produce the hissing sound that inspired their name . they will hiss when disturbed and males hiss when courting females . sometimes a whole colony will hiss in unison , for reasons that are unclear to us .
cockroach controlled mobile robot
is an experimental robotic system that translates the bodily movements of a living , organic insect into the physical locomotion of a three - wheeled robot . distance sensors at the front of the robot also provide navigation feedback to the cockroach , striving to create a pseudo - intelligent system with the cockroach as the cpu . this project is motivated by three key concepts : 1 . biomimetics , 2 . the cyborg , and 3 . the computational / biological .
your pet cockroach needs a small living space , preferably a fish tank topped with a screen . they like to climb and will escape pens that aren’t secure .
chieftain file photo — they may be considered creepy by many , but madagascan hissing cockroaches , like these on display at the pueblo zoo , are beneficial to mankind .
the cockroach is held in place with a piece of velcro . there is a small patch of velcro on the cockroach ' s back ( cuticle ) and a matching piece on the robot . the piece of velcro on the cockroach is held in place with cyanoacrylate adhesive , and is cut in sections to not interfere with normal daily life , mobility or body flexion . the cuticle on the back of the insect is like your fingernail , and having two small pieces of velcro affixed to the back of the insect appears to have no adverse effects to its quality of life . it is important to note that the cockroach is not bolted or surgically affixed on top the trackball .
the life cycle of the madagascar hissing cockroach is long and differs some from most other cockroaches . females are ovoviparous , that is , they give birth to live young . the female carries the egg and neonate nymphs for approximately 60 days until they emerge as first instar nymphs . one female can produce as many as 30 - 60 nymphs . this insect has an incomplete life cycle : egg , nymphs and adult stage . the nymphs undergo 6 molts before reaching maturity in 7 months . the nymphs and adults are wingless and can live for 2 to 5 years .
on the pages about the specific species of cockroach you can find all about taking care of that species . here is just some quick info about keeping cockroaches as pets .
hissing : produced as described above , after the fourth molting . they hiss when disturbed , frightened or as a prelude to fighting . males hiss more often than females .
. the insect has no wings , moves relatively slowly and grows to a length of 5 to 8 cm . the lifespan of the insect in between two to five years . the females give birth to live nymphs ( 20 - 60 ) after 60 days of gestation , and they reach full maturity at 7 months . the insect is native to madagascar , and leaf litter on the forest floor is its native habitat . madagascan hissing cockroaches emit a loud hissing sound when agitated : it does this by forcing air out of a pair of modified spiracles in its abdomen .
october 16th 2008 - the cockroach controlled mobile robot was demonstrated at the university of southern california for steve anderson ' s interactive media class on thursday , october 16th 2008 in the ron howard screening room of the robert zemeckis center for digital arts . steve anderson made a brief blog post about the demo :
mechanical cockroach stalks zemeckis center .
while many insects use sound , the madagascar hissing cockroach has a unique way of producing its hisses . in this insect , sound is produced by forcibly expelling air through a pair of modified abdominal spiracles . spiracles are breathing pores which are part of the respiratory system of insects . because the spiracles are involved in respiration , this method of sound production is more typical of the respiratory sound made by the vertebrates . in contrast , most other insects produce sound by rubbing body parts ( e . g . crickets ) or vibrating a membrane ( e . g . cicadas ) .
no ! hissing cockroaches have chewing mouthparts , but they are not strong enough to chew your finger . also , these insects are extremely docile and not aggressive toward humans . the cockroach’s head is tucked under its body in a defensive rather than aggressive position . you can compare this with aggressive insects like stag beetles , whose heads are oriented facing forward .
gromphadorhina portentosa hissing and exploring , some nice close - ups in the video , as far as my amateur camera can handle , enjoy ! my tarantulas : urltoken . . .
although they usually do this when they’re irritated , hissing cockroaches aren’t aggressive and won’t bite you . in fact , because they are so gentle , they make great classroom pets .
