Rodents for writers: squirrels. The final part of the series on common rodents, to help writers better understand them. This time we’re covering the other major class of rodents, the squirrel family of rodents. This family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (chipmunks and prairie dogs) and flying squirrels. The focus of this article is the…
Snake’s Cultural Impact Let’s discuss the cultural impact of snakes. Snakes form an important part of many cultures in the world, both modern and historical. Ophidiophobia (phobia of snakes) is commonplace. Last week, we discussed the potential dangers certain snakes pose. The main risks include venomous bites and the largest constrictors. Non-venomous snakes are not…
Roots of Colour Understanding medical terminology – colour, position and quantity. These word roots are essential for accurate descriptions of medical and anatomical items. Many words used to describe the colour of something in the medical world exist. Both Latin and Greek roots are used for the most part with the exception of yellow which…
Snake Senses and Physiology Snake Eyes No, not when you roll a one on a dice. Actual snake eyes, on actual snakes. We’re talking about snake senses and physiology. Snakes generally have good vision, some of them have slitted pupils like cats. All snakes lack eyelids, instead they have a clear scale covering the eye…
In honour of this being the Year of the Snake, I thought we could talk about snakes. They are a common phobia, and culturally they have had quite an impact on human society. From the Garden of Eden to Cleopatra’s death, snakes are often thought of as evil or dangerous. Yet other people love them…
Survival Strategies Using Colour Animals use colour strategies in all kinds of ways to avoid being detected, eaten or to express themselves in some way. Some creatures can see colours we can’t, like infra-red and ultraviolet, which are not on the ‘visible spectrum’ of light. The visible spectrum is defined as what we can see…
Reproduction Strategies So, we discussed last time the difference between prey and predator, and how this impacts animal behaviour and physiology. Different species employ different strategies to ensure their species survives, and nowhere is that more apparent than in reproduction. I know in school, lots of people spent this part of biology making crude jokes…
Prey vs Predators I’m back with another creature feature for writers. Today we are looking at prey vs predators. I will discuss the difference between prey and predatory animals, and how this affects their behaviours and physiology. There’s a lot of interesting biology going on here, so let’s get into it. Predators Predators are defined…
Creating Creatures? Here’s a Few Tips Creating your own creatures? Flora and fauna are an essential part of worldbuilding for any writer creating their own universe. There’s a lot to consider, and of course you need that suspension of disbelief to keep your reader invested. Things that make no sense will be jarring, so you…
