Kenner's The Claw (4x4 toy monster truck) - 'It goes where it wants' (hopefully!)

If you haven't read my post re the 80s toys called Power Machines, please take a look to see why this topic is very much linked to nature and outdoor play. Inspired by my purchase of two mint Galoob Power Machines I continued research into monster trucks from the 80s/90s that can be used to inspire the imagination and genuinely handle rugged outdoor terrain. It transpires that the now defunct toy company Kenner attempted their own version of  The Animal about five years after the latter went out of production. 

It is a fascinating vehicle and as well as being equipped with proper 4x4 transmission, which is a must if you are planning on hitting the woods and seeing what it can do, it is also able to automatically split its wheels into  two parts and reveal huge, gripping claws inside the tyres. Toy makers back in the 80s and early 90s had fantastic imagination. 

I managed to track down a mint, boxed version of this vehicle (from the US) and it will accompany us and the other vehicles when we head into the garden or the great outdoors. Based on footage of the Reaction Traction (TM) mechanism, I am wagering that this machine will give Galoob's Flex a serious run for its money. Hopefully it will safely traverse the route, twixt the USA and UK, so we can find out!

Already we have been having great fun setting up obstacle courses come rain or shine (and there has been a fair bit of rain over the Christmas period). We emptied some extra gravel and bark chippings out on the lawn, in order to provide additional problems for the trucks, and then it was a case of letting them go. This vehicle will be a welcome addition to the fleet and it will be interesting to see how its abilities compare to Galoob's Power Machines. One thing is certain - it won't be mint by the time we have finished with it, but this is all about the kids enjoying outside play and getting in touch with nature. 

Check out some footage of Flex in action http://youtu.be/7WCqZ_8pOzA


edit (17/01/13): The Claw arrived and didn't work! It hit an obstacle and just sat there with the engine whirring and the wheels doing nothing. I unscrewed the top and could see the plastic gears were warped and this was either a factory dud or time is not kind to that type of plastic. I am beginning to think these toys need some usage to prevent the drive mechanism changing shape and weakening significantly over time. The seller was very understanding, however, and we got a full refund. Have to say I wasn't impressed with what I saw inside - the mechanism looked cheap and poorly constructed. I am not surprised there are very few of these left for sale. Poor show from Kenner.

Get Wild with Bill & Daisy

Bill Oddie has launched a new campaign to get children playing outside more. That is what we are all about on this blog and I am very proud of my eldest son, who appears in the campaign video. 

Check it out and find a reason to be outside more. Today the boys were presented with their Galoob Power Machines (see previous article) and we spent a good amount of time in their nanna's garden constructing assault courses out of wood, bricks, cut branches and whatever else we could find. Great fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt2uveBD2M8&feature=youtu.be

Galoob Power Machines (toy trucks with claws in their tyres!)

This may appear an odd post for a natural history blog, but bear with me and the tenuous links will be revealed! We are well and truly into the Christmas season and I couldn't help but grace our blog with a bit of nostalgia.

Back in the 80s toys were just better, come on they were. There were some really innovative models on the market - Big Trak (see pic below) was iconic and, although we didn't own one ourselves, plenty of friends had examples kicking around the house (sometimes literally being kicked) or being programmed to fall down the stairs. Great days! 

Every Saturday morning (in the ad breaks for shows like The Gummi Bears) my face would be a picture of pure joy, as a welter of tantalizing objects were set before my innocent gaze and carefully filmed to make them appear much better than the reality! 

Nothing summed up 80s innovation quite like Toy maker Galoob, however, and their flagship range was The Power Machines (see pic below). This was a set of all terrain vehicles, designed to go where no normal 4x4 could venture. We had cars with auto-expanding tyres, claws ejecting from wheels and caterpillar-esque monster trucks with 32 wheels! This was about as good as it gets......for a boy aged 6 - 11!

I mean come on people - claws that can automatically burst from tyres when the going gets tough! There was a genius at work in the Galoob design department, and they knew exactly what would sell and sell fast. My personal favourite was the mighty Flex(TM). This car rolled around on wide, low tyres and if it hit an obstacle, well don't you worry about that, oh no!, Flex had a trick up its sleeve in the form of tyres that would react to the trouble and grow five times the size. 

This miraculous event was made possible by means of a piston that retracted towards the vehicle body and, in so doing, caused the tyres to grow and reveal huge grips that laughed in the face of rocks and stones....sometimes!