vyskytujú sa dve odlišné formy a to svetlé a tmavšie . sú dlhý asi od 5 do 7 cm . obidve pohlavia majú tŕnité nohy . ich farba sa prelína od čiernej po svetlo hnedú . obe pohlavia dokážu vydávať sykavý zvuk a to vypúštaním vzduchu z vzdušníc a tým dosť hlasno syčia pri vyrušení . ( ang - also known as the hissing roach or simply hisser , is one of the largest species of cockroach , reaching 2 - - 4 inches at maturity . they are from the island of madagascar off the african coast , where they can be found in rotting logs . - wiki )
cockroach controlled mobile robot won the xxv oscar signorini prize in december 2008 . for more information , see urltoken . as a part of this , documentation of cockroach controlled mobile robot was exhibited between december 16th and 22nd 2008 in the d ' ars studio in milan , italy . a solo exhibition at the d ' ars studio in milan is forthcoming in 2009 .
npr weekend edition sunday - technology - studying robotics with a ' roach coach ' - june 12 , 2005 . listen to the radio piece at : urltoken , the story can be seen at urltoken . liane hansen , host : on the university of california , irvine , campus , graduate student garnet hertz has been hard at work on a new robot design , but there ' s a bug in the system , literally . hertz has velcroed a madagascar hissing cockroach over a modified track ball that allows the insect to control a high - tech robot rover . garnet hertz joins us on the line .
being tropical creatures , hissing cockroaches are most at home when they & apos ; re kept at a bit above room temperature ; they tolerate temperatures of 75–90℉ ( 24–32℃ ) well .
mr . darcy is an active , aggressive , and enormous hisser ! he spends a good part of his day hissing , roaming about the cage , and pushing his roomie around . i can hear him hissing all the way in the next room ! he entertains me to no end . and this is his equally large roomie , elizabeth ( who else ? ) :
hissing cockroaches can be sexed at a much younger age by looking at their rear from underneath . males have 3 smaller segments at the rear of their abdomen , while females have one .
hi dragonflywoman i have a question , i got a hissing roach today how can i make it get use to me ? he is scare of me . so is true they dont bite ?
yes . this work is directly inspired by scientific research in biorobotics : in particular the remote - controlled cockroach work at the shimoyama lab at the university of tokyo in collaboration with raphael holzer . within this project , the team was attempting to control the movement of a cockroach by implanting electrodes into their antennae . an associated press story that gives an overview of the research can be found at
control : a cockroach was placed atop a modified computer trackball in a special harness . as the insect moved , electrical pulses from the trackball were sent to a circuit that made two motors move .
it is important to note that hissing cockroaches are not structural pests , meaning that they will not infest your house or classroom should they escape their habitat ; however , they should never intentionally be released .
at some moments , it appears as if the cockroach is
adapting in
to the system . in other words , behaving in a way that would indicate that it thinks that the robot control system is
real
. there are other times that it appears the cockroach couldn ' t care less about the lights shining toward it and seems to enjoy driving the robot directly into walls at full speed .
serum from an individual sensitized to g portentosa had circulating ige that bound to proteins in extracts of all 4 cockroach species . eight of 15 blatella germanica - sensitized patients had ige that bound to proteins in extracts prepared from g portentosa . rabbit antiserum to periplaneta americana and to bla g 1 also contained antibody that bound to proteins in g . portentosa extract , demonstrating antigenic cross - reactivity among these cockroach species .
the lights encircle the front of the insect , and are designed to help the cockroach navigate the object away from obstacles . in theory , cockroaches don ' t like light : as you may know , cockroaches scuttle quickly underneath the refrigerator if the light is turned on when you catch them in your kitchen at night . the lights around the front of the cockroach control center are each hooked up to a distance sensor . as the robot approaches a wall , for example , the distance sensor will detect that something is close , and will send electricity to the light . the light will turn on , and will alert the cockroach before it crashes into the wall . the idea is that the cockroach will want to scuttle into a
dark
under - the - fridge - type region , and therefore steer the robot into a clear space .
this version kept the frame , rear wheel , cockroach harness , distance sensors and d200 motor controllers , but replaced the light - feedback display , drivetrain , wheels and axles . this work was done in august 2005 .
