Shadow Void

Nature Weekends

Okay so this is a little bit different version of Nature Weekends, than what you might be use to from me. Here in Northwest Indiana and many other places around the country and the world, there are wonderful places to get out and explore. Exploring is one of my favorite things to do, but I'm finding it harder and harder to get out and hike. I would love to find someone trustworthy enough to meet up with and then set out and explore. My goal this year is too spotlight more native species either in picture or in text both plants and animals. Hoping to get a better camera, because my camera isn't the best for taking pictures with anymore. There are much better cameras out there now. As I said in my post about the television, my budget is a major issue in picking out a camera. I want to do more videos and offer my fans a little bit variety in my nature weekends posts. I might have much of social life between the writing and my nature weekend posts prep. So let me know what kind of things you would like to see. I cannot wait to hear from you.

 

Nature Weekend; Africa’s Giant Puffer

Mbu Pufferfish – Tetradon mbu

This species of pufferfish can reach 26 inches and can weigh up to 15 lbs. When it puffs up to escape predators or to show that it's scared, this puffer can reach the size of a football. This act of puffing is done by swallowing air or water to fill up the stomach, thus causing the animal to swell. They are found in Central Africa. All pufferfish whether they are freshwater or saltwater are all carnivorous. They feed on smaller fish, mollusks, and crustaceans. In captivity they need snails or shelled shellfish to help wear down their fused teeth. By the way, pufferfish have 4 fused teeth in each jaw. Mbu pufferfish are also very aggressive and will not think twice about taking chunks out of any fish that share their tank. Some puffers are highly poisonous. They contain the same toxin that blue-ringed octopus produce, tetrotoxin or tetrodoxin. It's important to note that there are no known anti-toxins for this toxin. Unless you can care for this animal do not purchase this animal. We have too many unwanted pets as it is.

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/images/tetraodon_mbu_2.jpg

This video just shows the strength of the teeth and jaws of a pufferfish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs0XwuZsqug&feature=related

 

Nature Weekend; An Island Lizard

Rhinoceros Iguana – Cyclura cornuta

Today we are off again to discover new and amazing animals. Today last week, we visited Kenya and today we are going to Hispaniola. Hispaniola is one of a few islands in the Caribbean that are home to the Rhinoceros Iguana. We are traveling some 7,441 miles this time around. The Rhinoceros iguana is an endangered species in it native lands. These lizards can reach 3 ¼ feet to 4 feet. They are oviparous so the babies hatch from an egg outside of the mother's body. Rhinoceros iguanas are terrestrial. They get their names for the horns that are located on the snout. You see some in the picture that hopefully will accompany this post. They feed on leaves and fruit. When threatened, this animal can run fast, lash out with its tail, and bite. You do not want to get bit by these animals. I have read of 3 times where iguanas are known to have taken off someone's finger. Now, that being said, iguanas make great pets. Male iguanas are larger than the females. Females lay 2 to 20 eggs in a burrow. They are active by day. Their teeth are designed for chewing up leaves. Their teeth are also quite sharp. Hierarchy among males is done by the size of the dewlap, the flap of skin under their necks. Males display their dewlap during courtship.

 

I know I talk about this a lot but I want to talk about it again. I really want to stress this because I don't think it can be said enough. Reptile keepers as well as keepers of other exotic animals see their hobby come under fire any time that there is an escape, where the animals are seized by police, or when someone is injured or killed by a pet. Please ensure that your tanks are secure after having the tank open or cage open. Do everything you can to ensure that you're animal cannot escape from its cage. Make sure your animal is legal in the area that you live. Keep in mind that there are animals that can spread Salmonella so always wash your hands after handling any animal. Avoid wild caught specimens if at all possible. That is all I have say for today!

I do not own the following media items:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_AoS9kfI89Q4/TT5i9j3v_lI/AAAAAAAAApM/En3IqGy5jfg/s1600/Rhinoceros+iguana.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVTXKhr7ITM

Nature Weekend – A Bare-Necked Game Bird

Vulturine Guineafowl – Acryllium vulturinum

We are traveling some 6,441 miles from Brazil to Kenya to look at the Vulturine Guineafowl. This game bird is the largest species of guineafowl. They have bare skin on their neck and their head. They are inches long. This species of guineafowl can be found in dense shrub and the thickets that are along the edge of forests. When danger threatens this bird prefers to run instead of fly. Don't be fooled because this bird can fly. It's known to roost in trees. It's diet includes seeds, shoots, tubers, leaves, bulbs, fallen fruit, insects, snails, and other small inverts. Nests arte made on the ground and are lined with vegetation.

