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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Fluted Giant Clam on John Brewer Reef, on the #GreatBarrierReef 🪸 Giant clams are hermaphrodites, developing both male and female sex organs. #BiodiversityMonth #Australia

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

Brolgas at Corroboree Billabong #NT A member of the crane family, renowned for their spectacular courtship dances. (This photo isn't showing that...) #BiodiversityMonth #Australia

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

Just dipping a toe into the very diverse damselfish family (Pomacentridae) with this post. The Fishes of Australia website lists 161 species in Australian waters alone... "Nemo" being the most famous 🐠 fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/family/... #fish #reef #scicomms #biology #australia

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

It's International #FlamingoDay. Here are some American Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) I saw in the Santuario de Fauna y Flora Los Flamencos near #Riohacha in #Colombia 🦩🇨🇴 By far the best #flamingo plumage, imho. Deeper pink, black wings 🤌 #ornithology #birds #biodiversity #nature #wildlife

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

The key information in this post is knowing the difference between Whitetip Reef #Sharks (not very dangerous) and Oceanic Whitetips (pretty dangerous) 🦈 What part of the ocean they're living in is a good place to start 🪸 🌊 #fish #biology #marine

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

I've just finished another #YouTube #video from an Australian #nationalpark: the Dandenongs 📹🥾 It's half an hour of... 🎶 Lyrebirds mimicking stuff 🪶 Kookaburras scary laughing 🌿 Very tall ferns 🌳 Even taller eucalyptus #biodiversity #botany #nature #wildlife #travel youtu.be/G2pZ8toLhI0?...

youtu.be

The Dandenongs: Pretty Little Lyrebirds

YouTube video by Biodiversions

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

Not every #bird in #Australia is rainbow-coloured. But this Grey-headed Robin (Heteromyias cinereifrons) still makes for a nice photo... #ornithology

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

This latest #FishOfTheWeek post for the ASFB is a bit of an icon. Fastest fish in the ocean, the Sailfish 🐟💨

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

A Swamp Wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) I encountered in the #Dandenongs near #Melbourne. They like thick undergrowth, so it was nice to see one out in the open. #australia #wildlife #nature #marsupials #wallaby #macropods

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

I learned a #newword creating this post... Euryhaline: animals that live in both salt and fresh water. Northern #Australia is a world leader in euryhaline #sharks and #rays 🦈

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

Another day, another "international day"... UN Int. Day of #Forests, anyone? I recently went to the very rare mabi forests of northern #Queensland, where the famous Curtain Fig (Ficus virens) only survived because the ground is strewn with basalt boulders no one could be bothered to move...

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

It's #WorldFrogDay 🐸 I snapped this guy among the bryophytes of Beinn Eighe in the Scottish #Highlands. And shortly after (a while ago now) wrote this article on the differences between #frogs and #toads... 🤯 luke-lythgoe.bio/articles/fro... #biodiversity #nature #herpetology #anurans

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

As part of my gig doing #comms for @austsocfishbiol.bsky.social, I've launched a new #FishOfTheWeek series. People seem quite taken with the Spangled Emperor (Lethrinus nebulosus) today ✨🐟 #Australia #fish #biology #reefs #biodiversity

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

This Eastern Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria australis) paused just long enough for a photo in the #Dandenongs just outside #Melbourne 🐦📸 Although it looks very similar to European Robins (Erithacus rubecula) of Christmas card fame, they are only distantly related. #birds #ornithology #birdsofaustralia

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

It's #WorldWildlifeDay! And because it's important to appreciate the smaller #wildlife, here is a very pretty endemic Australian sea #snail with a fantastic name... The Pyramid Noddiwink (Nodilittorina pyramidalis) #marinebiology #beachlife #conchology #gastropods 📍 #RoyalNationalPark, #NSW

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Have you voted for #EucalyptOfTheYear2025 yet? I was a bit basic and went for the tallest ones, Mountain Ash. But I had a lovely time walking among them in the #Dandenongs in January, so no regrets here... eucalyptaustralia.org.au/eucalypt-of-... #gumtrees #eucalyptus #botany #Australia #nature

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Today is #WorldSeagrassDay, celebrating the flowering plants that dared to go back into the sea... 🌿🌊 📸 Helford Estuary, #Cornwall #biodiversity #botany #plants #wildlife #marine #seagrass