16 . they’re more or less unchanged in 365 million years . as the cockroach archy ( of archy and mehitabel fame ) said to the reader : “after all we were around when you were only a whatsis . ”
hissing cockroaches are fine at room temperature , but will grow and breed much faster if kept warmer , up to 95f . you may wish to use a heat pad or heat lamp in order to provide them with warmth .
during normal respiration the output of these 4 units had similar phase relationships in all abdominal spiracles which were examined ; lower firing rates in the motoneurons innervating the hissing spiracles rendered these nonfunctional during normal respiration ( fig . 9 ) .
a few years ago , one of my insect behavior lab students did his independent project using madagascar hissing cockroaches . then he left them with me because his mom was “definitely not going to be okay with having them in her house all summer . ” i hadn’t ever cared for hissers , and suddenly i had a dozen of them . i was determined to keep them alive , however , so i bumbled my way through the first few weeks and eventually gave all but 2 away . the last two have been my pets ever since .
feedback : four distance sensors were positioned at the front of the robot to detect potential obstacles . when a sensor was within a close proximity of an object , a bright light would shine toward the insect from the direction of the obstacle . this was designed to work with a cockroach ' s natural instinct to scurry toward dark places : seeing the light , the cockroach would hopefully turn toward the dark , and in turn , turn the robot away from the obstacle .
feedback : eight distance sensors were positioned at the front of the robot to detect potential obstacles . when a sensor was within a close proximity of an object , several bright lights would shine toward the insect from the direction of the obstacle . this was designed to work with a cockroach ' s natural instinct to scurry toward dark places : seeing the light , the cockroach would hopefully turn toward the dark , and in turn , turn the robot away from the obstacle .
hissing cockroaches will grow throughout their lives , and shed their exoskeleton when they do so . young roaches will shed much more frequently than older animals . after your pet hisser sheds , it will be soft and white for several hours .
cockroach experts recommend coating the top few inches of their enclosure with vaseline , which will prevent them from climbing to the top . make sure to give them a nice hiding place . add small , vertical tree branches so they can climb around .
no—you should not release hissing cockroaches into the wild . they are not native to the united states ; releasing them could upset your local ecosystem . hissing cockroaches are extremely low maintenance , so sustaining the colony during summer or winter break is as easy as providing them with some extra food and water and checking the supply once a week . be sure to monitor sanitation within the habitat and exchange the egg cartons , paper towel rolls , or cotton balls / wick with fresh replacements as needed .
they hiss when threatened by a predator , to sound an alarm for other roaches in their colony or during male cockroach fights . small holes called spiracles on their backs are used for breathing . if they force air out of the spiracle quickly , it makes the hissing sound . this audible use of the respiratory system is more common in vertebrates ( as when humans emit a heavy , noisy sigh ) . most insects that make noise do so by rubbing body parts together or by vibrating membranes .
thank you for this very enjoyable post and info ! i recently bought a hisser and was worried about the stress i might be causing him when he hisses but knowing that one of yours is hissing all the time and is very hardy gave me comfort .
control : a cockroach was placed atop a modified computer trackball in a special harness . as the insect moved , electrical pulses from the trackball were sent to a circuit that made the two drivemotors move in forward or reverse . tecel d200 motor controllers were used .
hissing cockroaches start life as 1 / 4″ nymphs ( baby roaches ) , and can reach adult size at 5 - 6 months of age under the proper conditions . large adult males may measure up to 4 inches in length , and weigh almost an ounce !
