Every now and again, a strange eyeless creature – pale, delicate and glassy – turns up in a washing-up bowl or kettle. This frail thing has come from a world so close but so far removed from the one dominated by the dance of the Earth around the sun that we are familiar with. Where this creature originates, light doesn’t figure at all.
At a maximum length of 3mm, the British cave shrimp (Niphargus glenniei) is at first glance underwhelming, but is actually rather special. It is one of just a handful of truly endemic creatures found in the UK. And it comes out of taps. Well, in all fairness, this only happens to those whose private water supplies are connected to bore holes in the counties of Devon and Cornwall.
Denne historien er fra October 2021-utgaven av BBC Wildlife.
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Denne historien er fra October 2021-utgaven av BBC Wildlife.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
SNAP-CHAT
Justin Gilligan on giant spider crabs and holding hands with an octopus
STEPPE CHANGE
Herds of saiga have returned to Kazakhstan, but there's a fine balance to tread
TREES FOR LIFE
Community is at the heart of conservation in the tropical forests of southern Belize
WHEN DOVES CRY
Turtle doves are now the UK's fastest declining bird species, but the RSPB is on a mission to save them
SURVIVAL OF THE CUTEST
We can't help being drawn to cute creatures, but our aesthetic preferences both help and hinder conservation
LIGHT ON THE NORTH
Spectacular images of Arctic foxes, reindeer and musk oxen reveal the wild beauty and diversity of Scandinavia
ROLLING IN THE DEEP
The super-sized crustacean that lives in the deepest, darkest ocean
LET'S GET TOGETHER
Clay licks deep in the Amazon explode in a riot of colour, with macaws the stars of the show
FEMALE OF THE SPECIES
To sponge or not to sponge? That is the question for the bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) living in Shark Bay, Western Australia.
7 nature encounters for the month ahead
WITH NATURALIST AND AUTHOR BEN HOARE
