Welcome to the Weekend Dispatch. Here are our top finds for April 30.
A male leopard lounges on a branch in Moremi Game Reserve, Okavango Delta, Mambo Camp, Botswana. Photo by Scott Hyman | Instagram
01. Photographer pick: Scott Hyman
Canada native Scott Hyman was born with a love for wildlife and travel, but his love for photography came later in life on a family trip to Colorado where he came across some very unique wildlife prints. The images sparked a craving inside him and he wanted nothing more than to be the one on the other side of the lens, to be able to capture a similar beauty. So he purchased his first camera and never looked back.
Today, Hyman fulfills his three passions in Africa by traveling the continent in search of the best shots of its wildlife. Check out his whole portfolio at @scotthymanphoto.
Goats on and around an argan tree near Taroudannt, Morocco. Courtesy of Dromedar61 [CC by 2.0] | Wikimedia Commons
02. Article pick: Goats Really Can Climb Trees
We know mountain goats for their ability to scale up the most precipitous slopes, but they're not the only ones with a talent for climbing. with the grace of a hooved ballerina, .
In southwest Morocco where food is scarce, goats are often spotted 30 feet up in argan trees, balancing of narrow branches like hooved ballerinas. They do this to eat the fruit off the trees. People in the area can use the fruit cores to make cold-pressed oil for cooking and skin treatment, so when they are spat out or end up in goat droppings they're collected and put to good use.
This quick read is accompanied by videos so you can see this bizarre behavior yourself!
"Life on a Little Known Planet: A Biologist's View of Insects and Their World" by Howard Ensign Evans
03. Book pick: Life on a Little Known Planet
As described by E.O Wilson, insects are "the little things that run the world." They may be small and annoying, but insects do a lot more to support our ecosystems than we do. "Life on a Little Known Planet: A Biologist's View of Insects and Their World" covers everything about the world of bugs and might just convince you to squash them less and respect them more.
The book is also accompanied by amazing illustrations by Arnold Clapman. Purchase the book online here.
The green iguana is the largest species in the iguana family. Photo by Jesús Vidal | Unsplash
04. Audio pick: Is that lizard eating a doughnut?
Iguanas live all over Florida and some of us might even associate them with the state. But the giant lizards are non-native to North America, and between rapid reproduction and unique survival skills they're incredibly invasive.
This 13-minute clip discusses the history of the invasion, the disruptions it brings to the local ecosystem and how they're being controlled, and why these cold-blooded creatures are here to stay.
Fun fact: Iguanas are a food staple in South America where they are native. Their nickname is "chicken of the trees."