Knysna Wildlife Project

Slime Mould - The name really doesn't do these organisms justice, it rather sounds like an insult you would use to describe the guy that revs his motorbike 5 am on a Sunday morning, but do not let the name fool you. These single-celled organisms without a brain are changing the way we define intelligence. The name slime mould actually refers to more than 900 species found on every continent on the planet. Despite the name, they do not fall under fungus but rather under Protists. These guys have been around for at least 600 million years. These single-celled Amoeba-like organisms have their own DNA just like humans and animals. (Side Note: Mushrooms also have their own DNA) They come in all shapes and sizes, but the ones we are seeing in Knysna the fires of June 7, 2017, are bright orange in appearance.  All Slime mould start life as single-celled organisms, but when food (Microbes) is scarce, they join up to form a bigger mass, using chemical signals ...

Y ou may not have ever heard the term ‘ microplastics ‘ before, but for the last 50 years, tiny particles of plastic are used in many cosmetic products like scrubs, shower gel, shaving creams, toothpaste, hair spray, and eyeshadows. Microplastics are replacing natural options as it is more cost effective to Multi-Million Companies. They are even used as bulking agents (Makes you think there is more in the bottle than there actually is) The exfoliating type shower gels can typically contain an amount of plastic in microbeads equivalent to the packaging in comes in.  They  land up in the global oceans where they cause serious harm to marine life,   and then in turn humans who then consume seafood. Microplastics are tiny pieces or particles of plastic many are invisible to the naked eye. Microplastics pollute the ocean and can have toxic effects on biological organisms that ingest or absorb them such as dolphins, whales, and fish. Washed down the drain, those p...