Here is a link to some pictures I took at the JMU Arburitum on 5/27/2010.
I don't know very much about turtles...it's something I'm looking into. I think this is a mud turtle.
As far as ugly creatures go, in my book there is a definite winner--the aye-aye. I think it is the long fingers and huge eyes that creep me out the most. They live in the rainforest of Madagascar in nest made of twigs and leaves. These nests are giant balls with small a small opening as the entrance/exit. They only leave the nests at night to go look for food. When they do venture out of their nests they still spend most of their time in the trees looking for bugs under tree bark. Aye-ayes find these guys by using echolocation and are the only mammals known to do so. They also eat fruit and use their freakishly long fingers to scoop out the fleshy fruit insides.
In Madagascar they are thought to be bad luck (it apparently brings death) so there has never been a fight to protect them by the natives. They are now endangered and the government has finally protected them under the law. A strange thing about the aye-aye is that it seems to be unafraid of humans, even in the wild. They aren't usually a social animal and tend to live alone so it is unnatural for them to be so comfortable around other animals.
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/aye-aye/
I see wombats as some of the cutest looking animals on the planet. They are covered in soft brown fur and looked kind of like a puppy dog. I've once again chosen an animal that can only be found in Australia, I tend to like the animal species there I guess. Wombats like to burrow and since they are nocturnal they are usually only seen at night. Even then it isn't often that you can see one. Even most natives of Australia haven't seen a wombat in the wild. Not that I can say I've seen every North American animal in the wild, I don't suppose many people could. They live off of a diet of roots and grasses. I'd love too see one waddle past me with some root stuck in its teeth. Wombats also snore when they sleep, something most other animals don't do. If they are somewhere that they feel comfortable they have been known to sleep on their backs with their little feet up in the air. If it wasn't mean, dangerous, illegal, and I had the money, I would love to have a pet wombat. They don't have many natural predators but some larger carnivores will eat them if they can't find anything else. Most wombats die of starvation and loss of habitat.
They are very vocal creatures and have a wide range of sounds squeal, grunt, growl, cough, click, and hiss. Listen here. Wombats also love to play and have been seen in both the wild and in captivity playing together. There is even a comic book about wombats that can be found here. If you want to buy a shirt or other merchandise supporting the wombat you can get it here. Personally I want a "Wombat Fever" shirt.
http://www.wombania.com/wombats/
The life of a naked mole rat isn't very fun. Unless you are the Queen most of your life is spent digging. Since the Queen is also in charge of producing all the children, they don't even have to worry about their family. Each of their two front teeth can move independently for digging. They can actually control individual tooth movement. Digging keeps their teeth filed. In captivity the teeth sometimes have to be trimmed with nail cutters because they grow at such a rapid rate.
One thing I find very cute about these animals is how they love to share. They will share any bit of food with any other member of their colony and will sometimes bring back food they find especially for others (kind of like when i pick up a surprise slurpee from the 7-11 on my way home from work for my roommate). Another cool thing about naked mole rats that is kind of cool, but not quite as sweet, is what happens when one queen dies. All the other high ranking females have a fight to the death and the best woman wins.
Naked mole rats are pretty cool even if they aren't the cutest.
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/ZooGoer/2002/3/nakedmolerats.cfm
I've decided to do another request from my roommate. One of our favorite shows to watch is on the Disney Channel, laugh if you want. It's about two brothers called Phineas and Ferb who spend their summer building crazy contraptions. Their awesome pet, who doubles as a secret agent, is named Perry and he is a green platypus. The platypus(Ornithorhynchus Anatinus) is one of two animals that are considered monotremes, the other is the echidna. It is about the size of a small dog and has a thick waterproof fun covering its whole body and webbed feet that help propel it through the water. It has characteristics of both reptiles (lays eggs) and mammals (hair, warm blooded). When it dives underwater it can close its eyes,ears, and mouth all at the same time. It stores excess fat in its tail so a fat tail is a sign of a healthy platypus. It has a low body temperature so it is less affected by cold waters. They also have more hemoglobin in their red blood cells. This allows it to stay underwater longer than most mammals. The male platypus even has poisonous burs on its back feet. Personally I think the platypus is one of the most interesting creatures I've written about so far. They have so many hidden secrets that make them interesting. They keep gravel in their mouths to help break up food since they don't have teeth. The platypus can be found on the east coast of Australia. They have super dense fur, denser than the otter's and the polar bear's.
