ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew Griffiths is a freelance writer who specialises in environmental issues, conservation and fly fishing. Andrew lives in the Peak District and is an amateur naturalist as well as a keen angler.
WHERE ARE FEW PARASITES that quicken the pulse of conservationists, and fewer still that are highlighted as flagship species, but that is the fate of the freshwater pearl mussel on English and Welsh rivers and streams.
This is in part because of their extraordinary life-cycle: vast numbers of tiny larvae, known as glochidia, are released by the mature female into the stream. They must then be inhaled by young salmon or trout and fix onto their gills - this is the parasitic stage - where a cyst forms and they spend about nine months in this rich, oxygenated environment before dropping off into the river gravels and beginning their journey to adulthood.
And what a journey this is, in terms of time if not distance. To begin to understand the life of the freshwater pearl mussel - and its plight - we need to tune our minds to a different temporal beat. The mussel can live to be 120 years old or more, does not become sexually mature until about 15 years old, and does not emerge from the river gravels to filter feed in their beds for about five years, after dropping off the gills of its host.
The mature bivalve mollusc, in its gnarly shell, looks as if it has sprung life from the centre of a cleaved stone. The name 'pearl mussel hints at the jewel that may lie within and, though pearl fishing is now illegal, it is this prospect of value, historically sought out by poachers, that is in part responsible for its precipitous decline.
Shaun Davies is a conservation volunteer and angler on Cumbria's River Irt. He has lived in the area for 40 years and remembers seeing evidence of hunting for pearls.
Bu hikaye BBC Wildlife dergisinin April 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye BBC Wildlife dergisinin April 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Jump Around - Bagheera Kiplingi - The acrobatic spider with a predilection for veggie food
Spiders eat flies, right? everyone knows that the 45,000 or so spiders in the world are all obligate carnivores, more or less – eating other animals, mainly invertebrates. Nature, however, loves an exception, and one particular spider missed out on that ecological memo. It goes by the wonderful scientific name of Bagheera kiplingi, and its claim to fame is that its diet is – at least mostly – vegetarian.
Female of the Species - Zebras - A strong sisterhood is key to staying safe
Zebras are masters of confusion. Their collective noun is ‘a dazzle’, which is fitting since their bodies and behaviour have been surprising scientists for centuries.
See It, Save It? - Wildlife tourism can be a powerful ally in protecting nature - but it can also harm it. We weigh up the pros and cons.
The sums of wildlife travel aren’t as simple as more tourists equals happier nature. How much did my visit really contribute to the conservation of Lady Liuwa and her habitat – and was that outweighed by carbon emissions from my flights? Did my presence disturb the animals’ natural behaviour more than it reduced the threat of poaching or benefited local communities?The question of whether wildlife travel is, on balance, good for wildlife is a complex one – and there’s no simple answer.
Can Your Really Offset Emissions? - Planning an overseas wildlife-watching trip entails facing some inconvenient truths
Imagine (or maybe you don't need to) that you hanker after the safari trip of a lifetime in sub-Saharan Africa. A 17-day tour beginning at the iconic Victoria Falls, passing through Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania, taking in some of the continent’s most wildlife-rich national parks, and ending on the lush island of Zanzibar.
Metamorphosis: a life-changing event
WITH EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGIST JV CHAMARY
New series for BBC One: Asia
Settle in this autumn for a new natural-history extravaganza on BBC One and iPlayer: the longawaited Asia, presented by Sir David Attenborough.
Loss of Antarctic sea ice could impact seabird food supply
Albatrosses and petrels may be forced to fly further to feed
Tarsiers in trouble
Urgent action is needed to ensure survival of the Yoda-like primate
SNAP-CHAT
Chien Lee on shrew loos, rogue drones and being rained out of bed
VISIONS OF NATURE
The winners of the Wildlife Artist of the Year competition 2024, from David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
