Shadow Void

Nature Weekend; Wild Animals Beware

I want to talk for a few minutes about wild animals. I have talked about this before but I feel the need to take another route on the subject. I want to talk about something that I see as a major problem. Our world; the modern world of humans, for all our advances and wonders is well not so great. We, by our very presence push species to extinction or we help spread ogranisms. There are animals who have benefited immensely from this feature of our society. Scavangers seem to be able to live with humans fairly well. Foxes, raccoons, coyotes, and skunks all have learned to live amongs humans. Of course there are other animals who live just as well with humans, but for the sake of this piece, we'll stick with these wonderful animals. So why do these scavangers do so well around people? Easy food, we throw out a lot of food. Humans are messy creatures. For scavangers, it's really easy to make a life on our streets. This closeness to humans poses a huge risk to humans. These animals have learned that our garbage cans mean food. It puts them in close contact with us. What are the risks to us as humans? It could mean disease, diseases that can spread to our beloved pets, and encounters that we just would rather not have. Animals who are feed or get use to people slowly lose their fear of humans. The problem is female mammals teach their offspring how to get food. The babies learn that we are a source of food. While, a raccoon may not kill us, other animals certainly could. A coyote for example could kill a person or seriously injury a person. Think I'm joking check the internet. It doesn't matter where you live now, coyotes are slowly spreading eastward. What once use to be an animal of the plains and other western lands, now can be found in Chicago and other cities to the east. We even have them in my part of the USA. Coyotes are not German Shepherds. They are a dog to be trusted. Problem with coyotes, they aren't just scavangers. They are predators. Predators who are take advantage of situations in order to get food. They are just as happy stealing some food as they are killing rats, squirrels, or other small animals. Their threat doesn't end with just the fact that they could maul a human. Like all dogs they can catch distemper and spread it amongst our pets. I am not trying to make the coyote out to be a villain. They certainly are not villians. They are simply trying to survive. Their survival certainly has taken a different turn though. Coyotes don't deserve to be eradicated from our environments. Just as the coyote has adapted to our world, we need to adapt to the coyote or learn ways to humanely control it's population. One of my nephews came across a coyote pup well out at one of our local parks. They heeded my warning and left it alone. Sadly, coyotes fit within the genus canis. While they can breed with our dogs, I can't say for certain that their offspring are fertile. But it does present a problem, these offspring are not pets. They are in fact wild animals like the coyote itself. Parents learn what a coyote looks like. Don't feed the coyotes, this behavior on our part only helps reinforce the fact, that humans mean food. Wildlife shouldn't lose their fear of humans. Wildlife that does becomes a threat to themselves as well as to humans. Just some food for thought. Again, this is not a post attacking coyotes or humans. It's merely a reminder that we are both the problem and the solution. Enjoy!

Something to make your skin crawl

This is my Kilimanjario Mustard Baboon. She pretty has literally covered the top of the bedding/substrate with webbing. She is actually a lot bigger than what she looks like in this picture. One of my favorite baboon species so far. She is not very aggressive and tends to run and hide when I mess with the tank, but I don't want to push my luck.

I did a bad thing

I told you that one of my spiders died right? Well, I ordered 2 of the same kind of spider for $20.00. I am also getting 2 centipedes, 5 millipedes. Those five millipedes present 2 different species.

Thoughts on Great Whites

I've always heard that Great Whites have a difficult time telling the difference between surfers and seals or sea lions. I'm watching a show on Netflix on dangerous animals, and there is some evidence that great whites use a different attack method when attacking surfers versus seals or sea lions. They tend to attack from beneath seals or sea lions and jumping out of the water, but at least in a few attacks where surfers were the victims, the sharks came at them from the side. So the question do great white sharks know the difference between surfers and seals or sea lions? What is your thoughts?

Bird call challenge

This little quiz / challenge is on Enature.com. You enter your zip code and it gives you a bird call. You are given 5 different calls. Each bird call comes with 3 birds to choose from. It's a pretty cool way to test your knowledge of bird calls. I took the challenge and got 4 out of 5. You can enter any zip code and run through challenge and see how you do with regions that you don't live in. You can also take the challenge a second time for your zip code. Pretty cool! Try it out!

RRQ; Venomous

Favorite type of venomous snake?

Being the nature freak that I am, I have a couple favorites. My favorite venomous snake has to be the King Cobra. They just are sort of awe inspiring. For color the Coral snakes are pretty cool.

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

 

Black Light Scorpions

 

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.