Nature Weekend

Going to do something a little bit different this week. I am going to attempt to talk about the poisonous and venomous species in Indiana. I am not going to cover all of them. There is no way that I could even begin to cover each and every species since all spiders are venomous one way or another, although they may not all be dangerous to humans. I am going to start off with a discussion on the snakes that live in Indiana.

 

There are four main venomous snakes in Indiana. The first one is the eastern massasauga rattlesnake. Now remember, this snake is rare and only can be found in wetlands. Not the type of habitat that most people are willing to visit. Not only is this snake rare, but it's the only venomous snake to live in Northern Indiana. ** Garter snakes have been shown to produce venom but their venom doesn't have a good delivery system and therefore, we will not be discussing them in any length. We do not have copperheads or cotton-mouths up the northern parts of Indiana. Another venomous snake to live in Indiana is the cottonmouth. They occupy such a small section of southern Indiana, that they are rarely if ever seen in Indiana. Indiana is home to yet another species of Rattlesnake, the Timber rattlesnake. It's habitat is again somewhat restricted, and can be found in South-central Indiana. Lastly, the most common venomous snake in Indiana is the copperhead, the Northern Copperhead. Remember I said that they were common, well they are in the hills of Southern Indiana.

Now I want to talk about spiders. Indiana has two species of venomous spiders. One is the Brown recluse and the other is he Northern Black Widow. There isn't an exact location for these spiders. While there are reports of bites from Brown Recluse spiders in my area, I have never seen one. It's best to aware that these spdiers are out there. Remember Brown Recluse spiders have a violin shaped pattern on their cephlathorax. There will be a black line coming down from where the cephlathorax ( head ) meets the abdomen. The area by the eyes will be black. I wish I could tell you where to look for these spiders in your home. The best bet is the avoid sticking your hands into dark corners. If you don't know the species of spider that you're encountering it's best to trap it somehow and release it away from your house. The black widow is famous for it's red hourglass, and that should tell you if you have a black widow. Remember just because a spider is black doesn't mean it's a black widow. Another thing to keep in mind is that their web doesn't resemble that of any other spider. Very often their web is going to be in place that is protected from the weather. I've read that this spider typically isn't aggressive however they can be when the female has her eggsac. On a side note, our state doesn't have any known dangerous species of scorpion. Though it wouldn't surprise to find out that there are some species of scorpion in Indiana.

While we are on this discussion on venomous animals in Indiana, it's important to realize that there may be countless numbers of venomous or poisonous insects in Indiana. The most common types are the bees and wasps. We need to do are best to avoid them and their nests. If you want to more about the venomous snakes, scorpion, and spiders in your home state you can check out:

http://www.venombyte.com/

 

Nature Weekend

Ocelot – Leopardus pardalis

Ocelots are amazing cats. They can be found from Mexico to Argentina and they might even appear in our southwest. They can be found in a range of habitats from tropical rainforests to the slopes of the Andes. These cats range from 22 to 40 inches and weigh between 25 to 35 lbs. Ocelots hunt by nightfall. They will take rodents, rabbits, birds, snakes, fish, young deer, young peccary, lizards, monkeys, bats, turtles, young deer, armadillos, and anteaters. Ocelots in tropical areas may mate yearlong while those in southern areas mate only in the summer and the fall. Gestation lasts for 79 to 85 days. The average litter size is 3. Male ocelots help the female during the period she is nursing by bringing her food. Females are sexually mature at 2 years of age and males reach their maturity at 2 ½ years. Ocelots were hunted for their fur from the 1960's into the 1970's. During this period of time, 200,000 cats were killed for their fur per year. Though the trade in ocelot skins may be banned, the hunting of these cats continues. Males maintain a range of around 7 miles which overlaps with the territories of females. Ocelots will hunt among the branches of trees and will even sleep in the lower branches.

 

Nature Weekends

Common Camas - Camassia quamash

Common Camas can be found throughout western United States. It was eaten by numerous tribes throughout the west. The plant comes up from a bulb and has blue flowers. It's important to remember those blue flowers as this plant has a potentially lethal look alike. The bulbs are best harvested in the fall or early spring. It's safest to harvest this plant when the flowers are on so that you can distinguish between Common Camas and Death Camas, which has white flowers. The bulbs were roasted, boiled, or eaten raw. After roasting for several days, the bulbs take on a darker color and become sweeter. After roasting, the woman would mash the bulbs and then form them into cakes which were sun dried and formed into cakes for later use.