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/platypus.html
http://www.genevaschools.org/austinbg/class/gray/platypus/
The first thing most people think about when they hear tasmanian devil is the Loony Toon character more commonly known as Taz. He runs around in a tornado cloud of biting, slobbering, and crazy noises. As far as tasmanian devils go, that is a pretty accurate description of the real animal. If it gets in a situation in which it feels threatened or protective it will snap and completely go off on anyone or anything near. If food is its reason for fighting, they will usually fight to the death. It has a very scary growl that sounds almost maniacal. A video can be seen here. The look almost like a cross between a small dog and a baby bear. It is black and brown with a little white tuff on hair on its chest. It has a large head full of teeth that it isn't afraid to use. They store fat in their tail when they have had plenty to eat. They will eat anything they can kill and eat every bit of their prey. Tasmanian devils can only be found in Tasmania, a state in Australia. They dropped in numbers on the mainland due to dingos, being killed my farmers because they kill chickens, and a disease that creates tumors in their mouths and around their faces. They are considered prehistoric because fossils have been found of the almost exact creature of today thousands of years ago. Since they are nocturnal, they usually feed at night. This means that all of their snarling and fighting is going on in pitch black darkness in the eucalyptus forest. I know personally I would enjoy watching one from a distance, but coming out of nowhere in the middle of the night would scare me senseless. Although they may not be one of the sweetest animals, they are still one of God's creatures and should be taken care of. Even of the nastiest creatures should have an opportunity to survive.
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/tasmanian-devil.html
http://australian-animals.net/devil.htm
By request of my lovely roommate, I have decided to write this entry on alpacas. One thing most people know about alpacas is how valuable their wool is. The soft and luxurious wool isn't the only thing that make alpacas an amazing animal and a wonderful pet. One thing that makes alpacas an easy pet to take care of is the fact that they only use the bathroom in one or two places in the fields that they live in. This makes clean up easy. They also don't have horns or sharp teeth that could hurt you. Alpacas are usually gentle, but like most animals they have their own individual personalities. They can live upwards towards twenty years and aren't too big as far as farm animals go, they only get to be about 100-200 pounds. Since they chew their cud they don't require as much acreage as larger animals such as horses, up to 10 per acre (the usual rule for horses is 1 horse per acre).
The raising of alpacas is growing in the United States. More and more alpaca farms are popping up all over the place. The Inca civilization was the first group of people to domesticate the alpaca. 99 percent of all alpacas are found in South America. When the Spanish first discovered alpacas they didn't realize their value. England was the first country after the Spanish Conquests to rediscover alpaca wool. It is stronger and last longer than sheep's wool. Alpacas make great pets because of their friendly nature and easy profit. Any farm could greatly benefit from starting to raise alpacas.
http://www.alpacainfo.com
Since I've already written about the two kinds of animals living in my apartment, I decided to write a about the animal I have waiting at home in Southwest Virginia. One of my favorite parts of coming home is putting on my big rubber boots and running down to the barn. All I have to do is give a whistle and two of the most beautiful animals in the world perk up their ears and put their whole body of muscle into motion. There is one horse that is always in front. She is my baby and my very best friend. She is half Arabian and half Tennessee Walking Horse and 100% gorgeous. I throw my arms around her neck and she lays her head on my shoulder. We stay that way for a few minutes until she starts to fidget because she wants her ears scratched. By that time my father's horse, Ace decides that Mystic and I have had enough alone time. He walks right up and puts his snotty nose in my clean hair and tickles me with his lips. He wants a chin scratch and he leans into it until he starts looking ridiculously silly.
One thing about walking horses is a special gait or walk that they have called a rack. It is in between a walk and a run that is special to the walking horse. Mystic looks even more beautiful that usual when she is on a dirt road and racking. She is still young so she is still getting used to doing it correctly and really getting into to. Ace is older and he loves being able to do it. He gets so excited and lifts his feet up so high he almost kicks himself in the stomach. You can see a foal doing this gait here.
