Environmental Graffiti

Journey to Meet the Eagle Hunters of the Eastern Mongolian Steppes

Being a plant hunter might not sound like the most thrilling job in the world; but in the 19th Century, plant hunters were an exceptional bunch – botanists who were not only scientifically clued-up but were real Indiana Jones types, forever setting off to far-flung corners of the globe in search of rare finds. In the latest book by Sanjida O’Connell, a plant hunter is even described adventuring as far as the Eastern Steppes of Mongolia and having some pretty special encounters.

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The Largest Elephant that Ever Existed

The largest elephant that ever lived was huge, taller than your two story Mayfair flat and almost as tall as the average telephone pole. Evolved from smaller Siberian mammoths, the Songhua River Mammoth roamed Northern China and Inner Mongolia during the Middle Pleistocene about 280,000 years ago. It survived into the Late Pleistocene but died out well before the end of the last ice age.

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Mickey Mouse of the Desert

There aren’t many firsts in this world any more, no first man, no first foot. But how about first filmed. This month scientists have filmed for, what is thought to be, the first time a teeny tiny mammal known as the long-eared jerboa.

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