Animal of the day.

Binturong.

2009-08-05T21:17:00.001-07:00

The binturong, or Asian Bearcat, is neither bear nor cat, but shares ancestors with the cats. From Eastern Asia, these nocturnal tree-dwellers are at risk of poaching (for medicinal uses) and deforestation. So they're declining. You can find them in the rain forests of places like Laos, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

They are roughly 30 lbs., so think of a small wildcat, like a bobcat or lynx. And they eat eggs, shoots, that sort of thing.

Perhaps something relatively unique to them, they are one of about 100 mammals in the world that are capable of embryonic diapause, meaning that the egg doesn't develop right after fertilization. It enters a dormant state until the environmental conditions are good -- certainly an incredible survival technique.

Also, their tails are prehensile, meaning they use them like limbs and can hang from them or swing from them, which is obviously useful for living in trees.

Lastly, they are important for the strangler fig trees native to their regions. They are able to digest a tough outer layer of its seed, allowing it to grow after passing through a Binturong. Few other mammals perform this task for the fig, but certainly these are key players for these fig trees.

Whorl-Tooth Shark.

2009-08-05T09:23:00.001-07:00

I'm making an exception, only because it's shark wee k.

This shark is actually extinct, so don't worry about crossing its path, unless you plan on getting in a time machine. I've debated whether or not to ever post extinct species, largely because of the forgotten diversity of things alive today, but I thought this would be a good one to post, if I ever broke that.

Very little is known about them -- they aren't really even sure what the shark looks like. Just know it is a shark and it has spiraled teeth. It may have looked nothing like a regular shark though, scientists are just guessing.

Their fossils are found in Utah, Idaho, and occasionally Wyoming and are about 280 million years old.

At first, scientists thought they were a tentacle of a sort for some strange animal, but then found several examples of this perfect form. Prompting them to believe it to be a structure. Under further investigation, turns out to be a row of shark teeth -- you might wonder, how are the inner teeth effective? They're just replacements. Only the top of the spiral is exposed, and when worn, the new teeth spiral in. Modern sharks have a similar mechanism, but rather than one spiral, the entire row of teeth swaps out (human teeth grow from under and push the others out, sharks rows of teeth rotate in).

What a bizarre shark.

Hatchet fish.

2009-08-04T05:18:00.000-07:00

yea, yea, yea, they're not the prettiest fish in the world. But I assure you, while they lack in looks, they are extremely impressive animals. Here's why:

Camoflauge. This deep sea fish has many predators, but only a few that can find it. Partly because its mostly dark, but largely because it has incredible mechanisms for blending in. It has 2 ways of doing this:

1. Reflecting light. As you can see from the last picture, it has shiny scales. When turned away from a predator, it mirrors whatever color is beside it, making it essentially disappear.

2. Photophores. They have bioluminescent spots (like glow in the dark, but made with light-emitting bacteria) that are on the bottom of the fish called photophores and work in a mechanism called 'counter-illumination'. These photophores not only produce light, but they match perfectly the color of water above them, making predators below them incapable of distinguishing them swimming above from the ocean.

Other information: They live about 3600 m. below the surface of the water, and have eyes permanently fixed looking upward, suggesting that they eat things based on the silhouettes they leave, since the little light that exists comes from above. And based on its life cycle, it seems that they don't live longer than a year, typically.

Watch them and their camouflaging genius (start at about 6 minutes):

Brazilian Tapir.

2009-08-03T08:24:00.001-07:00

These mammals from S. America are related to horses and rhinos. They can actually get pretty large -- 6 to 8 feet and weigh up to 600 lbs. And as an herbivore, their biggest concern is blending in to avoid predators (anacondas / jaguars). Their nose is mobile, like an elephant shrew, and they tend to graze and swim quickly, despite its large size.

They don't attack people, with only a few exceptional cases. In those instances, they give pretty nasty bites, apparently.

Also, they're not social creatures -- makes it harder for them to hide. The only social interactions outside of breeding is when mother takes care of offspring.

If you're ever out in San Diego, they have some of these at their zoo.

Pillar Coral.

2009-07-31T07:16:00.001-07:00

I sort of arbitrarily picked this species of coral, just because I've never posted a coral. And they are probably among the most magnificent animal types that exist. Also, one of the most important for ecosystem health. People often forget they are animals, because they don't 'move.' They actually do -- they spawn, and on some occasion will extend tissue and eat other coral. Typically they just take in debris. They also have a polyp stage in life, similar to jellyfish. They attach to a surface eventually, and grow from there.

This specific species grows up to 8 feet tall and lives along the Atlantic coasts.
Perhaps most interesting about these (and other) corals is that they can produce sexually as well as asexually. They are also hermaphroditic. So they have both sperm and egg, and can also reproduce by just budding and creating a new coral pillar. Which is why they tend to cluster in large groups.

Unlike most animals, since corals form a geographical structure, they serve a function similar to that of trees in a forest -- they provide nooks for animals and homes for teaming wildlife. They also affect the amount of oxygen and carbon in the water, which is obviously important to any living creature around. And like plants, there are plentiful examples of fish that associate with specific types of coral, both in coloration and in behavior (think: bees or flowers and orchids). They also provide color - a visual masterpiece that compels us to love the seas.

Here's a video to help you learn more about coral reproduction:

Dwarf Mongoose.

2009-07-30T07:34:00.000-07:00

Typically between 18 and 25 cm long, these are Africa's smallest carnivores. They takeover large termite mounds and dig larger exit holes -- so you know when they're around. They live in groups of up to 30 individuals, and are headed by a dominant couple, and specifically, a dominant female. This female makes decisions of when to move, when to defend territory, and when to feed.

They have a mutualistic relationship with hornbills for hunting. They'll hunt at the same time -- though they might eat slightly different things, they each observe each other for signals of birds of prey (eagles, hawks, etc), since both must avoid them.

They're pretty common, and you'll likely see them scurry frantically if you ever are camping in sub-saharan Africa.

Emerald Tree Boa.

2009-07-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

I've never posted about snakes, so I thought why not. This S. American boa is relatively common, but I think demonstrates the structure of a snake well. If you can get over your fear of them, it's a pretty elegant animal. They are distinctive for their positioning -- they rest on branches in the form seen in picture 2, and at night sit on low branches so it can attack small mammals by just reaching down and grabbing with its teeth. For a venomous snake, it has the largest proportioned teeth.

Depending on where in the continent they are, they have different features -- sometimes slightly different designs, different lengths (the longest are around 6 ft.) and slightly different colors. The last picture is actually of a juvenile -- they're born red and slowly turn green as it matures. Why? Perhaps because red is a color that predators avoid -- and as a baby, perhaps they are less coordinated and can be easily spotted, so this might keep others away. When older, it can move smoother and can easily blend in, thus having camouflage rather than warning signs. It's easier for hunting.

The juveniles eat glass frogs primarily, and for some reason change their diet to largely mammals later. Adults eat very rarely. Since their digestive system is so slow, it can be months between one meal and the next.

The last thing about that stands out is their reproductive system, which is actually similar to whale sharks. They are ovoviviparous, meaning the eggs are within the body and are hatched before leaving the mother's body, leaving as a live birth. This is unusual for a snake -- perhaps a development that came as the snake lived almost exclusively in trees -- the eggs are mobile this way and aren't easily crushed from a fall.

Satin Bowerbird.

2009-07-27T19:28:00.000-07:00

There is a lot to say about bowerbirds. These Australian birds have perhaps the most complicated courtship ritual of any bird species. If new to you, it might also call into question your conception of art and creativity in humans.

Bowerbirds (male = picture 1, female = picture 2) build bowers (picture 3). Well, just the males do. Bowers are structures made from sticks, flower stems, rope... whatever is around. These structures form either dens or u-shape structures, and are not actually nests. Their only purpose is for mating displays. While most birds use feathers, calls and dances to attract females, this one adds an extra layer; design. Each species of bowerbird forms different shapes, but each individual designs their bower differently. They find objects from their surroundings (or steal them from other bowers) to decorate their bower. This can be by texture, color, shapes, you name it. And are arranged carefully to the point that it looks intentional. An individual's design might attract an individual type of female.

What's even more peculiar is that the females visit the bowers before seeing the males. They choose which they prefer, then later comes to the site when it is further to completion -- some decisions about the mate have been made entirely on the bower. Then the female returns when the male does calls, displays, etc. It is thought that this bird is especially unique because its physical attributes may be negated by its creations. So if it has bad feathers, it might be able to make up for that by having an exceptional display, or a refined call. Other birds can't do that -- they've just got to flaunt what they've got.

But why wouldn't the female use color to assess its mate? That seems to be the case in other bird species, and it can be telling of a birds health. In this case, the creativity in a bower might suggest its ability to acquire goods and hold territory better than other males; a valuable ability for sure.

The bower's functionality itself is still not entirely clear. The satin bowerbird's structure is somewhat understandable, in that it is essentially a contraption... during copulation, a female walking through the bower might not be able to fly away, since its wings cannot spread. This isn't the case for all bowerbirds though. And before you think this forced copulation seems aggressive, keep in mind that the female has chosen an individual based on the bower long before visiting the site and sometimes visits multiple times to hear its call and watch his display as well. So it seems the female has to let copulation occur -- maybe the structure is a remnant of a behavior its ancestor had when perhaps forced copulation was the norm? Who knows.

So why does this call into question our sense of art and creativity?

We often think most animals work mechanically, with the exception of us. They just "do" things and don't think about it. There's no control over its actions.

This might still be the case with this bird -- it might be a natural preference and each bird might have a gene that makes it get one color over another, or one shape over another. But the point is each is different and each artful display holds no functional value other than impressing the other sex (the fruits, flowers, seeds, shells, etc are never used for feeding, protection or health). Though we don't label our art quite so directly, when we do similar things, we say it's not to attract others (because that's what's favorable to others) and we say it comes from creativity that involves individuals thought. And we convince ourselves of this.

It's not to say we don't have individual preferences that require thought or creativity, but how are we any different than this species in that regard? Either our creativity is innate for validation or attraction or these birds have significantly more thought than we would like to think and don't give them credit. When we study other animals, it seems obvious that it's the first option and it seems like we just say that can't be the case for us because it makes us feel better and... uh-oh.... validate our creativity.

Regardless of your thoughts, it's an incredible display and I personally think it applies to people very well.

Here's a video feature the wonderful David Attenborough:

Spanish Moon Moth.

2009-07-27T13:05:00.001-07:00

This moth, native to Spain and France looks like it came straight from a fairy-tail. For some reason, moth's don't get much credit, but butterflies do. It seems strange -- I guess most common butterflies seem more colorful than common moths for most people.

These live in almost exclusively in pine trees, and come in white and green forms. The thin lines and their color make it difficult for predators (birds) to find them, since they are surroundd by thin pine needles. And like other moths and butterflies, it has eyespots on its wings, so even if it is spotted, many animals would be scared of it, thinking it is an animal much more fierce and large than it actually is.

Whale Shark.

2009-07-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

This wonderful giants are the largest of all living fish (it's not a whale). This shark is named so almost entirely based on its size. They can grow up to about 40 ft. and can weigh up to 15 tons (30,000 lbs!) and like elephants, they can live up to 60 - 70 years (reports estimate some might be over 100). Impressive, no?

Around the world, there are different names for them, most based on shapes on its back... in Kenya the story is someone threw shillings on its back, in other places the name literally means 'starts on its back' but my alltime favorite: "Ca Ong"... Vietnamese for "sir fish."

Their life cycle is also interesting. Typically, you hear there are 3 birthing classifications of animals... monotreme (they lay eggs), marsupial (pouch... animals are born premature) and embryonic (matured by mothers nourishment in womb). Whale sharks have something similar to the first and last of these types. They are ovoviviparious... meaning they have eggs, but they remain in the body, are hatched and followed by a live birth. This is different than embryonic because they are nourished through yolk in a closed egg, versus being nourished through tubes connected to the mother. They can give birth to up to 300 pups (yes, shark babies are called pups).