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

Saw a White-browed Hawk-moth (Gnathothlibus eras) in the garden 🦋 Big #minibeast with a 10cm wingspan. Got some close-ups of its hairy brow 📷 #australia #insects #entomology #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #lepidoptera #moths #mothsmatter

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

Got my #rocks off to some #geology at the weekend. White Blow (near #Ravenswood #QLD) is a house-sized lump of #quartz sticking out of the tropical savanna💎🌳 Formed 300 MYA, all the granite that formed around it has since eroded. White Blow is a conspicuous reminder of #Queensland's volcanic past🌋

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

I've been working on a #YouTube series, exploring the #wildlife and #ecology as I wander random #nationalparks in #Australia. The second episode is on the Hunter Wetlands, a natural gem sandwiched between a huge coal port and famous wine region... #birds #botany #badjokes youtu.be/5sXsGQ44Yx4?...

youtu.be

Hunter Wetlands: Pelicans vs. Pinot

YouTube video by Biodiversions

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

Most flashy name for a #dragonfly? My vote would be Zircon Flutterer (Rhyothemis princeps) Aussie odo-naturalists call it "Sapphire Flutterer". But another dragonfly in southeast Asia has that name, so @inaturalist.bsky.social lists it as Zircon Flutterer. 📸📍Ross River, #Townsville #entomology

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

💭 I thought: That's a strange moth... 👀 Then it started walking backwards! 🔎 Turns out it's a #planthopper, possibly Platybrachys...? #entomology #hemiptera #truebugs #insects #tropics #Australia #Queensland #nature #wildlife

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

"I guess this table's taken..." This Purple-winged Mantis (Tenodera australasiae), all 9cm of it, is one of several challenges finding a spot for #lunch at #JCU #tropics #australia #entomology #insects #alfrescodining #mantis

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

🌳 What's the second oldest #nationalpark in the world? 🪶 Why do so many shearwaters wash up on Aussie #beaches? 🎱 Are these #rockpools even safe? 🎬 Find out in the very first #biodiversity #video for my Biodiversions #YouTube channel 👇 youtu.be/ZQcn0CxIseg?... Share. Like. Subscribe. Etc. 🙏

youtu.be

Royal National Park... Danger Pools & Wildflowers

YouTube video by Biodiversions

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

"Flying foxes have done more for this country than you or I might hope to achieve." #bats #australia #biodiversity www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5Sa...

youtube.com

Flying Foxes Are Important

YouTube video by The Backyard Naturalist

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

Washed up in #Townsville: Portuguese Man O' War a.k.a. Bluebottle (Physalia physalis). A #hydrozoan rather than a "true jellyfish". But it floats around and stings you all the same. Back in the UK this would be a top scary thing in the sea. In #Australia it's mid-tier 🪼🦈🐊 #marine #biodiversity

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 04/01/2025

It's staggering how our perception of oysters has changed over a relatively short period of time. It would be amazing to see them restored to their former numbers.

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 04/01/2025

Flesh flies (Sarcophagidae) aren't the most beloved insects, but their larvae do a top job clearing up dead things and the adults are actually very attractive up close, I think. #entomology #insects #flies #biodiversity #nature #ecology

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 01/01/2025

This Eastern Two-lined Dragon (Diporiphora australis) doing a classic pose for the camera 🦎📸 #wildlife #nature #biodiversity #hiking #australia

Eastern Two-lined Dragon lizard posing on a rock on the sun

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 30/12/2024

Wildlife spot of the day: this Eastern Treerunner Mantis (Ciulfina biseriata). Living up to its name, running up a tree. Until it spotted me and decided camouflage would keep it out of trouble... #mantis #insect #entomology

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 30/12/2024

In Britain, conservationists affectionately refer to baby spoonbills as "teaspoons" 🥄 This one is an Australian adult though.