The Animal (note link to Natural History theme)was another classic - if the going got tough then the Animal whipped out a set of claws and damn well pulled itself out of grief........sometimes! But hey you can't expect to beat every crazy blockade that a 9 year old child can dream up, and to be fair to the range they did have decent motors with a fair amount of power. Galoob also came up with the idea of facilitating a free wheeling mode when the power was turned off. This was really useful because most kids like to drive the vehicles around themselves whilst going 'brrrrrroooooommmmm', and here it was possible to do so without damaging the mechanics.

Ah the times my brother/friends and I spent outside setting up obstacle courses for Flex, only to be disappointed when it fell over or sailed off towards the pond, instead of the intended target. In truth Flex was all bark and little bite - the mechanism was amazing but it lacked The Animal's pull and power. They had the same six volt motor, but the claw traction helped the latter extract more from it. The Animal's design was not without flaw, however, because the auto traction would invariable cause it to topple over when climbing steep inclines. Galoob recognised this weakness and released an upgrade called The Animal Xtendor. This beast had an extra axle at the rear, which automatically extended when the vehicle began to tilt upwards. This altered the centre of gravity and made a big difference but this version is very hard to come by. 

Anyway it was one more excuse to get outside and be at one with nature (note second link to natural history) and allow us to flip rocks, build things, tear up grass and generally get muddy and have fun. There are too many R/C vehicles these days and there was something different and special about setting up a course, unleashing a vehicle, and sitting back to see what happens. Most of the typical toy shop R/C cars and trucks are so uninspiring.

That is the best thing about toys like this, they were fantastic at expanding imaginations (for about two weeks until we grew bored and moved on to something else), but those brief moments in time have etched themselves permanently into my psyche and are completely flush with the other wonderful memories I have about strolling through the woods, putting up a tent in the back garden or fishing frogs out of ponds. 

Galoob called one of Their Power Machines The Animal and marketed it amidst a cacophony of roars and snarls, as it ventured up a treacherous slope. In doing so they appreciated the fascination most young kids hold re the power of creatures and nature. We wanted to be there in the jungle, with our backpacks on and our crazy 4x4 all terrain vehicles ready to go. 

For some reason they just do not make toys like this any more and I made the mistake of showing my kids The Power Machine adverts from the 80s. You can imagine what happened next - both kids allocated them first place on this year's Christmas list. I had to explain that Father Christmas struggles to source toys that are no longer in production and a very disappointed eldest son stated he would, in the future, establish a toy company and get Flex back into production! 

Well I couldn't leave it there and so, after a lot of research, comparisons and general internet hunting, I managed to secure boxed mint versions of Flex and The Animal Swamper in time for Christmas - incredibly lucky and very expensive! The latter is basically an amphibious version of the Animal, and possesses wide flotation tyres that mean you can use it in the bath. Does it get any better than that?

It probably does get a bit better than that, to be fair, in the form of Giant Command but this monster seems to be as rare as hens teeth, and believe me there are not many decent examples of the others around. You can see a pic of Giant Command in the range advert near the top of this post. It is really hard to find decent pics of this vehicle series and Google searches suggest people are not looking for them, which is remarkable.

The Giant could be purchased in two forms - Leader 16 and Command 32, which was formed from Leader 16 and two other sections called GripIron and TurboJet. 

This was a well made toy but most parents considered the 32 wheeled version too expensive. Both options could climb well and, being geared extremely low, were able to crawl over all manner of obstacles. There was a roller at the front which was supposed to facilitate easier vertical climbing but could sometimes prove a hindrance. This was less of a problem for Command 32 because it had two motors - front and rear - and was so long that there wasn't much that would stop it powering onwards and upwards. The 3 in 1 design was not without limitations, however, because the two motors were powered independently. This meant someone could put both motorised sections in gear then forget to turn on one of them. Worse still they could put one section in reverse while the other powers forward, which puts a significant strain on both. 

Tomy released a rival in the form of Mad Masher and their Monster Machines series. It was built along the same lines - flexible chassis and 16 wheels - but I don't think it could reverse or be taken out of gear (someone correct me if I am wrong). Certainly it was a very poor relation of Giant Command, which is the greatest toy ever made in my humble opinion. Another strange aspect surrounding the marketing of Tomy's Mad Masher is that they claimed it had three 'power mad' motors. That is simply not true - it had one motor and two plastic ones that were only for show! I am not sure that would meet modern advertising standards :). 

