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Nature Nuggets

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Earth’s Living Treasures

From seal to moth and cockatoo,
All are linked to me and you.
It starts with ‘B,’ has priceless worth—
The massive range of life on Earth.
What is it?

Read on to find out the answer to this riddle!

Biodiversity is the key to a healthy planet. Watch this video to learn why it is important. Today, 22 May, is observed as the International Day for Biological Diversity. This year’s slogan, ‘Building a shared future for all life,’ aims to build support for biodiversity ahead of the second phase of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UN CBD COP15). At this event, world leaders are expected to adopt a new 10-year global framework for nature.

This fun-filled edition of Nature Nuggets brings you interesting and exciting games and activities that help you explore our planet’s amazing biodiversity. So, jump right in and discover new things as you play!

I Spy Something Wild: Our cities are teeming with wildlife. Compete with your friends to identify the most plant and animal species in a park within 15 minutes! You can use the app Seek by iNaturalist on a smartphone to identify species.

Level up by focusing on a specific group of species. For example, organise a minibeast safari or plant safari.

Who’s Calling? Learn to mimic the calls of different animal species. Ask your friends to guess the species by the call you mimic. Have a competition to see who can identify the most calls correctly.

Could we use animal calls to create music? Play Beastbox and become a wildlife DJ!

Riddle Me This:The alphabet goes from A to Z but my name goes from Z to A. Who am I? The answer is—the zebra! Try this: I am named after the thing I eat. Who am I? That’s an anteater! Create fun wildlife riddles and quiz your friends and family.

Green Books: Can’t go out exploring too often? You can learn about biodiversity in our country and beyond in a fun way with WWF’s many green books such as Fascinating Friends in the Wild and Valli’s Nilgiri Adventures.

Brain Train: Brush up on your knowledge of India’s biodiversity with this interactive map.

The Earth has many millions of species yet to be discovered. Learning about our phenomenal biodiversity and the roles these organisms play in our world is the first step toward conserving them for the future.

Common Name: Blue dragon
Scientific Name:Glaucus atlanticus

The blue dragon, also called the blue glaucus or sea swallow, is a captivating creature that belongs to a group of molluscs known as nudibranchs. Interestingly, blue dragons float on their backs! Their bright blue underbellies against the blue of the ocean camouflage them from predators above water. Their pearl-grey backs blend against the bright surface of the water, providing protection from underwater predators. Watch this video to learn more about blue dragons.

Although tiny in comparison, the blue dragon feeds on the large and venomous Portuguese Man ơ War and stores its stinging capsules to defend itself. Click here to see how this nudibranch pulls off this feat.

Time to check your Nature Quotient!

Which of these animals is related to nudibranchs like the blue dragon?

a. Snail
b. Oyster
c. Garden slug
d. All of the above

Answer to be revealed in our next edition!

Previous edition answer: The correct answer is b! Male chiru have black horns, slightly ‘S’-shaped, with ridges close to the base and pointed tips. Female chiru are hornless.

Riddle answer: Biodiversity

Congratulations to everyone who guessed it right!

The oceans are home to around 80% of the world’s biodiversity. These organisms are under extreme pressure due to pollution, climate change, and unsustainable fishing practices. If you are a consumer of seafood, you can help preserve marine biodiversity by introducing a variety of seafood into your diet instead of a few preferred species. By doing this, you can help relieve the demand for popular seafood species. And remember—opt for native species of marine and freshwater fish that are harvested sustainably and during the non-breeding season.

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