Winter in the Alps_Germany_January 2017

Today during a winter hike in the Alps I observed a group of deers (‘herd’). Deers belong to the the same family (Cervidae) as reindeer, moose, elk, caribou and wapiti. 

A female deer is called a ‘doe’, whereas a large male deer is named ‘stag’. Male deers have antlers, therefore can be very easily distinguished from females. The antlers are used for fights during the mating time or by a dominant male deer to control the harem.

Zebra finch

The zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) is a bird that belongs to the family Estrildidae. It is native to Australia. Zebra finches are dimorphic. Adult males are generally more colorful than females: males have orange cheek patches, black/brown and white patterns, and red beaks; while adult females have grey cheek feathers and orange beaks. In contrast, young zebra finches of both male and female sexes have black beaks. The name zebra finch originates from the zebra-like stripes on their tails ;)

Male zebra finches are talented singers! ;) Singing plays an important role during mating and protecting their territories. Zebra finch is a model organism e.g. for studies on learning and memory. Its genome was sequenced in 2008.

 
Male zebra finch

 

 Female zebra finches

 Zebra finches - female (left) and male (right)