As if being hairy wasn't strange enough for a frog, it has one more thing that is actually like of creepy. When this frog feels threatened it breaks out it's claws. There is no opening in the frogs foot pads to allow for claws. Essentially, these frogs are like Wolverine from X-men. They have to break their own bones to allow these claws to break apart from their feet. They use these claws as a means of defense as well as a hunting mechanism. They sometimes uses them to kill small mammals and invertebrate for food. It isn't always the one eating though. It is hunted for food by the natives in the area where it lives.
This is one frog I would be happy looking at from a far distance.
http://weirdscience.ca/2008/06/02/hairy-frogs-have-an-unusual-defense/
http://www.wildanimalsonline.com/amphibians/hairyfrog.php
Fossa:
Not many people have heard of the Madagascar native, a mammal called the fossa. Although it is related to the mongoose, it looks nothing like it. At first scientists thought it was a type of cat because of its retractible claws and cat-like teeth. They live in the forest and jumps from tree to tree very quickly using its long prehensile tail. In fact, they move so quickly that it is hard to observe them in the wild. They are carnivorous,but have a large range of other animals they eat, pretty much anything they can kill, even wild pigs. Their number one choice of prey is the lemur. Their coat is reddish brown and have a face that looks like a small dog. They can grow to be up to 6 feet long from the tip of their nose to the very end of their tail. Adults usually weigh about 26 pounds and reach maturity at about 3 years old. They are awake during both the night and the day and like to live alone. Since they are only found in Madagascar they are endangered like most of the animals found there. Fossas have no living predators but humans living in the area see them as a threat because they often kill chickens and other small farm animals and hunt them. They can make many different sounds including a growl, a chirp, and a purr. You can hear these sounds here.
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/fossa/
Bunny:
The first time I went to Sylvia's Pet Store I saw the cutest bunny in the world. I decided then and there that he would be mine. I had no idea what I had decided. Like most people I expected a cute little fluffy ball that would love me and cuddle with me for hours. Rabbits are not puppies. Rabbits don't like to be held for long. They are ground animals and most of them prefer to stay there. Some rabbits like to be petted, but most would prefer a pat on the head and a carrot. Buster does love a good head massage and a back rub from time to time. When he is in a particularly good mood and we give him run of the house he likes to jump up as high as he can and do what is called a binky. Bunnies don't make a lot of noise, but Buster does a kind of growl to let me know he isn't in a good mood. He also thumps his hind leg to show that he is scared or excited. Rabbits don't make a good pet for small children. They can be mean and will scratch you, even if not on purpose. They also need to be held very carefully. They can break their backs while trying to escape from an incorrect hold. Rabbits are an animal that you really have to think about before purchasing. Don't make the same mistake I did, even though I love him.
I've decided to write about the two animals living in my apartment: a guinea pig and a rabbit. There are a lot of things people don't know about these two animals and how much work they are as pets.
Guinea Pigs:
Most are super cute, especially the ones with hair that is about medium length. When they are happy or excited they squeal with joy. It's cute to walk in your apartment and have someone squeak at you from the corner. They love to run around and hide in hidey-holes such as a box or tube. Pepper loves to play hide and seek with me. I pretend to ignore her and she slowly creeps up on me. Then I turn around quickly and she runs away and pretends it never happened. She really loves lettuce and goes crazy every time the refrigerator door opens or a bag crinkles. Pepper loves to sit on your lap on a towel and have her chin rubbed. She is really well trained and won't leave her towel when not in her cage. If she is being what we call "sassy" she will put her teeth on your finger very lightly to say she wants to be left alone. I've never been bitten, but my roommate has had some light chomps. are really fun pets but you have to give them plenty of attention and clean their cages often. Guinea pigs make a great starter pet or a pet for someone without a lot of space.