As large as they are, they are known for being gentle. The only injuries they have ever incurred on people are from accidental hits from its tail fin. In fact, they're normally playful with divers.

The other similarity they have to whales is their feeding -- they are a type of filter feeding shark (only 3 species in the world), meaning they eat krill, phytoplankton and occasionally small squid or vertebrates. Apparently when things bigger than that are caught and line the filter, they have been seen to 'cough' as a mechanism to clean the filter. A shark coughing is a funny image. They also swim really slowly... average top speed: 3.1 mph. They have quite a lot of weight to move, so I guess that's fair.

You can find them all over the world in the tropics.... Carribean, India, Africa, Japan, Hawaii, you name it. And they come relatively close to the shore, so if you are a diver, you can see them somewhat often if you are looking specifically for them.

There are a few places you can see them in aquariums... Japan, Taiwan, and the Georgia Aquarium.

Here's a wonderfully relaxing video from Okinawa aquarium in Japan (featuring other fish, too):

Lychee Stink Bug.

2009-07-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

Actually this 'stink bug' is not related to most stink and shield bugs, it's in a different family. But they have the same function, and resemble the others in shape. Like the others, if agitated, with release a pungent secretion (sounds gross, doesn't it?) to fend off predators and perhaps even trick a couple that its dead. And if you've been following my blog, you'll know that not all insects are bugs -- bugs are a specific type of insect. And this one is correctly named and is actually a bug.

Their colors are striking and are mostly to blend in with flora in the area (they can be found in Thailand). It is also used to trick birds into thinking their are poisonous. Not many terrestrial living things have blue colors (outside of birds) and red is typically a sign of poison of sorts (think: poison dart frogs). The first image is of a nymph (immature) and the second is matured -- the additional section of the bug is actually its wing case -- nymphs are flightless.

Calliostoma javanicum.

2009-07-22T07:19:00.001-07:00

To be honest, I don't know much about them. I wasn't able to find a common name (it may not have one), but it is a sea snail hailing from C. America. But I do really lik their shells -- it's one of those things that seems like if a child drew it, you'd think, 'oh that's really organized, not likely to be found in the real waters.' But as you know now, you'd be wrong.

One thing worth noting, generally, about animals that build shells, is that studies in biomimicry turn to these types of animals to try to solve human problems. For example, each species precisely places calcium particles to build its shell, and understanding the chemical process could be helpful in cleaning large pipelines. If certain chemicals, for example, can build certain contained structures of calcium buildup, people can save millions of dollars a year in not needing to maintain pipes as often as they do today.

Indian Peafowl.

2009-07-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

You probably know them as 'peacocks.' Which would be halfway right... they're actually peafowls... peacocks are just the male counterpart (when you think about it, it makes sense). And the female is called, you guessed it, a peahen.

Before I get to anything else, I'd like to point out that oddly, this is one of the few national birds that is sex-specific. India specifically has the peacock as the bird, not the peafowl. So the national bird isn't even the full species. Strange. Perhaps because the peahen is not quit so pleasant on the eyes (picture 2), at least in comparison to the peacock (picture 1).

So on to the bird. It's obvious why everyone can recognize one -- they're large, showy and have beautiful colors. Which all fits into the the insight they offer to evolutionary theory. Why would a bird need to be that colorful and over-the-top? The ladies are choosy. It may seem like an abritrary guideline to pick based on looks, but its very telling about the mate. The larger the feathers, the more vulnerable the peacock is to predators and the harder it is for them to mobilize. So if one can survive to adulthood with larger and more colorful feathers than another, this means that its able to compensate for its handicaps, or else it wouldn't be alive. It can also tell a female how healthy a male is -- unhealthy males will have dull colors. It should be noted that their feathers are irredescent, meaning they reflect diffferent colors based on lighting, which is pretty awesome.

What I find most fascinating is the relationship between the display and its immune system. Its very relatable to human behaviors:

The larger feathers, stronger colors and more active displays all require more testosterone than one without those attributes. More testosterone = weaker immune system. So how is this good? Like surviving against predators, it signifies to the female that though it weakens their immune system, their baseline health is better than others, or else the weaker immune system would weaken its chance of survival or their ability to compete. One with less testosterone doing the same display might have duller colors or die before maturity.

So the lesson is: looks do matter. Though it seems superficial, animals prefer certain looks over another because certain looks are associated with better health, better ability to hunt or provide for offspring, or any other set of criteria. Appearance is the culimination of all these things. Which explains why we as people tend to be largely attracted to the same types of features -- they might provide insight into their health or ability to provide, even if we don't conscientiously think about it in those terms. And no, I'm not saying we should use looks to base relationships because I think we define 'success' for ourselves and offspring as something else. And we have medical assistance to counter health problems, so it may not always necessarily be the most important to find someone who is naturally as healthy since we all depend on medical developments to counter shortcomings.

This is me rambling a little bit, but I think it's a good demonstration of the types of decisions people make and is a nice reminder of how we are animals and not in a totally separate set of rules. People who spend more money on cars, houses or whatever are telling others they can spend their money while still being able to have enough to provide for whoever it is they are trying to attract. A honda and a ferrari have the same function but one tells you more about the types of resources they have to 'waste.' I'm not saying its shallow or inappropriate. In fact I think I'm saying that there is evolutionary logic in explaining that behavior and that it's the same as we see in other animals, like peafowls.

Oh yea, and they have really annoying screams, so if you're ever in a place where there are a lot of peacocks, prepare to not sleep, they wine all night.

Nomura's jellyfish.

2009-07-20T06:48:00.000-07:00

This Jellyfish, living near the coasts of China and Japan, is tied to be the largest species of jellyfish (the other is the Lion's Mane Jellyfish). They can grow up to 2 meters across its diameter and can weigh up to 450 lbs. Crazy.

To my knowledge, they sting but are not known to be deadly stings. Perhaps the threat is the fact that they travel in swarms (see picture 1). Currently, these swarms are presenting a problem to Japanese fishermen, as they are expecting their 3rd large swarm of jellyfish in 4 years. This is a problem not because they are some sort of terrifying predator, but they ruin catches. Their weight and quantity break nets, allowing large catches to escape -- considering these nets can be up to 100 meters wide. So people intentionally try to catch and kill them to lower their population, but here comes their genius defense system:

Like all living things, the biological 'success' is to have offspring -- this jellyfish achieves this by releasing millions of sperm and eggs whenever it is attacked. Since they travel in swarms, that means their sperm and egg will likely meet other individual's sperm and egg. So while it in essence doesn't 'defend' itself, in the grand scheme of things, it does. If one wants to attack it, it will have more to deal with, hence not really being able to defeat the numbers. In the case of the fishermen, when they try to kill off jellyfish, they just form new polyps that will later return in larger numbers.

But the question remains, why are there so many suddenly showing to begin with? Here comes the catch-22 (this works as a pun, since it deals with catches): Overfishing. When people catch too many fish in an area, the ecosystem obviously will change a little bit (at the very least). Combine this with people killing sea turtles, and you have a jellyfish dilemma. The reduced number of fish means fewer fish are eating these jellyfish and their polyps, therefore actually managing the population (the polyps cannot defend themselves by dropping sperm and eggs as they are not fully developed). Turtles also eat the jellyfish farther out in the ocean, meaning that the polyps tend to stay away from the shores. However, since the swarms drift closer to shore since there is nothing killing them, we get large numbers of mature jellyfish and hence larger numbers of offspring.

So, while we don't want people to stop having an income (this is village fishing, not large industrial ships) so they can take care of their family, slowing down would help them maintain a fish population and will be able to catch more fish since fewer swarms of jellyfish will ruin their ventures. But it's difficult to expect struggling people to see this as a long-term issue when those who are doing well are struggling to do the same.

Here is a video from Arkive.org of a turtle feasting on one.

Small-Spotted Genet.

2009-07-17T06:44:00.001-07:00

This cat of Africa and now most of Western Europe is a wonderful one. Though common, they are hard to spot because they are nocturnal and elusive. They'll eat birds, small mammals, etc. and does this best at night, when few animals will be able to chase them.

This cat is unusual in that it retains an ancient feature -- an elongated nose. Most cats have flatter faces or broader noses, and this is thought to be a remnant of ancestral species. The top picture is from my last trip to Kenya, and he would sit in this tree all day. Which turned out to be a great teaching tool to the students. They could see him everyday, and while practicing photography skills, they were able to understand how to focus and the difference it makes (seeing as he would hide himself deep behind the branches). So, to you, genet, thank you.

Black Skimmer.

2009-07-16T07:55:00.000-07:00

Black Skimmers can be found all along the Americas. They breed in the northern hemisphere, and migrate down to the south during fall and winter.

As you can guess from the pictures, I would hope, they are named for their behavior of skimming for fish. They have a large lower mandible (see last picture) that drags in the water. When it hits something, it flinches its neck down and closes its beak, hoping to catch something.

What's nice about it is, from an observation perspective, a lot of animals are hard to see performing certain behaviors. These, however, are pretty much seen always doing this, so it's fun to watch.

If you ever get a chance, take a boat out on the Atlantic coast of the Eastern Shore and watch them go to town.

Giraffe.

2009-07-14T13:15:00.001-07:00

Giraffes are divided into several subspecies because of their variety in geographic locations; Somali giraffs, Maasai Giraffes, Rothchild's etc. all live in distinct locations and rarely interact. You can easily tell them apart by spot color (some are darker than others) and the shape of their spots (some are large and round, others are small and jagged).

They stand as the world's tallest land animal and can grow to about 17 or 18 ft. tall.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of giraffes is their personality (realize the base 'person' so please don't equate this to how they actually feel or act) is similar to that represented in the movie Madagascar -- terrified and jumpy. When hiking, I would sometimes spot a giraffe in the distance, easily at least a mile away, sticking out above the trees. When spotted, the giraffe would stand still and wait, having a look as if it hadn't been spotted. If you then move, even a little bit, though you are a mile away, it'll sprint away. It's pretty amusing.

Wasp-Mimicking Tiger Moth.

2009-07-14T07:31:00.001-07:00

So I don't really know much about these moths, but I'm always a sucker for mimicry. These Panamanian moth obviously takes the form of a wasp, which tricks other species that has the power to sting (though it doesn't). Since moths are a just a stage of life lasting no more than a couple weeks, and its only purpose is to mate, it is important that those couple weeks are well-spent. They do not have mouths, so this doesn't help them get food (moths do not eat), they just use this to not get instantly eaten by birds and can last long enough to mate.

Superb Lyre Bird.

2009-07-13T06:32:00.001-07:00

This bird is one of the largest known passerine birds (songbirds) on the planet. And these native Australian birds are easily the champions of this avian category. While all birds have unique calls, this one goes above and beyond. Like a mockingbird, it can perform calls of other birds it might hear over the course of its lifetime. What's so unique about the lyre bird is that they mimic almost any sound it hears, not just birds. The larger the repertoire, the more impressive it is to a female. It's also telling of its lifetime experience, which is interesting from a research perspective. From its calls, you can tell how much interaction they've had with humans -- for example, they'll pick up sounds of bulldozers, chainsaws, cameras, car horns, you name it.

They are called "Lyre" birds because of their tail feather structure -- the ends curl out and form the shape of a musical lyre.

It also has awesome tailfeathers to shake around to impress the ladies.

Here's a video, featuring the one and only, David Attenborough.

taking a break.

2009-07-07T11:48:00.000-07:00

With my brother's wedding this weekend, I'll be taking a break on this blog for the rest of the week. In the meantime, enjoy this pod of California seals!

See you monday!

Asiatic Lion.