I must not forget to include a mention on possibly the most innovative Power Machine - none other than The Cross Boss. This car carries its own bridge, yes I didn't make that up. If it hits an obstacle it lays a bridge on the ground and uses it to overcome the problem and carry on its merry way. It then hoists the bridge back into position and away we go....to the next load of books, stones or whatever has been laid twixt vehicle and final destination. It is an interesting toy but only has a 3 volt motor and low ground clearance. It can't handle tough terrain in the same way as The Animal or Giant Command. If you want proper outdoor capability then you are better off sticking with the bigger models. 

Finally does anyone remember this creation? It wasn't made by Galoob but it was one powerful machine. Bigfoot (see pic below), by Playskool, was a very handy 4x4 replica of the real monster truck and worthily tackled all manner of obstacles in the garden. This toy had real fire in its belly and was very well made. I showed my kids some footage but its lack of vehicle super powers rendered it second best to Galoob's offerings. It is probably more capable on certain terrain but the absence of expanding tyres, claws or bridges means it just doesn't score enough to make it special - not in the eyes of a child. It chewed through batteries at the rate of knots but if you are after a toy truck that can be set loose in the woods and care very little about any ditch, puddle or miniature quarry in its path, then Bigfoot is your man. That is all part of the fun, turning them loose and seeing which one is still standing at the end. I think I have just talked myself into buying one! 

It was the same with most boys' toys - set them up against each other, then sit back and marvel. My brother and I did the same with our Tomy Zoids - you turned them on and they would battle away until one had lost all its bolts and limbs. Sadly my brother's Zoidzilla was virtually indestructible and it didn't matter if I unleashed Red Horn The Terrible, Mammoth The Destroyer or Giant Zerk - they all ended up sprawled on the ground, requiring a near total rebuild. Top times!!!!


On Christmas day myself and the kids will doubtless be wrapped up warm and designing some sort of outdoor adventure for the new additions (with me ensuring the boxes are opened really carefully and then stored in the loft!). We will probably take them out to the woods and really see what they are made of, it is just another excuse to be at one with the living world around us. So you see where I am coming from - get the Power Machines in, get into the garden or out into the woods and watch those 4x4s tear into the undergrowth and open pathways for young imaginations. 

The Octonauts

It is pretty surprising that I haven't written a post on The Octonauts, considering both my children are fanatical about the series. This has to be one of the best natural history children's series on the planet and I am amazed I didn't think of it myself!

Basically the action takes place under the sea and a mother ship - the Octopod - is where the crew spend most of their time. Inside this appropriately named vessel (yes that is right it has eight legs) we find more interesting submarines like the GUP-A, GUP-E and now, in the new series, the GUP-X. 

The show features Captain Barnacles - a polar bear, Kwazii - a cat, Peso - a penguin, Dashi - a dog, Shellington - a sea otter, Tweak - a rabbit, Professor Inkling - an Octopus and a load of Vegimals, which are a sort of animal/vegetable hybrid!

The episodes introduce and reinforce the principles of team work and assistance, whilst teaching children about really interesting marine species like the Vampire Squid, Lemon Shark, Dwarf Lantern Shark, Remipedes and more. I love the way the show's creators have not shied away from tackling some really interesting denizens of the deep in favour of the more commonly seen critters. 

We all love this show and it is well worth a look if you want to get your children interested in the natural world. We were browsing toys the other day and noticed that new additions from the latest series are already gracing the shelves. My eldest was very taken by the Gup-X and I think Santa may have to deliver one this year. 

My eldest son was always very taken by marine wildlife, but this show has definitely strengthened his passion for working with creatures from the sea.  My youngest also rates this as one of his favourite shows and related a lot of what he had seen to our adventures at the seaside. 

Please read earlier posts entitled 'The Highest Tide' http://www.putdownthexbox.com/2012/04/highest-tide.html and 'The Octopus' http://www.putdownthexbox.com/2012_08_01_archive.html, which focus more on the wonder of Davy Jones's Locker!

Full marks to Meomi for conjuring up this wonderful series. 

Scrumping!

