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Ovalipes catharus

Ovalipes catharus, commonly known as the paddle crab, swimming crab, or pāpaka in Māori, is a species of crab found in shallow, sandy-bottomed waters around the coasts of New Zealand, the Chatham Islands, and uncommonly in southern Australia. This species is an opportunistic, aggressive, and versatile feeder active mostly at night, preying predominantly on molluscs and crustaceans. It is also highly prone to cannibalism, which accounts for over a quarter of its diet in some locations. The crab's paddle-shaped rear legs and streamlined carapace allow it to capture prey by swimming rapidly and to escape predation by burrowing in the sand. Its mating season is in winter and spring, after which the female likely moves into deeper waters to incubate and disperse her larvae. Commercial fisheries have harvested paddle crabs since the 1970s, and O. catharus is present in Māori culture as both an artistic motif and as a traditional source of food. (Full article...)

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Marie Goldsmith
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Golden-shouldered parrot

The golden-shouldered parrot (Psephotellus chrysopterygius) is a rare species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae found in the southern Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. It is a small bird, with a length of 25 to 27 centimetres (9.8 to 10.6 in) and a mass of 54 to 56 grams (1.9 to 2.0 oz), and is closely related to the more common hooded parrot and the extinct paradise parrot. Adult males are mainly blue, with a characteristic yellow area over the shoulder and black cap, while adult females are mainly dull greenish-yellow, and have a broad cream bar on the underside of the wings. This pair of golden-shouldered parrots – a female (left) and a male (right) – were photographed near the Peninsula Developmental Road south of Yarraden, Queensland.

Photograph credit: John Harrison

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