Design, Wildlife

HexHives / BEEcosystem

The chief feature of any BEEcosystem hive is that it gives a literal window into the bee colony it houses. The hexagon-shaped module is framed in cedar and fronted with a pane of glass. Side vents can be opened and closed to connect multiple modules or to keep the bees contained if you need to move the hive.

How do the bees get inside your house? The hive can be connected to a tube that runs to a small window unit—sort of like a miniature version of vent tube for a portable air conditioner. The window unit has the added benefit of providing bees with an ideal platform for take-off and landing. The tube has a safety mechanism that instantly snaps closed if it’s ever disconnected.

BEEcosystems start at $599 for a one-hex hive — via Curbed

Wildlife

The Curious Case of Spider Rain / Today I Found Out

Worryingly described by entomologists and arachnologists as a not uncommon occurrence in certain parts of the globe, spider rain can see anywhere from a few thousand to several million spiders tumble from the sky in a given area, seemingly out of nowhere — via Youtube

Wildlife

Feathertail Gliders / Taronga Zoo

Taronga Zoo is celebrating the breeding success of more than twenty Feathertail Gliders, one of the smallest mammals in the world.

Twelve different female adult Feathertail Glider’s fell pregnant at a similar time with the joeys, and the mothers now communally care for one another’s young — via ZooBorns

Wildlife

Cheetah cubs / Saint Louis Zoo

For the first time in Saint Louis Zoo history, a cheetah has given birth to eight cheetah cubs. The cubs, three males and five females, were born at the Saint Louis Zoo River’s Edge Cheetah Breeding Centre on 26 November, 2017. Mother and cubs are doing well and will remain in their private, indoor maternity den behind the scenes at River’s Edge for the next several months — via Youtube

Wildlife

Mountain Lion Orphans / Oakland Zoo

In cooperation with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the Feline Conservation Centre, Oakland Zoo has taken in two orphaned Mountain Lion cubs. The cubs were found separately in Orange County, two weeks apart from each other. Due to their ages and geographic proximity to each other when rescued, Oakland Zoo veterinarians will conduct DNA testing to determine if they are, in fact, siblings — via ZooBorns