Shadow Void

Big Cats Aren't Pets

Hey Guys, as the video suggests these cats don't make good pets. I have mentioned this before on my blog but it goes without saying. A pet like this is a ticking timebomb. Even my own pets could turn on me. They can bite without even a second warning. It's not abnormal for them to toss hairs at me. It's only a defensive behavior, but it's also a warning. Please think twice before buying any exotic pets. Know what you're getting in to. Don't buy on impulse! I am not knocking exotic pet ownership. I just think that we need to rethink pet ownership. We need to be smarter. Here is a classic example. Last night, I was feeding my animals. I made the mistake of leaving the tank open. Last time, I did this the tarantula was found inside his or her tank. This time, I found her in some cardboard paper rolls that come from the paper that we lay down when we change clothes in case of accidents. My beautiful bird-eater had crawled inside of one of those rolls. Had I not thought to check those rolls, I might have missed her. I could have had a problem on my hands. Now we need to learn from this! We need to check and then recheck our cages and tanks. We can't plan for all situations but we need to be smart.

Introducing The Woolly Mammoth

Wooly Mammoth - Mammatuthus

I wanted to do something a little bit different. So you get two helpings of nature weekend!

The mammoth was common across Europe, Siberia, and North America. It lived some 2 million years to 6,000 thousand years ago. It feed on grasses, mosses, small shrubs, leaves, and even flowers. Scientist believe that it behaved very much like modern elephants. We know that the hair was very thick about 3.3 feet thick. The tusks were 14 ft long. It's thought that they were used to push snow away so they could feed. In Siberia they were given the name Earth Mole because, the people believed that they lived underground. These relatives to our modren day elephants stood 5'6" to 11 feet at the shoulder and weighed perhaps as much as 6.6 tons. It's possible that they lived till they were at least 60 years of age. The very first fossils were discovered around 500 years ago, but it wasn't until 1796 that they were classified as an elephant. It's widely known that humans hunted this animal. We might have helped this animal on its road to extinction, however as the Ice age came to close and the ice sheets pulled back that this animal and many others began to die off as the climate warmed up.

I thought I would do a few prehistoric critters for you to enjoy.

Ostrich

Ostrrich - Struthio camelus

Ostriches are the tallest bird in the world. They can be 7 foot- 9' 1/4 inches tall and weigh in at 220 to 350 lbs. Sometimes they reach weights of 400 lbs. They live in deserts, semi-deserts, and grasslands. They feed on leaves, stems, flowers, seeds, grasses, and some animals; insects, small lizards, snakes, and even tortoises. The male will mate with 5 females. Males have harems of 2 to 5 harems. Male and females guard the nests. Females can lay up to 12 eggs. The major hen will lay 5 to 11 eggs. Females can recognize their own eggs which is quite a feat considering that there maybe 40 eggs inside one nest. The dominant female may actually kick eggs out of the nest. The sexes help to incubate the eggs. They may kidnap chicks and they will even take in other chicks. The nest is 9 ft. 10 inches across. The eggs will hatch 40 days after being laid. Ostrich only breed during the dry season. Females can breed at 2 years of age. Males can breed 3 to 4 years of age. Ostrich eggs are the largest egg of any bird on the planet. They are 6 to 8 inches long and weigh in at 2.2 - 4 lbs. Dad is in charge once the eggs hatch. The family stays together for one year. An ostrich can run faster than a racehorse. In fact, they can run 40 to 45 miles an hour . One book suggests that the top speed for an ostrich is 37 mph which they can hold for as long as a 30 minutes. In case you're wondering they are the fastest bi-ped alive today. Each stride these birds make covers 11.5 feet. As they run, the ostriches spread out their wings to help them keep balance. I wonder if that balance problem is because they only have 2 toes. Just one of those weird thoughts that I have from time to time. Pretty good huh? There are four subspecies of ostrich known to exist. The Arabian subspecies is now extinct. Ostriches can live for up to 40 years. In the wild you'll often find ostrich mixed up with the big herds. They help the herd animals keep an eye out for predators. Their major predators are lions, leopards, and cheetahs. Don't know how to tell the males from the females. It's easy. Males have black feathers and the females have gray feathers. Get this, Ostriches are the only member of its scientific order and family.

So who now, let's do something a little different. Who are the biggest of the big among the different groups of animals:

Without a doubt the largest mammal on the earth today is the blue whale at 108 feet and 190 tons.

The largest bird in the world is the Ostrich which can top off at around 9 feet and weigh in at 345 pounds.

The largest reptile in the world is the Saltwater crocodile usually reaches 16.5 feet long but the record is 23 ft long and around 3,000 lbs.

The largest amphibian in the world is the Chinese Giant Salamander weighs in at a surprising 140 lbs and can grow to be 6 ft in length.

