February 28, 2007
Pleasant Pheasants: Peacocks Are A Misnomer Most Fowl
Did you know?
A Peacock Is Always Male
Did you know that the term peacock so often used to describe those flashy birds is not the name of the bird species? It's just the special name for the male of the peafowl species. The female is called a peahen and she isn't much to look at compared to her mate.
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January 17, 2007
Ele-Facts: Elephant Seal Mating Season
For the past three years, I have been visiting an elephant seal colony during mating season. Once a week, I hike out to Año Nuevo reserve, one of the largest and most successful mainland elephant seal rookeries. Despite my many trips, I still learn something new each and everytime I go.
Right now the big males have hauled out on the beaches, and begun to establish their dominance heirarchy. Very plump and pregnant females are hauling out and choosing a harem to join, granting the alpha male who lords over it prime mating rights with her when her pup is weaned in a month or so.
Over the next few weeks, I will share some of my findings here. in this Ele-Facts column. These are tidbits of information I have learned during my visits and my own research. While I've called this column Ele-Facts, please keep in mind that I cannot back up everything, as information changes and is updated frequently in the docent-lead walks. When I can, I will point out sources online, but keep in mind that some of this information comes directly from the latest information available from researchers, through the docents, and from there to me. From there, it's often memory until I get home to blog about it. Just keep that in mind when you're considering quoting me for your science reports, little ones...
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May 12, 2006
Did You Know? A Polar Bear's Nose Is It's Secret Weapon
Did you know?
A Polar Bear's Nose Is It's Secret Weapon
Some people refer to polar bears as noses with legs. That's because they can smell a dead animal like a whale or seal on the ice from up to 20 miles away! Their black noses stand out on the blinding-white of the Arctic, allowing them to be seen from up to six miles away through binoculars. According to some sources, the polar bear will cover its nose with its paw when sneaking up on a seal, in order to avoid detection, but this is, as far as I know, unsubstantiated by scientific evidence.
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March 16, 2006
Did You Know? Rodents of Unusual Size Really Did Exist
Did you know?
Rodents of Unusual Size Really Did Exist
8 Million Years Ago
Back about 8 million years ago during the Miocene Epoch, a rodent of unusual size (ROUS from the movie The Princess Bride, a perlgurl personal favorite) roamed the swampy forests of the Orinoco River delta, foraging and grazing on grasses. One of the largest waterways in South America, the Orinoco winds from Venezuela through the Brazilian plains, finally emptying into Atlantic Ocean.
When I say unusual size, I'm talking 3 meters long plus tail (another 2m), weighing roughly 1500 pounds. The Phoberomys pattersoni looked like a really large capybara, and may actually be its distant evolutionary ancestor.
Don't believe it? Back in 2000, a near-complete skeletal fossil of Phoberomys was found in Venezuela.
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March 2, 2006
Did You Know? Darwin Ate Armadillos
Did you know that Darwin made evolutionary breakthroughs while eating armadillos?
You Can't Think On An Empty Stomach
It's interesting how often breakthroughs happen by making observations while doing mundane, everyday things like having breakfast. Charles Darwin did just that while on an expedition in Argentina.
He and his coworkers would often catch and eat armadillos at their camp.
Though Darwin was charmed by the armadillos' behavior, he was equally interested in having a fine meal.
"In the morning we had caught an armadillo, which, although a most excellent dish when roasted in its shell, did not make a very substantial breakfast and dinner for two hungry men."
More At: Darwin | American Museum of Natural History
Beginning To See A Trend Here...
Darwin was struck by the similarities between the tasty little armored mammal and some of the fossils he was digging up and studying. Chuck was especially struck by the armadillos resemblence to the long-extinct glyptodont, a giant slow-moving armored creature about the size of a Mini-Cooper.
This discovery led Darwin to look for other such occurences. Over time, he collected many examples of ancient species with living counterparts. Eventually, he brought all his thoughts and findings together in one of the most pivital works in scientific history - The Origin of the Species.
Why did the chicken cross the road? To show the armadillo that it could be done.
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February 28, 2006
Did You Know? Elephant Bites
Did you know that elephants have six teeth, some of which are continually replaced, much like sharks?
The Better To Poke You With...
Elephant tusks are actually just specialized upper incisors. These are used primarily for digging and defense.
Elephants use their tusks to dig for water, salt, or yummy roots to eat. They also use them to strip bark from trees. They do this to uncover the tasting tree pulp beneath. This has become such a problem in some trees, like the ancient baobab trees, have been surrounded with boulders to keep the elephants away.
In terms of defense, elephants may use their tusks to fight elephants, as well as to fend off other predators. You'll also see elephants sawing away at trees with their tusks, marking their territory.
African Elephants, both males and females, have big, ivory tusks. Some curve over ten feet long, and grow very fast - up to half a foot per year! The bump-headed Asian male elephants have tusks, but the females don't really have them.
Elephants favor one tusk over the other, just as people are generally right or left-handed. The dominant tusk, also refered to as a master tusk, is often more worn down.
The Better To Chew With...
Elephants are herbivores. They eat a lot of leaves, shoots, and roots, and so they need really good chewing teeth. During their lives, they have a set of four teeth - two bicuspids and two molars. Instead of having a set of baby teeth followed by adult teeth, like most other mammals (humans included), elephants have a a finite tooth replacement cycle, much like some sharks. Six times over the course of their lifetime, the elephant will lose its teeth and get them replaced with new ones, for a total of 24 teeth.
An old elephant will lose its last pair and be restricted to soft foods, much like an elderly person might be. This is why you'll often see very old elephants lurking in marshes where food is more to their tastes, so to speak.
Some of this info came from: DK Pocket Nature Facts & Wikipedia
For More On Elephants, check out African Field Notes: The African Elephant!
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