2009-07-06T07:08:00.000-07:00

Yes, there are lions in Asia. In India, in fact. People seemed shocked by this, but anyone who has studied India's history recognizes the Lion emblem and the famous Ashoka pillars from 250 BCE with lions standing tall on them. They are also the same lions found in Western Europe during the time of empires and held a range to China. The reason you may not hear about them now is because they are now extremely rare. In fact, in 1907, somewhere between 13 and 100 lions remained (the range is large because people reported lower numbers to discourage hunting). Point is, it is low.

They used to be all over India, but as populations grew, their grasslands turned to farmlands and they were slowly pushed to Sasun Gir, a small area in the state of Gujarat. The last count done in 2006 came up with 359 lions; an improvement, but still incredibly low. They run the risk of inbreeding, so if one catches an illness, that could wipe out almost the entire population as they will all be suseptible without genetic variation (Cheetah's currently face the same problem). Numbers were also low because the British would hunt them when they colonized India.

They are in fact the same species as African Lions, but are a different subspecies. In this case, that was classified because while they can technically mate and produce viable offspring, they do not regularly do so because of geographic boundaries, and are different enough to be considered its own category. The differences: They are smaller, less aggressive, with mains generally too small to cover its ears. This is supposedly because the prey they seek is smaller and weaker than the prey its African counterpart might attack. For this, they also form prides only for hunting and mating and otherwise live independently (although this, too, might be a population issue).

In any case, people surrounding the protected park now love the lions, and they are not seen as a threat. Occasionally they will venture into neighboring villages, but since they are not in a busy tourist area of India, there is little fear or bother to their lifestyle, which is one thing that the lion has in its favor. Occasionally you hear about people poisoning lions if they eat their livestock, which can devestate the population -- but it is now socially unacceptable so it is less popular -- moving it in the direction of being illegal.

Draco Lizards.

2009-07-02T06:54:00.001-07:00

This SE Asian genus of lizards are also known as 'gliding lizards'. They stay on trees almost 24/7. The females venture down to lay eggs, guards for 24 hours, then runs away and never sees its offspring (knowingly). On trees is where they are safe. Each one is colored to match a tree species for camouflage (image #4... trust me, there's one there.) and with these 'wings' they can glide relatively large distances to avoid predation. Reptiles have an uncanny ability to use coloration for defense and signalling (see: Panther Chameleon and Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko) They also have rounded heads and a little flesh of skin that descends from their chin. Plenty of reptiles apparently also make good use of its flesh (see Jesus Christ Lizard). This is used for aerodynamics and steering -- there's no point in gliding if you can't stick a landing in a place that's safe. Similar to a rudder.

Linnaeus actually named these lizards 'draco' because of how they reminded him of dragons.

There's a video demonstrating this behavior -- it won't let me embed the video, so click here to watch it.

Giant Clam.

2009-07-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

GIANT CLAMS! I know, a lot of pictures, but I really wanted to show you the variety of designs and colors these animals have. There are plenty more, too. They are many varieties of this genus. And they all live in the Pacific and Indian oceans. They can weigh in at 400 pounds and measure about 4 feet across when fully grown. And they live to about 100 years!

The coloration attracts all sorts of animals -- many animals confuse it with corals and think it is a good place to rest. Unlike most clams, this one keeps its shell open regularly, instead of closed. This is because it has a symbiotic relationship with algae -- their contribution is to keep the shell open during the day so that the algae living on the mantle's flesh get sunlight for photosynthesis.

It was thought that they could eat people (so much so that they originally named it killer clam). And while it could potentially hold someone underwater, it does not close its shells unless threatened, and even then they can't always shut their shells. And even if it can, it closes very slowly -- not the 'snap' you associate with clams. So you have to be really, really dumb to get caught by one. The US Navy Diving manual used to have instructions on how to escape them at one time, if caught. Strange.

They are listed by the IUCN as "vulnerable" -- though they are still in decent numbers, they live in fragile habitats, easily effected by pollution and human traffic. And their shells are sold on the black market for decoration. Their meat is sold as a delicacy in Japan and France.

Red-Capped Manakin.

2009-06-30T07:04:00.000-07:00

Everyone seems to be tributing Michael Jackson these days, so I thought I'd hop on board, Animal of the Day style. You might think, what does this bird have to do with Michael Jackson? I'll get to that.

First, this animal is pretty common in C. America (specifically its forests) and doesn't do well around people -- they're pretty fragile birds in a pretty fragile ecosystem. But their population is going strong.

Second, its the only bird able to beat its wings faster than a hummingbird. It doesn't do this while flying, so the hummingbird still carries its own with how fast they can beat their wings to keep themselves afloat. These things just do it as a mating call (the sound it makes when they beat them together really quickly). As you can see, they're sexually dimorphic - the female doesn't look very much like the male (male = top 2 pictures, female = bottom). This goes to show how many birds are named as well -- after the male counterpart, when there is dimorphism. At least we recognize the male better, on average (Did you ever think why we refer to 'peacocks' as 'peacocks' and not 'peafowl'? There are peahens, too, you know...).

Anyway, the real reason I posted this. Its relation to MJ. It has a wonderful mating dance, which will be evident from this tacky video. I wish you could easily take out the clips of the ornithologist dancing around, too, because she is incredibly annoying, but sit through her to watch it, it'll be worth it.

Prevost's Squirrel.

2009-06-29T06:56:00.001-07:00

Just a small post today... These squirrels live in SE Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia) and are very similar to ours here in the states.. eat nuts, fruits, occasionally bird eggs, live in trees... the usual.

In their habitat they have been credited with helping expand forest boundaries, since they tend to take nuts and seeds far away from where they find them. This spreads the seeds quickly and since the squirrel sometimes hides its finds in the dirt, it essentially
plants them if they are not retrieved quickly enough. So in a place where forests are at a crossroads with deforestation and preservation, this is certainly an animal that will be important to maintaining any sense of a natural order.

Obviously its striking feature is its coloration. This is used to fend off predators (the color red is associated with toxins for most animals, even though these contain no poison) and also as a mating display.

Colossal Squid.

2009-06-26T07:10:00.001-07:00

FREAKY FRIDAY!

Easily the most terrifying known animal, in my opinion. In fact, it's in my list of greatest fears and has been for several years. I didn't enjoy looking for these pictures, but if I take a step back, they truly are amazing and the fact that we know so little about them is eye-opening considering how large this thing is. You just sort of assume that the big things have been found, but this goes to show that we could be missing quite a bit.

So about the squid, it's NOT the same as a 'giant squid'. Though also large in size (the colossal is the largest known invertebrate in the world). It's not terribly longer than a giant squid, because it has shorter tentacles. But it's mantle size is MUCH larger. So it's heavier and bulkier. Also, they aren't really closely related to giant squid (they're both squid, yes, but they do not share the same genus), surprisingly. They're both large, but there's convergent evolution for you. It's a niche a squid can apparently fill well. These guys live in the Antarctic waters. And this one in the first picture was caught alive, but wouldn't let go of the rope so was pulled in, frozen, and donated to a natural history musem in New Zealand for research and exhibition. It's the largest one ever caught, though based on beak sizes found in stomachs of whales, they can grow to be much larger.

Here are the descriptions of pictures:
1. Colossal Squid: Caught.
2. A diagram of my favorite description of how large it is.
3. Tentacle hooks.
4. Beak
5. Deflated Eyeball

What makes them more terrifying than giant squid:
1. Its tentacles. Most squid tentacles aren't fun to look at, but they have a standard structure... long tentacles with little suckers on them to grip on to prey, rocks and whatever else it wants. Occasionally, you'll get some with razored suckers so they can dig into things as well. These, however, have sharp HOOKS! They puncture things.

2. Their attack. they generally eat fish and smaller squid -- not really in a place where we'd be threatened since it's so deep and we wouldn't withstand the pressure, so we're ok. But they sit in a 'cockatoo' stance (point their tentacles up, and keep them together so they look smaller), and wait. Their eyes (which I will get to in a second) have biolumenescent (think: glow in the dark) spots in them, attracting animals to it, thinking it's a small biolumenescent fish. When it's near; doomsday. The poor fish think they're getting fed, while instead they are attacked by a large squid with sharp hooks. They have giant beaks to crush almost anything that it can catch.

3. Eyes. Their eyes are up to 30 cm in diameter (about 1 foot!)! That's all I have to say about that one.

End of the day, while freaky, certainly fascinating. If you want to learn more, there's this site that includes animated videos of all these things I'm talking about, more pictures, and more research. It's crazy for me to think that while I'm typing this post, these things exist in the antarctic depths either preying or waiting to prey. We know so little about our world.

Mediterranean Jelly.

2009-06-25T08:31:00.000-07:00

This jellyfish as you probably notice is a bit of a standout with its polka-dot tentacles. They're also known as 'fried egg jellies' for obvious reasons.

Other than the fact that I haven't covered Jellies before, what makes this one unique is that it has the ability to move easily without the need of a current pushing it along. If you think of the cap of a jellyfish as a wheel at the the top of an arrow, the 'wheel' can only contract its rim (it is a circular muscle) pushing it only in the direction that it is pointing to. So it can't control direction. This one can, however.

Other general jelly facts are the fact that offspring attach to rocks, and for a while feed on passing nutrients and particles. This is their 'polyp' stage. Eventually they're free from surface and look like what you and me would consider a jellyfish (though they aren't fish).

The colors on this one supposedly lure prey so it can grab fish and other small creatures passing through.

Rock Dove.

2009-06-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

As you can tell, pigeons won the vote. So now comes my challenge in convincing you that they aren't boring. And... go.

OK, so these doves from a purely biological stance are unique in its mating in one particular way. They tend to be monogamous. In a weird way. They attempt to mate with others but stick around with whichever female best convinces the male it is his chicks he is caring for. It's not totally understood how they do it, but displays are likely the answer.

One thing, like it or not, is that they are sure to stick around. Unlike most animals that decline in population around people (because of interrupted or damaged ecosystems or corridors), this one seems to adapt. And adapt well. Though traditionally known to roost on rocks and cliffs (hence its name), it has transferred a sense of a 'cliff' to a building ledge. Similar topography. They also have stopped migration in most places, finding warmth in street vents and heat rising from roads. And because of that, its annual behaviors have become less defined. For example, they mate all year round, versus just specific times of the year. There might be peaks in spring and summer, but there is no significant definition of mating season for them.

Personally, I think this is kind of awesome. Sure they can be annoying and they are everywhere, but it's a reminder that wildlife is actually everywhere, and as much as we want to think of our urban environment as separate from an ecosystem, it's really not. It's just a terribly modified and typically inhospitable one for most species other than ourselves.

On a totally different note, they've also been helpful to people when domesticated. To the point of earning medals of honor during the World Wars. I'm not lying. You remember homing and carrier pigeons, right? They were bred to return home went sent somewhere else. Soldiers would attach messages to its leg and were sent off -- missions people couldn't do since no one is likely to waste a bullet on a pigeon. Not only that, they would use specific pigeons. Cher Ami of France won a prestigious award for heroic contributions to WWI. And the US awarded several pigeons awards during WWII. Homing pigeons have been used since about 1150 CE in Baghdad and were used by Genghis Kahn. Military posts would regularly be decorated with pigeon posts. And you might be familiar with the name "Paul Reuter" who founded the Reuters news agency? He used to deliver headlines in the 19th century using a fleet of piegons. Long story short, they can be credited for saving thousands of human lives and delivering news when headlines may not have been quite so accessible.

Moving to a similar subject, people throughout time have been intrigued by its breeding capabilities. Like dogs, pigeons were bred for specific functions or fanciful fulfillment. Some bred for unique colors, some for body shape and feather ornamentation, some for function (homing pigeons), and some I'm not really sure for what. Dozens of varieties exist, each with a unique cultural context. I've posted a few of them above.

There probably isn't too much terribly fascinating information for you in here, but I think they are a bit more unique and interesting from a human standpoint than one might typically think.

