Nature Stuff

Nature words

Pigeon

Feral animals

Most people think they know what a feral animal is. They talk about cats and foxes living in the Australian bush as feral animals. According to the true definition, wild cats living in the bush are likely to be feral, but not the foxes. So what’s the real story?

Bug

What’s a bug?

People often use the word ‘bugs’ as a general term for insects. Some people even think of spiders as bugs. But in scientific literature the word bug has a very special meaning, and no, I’m not talking about secret electronic listening devices

Puffer fish

Venomous or poisonous?

I often hear about poisonous snakes. However, the dangerous snakes which I am likely to encounter are venomous. So is there a difference between the meanings of the words ‘poisonous’ and ‘venomous’?