The largest bony fish in the world is the Oceanic Sunfish. It can grow to a length of 12 ft, a height of 15 ft, and can weigh close to 5,000 lbs.

The largest fish period is the whale shark. It can grow to 45 feet and weigh up to 44,000 lbs.

I'm not going to list the every group of inverts but I'll hit the high lights.

The largest earthworms are the African Giant Earthworms which can reach 22 ft long and weigh up to 3 lbs.

The largest mollusk and the largest of all the known invertebrates is the Colossal Squid which can grow to 39 to 46 feet and weigh 1,098 feet

The largest Arthropod is the Japanese Spider Crab. It can weigh up 44 lbs, has a body that is 2 feet long, and has a leg span of 13 feet.

Hope you enjoyed this!

Exotic Pets; Our responsibility

If you're a responsible pet owner than this isn't meant for you. Sadly, not all of us are responsible pet owners. My mission in today's nature weekend post is to talk about what an exotic pet is and what exactly is our responsibility as an owner. The definition on wikipedia for an exotic pets is as follow:

An exotic pet is a rare or unusual animal pet or an animal kept as a pet which is not commonly thought of as a pet.

So that sounds pretty good to me. As you can imagine, there are a whole mess of animals that could be thrown into discussion. Most of my animals qualify as being exotic. On the other hand my brother's dogs hardly qualify at all. To whom do we have a responsibility to as an exotic pet owner?

Good question? I think first and for most, we are responsible for the animal itself. Second, we are responsible for knowing the laws in our communities. We are responsible for the safety of the ecosystems in which we live. Our neighbors are also to be considered as far as responsibilities go. Of course our safety and the safety of others also need to be considered. Sounds like there is a heap of responsibilities. It's pretty serious if you ask me.

Okay so we are responsible for the animal, right? Right! This means, that you had better think before you buy it. First thing to consider is can I afford this animal. Often, this really isn't the case but it could come down to that. You need to research this animal out. Things I take into consideration are 1.Size of the animal, 2.Venom, 3.Food, 4.Housing, 5.Habitat needs. 6.Safety. Okay so let's talk about size of the animal. I have several animals that will get to be 8 to 9 inches across. Small potatoes when you consider how large some constricting snakes can be. It important to know how large an animal is going to get. It doesn't make much sense to get an animal if you can't provide adequate housing for it. If you don't have room why have the animal. In my case, I look the venom of the animal. I don't want an animal that can kill me with one sting or one bite. Sure, they might be a pretty animal or give me bragging rights. My safety comes first as well as the safety of anyone around me. Food, it's important to consider the food that you're animal will eat. You need to consider where you're going to buy the food for your animal and how much is that food going to cost. My spiders get crickets and I know that I can get crickets at the local PetsMart. I also need to make sure that I'm giving fresh water to my animals. Depending upon the age of your animal when you bought it, you need to really look at your ability to house it. For my baby tarantulas, what they are in is fine but eventually, I have to take into account their adult size. It wouldn't be bad to plan for that adult size when it comes to housing that animal later. I might need a ten or fifteen gallon tank which means, I am going to need the space for that tank. Along with housing, it's important to know a little bit about their needs. Not all of my animals require the same kind of habitat. The amount of humidity needed for a Pink-Toe Tarantula is different from those needed for a Desert Hairy scorpion. I'm also not going to house them on the same exact substrate or even use the same kind of decorations. Safety, this one is important. I cannot stress this one enough.

Safety must be important to every single exotic pet owner out there. You have to consider your safety, your family's safety, and the safety of anyone who visits your house, not to mention the safety of your neighbors. To many people do not take this serious, I have one rule that I always follow. Unless you are an adult, you do not hold my tarantulas. For that matter only a small handful of people have held my tarantulas. I like that way. By having that rule, I protect myself as well as those around me. My tanks are always shut. I only open them when I want them open. A final rule that I have is that when I do a show with my animals, no one but me and my assistant are allowed to open or touch my tanks. It's as much for the animal's safety as it is for my safety. Safety should always be on the mind at all times. You should know what your animal is capable of and then plan for that. Better yet, plan for the worst case scenario.

I left out something from my list. What happens when you no longer want that animal? Hopefully, when you buy you're animal your committed to it, and you won't choose to get rid of it. BUT in this day and age of job losses, it's important to know where to turn. Find out what your choices are and then make plans for the day when you might have to say goodbye. Just some food for thought.

Accidents are going to happen. They can happen to anyone but remember, it's the job of the owner to lessen those accidents.

Book review for Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Great Lakes Region

A Potential Poisonous Fish

I had a hard time selecting a fish for the last installment of my venom series. I had forgotten about the barracuda. It hit me a couple nights ago that eating barracuda does lead to a form of poisoning. We are now going to be jumping into the ocean. You are going to be facing the Barracuda on it's on turf.

