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Facts Archive 2
Archives in alphabetical order by subject. Subjects include: birds, early naturalists, domestics, fish, fossils, frogs, habitats, hybrids, insects/inverts, mammals, orchids, other plants, reptiles, and salamanders.
BIRDS:
July 16, 2008: Leave baby birds and animals be! Many of them, such as this fledgling MOURNING DOVE, normally leave their nests before they are able to care for themselves completely. Birds like the mourning dove leave before they are completely able to fly and the parents continue to care for them for awhile. If you approach the baby, parents will leave and it will appear that the bird is orphaned. However, parents will return when you leave. They are much better equipped to care for their young than even the most qualified animal rehabilitator. The mourning dove fledglings are more likely to be found than many other species, since they may nest during every month of the year in the southern U.S. part of their range.
Nesting info from "The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds" by John Terres.
EARLY NATURALISTS:
DOMESTICS:
FISH:
October 2, 2011: The toothpick fish, Indostomus species, is a 0.5 to 1 inch slow moving SE Asian fish that resembles a cross between a pipefish and a stickleback and is related to the latter. It feeds on small crustaceans and other zooplankton and lays up to 60 teardrop shaped green eggs which are attached to the inside of a cave by their pointy ends.
June 21, 2011: The mudskippers are a group of fishes which spend most of their time on land in mangrove swamps. Much of their respiration takes place through their skins, although gill chambers and mouths are also used. The gills are used mostly to excrete ammonia. Some species are active predators on terrestrial insects, while others graze sand or mud for algae and small invertebrates. Mudskippers may see better above water than below and can hear airborne sounds. There are thought to be at least 40 species. They breed in burrows.
Info from "Brackish-Water Fishes" by Neale Monks, Editor and "Mudskippers: An Introduction for Aquarists" by Gianluca Polgar at www.wetwebmedia.com.
FOSSILS:
April 6, 2009: TRILOBITES first appeared about 500 million years ago, according to the fossil record. They developed one of the first sophisticated visual systems in the animal kingdom. The majority of trilobites had a pair of compound eyes and crystalline calcite lenses, although some had no eyes at all. Not only did dead trilobites besome fossilized, but so did their shed skins.
Info from "The Fossil World" by Richard Moody and "Trilobite!:Eyewitness to Evolution" by Richard Fortey.
FROGS:
HABITATS:
July 9, 2010: Gordon Hempton, an acoustical ecologist, established a spot called "one square inch of silence" in the Hoh Rainforest of Olympic National Park a little over 5 years ago. He hopes to eventually preserve this spot, currently one of the quietest in the whole U.S., from manmade noise (in most parts of the U.S.-even national parks- a quiet period of even 15 minutes is rare). Info from the website onesquareinch.org and the book "One Square Inch of Silence" by Gordon Hempton.
Sept. 10, 2008: The Olympic Peninsula's rainforest is so cool and wet that the only reptiles found on the coastal side of the Peninsula are the common and northwest gartersnakes.
Info from "Reptiles of the Northwest" by Alan St. John.
August 26, 2008: Several places in the world have temperate rainforests, characterized by as much rain as the tropical rainforests, but a more temperate climate. The rainforests in Washington State, such as this one near Quinault, can have up to 130 inches of rainfall per year and be more productive than tropical rainforests.
Information from "Olympic: A Visitor's Companion" by George Wuerthner.
August 3, 2008: Tropical rainforests are characterized by at least 80 inches of annual rainfall, location near the equator, and warm temperatures year around. They cover 1/12 of the earth's surface, comprise 50% of its forests, and are estimated to hold greater than one half of the world's animal and plant species.
From: "The Life and Mysteries of the Jungle" Ed. by Edward S. Ayensu
HYBRIDS:
INSECTS/INVERTS:
Jan. 20, 2009: Silkworms manufacture 3000 feet of silken thread to make just one cocoon. The silk from ten of these cocoons would reach to the top of Mount Everest. 2000 cocoons are required for one kimono. Silkworms have been domesticated for thousands of years and fail to survive on their own.
From "The Book of Animal Ignorance" by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson.
MAMMALS:
Dec. 11, 2008: The nine-banded armadillo made its way across the U.S. Border several years ago. There are estimated to now be up to 50 million of the creatures in the southern U.S. It is one of the few animals that can get leprosy, always has quadruplets, and was known as the "turtle rabbit" to the Aztecs. Texans call them "Texas speedbumps" for obvious reasons. I recall a fellow student in college who was attempting to research whether or not armadillos could communicate with each other psychically when they were in different rooms.
Info from "The Book of Animal Ignorance" by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson.
ORCHIDS:
OTHER PLANTS:
May 12, 2009: Due to heavy pressure on elephant populations for their tusks, an attempt has been made to find a source of carvable imitation ivory. One candidate is the tagua nut produced by a palm tree. While the nuts are relatively small (maybe the size of a black walnut), they can be combined to make carvings somewhat larger
REPTILES:
December 15, 2011: The average person when thinking of a "boa" or "python" will think of a very large constrictor, or possibly even the boa constrictor, a medium sized snake growing to between 7 and 11 feet, with a record possibly near 18 feet long. However, there are numerous boas and pythons that are small and inoffensive, growing to 3 feet ot less. The rosy and rubber boas of our own western states are included here, as well as the Calabar ground python of Africa which defends itself by rolling into a ball so tight that it can be rolled on the ground. The sand boas are tiny chunky snakes of Africa and Europe, some barely reaching 2 feet long. The Solomon Island boas are in the 3-5 foot range and the Australian Children's python is a about 3 feet. The 3-5 foot African Ball python is featured in the book "Best Reptile Pets" by Jerry Walls as a good snake pet, second only to the corn snake. Certainly we need to learn a bit about a snake species before making a blanket decision on its habits or any alleged dangers associated with its presence.
