h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Real life sounds good, sounds great in fact. Especially the art exhibition - you sold quite a few pictures from what I remember.

I tend to have little time to myself in the run up to Christmas and over the holiday myself.

Haven't looked through all the photos - good pics though. It's so frustrating going to Spain and seeing all sorts of new plants and not being able to find out their names.

Actually, just looking at the aloes one now it's made me quite Arica-homesick. Weird thing is, it wasn't the aloes but that prickly sparse grass, the dust, and the ant hole. And the contrary thing is I never liked that grass when we were there.

What happened with the farm/garden you were advising on about making a garden from indigenous species?

PS that this, Euphorbia ingens 3, and this, Euphorbia clavarioides 2, are the same species is astonishing. I’m not looking at anymore tonight, it’s making the UK feel too dark, damp, cold and built on .

Hi Waz! I'm just quickly jumping on tonight to reply. Thanks for looking! You know you can actually find Euphorbia clavarioides and Euphorbia ingens growing together on the same hillside. And they are not even on the extremes of the genus ... the biggest local species is Euphorbia triangularis, which can reach 18 m in height (ingens rarely exceeds 10 m) and one of the smallest is Euphorbia trichadenia, which has tiny stems and leaves rarely exceeding 1 inch in height ... (but it happens to have an unusually large underground tuber, several hundred times as massive as the above-ground parts). Euphorbia trichadenia is still a very pretty little plant, and I have photos of them as well that I wish to upload to my Euphorbia photo album soon! I want to include as many species there as I can. It's one of my favourite groups of plants. There are probably about two hundred different Euphorbia species in Southern Africa. They are still discovering new species at quite a stiff pace, all over the place!

It is actually generally not at all hard to tell that a certain kind of 'mystery plant' is an Euphorbia. If you prick any part of an Euphorbia, it exudes a milky white sap (which is toxic in all species and must at all costs be kept out of your eyes!). Also, the flowers of Euphorbias are arranged into a kind of composite inflorescence called 'cythia' which has a distinctive and easily recognisable appearance ... which is illustrated on my close-up photos of Euphorbia trichadenia.

The botanic garden sort of thing is still going on ... though much too slowly to my taste! I'll give an update here soon, I hope ... if ever I have a bit of free time again! But I'm also talking to other people and thinking about other garden projects ... recently for instance I've helped furnish the garden of a new local preacher with plants, and even today I've talked with the wife of another preacher about helping her plan an indigenous drought-resistant garden!

I must leave now ... have to get up very soon tomorrow morning, going to a nursery in Pretoria that specialises in Southern African succulent species! Going to replenish my stocks and chat with the people ... talk about swopping species, and possible exploration/collection expeditions ...

Waz you won't believe what I did! I actually started finishing off this entry! Here's what I have so far:

THE LAMMERGEIER

The Lammergeier is one of the largest, most impressive, most unusual, most enigmatic and – sadly – most endangered of the living species of birds-of-prey.

Eagle or Vulture?

Confusion over just exactly what the Lammergeier is, starts with its name. Its original name in German is ‘Lämmergeier’, more or less pronounced ‘lemmerguyer’ in English spelling. The English name is derived from this, with the loss of the umlaut. In German it means ‘Lamb-vulture’. In South Africa the species was originally also known as ‘Lammergeier’, or ‘Lammergeyer’, or in Afrikaans also ‘Lammergier’ or ‘Lammervanger’. The word ‘gier’ is a very old-fashioned word in Afrikaans today and can mean ‘vulture’ or ‘eagle’. Another old Afrikaans name for the bird, ‘Lammervanger’ means ‘lamb-catcher’.

All of these names imply that this species catches lambs. The Lammergeier has indeed been seen in the past as an active hunter, a lamb-catching eagle, as a result of which these birds were widely persecuted. Today, however, it is seen as mainly a scavenger. This has been reflected in numerous name-changes, terming the bird a vulture rather than an eagle. In Germany today it is known as a ‘Bartgeier’, or ‘Beard-vulture’. This was carried over to Afrikaans with the direct translation ‘Baardaasvoël’, while the South African English name changed to ‘Bearded Vulture’. It is now portrayed as a harmless scavenger that only eats dead animals. To an extent this bit of spin-doctoring and image-polishing has benefited the species in Europe as well as in Africa.