well , you put a male and a female together and . . . they have babies ! there really is not much to breeding hissing cockroaches . hissers can reach sexual maturity at 3 months of age , although 5 - 6 months is more typical . just make sure you have both sexes ( males have much more pronounced ‘horns’ than females – pictured below ) , and give them time . a female will have up to 3 litters a year , with each litter consisting of 2 - 3 dozen little nymphs . the female hold eggs inside her body until they hatch , about 60 days after the hissing cockroaches mate . josh’s frogs recommend keeping hissing cockroaches warmer ( 80f – 90f ) if you wish to breed them . with older animals , males typically display prominent horns on their head .
cockroach controlled mobile robot won honorable mention at vida 9 . 0 art & artificial life international competition ( madrid , spain ) in 2006 and won the xxv oscar signorini prize ( milan , italy ) in 2008 . for more information on the oscar signorini prize , see urltoken
cockroach controlled mobile robot # 3 was demonstrated in conjunction with the ieee international conference on sensors on tuesday november 1st 2005 . the ieee ( institute of electrical and electronics engineers ) conference was at uci , with demos occuring at the california institute of telecommunications and information technology .
at josh’s frogs , we use coconut fiber , kept slightly damp , as a substrate . we also provide a piece of cork as a hide and climbing obstacle for the roaches . coupled with a small food and water bowl , your hissing cockroaches are sure to thrive !
feedback : eight distance sensors were positioned at the front of the robot to detect potential obstacles . when a sensor was within a close proximity of an object , several bright lights would shine toward the insect from the direction of the obstacle . this was designed to work with a cockroach ' s natural instinct to scurry toward dark places : seeing the light , the cockroach would hopefully turn toward the dark , and in turn , turn the robot away from the obstacle . version # 3 featured large - ish green led panel - blocks as a display for the insect .
control : a cockroach was placed atop a modified computer trackball in a special harness . as the insect moved , electrical pulses from the trackball were sent to a circuit that made the two drivemotors move in forward or reverse . tecel d200 motor controllers were used . ( same at v2 )
hissing cockroaches are very easy to house – they certainly do not need much room ! 1 - 2 hissers can be housed in something as small as a 1 / 2 gallon container , as long as it has adequate ventilation . a group of hissing cockroaches should be housed in a 10 gallon or large habitat . a screen top is a must , in order to prevent escapes – these roaches can easily climb glass . some may prefer to place a layer of petroleum jelly along the top inside rim of the enclosure , to keep the hissers from reaching the top .
a 10 - to 15 - gallon fish tank will house several madagascar hissing cockroaches comfortably . use a secure mesh lid ; test it to make sure your determined climbers can & apos ; t get out and double down by applying a thick coating of petroleum jelly to the first few inches of their habitat . aspen wood shavings , 1–2 inches deep , are a suitable substrate for hissers , who don & apos ; t like cedar or pine . provide some hiding places because hissers do not like the light ; they will be happy with hiding places as simple as cardboard rolls from toilet paper , pieces of cardboard egg cartons , cork bark , driftwood , and small cardboard boxes .
now my gigantic male , mr . rochester… he hisses at everyone and everything . i’ll be working in my office at home and he’ll be hissing up a storm because one of the gals in his harem has stepped onto the wrong part of the log or something . that is one crabby roach !
just an awesome site ! love it ! i love trying new things , but wonder if anyone would really eat the american cockroach – those have such an off - putting odor . i ate some of their fecal pellets and chewed into one by accident and could not imagine ever willingly putting them in my mouth .
the aggressive encounters between males are quite impressive . males ram into each other with their horns and / or they push each other with their abdomens . larger males usually win . hissing plays an important role during male - male inter - actions . winners of encounters hiss more than losers . the hisses of males also contain information about the size of the male hissing and may be used to assess the opponent ' s size . males can also discriminate among the hisses of familiar males and strangers . these hisses are audible and can be heard by observers . although this species is primarily nocturnal , you can see males fighting during the day .