Well alright we didn't actually go scrumping (stealing apples!), but we did head out into the sticks to a beautiful orchard and pick a truck load of the tastiest apples I have ever encountered. We then paid for said apples! Increasing numbers of young children have absolutely no idea where food comes from, they are used to the supermarket providing all their requirements. A visit to a local 'pick your own' farm is a fantastic opportunity to educate youngsters on the variety of produce harvested each year. 

The rain was positively lashing down when we arrived and, unsurprisingly, we were the only ones bold enough to head into the orchard and start sizing up our apples. They were preparing to shut up shop (replace the boundary fence and prevent vehicle access), but agreed to hang on while we filled our bags to the brim. 

After stowing our pomaceous fruit in the car, we headed off down to the river for a stroll. There were deep puddles everywhere and, with the boys kitted out Norwegian style in all the latest waterproof accessories, we allowed them to splash to their hearts content. Puddles and kids are simply the best of friends. 

A couple of weeks later we headed back with some friends and picked some equally delicious fruit. This time the weather was kinder and we were able to explore the area in more detail. One of my children found a badgers sett under a tree. 

The badger, who dug this hole, knew exactly what he was doing - tonnes of fruit on tap for a good couple of months. Badger setts can run for hundreds of metres and accommodate several animals. Not many people realise that the humble Badger is the largest UK carnivore, much heavier than the average fox and adult males have been known to weigh in at 15 - 20 kilos, the biggest ever caught was as round as a beer barrel and weighed more like 30 kilos! Take a look at this clip for an idea of who is the daddy when Mr Fox meets Mr Badger http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfZkuMfQdHU 

At this time of year badgers continue to feed as much as possible to ensure they store adequate fat reserves ready for winter. Badgers don't fully hibernate, but they do sleep a lot more and during the coldest parts of winter it is rare for them to leave the sett. 

We planted a couple of small apple trees in our garden last year and they have produced a few pieces of fruit, but nothing compared to the ridiculously laden branches of the trees in this orchard. You always need two apple trees in close proximity or there is less chance of generating fruit. Apple trees (genus Malus, which means wicked in latin and seemingly someone has been reading a bit too much snow white!) will not self-pollinate but that doesn't mean you must have a pair right next to each other. Often a neighbour will have a tree or two kicking about in the garden or even in a pot on the patio, which is good enough when the insects come calling. 

I do love autumn. The multitude of falling colours signals the start of colder times, but tied up with the oranges and browns we find the sweet, sugary taste of blackberries and apples. Who doesn't like apple and blackberry crumble? Then the children have all the excitement of halloween and bonfire night, before the big one - Christmas - enters the fray. Every season is beautiful and special in a different way. 

Cunningham's skink

Many, many years ago, when I was an impetuous youth, I had the pleasure of owning a pair of rare Australian skinks. The species in my possession was Egernia cunninghami or Cunningham's skink. Only found in south eastern Australia, a country that completely prohibits the export of native fauna, these spiny-tailed beauties found their way to Europe and were captive bred during the 80s and 90s.

Skinks are a family of lizards typically characterised by large, robust heads, short necks and relatively small limbs. They often have a bulky, almost comical appearance but members of the Egernia genus tend to have slightly longer more powerful limbs, which take their appearance a touch closer to the true lizards (Lacertidae).

Cunningham's skink is not especially tame, unlike many blue tongued skinks (see pics below), but depending on the level of human interaction they do become much calmer and some individuals are happy to be picked up or fed by hand. I collected my two from a local reptile store in Streatham, London (J G Reptiles). They had been kept together for several years in the hope they were a pair, but I don't think this was the case. In hindsight they were probably both female. 

Below: Blue tongued skink doing an impression of Yoda. We like this one!

I parted with them in the end and regretted it ever since. I had long been on the look out for more examples but during the last 15+ years they have become rarer than the proverbial hens' teeth! There are almost none in the UK, they are like gold dust. You can source examples on the continent, but even they are in limited supply. 

After many hours of searching and discussing with various people, I finally located what is probably the only breeder of E.cunninghami in the UK. This species produces live young in relatively small numbers, which probably goes some way to explaining why they practically died out in the space of two decades. 

This helpful chap didn't have any babies available and when he did I was not in a position to buy. We stayed in contact, however, and he put me on the trail of two adult examples, which had been living in an out of the way reptile shop up north for the last three years (they were CB 2009). This business did not advertise stock on the internet, but in any event he had just kept them as pets in the store. One day he received a call from me and was convinced to sell. 

