Enter the dragonfly
QUESTION
Which insect migrates the furthest distance? For many years it was believed the beautiful monarch butterfly ( Danaus
plexippus) held this record. Each autumn, millions of the creatures leave their summer breeding grounds in the north-eastern u.S. and Canada and travel up to 3,000 miles to spend the winter in south-western Mexico.
the record is now under threat from the diminutive dragonfly Pantala flavescens, colloquially known as the wandering glider. A 2016 study by biologists at rutgers universityNewark revealed that this species of dragonfly, which is less than two inches long with transparent wings, has a migration range of 4,400 miles. they achieve this by flying at altitudes of over 1km high, catching high-altitude winds and consuming aerial plankton and smaller insects.
the researchers are not able to plot their route accurately because they don’t have a tracking device small enough to attach to an insect.
these great migrations are a conundrum of evolution, considering other members of the dragonfly family never leave the pond in which they are born.
Jean Margaret Duck, Harlow, Essex.
QUESTION
Did an Indian prince take a team of polo ponies to fight in World War I? My ForMEr father- in- law MajorGeneral His Highness Sir Sajjan Singh bahadur, Maharaja of ratlam State, KCSI, KCVo, GCIE, was knighted for valour and gallantry in World War I. A world famous polo player, he volunteered with the Central India Horse brigade to show loyalty to his King and Emperor.
He took his polo team and pampered ponies to the front line in France where they galloped from mud-filled trench to trench carrying battle orders when the hand-cranked telephones didn’t work.
the nimble ponies were accustomed to making rapid turns in polo chukkas.
He was presented to the royal Family at Windsor, was made an honorary aidede-camp to George VI and rode in the carriage preceding the Coronation coach in 1937. the then Prince of Wales often visited ratlam, enjoying the hospitality, tennis matches, polo and tiger shoots arranged by the Maharaja.
His Highness Sajjan Singh was so highly regarded that the Viceroy of India appointed him regent to the state of rewar in 1918 when the Maharaja became seriously ill.
I married his younger son, Prince ranbir Singh rathore. our daughter, Princess Lakshmi Kumari, married a German and her son is the heir to ratlam State — a direct bloodline to his illustrious and gallant great-grandfather, a true rajput princely warrior who galloped to the aid of his King. Mrs Elisabeth Eaton-Cooper, formerly Princess Elisabeth Ranbirsingh Rathore (Kuvrani Sahiba of Ratlam), Eastbourne, E. Sussex.
QUESTION
Looking at the draw for the Euro 2020 football tournament, I wondered how long has Kazakhstan been part of Europe. tHE Independent Football Association of the republic of Kazakhstan (FArK) was created in 1992 following the dissolution of the uSSr.
In 1994, it joined the Asian Football Confederation and came close to qualifying for the World Cup in 2002. the team was eliminated on goal difference in the penultimate round in the qualifiers.
by 2000, FArK had been re-formed as the Football Federation of Kazakhstan (KFF), which was determined to be admitted into uEFA, the governing body of football in Europe.
Kazakhstan was admitted after the 2002 World Cup on the grounds that 10 per cent of the country is within geographic Europe, that is, to the west of the ural Mountains.
It was hoped the better quality of competition in Europe would improve the national and club teams. the move also gave access to lucrative Champions League and uEFA Cup competitions.
unfortunately, the national team and club sides have performed consistently poorly. they are ranked a lowly 119th in the world FIFA rankings.
Jonathan Ridgeway, liverpool. KAzAKHStAN is partly in Europe because the ural river, the dividing line between the two continents, runs through the city of Atyrau.
I lived on the western side of the river and my office was on the eastern side — so I used to walk from Europe to Asia! there are signs on each end of the bridge for Europe and Asia.
John Symon, lowestoft, Suffolk.