So is it an eagle, or a vulture?

Actually it is a bit of both! Its scientific name, Gypaetus barbatus, has reflected this from the beginning. ‘Gyps’ or ‘gups’ is Greek for ‘vulture; ‘aetos’ for ‘eagle’; and ‘barbatus’ is Latin for ‘bearded’. The name in full thus means ‘bearded vulture-eagle’.

But in some ways, this species is not merely a mix-up between a vulture and an eagle, but something altogether different, and unique. This is reflected in some of its other names. The name ‘Ossifrage’ is used on occasion, coming from the Latin ‘ossifragus’, meaning bone-breaking (‘os’=bone; ‘frangere’ = to break). In Spanish this becomes ‘Quebrantahuesos’ = ‘(the one) that breaks bones’. These names hit on the Lammergeiers own uniqueness: it is not just any old scavenger, but one specialised to feed on bones. It is the only species of bird to almost completely subsist on a diet of dead, dry bones.

Description, Distribution , Diet and Lifestyle

The Lammergeier is very much adapted to its peculiar way of life – with the result that its description, distribution and diet are all closely interrelated! It makes sense therefore to treat them together.

This is a huge bird of prey, reaching a length from beak to tail of 110 cm (about 43") with a wingspan of 263-282 cm (8'4"-9'3"). It has long, pointed wings and a relatively long, wedge-shaped, sometimes described as diamond shaped, tail. In the adult bird the wings and tail are slaty-black above as well as below. The wing coverts and scapulars – the shoulder coverts - have white shafts, showing up as thin white lines on the blackish wings. The neck, breast, belly and undertail coverts vary from yellowish to rusty-red. This colouration actually comes not from the feathers themselves, which are white, but is a kind of cosmetic 'stain' acquired from reddish rock or soil!

It is apparently not quite exactly known how the feathers 'pick up' and retain this colouring, and exactly where or how, but it is probably from reddish iron-oxides (rust, actually) either in the caves where they roost and sleep, or from soil in which they dust-bathe, or from dissolved oxides in pools in which they drink and bathe.

The exact tint of the body-feathers of the Lammergeier therefore varies dependent on local soils, rocks and the behaviour of the individual bird. However, most of the time the feathers of the head remain white. This forms a contrast with the black "bandit's mask" of short, stiff feathers surrounding the eye. These black feathers also extend over the base of the bill and down to the chin where they are lengthened into a forwards-pointing tuft or 'beard'. This unique structure indeed gives the Lammergeier its alternative name of Bearded Vulture.

The function of this beard is not known. It might have a tactile function, like the whiskers of mammals, and might be involved when it feeds on marrow-bones.

The Lammergeier's eye is a pale yellow, surrounded by a red sclerotic ring, standing out prominently from its black 'bandit-mask'. The ring 'blushes' to a deeper red when the bird gets excited.

The Lammergeier has long, dense, shaggy feathers covering its body to protect it from the cold. On the back of its head and neck the fathers are loose, long and lance-shaped, giving the appearance of a 'mane'. It also has long feathers on its legs, like baggy trousers, the feathering extending to within 2.5 cm (1") from its toes. Underneath the stiff, overlapping contour feathers of its body it has a dense, insulating layer of downy feathers. When it ruffles its feathers the rattle can be heard 30 m away!

The bill is horn-coloured, and the feet are slaty grey.

The adult bird weighs from about 5.2 kg (12 lb.) up to 6.25 kg (14 lb.), with an average of about 5.75 kg (13 lb.). This puts it among the largest of the eagle and vulture species. It looks especially big and bulky as a result of its thick cover of feathers, like a human wrapped in furs.