Now this was fortunate enough, but beyond knowing they had grown up together and always got on like a house on fire, I had no way of confirming the sexes. Skinks are notoriously difficult to sex and short of seeing the hemipenes ejected you need to observe behaviour or hope for examples with typically feminine or masculine appearances. The vendor always assumed  his  two were a pair. On arrival I sized them up and one was slightly bigger and broader in the skull and back, but not significantly. Hemipenal transillumination (effectively shining a bright LED through the base of the tail to highlight internal structures, see pic below) did not reveal any obvious hemipenes. The tails were simply too full of pigment. Besides I think this technique is extremely unreliable! The principle is shown below but I have proven it doesn't work. 

Shortly after I made this great find, I was googling for E.cunninghami and noticed a wanted advert re the same species. The individual had only just created an RFUK (Reptile Forums UK) account and this was his first post. It was a very strange coincidence as adverts re this species occur literally years apart. I contacted him asking more re the nature of his interest and established he owned a lone male and had been unable to locate a mate. After discussing reptiles for a while I advised my skinks were not for sale, but offered to purchase his. My initial offer was rebuffed but after further consideration he agreed to sell. The animal was far from cheap but I knew this was my best chance of establishing a breeding group that could potentially produce offspring the following year. This animal also had two advantages - it was definitely male (hemipenes and sperm plugs had been seen on several occasions) and was very tame, which is a significant bonus with regard to this species. 

On arrival the physical difference between this fella and the two upstairs was marked. His head was far broader and deeper; he had a chunkier appearance, thicker tail and basically looked every bit a male skink. I read a reptile book back in the early 90s, which suggested male E.cunninghami tend to have more salmon coloured spots or flecks on their throats. I haven't read this anywhere else since but it was interesting to note that on close inspection the animal in front of me had definite salmon coloured speckles on the throat. The other two had far less or none but I don't think this is an indication of gender at all. He was also a much deeper, darker black than them, but this doesn't indicate gender and just made him more attractive! He was an extremely impressive animal and worth every penny. 

So it was time to introduce him to the vivarium inhabitants - something that  must be done very carefully indeed. Skinks don't need much incentive to fight and same sexes generally fight worst of all. They will fiercely defend their territory against intruders - male vs male aggression tending to be more pronounced. Introducing adult Egernia species is very difficult and it is generally recommended to raise a colony together from a very young age. 

I carefully opened the door and, as usual, the two skinks fled towards their log hide. The large male began to taste his surroundings and immediately headed in the same direction. I watched carefully as he entered the hide and froze.........nothing for seconds, minutes even. Suddenly the top of the hide burst open as a skink exited at warp speed and stopped suddenly, held by the jaws of the new male. He had clamped on to its leg and I felt compelled to intervene. The grip was gentle enough and relinquished without fuss. I watched as he followed the skink, of sex unknown, around the tank - sniffing and tasting their body. He proceeded to nip their tail, flank and neck. It was clear this was not a merciless onslaught and also clear that the skink was not retaliating. They opened their mouth slightly but never attempted to bite him or escape. 

Things were tense in the enclosure for about a day, while the others kept a low profile and the new male established himself as group leader. He found a favourite basking spot and sleeping hide, hogged the food dish and generally put his weight about. At no time did the other skinks attack him or show a united front. Bear in mind they had lived together since birth and, with E.cunninghami being a colonial species, would be more likely to try and drive a single animal away than vice versa.

Over the coming days the other skinks came out and basked within close proximity of the new boss. Everything stayed calm. As the week progressed the others were soon basking with him (or at least underneath!). To cut a long story short – peace reigned. It truly appeared that all the skinks had accepted each other and agreed to form a group. I have heard many stories re the difficulties of introducing adult Egernia, but I had got away with it! If there are going to be problems then you see them very quickly. If an animal is under threat it does not relax and cuddle up near the warmth with an enemy.

My own theory, as to why it was almost too easy, is that the two skinks living together for three years were both female (best to be optimistic eh!).  The male had lived alone since birth (about 5 years). His initial display was sexual and designed to announce himself to the females he suddenly found in his midst. Being a colonial species he was more than happy to find others of his kind. Likewise the others knew he was male and did not feel unduly threatened as a consequence. 