Purple Frog.

2009-06-23T07:43:00.000-07:00

This purple frog (which lives in the Western Ghats of India) is a pretty bizarre one. Officially discovered in 2003, but known well to locals before then, they have been an intriguing frog for sure. They spend most all year underground, but emerge for only 2 weeks of the year for mating, then return to the ground. Which is why it took so long for science to describe it -- people didn't think to look underground for frogs.

They are also considered to be a living fossil -- an animal that hasn't changed very much in the history of its existence. It is closely related to frogs originally found on the island of Seychelles and Madagascar (when those two and India were attached in one landmass) and seems to have changed very little ever since.

And before watching the video, a reminder that today is your last day to vote for an animal for me to post tomorrow. Right now, the pigeon is winning.

Here's a video of a purple frog:

Gannets.

2009-06-22T08:56:00.000-07:00

The Gannet family is broken into 3 species -- Northern Gannets, Cape Gannets and Australian Gannets (north atlantic, south africa and australia, respectively). There are a few shared traits about these birds, the first being their colonies. The last picture is actually a picture of thousands of nesting gannets (they always colonize rock cliffs). Chicks learn to fly by jumping off of these cliffs and flying before hopefully hitting the water, so obviously cliffs lend themselves to more injury if failed, but more time to figure out the whole flight thing before it crashes. And being seabirds, there aren't many other opportunities for land to still get the feed they prefer.

A social behavior of theirs that is unique is mating pairs. They pair for several seasons (but not for life) and each time greet each other by raising their bills and tapping them together, like in picture 2. They might remind you of emperor penquins.

Feeding: Perhaps the coolest, and you'll see why in a minute, is their eating behavior. Since they travel in flocks of thousands, it's a spectacle in itself, then add in the fact that they dive into the water at high speeds to catch fish underwater. It's built a relationship with other species also attacking the fish, like dolphins, sharks, etc. that create bait balls.

And now, let's blow your mind:

Finally, a reminder to submit your vote for an animal you think is boring but actually isn't.

Banana Nudibranch.

2009-06-19T08:37:00.001-07:00

This sea slug, Notodoris minor, lives in the South Pacific (often found in the great barrier reef). They're not endangered, and there aren't many striking characteristics to it beyond the usual nudibranch behaviors and anatomy (for example, as the name suggests, it has an uncovered respiratory system; 'nudi'=nude and 'branch'=bronchioles). This one stands out because of its bright yellow color. It also contains ultraviolet coloration, suggesting that they see in color spectrums beyond ours, or perhaps their predators do. To read more on nudibranchs, I'll just redirect you to my previous posts (there'll be more of these in the future, I think they're beautiful):

Spanish Shawl

Nembrotha kubaryana.

Finally, remember to vote for an animal for me to do next Wednesday.

Narwhal.

2009-06-18T06:18:00.001-07:00

This Marine Mammal lives in the Arctic. I realized I hadn't done a whale, let alone much that lives up there. Plus I watched a Jacques Cousteau film last night.

As you can see, they're pretty magical looking creatures. Thought to be the basis of 'unicorns' their tusks are distinct among whales (and any other living thing, for that matter). It's actually a large tooth (think: elephant tusk). And on some occasions, narwhals will grow two horns. They travel in pods of 10-100. And they are closely related to beluga whales.

They've been used in myths, apothecaries, meat and decoration. Which means its threats from humans is pretty significant.

Its scientific name, Monodon monoceros means 'one tooth, one horn.' which reminds me of the One-Eyed One horned Flying Purple People Eater. Good movie. It was originally described by Carl Lennaeus, known for his taxonomical contributions to biology. He's known as the father of it, in fact, organizing names and categories. He wasn't very good, based on this one, I'd say. "nar" is old Norse for "corpse" and was apparently described as such because of its grey skin. And whal, that means whale of course. So, of all things that stood out, it was the grey skin? really?

Oh, and don't forget to vote for a boring animal you want me to cover next week.

Vote for an animal.

2009-06-17T07:00:00.001-07:00

Your first thought might be, "Rosh, these are not all the same animal, you can't trick me!" You're right, they're not.

But a one CAIT SMITH gave me a challenge that has racked my brain for weeks now. The challenge: Post the 'most boring, average animal ever.' And I think that's a nearly impossible task for me. So perhaps I can cop out and twist it a little bit? I've posted 4 animals, all of which many people call 'boring' or 'unexciting' or 'annoying.'

So in the comments, vote for which you think is the most boring, and in a week I'll post about the animal with the most votes and hopefully change your mind on whether or not its boring. I'll still try to think about an average animal, so don't worry, Cait, i haven't given up.

Your choices:

01. Rock Dove (Pigeon)

02. Horsefly

03. Grey Squirrel

04. Bullfrog

So. Take your vote. Sorry I'm not just posting a boring animal. I think if an animal is boring, we just don't know enough about it.

In the meantime, enjoy this video of snowball the dancing cockatoo:

(I had to fit this in somewhere!)

Hispaniolan Solenodon.

2009-06-16T06:23:00.001-07:00

If ever there was an animal that looked like a who from whoville, it'd be this one.

It's found, you guessed it, in Hispaniola (The island split by DR and Haiti). Though it is not closely related, it is sometimes described as a shrew because of its long and mobile nose.

Their defense is essentially a strong odor and a venomous bite -- one that even its own species is not immune to (most poisonous animals are immune to its own poison). They also scare easy, clumsily run around (they're nocturnal, so eyesight during the day isn't so fantastic), and threaten to bite.

Though they are one of the few native mammals left in the island, the landscape has changed so drastically with the arrival of people, that their adaptations can't protect them from predators (for example, an Asian mongoose). So their numbers are extremely low.

What's tricky is now that the landscape has changed, it's very difficult to find an argument to protect them from a conservation standpoint. There is the argument that there is an intrinsic and irreplaceable value in the natural world, but obviously not everyone agrees with that -- hence a current environmental catastrophe. Most endangered species can be tied to its ecology and suggest how the ecological landscape might change should a specific animal suddenly disappear. However, since there are so few of these solenodons left, and the landscape is totally different than when they were most prevalent, its hard to imagine that an ecosystem would go into even a mild chaos if they were extinct.

HOWEVER, we obviously are still learning a lot about ecosystem management, so it doesn't mean we should let them go extinct. They might play a more important role than we think, as the case may be for most animals in any ecosystem. Also, for me, it's like when people talk about people having to give up a local language or cultural identity on a level to conform to a larger movement. Sure, English might be the most practical language if everyone spoke it at this point, but it'd be depressing to wipe out peoples languages and rituals in the process. Such is the case with this. Its a part of the natural history on the island and losing it would be stripping the land of something that gives it individuality, even if we never find a functional value in them.

Sorry, there's my rant.

Hibiscus Harlequin Bug.

2009-06-15T09:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, the term 'bug' IS part of the name. Though many may not realize, bugs are a type of insect -- insects that have tubes instead of mouth parts. So some insects are not bugs. These are in the 'stink bug' category, since they emit a strong scent to repel predators. The bright colors also indicate that they smell / taste bad to potential predators. Because of this, there aren't a lot of predators. Wasps do the most damage to their population by taking eggs.

These bugs live in Hibiscus plants near mangroves forests. As you would guess, they drink nectar from hibiscus flowers. What's particularly unique is there is some level of maternal care -- they will lay eggs in a cluster, and guard the eggs until hatched.

Musk Ox.

2009-06-12T05:59:00.000-07:00

Musk oxen are found around the artic regiosn of Canada, Greenland and US (Alaska). Though they are named oxen, they are more closely related to sheep and rams than to other ox species. One of the first things you notice is its hair. Man is that thing shaggy. When all is said and done, they typically weigh about 250 pounds -- not quite as much as you'd guess. That hair fools you. And keeps them warm. They travel in herds - male and female live together throughout the winter.

Then comes mating season (august). The males become instantly aggressive and compete the bulls fight off one another until one is left in a herd. The losers of these battles will join others who lost to form a herd of up to 10 to travel with in the tundra. And you don't want to mess with them. They are extremely aggressive and will charge anything, from birds to trees to small mammals. They also smell terrible (their 'musk'). This attracts females.

Another interesting thing about them is they, like elephants, form a ring around calves (See picture 3). They'll all face horns out to protect young from wolves, grizzly bears and polar bears. On the flip side, this makes them an easy target for humans and our stupid guns.

Picture 4 shows one molting, and Picture 2 just reminds me of something that would go on 'awkwardfamilyphoto.com'

Grey Crowned Crane.

2009-06-11T09:58:00.001-07:00

This bird can be found from pretty much Uganda to South Africa. It's not terribly uncommon, and it is the national bird of Uganda. They stand up to 3.3 feet tall and weigh about 8 lbs. I didn't really know about them until I went to E. Africa a few years ago -- these are some pictures I took.

There are a couple things striking about this bird:

1. It is one of only two crane species that roosts in trees. This is mainly so it doesn't fall prey to animals on the ground.

2. Its mating behavior. Cranes are known for its "Dance" which is essentially flapping its wings, jumping up and down, and bowing to the female. If done well, the female will mate.

This isn't a fantastic video, but from the first couple seconds, you get the idea:

Thorny Devil.

2009-06-10T06:36:00.000-07:00

This Australian lizard is named for, well, its thorns. When predators come, they'll dip their head down and show their horns (the devil part).

Its body is divided into ridges and can actually absorb water from any part of their body and then channel it to their mouth. A good thing for the desert, no?

Today's post is a simple one, so that's all I have for you today.
Back to work!

Giant Cuttlefish.

2009-06-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

Let's start with the name. When hearing about this, sometimes people think 'cuddle.' But it's 'cuttle.' This supposedly derives from the Norwegian "koddi" meaning testicle. The literal described shape of these things. And fish.... they are not fish. They are molluscs (Squid, Octopus, Nautilus), as you probably guessed.

There are all sorts of cuttlefish all over the world, but this one in particular lives in Australia and its mantle grows to be about 20 inches long.

As you can see, this species can take different shapes, colors and textures. What's even cooler, is that they can all change colors and textures, its not just a variety of traits and one is born one way and one is born another. They has also have a striking ability to display color patterns for both mating and defending territory.

Another thing that makes the cuttlefish unique is its eyes. Thought to be some of the best developed eyes of any invertebrate, these creatures, these creatures develop full eyesight while still in the egg. To the point that it is thought that prey that it sees while IN the egg are the prey they prefer for the rest of their life. Even stranger, it is thought that their eyes developed completely independent of the evolution of human or other vertebrate eyes -- meaning convergent evolution led to the development of eyes more than one time.

To blow your mind, I HIGHLY recommend watching this. If that's too long for you to watch at work, here's another video:

African Elephants. Part 02: Parades, Enemies, Battles and Friendships.

2009-06-08T08:39:00.001-07:00

To finish the post on African elephants, here's part 2. Unlike the last post, this one will cover several elephant issues and facts.

Let's start with the basics; gestation period (time pregnant) is 22 months -- useful trivia information, you'd be surprised how often that comes up. They are typically about 12 feet tall, and weight a ton. Well, 6 tons for males, and 5 1/2 for females (12,000 lbs and 11,000 lbs respectively). Their tusks are actually large teeth and yes, the trunk is its nose and no, it doesn't drink water through it. It sucks up water then sprays it in its mouth. The pictures came up a little out of order, but as you can see from the 3rd picture, they're standing in front of a car we were using (a large land rover) and it looks puny in comparison to the elephants.

