I've just returned from the central plains of India in search of one of the most elusive and beautiful animals on the planet - the tiger!  After multiple flights and a 5-hour drive, I arrived at Mukki gate, Kanha National Park, home to over 160 tigers. This nature reserve is vast, but only 184 sq. km (or 20%) is accessible for tourism. Only 25 vehicles are allowed entry permits each day, so there are stringent barriers to prevent too much tourism inside the park.  Each morning around 4 am, I would start the day, arriving at the entrance to complete the paperwork and entering the park just before sunrise. On my first morning, we started the drive. The park is dominated by Sal trees ( Shorea robusta ), which are very tall with bark that's almost black; around the Sal forests are large open meadows, and outside the 'core zone' is the 'buffer zone' which is used by local farmers and has a mixture of landscapes, much is dominated by dry paddy fields, which looks like many small squares of dead grass. There are no barriers or fences around the park, so the tigers move as they wish and walk through the small villages most nights.  My first-morning drive was exhilarating; we entered Kanha as the sun rose, and a thick layer of fog reduced visibility to only 20ft. We passed through a meadow into one of the forested areas and stopped and turned the engine off. We were listening for alarm calls from one of the many species of deer. They only give the alarm call for tigers, leopards or giant snakes, so if you hear that call, you know one of those predators is lurking nearby. We hear the alarm! Slowly, we drive along the track, looking deep into the forest for any sign of a tiger; my guide points out into the forest and sharply whispers, 'Tiger!'. I look but struggle to see anything at all. I then look down to the verge of the road, see teeth and glowing eyes, and hear a low rumble. I told the guide to 'stop', but his better judgement knew that we were blocking this tiger's pathway across the road, and he was warning us to get out of the way. We pull back, and a huge dominant male breaks from the undergrowth. My guide informs me this tiger is 'Pattewala', a male that moves between several of the park's different zones. He walks down the road straight towards us, and we carefully reverse to give the tiger the space it needs. I'm full of adrenaline from the simple view of this animal, its beautiful markings, its sheer size and its proximity. I couldn't believe my eyes - a wild tiger was walking a few meters from me. He slinked back into the forest, and we made our way to the only place within the park where you can get out of the vehicle, the 'breakfast area'. My other top sighting was of a female with two (18 months) cubs. She's called Dhawajhandi Female, DJ to those who see her often. Her official name is KTR T-27. Tigers must reach age three and establish their own territory before being given an official name/code. Her two young cubs are the only survivors of the five born in this litter - dominant males often kill cubs that other male sires. We came across the two cubs relaxing in the middle of the road and were lucky enough to spend around 30 minutes with them. What surprised me was how their behaviour mirrored our domestic cats practising their hunting skills. One would suddenly charge and play attack their sibling; this was an amazing display of behaviour and was an incredible joy to watch. The young female gave me lots of eye contact and provided awesome photographic opportunities. I moved to my second National park - Bandhavgarh. Sadly, the weather changed, and I had a few days of rain, significantly changing the odds of seeing a tiger. They will find somewhere dry and won't move as much. The park is extremely beautiful, even in the rain. This park has the Sal forests, meadows, and bamboo forest areas. Huge tabletop mountains dominate the horizon, and 2000-year-old temples and statues are hidden around the rock face. We managed a young male and female (siblings) sighting in a heavy rainstorm. We also saw wild elephants and a myriad of birds and small animals. As I left the park on my final night, all the cars stopped on the road. My mind jumped to another possible tiger sighting, but to my surprise, there was a huge (10-12ft) Indian rock python crossing the road! Before I knew it, It was time to return to the U.K. On my long journey home, I reflected on my time in India; I went to see tigers and hoped to see one, but in ten days, I had been lucky enough to see eleven - vastly beyond my expectations! What surprised me the most was how the tigers are part of the natural landscape; farmers encounter them on foot almost once a week! A house a few doors from my lodge had a tiger enter their home to kill their cow! True conflict between people and tigers is uncommon; maybe a few people a year are mauled or killed. This may sound frightening, but the tigers are understood to be a vital part of the local economy. In both lodges, I saw the telltale 'pug' marks (footprints) of tigers 100m from my bedroom door. This is normal life in 'Tigerland' and I loved every second of it! Tigers are one of the planet's rarest mammals, with only 3,682 individuals known. The company I used was 'Tiger Safari India', whose vision is conservation through tourism. The money for my trip helps conserve the tigers by employing the guides, drivers and lodge staff. 80% of the hotel workers are from the local area, and over 1000 local people are directly involved in the conservation efforts throughout the year.

