Luke Lythgoe
@biodiversions.bsky.social
🦌➡️🦘 | Laurasian in Gondwana
📢🌱🦎 | Communicating #biodiversity
📸📽️🤳🏼 | All my own unless credited otherwise
Visit me at luke-lythgoe.bio
📢🌱🦎 | Communicating #biodiversity
📸📽️🤳🏼 | All my own unless credited otherwise
Visit me at luke-lythgoe.bio
Fluted Giant Clam on John Brewer Reef, on the #GreatBarrierReef 🪸
Giant clams are hermaphrodites, developing both male and female sex organs.
#BiodiversityMonth #Australia
Giant clams are hermaphrodites, developing both male and female sex organs.
#BiodiversityMonth #Australia
September 2, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Fluted Giant Clam on John Brewer Reef, on the #GreatBarrierReef 🪸
Giant clams are hermaphrodites, developing both male and female sex organs.
#BiodiversityMonth #Australia
Giant clams are hermaphrodites, developing both male and female sex organs.
#BiodiversityMonth #Australia
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
A member of the crane family, renowned for their spectacular courtship dances. (This photo isn't showing that...)
#BiodiversityMonth #Australia
September 1, 2025 at 9:18 PM
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
A member of the crane family, renowned for their spectacular courtship dances. (This photo isn't showing that...)
#BiodiversityMonth #Australia
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
fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/family/...
#fish #reef #scicomms #biology #australia
Our #FishOfTheWeek this week is… the Banded Humbug (Dascyllus aruanus) 🐟
👇More #fishfacts and the latest #research featuring ASFB members: doi.org/10.7717/peer...
🌐 Info via Fishes of Australia: fishesofaustralia.net.au
#Australia #fish #biology
👇More #fishfacts and the latest #research featuring ASFB members: doi.org/10.7717/peer...
🌐 Info via Fishes of Australia: fishesofaustralia.net.au
#Australia #fish #biology
May 14, 2025 at 12:19 AM
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
fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/family/...
#fish #reef #scicomms #biology #australia
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
By far the best #flamingo plumage, imho. Deeper pink, black wings 🤌
#ornithology #birds #biodiversity #nature #wildlife
April 26, 2025 at 4:15 AM
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
By far the best #flamingo plumage, imho. Deeper pink, black wings 🤌
#ornithology #birds #biodiversity #nature #wildlife
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
What part of the ocean they're living in is a good place to start 🪸 🌊
#fish #biology #marine
Our #FishOfTheWeek this week is… the Whitetip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus) 🐟
👇More #fishfacts and the latest ASFB #research below.
#Australia #fish #biology
👇More #fishfacts and the latest ASFB #research below.
#Australia #fish #biology
April 25, 2025 at 2:13 AM
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?...
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?...
The Dandenongs: Pretty Little Lyrebirds
YouTube video by Biodiversions
youtu.be
April 23, 2025 at 6:10 AM
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?...
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?...
Reposted by Luke Lythgoe
🌿 Our new study in @natplants.nature.com: Most European temperate forest plants are associated with semi-open, herbivore-shaped habitats—not closed-canopy #forests 🐎🌳🔆🌸 Highlights the need for trophic #rewilding in #conservation & need to avoid uniform dense #reforestation🌿
📄 doi.org/10.1038/s414...
📄 doi.org/10.1038/s414...
Temperate forest plants are associated with heterogeneous semi-open canopy conditions shaped by large herbivores - Nature Plants
Temperate forest plants favour heterogeneous semi-open woodlands associated with high herbivore densities, rather than uniform closed-canopy forests. Herbivore loss is therefore a probable driver of e...
doi.org
April 14, 2025 at 11:30 AM
🌿 Our new study in @natplants.nature.com: Most European temperate forest plants are associated with semi-open, herbivore-shaped habitats—not closed-canopy #forests 🐎🌳🔆🌸 Highlights the need for trophic #rewilding in #conservation & need to avoid uniform dense #reforestation🌿
📄 doi.org/10.1038/s414...
📄 doi.org/10.1038/s414...
Not every #bird in #Australia is rainbow-coloured. But this Grey-headed Robin (Heteromyias cinereifrons) still makes for a nice photo...
#ornithology
#ornithology
April 11, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Not every #bird in #Australia is rainbow-coloured. But this Grey-headed Robin (Heteromyias cinereifrons) still makes for a nice photo...
#ornithology
#ornithology
This latest #FishOfTheWeek post for the ASFB is a bit of an icon. Fastest fish in the ocean, the Sailfish 🐟💨
Our #FishOfTheWeek this week is… the Sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) 🐟
👇More #fishfacts and the latest ASFB #research below.
#Australia #fish #biology
👇More #fishfacts and the latest ASFB #research below.
#Australia #fish #biology
April 1, 2025 at 10:28 PM
This latest #FishOfTheWeek post for the ASFB is a bit of an icon. Fastest fish in the ocean, the Sailfish 🐟💨
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
They like thick undergrowth, so it was nice to see one out in the open.
#australia #wildlife #nature #marsupials #wallaby #macropods
March 28, 2025 at 10:51 PM
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
They like thick undergrowth, so it was nice to see one out in the open.
#australia #wildlife #nature #marsupials #wallaby #macropods
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 🦈
Northern #Australia is a world leader in euryhaline #sharks and #rays 🦈
Our #FishOfTheWeek this week is… the Speartooth Shark (Glyphis glyphis) 🐟
👇More #fishfacts and the latest ASFB #research below.
#Australia #fish #biology
👇More #fishfacts and the latest ASFB #research below.