i’ve always considered small land tortoises the perfect pet , and for many of the same reasons you list for the hissing cockroach . my parents let me take mine along on a camping trip we made around lake superior in 1966 and it was good company and completely happy being placed in a patch of sweet grass or clover to graze once a day or so . i’m not sure my mother would have put up with a cockroach , although she sometimes surprised me with her acceptance of things strange . she didn’t mind the tree frog i had while living in florida ( that ended up crawling into an electrical outlet and getting fried ) , but the stinging caterpillars that stayed on the castor bean plant near the back porch weren’t welcome for long once she’d brushed against them with a bare arm . your gromphadorhina portentosa is all too similar in looks to the “palmetto bugs” that invaded our house at night , which were never tolerated . each to his / her own , though .
this question is best answered by first explaining insect respiration . when humans inhale and exhale , air passes through the nostrils or mouth . insects do not have nostrils ( or a nose for that matter ! ) , so how do they breathe ? if you look along the edges of the dorsal surface of a hissing cockroach’s abdomen , you will notice a pair of tiny , dark circles on each segment . if you were to look at these darkened areas under a microscope , you would see tiny openings in the insect’s exoskeleton , or hardened body surface . these openings are the spiracles . it is through these openings that air enters and exits the insect’s body .
although hissing plays an important role in colony hierachy and courtship interactions , it is the disturbance hisses that most people are familiar with . adult males , adult females , and older nymphs hiss when disturbed or handled . this hiss is very loud and easily heard . this is the only type of hiss produced by females and nymphs .
few of us have ever considered keeping a cockroach as a pet . it seems anathema from the perspective of anyone who likes to snuggle with a soft , furry animal . yet , there are people who find cockroaches fascinating , and there are species of sweet - natured cockroaches who don & apos ; t mind humans petting their brittle exoskeleton .
i have 6 madagascar hissing cockroaches , i got them after having a snake that was awesome , a newt that starved himself to death and then another snake that starved its self to death as well . i got the idea to get these wonderfully entertaining species after i heard that they are happy eating nearly any type of food and don’t care if it has mold or something on it . i am happy to say i have 6 mhc’s but there are a few that look pregnant . pretty exited to see the baby roaches ! i have seen them “getting busy” before so i know that they are going to just keep on having roaches . : ) i love them to death but since they all look the same except the female and male differences i have decided not to name them unless there is something i can stick on their shell or something .
this system was completely redesigned and rebuilt from the ground up in spring 2005 . it operated on many of the same principles as version # 1 . this version had a new frame that could easily disassemble , aluminum
mag
wheels , better drive system , could go in reverse , had a new harness for the cockroach , and had double the feedback resolution .
biomimetics is an approach to technological development that looks toward living , organic systems as a source of technical inspiration . specifically within the field of robotics , cockroaches are admired and used as models for navigation logic and the physical construction of mobile robotic systems . instead of using a model of an insect ,
cockroach controlled mobile robot
inverts biomimetics by using the real thing .
i love my hissing roaches ! they have been great pets . mine like to sit on top of their harborage as well , i believe the males do this to defend their territory . the females and nymphs tend to congregate around the male , but as soon as another male comes along , battle ensues . it’s very entertaining ! ( the males don’t hurt each other though )
a couple of years ago , amato and his colleagues at the sackler institute set out to sequence the genome of the american cockroach , periplaneta americana . the work is part of a larger project to explore the genetics of long - lived lineages , or so - called “living fossils . ” ( other living fossils whose genomes the team is working on are the bedbug , cimex lectularius , and the european leech , hirudo medicinalis . ) the first of these genomes is about to be published , and so the other day amato and a few of his colleagues gathered to chat about the project . someone had brought a plastic cockroach , which , though obviously fake , still struck a visitor as repulsive . someone else had brought along two vials of ground - up leeches .
i actually gave my daughter a couple when she was about twelve , my husband was horrified ! they were quite easy to keep and lived in a plastic box just like yours . i fed them vegetables and dog food etc . they were both very hissy and she liked to handle them , nobody but us would even touch them . they just couldn’t get beyond that cockroach aura !