Eggs are a fascinating form of reproduction. Egg-laying can be found in EVERY group of animals in the world; fish, reptiles, insects, birds, and even mammals. Eggs can be seen as a disadvantage; they have to be deposited and, in many cases, left whilst the parents find food to sustain themselves, leaving them vulnerable to predators or weather conditions. There are some truly exceptionally unusual eggs out there. Here's a closer look at some of them: Walking along a beach, you may be lucky enough to find a 'mermaid purse.' These are shark egg cases; they've typically hatched by the time they wash up on the shore, but you'll notice they often have unusual shapes with long edges. This shape allows them to attach to rocks and seaweed on the sea floor. Some are even shaped like a corkscrew to ensure they get wedged somewhere safe. The sand tiger shark retains its eggs inside, and the first baby that hatches will eat its siblings, so only one large baby is born. The largest shark in the world - the whale shark - produces the largest eggs; some have been recorded to be 30cm long! That's twice the size of an ostrich egg, the largest terrestrial egg. So that's the largest egg, but what about the smallest? The smallest eggs I can find are the eggs of Tachinidae (True flies). These eggs are usually around 0.02mm long! While not all insects lay eggs, many do, and they have some of the most incredible diversity. Stick insects, quite famously, have eggs that look very much like their poo (see above), and therefore few predators locate them. Other stick insect eggs mimic seeds! Lacewings produce a long stalk with the egg resting on the tip, keeping it out the way of other invertebrates who might want to eat them. Butterflies lay their eggs on the food plant of the caterpillar, which gives them the best start in life. Butterfly eggs have many different shapes, patterns, and colours and are beautiful to hold. Birds are the best-known egg-producing animal and the only class of animals that must lay eggs. In all other Classes' there are examples of both live birth and egg-laying. They are nearly always given high care unless you trick another bird into caring for your egg, as in the cuckoo case. The poor kiwi from New Zealand lays an egg that's 20% of its body size! This allows for a larger and more developed chick. For comparison, a human baby takes up around 5% of its mother's body weight. Most bird eggs use cryptic and mottled colours to camouflage them, but some can be pretty colourful, too; the Emu and Emu-wren have beautiful green shells that look stunning. Who produces the most eggs? My first thought is termites - they have a giant queen, who is an egg-producing machine; she can lay up to 30,000 eggs daily for nearly 20 years! This equates to 165 million eggs in her lifetime. That sounds a lot, but the ocean sunfish is the champion egg producer. In a single spawning, they can lay 300 million eggs! Producing millions of eggs is successful as it requires no parental care, and the sheer number of eggs can overwhelm any hungry predator. Like the kiwi mentioned earlier, having a single egg has pros and cons. A single, well-developed offspring has a head start in life; less development must happen outside the egg but if a predator finds an opportunity, all the effort for that progeny is lost. Temperature plays a large part in incubation. Ant eggs can take as little as a few days for the grub to develop and hatch; they will then get moved to a nursery as ants have a highly sophisticated level of care. The longest incubation time goes to the deep-sea octopus; down in the freezing cold depths of the ocean, things can take a long time - 53 months (or around 4.5 years) for these eggs to hatch, which is exceptionally long for a cephalopod. One last and quite important fact... who came first, the chicken or the egg? The first hard-shelled egg was produced by proto-amphibians around 312 million years ago. The first ever aquatic egg is up to a billion years old! The first ever chicken, the junglefowl, diverged from their common ancestor a measly 4-6 million years ago! So there we have it: the egg came first by a considerable margin!

One of the best things about ZooLab has got to be working with an incredible team! Each month, Ranger Anna will interview a member of the ZooLab family. This month we will be speaking to ZooLab Ranger, Emily Lethbridge ! Hi Emily, how long have you worked for ZooLab? Since 2022! What is your role in the company? Educational Animal Presenter With ZooLab, everyday is different! Can you think of a day which was completely out of the ordinary for you? I love watching people's faces light up when they conquer a fear! I also love that I get to teach and educate about conservation and important environmental topics. Tell us a little bit about yourself! What's your favourite animal and why? I studied Zoology in Cornwall, so I have a big fascination with marine life and the ocean. I used to be an outdoor instructor so I love being outdoors doing extreme sports. My favourite animal has got to be a wolf! I think they are beautiful creatures. Who is your hero? Got to be Sir David Attenborough. If you could live anywhere, where would it be? The Galapagos Islands. I went there to do some research work and fell in love - It was very hard to leave! Tell us some of your hobbies! I'm an artist, so I love to paint. I also love rock-climbing. What is your biggest accomplishment? I think one of the moments I was most proud of was seeing my artwork up in a shop window and then later seeing it had sold! And finally, what did you want to be when you were young? A zookeeper or a vet.