Herds. Sometimes called "Parades" are built around a matriarch and contains several families -- the size varies throughout the year and depends on season and availability of resources like food and water. Sometimes they are as small as 5 or 10 elephants, but regularly can be 40 or 50, and occasionally upwards of 100. The matriarchal elephant is one of the most powerful animals that roam the plains. In most cases, no predator would dare mess with her, with a backing of dozens and dozens of other elephants. The herds are made of the adult females and their offspring up to juveniles (adult males leave the group). Though they are social groups, they primarily serve as defense and care of young. Infants are vulnerable alone and need several to intimidate predators. In most situations, the adults will surround all the young in a circle and face the predators, scaring them off. Also, the mothers provide warmth by surrounding young, preventing them from getting pneumonia as easily in cold nights. Males wander (picture 1) and basically tend to themselves. They'll interact for mating, but otherwise are independent and must find food and water alone while continually defending itself.

Picture 4 is of 2 males 'tusking' which is sort of an informal, symbolic fight. Perhaps for practice, perhaps to impress females, but they'll ram each other and tangle trunks in each others faces while jousting with their tusks.

Interactions with humans. There are lots of things I could talk about here but I'll keep it minimal. Long story short, elephants are relatively ok around people, unless they feel threatened. And with fewer resources for them to get because of development and increased droughts, they often feel more threatened in close quarters. So the relationship is becoming strained. The EU built several wells along migratino paths to try to build corridors for elephants, allowing development to occur out of the way of elephants so both could live without getting in each others way. Currently, when an elephant is speared, the other elephants of a herd pester villagers and sometimes trample homes or kill people (see picture 5). When this happens, people retaliate by killing another elephants. It keeps aggrevating people, and makes elephants more defensive and aggresive. So don't go killing one or be around people who have.

Some notes on seeing elephants in the wild:
It's ok to be near them in a car, as long as you aren't loud or in their face. If you get relatively close in a car, they'll sniff around, investigate, and carry on. If you listen to music, they pick up on low frequencies and react, sometimes violently. Maybe they associate low frequencies with threats. So don't do that. Sometimes they'll feel threatened, but they give you several warnings before charging your car. 1: they'll stare at you for a while. 2: they'll flap their ears and call sounds. 3: They'll walk up to you, within feet and flap ears. 4. back up, and sometime charge and stop near the car. 5. They'll charge you. So if they start doing a couple of the first ones, just peacefully leave. If they come up close to you, don't move. If they see movement, they might feel more threatened. I made the mistake of moving once. It was not a fun experience. Whoops!

Finally, how to make friends. If you're near elephants, sometimes they'll approach you. Not in defense, but out of curiousity. You'll know this because they'll smell for a while, then calmly walk to the car. They'll sometimes stick their trunk in the car, and feel around. If they touch you, it's ok. If their trunk is there for a few seconds, take its trunk and blow into it. It might seem stupid or scary, but they know scents well, and that's how it'll remember you. They'll remember you for about 6 years, in fact. It's true, elephants do have fantastic memory. If you swat it away, it won't be happy. It's like extending a hand for a handshake, and them slapping it away instead of shaking it. That's just rude. So either blow into it, or sit still. If you choose the former, assuming you don't piss it off by taunting it, you'll be bff. or bff6y (best friends for 6 years).

Hope you like the pictures!

African Elephants. Part 01: Death.

2009-06-05T07:58:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love african elephants. Hands down, one of my favorite animals. Why? First, seeing them in their territory feels magical. I suddenly forget anything going on in the world, and am genuinely mesmerized with how majestic they are. Since I love them so much, I'm going to break this post up so 1. I can show you more of my pictures (this is one of the few posts I actually have pictures for!), 2. I can organize all the things I think are fascinating about them. Today's topic:

Death.

Why? It gives me perspective. The lifespan of an elephant is ~70 years, and outside of poaching, they aren't attacked by most animals, and the few that do only do out of desperation. So it's safe to say most elephants that are born are going to make it outside of human threats. Now think about the fact that for the 70 years that an elephant roams plains and forests, going from food to water to shade. In that same 70 years, somehow people have had WWII, internet, bad pop music, Vietnam, Kim Jong Il, civil rights, you name it. It's a nice reminder to know that while we are getting worked up about, no doubt important issues, there are things going on outside of the realm of human politics, culture and injustices. That's why it gives me perspective.

On to the story. Elephants deal with death on a level beyond most animals. In the 2nd picture, you see a matriarch tending to her 2 week old baby who just collapsed and died within minutes. She is trying to get the baby back on his feet, but he keeps falling over. Then some sort of realization; she trumpets, calling over other elephants. The others walk toward her, bringing up dust moreso than usual, seen in picture 3. They then cover the deceased with dust, twigs, leaves -- anything around. While doing this, several elephants trumpet and then start showing signs of stress: a liquid trickles down their face behind their eyes (though it is not fully understood and they are not quite the same as tears, they do this in stressful situations and in situations where one would imagine extreme relief, like finding a waterhole after days of searching). This is seen in picture 4. Here's where it gets crazy. Every day, this herd will come to the same site, and cover the baby until one day, it's just bones. When that happens, the elephants will pass around the bones with their trunks in a ritual, then eventually go back to its daily needs. After sometimes years and years (some have been recorded to come to the death site for as many as 6 years), the bones will be so scattered from passing them around that they no longer pinpoint the death to a specific spot -- this is when they stop coming.

Even crazier: studies have been done that suggest that elephants actually recognize individuals even if just bones are left. If one strayed, died, and they later came across it, they would perform the ritual. If they are traveling, they will rest there overnight, then continue their journey in the morning. If they handn't interacted with that elephant, they likely won't stop for long. It's fascinating that they can recognize bones as specific to elephants and even more fascinating that they can recognize. Crazy.

Final fact. As I said, most elephants die at around 70 years old, if living in a healthy environment. This isn't due to a lack of brain function or old age in sorts, it's because of hunger. Elephants have 6 sets of teeth, replacing themselves about every 10 years. When they're 70, they no longer have teeth coming in, so their teeth wear out an they can no longer chew twigs and hence, can't swallow much food. At this point, they pretty much seclude themselves to river banks, where trees might be moist, making it easier for them to eat food. And this is where they die -- hence, and elephant graveyard. Picture 5 is of an elephant's worn out set 6 teeth, found by a graveyard.

That's all for today.

Next time I'll tell you more about elephants, like how herds function, protect young, what the males do, warning signs before attacks, interactions with humans and how to become instant friends with an elephant in the wild.

I hope it's becoming clear to you why I think elephants are fantastic.

Shameless plug: If you liked the pictures, visit my website!

Drosophila melanogaster.

2009-06-04T07:50:00.000-07:00

yea yea yea, get your whining out of the way. It's a fruit fly. But a really useful one.
My coworker, Rob, is leaving today and wanted to request this animal for his last day of work. Partly because they're talked about all the time in biology, partly because he wanted to be annoying. Scratch that; really annoying. Well done, sir. If you want to complain about it, his email is: robglot@gmail.com .

So some things about this fly: Apparently the name comes the Greek meaning something along the lines of "dark-bellied dew lover" and in the wild, I think that's about the only thing I can think of that stands out. And their wings beat at about 220 times per second.

So why so interesting? They're the most common eukaryotic genetic lab subject and were important for scientists to figure out how chromosomes worked. With a generation of 10 days, they are ideal for studying how genes are passed. That paired along with the fact that they're easy to maintain makes them ideal candidates. They've helped people discover all sorts of cool things like how genes on the same chromosome interact, how dominant and recessive genes interact, etc. A lot of the first tests looked at differences wing shapes, eye colors and that sort of thing. If you've ever taken biology, you know them. If you were a biology major, you know them really well.

On a side note, the last picture is of a highly replicated drosophila chromosome. Perhaps that's easier on the eye.

Horseshoe Crabs.

2009-06-03T07:05:00.001-07:00

Oh, horesshoe crabs. We've all seen their exoskeleton on the beach or seen them in the touching area of an aquarium. They are great reminders of earth's history as they have changed seemingly little over the past 445 million years.

Contrary to what you might think based on their name, these arthropods are more closely related to spiders, ticks and scorpions. In fact, and old name for them was "sea scorpions." Which I think makes some sense when you look at them.

There are couple of really interesting things about them:
1. Their blood has been extremely useful for medical research. They are often used to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Their blood also contains no hemoglobin (no iron on blood molecules) which gives it interesting chemical properties, and might be used to diagnose lukemia, as it reacts to to red and white blood cells, identifiable to medical experts.
But don't worry, they'll live. When little blood is extracted, their levels quickly return to normal once re-entering the ocean. And in fact, the medical worth a horshoe crab might provide over its lifetime is roughly $2500. there are a lot of other medical uses, like being an option to combat bacteria resistant to penicillin, but I won't go on for now.

2. From a conservationists perspective, they demonstrate relationships very well. Loggerheads (turtles) and Red Knots (shorebirds) depend on healthy crab populations for food. When these diminish, you quickly see the others diminish. Every year, hundreds of thousands of crabs surface on beaches in the deleware bay for spawning,then return to the seas. This is been consistent for as long as people have known about them, and it occurs over the course of a couple weeks in may/june. So consistent that the red knots expect them to be there in certain numbers, and various other places along the coast. If they don't show up, they obviously can't eat them. Uh-oh! It's one of the well-understood creatures that we can directly tie to the survival of specific species through research. Every year, volunteers count the crabs in the bay around now to try to get an idea of whether or not the crab population is doing ok.

Speaking of, you can go see them this weekend! And perhaps the tail end of it over the next couple weeks. Just look for nature centers in Deleware Bay and they'll likely point you in the right direction for best locations and times to see this spawning event (pictures in the bottom 2 pictures).

Armadillo Lizard.

2009-06-02T07:41:00.000-07:00

To show you just how similar Pangolins can look like reptiles instead of mammals (or perhaps how reptiles can look like mammals?), here is the armadillo lizard. As you can see, like the pangolin, it has scales and its defense is to curl up in a ball. They're found in southern Africa.

Some interesting facts about these:
Females give birth to live young (rare for reptiles -- most lay eggs). They also, on occasion, feed their young, which is even more rare to find a reptile caring for young.

Also, their defense, as I said before, is to curl in a ball. It helps that its scales are awkwardly shaped for a bird of prey to grab them, so they've got that going for 'em, too. For some reason, to curl, they must bite their tail and curl (see picture #2). It is thought that the Greek symbol for self-reflexivity "Ouroboros" (see picture #4), made of a serpent / dragon biting its tail to make a circle, derives from lizards like this one that perform the same behavior.

Pangolin.

2009-06-01T06:34:00.000-07:00

8 species of Pangolin live throughout the tropics of Africa and Asia. It was originally thought these were related to anteaters / sloths / armadillos. However, it turns out its not really closely related with any living groups. If traced far enough, it's related to cats, dogs and bears -- but that's quite a long time ago that they shared an ancestor. Before discovering this different, they were thought to be related to anteaters and armadillos because of their scales, shape and lack of teeth (so they slurp up termites).

They're the only mammal with keratin scales as their defense, and often remind people of reptiles, though they are not.

Their defenses: scales / armor, claws and finally, an odor secretion similar to those of skunks.

Their name comes from the Malay "Pengguling" meaning "something that rolls up." More creative than when Americans name things that roll up ("fruit roll-up").

Pangolins face many threats: Bush meat in Africa, habitat destruction (deforestation), use of hide and scales for making armor for kings and finally it is sometimes used in traditional chinese medicine to supposedly help blood circulation and produce more milk for breast-feeding mothers.

UPDATE: New report about illegal trading.

Temminck's Tragopan.

2009-05-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

WEEKEND SURPRISE!

I saw this video a few minutes ago, and think it's the greatest thing in the world.
I couldn't wait until monday to share. (shhh don't tell anyone at work). They're in SE Asia / China. And the DC Zoo. And they're conservation status? Least Concern. Perfect.

Basically, this bird is in the pheasant family, which are known to have impressive courtship display. This one is no exception. Not even close. Best thing ever.

Here's Video #1 (Watch from :48 seconds in):

And for Video #2, this is, well, just too entertaining to pass up:

Bumble Bees.

