Category Archives: Animals

Two lined Coral Snake of Mt. Mansilawit

Posted on February 16, 2025 by Sebastian Marquez

Currently back in the motherlands. Was exploring Palawan when we came across a very pleasant surprise. Our tour guide was leading up the short (but muggy!) hike up Mt. Mansilawit outside of El Nido, when she stopped dead in her … Continue reading →

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The Luzon Giant Cloud Rat

Posted on October 28, 2024 by Sebastian Marquez

I just got back from a trip to Japan a few days ago and I was pleasantly surprised by the Kobe Animal Kingdom. It deserves a longer post on it’s own but for now I really wanted to highlight one … Continue reading →

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`O`opu of Limahuli Stream

Posted on July 17, 2024 by Sebastian Marquez

For as much as Hawai`i is known for rainforests and waterfalls, freshwater streams seem surprisingly depauperate compared to continental ecosystems. They like many other native Hawaiian habitats are imperilled, making this encounter with a fairly healthy stream with native fish … Continue reading →

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Grackles and spectres of Ole Owyhee

Posted on June 27, 2024 by Sebastian Marquez

Many species of grackles (Qusicalus spp) have adapted fairly well to the human landscape. I came across them in large numbers in and around San Antonio a few years back. Here on my trip to Puerto Rico it was no … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Pinao

Posted on March 29, 2024 by Sebastian Marquez

Hawaiian damselflies are another neat radiation of invertebrates here in Hawai`i. They evolved to exploit some niches and habitats that aren’t readily available to them elsewhere. Most damselfly elswhere in the world are aquatic, but some occupy other niches here. … Continue reading →

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The Takahe at Zealandia

Posted on February 28, 2024 by Sebastian Marquez

Takahe (Porphyrio hochstetteri) are another member of New Zealand’s wonderful endemic avifauna. Once thought to be extinct, they are making a comeback and giving us a glimpse of a lifestyle that we don’t really associate with birds.

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Snapshot: More Cerambycid beetles

Posted on February 1, 2024 by Sebastian Marquez

I wanted to see if I could get a little bit better shots of that native cerambycid beetle I took a few weeks back. They seem to really like rotten koa trees as I rather easily found another one on … Continue reading →

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The weka of Kapiti Island

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Sebastian Marquez

In honor of Kahurangi, I will continue to talk about the other awesome birds we came across in Aotearoa. I mentioned in that post that each conservation area we went to had a different bird taxa stand out. Kapiti Island … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Short-horned longhorn beetle

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Sebastian Marquez

I can across this while randomly picking at the bark of a dead koa tree. It’s a native cerambycid beetle (Parandra puncticeps). I thought it was interesting even though it’s part of the longhorn beetle radiation, it has short antennae. … Continue reading →

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MAPA1: A most stubborn individual

Posted on December 27, 2023 by Sebastian Marquez

One lone bird flies back to its home range on the other side of a volcano. Seems straightforward enough. Animals making their way back home after an arduous journey are typically feel-good stories that are sometimes made into movies. Homeward … Continue reading →

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