Great barracuda ( Sphyraena barracuda )

This large predatory fish can be found from Massachusetts to Brazil. It can also be found in the Gulf of Mexico. The smaller sized fish can be found near the shore while larger speciemens can be found offshore. They have worldwide distrubtion as a species. There are a total of 8 species found worldwide. They feed on squid, fish, and shrimp. They can swim at speeds of 25 to 27 mphs. These fish are known to attack humans. In fact, these fish are even known kill humans. They've even been known sicken even more people. The large fish between the size of five to 8 feet are considered to be potentially dangerous. Unlike sharks, barracuda make one large bite that removes a large chunk of flesh. They hunt by sight so divers or swimmers should avoid murky water, wearing bright clothes, or wearing anything shiny. Barracuda will approach and follow humans. Though they aren't as dangerous as most people think. So I mentioned that they are poisonous.

Unlike other poisonous fish, the barracuda gets the poison from the animals that they eat. More precisely, it gets the poison from it's prey have eaten. In humans, the poisoning is called ciguatera poisoning. It's quite the nasty little poison too. The toxin is called ciguatoxin. It's commonly found in micro-organisms. In humans, the symptoms are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, muscle aches, parethesia, numbness, ataxia, and even hallucinations. It cannot be destroyed by heat, so cooking won't get rid of it. Oh...and on top of it, the poisoning leads to long term disability.

This biological technique is called bio-magnification. It's used in barracuda as well as many other animals. Bi -magnification is pretty hard to explain but I'm going to try. Basically, what happens is that little animal contains toxin. A small animal eats that micro-organism. Small animal gets eaten by larger animal until it ends up in the body of the last stage of food chain. There it builds up to the point where it becomes dangerous. Hence the reaon why only larger sized barracuda seem to cause the poisoning. Any way, I am going.

 

Poisonous Birds????

As promised, here is another one of my articles on venomous or poisonous animals. This animal that we are featuring today is called the Hooded Pitohui or Pitohui dichrous. In Papua New Guinea the natives call it the garbage bird. For good reasons, they can't use it. It's feathers, skin, and dander seem to contain batrachotoxin ( BTX ). It's another animal that makes use of neurtoxins. It's also not the only animal to use BTX. Arrow poison frogs also use BTX. However unlike many other poisonous or venomous animals, it is widely accepted that both the frog and Pitohui get the poison from the beetles that they eat. Luckily for us, the birds don't have the same concentration of the toxin in their feathers. It is thought the poison keeps them from being eaten. Anyway, that is it for today. Talk to you later!

A Shrew Surprise

It seems strange that a mammal would have a venomous bite, but shrews are not alone in this feature. The solendon also has a venomous bite, however the creature we are going to focus on are going to be shrews. Shrews are an insectivore. There are 280 known species of shrew. They are a group of mammals that includes moles, hedgehogs, and solendons. Shrews in general consume 70 to 130 percent of their body weight each day. Typically, shrews have poor vision and depend on hearing and touch to find food. They must eat every 2 to 3 hours. The first shrew, we are going to look at is the short-tailed shrew, Blarina breviacauda. It is 3 to 5 inches long without it's tail. It can be found across eastern United States and eastern Canada. It can be found under vegetation searching for food. They have 32 teeth. The venom of the Short-tailed shrew is a neurotoxin. It's bite serves to paralyze the prey. It bites when handled. It's venom is much of little concern to us. This shrew may feed on insects, earthworms, fruit, and dead animals. They have a lifespan of 12 to 18 months. The next shrew I want to focus on is the Masked / Common Shrew, Sorex cinereus. This shrew is the most widespread shrew in the United states. It is found in mountainous regions, swamps, and marshes. It can be found right up to the tree line on mountains. Like the venom of the Short-tailed shrew, the venom of the Common shrew is of little concern to humans. This shrew's heart beats 1200 times a minute. Sexual maturity for females is reached at 4 to 5 months old. At birth, they are only the size of a honeybee. They can live for 1 to 2 years. Their diet consists of worms, insects, snails, invertebrates, and young mice. Another venomous shrew is the Eurasian Water Shrew. It's venom is often used to paralyze fish and frogs.

 