As someone who spent most of her childhood outside playing in the woods I've encountered many insects. I don't even remember how many times I've been spit, peed,pooped,or sprayed on by little critters. One insect that I am glad I've never picked up is the bombardier beetle Stenaptinus insignis. This insect's chemical spray burns. The chemical's held in its body have to be kept in separate chambers in the beetles abdomen until it feels attacked. The reason for this is that when the two chemicals mix they create an explosion. Essentially a bomb goes off in the beetle's butt. If the loud bang doesn't deter the attacker the beetle has a back up. The chemical not only irritates the skin, but burns it as well. The chemical reaches a temperature of 212 degrees Fahrenheit. The bombardier beetle has almost perfect aim.
Another interesting thing about this beetle is its ability to reach any part of it's own body in order to reach a predator. Its own body is immune to the chemical and it is neither irritated or burned. Scientist are baffled by this and have no clue what about the beetle keeps it safe from its own attack.
http://insects.about.com/od/coolandunusualinsects/a/bombdefenses.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/422599.stm
I'm sure everyone thinks of Napoleon Dynamite when they hear of a liger. In real life the animals may not by magical, but they do exist. What is the difference between the two? A liger is a cross between a male lion and a female tiger and the tigon is just the opposite. This cross doesn't occur in nature, all ligers and tigons were bred in captivity. (Tigers and lions don't live near each other in the wild). Usually these crossed animals are infertile and unable to breed, but very rarely a female will be able to reproduce and can create even weirder crosses.
Liger:
Ligers are some of the largest recorded cats in the world. They can be up to 12 ft tall when on their hind legs and weigh around a half a ton. They have light stripes as well as spots. The male liger can sometimes have a mane but it doesn't usually reach the length of a full bred tiger. They can generally make sounds that sound like a tiger or a lion or even a mixture of the two. Their face tends to be shaped like a tiger and the rest of their body like a lion.
Tigon:
Very few tigons exist in the world because of various problems. One problem is that the female tiger doesn't have enough room in her womb for the cubs and they are usually born stillborn or premature. If the cubs do survive the birth they are usually small and tend to get sick easily. They are the exact opposite of a liger. They have a lion shaped face with a small tiger body. Some males have a very very slight mane, but barely worth mentioning. Tigons can also make sounds of both the tiger and lion.
Very few of these crosses occur in zoos. Most zoos feel that it is unfair and unnatural, and I would have to agree. They are cool in theory, but it isn't very nice to the animals. They often can't reproduce, have a short lifespan, and are sickly while alive. The room taken up by these created animals could be used to help take in a endangered animal instead. I think God's work is just better left alone.
I recommend reading this article from the Breeze in order to fully understand my blog post. I volunteer at the SPCA about two times a week for a few hours each day. The Breeze printed an article that didn't quite sit right with me and I felt the need to comment. I left my comment on the Breeze website and felt that it should be shared here as well.
"As someone who has spent many hours at the Rockingham- Harrisonburg SPCA, I found this article heartbreaking. I’m curious if you have ever spent any time at the SPCA? As someone who gives their time to make sure these animals are taken care of and find the right home it is quite unnerving to hear my work being looked at negatively. Perhaps an article on how the SPCA works and what someone would actually find there is in order?
I came back to JMU from spring break to find many employees at the SPCA hurt and confused. I found it selfish how the SVSNC is so quick to put down the SPCA and their attempt at something good. I think both groups would want to encourage each other in their love of animals and the goal of finding new homes for these animals.
Until they have seen the hard work and love that goes into making sure everything can be done to relocate and take care of the animals brought to the SPCA, I don’t think they should be so adamant about tearing down the SPCA and their reputation. Turning animals needing homes into a competition is not at all amusing. I think the focus of the SVSNC should be more on the animals and not harming a fellow group with the same goals"
I came back to JMU from spring break to find many employees at the SPCA hurt and confused. I found it selfish how the SVSNC is so quick to put down the SPCA and their attempt at something good. I think both groups would want to encourage each other in their love of animals and the goal of finding new homes for these animals.