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

Ape-arently it's #WorldMonkeyDay (I know, monkeys aren't apes...) Here's a very striking Sykes' Monkey (Cercopithecus mitis albogularis) I photographed in Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park in #Zanzibar. They're a subspecies of Blue Monkey, presumably named for that gorgeous smokey fur. #biodiversity

Blue Monkey in jungle with hand outstretched

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

Ready to scurry out into the sunlight of the weekend? This is an Australian Water Dragon (Intellagama lesueurii) #reptiles #lizards #herpetology

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

The Pebas System. I never knew. Seemed like a cool place... 🐊🌴 www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul8U...

youtube.com

When the Amazon Flowed Backwards

YouTube video by PBS Eons

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

The scientific name for this #fungus is Phallus multicolor 🍄 #WorldSoilDay

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

Did you SPOT it's #InternationalCheetahDay today? I've been learning some FAST facts on the official website... internationalcheetahday.com#getinvolved And here's a cheetah I saw myself last year 🐆

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

The Figure Eight Pools in the Royal National Park south of #Sydney are among the most uncanny #geology. I've ever seen. Some guides say they're 3 metres deep... I didn't test it. ⚠️ Heed warnings around high tide and big waves, sadly lots of tourist fatalities associated with this site.

Feet dipped in Figure Eight Pool, Royal National Park, Australia

Figure Eight Pool, Royal National Park, Australia

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

This is a tropical snapper, Lutjanus carponotatus, I saw off #Yunbenun #MagnegneticIsland It seems reef fish have MANY common names. This one goes by: Stripey Snapper, Spanish Flag Snapper, Dusky-striped Sea-perch, Gold-banded Sea Perch, Gold-stripe Sea-perch, Striped Seaperch, Stripey Sea Perch🐠

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

#Australia has 14 species of #cockatoo. Broadly, they come in white, black, pink or "gang-gang" colours. I've photographed 3: 🦜 Sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) 🦜 Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii) 🦜 Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo (Zanda funerea) #birds #naturephotography

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 23/11/2024

More #fish content. This is a Bluespotted Fantail #Ray (Taeniura lymma) foraging in the shallows at #FlorenceBay #Yunbenun / #MagneticIsland in #Queensland #Australia 🤿 ⚠️ Rated "potentially dangerous" in my @ausgeo.newsmast.social.ap.brid.gy guide due to venomous serrated spines on the tail.

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

Just wrapped up a week of #comms work with some great fishy people at #ASFB2024 For what it's worth, my top #fish encounter since moving to #Australia is this Broad Cowtail Stingray (Pastinachus ater) in *very* shallow water at #FlorenceBay on #Yunbenun #MagneticIsland @austsocfishbiol.bsky.social

Underwater photo of a Broad Cowtail Stingray (Pastinachus ater) in tropical shallow water

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

I spotted this Magpie Moth (Abraxas grossulariata) in a campsite toilet block one morning last year ⛺🚽 Who says British #Lepidoptera aren't stunning? #moths #mothsmatter #insects #entomology #nature #biodiversity #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #wowzers

Magpie Moth (Abraxas grossulariata) on an old white painted wall

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 14/11/2024

Us lot with spines think we're pretty important. But in terms of sheer variety of species, the #treeoflife is strongly unbalanced towards arthropods (~80%) I made this #chart on #canva which roughly illustrates #species broken down by phyla. #biodiversity #nature #taxonomy #science #biology

Graphic showing proportion of species broken down by phyla. Arthropoda (arthropods) dominate the chart with around 80% of all described species, trailed by Mollusca (molluscs) and Chordata (chordates).

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 28/10/2024

Today I stumbled across the Backyard Naturalist (algorithms aren't so bad...) Solidly entertaining 20 mins on #Aussie #flora, with an unexpectedly profound conclusion. #botany #plants #biodiversity #youtubefinds www.youtube.com/watch?v=idy9...

youtube.com

The Shut-ins Guide to Aussie Plants

YouTube video by The Backyard Naturalist

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 25/10/2024

Cannot over-emphasise how much I enjoy PBS Eons. To think I almost missed the talk at #LymeRegisFossilFestival that put me onto it... This week's episode I learned how 50 million years of #dinosaur #fossils just went missing in eastern North America. www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NcE...

youtube.com

The Dinosaurs That Evolution Forgot

YouTube video by PBS Eons

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Luke Lythgoe @biodiversions.bsky.social · 23/10/2024

"34,000 populations [...] reduced to a single number" Demystification of that scary 73% figure from this year's #LivingPlanetIndex. Lots of nerdy #maths to learn (arithmetic vs geometric averages, anyone?) and top analysis from @ourworldindata.bsky.social ourworldindata.org/living-plane...

ourworldindata.org

Living Planet Index: what does it really mean?

The Living Planet Index is the biodiversity metric that always claims the headlines. It’s often misinterpreted. How should we understand it?

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