 

**** Warning time – Camas can cause gas and indigestion. If it in large quanities it can cause vomiting and diarrhea. It's easily confused with Death Camas. Common Camas flowers can range from blue to purple. Death Camas more often than not has white flowers but it can have yellow flowers as well.

http://www.elzorrocolorado.com/pacahealth/html/deathacamas.html

http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Camassia+quamash

http://www.paulnoll.com/Oregon/Wildflower/plant-Camas-Common-2.jpg

http://www.sfu.ca/archaeology/museum/peb/graphics/camas.jpg

Nature Weekends; Deadly Jelly

Box Jellyfish - ( Chironex fleckeri )

What to say about this creature, it is one dead critter. They are genus that has worldwide distribution; however the most dangerous species of box jelly lives in the waters around Northern Australia and Southeast Asia. These jellyfish can reach 10 inches across. Each corner of the box jellyfish's box has 15 tentacles which can grow to 9 feet in length. If the animal loses a tentacle it can regrow the tentacle. The Box jelly's tentacles hold around 500,000 or more stinging cells. A person hit by those stinging cells has little time to seek help. They hold enough venom to kill 60 people. There have been 64 deaths since 1883. In this day and age, there are medical steps that can be taken to help a victim. In my mind, the most amazing part of this creature's anatomy is the existence of eyes. These eyes are not just simple eyes either, their eyes contain retinas, corneas, and lens. They are 24 such eyes around their bell. It's not easy to avoid these jellyfish. They are transparent so they aren't easily seen in the water. Another thing that makes these jellyfish such a menace is that they're attracted by light. There have been steps taken to protect people from these creatrures including nets set up around beaches to keep the jellys from getting to people. There are also vinager stands on the beaches

This video talks a little bit more about the box jellyfish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIf0kRpkQ_0

Here is a link that not only shows off the box jelly but talks more about as well:

http://life-sea.blogspot.com/2011/07/life-of-sea-waps-box-jellyfish.html

 

Nature Weekends

By now, you've all heard of the Muskingum County Animal Farm, where the owner freed the animals and then shot himself. Let's see, 56 exotic animals were released into the wild by the guy who owned them. Among the animals released were black bears, grizzlies, a baboon, mountain lions, Bengal Tigers, and I believe some African lions. Now, I am not about to tell anyone what they can and cannot have for pets. What follows is my own opinion. I don't believe that the average John or Jane Doe needs to own a any of those animals mentioned above. Even a baboon can do serious damage to a human being. They are not an animal that I would want sharing my house. These animals may be cute and cuddly as cubs or pups, but they mature into an animal that can kill a human. I don't believe this guy was holding these animals as pets. There was one picture that greatly bothered me. It's a picture of what looks a barn with a few vehicles parked around it. The scene in front of the barn is what I found most disturbing and it's a picture of at least 15 animals all dead on the grass. They didn't ask to be in that situation, and yet they ended up being killed because of the risk that they posed to humans. There are days that my animals kind of worry with their possible escape.

Any time that people keep exotic species; there is always a possibility of danger or escape. While I trust my own skills, there have been times when distraction has led to making mistakes. One time, I left a tank open overnight and ended up with its inhabitant taking a walk. Now, I don't think that this animal posed any risk to me, but what if that animal would have been dangerous or what if I am allergic to that animal's venom. Here is what I'm getting at, each time something like this happens; the government tightens its grip. I understand they are trying to protect us but at the same time, they need to protect the animals too. It's not uncommon to hear about someone coming across an escaped or released reptile even up here in Indiana. I know there are people who keep animals that could potentially cause harm to either themselves or others, but I also know that they a plan in case something happens. There is no one apart from zoos, wildlife rescue facilities, or sanctuaries that should be keeping these animals. Owners need to take responsibility for their animals.

 

 

Nature Weekend

Sturgeon - Family Acipenseridae

Sturgeon's are a true survivor of the time of dinosaurs. They can be found in Europe, Asia, and North America. Most sturgeons are bottom feeders though larger species suck up food directly the water. Sturgeons can grow from 4 to 16 feet and can weigh up 5 tons. Females lay millions of eggs each year. Most of their skeleton is made of cartilage and bone. Sturgeons have been overfished both for their flesh and their eggs. The beluga sturgeon produces the most sought after caviar one 13 ft female can produce up to 400 lbs of roe ( eggs ). These fish can live for 150 years in some cases but few now make it to that age. The European Sturgeon one of Europe's largest fish can grow to 21 ft and weigh in at 690 lbs. The White Sturgeon is one of North America's largest freshwater fish it can grow to an impressive 20 ft and weigh in at 1,500 to 1,800 lbs. A female beluga sturgeon as already mentioned can grow to 13 ft and weigh in at 1,760 lbs.