Socotra Cucumber Tree (Dendrosicyos socotranus) with bark snails

Socotra Cucumber Tree (Dendrosicyos socotranus) with bark snails

You can find these dormant (aestivating) land snails (Achatinelloides) sporadically throughout Socotra, but find them covering an entire Socotra cucumber tree…


Socotra Cucumber Tree (Dendrosicyos socotranus)

Socotra Cucumber Tree (Dendrosicyos socotranus)

A very young Socotra Cucumber Tree (Dendrosicyos socotranus) that has survived the insatiable appetite of the goats - only because it growing where they cannot…


Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus)

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus)

This is the only place I've encountered Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) on Socotra. It thrives here in the shadow of the tall cliffs of Socotra's northeast, and…


Yellow-cheeked tit (Machlolophus spilonotus)

Yellow-cheeked tit (Machlolophus spilonotus)

A brief encounter with yellow-cheeked tit (Machlolophus spilonotus), one of the many species (12 to date) of tits. It was foraging inside thickets alongside…


Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)

Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)

Another hawksbill sea turtle female on the way back to sea after successfully delivering a clutch of eggs in a safe spot in the sand of Bird Island. this…


Laurel Dodder (Cassytha filiformis)

Laurel Dodder (Cassytha filiformis)

A hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) struggling to push through the entangled vines of the laurel dodder. This is a parasitic species getting all it…


Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)

Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)

Such a precious event - a female hawksbill sea turtle, a critically endangered species, covering her precious eggs laid in the sand. She is one of a dwindling…


Cucumis prophetarum

Cucumis prophetarum

The entirety of cucumis prophetarum plant is really fascinating, and I’ve never seen it before. Native range is Mauritania to Arabian Peninsula, West Asia to…


Cucumis prophetarum

Cucumis prophetarum

The entirety of cucumis prophetarum is really fascinating, and I've never seen it before, nor do I know if it's an endemic or not. Native range is Mauritania…