The immature Lammergeier differs from the adult in being almost uniformly blackish or dark brown, with a black head and breast. It already sports the diagnostic black beard by the time that it can fly. Its body colour gradually lightens to the rufous-brown of the adult. Full adult plumage is only achieved after six to seven years!

The silhouette resembles that of a falcon in flight, but it has that distinctive wedge/diamond-shaped tail. Where other vultures soar and circle over plains looking for carrion, the Lammergeier is more likely to be found patrolling a cliff face. A very lucky watcher might see it rising high to drop a bone on to the rocks to smash it, then descending in a looping spiral to feed on the marrow or to pick up the bone to try again.

It is generally silent, giving only a shrill whistle from the breeding ground.

The Lammergeier’s size and shagginess are adaptations to its living conditions. It mainly dwells in very mountainous terrain. It is superbly equipped to soar, with its huge wings, on updrafts around mountain slopes, and its very shaggy feathers and large size help it keep warm in the cold, windy and frequently wet mountain weather. It grows up, feeds, nests and breeds in these mountains, and only rarely will individuals be seen away from them. Their main range stretches over the high mountain ranges of Europe, Asia, and Africa: From the Atlas and Pyrenees mountains of Morrocco, Spain and France in the West, across the Alps, and the Balkans to the Anatolian mountains of Turkey. From there it goes east to the Caucasus and their Central Asian stronghold in the Hindu Kush, the Himalayas, Tien Shan and the Altai, and south through Egypt to the mountains of southern Yemen, the Ethiopian Highlands, and the ranges along the Rift Valley in Kenya and Tanzania with a further outpost in the Drakensberg of South Africa.

In these mountain regions Lammergeiers have special requirements. They usually occur at altitudes over 1000 m … over 1 800 m in Africa. This habitat is generally covered by sub-alpine vegetation, without large trees so that carcasses on the ground will be clearly visible. These regions must also be free of snow in winter or spring. Suitable carcasses would be those of domestic or wild hoofed mammals. Lammergeiers do in fact derive some benefit from human livestock raising in some regions, especially when tolerated by humans and under ‘primitive’ pastoral conditions. But where intensive stock farming takes place, they are usually persecuted: shot, trapped, poisoned. For these reasons they have in recent years vanished from much suitable mountain habitat, such as in the European Alps and some of the mountains of the Cape Province of South Africa.

Apart from food, Lammergeiers need suitable roosting and nesting areas. They prefer caves or overhangs surrounded by high cliffs, to give them safety from predators.

One last – and very important – thing that Lammergeiers need in their habitat, is exposed slabs or outcrops of rocks on which to drop bones.

(To be continued ...)

I will continue in this vein! Any comments?

Looks excellent . Full of your enthusiasm.


One general thing, I'd like to add a little, but it needs to be a little to keep it nice and short, to the intro to intrigue readers who aren't disposed to read about birds. Maybe things to illustrate what you've already said - like the 3m wingspan, the 30m feather rattle ... and/or something to show it's amazing flight. Those things all catch my imagination.

Or perhaps a description of a lammergeier siting - soaring and diving - leading into "It's a lammergeier - one of the largest, most impressive, most unusual, most enigmatic and – sadly – most endangered of the living species of birds-of-prey." and then on as you have it.


What do you think?

I want to grab as many readers as possible to find out about these birds.


Nitpicky thing - 'Underneath the stiff, overlapping contour feathers of its body it has a dense, insulating layer of downy feathers.' -> 'Underneath the stiff, overlapping contour feathers of its body it has a dense, insulating layer of down.' to avoid two 'feathers in the sentence?

Glad you resurrected this - I was about to come back to it too now the disruption of England's brief summer is over .

Hello there!! OK I will try with the little 'sketch' intro ... agree with your modification on the two feathers ... as for 'grabbing' readers, I'll do my best! I'm handicapped with an inability to grasp or conceive of how anybody could *not* be obsessively fascinated by birds.

I'll see how much I can get done. I have a little holiday at the moment that allowed me to get to this entry. Holiday over this coming Tuesday! But then I'll have holidays again in December. Time will fly until then.