It’s Mental Health Week! Across the UK this week, people will raise awareness about the effects of poor mental health and how to improve it. This year’s theme is anxiety, and in this week’s blog post, we’ll discuss how being around animals can improve anxious feelings and your overall mental well-being! Pet therapy is a valuable tool and utilises animal interactions to help improve physical, mental, social, and emotional functioning. Animals for Mental Health Aid Animals Can Reduce Stress and Anxiety Spending time with animals is a great way to reduce stress and anxiety. A US study examined how allowing university students to spend time with animals would affect their mental health. It found that significant time spent with an animal was enough to affect anxiety and stress levels positively. Animal interactions also reduce the stress-inducing hormone, cortisol, and lower blood pressure. According to the BACP (British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists), “Focusing on an animal can help clients relax, talk honestly and start to explore how they feel about experiences in their lives.” Animals Can Help Combat Depression As well as reducing anxiety, animals can also help to reduce feelings of depression. Depression is often linked with feelings of isolation and loneliness. The companionship animals offer helps lessen these feelings, improving their overall mental well-being. When we are feeling low, animals provide support and unconditional affection. The responsibilities of being around animals are also seen to improve depressive symptoms by building self-esteem and providing the daily structure that comes with caring for other living things. Animals Can Help Improve Social Skills Socialisation can be a difficult task for some people, leading to feelings of anxiety and discomfort. Animals bring an opportunity to connect and build bonds with others, develop interpersonal skills, reinforce safety protocols, and improve social conduct . Enhancing social skills and building bonds can improve our social network and support structures around us when we have anxiety or poor mental health. Building confidence is also a benefit of animal therapy, reassuring us that we are capable of far more than our minds may lead us to believe. So, as you can see, animals and animal therapy can be a really beneficial but often overlooked way to improve your mental health. It strengthens bonds, builds confidence, and reduces feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression. What’s not to love? Mental Health Week is 15 th – 21 st May and aims to promote the ways in which mental health affects us all, and what we can do to keep on top of our mental well-being.

Halloween celebrations have long used the 'creepy' and 'crawly' forms of life for decorations. Plastic spiders and bats are produced in their millions. Certainly these creepy critters often evoke fear in many people (see our blog on arachnophobia ) but in reality these creatures are not 'out to get you'. In this blog, I will describe some of the animals that can freak out even the hardiest of naturalists! First up is a hitch hiker of bats. Bats themselves are extremely variable in appearance, the smaller insect feeding bats often have evolved unique flaps and folds of skin on their faces to aid in echo-location. Their much large cousins, the fruit bats, are nicer looking animals (check out the Mauritian fruit bat ( Pteropus niger ) pictured above) and almost as cute as a dog! The animal I want to mention here is a parasite of bats called the bat fly! This nightmarish blood sucker looks very much like a face hugger from Alien and behaves in a similar way. These six-legged and wingless flies crawl onto a bats head, hold on tightly like a crash helmet and from there, it can jab its mouth into the bat and drink its blood at its leisure. Unusually, these flies don't produce thousands of eggs at a time, they have just a single maggot. All parasites are pretty gross but these guys are top-tier! This next animal is so vile that I wasn't even sure it was real until I conducted more research. Coming from the forest swamps of South-East Asian, this creature is also a blood sucking parasite. I doubt many people are fond of leeches, but what about a leech as big as a baseball bat? The buffalo leech is the second largest leech in the world! If it did find you and bite you, you wouldn't feel anything; the anaesthetic from leeches saliva would prevent that. The worst part, its proboscis would travel 6 inches into your body to suck up the blood! Here's another aquatic monstrosity. The candiru is a small fish in part of the catfish family, sometimes known as the toothpick fish its true nature is unveiled by its other name... the vampire fish. This tiny fish feeds on the blood of other fish, attracted by the urea waste product that's expelled by fishes gills. The candiru swims into the gills of it's prey and slices them up using small spines on its head to feed on the blood. The candiru has a particular reputation of feeding off humans. In a few cases a person has relieved themselves whilst swimming in the South American rivers, and the Candiru has swim up their urea. With its head spines the only way of removal is surgery or amputation! Now although we don't have Halloween decorations of bat flies, leeches and fish - the sheer number of Halloween decorations is something scary itself. Halloween, is in fact, one of the most polluting holidays of all! In the U.K, 83% of costumes are oil-based and non-recyclable . This is around 2000 tonnes of plastic waste produced - the same as 83 million plastic bottles from around 7 million costumes! What's worse, nearly half of all costumes are only worn once before being discarded which means that per trick or treater the average waste 0.5kg! This is the really scary stuff! Enjoy the Halloween celebrations but please buy things with sustainability in mind.