Take a look at the picture above showing the definite male (right) and an unknown on the left. These two have the same SVL (snout vent length) and the difference in head size is obvious. I am told by Dr Adam Stow (Egernia cunninghami expert from Macquarie  University in Australia) that males have bigger heads than females, but it can be subtle and you often need a male and female with the same SVL for the difference to be obvious. In fact Dr Stow has a paper referencing head size under review at the moment: Hughes, C; Repaci, VP, Stow AJ. "Large male head size does not confer a reproductive advantage in the sexually dimorphic cunningham's skink". (In review). 

I have heard the reports of keepers never being able to introduce adults harmoniously and was certainly concerned by the prospect. All three skinks were sexually mature and same sexes could have caused big problems. 

Only time will tell, but the success of this introduction hopefully bodes well for the future. The reality is that they could just as easily be three males!! Let's hope that is not the case.

As an interesting aside the flighty twosome are now much more relaxed and seem to wait for signals from the new leader. He is a calm animal and can be handled with ease. It is unusual for him to flee when people approach the vivarium, so the others see no threat. Thus far his presence has been nothing but positive. 

Above: Blue mountains, south eastern Australia.

Update 09/08/2015 - All three were male. Amazing that I was lucky enough to avoid fighting but there was no point keeping them all. Two were sold (not the largest, most impressive animal,as that is my son's pet) and a definite female will arrive from Germany at the end of 2015. We will see how that goes. 

The Octopus

We have just returned from a delightful break in the South of France. The weather was a glorious 32 degrees every day and, having two young children, the days were very much a routine of breakfast, beach, lunch, swimming pool and bedtime. Some episodes of Disney's Duck Tales were discretely tucked in amongst the swimming and splashing - I am not sure who enjoyed them more, the kids or me!

We are extremely fortunate that my mother-in-law knows someone with a property near Nice. The location is perfect - panoramic sea views, a swimming pool only one minute away and a little beach at the bottom of the hill. Steps lead down to the picturesque garden, which is full of butterflies and amazing hummingbird moths. There is even a National Trust (French equivalent) walk a few minutes down the road. 

My favourite part of the holiday was our daily trip to the beach. My wife is not too keen on swimming in the sea, but I can't get enough of it. If I wasn't in the rock pools with the kids then I would be patrolling the shallows with a snorkel mask and one of the boys clinging to my neck! 

On one such expedition I was flipping rocks and seaweed, in an attempt to reveal interesting creatures, and I noticed a small stone that had been carefully placed in a nook. Ordinarily I would have thought no more about it - the stone was far too small to conceal anything interesting and the ridge did not look like it could be particularly deep. The stone sat tightly against the rock, but I was so close that I noticed the tiniest sliver of red, filtering through a minute crack.

I decided to move the stone and take a closer look, expecting to discover a sea anemone or perhaps even a sea cucumber. Instead I was greeted with a huge tentacle that quickly reached for some surrounding pebbles and tried to conceal itself from view. This was extremely exciting - I have seen Octopodes in public aquariums but never in the wild and this was a decent size. I replaced the stone and swam back to shore. Having notified Cat and the boys of my discovery, I seized the net and declared I would try and make the capture of a lifetime! 

Snorkel mask in place and green, plastic net in hand, I ventured back into the salty abyss and over to the inconspicuous stone. My eight-legged friend had been decent enough to remain in position and it was now a case of trying to entice him from his lair. There was no option but to gently prod him with the wooden handle of my net and, after about ten minutes of agitation (requiring regular trips back to the surface for air), he decided enough was enough. Tentacles stretched forth like slimy eels and a cloud of ink erupted around me. There was only open water between us and the next pile of rocks and he wanted to tip the odds in his favour with the classic cephalopod distraction technique. 

Unluckily for my new friend I am a human being and not a fish! I was prepared for this onyx cloud and, moving my net in a swift arc, managed to capture the beast. Success! 

I swam back to shore and staggered onto the nearest rocks, cutting my foot in the process, but desperate to take the prize back to my children. We placed him in a bucket and there was great excitement - not just from my family - as others on the beach crowded round to take a look at the alien from inner space. There were a couple of escape attempts, as multiple arms erupted form the plastic prison but we managed to take several lovely pictures before Todd and I carried the bucket back to the rock pools and watched this amazing animal clamber back into the water. 