Centruroides

Arizona Bark Scorpion / Centruriodes sculpturatus / Centruroides exiicauda

Usually my nature posts deal with one certain species of plant or animal. Today, we are going to look at one whole genus. The genus we are going to look at is the Centruroides. A genus of scorpions that is spread across the Earth. There are 1,500 species of known Centruroides scorpions. Seventy of these scorpions live in the North America. 25 of these scorpions have lethal venom. The sculptured or Arizona bark scorpion is our most venomous scorpion. It's sting injects a venom that can be fatal. The venom is a neurotoxin. A person stung by this scorpion can expect to experience severe pain, numbness in the limb that is stung, convulsions, and death. Though death is most among the young, elderly, and anyone whose immune system is compromised. In extreme cases, the victim might experience the same numbness, frothing of the mouth, paralysis, the feeling of electrical jolts. Though most of our scorpions only have a sting that has the same power as a wasp. One such scorpion is Centruroides vittatus. It's found in quite a few states. It is native to Texas, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Nebraska, New Mexico, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Mexico. It's likes to hide in dark and damp places. Needless to say, it can sometimes be found inside human buildings. It's venom is also a neurotoxin but unlike the sculptured scorpion, it's venom only causes pain that may last anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes and is rarely fatal. The striped scorpion is also very widespread. It is known to gather in group s of 20 to 30 individuals during cold weather. These scorpions can even survive in below freezing weather. These creatures can be bought as pets. I do not recommend that a beginner even dream of keeping these creatures. If you do want a scorpion stick with an emperor.

Now you know a little bit about these creatures, but how can you avoid being stung. Well first off, never ever pick them up by your fingers. Second, if you live where they live, always know where your hands or feet are going. Specially, if you are like me and love to explore. If you leave your shoes outside your house at night always make sure to check them thoroughly before you attempt to put them on. If you go camping make sure you zip up your tent. A scorpion or other nasty critter might decide to take shelter in your tent. Always , always before careful in the great outdoors. Don't be afraid to enjoy the great outdoors just because there might be something lurking out there. If you do that then you'll never experience anything.

To the best of my knowledge, I've never seen a black widow, brown recluse, or a scorpion in the wild. However, I have been where they exist in the wild. Do I think that they should be left alone yes. At the same time if you know that there is a black widow or a brown recluse in your house. I highly recommend taking the needed actions. Especially, if you have kids. Remember if you are allergic to bee stings then you should never hold a scorpion or a tarantula even if there venom is weak. Should you be bit or stung you most likely will pay for it. My goal in writing these pieces is not to scare you out of going outside but to make you more aware. You can't live your entire life in a bubble but you can become more aware of what's around you.

  Arizona Bark Scorpion

 Centruroides Vittatus

 

 

Venom From The Swamp

Cotton Mouth / Water Moccasin - Agkistrodon piscivorus

Welcome to Nature Weekend, today our trip into venom takes us to the swamps of our southern states. We are going to take a look a snake that gets to 2 to 6 ft long. This snake lives in marshes, swamps, river and lakes. It is a nocturnal hunter but often can be seen basking in day light. It can be distinguished from other water snakes in that this snake swims with it's head held out of the water. Like all pit vipers, they can detect the heat given off by their prey. They will feed on fish, amphibians, aquatic reptiles, birds, and mammals. When threatened, the cotton mouth may very well stand it's ground. No doubt you'll experience the reason for the name Cotton Mouth. This snake displays, the white lining of the mouth as a warning to back off. They will also imitate the rattlesnake by vibrating the tail. This snake should be considered somewhat aggressive. That being said, there are other that often get confused for Cotton-Mouths. Sadly, water snakes often get killed for looking like a venomous snake. There are three species of Cotton Mouth in the United States; Eastern Cotton Mouth ( A. piscivorus piscivorus), Florida ( A. piscivorous conanti ), and the Western ( A. piscivorus leucostoma ). They give birth in late summer. Like many other pit vipers, baby cotton mouths are venomous from day one. So let's say that you get bit, what is this venom going to do to you? Well, it's venom is stronger than a copperhead. Cotton Mouth venom is hemotoxic. Remember that means, that the venom destroys red blood cells. It also destroys other tissues. It reduces the bloods ability to coagulate. The venom can lead to tissue destruction. All I am going to say about the Cotton Mouth.

So venomous snakes, are they bad or good? Venomous snakes are good! It doesn't matter that they don't all eat rodents. What matters is that they fit into an ecosystem. They fill a niche and that makes them important. So if you kill a snake just because it might be venomous that just isn't cool. I've said it before that when you kill an organism it affects the ecosystem. It upsets the delicate balance that exists in an any ecosystem. I've pictures of people proudly displaying the rattlesnake that they've killed and quite frankly it sickens me. I can understand killing an animal if it is about to strike. I don't understand just killing them because they are there. I've lived in NW Indiana all my life and have never seen the famous Eastern Massasuaga.

My experience with snakes doesn't include venomous snakes. Most of my experience has been with garter snakes and dekay's brown snake. There aren't too many venomous snakes. Venomous snakes are wonderful additions to the world's species. I've found that reptiles do indeed have personality. One garter snake may threaten, musk, and bite while another individual may be perfectly docile. I wouldn't want to take the opportunity to find out if this holds true for their venomous cousins. Play it safe and give snakes a chance to run. Don't pick them up without knowing if they are vemonous or not.

There will be more venomous animals coming later!

Cotton Mouth Pictures

 Cotton Mouth / Water Moccasin

Eastern CottonMouth - Youtube