Halloween is a time of year when many people think of animals as spooky, scary, and frightening. Although some might strike a bit of fear in our hearts, the typical bats and spiders aren't the ones you need to worry about! In this blog, I'll dive deep into what animals we should be concerned about going bump in the night! ZooLab's favourite spooky animals The Vampire Fish Also known as the Candiru, this small fish lives up to its name. Found in the murky waters of the Amazon, this fish swims into the gills of other fish and slices them open to feed on their blood. It's a true parasitic fish! What's particularly worrying is that it's well known to swim into human orifices and do the same thing - surgery is even required to remove it! The Vampire Moth This small unassuming moth can be found across South East Asia. Most moth's proboscis (tongue) is adapted for sipping up nectar from flowers and sweet juices of fallen fruits, however, the vampire moth's proboscis is sharp and more like a needle (think of a giant mosquito) which is used to jab through the skin of other animals and drink its blood! I experienced this first-hand deep in the rainforests of Sumatra. Whilst trekking in the forest one night, I suddenly felt an itchy sensation on my forearm and when I looked down, I had attracted 3 tiny vampires having a feast! Only the male moths are vampires and it's suggested this is because they need extra salts and nutrients to produce pheromones to attract females. The Vampire Finch Living on the isolated Galapagos islands, the Vampire finch struggles to find food. This has forced an evolutionary shift in its behaviour... it also has become a vampire. It has a sharpened beak that's perfect for cutting into flesh. Its choice of prey is often other birds, primarily sea birds. They will peck at the skin under the bird's feathers and once the blood starts to flow, the small finch then feasts itself. The blood provides some much-needed nutrients. The Ghost Bat The Ghost bat can have a wingspan of 60cm and is found in the northern region of Australia. As the name suggests they are white in colour and as they swoop through the air they appear like an apparition in the night! Spooky! They are also one of the larger predatory bats, known to eat reptiles, birds and particularly other bats! They use both echolocation and keen eyesight to locate and stalk their prey! The Ghost Crab This extremely fast-moving crab (10 mph) scuttles across beaches in the night. Its pale - almost transparent appearance gives the eerie impression of little spirits that own the coastal waters. If you spot one, it's unlikely you'll keep track of it... They speed along the beach and then suddenly disappear - as if by magic! They live in underground tunnels, but this behaviour solidifies their ghostly reputation. The Vulture Bee Bees make yummy honey right!? Well not always. The Vulture bee feeds on decaying flesh instead of nectar and similar to other bees, they use enzymes in their saliva to create edible honey, but this honey is a rotten meat honey! They scavenge on dead animals and feed their young the meat soup! This gives them the reputation as 'flesh-eating bees' They are pretty aggressive too! We think of pollinating bees as very important organisms that help life to thrive, but these bees can only live off the dead! The Ghost Ant The Ghost ant gets its name from its transparent legs and abdomen. This makes the ant appear smaller and harder for predators to spot them. It also allows the ants to move around unnoticed, when people do spot them it often takes them by surprise - as if the ant has suddenly manifested into existence. They don't bite or sting but they have an unusual defence mechanism.. when attacked they produce a strong coconut-like smell, which isn't too bad for us but it's enough to deter other animals The Zombie Worm (AKA The Bone-Eating Snot Flower Worm) This one is so weird it sounds like something from a science fiction movie. In the deep ocean, food is extremely scarce and animals have to get creative to survive in such a dark, cold and desolate place. The Bone-eating snot flower worm lives up to its name: it feeds on the bones of dead whales, they don't have a mouth or stomach, and they use symbiotic bacteria to absorb proteins from the bones. Interestingly the female worm holds loads of tiny male worms inside her body, making them one of the animals with the weirdest reproduction systems on the planet!