November 18, 2010: Over the years, classification of North American ratsnakes has changed, as researchers have unearthed valid previous names and acquired range information on various subspecies. At one time, the Everglades ratsnake (Elaphe obsoleta rossalleni) found from Lake Okeechobee to near Miami Florida was chacterized by dark longitudinal lines against a reddish orange body, and a red tongue, orange eyes, and orange throat. Gradually habitat change has allowed other color varieties of E. obsoleta to interbreed with rossalleni, introducing the black tongue, yellow body, and white throat of the yellow rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta quadrivittata). Even the yellow ratsnake itself is now known as Scotophis alleghaniensis, just a color phase of the eastern ratsnake, according to a recent publication of the Center for North American Herpetology.
Info from "In Search of Reptiles and Amphibians" by R.D. Bartlett and "Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles, and Crocodilians(Sixth Edition)"by the CNAH.
August 19, 2010: The African and Malagasy dwarf leaf chameleons of the genera Rampholeon and Brookesia are tiny, often leaf litter dwelling members of the true chameleon group with very little ability to change color. Ironically, the false chameleons of the New World, genus Anolis, are much better color changers. More Rampholeon info at www.chameleonnews.com.
January 6, 2010: It has been suggested that there are as many as 21 different species and subspecies of giant tortoise that have historically inhabited the Galapagos and the islands of the Indian Ocean. Unlike much nartural history folklore, rumors of long lifespans (up to 200 years or more) seem to be true in the case of these ancient looking creatures. The remaining forms have survived capture for food, habitat change, and the introduction of domestic animals. The Aldabra tortoise lives on an island that is only a few meters above sea level, making predicted rising sea levels a newer threat.
Info from "The Sheltered Life" by Paul Chambers.
June 26, 2009: The Lake Erie Water Snake has one of the smallest ranges of any vertebrate world wide. It is endemic to the Lake Erie islands. While common on some of these small islands like Middle Bass and South Bass, the very limited range has resulted in a Federal designation of threatened and a state designation of endangered. Researchers from Northern Illinois University have been studying the snakes to help their population recover and suggest future management options.
(Info from "Lake Erie Watersnakes: Unique Residents of The Lake Erie Islands," prepared by R. King and K. Stanford).
Nov. 2, 2008: BOAS and PYTHONS are both considered primitive snakes, with equally developed right and left lungs and remnants of a pelvic girdle. In general boas are New World and pythons Old World, although boas are also found in Indonesia, Asia, and Africa. Calabaria reinhardti, one of the snakes using its tail as a head decoy (the tail even has a groove where the mouth would be), has in recent years been reclassified from a python to a boa, although it is Old World and an egg layer, not usual boa characteristics.
Info from "Snakes" by Chris Mattison, "Encyclopedia of Snakes" (same author), "Boas Rosy and Ground" by Jerry Walls, and "Rosy, Rubber, and Sand Boas" by R.S. Bartlett.
Sept. 30, 2008: The American alligator holds the record for oldest crocodilian (a female at the Adelaide, Australia Zoo who died in 1978 at the age of 66 years).
Info from, "Reptiles" DK Pocket books, 2003.
June 24, 2008: The rubber boa is fascinating for a number of reasons. It is one of two boas native to the U.S., being found in Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, Montana, and Wyoming. One of the smallest boas (usually 20-26 inches long), the rubber is also one of the most northerly occurring boas. I have never found an observation of a rubber boa biting anyone, they seem to have very slow metabolisms, and the tail tip mimics a head in appearance and behavior.
Info from "Boas, Rosy and Ground" by Jerry G. Walls.
SALAMANDERS:
February 18, 2009: Although probably not very conducive to human lovemaking, water temperatures in the 40's and 50's Fahrenheit are just the thing for many "mole" salamanders of the genus Ambystoma. These animals spend most of their lives underground, emerging in the late winter and very early spring to lay their eggs in ponds (some species use streams or damp areas), often when the water is still partly ice covered.
Find more info in "Salamanders of Ohio" by Pfingsten and Downs.
July 5, 2008: The hellbender is the heaviest salamander in the U.S., reaching a length of close to 30 inches. It is exceeded in length only by the greater Siren and the Amphiuma, both long narrow snakelike salamanders with tiny or missing limbs. Hellbenders inhabit fast flowing streams in the eastern and midwest U.S. and are related to the Japanese and Chinese Giant Salamanders. They are currently under study due to a reduction in range. They feed upon crayfish and other aquatic creatures and males defned the eggs. The aquatic, nocturnal hellbender is sometimes caught by surprised fishermen.
Info from "Salamanders of the United States and Canada," by James W. Petranka.
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