This Week's Nature Corner

London zoo in poetry: the lovable slender loris - audio slideshow

Poet Jo Shapcott visits the Rainforest Life zone for the first in a new series of talks by writers about animals at London zoo, and explains in poetry and prose what is so special about the rare nocturnal mammal, the slender loris. Click here.

This Week's Weather

This Week's Nature

Basking sharks enjoying the warm waters of the Pacific

In our NA2 class, we came across the expression, "to bask in the sun". This means "to expose oneself to the sun's pleasant warmth". As well as humans, there are many animals that enjoy basking in the heat; seals and lizards are but two examples. There is also a type of fish that enjoys basking in warm waters. It's called the basking shark in English - cetorrino in Spanish. Its called this because it appears to "bask" in warm waters while it's feeding at the water surface and is enjoying the warmer temperatures there. Do you like to "bask in the sun"? Do you take appropriate precautions?!

This Week's Nature

A male Sumatran rhinoceros is born in a conservation park in Indonesia. His mother, Ratu, is one of only 10 Sumatran rhinos living in captivity. Only 200 Sumatran rhinos now live in the wild in Indonesia and Malaysia. But Indonesia's forest minister Zulkifli Hasan says the birth has boosted confidence in efforts to conserve endangered species.

Source: The Guardian newspaper

This Week's Nature

A newborn clouded leopard cub being hand-fed at a US zoo.

There are some beautiful images in today's The Guardian's "Week in Wildlife". Click here to see them.

This Week's Nature

Polar bear and cub

Monday 27th February is International Polar Bear Day. To celebrate it, here is a look at the day-to-day life of those magnificent animals, as they try to acclimatise to the dwindling of their habitat.

Source: The Guardian newspaper

This Week's Nature

If you're visiting the British Isles during Carnival, watch out for the snowdrop. Despite its delicate appearance, this little flower shows its head in late winter or early spring. Sometimes, you can even see entire forest floors decorated with this herbacious plant.

This Week's Nature

Meerkats at Blair Drummond safari park, near Stirling, Scotland with an eye for a festive photo opportunity have enjoyed a taste of Christmas, with their keepers giving them stockings and baubles filled with treats … if you can call worms that. For more photos, click here.

Source: The Guardian newspaper

This Week's Nature

Iguazu Falls, Brazilian / Argentinian border

Idaira has sent us this video about the new 7 Wonders of Nature. Thank you so much!

If we were to run a competition about the 7 Natural Wonders of the Canary Islands, which places would you nominate? Why don't you send us a photo, too? (My personal choice would  be the Cola del Dragón as seen from Agaete. I remember the first time I saw it from the bus window I almost stopped breathing; I was so captivated by its beauty.)

This Week's Crime Report

They may look cute, but some of them are hardened criminals! Watch this extract from BBC One's Frozen Planet Series.  Learn about Emperor Penguins with National Geographic here (you might have to click on video and sound). What can Penguins Teach Us about Earth? is a report by ABC News. Tracking Penguins in Antartica from 400 Miles Up is a very informative video by the Wall Street Journal. And if you haven't met Cookie the Little Penguin at Cincinnati zoo, here's another chance!

This Week's Nature

There's nothing like a good tickle in the morning. Click here and you'll see why!

Source: Larry Ferlazzo's websites

This Week's Nature

Crab hiding

"Wild, and run with it" was the photographic theme for March's Guardian readers' photographic competition. Threre are some wonderful shots here.

This Week's Nature

An Iberian wolf looks up at a centre run by the Grupo Lobo association. Grupo Lobo is a non-governmental association founded in 1985 to work towards the conservation of Iberian wolves and their ecosystem in Portugal. There are an estimated 2,000 wolves on the Iberian Peninsula, of which 300 are in Portuguese territory. For more This Week In Wildlife, click here.

Source: The Guardian Newspaper

This Week's Nature

The Guardian newspaper has an especially beautiful presentation of nature photos this week. Click here.

This Week's Nature

Getting ready for St Valentine's Day? Check out this magnificent video with Sir David Attenborough to see what the Australian bowerbird does to attract his mate.

This Week's Nature Corner

The national flower of England is the rose. The flower has been adopted as England’s emblem since the time of the Wars of the Roses - civil wars (1455-1485) between the royal house of Lancaster (whose emblem was a red rose) and the royal house of York (whose emblem was a white rose).

This Week's Nature Corner



The Beaver

This large, nocturnal, semi-acquatic rodent is known for building dams, canals and lodges (homes). It is the national animal of Canada because trade in its fur played an integral part in the development of this country. Because it is famed for its industrialness, the English verb, to beaver, means to work hard and constantly.



This Week's Nature Corner

A stag with its magnificient antlers.