2009-05-29T06:46:00.000-07:00

Bumble Bees are not, in fact, one species, but rather a genus. With over 250 species falling under it. Behaviorally, it's pretty much what you'd expect: They live in colonies, they live in nests, etc. They rely heavily on flowers for food, which brings me to why I'm really posting this animal.

I'm going to do something a bit unusual today on the blog. Rather than focus on a specific animal, I'm going to tell you about a relationship between a specific animal and a specific plant. Risque, I know.

The animal: Bumble bees (Bombus spp.)
The Plant: Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera)

The orchid, located along the southern rim of the Mediterranean (bottom picture), has evolved to look like a bee. Now, orchid flowers generally take on unique shapes that often pair with other animals, but this one stands out. In this case, bees confuse the petal for a female bee, attracting the male to mate. While the bee is struggling to mate, the motion allows the orchid to drop pollen all over the bee's body, sending the bee away with a little present for the next orchid it is tricked into mating with.

Evolution has selected for petals most resembling bees over time, because obviously the closer the match, the more likely it is to land on it. Sounds simple so far, but remember, these plants are competing with real bees. So beyond just the shape, colors and texture matching with that of bumblebees, they even emit pheromones that female bumble bees emit to attract mates. Crazy, no?

While many orchids have shapes similar to beak shapes, few seem to be as specific to an animal beyond shape. So why bumble bees? Why is competition to win them over advantageous? One word: hair. Unlike beetles, flies, and even other types of bees, bumble bees are fuzzy by all insect standards. That means it can carry more pollen on its hairs and the pollen stays on these bees better than almost any other animal that might visit an orchid.

Finally, here's a video to help you visualize this. It might seem cruel for the bee, but don't worry, they'll live:

Black and Rufous Elephant Shrew.

2009-05-28T07:27:00.001-07:00

These elephant shrews are neither elephants nor shrews. And they don't seem to be related either. But their long noses reminded people of elephants, and they look a lot like shrews. Makes sense. They pretty much only live in Kenya and Tanzania -- and a few zoos (including the National Zoo).

Oddly, it seems that some of the closest living relatives to these are elephants, hyrax, manatees and the Dugong. Though they might look like rodents, they aren't.

In any case, they're fun to watch because their nose just seems like another entity. It has crazy muscle control and doesn't really need to move it's neck around much because its nose does all the traveling and bending. Here's a telling video:

Mottled Harlequin Frog.

2009-05-27T07:07:00.001-07:00

This frog, discovered in late 2008 in Colombian forests was a hopeful find. It was found alongside several other new species of frogs and salamanders. Though I'm sure not all of you are in love with amphibians, what's cool is that since they are sensitive to temperatures and climates, their existence is a sign of stability in the environment. It is also a reminder of how much we have yet to learn about our surroundings -- its hard to think such a distinct frog has never been seen before.

They belong to the Atelopus genus (do not have a species name yet)... the same as poison dart frogs. An earlier post, the blue poison dart frog, also belongs to this genus.

Dugong.

2009-05-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

The Dugong lives in S. Pacific and Indian Ocean waters. Feeding on seagrass beds, they live close to shores, of course making it more vulnerable to fishing and boating accidents as a leading cause of death.

You might think 'those are just manatees!' You'd be wrong. They are very closely related (same order), however there are 3 species of manatee and 1 species of dugong in that order. Like manatees, they are often called 'sea cows' as well as 'sea pigs' and 'sea camels.' The word "Dugong," however, comes from the Malay word "Duyong" meaning "lady of the sea." Interesting, considering manatees were thought to be mermaids. Seems like people all over the world think animals in this order are first beautiful and feminine, then under closer inspection, find them ugly. They're gentle giants and would do you no harm. Unless you are a bed of seagrass.

Kakapo.

2009-05-22T07:49:00.000-07:00

Kakapo! Kakapo! These parrots of New Zealand are unique as one of the few nocturnal parrots in the world and is the only flightless parrots in the world, they are are fascinating, indeed. Today I'll share a couple interesting facts about them...

First, they're evolutionary history. They supposedly spit from other parrot species when Gondwanaland broke from Pangea (supposedly Pangea spit into and land mass called Laurasia composed of what is now N. America / Europe / Asia in the North, and everything else fell into Gondwanaland). Anyway. In the break, ancestors of the Kakapo inhabited islands that were free of mammals and other potential predators. This led to their loss of flight -- they lost their need to escape quickly from most situations.

The second notable thing of them is a bit of bad news -- their status in the world. There are only 125 known living Kakapo; so few that most even have individual names so it's easy for scientists to reference. On top of that, they have been moved to new islands to protect them from predators; something controversial yet seems to be one of the few remaining options. This is especially unfortunate as it is clear they are important to the Maori people, as it's often a legendary bird in traditional storytelling.

From the pictures, you can see that their feathers are pretty wonderful, and their babies look like they could be muppets.

Kirk's Dik-Dik.

2009-05-21T07:34:00.000-07:00

Not mine, not yours, but Kirk's. I guess we'll have to deal with that. Anyway, Dik-diks are truly appreciated in person as they are the smallest antelopes in the world. They are about 16 inches at most off the ground and way up to 6 kg. Think the size of a small dog. They are generally found in E. Africa.

Being so tiny, they are, for better or worse, prey of all sorts of animals; wild cats, snakes, eagles, hyenas, monitor lizards, you name it. Which means they have to hide really well. They are, for obvious reasons, skiddish and are difficult to see in a close range.

The fascinating part for me is their social behavior. Before I tell that to you, I'll share a story of my experience with them and then tell you. As a warning, it's a sad story.

I was driving through the bush in Kenya trying to get to a location, when I thought I hit a rock. Turned out it was a dik-dik. The first and only animal I've ever hit with a car. A little shaken, I stop, get out, check to see what's going on, and move on. Then, a local in the car with me proceeds to tell me about their social behavior: they live in monogamous pairs for life and live in small territories. Since land and partners is so competitive, if one of the partners die, it is generally too late for the remaining dik-dik to find a new partner or find a new territory, so it lives alone. To deal with this, they often jump in harm's way to committ suicide. This is sometimes in the form of jumping from high things onto rocks but more frequently occurs by offering itself to other animals by not running away when near a predator. I'm HOPING that the one I hit was one that was putting itself in harm's way. Otherwise, I may have killed a dik-dik and led another to suicide. FML.

Spanish Shawl.

2009-05-20T07:32:00.000-07:00

Yep, another nudi. This nudibranch or "sea slug", Flabellina iodinea, is from off the coast of southern California. It is also one of the few nudibranchs that has a common name; most are just known by their scientific name. It is very similar in behavior to the Nembrotha kubaryana, a nudibranch I posted last month. The rhinophores (highlighted in the last picture) are used to detect odors. This particular species has red coloration in them from the pigment of their prey -- much like how flamingos are pink because of the krill they eat.

The tentacles on their body help them camouflage into coral and anemone but also help them sense their surroundings and trick predators into thinking their are poisonous.

Pygmy Falcon.

2009-05-19T06:25:00.001-07:00

The African Pygmy Falcon may look friendly, but trust me, they're not! They'll eat small insects (as opposed to large ones?), small reptiles and sometimes even small mammals. At only 20 cm long, that's a pretty impressive catch. Sometimes when desperate, they'll eat the chicks of other birds and when even more desperate, they'll go for adult sociable weavers (a bird about the same size).

They are often polyandrous (several males, 1 female). This is to keep warmth and sometimes a way for the females to ensure plenty of resources for the chicks -- if each copulated with the female, each might stay with the female and bring food to the chicks with the chance that the chicks are theirs -- no falcon paternity tests available for them!

Also, they don't build their own nests. They typically take over buffalo weaver nests -- the white-headed species in E. Africa and the red-headed species in S. Africa. In S. Africa you can also find them in sociable weaver nests -- which live in a large nest colony. So sometimes they will take over a chamber and live amongst other sociable weavers. Remember: They sometimes eat sociable weavers. As long as the weavers live in a place with a lot of food, they are safe. If not; doomsday pending.

Although, no matter how tough they are relative to their size, I can't really get over how cute they are. Sometimes they puff out their wings to look intimidating -- but compared to other birds of prey, it just looks like its trying to hard.

Lar Gibbon.

2009-05-18T07:25:00.000-07:00

The lar gibbon, also known as the white-handed gibbon, is a part of the lesser apes group (The great apes being chimps, bonobos, gorillas, orangutan and humans). Though they are apes, they have more similarities to monkeys than other apes, and are significantly smaller in size than the great apes.

They live in SE Asia (China, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia) and are in decreasing numbers. Reason: Deforestation. They are almost entirely arboreal and its preferred mode of travel is swinging from trees. As you can guess, losing these trees would make it tricky for these primates to swing around.

There are two things in particular that I really like about them.
1. When they walk, they use their extremely long arms as a balance bar. They walk on branches very high off the ground, so it's certainly useful. The last picture is one walking -- I couldn't find a good one of it walking high off the ground.

2. They duet with their mating partners. Gibbons are known to sing and sometimes do it solo to protect territory - their call can be heard up to a full kilometer away from the point of origin. When with their partner, it is used as a courtship display to attract the mate but also ward off any potential competition. The duets are often complex with specific parts the males sing that the females counteract with -- it's pretty fascinating.

I will post a video of the duet later this evening -- I don't want to turn up my volume at work so I want to make sure that if I post it, the duet is clear. In the meantime, if you search for gibbon duets, you will surely find something.

Small Leaf Katydid.

2009-05-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

Katydids are all over the world. Sometimes they look like grasshoppers, sometimes they look like ants, and sometimes they look like bees. This one looks like a leaf! Mimicry is their thing.
As you can see, this species not only looks like a decaying leaf, but it can have different shapes of leaves for its body, too! As I'm sure you can guess, they hide well in..... water! (kidding.)

I'm sure I'll post more of these in the future -- some of them are crazy.

Flying Fox.

2009-05-14T07:25:00.000-07:00

Flying foxes are a genus with several species -- all in the bat family. You might know them better as fruit bats. I have been asked before "do fruit bats ever bite people?" Yes and no. They probably could. They do have mouth and teeth. But their diet is pretty strictly pollen, fruit, nectar... that sort of thing. So you're safe. Unless you're filled with nectar.

So while people are frightened by bats, these bats aren't so bad. They're just tryin' to get by just like you and me.

Also, unlike other types of bats, these bats do not use echolocation. They have good visual and aural sensing abilities and can rely on that. Since the things they eat aren't found in caves, there is significantly more light in these bats environments. You can find them in the tropics and sub-tropics in places like India, Australia, China, Indonesia and some islands in the Pacific.

Dumbo Octopus.

2009-05-13T06:52:00.001-07:00

Yes, this is named after Dumbo the Elephant. It's got 2 big fins that look like elephant ears to help it move through the water -- making it look like it's flapping its wings like Dumbo to fly!

They are deep ocean octopuses and are found at depths of over a 1 mile. Which is why, unlike other octopus species, they lack color most of the time. No need for it when nothing can see you anyway.

Here's an HD video of one swimming around. And somebody thought it'd be cool to pretend like it's a ballet, so please excuse that tackiness.

Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko.

2009-05-13T06:43:00.000-07:00

I'll admit, this one's a little freaky. Still, very cool. They are endemic to Madagascar and are sometimes called the "fantastic leaf-tailed gecko" or the "eyelash leaf-tailed gecko."

As you can see from the 2nd picture - they come in a variety of shades and have incredible camouflage. To the point that sometimes even the leaf-shaped tail has veins to look even more like a decaying leaf. It's surprisingly also one of the most threatened illegally traded animals in the world. So, don't buy one if you see it. You'll know it might be one because you'll have to buy them in a black market. At which point you might figure most purchases might not be legal and sketchy at best.

Thylacine.

