Μοναστήρι Τιμίου Σταυρού στο χωριό Ανώγυρα
Μεσαιωνικό Κάστρο της Πάφου - Medieval Castle of Paphos
Φρούριο της Καντάρας - Κάστρο της Καντάρας - Kantara Castle
By George Konstantinou 2023 - Email fanigeorge@hotmail.com
Thursday, 17 August 2023
Cuvier's beaked whale or ziphius - Ziphius cavirostris Cuvier, 1823 - Ζιφιός - Cyprus
See also
Family: Ziphiidae
The Cuvier's beaked whale, goose-beaked whale, or ziphius (Ziphius cavirostris) is the most widely distributed of all beaked whales in the family Ziphiidae. It is smaller than most baleen whales yet large among beaked whales. Cuvier's beaked whale is pelagic, inhabiting waters deeper than 300 m (1,000 ft). It has the deepest and longest recorded dives among whales at 2,992 m (9,816 ft) and 222 minutes, though the frequency and reasons for these extraordinary dives are unclear. Despite its deep-water habitat, it is one of the most frequently spotted beaked whales.
The species was named Ziphius cavirostris by Georges Cuvier, based on a skull fragment which he believed to be a fossil from an extinct species. He reused the genus name Ziphius from an undetermined species mentioned by historical sources. The species name cavirostris, from Latin cavus "hollow" and rostrum "beak", refers to a bony structure (cavity) anterior of the nares (the bones of the nose), now known as the prenarial basin. It is now known to be unique to males of this species.. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Photo Limnitis 9/2/2023 by Demetris Kolokotronis
Unprecedented number of whales found beached in Paphos - 9/2/2023
Beached Cuvier’s beaked whales, also known as goose-beaked whales, or ziphius (Ziphius cavirostris) were found in various Paphos locations over the past two days but all, even those helped back into the water have died, it emerged on Friday.
The department of fisheries announced 5 sightings on Thursday, one at Gialia, one at Argaka, two near Polis.and one at Limnitis.
Locals who first found the whales notified the authorities, and then attempted to rescue the animals, managing to push three, which were found alive, back into sea and the animals appeared to take off, mayor of Argaka, Spyros Pelopida, told the Cyprus Mail.
Spokesman for the marine research department Lavrentis Vassiliades, told Cyprus Mail that by Friday morning two more sightings had occurred, between Polis and Pachyammos, bringing the total number up to 7. Sadly, all the whales, even those which had been pushed back into the water, were later found beached and dead.
This is the first recorded instance of such a large number of whales beaching in Cyprus, Vassiliades said, although there were a couple of isolated incidents in the past, with one recorded last year in Mandria. Meanwhile, there have also been reports of three whale sightings in the north.
The fisheries research team collected autopsy samples from the carcasses on Friday, some of which are to be sent abroad, to determine the exact causes of the whale’s deaths, Vassiliades said, but could not say when results would be returned.
The beaching may have happened as a result of seismic vibrations from the recent earthquake in Turkey, shock waves from military exercises, or noise from exploratory seabed drilling, all of which can cause stress and disorientation to cetaceans which rely largely on their sense of hearing and communicate with each through high-frequency echolocation.
The mayor of Argaka, where two of the whales were found, said the attempted rescue by locals shows that the area’s residents are sensitive to sea animals and want to protect their region’s biodiversity.
A video posted to a group dedicated to recording and preserving the island’s biodiversity, showed a young men from the area pushing one whale back into the sea, in cold and rough-water conditions.
The group stayed at the beach for hours at night, to watch for any more whales, the mayor said.
Anything immediate, relating to the region’s animals or nature, has to be done by the locals, the region’s youth volunteers and local leaders,” the mayor said pointedly, adding that official state authorities are not as reliable or as intimately involved.
Cuvier’s whales are smaller than most baleen whales but large for beaked whales, usually inhabiting waters deeper than 300 m. They have the deepest and longest recorded dives among whales. Despite their deep-water habitat, they are among the most frequently spotted beached whales, possibly due to being even more sensitive to sonar than other types of whale species..From Cyprus Mail
Photos Limnitis 9/2/2023 by Demetris Kolokotronis
Λίστα ερπετών και αμφίβιων της Κύπρου - List of reptiles and amphibians of Cyprus
Snakes
Macrovipera lebetina (Linnaeus, 1758)
Rhynchocalamus barani or Rhynchocalamus melanocephalus
Lizards
Turtles
Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758)
Trachemys scripta elegans (Wied-Neuwied, 1839) - Alien species to Cyprus
Amphibians
Pelophylax bedriagae (Camerano, 1882)
Bufotes cypriensis Litvinchuk, Mazepa, Jablonski, and Dufresnes, 2019 - Endemic to Cyprus
By George Konstantinou 2023 - Email fanigeorge@hotmail.com
Wednesday, 16 August 2023
Λίστα των θηλαστικών της Κύπρου - List of mammals of Cyprus
Ovis gmelini ophion Blyth, 1841 - Endemic subspecies to Cyprus
Vulpes vulpes indutus (Miller, 1907) - Endemic subspecies to Cyprus
Hemiechinus auritus dorotheae (S. G. Gmelin, 1770) - Endemic subspecies to Cyprus
Lepus europaeus cyprius (Pallas, 1778) - Endemic subspecies to Cyprus
Crocidura suaveolens cypria (Pallas, 1811)
Suncus etruscus (Savi, 1822)
Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1769)
Mus cypriacus (Cucchi et al., 2006) - Endemic to Cyprus
Marine mammals
Monachus monachus (Hermann, 1779)
