Field Blog

Tanzania: The Ukaguru Report

Friday, Mar 15, 2019 by Christoph Liedtke filed work, tanzania

Background “There was something deep under the bark of this tree… I couldn’t believe I even spotted it”. This is how Michele Menegon described his encounter with the Beautiful Forest Toad, some fifteen years ago, only two years after it was even discovered. And that was probably the last anyone (at least anyone who cared) saw it. In a time when the news seems to paint a bleak picture for what’s in store for biodiversity on our planet, rediscoveries of creatures thought extinct shine through like the feel-good stories we need right now.

Malawi: The Golden Squeaker of Mt. Mulanje

Saturday, Nov 10, 2012 by Christoph Liedtke filed work, cameroon

Biogeographically, Malawi is interesting. We know a lot about East Africa and Southern Africa, but Malawi somehow falls in the middle, and no one is really sure whether the animals in its forests are close relatives to East African animals or Southern African animals. There is the Nyika Plateau in the north that somehow feels like it could be an extension of the Tanzanian Eastern Arc Mountain rifting, and then there is the peculiar Mulanje Massive in the south, that, rising like Inselbergs, seem to have more in common with Mozambican highlands, but do the animals that live there tell the same tale?

Cameroon: The Hunt for the Egg Frogs

Thursday, Nov 10, 2011 by Christoph Liedtke filed work, cameroon

..yes.. egg frogs. Not the most appealing name (apparently named after their oval-shaped bodies), but they are fantastic little creatures. Distributed across Central and parts of West Africa, some 15 species make up the genus Leptodactylodon. Although they are usually fairly inconspicuous, earth-toned frogs, turn them over and you will find brilliant spots and sometimes even bizarre ossifications in males that stick out of their chest. Dull, leaf-litter colours on top, bright blue spots below.

Rwanda: The Land of a Thousand Hills

Thursday, Feb 10, 2011 by Christoph Liedtke filed work, rwanda

They call Rwanda the land of a thousand hills, and they weren’t kidding…. It’s one of the smallest country in Africa (smaller even than most European countries, clocking in just behind Belgium), that unfortunately has one of the most devastating recent histories. The genocide of 1994, was one of the most brutal the modern world has seen and one the international community has to bear the cross for in many respects.

Communicating with Carpenter Bees in Kenya

Tuesday, Feb 10, 2009 by Christoph Liedtke filed work, kenya

Semiochemicals: chemicals used by organisms for the purpose of communication. Never heard of them? You certainly have, but under different names… Pheromones are in fact a type of semiochemical that are used to communicate with members of the same species. But there are more. Organisms can also communicate between species using chemical cues. Flowers for example, smell nice because they want to attract pollinators. The chemicals produced in this scenario are often called allomones because they are beneficial to the originator, but they may also act as kairomones, which are chemical cues that are beneficial for the receiver, that is, IF the flower provides a nectar reward.