2009-05-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

Also known as the Tazmanian Tiger, the thylacine is now extinct. Until several thousands of years ago, they were also on Australia, but died out and could only be found in Tazmania until recently.

Though it has the name "tiger" it is not actually related. It's a marsupial -- more closely related to tazmanian devils and numbats (I'll post about these soon). It happens to have developed the tiger stripes independent of the cat family. Coincidentally, thylacines also played a lot of the same ecological roles as the cats (for example, being an apex predator). Also as a result of convergent evolution, it has many similarities to species in the canine family.

They ate wallabies, kangaroos, wombats, and the now extinct, Tazmanian emu.

The last known ones were in captivity in the 1930s -- and many believe there might still be a couple out there somewhere. So though it would be illegal to capture one even if you could find one (trapping laws), you can apparently get up to $3 million in rewards. So, next time you're in Tazmania, be sure to bring your thylacine trap if you're strapped for cash. But be careful, since it's illegal, you might have to go to jail. You win some, you lose some.

They are also on the Tazmanian coat of arms.

Here's a video of the last known thylacine:

Hoatzin.

2009-05-12T07:05:00.001-07:00

The Hoatzin of Northern S. America is a fun one for scientists.
People aren't really sure what these are related to, but they seem archaic in morphology which, if true, is a good glimpse of the evolution of some other living birds.

As both large and distinguished birds, its a surprise they are not threatened (good!) nor does it seem likely that they will be. Though many in the area eat larger birds or use feathers for various purposes, the Hoatzin is not ideal for it. Why? They smell terrible and apparently their eggs are revolting. So people only eat it when ABSOLUTELY necessary. Also, they live in mangrove and riparian forest systems -- significantly less threatened than other types of forests in Brazil.

Something interesting about them is they are born with a claw at the end of their wings. They are known to be clumsy, and these claws come in handy when young. Growing up in mangroves is not a safe environment -- all sorts of things wanting to eat chicks might show up, so to counteract bad balance, they can use their claws to climb onto branches or hang on for dear life.

Red Panda.

2009-05-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

OMG ADORABLE.
So red pandas (or if you prefer: poonya, firefox, wah, lesser panda, Himalayan raccoon, etc.) are not actually related to giant pandas. Well, I guess they're both mammals. But they were actually named first -- in their native, their name meas 'bear cat' because of its simalarities to bears and cats. "Panda" itself actually comes from "poonya" meaning bamboo eater. Which is why giant pandas are also called pandas. They eat bamboo.

These guys, as you might guess are related to raccoons, foxes, that sort of thing.

These pictures were taken here in DC so if you want to see them, they're right by the main entrance. I encourage you to go see them. Otherwise, you find them in China.

Their best feature: Their paws are pointing inwards (think: pigeon-footed). It's pretty cute.

Oh and just to put it over the top, watch this (I watched this without sound so I apologize if there's annoying sound or whatever -- I didn't screen for that):

Glass Sponge.

2009-05-06T06:54:00.000-07:00

Though seemingly ordinary, we have found great use of these animals (yes, sponges are animals). Glass sponges are a family of sponges with incredible structure. As you can see, they look no different than complex crystals. But they're ALIVE. The last two pictures are to show you more details of the structure, but the really cool thing about these things are that they teach us about fiber optics. They are fantastic at sending fast electrical impulses from one end to the other (spreading information) and there are plenty of scientists trying to learn how exactly they do this so we can incorporate it into our own technology arsenal of information sharing.

Oh, and they can live up to 15,000 years (the longest of any living creature).

Mola mola.

2009-05-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

Or more commonly known as the Ocean Sunfish. Pictures can barely capture the size of these fish giants. Average adults weigh in at 2,200 lbs. They are the largest bony fish in the world (some have cartilage).

The top picture is one from 1910 and weighs in at 3,500 lbs.
They have few known predators; sharks, orcas and sea lions. And people (let's just assume that's a predator for any animal I post, unless otherwise noted?). Their diet is pretty much strictly jellyfish, for some reason. And they live in the tropics. Since today is a busy day at work, that's all the info I'm putting up for today.

Secretary Bird.

2009-05-04T06:08:00.001-07:00

The Secretary Bird of Eastern and Southern Africa is often seen wandering through grasslands. This is a picture from my first encounter with one and it was described to me by someone else of having the name "secretary bird" for its "black business pants and secretary hair-do." Another hypothesis of the origins of the name: The name derived from the Arabic saqr-et-tair meaning "Hunter Bird." I'm gonna go with the former explanation.

Another cool thing -- for a long time people thought they were related to eagles because of its head shape, but the crane-like legs through people off. It's related to kites and vultures.

Other cool facts: They stand about 4 feet tall and roost in acacia trees overnight.

They are also on the Coat of Arms for Sudan and S. Africa.

Luna Moth.

2009-05-01T07:02:00.000-07:00

Though not terribly common, these moths can be found all along Eastern United States. at 5 " wide, they might be easy to spot when around, but they live for about a week before they die. If you aren't already aware, the winged form is just the mating stage for these animals. To the point that moths don't actually have mouths. No need for eating when you just mate and die!

Wombat.

2009-04-30T06:54:00.000-07:00

These guys fall into the grand category of Australian (and Tasmanian) marsupials. Though often referred to, surprisingly not a lot of people know what they look like. So here the are.

Also, to give you a sense of size, they're typically about a meter long and usually between 40 and 80 pounds in weight.

Their defense is ridiculous -- when chased by dingos or Tasmanian devils, they dive into a tunnel. With just its butt sticking near the surface, predators have a hard time gripping them since their hide is tough and they don't have a significant tail to grab onto. If determined, it'll let the predator move its head over its back in the tunnel, and use its strong feet to push up and crush the skull of the predator between its back and the roof of the tunnel.

Also, their poop is very fibrous and is used to make eco-friendly paper these days. And finally, a group of them is called a "Wisdom."

Jesus Christ Lizard.

2009-04-29T06:56:00.001-07:00

Once you watch the video, you'll get the name.

You find them between Panama and Venezuela in thick forests.

Their ability to run on water is a unique defense technique. They have webbed feet (think frogs) allowing them to run on water if their momentum is high enough.

Leafy Sea Dragon.

2009-04-28T07:08:00.001-07:00

The leafy sea dragon, as you can guess, is related to sea horses. They live off the coast of western Australia. And unlike my last post, these are abundant. So no worries here. They are leafy in look for camouflage not only in shape, but also in movement. The appendages floating around floats in the same way seaweed does, so often times you can't tell them apart. On top of that, depending on their diet and level of stress, they can change colors, too. Camo: CHECK.

Javan Rhinoceros.

2009-04-27T06:56:00.001-07:00

This Rhino does not have great pictures that go along with it. Why? There are an estimated 50 left in the wild. Making it easily one of the rarest known animals. The related species is the Indian Rhino which is doing slightly better. There is known population in Mongolia and their threat, of course, is people. It's horn is often used for chinese medicine and its habitat, is of course, in decline.

Most of their behaviors are similar to their African counter-parts. The main difference is having 1 horn instead of two. It's less aggressive, and I guess lost the horn since it is costly to produce if it doesn't use it much.

Blue Poison Dart Frog.

2009-04-24T05:47:00.001-07:00

Outsides of birds and fish, this is one of the few animals in the world that has blue coloration. As the name suggests, it is toxic -- although couldn't really do much damage to people.

They're found in Brazil & Suriname and have relatively unique mating patterns; the male sits on a rock, and calls when raining. The females find the male, and fight over the male. The 'winner' is taken to a secluded, quiet area for mating and laying eggs. Most of the time, the male watches over the eggs -- though there is a rotation. Unfortunately, they're a bit rare these days. Fortunately, they're on the upswing and zoos are successfully finding ways to reintroduce them into the wild.

Long-Tailed Widowbird.

2009-04-23T07:14:00.001-07:00

The long-tailed widowbird is from Eastern and Southern Africa. They look strikingly similar to our "Red-winged" blackbird in the states, but aren't really related. Just convergent evolution. The big obvious difference: the long tail. Only the males have them -- supposedly its only functionality is to attract a mate. It makes it an easier target to prey, but also makes it that much more impressive if it can pull off escaping. Putting itself in harms way only to escape? Go big or go home*, they might say. And the females agree.

*die.

The top picture is of a female, followed by a non-breeding male, followed by two pictures of breeding males.

Striped Pipefish.

2009-04-22T07:17:00.001-07:00

I've always liked pipefish. They're very closely related to sea horses. It may not resemble them at first, but it's essentially a flattened out version of it. You have to look at its snout and its fins to really see the similarities. Behaviorally, they share the same unique characteristics, too; the males carry the eggs, and their babies, when hatched, look like a miniature version of the adult. Not all are this colorful, and as you can imagine the more colorful ones are ones nearer coral reefs in the tropics.

Also, if you're in the Chesapeake Bay area, it's very easy to find them. Depending on where along the coast you are, just take out a seine net and you're likely to catch at least a few (note: they're solid brown / grey in the Chesapeake).

Tarsier.

2009-04-21T06:50:00.001-07:00

These primates from the Philippines may look a bit alien-like, but I promise you they are real.

Each eye is the size of their brain, making them have perhaps some of the largest eyes proportional to their head of any animal. Being nocturnal, their eyes have an advantage of taking in more light at once. The top picture has a human hand in it to give you a sense of their size. Not very big at all.

What they eat? Crickets and other insects, largely (see below). However on a good catch, they'll jump from tree to tree and will occasionally catch small birds in flight. Impressive for such a small guy.

Here's a video of one eating:

Tripod Fish.

2009-04-20T07:45:00.001-07:00

The tripod fish is a deep-sea resident that sits on its tripod fins at almost all hours of the day (Although I guess when you're that deep, there is no "day"). They wait until small animals swim into their fins and go in for an attack. On occassion, they are known to walk along the sea floor with their tripod 'legs.'

That's about all that's known about them. Here's a video -- though it doesn't really show a lot that the picture doesn't.

Harp Seal.

2009-04-17T06:46:00.001-07:00

People really don't like the fact that I haven't posted enough cute animals. I'm sorry this isn't the "Cute animal of the day" blog. But I suppose throwing in one occasionally wouldn't hurt. These precious creatures live, of course, in the Arctic. The pups are white to blend into the snow, but soon loose their coat after several weeks for mobility in the water, and look like the middle picture. When old, it's no hair.

Another fact: When the mothers leave after weaning, the pups look as though they are crying. They actually just have to keep their eyes wet, and with the mother not around to lick their eyes, they learn to do it themselves.

Greater Prarie Chicken.

2009-04-16T07:43:00.001-07:00

These are ridiculous. Really. You find them in, well, praries. They have a very elaborate mating ritual. The males defend territory in Leks ( or "booming grounds"... see above) and display by "booming" (making loud, low-pitched sounds from air gathered into the orange air-sacs). Presumably, the more brightly colored and louder the boom, the better. Also, they stamp their feet and fly into each other for attention and more signs of the quality of male the female is mating with. There is also bowing that goes on.

Here's a video to drive the point home:

And to explain the lek idea more, as you can see the picture of a lek for a sage grouse above (though a different species, same concept), the placement serves as indicators of their status.

Short-beaked Echidna.

2009-04-15T06:57:00.000-07:00

Echidnas hail from Australia and New Guinea. These, alongside the Platypus, are the only monotreme (egg-laying) mammals left in the world that we know of. For some reason, they were named for the Greek Mythology monster "Echidna" which, from what I remember, is a half nymph / half serpent beast. So it still doesn't explain how this one got its name. Maybe the spines remind people of snakes? Beats me.

Pop culture reference: For those who played "Sonic the Hedgehog" as a kid and followed it, apparently they introduced a red character, "Knuckles" who is an echidna. Of course, just how sonic doesn't look like a hedgehog, knuckles does not look like an echidna.

Happy Face Spider.