Octopodes are extremely intelligent animals. In the UK it is illegal to use them in scientific experiments without a government license. They are considered honorary vertebrates and afforded protection not normally extended to animals without backbones. Opening jars, recognising patterns and shapes, even observational learning are all in a days work for laboratory  specimens.   

This experience was simply amazing. I will never forget the waves lashing me, the repeated dives back into Davy Jones' locker, and ultimately the success! As Todd proudly held the bucket aloft he declared 'no one at school has ever caught an octopus, I can't wait to show our pictures to my friends'. My brother and I spent hours in the rock pools as children but we never came close to a find like this. Magical. 

Insect Lore - Live Butterfly Garden part 2

Three butterflies emerged successfully from their transformation chambers and were set free to investigate the garden flowers. One failed to survive the intensive metamorphosis - the cocoon changing colour then starting to shrivel. That is a success rate of 60% (remembering one of the five was eaten), which isn't great, but I suspect it is not much different in the wild.

We started with a caterpillar and we ended with a butterfly. The colours are different, the legs and body shaped differently (we now have a clearly defined head, thorax and abdomen) and a relatively huge pair of wings have erupted from nowhere. That is incredible, and it is not difficult to appreciate that such a sophisticated process will inevitably break down on occasion. 

Speaking of Metamorphosis, our tadpoles are doing extremely well. It is remarkable how well they thrive in a small amount of stagnant water. I only add food once a week and the algae, which has started to grow in these perfect conditions, provides the rest. Some of the slippery critters now have back legs and will soon complete their switch to a more terrestrial mode of existence. Incredible to think that amphibian metamorphosis involves a switch from gills to lungs! More on this soon. 

I will leave you with a parting shot of one Painted lady butterfly, resting happily on our Wisteria, before braving the thermals and meeting the big, wide world head-on. 

Insert Lore - Live Butterfly Garden

Todd received a very cool gift for his birthday - a kit which permits observation of the caterpillar to butterfly lifecyle, in all its glory. The butterfly 'garden' as it is called is essential a cylindrical butterfly net. On opening the kit there is a certificate, which is used to order the live caterpillars, and you can trigger the process by post or via the internet. 

I followed the internet option and selected a time slot for delivery. The caterpillars arrived on May 2nd and were absolutely tiny. When you see them like this it is hard to believe some of the British species can swell into absolute monsters like the Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar (see previous article where we found one of these true mini-beasts!). 

Unfortunately I took the first picture a few days after they arrived and by this time our five eager caterpillars had trebled in size. 

The species we received were Painted Lady caterpillars (Vanessa cardui) and, unsurprisingly, they turn into Painted Lady butterflies! You get five caterpillars in a sterile pot, which contains enough food (not typical leaves but a special formula) to facilitate rapid growth and subsequent chrysalis construction. You don't open the pot, it is just a case of observation. 

Four of our charges morphed into monsters and effectively constructed cocoons. The fifth didn't manage to build a suitable metamorphosis chamber, largely on account of the other four deciding he would provide an excellent nutritional resource! Yes, caterpillars will eat their own and, of course, the probability of this occurring is higher in a confined space. Thus we were left with four very interesting cocoons and one caterpillar without a head. 

Look at the size of them after only 9 days! 

After about ten to fourteen days the caterpillars crawled up to the container lid and suspended themselves in preparation for metamorphosis. It is remarkable how much silk they produce and it is not something people regularly associate with butterfly larvae, but they were spinning threads all over the place and ultimately reached the top of their micro-habitat by means of this series of biological nets. 

The cocoons/chrysalides have now been removed from the pot and sit inside the butterfly garden, as per instructions. I will post pictures of them shortly, along with the butterflies, which should be emerging any day now. 

Spotted Python Eggs

The Spotted Pythons were cooled down this year to simulate proper autumnal conditions. I wasn't certain copulation was taking place, but it transpired almost all of it occurred in the dark seclusion of the stone cave near the main heat source. 

I caught them tied a few times, as did Todd, and so it was just a case of whether the female had enough body weight and the male was fertile. This year was the first time she was large enough to breed (I had worked hard feeding her up during 2011 to ensure the greatest chance of success). 

It was fantastic for the boys to witness the reality of reproduction. There was no point talking about birds and bees or storks with the amount of questions these two have! Best to let nature explain and then support with additional words. 