Our world is full of some truly strange and interesting eggs! From corkscrew-shaped egg capsules which keep the egg secure to long stalks that keep predators away, animals have evolved traits which ensure the survival of their young against all odds. So, let's take a look at 5 of our favourite strange animal eggs!   Surinam toads The Surinam toad is a great place to start when looking at the weird and wonderful world of animal eggs. What sets these amphibians’ eggs apart from others is that they’re grown on the backs of the females! When mating, the female will release 60 to 100 eggs that are then fertilised and pushed back into the female’s back by the male. The eggs then become embedded in the toad, with skin growing around them until they’re completely covered. After growing for 3-4 months, the toadlets wriggle around to loosen the skin around their egg until they can burst through their mother’s back and make their way into the world!   Green lacewing eggs These insect eggs look straight out of a fantasy novel – but they’re real! These tiny eggs are usually laid on long silken stalks, either by themselves or in clusters up the side of plants near aphid colonies that the freshly hatched larvae can feed on. The long stalks protect the eggs from predators and lacewings can lay up to a hundred eggs. The eggs darken as they mature and hatch only 4 days after being laid! Talk about a quick change!   Mermaid's Purses Sadly not real mermaid’s purses, these eggs are laid by sharks and get their names due to their resemblance to handbags! Sharks reproduce in many unique ways. Some give birth to live young (viviparous), while others lay eggs. Due to the nature of the ocean – with strong currents and curious predators – these sharks have evolved ingenious ways to ensure their newborns survive. Some eggs attach to the sea floor or seaweed via long tendrils. Californian horn sharks lay corkscrew-shaped eggs, which they lodge in the little spaces between rocks.   Horseshoe Crab What’s unique about this animal’s eggs is the number of them! One horseshoe crab can lay up to 4,000 eggs in a single cluster and in a single night, she can lay over 100,000 eggs. These eggs are laid on the sandy beaches of the Atlantic coast when the tide is at its highest. They look like tiny pearls and hatch in 2-4 weeks, with the larvae emerging from the sand and going straight into the ocean. Seahorses Seahorse eggs are special for how they are developed! Female seahorses pass their eggs on to the male after fertilisation for him to brood. This is done so that the female can begin to grow and fertilise the next batch of eggs, meaning that seahorses can continually produce and hatch eggs for the length of the breeding season. After hatching, the new seahorses are incredibly vulnerable so by continuously reproducing, the seahorses ensure the best chance of survival for their broods. The eggs get all of the oxygen and nutrients they need within the male and they hatch after 14-28 days.

We need bees. We may take them and other pollinators for granted - but they are vital for a stable, healthy environment. ​ The vast majority of plants we need for food rely on pollination by bees. They visit more than 90% of global crop types. Bees also pollinate around 80% of wildflowers in Europe, making them integral to a healthy ecosystem. In spite of this, the bees are in trouble. ​ There is growing public and political concern at bee decline across the world. This decline is caused by a combination of stresses - from loss of their habitat and food sources to the effects of climate change. More than ever before, we need to recognise the importance of bees to nature and to our lives. And we need to turn that into action to ensure they not only survive, but thrive! Here are a few buzz-worthy bee facts. Did you know? Our Favourite Bee Facts Pollination Pollination is a very important part of the lifecycle of a plant! Insects carry pollen between flowering plants of the same type. The pollen fertilizes egg cells to make seeds so new plants can grow! So, when you see a bee on a flower, that is what they are doing. They drink the nectar, brush up against the pollen and fly to another flower, pollinating the plant. Without bumblebee pollination we wouldn’t have peppers, tomatoes and strawberries (to name a few) and they are the only pollinator of potatoes . Fun Fact: Honeybees flap their wings 200 times a second Compound Eyes Bees have compound eyes made up of several visual units. They see in the UV spectrum! If you and I see a red flower, we just see a red flower with a yellow centre. When a bee sees the flower, it looks like a lit up fairground or a lit up runway, this encourages the bee to go towards the flower and pollinate it! Fun Fact: There are 267 species of Bee in the UK. Jobs in the Hive Bee hives are like cities; they contain a lot of houses and a lot of bees! A honeybees hive contains 50,000 bees, while Bumble bees have 400. This bee is the queen; she is generally a lot bigger than the other bees. She has a really important job, stays in the hive all day, and lays eggs. The other bees that live in the hive are workers; they are all female and do almost all the work. They have lots of jobs like building the hive, keeping the hive clean and their main job – look for food! Males leave and find a new queen. The workers have many roles which are determined by their age - we have the builder, temperature controller, cleaner, guard, undertaker and forager (f ind out more ) . (Not So) Fun Fact: Many bee species are threatened by pollution, climate change and pesticides. Habitat loss is one of the biggest threats - we've lost 97% of wildflower meadows in the UK since the 1930s because of how we use land for farming and building.