2009-04-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I shouldn't put spiders up because half of you will get creeped out. But you can deal with it.

These might be a LITTLE familiar as they are on the side of a u-haul truck. They live in Hawaii and are obviously distinctive because of their 'smiley face' pattern on their abdomens.

Also, between the islands, individuals have specific themes of patterns depending on its island of origin. Each individual, however, has a specific pattern distinctive from all others.

Nembrotha kubaryana.

2009-04-13T07:07:00.000-07:00

These are part of the nudibranch family -- also known as "sea slugs." There are all sorts of cool designs and colors for different species, but I'll save those for another day. Most nudibranchs actually don't have a common name. There are few exceptions, but there are so many and are genearlly only referred to by scientists that they never really developed any other name. These live in the tropical Indo-Wcst Pacific. In the dark, their colors glow -- looking a lot like glowsticks in a black light. Their colors warn predators that they are poisonous -- a good defense considering this slug doesn't use shells for protection. Nudibranchs are known to have exceptional sense perceptions and their rhinophores (on the top of their head) are great for detecting odors. Their name "nudibranch" comes from latin loosely meaning "naked gills."

Coconut Crab.

2009-04-10T07:17:00.001-07:00

FREAKY FRIDAY!

These things are a bit ridiculous. As you can see from the bottom picture, they are huge. In fact, they are the largest land-living arthropod in the world. There are a lot of fun facts about them:

1. They eat coconuts, largely, hence their name.

2. They are sometimes called robber crabs because they are known to steal shiny objects from people's homes. Like pots and pans.

3. They can't breathe underwater, which is odd considering they are found on several islands spread over the Pacific (Bora Bora, Cook Islands, etc.)

4. They breath through a form of a lung -- a sign of something between a gill and a true lung.

5. In Tokyo, they are sold as pets.

Finally, their pinch supposedly terribly painful (not surprising) but since they scare easy, they don't release out of fear. So don't plan on getting pinched by one of these soon.

Olm.

2009-04-09T08:10:00.001-07:00

The Olm is a totally aquatic amphibian (eats, sleeps, breeds, etc). It is endemic to the Dinaric Karst caves in S. Europe -- though restricted, it is a large cave system. It is known for two striking features: 1. Its external gills. Many salamanders have external gills in larval sm into adulthood. 2. Its eyes are essentially nonfunctional. Though they supposedly help vision a little bit, they have evolved to stay under-developed. It would be costtages, but this one retains thely to develop full vision in a cave that is pitch black.

So to you Intelligent-Designers who argue that the eye is too perfect to have just come about, explain this one. under-developed eyes? Not so perfect design, I would say.

Prehensile-Tailed Porcupine.

2009-04-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

These porcupines are from S. America. As you can guess from the name, their tail is prehensile (meaning they can use it as a limb -- like monkeys hanging upside down on their tails). Though there are several species of porcupine, few lives solely in trees and even fewer with the ability to hang upside down. This is one of them.

Crinoids.

2009-04-07T06:26:00.000-07:00

Again, I am posting a family of animals, not an individual species. But collectively, these are equally fascinating. Sea Lillies, as they are often called, are not in fact lillies, but a type of sea star. Sure, they might look a little boring to some, but I assure you they are not. They come in all colors and sizes, and house shrimp and lobsters (seen above) that blend in almost perfectly depending on which color crinoid it lives in.

Other fun facts are they are like lizards in their defense: They can drop stalks to have predators attack a detached stalk rather than the living being (lizards can drop their tails so birds attack that instead of the lizard). In other news, they date back to about 350,000,000 years ago, and the largest fossil ever found had a stem of about 40 meters long (130 ft.)!

The best part about them: Their scurry. Generally, they stay in place and just creep along the bottom to avoid predators or attention. Occassionally, though, when particularly threatened, they will "sprint" to safety. They look like graceful spiders in a hurry:

Gharial.

2009-04-06T07:02:00.001-07:00

Gharials of Southeast Asia (Mainly northern India) are, as you might guess, close cousins with the other crocodilian species. Unlike its counterparts, you might notice something a little different - its crazy snout!

The snout is narrow entirely based off its diet of fish that hide in crevasses. Think: Darwin's finches and adjusting beak shapes based on the types of seeds it needed to access. Though narrow in shape, it fits a lot down it. These guys are generally between 15 and 20 feet long and typically weigh about 680 pounds, making them among the biggest compared to other crocodiles.

Osprey.

2009-04-03T06:52:00.001-07:00

Though fairly common, and many people know about these sea hawks, I'm in Williamsburg for today (well, for the weekend). So I thought I'd share some of my pictures from these birds around Williamsburg, since I spent so much time with them! The only fun fact I have about them is that when they catch fish, they line up the fish so it's facing front to back when flying to make them aerodynamic, as they can be quite heavy.

Enjoy...

Irrawaddy Dolphins.

2009-04-02T05:43:00.001-07:00

Some may have figured this out, but yesterday's penguin post is a joke. It was April Fool's. I got several emails saying "OMG FLYING PENGUINS REALLY?? NO WAY!" And you would've been right. No way.

I don't want to actually mislead you. So to you, fools, Happy April.

I was planning on posting a marine mammal of some sort today anyway, and happened to read an article about these this morning. Every now and again, we get good news about animals in the conservation world - instead of finding things are going endangered and more likely extinct. This is one of them. Until Tuesday, it was thought that there were no more than in the range of the low hundreds. But the Wildlife Conservation Society just found about 6,000 of them in the Bay of Bengal! WOO!

So still low in numbers, this is obviously very exciting that we underestimated things. It happened with Gorillas last fall, too. Shows you how little we know about our world, which is exciting.

In other news, about these guys. As far as it is known, they are just in the Bay of Bengal / Myanmar area. They are closely related to Orcas (Killer Whales). Another fun fact: They are known to apparently help fishermen in the area out -- since it's largely smalltime local fishermen, that might be good news. Since they travel in pods, they round up schools of fish and make it easier for fishermen to fish while the bait given by fishermen also attracts the dolphins to come eat there because of the higher density of fish to begin with. It's a win-win-lose, for the dolphins and the fishermen: win. At least for the time being. The fish: they lose.

My favorite part about this picture was the fact that it came with a caption that said:

"Not considered and acrobatic animal." At least it tries.

The only thing better than finding more of these is the fact that they are awkward. Nice.

This is the best photo I could find. Considering there aren't a lot of sightings of them, you'll have to deal with it.

Photo by Alice Rocco

Hushu's Chinstrap Flying Penguins.

2009-04-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

For some reason, these guys get no coverage....
But I thought pictures won't do this one justice, so for today: a video.

Verraux 's Sifaka Lemur.

2009-03-31T07:13:00.000-07:00

Oh Sifakas. They're one of my favorite primates -- mainly because of how playful they are. Most of their time is eating and jumping around. They don't walk or run, only jump. XTREME!!

Well, sort of. Whenever they feel threatened, one just starts screaming, and then the rest of them join. It's really annoying and it can last for like 20 minutes. Probably good if there is a predator. But as someone who was just walking by them, it was a pain waiting for them to stop shrilling. I suppose they didn't know I wouldn't harm them. But still, not quite as extreme.

Like all Lemurs, they're all in Madagascar.

Red-necked Phalarope.

2009-03-30T07:24:00.001-07:00

What's so interesting about phalaropes? A lot.

These wading shorebirds are one of only a few species in the world that has females competing for males.

As you might know, most birds have sexual dimorphism... meaning the male and female counterparts are physically different based on color, size, shape, etc. Typically, the male is more colorful, larger, or has seemingly unnecessary ornaments (think: Peacock feathers to impress a peahen). This is for competition -- if you're more brightly colored than other males, it might mean you have more testosterone, good immune system or simply just indicate that the bird eats well and is well-protected -- implying a sense of security if the female chooses to mate.

So with phalaropes, that's the opposite. The top picture is the female, and the male is below. In this species, the females show coloration during breeding season and have to compete for males to mate with - hardly ever seen in nature. The winning females get prime nesting real-estate and usually defend the male who incubates the eggs initially before venturing off on its annual migration from the arctic to the tropical shores.

In bizarro world...

Rock Hyrax.

2009-03-27T06:30:00.001-07:00

The Rock Hyrax. A Dassie. A pudge. Whatever you want to call them, they're technically in the Hyrax family.

The hyrax family is all over Africa, except for some reason not in the Dem. Rep. of Congo.

These guys are actually, believe it or not, the closest living relatives to the Asian and African Elephants (of course, not including the relationship between African and Asian Elephants).

Another relatively close relationship: Hyrax and Manatee.

Who knew!

Mandarin Fish.

2009-03-26T07:29:00.001-07:00

Easily my favorite fish. These live out in the Pacific and are named after the fact that their colors are vivid like the robes of Imperial Chinese mandarin. As you can see in the top picture, the female (left) has slightly different coloration than the male (right). But both are ridiculously cool.

If you ever find yourself in Chicago, they have these at the Shedd Aquarium. Probably a lot of other places, too, but that's the last time I remember seeing one.

Glass Frogs.

2009-03-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

Though glass frogs are a genus and not just one species, they're all very cool so I'm going to clump them together. They are all translucent to varying degrees -- some almost to the point of seeing entirely through them. The top one - whose species name is: Centrolene callistommum comes from the greek work "kallistos" loosely meaning "the most beautiful" and "omma" meaning "eye."

You can find them in Peru, Ecuador, and occasionally some of their neighboring countries in NW S. America and S. Central America.

Spicebush Swallowtail.

2009-03-24T07:19:00.001-07:00

What's cool about these are the larval stage. The caterpillar takes on markings that remind predators of a snake, thus scaring them off (Though they look like eyes, it's just coloration). There are all sorts of caterpillars that mimic snakes, including ones in the amazon that drop its tail from trees and look like a viper staring you down. Crazy, no?

The butterfly is actually Mississippi's state butterfly. If you're observant enough, you can find these guys all over the American South.

Wonderpus.

2009-03-23T07:11:00.000-07:00

Not only is the name "Wonderpus" awesome, the scientific genus for this thing "Wunderpus."

I don't really know any cool facts about them, but the name reminds me of a Houdini-era mythical creature, and its curly tentacles and coloration certainly deserve that comparison. In my mind, at least.

It is often confused with a mimic octopus because of its similar appearance (long, narrow, red and white streaks) however they are not closely related. Oddly, they do perform similar tricks - the wonderpus can also occasionally mimic other sea creatures such as flounder and is also able to occasionally camouflage itself.

Panther Chameleon.

2009-03-19T20:11:00.001-07:00

The Panther Chameleon of Madagascar is unique indeed. Though it is commonly believed that chameleons just transform into whatever colors surround them, this is not always the case.

Panther chameleons have pigments in each scale that expand or contract depending on its mood or level of aggression (green when calm, typically yellow or red when defending territory against another male).

Take a look at the close-up picture of its eye and tail and you can see the pigments in each scale.

Fennec Foxes.

2009-03-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

Fennec Foxes are the smallest in the world, weighing in at 3.3 lbs.

You can find them in the Sahara Desert, but only at night (they're nocturnal). Since vision is not great at night, they rely on sound to find their prey, hence their large ears.

Lilac-Breasted Roller.

2009-03-19T07:48:00.001-07:00

The Lilac-Breasted Roller is native to Eastern Africa, and is Kenya's National Bird.

They get their name from the rolls they perform in the air when courting or marking territory. And from their coloring.

They're pretty fun to watch.

Flamingo Tongue Snail.

2009-03-19T07:32:00.000-07:00

These snails are known for their distinctive patterns. The shell, however, is simply plain white. The colors that you see are actually a fleshy mantle it wraps around its shell, and the white shell is exposed only when either a predator is near or the snail has died.

You know when they are near because they leave a trail of dead coral behind them (they instantly kill coral).

They live in the Western Atlantic, largely in the Caribbean.