Simon Mustoe's Blog: Wildlife in the Balance, page 20

Seen any jumping spiders lately?

The weather has been a bit rainy lately so we couldn’t go for a swim in the bay. There’s just too much stuff floating down creek, if you know what I mean ; ) So, short of something to do this afternoon, we popped out in the garden and dug about for some jumping spiders. Have you seen any jumping spiders lately? If not, perhaps go out and take a look around.

Until Carla Bond started pointing them out to me I was, to be honest, a bit oblivious to these ‘teddy bears of the spider world’.

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Sweet in Tooth and Claw Book Review

In her latest book Kristin Ohlsen investigates the body of knowledge that describes how cooperation, not competition, has created life on Earth as we know it. I highly recommend you read Sweet in Tooth and Claw’s vibrant history of our role in nature and our understanding of our relationship with it. Here is my Sweet in Tooth and Claw book review.

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It’s hugely satisfying when you read any book that validates your own thoughts.

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Four reasons why Tiger Sharks are really important

Tiger Sharks are found throughout the world’s tropical and temperate oceans. While Great White Sharks steal the glory in terms of Hollywood, Tiger Sharks may be even more formidable. Their abundance and cosmopolitan distribution makes them a huge contributor to Earth’s ecosystems. As we lose them from our oceans we permanently damage our ability to recover our planet’s fisheries and climate. Tiger Sharks stop entire ecosystems from collapsing. Here I explore how that is the case and four reasons...

Why urbanites need access to abundant wildlife

‘Why urbanites need access to abundant wildlife’ is because the places we live are only habitable if we’re surrounded by abundant wildlife.

Conservationists are calling for  30 per cent  of the world’s land and sea to be protected by 2030. The so-called 30×30 Initiative has gained worldwide attention, especially since it’s thought that  a third of climate change problems  could be also fixed by restoring nature. 

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Banda Sea Trip Report: Blue Whales, Tiger Sharks, Spice Islands, Prehistoric Middens

Hi there, here is our Banda Sea trip report. We’ve just returned from an extraordinary 12 days exploring the region on board Pindito. This is the latest of five expeditions we’ve done since 2017.

Our trips are in the spirit of real expedition travel. We don’t have a completely fixed itinerary and, as a group, we make discoveries along the way. This is the secret to the most rewarding and memorable wildlife experiences.

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Podcast: Luke and Susie on ‘Wildlife in the Balance’

Hi there! I haven’t been in touch for a while as I’ve been in the Banda Sea with guests and friends for the last couple of weeks. More on that soon.

Meanwhile, here’s a 20 minute interview I did for Luke and Susie recently about my book ‘Wildlife in the Balance’.

Listen to this and find out why even the mosquito isn’t disposable … and when you’re being bitten, why you are simply donating blood the flowers 🤣 🤣

Here I talk about why animals matter and the incredible importance of animal life on ...

The epitome of nature: Noisy Miners

Article by Stephen Webb, published in the South Sydney Herald.

Today’s Bird of the Day, the noisy miner, was suggested by writer and ecologist Simon Mustoe, author of Wildlife in the Balance: Why Animals are Humanity’s Best Hope.

He suspects it’s a controversial choice because, despite being native to Australia, noisy miners are much maligned on account of their propensity to “take over” our urban gardens at the expense of other birds.

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Toondah proposals are unwise. Saving shorebird habitat is the only hope.

Toondah is a Ramsar Wetland that is threatened from impacts by a coastal property developer. The developers have said that because Eastern Curlews have become rare, this makes the site less important. In actual fact this is the very opposite of the legislation’s intent. This undermines biodiversity principles and even endangers the local economy. Toondah proposals are unwise. Saving shorebird habitat is the only hope left for a coastline under risk.

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Life on Mars didn’t make it to the animal stage

The relationship between animals, the climate and ecosystems has long been known. This week French scientists (Sauterey, Charnay et al. 2022) said that microbial life on Mars may have created an ice age and wiped itself out. Life on Mars didn’t make it to the animal stage though. On Earth, animals (not plants) became the reason ecosystems could exist. It was the rise of animal life that ultimately stabilised Earth’s environment which eventually led to humans.

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Octopus day: a creature with independently conscious minds

It was Octopus Day yesterday so I looked out some footage I took in 2019 of a tropical octopus. What amazing creatures? Did you know, every one of the octopus’s tentacles has an independently-sensing nervous system. A ‘brain’ if you like. This is so different from us that scientists still don’t really know how it works.

There is nothing else like it on Earth … the head seems to follow the eight arms around.

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