Today in Project Noah
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Wildlife in the News
A Night Hike in Madagascar: Spotting Wildlife in the Dark
"I love searching for wildlife during the day but I also love spotting wildlife at night. It's a totally different experience and not for the faint hearted! I often hike trails at night that I have previously hiked during the day so I am already a bit familiar with them. It's important to have a good light to search for nocturnal wildlife, as most animals are spotted due to their eyeshine. Eyeshine is caused by the tapetum lucidu, a layer of tissue behind the retina that reflects visible light back through the retina. It helps with the night vision of many nocturnal predators. As with most primates, humans do not have a tapetum lucidum. I've tested this prior to a nighthike years ago when someone volunteered to have a light shone into their eyes."
A Night Hike in Madagascar: Spotting Wildlife in the Dark - Walk on the Wild Side with Dan (Part 3)
Flamingo Ecology & Conservation in India
"When I started birding I used to read a lot about the magnificent flamingos and used to wonder if I would be able to see the State Bird of Gujarat. I had read that flamingos were visitors to India all the way from Siberia. The beautiful bird with long legs, pinkish-white plumage and goose-like honking was tempting to see. I started to research the various places they visit in India. The common names that cropped up in my search were the Rann of Kutch, Mumbai and Nalsarovar."
The Desert that Breathes
"From outside, the Adriatic often looks like a mistake. Pale rock, bleached by sun and salt, broken into shelves and steps. No coral gardens. No tropical fireworks. Just stone and glare, and a few nervous fish slipping past like afterthoughts. It looks like a desert — underwater and mineral, a place where nothing could possibly be happening."
The Mystery of the Disappearing Spiders
"On Aug 4, 2025, I spotted two sub-adult female Signature Spiders (Argiope luzona Walckenaer, 1841). Their webs were approximately 3 ft. apart and both spiders were the same size, 6 mm. TBL (total body length). So, it was possible that they were siblings. Other than that, there was nothing especially interesting about them, but they were in my backyard and I decided to try and take photos of them every day. At the very least, I would surely see a variety of stabilimenta (web decorations) and I might even be lucky enough to get a picture of copulation followed by the brutal killing of any male that shows up. The fact that there were two females obviously doubled my chances and every time that I’ve had an opportunity to observe spiders over a period of time, I have never been disappointed. To avoid any confusion, I have named the two spiders “Female A” and “Female B”."
Trending Wildlife Spotters
A Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, is Project Noah's Spotting of the Month! As Brian38 writes in his field notes: "The adult male is a brilliant crimson red color with a black face mask over the eyes, extending to the upper chest. The color becomes duller and darker on the back and wings. The adult female is fawn-colored, with mostly grayish-brown tones and a slight reddish tint on the wings, crest, and tail feathers."
Wildlife Photo of the Month
