The Environmentalist View

The Environmentalist View - Nature's Early Warning System: What Animals Sense Before We Do?"> The Environmentalist View - Nature's Early Warning System: What Animals Sense Before We Do? Embedded Files Nature's Early Warning System: What Animals Sense Before We Do? Discover how animals detect natural disasters and environmental changes before humans do. Explore nature’s early warning system and its role in disaster preparedness and climate awareness. Written by Warrence Oghenevwegba Published on: April 14, 2025, 4:09 A.M Long before seismographs start scribbling or satellites detect swirling cyclones, the animal kingdom is already on high alert. Across forests, oceans, savannas, and cities, creatures react to subtle shifts in the environment—offering us clues that nature, quite literally, knows best. But how often do we truly listen to these natural alarms before it’s too late? For centuries, people around the world have told stories of animals behaving strangely bef...

The Environmentalist View - Dung Beetles"> The Environmentalist View - Dung Beetles Embedded Files Dung Beetles: Special Cleaners. Have you ever wondered where animal feces in the wild go to? The Dung Beetle doesn’t just have the word Dung attached to it for aesthetic purposes.  When it comes to regulating the ecosystem, the dung beetle are one of the most important specie with a very important role in both reduction of waste and ghg emission. As the name suggests, when animals excrete their feces, the dung beetle comes around to do cleanup, hence while they are called ‘Dung' Beetle. They Roll this feces into balls that can weigh more than 1000 times their weight, (in comparison, that’s like an average man lifting a whale – This is why they are classified as the strongest animal in the world with consideration of size) and bury them. A single dung beetle can bury feces 250 times their sizes in a single night. After burying this dung, they lay their larvaes in them, and thi...

The Environmentalist View - Zophobas morio"> The Environmentalist View - Zophobas morio Embedded Files Zophobas morio: The Superworm Zophobas morio, commonly known as the superworm or kingworm in its larval stage, is a species of darkling beetle often bred as food for reptiles and other insectivorous animals due to its high protein content. These worms are widely farmed and used as feeders, but their value may go beyond just being a pet food source. In 2016, students from Ateneo de Manila University made a surprising discovery: Zophobas morio larvae were observed eating polystyrene foam—commonly known as Styrofoam, a type of plastic that is notoriously difficult to decompose. This sparked scientific interest in the worms' ability to digest plastic waste. Building on that discovery, a team led by Australian microbiologist Christian Rinke conducted further research and found that bacteria in the worms' guts were breaking down the plastic. These microbes helped convert the...

The Environmentalist View - The Ecological Role of Mosquitoes: A Closer Look"> The Environmentalist View - The Ecological Role of Mosquitoes: A Closer Look Embedded Files The Ecological Role of Mosquitoes: A Closer Look By Warrence Oghenevwegba  Published on: August 4, 2024, 8:34 P. Mosquitoes are often seen as nothing more than pests, notorious for their itchy bites and their role in spreading diseases like malaria, dengue, and Zika virus. It’s easy to think that the world would be better off without them. However, like all creatures, mosquitoes play a significant role in the ecosystem. Understanding their ecological importance helps us appreciate the delicate balance of nature, where even the most bothersome insects contribute to the health of our environment. Mosquito dragging blood from a human Mosquitoes as a Food Source One of the primary roles mosquitoes play in the ecosystem is as a food source for a wide range of organisms. Both in their larval and adult stages, mosqui...