The animal kingdom is a wild, wacky place where animals have to be clever to survive. One of the most amazing techniques for survival is animal camouflage. Animal patterns can mimic plants, ground cover, or even other animals in order to hide or hunt. Spots and Stripes In this article, we look at some examples of the animal world with striped or spotted camouflage and discuss if these animal adaptations provide any other evolutionary benefits. Zebras Why do zebras have stripes? Over the years, a number of theories and studies have been conducted to conclude why zebras have their unique marking. Camouflage and thermoregulation were just two ideas discussed. However, scientists from the University of Bristol have found out that the patterns help to deter pests. It is thought that zebra stripes disrupt the light distribution that tsetse flies and horseflies use to hunt. Giraffes Giraffe’s spots provide impressive camouflage, helping them blend in with the savannah and reducing the chance of being spotted by predators. However, this is not the only reason for their iconic pattern. Spots help giraffes stay cool. Each patch has a complex system of blood vessel s underneath that expels heat, reducing the giraffe’s body temperature. Tiger When you think of stripy animals, one of the first that normally comes to mind is the tiger. Tiger stripes act as camouflage, helping the creature blend into the environment to sneak up on prey and add the element of surprise. Each species of tiger has their distinctive type of strip pattern and can be used for identification. Whale Sharks Fitting both sets of criteria is the whale shark with its beautiful spots and stripes. With the primary focus on camouflage against its ocean backdrop, whale shark markings are used to help it identify and communicate with other whale sharks. Astrophysicists are using software used to locate stars and galaxies to track and monitor whale shark individuals , adapting star patterns to the spot formation to help save the species from extinction. Milk Snakes Milk snakes use their stripes for a special type of defence called Batesian mimicry. This is where a harmless species has evolved to imitate the warning signals of a harmful species. The milk snake stripes mimic the venomous coral snake to help scare away predators. Animal markings are amazing! If your group is looking at ‘Stripes and Spots’, adaptions or evolution, ZooLab has the perfect workshop for you. Fill in our contact form with your requirements and we’ll be in touch.

The study of animals (zoology) goes back thousands of years, whereas the study of cryptozoology dates to the mid-20th century. Crypto - 'hidden' and zoology - 'animals' means it's the study of unknown or yet-to-be-discovered animal species. To those with a curious mind, it's a fascinating area to research and, although there are many hoaxes and misidentified sightings, occasionally a new species does get discovered and confirmed as scientific fact. In this blog, I'll be looking at some of the most interesting stories...   Yet to be proven animals are often referred to as 'cryptids' and these could include an unusual sighting of a woodpecker or something as fantastical as bigfoot! This term can cover any sighting of an unknown animal. The very first description of any unknown animal dates back to 400 B.C. from the Greek physician Ctesias. The creature 'Monokeros' or 'Unicorn' from India. It was described as having the body of a horse, head of a stag, feet of an elephant and a single horn on its head. It sounds to me that they had just had their first encounter with the Indian Rhinoceros ( Rhinoceros unicornis ). At the time, Ctesias' description would likely have been met with mockery, ridicule and scepticism - but in reality, there was an animal with those attributes wandering around in the Indian forests. Today in our modern world we often think that we have seen it all and that there are no longer animals that are yet to be seen by man, but we couldn't be further from the truth! The ocean covers around 71% of the earth's surface, and getting down under the waves is a challenge. There's only a couple of submarines in the world that can reach the deepest trenches. When deep-sea exploration happens, new species are discovered almost every time. Deep Jungles also represent another habitat that's tough to explore, animals avoid humans and have vast areas to hide and prevent detection. There's an estimated 1 million insect species scientifically described and an estimated 4 million yet to be found! In 2011 National Geographic's ecologists made a study to try to work out how many large (dolphin-sized or bigger) animals were likely to be hiding across the world's oceans. The conclusion was 17-20 undocumented species! This really shows how little we know about what's lurking in the depths. I also have my own theory on why there were more 'sea monster' sightings in the past compared to the modern day. Apart from a poorer level of education in the past (possibly leading to misidentification), the ships were wind-powered... and thus making very little sound in the water. Today, ship engine's noises can travel 100s to potentially 1000s of km through the water. Any large undiscovered animal will be long gone before the ship gets even remotely close. The idea that an animal like Megalodon could still exist sparks