Until they have seen the hard work and love that goes into making sure everything can be done to relocate and take care of the animals brought to the SPCA, I don’t think they should be so adamant about tearing down the SPCA and their reputation. Turning animals needing homes into a competition is not at all amusing. I think the focus of the SVSNC should be more on the animals and not harming a fellow group with the same goals"
On Friday I spent a few hours volunteering at the Harrisonburg/Rockingham SPCA. I was in the cat room going from cage to cage petting the cats and giving them some much needed love. They were all fluffy, soft, fat and cute; the average house cat. From the other side of the cages I heard a weird sound. It wasn't the soft meow that was coming from all the other cats, it was harsh. It was a small version of what I imagine a big wild cat would make. I walked closer and noticed this cat was definitely different. What I saw was a mini leopard. In reality it was a Bengal and it was just as sweet as all the rest of normal everyday house cats. There is no actual relation to tiger with the same name.
Bengals are a cross between short haired domesticated cats and the Asian Leopard Cat. It got the looks of the Asian cat and the temperament of the house cat. It truly is a beautiful animal. They have a black eyeliner around the eyes and a slightly bigger snout like its wild ancestors.
It will breed with both house cats and the Asian Leopard Cat, which is strange since most crossed animals are sterile. They also have wonderful immune systems and will stay healthy even when all the cats around it are diseased and sick.
It's not really wise to grab your kitty,break into the nearest zoo, and put on some romantic music. Unfortunately, you won't get the gentle kitty you are hoping for. It takes at least three generations for the wildness to completely leave the cats temperament.
Bengals are very popular with the general public and many people love the way this beautiful animal looks, but it isn't widely recognized in cat shows. Most of these shows won't accept hybrid animals. People are trying but it doesn't look like you will see a Bengal in a cat show anytime soon, but they aren't going anywhere in the area of being a wonderful house pet.
+
=
FUN FACT:
Bengals love water!
I was looking at my blog today and realized that my last two blogs weren't on the page. I forgot to publish them and only saved them instead, so I will post them now. Guess I will be paying more attention from now on!
I can remember being in the third grade and running home to watch my favorite TV show. I grabbed the remote and sat down and flipped straight to PBS. Arthur and his friends were doing crazy things and encouraged me to read. I never really knew the answer to one question though. Until one day when Arthur entered a spelling bee. "I know how to spell this word, it's what I am." He then sang and danced in order to remember how to spell the word: A-A-R-D-V-A-R-K!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOcyzddfvvM
Other than what I learned on Arthur, I realized I didn't know a whole lot about aardvarks and decided it would be my new blog topic.
Although Arthur lived in Elwood City, a real aardvark (Orycteropus afer) would be found in Africa. If were walking around in the daytime in Africa, you probably still wouldn't see one since they are nocturnal. They look a lot like an anteater, but have no relation. The aardvark is named the way it is because the Dutch though it looked like a pig and the dutch work varken means pig and aarde means ground/earth: "ground pig".
Aardvarks eat ants and termites and use their powerful claws to ruin colonies in order to get to the insects.It then uses its long straw like tongue to suck the insects into its mouth. It also uses its claws to dig complicated and intricate burrows. Aardvarks live alone so only a mother and her young will live in the same burrow. Its main defense is its claws. If attacked in its burrow it will turn around in its burrow and attack the attacker or if it can escape it will close off the burrow; burying the attacker. If an aardvark is attacked outside of its burrow it will roll over onto its back and use all four claws and slash open the attackers face.
A baby aardvark is able to find food and fend for itself by 16 weeks but doesn't leave the mother until the next mating season. They will live anywhere where they can dig and there are insects available.
FUN FACT:
When Marvel comics were coming up for the idea for Spiderman they started out with Aardvarkman but decided having a superhero with such a long tongue would seem to be more of a villain. They then opted for Spiderman.
http://www.awf.org/
Imagine walking along the beach, enjoying the sea air. All the sudden a crab crawls out of the ocean. Its arms are completely covered in what seems like hair. It looks almost like the abominable snow monster from Rudolph. That is the exact reason it is named the Yeti Crab (Kiwa hirsuta). Only one has ever been studied and described at any length. The "hair" on its long arms is actually flexible setae. The yeti Crab was discovered in 2005 slightly south of Easter Island(near Chile) and it made it's first comedic appearance in a webcomic named Sheldon. It lives in the Pacific Ocean in hot sulfur water. The Yeti crab has a diet of mostly algae, but have been known to have a feast when they come across a oyster with a weak or cracked shell.