cockroaches occur in all continents ( except antarctica ) and almost all countries . this means their habitat is also very diverse ; some cockroach species live in humid conditions , dry conditions , hot places , cold places etc . most species that are kept as pets live in humid environments in the tropics . these cockroaches are usually really big and easy to keep , which contributes to their popularity .
completely harmless to humans , no one finds them in their homes ; they are not adapted to cohabitating with us . of 3 , 500 known cockroach species , only about six species - less than 1 percent - have
negative associations with humans .
some people even encrust hissers with swarovski crystals and wear them as necklaces . others keep them as pets , or as classroom teaching aids .
these
living fossils
have changed little in 250 million years . since long before the dinosaurs , most cockroach species have benefited the world by devouring the detritus littering forest floors . without them , we ' d be wading in a worldwide compost heap . they also supply high - protein nutrition for countless other birds and animals , many of which are much - loved by our own species .
gwen pearson , a texas entomologist , has reared 5 broods of hissing cockroaches using a kenl - ration meaty chunks and rat chow mix . her roaches won ' t eat any other type of dog food . she says her roaches like apples and bananas , but don ' t like spinach or lettuce , although they will eat other greens . she uses a sponge in a petri dish as her water source .
hissing cockroaches eat decaying organic matter in nature . they survive well on a diet of fresh apple slices , vegetable slices , or even dry dog or cat food . always be sure to provide the cockroaches with water , but never in an open container , as they could drown in it . instead , soak a few cotton balls in water and place them in a bottle cap or other waterproof surface within the habitat .
yes ! hissing cockroaches are excellent organisms to keep in the classroom . they are easy and inexpensive to maintain , have a longer life span than many other insects , and provide students with the opportunity to learn through firsthand observation about insects , life cycles , and animal behavior . additionally , the cockroaches are safe to handle . you may even notice that your cockroaches emit the disturbance hiss less frequently the more they’re handled .
cockroaches are survivors . they , or their roachlike ancestors , have been around since the carboniferous period , which means that they’ve crawled through not just one or two but three major mass extinctions . for the past two hundred million years , the cockroach body plan has remained essentially unchanged . this means that the roaches that scurried under the dinosaurs of mongolia looked pretty much the same as the ones now scurrying under the dumpsters of manhattan .
cockroaches are part of the hemimetabola insect group ; they have an incomplete metamorphosis . newborn cockroach nymphs look exactly like adult cockroaches , with a few small differences ( e . g . the absence of wings ) . these nymphs shed their skin ( molt ) every few weeks into a bigger nymphal stage . newborn nymphs are called l1 nymphs , the next molt l2 and so on until they are adult . adults can be recognized by their wings ; nymphs do not have wings while adults do . some species never develop wings , also not when adult . the eggs of cockroaches are located in egg - sacks called ootheca . these ootheca are made of a type of foam to protect the eggs . some species of cockroach drop these ootheca to the ground , others glue them on a chosen spot and yet others keep the ootheca inside their body until the nymphs hatch .
your cockroaches need a terrarium or enclosure which is safe , escape proof and big enough . young cockroach nymphs can escape through the smallest cracks because their body is really flat . sliding doors commonly used in terraria have an open space between the doors where young cockroaches can escape through . some cockroach species can walk onto vertical glass or plastic while others can not . some species can fly . be sure to check what your species of choice is capable of to provide it with an escape - proof enclosure . the size of the tank depends on how many roaches you want to keep and and on their size . generally speaking the tank should be at least 6 times bigger than the space the cockroaches occupy . in this way there is enough space for them to walk around and to get away from each other if they want to . bigger is always better . you need to provide your cockroaches with a good substrate and with hiding places . what is suitable depends on the species of cockroach you keep ; some need a moist environment while others need a dry environment . for moist environments you can generally put moist soil at the bottom of the tank . as hiding places you can provide tree bark , flat stones and wood . for dry environments you can cover the floor with oats and you can provide egg cartons or small cardboard structures as hiding places .