imagination in many people's minds, the thought that a giant prehistoric shark is terrifying and exciting at the same time. Sadly there is very little evidence to support this, no credible footage has surfaced, no dead one has ever washed ashore and it's unlikely the oceanic ecosystem could support a population of these mega-predators. The Kraken is a creature from seafaring folklore that was eventually proven as a real animal. The Giant and Colossal squid ( Architeuthis dux and Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni ) are almost certainly the culprit for all these tales. They can reach 46 feet long and weigh 700 kilograms! These are huge animals but there are stories of squid much, much larger! There are tales that in WW2 an American submarine surfaced late at night, and whilst the crew were getting fresh air, somebody noticed a glow in the water which apparently was a squid as long as the submarine! The suction cups on its arms where described as being as big as dinner plates! No proof of such an animal has been presented to the scientific community but it's enough to stop me going into the sea at night! In the Vietnam War, huge numbers of both American and Vietnamese soldiers swarmed the Southeast Asian forests. Here there were sightings of 'forest men' from both sides of the conflict. They were described as a 5ft tall 'bigfoot' like creature. The story goes that an American infantry saw one of these creatures and shot it dead. It was then shipped by the Air Force back to the States and supposedly used as a tourist attraction. Named 'the Minnesota Iceman', it went around the states at different state fairs, kept in a solid block of ice before mysteriously disappearing from public view. In 2005, I went to Vietnam and specifically went to the Kon-tum mountain range where many of the sightings had taken place. I was denied access to the mountain range and was told to go back to my hotel. When I arrived, I was met by the local police who had lots of questions about why I wanted to explore those mountains. Strange to say the least! Hominid cryptids are sighted all over the world, not just in Vietnam. From the Americas we have Bigfoot/ Sasquatch/Skunk ape/Wendigo, from Asia we have Yeti/Almas/Orang pendek/Barmanou, from South America the Mapinguari/Mono Grande/Ucu and from Europe the Yeti/Woodwose and Wudewasa.  I visited Sumatra to climb an active volcano and see a total solar eclipse back in 2016, the area is also well known for sightings of the Orang Pendek, so I was keen to learn what I could about it. My guide took me to a local man who had seen something a few years earlier. He was awoken in the early hours one morning to the sound of his dogs barking, got up, grabbed his good torch, and turned it to the rice-growing paddy fields outside his house. He explained to me what he saw... "It had dark brown hair, not like a bear or orangutan, it was halfway across my field with water up to its waist. It was grabbing handfuls of rice to help steady itself and pull itself through the mud". It's an extremely remote location and many many people have sightings. There's even video footage from the north of the island, so who knows what might be discovered in these remote parts of the world?  Some cryptids are animals that we already know about, but have been lost to possible extinction, where some people believe evidence of their existence continues. A good example would be the Thylacine (also known as the Tasmanian tiger). This large, striped predatory marsupial was hunted to believed extinction, with the last known individual 'Benjamin' passing away at Hobart Zoo in 1936. Despite this, there have been many sightings since its official extinction. Tasmania has a small human population and large areas of the island are poorly explored so many believe it could still be out there in the forest. More importantly, it shows that the historic distribution of Thylacine extended across Australia and even up into Papa New Guinea. In 1966 a mummified Thylacine was discovered in a cave in mainland Australia, studies show it died around 2-3000 years ago, long after it was believed to be extinct in that area. Australia is an incredibly large country with thousands of square miles that are unexplored by people, easily big enough for some species to remain undetected. The Thylacine has since become an icon for man's impact on wildlife and it is lined up as one of the first species to be brought back from extinction. Although controversial, scientists have access to D.N.A from preserved specimens and in the future cloning technologies may allow for this species (or something genetically similar) to return into existence.  The truth is that our planet has many large areas that are unexplored and new species turn up everywhere (like the prehistoric Coelacanth fish found in a fish market in India) and a few large animals can continue to evade us. Although the odds of dinosaurs surviving in the Congo and snakes reaching 50ft long are very slim, the chances of new species being discovered each year is almost 100%. Most of these discoveries are small invertebrates, however, we do occasionally find a new primate or unusual-looking lizard. Reading the accounts of cryptid sightings is incredibly entertaining and amongst them all, I'm sure some hold some truth to a sighting of animals yet to be proven by science.