Certainly the path from copulation to egg laying has not run according to the text books. They were introduced to each other around November and the temperature gradually reduced (via habitstat control) until it rested around 23 degrees. As the weeks progressed (with food having also been withdrawn) biochemical signals began to slip both animals into breeding mode. 

A female python's ovulation is different to the widely accepted human definition. Rather than releasing the eggs on a regular basis, which may or may not be met by the male's seed, the female snake will ovulate once successful mating has occurred and she is literally ready to push the eggs down to the waiting spermatazoa. At this point a noticeable swelling is observed - as if she had consumed a very large prey item. I didn't witness the event, but it is possible it occurred while she was in the cave or that it was less pronounced and therefore not obvious (which does happen). 

About two months ago we had the pre-lay shed and I kept the faith. It is approximately 30 days from this point until eggs appear. After this pre-lay shed the female normally shows no interest in mating, but I saw them tied at least once more after the event. That is unusual. 

Also the female did not appear at all broad or full, she always remained rather slim looking, and this added weight to our opinion that the pairing had failed.

Anyway 60 days after what we assumed was the pre-lay shed, and with all hope diminished, she did in fact lay a clutch! This caught us all by surprise and I was certain it wouldn't happen this year. I lifted the cave up, in order to confirm she was ok (as no hunting behaviour had been observed), and she was coiled in a perfect spiral. I had never seen her lay like this before and, on shifting her head slightly, I saw a perfect, full, white egg. The female is normally good at deciding which eggs are infertile and removing them from the clutch, so at this time it is looking positive. 

Female pythons are maternal and will remain coiled around their brood throughout incubation. They will also twitch their bodies to raise the temperature and maintain optimum conditions. This is peculiar to the family Pythonidae.

Fingers crossed we are in a position to reveal babies. The longer a female holds on to the eggs the less time they take to hatch, so based on what we have witnessed it could be anything from 38 - 58 days before miniature serpents venture forth into the big, wide world. 

The Blackbird's Nest

We we are at the Norwegian Church in London recently and, after the boys had completed their studies and eaten lunch, we ventured into the back garden for a bounce on the trampoline and kick of the football. 

Glancing across to the ivy, I suddenly caught sight of a bird nest constructed in an unusually low and exposed position. Indeed it was receiving some interest from the local avians, which can't have been ideal. 

The kids were keen to take a closer look at the nest and, seeing as it was so low, it wasn't difficult to hoist them into an ideal viewing position. We were very careful not to disturb the nest and I snapped the close-ups by holding the camera directly above and avoiding direct contact. 

Checking the books it would appear this was a Blackbird's nest (the blueish background and vague brown speckles being indicative), but a close call between that and a House Sparrow. The latter seems to have a more pronounced contrast between the brown and blue.  Hard to tell if the eggs had been abandoned, but there were some signs of pecking, which is commonplace during spring, as other species attempt to reduce the competition for food. Either way we left them in peace - carried in the capable hands of mother nature. If any are destined to hatch and thrive then it will happen, otherwise they may provide a useful food source for other creatures in the area. 

Nests are truly miraculous creations. They are right up there with spiders' webs in the complexity stakes and every species of bird builds a nest in a unique fashion. Remarkable that thousands of years have rendered these skills instinctive and thus provided a multitude of birds with the best chance of survival.

It would be wrong to suggest, however, that all bird nests are complicated structures. Many are nothing more than a dent in a sand pile or a scoop from a pile of rotting vegetation. Others are incredibly intricate - species such as the Weaver finch (Ploceidae) construct hanging nests with various chambers. Swallows (Hirundinidae) utilise mud to establish well protected nests, often located in precarious positions on the edge of cliffs, drain pipes or even high up on adjoining walls (see below). 

Evolution of nest building will have been dictated by a number of factors, including available substrate, intra-specific competition and predation levels. There are many examples of convergent evolution, which we would expect to see and, consequently, many species build superficially similar structures. 

Bird nests aside there are many examples of external construction in the animal kindgom - ranging from Caddis fly larvae and their armoured mobile homes to termite mounds and spider webs. Utilising the environment, huge numbers of creatures have honed techniques until reaching a point where their kind has the best possible chance of survival and reproduction. We walk down the street everyday and pay no attention to the wonders that have been designed above our heads, but take a closer look and the average bird nest is one of the most amazing things you are likely encounter.