Tursiops truncatus - (Montagu, 1821)
Grampus griseus (G. Cuvier, 1812)
Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758
Λίστα με τα 19 είδη νυχτερίδων της Κύπρου - List of 19 bats species of Cyprus
1) Miniopterus schreibersii (Kuhl, 1817)
2) Plecotus kolombatovici Dulic, 1980
3) Myotis nattereri (Kuhl, 1817)
4) Eptesicus serotinus
5) Rousettus aegyptiacus (Geoffroy, 1810)
Albinism Egyptian fruit bat
6) Myotis blythii
7) Myotis emarginatus (E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1806)
8) Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (Schreber, 1774)
9) Pipistrellus pipistrellus
10) Rhinolophus hipposideros (Bechstein, 1800)
11) Hypsugo savii (Bonaparte, 1837)
12) Pipistrellus kuhlii (Kuhl, 1817)
13) Rhinolophus blasii
14) Nyctalus leisleri
15) Nyctalus lasiopterus
16) Tadarida teniotis
17) Pipistrellus pygmaeus cyprius - Soprano pipistrelle (Leach, 1825) -- Endemic subspecies to Cyprus
18) Rhinolophus Euryale
19) Eptesicus anatolicus
By George Konstantinou 2023 - Email fanigeorge@hotmail.com
Tuesday, 15 August 2023
Eurasian bittern or great bittern - Botaurus stellaris (Linnaeus, 1758) - (Ευρασιατικός) Ήταυρος, Βουρωδιός - Cyprus
See also
List of Birds of Cyprus - Κατάλογος πουλιών της Κύπρου - And all the bird species in this blog
Οι 10 ερωδιοί της Κύπρου (Web TV) - Του Γιώργου Κωνσταντίνου - Εφημερίδα πολίτης 1/3/2018
The Eurasian bittern or great bittern (Botaurus stellaris) is a wading bird in the bittern subfamily (Botaurinae) of the heron family Ardeidae. There are two subspecies, the northern race (B. s. stellaris) breeding in parts of Europe and across the Palearctic, as well as on the northern coast of Africa, while the southern race (B. s. capensis) is endemic to parts of southern Africa. It is a secretive bird, seldom seen in the open as it prefers to skulk in reed beds and thick vegetation near water bodies. Its presence is apparent in the spring, when the booming call of the male during the breeding season can be heard. It feeds on fish, small mammals, fledgling birds, amphibians, crustaceans and insects.
The nest is usually built among reeds at the edge of bodies of water. The female incubates the clutch of eggs and feeds the young chicks, which leave the nest when about two weeks old. She continues to care for them until they are fully fledged some six weeks later.
With its specific habitat requirements and the general reduction in wetlands across its range, the population is thought to be in decline globally. However the decline is slow, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its overall conservation status as being of "least concern". Nevertheless, some local populations are at risk and the population of the southern race has declined more dramatically and is cause for concern. In the United Kingdom it is one of the most threatened of all bird species. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Photos Akroriri 25/4/2022 by George Konstantinou
Common nightingale, rufous nightingale or nightingale - Luscinia megarhynchos - Brehm, 1831 - (Κοινό) Αηδόνι, Αηδόνι - Cyprus
See also - List of Birds of Cyprus - Κατάλογος πουλιών της Κύπρου - And all the bird species in this blog
Family: MuscicapidaeThe common nightingale, rufous nightingale or simply nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos), is a small passerine bird best known for its powerful and beautiful song. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae. It belongs to a group of more terrestrial species, often called chats.
The common nightingale is slightly larger than the European robin, at 15–16.5 cm (5.9–6.5 in) length. It is plain brown above except for the reddish tail. It is buff to white below. The sexes are similar. The eastern subspecies (L. m. golzi) and the Caucasian subspecies (L. m. africana) have paler upper parts and a stronger face-pattern, including a pale supercilium. The song of the male nightingale[6] has been described as one of the most beautiful sounds in nature, inspiring songs, fairy tales, opera, books, and a great deal of poetry. However, historically most people were not aware that female nightingales do not sing.
It is a migratory insectivorous species breeding in forest and scrub in Europe and the Palearctic, and wintering in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is not found naturally in the Americas. The distribution is more southerly than the very closely related thrush nightingale Luscinia luscinia. It nests on or near the ground in dense vegetation. Research in Germany found that favoured breeding habitat of nightingales was defined by a number of geographical factors. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Photos Cape Greco 5/4/2023 by George Konstantinou
Λίστα με τα 19 είδη νυχτερίδων της Κύπρου - List of 19 bats species of Cyprus
1) Miniopterus schreibersii (Kuhl, 1817)
2) Plecotus kolombatovici Dulic, 1980
3) Myotis nattereri (Kuhl, 1817)
4) Eptesicus serotinus
5) Rousettus aegyptiacus (Geoffroy, 1810)
Albinism Egyptian fruit bat
6) Myotis blythii
7) Myotis emarginatus (E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1806)
8) Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (Schreber, 1774)
9) Pipistrellus pipistrellus
10) Rhinolophus hipposideros (Bechstein, 1800)
11) Hypsugo savii (Bonaparte, 1837)
12) Pipistrellus kuhlii (Kuhl, 1817)
13) Rhinolophus blasii
14) Nyctalus leisleri
15) Nyctalus lasiopterus
16) Tadarida teniotis
17) Pipistrellus pygmaeus cyprius - Soprano pipistrelle (Leach, 1825)
(αποτελεί ενδημικό υποείδος της Κύπρου)
18) Rhinolophus Euryale
19) Eptesicus anatolicus..Τα
19 εί δη By George Konstantinou - Email fanigeorge@hotmail.com
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