The Yeti Crab truly looks like a big lobster that glued yellow yarn on it's arms. The first person to name this crab actually referred to it as the yeti lobster. It does look quite a lot like a lobster , but is scientifically more similar to the crab. This crab doesn't have very strong eyes because of a lack of pigment and is considered blind. It's hair actually filters the water surrounding the underwater hot vents where it lives. It is a natural filter.
The Yeti Crab really is bizarre looking. It's scientific name actually describes it quite well. Kiwa: Polynesian goddess of the shellfish; and hirsuta: meaning hairy in Latin.
The Yeti Crab really is bizarre looking. It's scientific name actually describes it quite well. Kiwa: Polynesian goddess of the shellfish; and hirsuta: meaning hairy in Latin.
http://www.accessscience.com/
news.nationalgeographic.com
One of the funniest animals to look at in my opinion is the blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus). It looks like a big two foot long lump of old grease that someone drew a face on. As fake as it looks, it really does exist. It lives off the coast of Australia on the very bottom of the ocean. They are very rare, and not many people have ever seen them. Just imagine if you were the first person to ever see one of these; freaky. The first recorded description is in 1978. The first recorded large reproducing group was only found in 2000.
The blobfish is made of a gelatin like substance that allows it to live in depths that have 80 times the pressure that is found at sea level. This is why it has no bones. Any animal with bones would explode. They don’t need muscles either because they don’t have control over their bodies. Most of their live is just by chance. They float in the water right above the sea floor waiting for something to come into their mouths. They can do this because their bodies are slightly less dense than the water. This allows them to hover in the water. The blobfish doesn’t do a whole lot so there isn’t a whole lot to say about them.
One female blobfish can produce up to 108,000 eggs at a time, but most scientists believe that the blobfish is becoming extinct. This is hard to determine because they are so rare and live in such a hard to get to place. The real number of fish left is hard to determine. The people who most often see blobfish are crab fisherman. They catch them while trying to pull up crabs and don’t throw them back quick enough. Blobfish dry out very quickly and most end up dying on the floor of the boat.
The blobfish doesn’t lead a very interesting life, but they can certainly make a person laugh at their seemingly disgruntled features.
http://www.itsnature.org/sea/fish/blob-fish/
http://kottke.org/09/09/blobfish
http://ezinearticles.com/?All-About-Blob-Fish&id=2812680
Well, first of all, what exactly is a lark? A lark is a small bird found mostly in Australia and throughout the Old World, although a small number can be found in North America. The lark found in the United States is the horned lark, which refers to the pattern on the bird’s head. The name “lark” includes about 75 different species of birds, all of them very similar. The only real variable in looks is the size and shape of the beak. It is difficult to tell the difference is some species because of such similar looks.
Larks are known to have beautiful voices that they use both as a way of asserting dominance over other males and to flirt with the ladies. These songs can be inspiring originals or imitations of up to 57 other birds. The song of the lark is mentioned in many different literatures, including more than once in the works of Shakespeare. Larks have been recorded singing a song for up to fifteen minutes straight.
Simplicity is their goal in looks. They are shades of brown and either speckled or streaked. This camouflages them quite well since they live on the ground. The males and females look very similar and it is hard to tell from just looking which is which. Some species have pink or red coloring on their chests, but the coloring is never very bright. The colors are almost muted.
They use stick and grass to create nests that lie on the ground or are hidden in low laying bushes. Scientist argue on which Family the lark should be placed under. Most scientists see the lark as more of a songbird (Passeri), while other see them in the same Family as crows (Passerida).They are five to nine inches in length. They have a long claw on the back of their foot that helps them to stand up and walk along the ground come comfortably.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/330633/lark
http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/larks.html
With the world the way it is, everyone can benefit from learning a little bit about an animal they didn't know about before. Every day I will find a new animal that people don't know a whole lot about and just inform them a little bit more about it. Every post will have at least one picture showing what the animal looks like. I will try to include where the animal can be found and some interesting facts about them. Hopefully everything will continue to be interesting throughout my time blogging.