September is Alzheimer's Awareness Month it aims to raise awareness surrounding the stigma of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Our rangers often visit care homes and care settings (accompanied by their animal team), so this is an important topic for us to shed some light on! Firstly, what is Alzheimer’s and Dementia? Dementia is a general term for losing memory and other cognitive abilities. Alzheimer’s is a specific brain disease that is the most common form of dementia. Most people will know someone in their lives that has been affected, and as you can imagine, it is challenging; the symptoms massively interfere with daily life. How can we play our part? Our rangers are all ‘Dementia Friends’ and trained on how to communicate and help in the best way they can. Today we will offer advice when communicating with someone with dementia and how we execute these top tips in our visits! OUR TOP TIPS FOR ALZHEIMER'S AWARENESS MONTH 1) Be Patient A simple task for you will take longer for someone with dementia. It can be frustrating for the individual, so allow breaks and encourage them. At ZooLab, lots of our animals are considered weird and wonderful! In a care setting, we spend much time one-on-one chatting about what we’ve brought for them to see! If there’s any uncertainty, encouraging them to have a look with us instead of holding and allowing time for questions works very well. 2) Involve the Person Allow them to do as much as possible, and don’t step in and do it all for them. This allows independence and may reduce frustration if you are ready and available to help when needed. We bring lots of animals that can be touched and held during our visits! Sometimes a little help may be needed, either by holding their hand on top of ours or simply showing the best way to touch. I always show how and then ask if they’d like help! 3) Provide Choices (But Not Too Many) Sometimes asking a broad question may not receive an answer as the options are too vast. However, if you provide two or so choices, it’s easier for them to give you their preferred pick. At ZooLab, with every visit we do, animal handling is optional! We encourage everyone to push themselves and conquer fears but respectfully accept that not everyone will want to even be in the same room. At care homes, I find it best to ask if they’d like to have a look. If so, we can chat, and then I ask if they’d like to touch or hold. Two options are given, and I usually receive a clear yes or no. (Often, when I ask if they’d like to hold the giant African snail, the jokers of the group will say ‘No, but can I eat it?’) 4) Listen (with your ears AND your eyes) Remember that not knowing where you are and who you are talking to is a terrifying experience. You can help by being calm, smiley, have a positive attitude. When waiting for a response, be reassuring and kind. When I am doing a care visit, I try and remember that I am a total stranger who has walked in with a load of (what some people consider) scary animals! A smile goes a long way. I make time to introduce myself to the group and again as I go around, and I also make sure to learn names. 5) Reminisce with them and have a laugh! People with dementia may not be able to remember what’s happened in the last hour but can recall their life 40 years ago. As such, you will hear some brilliant stories. In care homes, certain animals will trigger memories and stories. I hear about childhood pets and wild encounters from when they were kids or travelling. Once, I was even told about someone’s posting in the war and how they had to sleep with one eye open to watch for scorpions in the forest! Visiting care homes and watching the residents interact with the animals is a wonderful experience. Animals provide so much therapy (Yes, even the creepy crawlies!) and act as a brilliant talking point for everyone to get involved. Thank you for taking the time to read our top tips when it comes to dementia!

Pitch black. Bone-crushing pressure. Freezing cold. Welcome to the deep sea — Earth’s weirdest, wildest frontier. Down here, life gets strange . Think weird looking jellyfish. See-through heads. Giant mouths. Ready to dive in? Here are 10 bizarre deep sea animals. Angler fish These fish are among the most famous animals of the deep sea. They get their name from the glowing dorsal fin on their heads, which contains bioluminescent bacteria. As finding food is so difficult in the deep sea, all anglerfish need to do is pop their fin out and the food comes to them!   Pom-Pom Anemone Rather than other anemones which simply have a crown of tentacles, the pom-pom anemone more resembles its namesake, with a dense gathering of tentacles. The move from spot to spot, rolling into a cylinder and letting deep-sea currents blow them across the sea floor, before using their muscles to grip in place.   Japanese Spider Crab These crustaceans are one of the world’s largest living crab species! The main body of the crab is usually around 30cm across at maturation. Its legs continue to grow throughout its life, sometimes reaching as claw-span of 3.8 metres!   Sea Pig  Sea Pigs are a type of sea cucumber, which scurry across the sea floor to find food. They have longer tube feet compared to other sea cucumbers and use them to stay above the soft mud of the deep-sea floor. They also sometimes give rides to juvenile king crabs, and scientists are still unsure why they do this.   Chambered Nautilus These animals are a cousin to the octopus and have been around for about 480 million years. The chambers in their shell develop as they age, starting with 7 or 8 and growing up to 30 chambers at maturation.   Dinner Plate Jellyfish This jellydish is one of the mid-ocean's top predators - they have been known to eat over 21 different species of gelatinous prey (jellyfish, comb jellies, etc). Their tentavles have microsocpic harpoon-like spurs that latch onto prety and draw them in to feast upon. Common Siphonophore Siphonophores are delicate creatures made up of segmented, specialised sections. The larger piece at the front pulls the rest of the sections alon, which include segments for feeding, defence, and reprouction. Warty Deep-Sea Octopus These Octopi are very dedicated parents. Due to the cold temperatures of the deep-sea, Octopus mothers brood their young for a very long time, sometimes up to 4.5 years! As time goes on, the mother's health deteriorates, until her eggs have hatched and she passes away. Spiny Starfish These sea stars get their name from the spiky tendrils on their arms. When looking for food, they wrap their arms around their prey and hold on tight. They then release their stomachs from their mouths to feed. Glass Squid Glass Squids are cephalopods, like octopi and squids. Like others in this family, they hold their skin picment in little saces aacross the skin's surface (chromatophores) and they often keep their sacs closed so their skin is basically see through. This helps to hide them from other animals.