Creatures Great and Small: Dinosaurs, Wasps and Primate Conservation

Dinosaur footprints seem straightforward, definite evidence of giant reptiles roaming the landscape millions of years ago, but they can be surprisingly deceptive. In this talk, we explore how tracks are shaped as much by mud, sand, and movement as they are by the animals that made them. Optical illusions, erosion, and changing ground conditions can all distort what we think we see, sometimes leading scientists astray. Yet these same footprints can reveal incredible details that bones alone cannot: how dinosaurs moved, interacted, and lived in their environments.

Did you know that wasps can be as tiny as 1mm? And even more surprising is the role they play in nature. Parasitoid wasps are one of the most common biocontrol agents. Some species are reared in labs for large-scale release into the wild. As natural enemies of certain pests, they are successfully helping to save our food production. Snata will introduce some of the ingenious strategies these tiny insects deploy that render their host, sometimes literally, frozen in time. Together, we will also dive into another unique function some parasitoids offer: fighting invasive species.

Deforestation, fragmentation, even the pet trade, constitute anthropogenic threats to many species of South American primates, including the marmosets and tamarins of the callitrichid family. Their resulting conservation concern sees several species included in zoo-based population management programmes to help preserve their genetic diversity. In our care their welfare is our responsibility – but how do we know what they need – and how can we provide it? What do these small monkeys do in the zoo? Amanda will talk about how we can find this out and create evidence to support optimum captive primate welfare.