#Australia #fish #biology
March 25, 2025 at 9:36 PM
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 🦈
Northern #Australia is a world leader in euryhaline #sharks and #rays 🦈
Where were you when you saw your first wild #monotreme?
#platypus #Malanda #AthertonTablelands #Australia #wildlife
#platypus #Malanda #AthertonTablelands #Australia #wildlife
March 23, 2025 at 2:37 AM
Where were you when you saw your first wild #monotreme?
#platypus #Malanda #AthertonTablelands #Australia #wildlife
#platypus #Malanda #AthertonTablelands #Australia #wildlife
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...
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...
March 21, 2025 at 3:45 AM
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...
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...
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
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
March 20, 2025 at 3:25 AM
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
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
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
People seem quite taken with the Spangled Emperor (Lethrinus nebulosus) today ✨🐟
#Australia #fish #biology #reefs #biodiversity
Our #FishOfTheWeek this week is… the Spangled Emperor (Lethrinus nebulosus) 🐟
👇More #fishfacts and the latest ASFB #research below.
#Australia #fish #biology
👇More #fishfacts and the latest ASFB #research below.
#Australia #fish #biology
March 19, 2025 at 12:23 AM
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
People seem quite taken with the Spangled Emperor (Lethrinus nebulosus) today ✨🐟
#Australia #fish #biology #reefs #biodiversity
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
Although it looks very similar to European Robins (Erithacus rubecula) of Christmas card fame, they are only distantly related.
#birds #ornithology #birdsofaustralia
March 12, 2025 at 2:13 AM
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
Although it looks very similar to European Robins (Erithacus rubecula) of Christmas card fame, they are only distantly related.
#birds #ornithology #birdsofaustralia
As well as being on my shortlist of potential wrestling names, "The Succulent Karoo" is an arid #biodiversity hotspot in #SouthAfrica and #Namibia.
This article on #plant #poaching in E360 is critical reading for any tiny plant lovers...
e360.yale.edu/features/sou...
#succulents #extinction
This article on #plant #poaching in E360 is critical reading for any tiny plant lovers...
e360.yale.edu/features/sou...
#succulents #extinction
A Craze for Tiny Plants Is Driving a Poaching Crisis in South Africa
South Africa’s Succulent Karoo is the most biodiverse arid region on the planet, with thousands of plants found nowhere else. But to meet a demand fueled by social media, criminal networks have been p...
e360.yale.edu
March 7, 2025 at 1:56 AM
As well as being on my shortlist of potential wrestling names, "The Succulent Karoo" is an arid #biodiversity hotspot in #SouthAfrica and #Namibia.
This article on #plant #poaching in E360 is critical reading for any tiny plant lovers...
e360.yale.edu/features/sou...
#succulents #extinction
This article on #plant #poaching in E360 is critical reading for any tiny plant lovers...
e360.yale.edu/features/sou...
#succulents #extinction
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
The Pyramid Noddiwink (Nodilittorina pyramidalis)
#marinebiology #beachlife #conchology #gastropods
📍 #RoyalNationalPark, #NSW
March 3, 2025 at 7:03 AM
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
The Pyramid Noddiwink (Nodilittorina pyramidalis)
#marinebiology #beachlife #conchology #gastropods
📍 #RoyalNationalPark, #NSW
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
eucalyptaustralia.org.au/eucalypt-of-...
#gumtrees #eucalyptus #botany #Australia #nature
March 3, 2025 at 6:03 AM
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
eucalyptaustralia.org.au/eucalypt-of-...
#gumtrees #eucalyptus #botany #Australia #nature
Today is #WorldSeagrassDay, celebrating the flowering plants that dared to go back into the sea... 🌿🌊
📸 Helford Estuary, #Cornwall
#biodiversity #botany #plants #wildlife #marine #seagrass
📸 Helford Estuary, #Cornwall
#biodiversity #botany #plants #wildlife #marine #seagrass
February 28, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Today is #WorldSeagrassDay, celebrating the flowering plants that dared to go back into the sea... 🌿🌊
📸 Helford Estuary, #Cornwall
#biodiversity #botany #plants #wildlife #marine #seagrass
📸 Helford Estuary, #Cornwall
#biodiversity #botany #plants #wildlife #marine #seagrass
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
Big #minibeast with a 10cm wingspan. Got some close-ups of its hairy brow 📷
#australia #insects #entomology #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #lepidoptera #moths #mothsmatter
February 27, 2025 at 3:01 AM
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
Big #minibeast with a 10cm wingspan. Got some close-ups of its hairy brow 📷
#australia #insects #entomology #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #lepidoptera #moths #mothsmatter
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🌋
Formed 300 MYA, all the granite that formed around it has since eroded.
White Blow is a conspicuous reminder of #Queensland's volcanic past🌋
February 24, 2025 at 2:45 AM
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🌋
Formed 300 MYA, all the granite that formed around it has since eroded.
White Blow is a conspicuous reminder of #Queensland's volcanic past🌋
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?...
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?...
Hunter Wetlands: Pelicans vs. Pinot
YouTube video by Biodiversions
youtu.be
February 19, 2025 at 4:10 AM
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?...
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?...
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
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
January 19, 2025 at 11:26 PM
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
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
💭 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
👀 Then it started walking backwards!
🔎 Turns out it's a #planthopper, possibly Platybrachys...?
#entomology #hemiptera #truebugs #insects #tropics #Australia #Queensland #nature #wildlife
January 16, 2025 at 12:55 AM
💭 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
👀 Then it started walking backwards!
🔎 Turns out it's a #planthopper, possibly Platybrachys...?
#entomology #hemiptera #truebugs #insects #tropics #Australia #Queensland #nature #wildlife