Brachychephalic Cirtters

I love cats, they are my favorite animal to be around, I have four of them that make my life amazing. There are a lot of people in this world that like cats, and some that don't. But, even if you are of the cat-disliking mind set you can still understand that we have done some pretty horrible things to them in terms of anatomy. The one that comes to mind is making them brachycephalic, meaning their rostrum (nose) is shortened and squashed into their face. This makes for some cute kittens, but for some not very healthy animals. Brachycephaly makes it difficult for the animal to breathe and can lead to problems such as colds or pneumonia. Cats such as Persians and Himalayans are not the only animals we have bred for this trait; we have done this to pugs and American bulldogs as well. And while this makes them look cute, it is cruel and not something that should be desired if people truly love their animals.
Please compare this normal cat skull to these four Persian skulls.

The Most Beautiful Family

Meet the Jewel Caterpillars, a members of the moth family Dalceridae. They are native to North America with a few reaching as far south as the Arctic Circle. The caterpillars are not toxic, though it has been found that they deter predators simply by being too sticky to eat. They have been in the news recently because they are beautiful as larvae, but we should not forget about the amazing adults they turn into. There are 84 known species within Dalceridae. But, enough talking; it's time for pictures.

New Zealand Birds- Kaka

Our look at New Zealand's birds continues with the second of our three parrot trio. The Kaka is a species of parrot most closely related to the Kea and Kakapo. The Kaka, which has two subspecies, is found in lowland and mid-altitude forests, seemingly undergoing niche partitioning with its cousins (Kakapo post coming soon). Kakas live in the mid to upper canopy of the forests; there they eat an omnivorous diet consisting of berries, fruit, nectar, invertebrates, seeds, and sap. Their tongue is brush-like allowing them to drink the nectar of flowers more easily. They use their strong hooked bill, which is very similar to the Kea's, to strip tree bark to find the larvae of the Huhu beetle.
Like so many of NZ's endemic birds, the Kaka is under threat from introduced mammalian predators. Stoats and possums are the main predators of eggs, chicks, and nesting females. Their nests are especially easy to access for these climbing mammals because they are built in the cavities of trees which the predators can climb easily. It has been shown that with a reduction in predator numbers the Kaka are able to increase their population fairly quickly. Even so, the IUCN lists them as Vulnerable.

Oysters and Calliopes

This is just a short post about two bird species that I saw for the first time. I'm excited about this as it means two more to high-lite in my bird book. More than that, it's two more beautiful animals that I've seen in my life in the wild. The first bird is the American Oystercatcher and the second is a male Calliope Hummingbird. The Oystercatcher was pocking around some rocks with two Black Oystercatchers and was spotted by my friend, I had dismissed it as another Black one. The Calliope was singing in a tree looking very cute. I was able to distinguish it from an Anna's by its white cheek stripes and the throat feathers which he was puffing away from his neck with each call.

Legen of Korra Cake

Sarah, Adam, Emily, and I made a cake for Jesse's birthday and because of who we all are it had to be Legend of Korra themed. Sarah sculpted Korra out of home-made fondant- marshmallows, butter, and powdered sugar. Adam piped the four Nations' symbols onto the sides of the cake.

Uncle Earl Band

This is a short note on a band that I recently heard- they are amazing! It's a group of five ladies who perform folk-country songs. The ladies of Uncle Earl are wonderful and I am proud to be a g-earlfriend (as their fans are called) . I highly recommend their songs. I'm especially fond of Bony of the Isle of St. Helena and One True.

New Zealand Birds- Kea

The Kea is the first of a series of parrots endemic to New Zealand that we will look at in this series on the amazing birds found in NZ. The Kea is the only parrot in the world to live in alpine climates. There it is an omnivore eating carrion as well as leaves, tubers, fruits, insects, and nectar. The Kea was once common all over NZ, but with the introduction of sheep its numbers began to decline, but not for the usual reasons these invasive herbivores negatively impact endemic birds. The Kea were killed off by sheep farmers who feared the Keas would attack and kill their sheep; there was even a bounty placed on them and between 1870 and 1970 an estimated 150,000 Kea were killed. That's right, these parrots will use their beaks to cut the sheep to access the large fat reserves near the sheeps' kidneys. Now, remember that this bird lives in alpine areas where there is little fatty food and it must store fat to survive the winters. Keas most often can obtain this fat from carrion, but with the introduction of large herds of sheep their food source grew.
Like many species of parrot, the Kea is highly intelligent. Tests have shown that they can operate a system of pulleys and levers to obtain food. They also interact with humans frequently, often stealing items such as food and even passports. These human encounters are detrimental to their health as they often eat food that is toxic to them. There are also reports of Keas being purposefully killed after human interactions. Other threats include lead poisoning from ingestion of building materials and poisoning from eating stoats and possums killed with rat poison.
The fate of the Kea is still uncertain despite its listing as a protected species. Nest predation by introduced mammals is a leading cause of chick death. Lead poisoning along with purposeful killing of adults continues today. Their numbers are estimated between 1,000-5,000. The IUCN lists them at Threatened.

The Mysterious Life of Eels

Eels are one of the least understood groups of fish in the world. They are so cryptic that scientists classified their life stages as multiple species. Their life cycle spans oceans an rivers and can take years to complete. It all begins when fully grown freshwater eels lay their eggs in the ocean. These eggs hatch into what is known as a leptocephali (singular leptocephalus). These little creatures are almost totally transparent and have no red blood cells. They feed on marine snow and can grow up to 12 inches. These things make them unlike most other fish larvae. After a period of 3-12 months the leptocephali grow into glass eels, also known as elvers. At this point they swim toward estuaries and begin to gain coloration as well as the common eel body shape. Elvers are frequently caught and sold for food with the price for a pound reaching $2,000 this year. Because of this, they are becoming a heavily fished animal and their numbers are dropping. The elvers grow larger in the rivers and streams growing into yellow eels, the juvenile stage before sexual maturity is reached. The yellow eels mature into adults which go on to produce more eggs starting the whole process over again.
Another cool fact...
Some species, such as the Moray, have a second set of jaws, known as pharyngeal jaws, that come forward when the mouth is open. These jaws allow the eel to bring prey into its mouth as their jaw is too narrow to create the negative pressure to suck in prey (the common feeding method in fish).

New Zealand Birds- Kokako

The Kokako is a flighted New Zealand native that fills the ecological niche occupied by squirrels in other part of the world. It is flighted compared to the fully flightless birds such as the Kiwi, but its wings are reduced and rounded making it a poor flyer, but a decent glider. It has long, strong legs that allow it to jump between trees searching for food. Its diet consists of leaves, fern fronds, fruits, flowers, and insects. The birds form long term pair bonds and can live up to 25 years in the wild. They are also the only bird species known to form male-male pairs that nest together and hold a territory together.
The lineage of the Kokako is an ancient one. It is estimated that the ancestors of the bird, along with its two closest relatives, came to NZ 80 million years ago just before Gondwana broke apart. Of its two closest relative one is extinct and the other is endangered. The family that they belong to, Callaeidae, is thought to be an early radiation of Passerines (song birds). Their next closest relative appears to be the Stichbird, but the taxonomic relationship has yet to be fully resolved.
Like many of NZ's native birds the Kokako has fallen victim to predation by introduced mammals with females being especially vulnerable during their 50 day incubation of the nest. The current population of Kokakos is estimated at 400 with the majority of these birds being male.
They are listed by the IUCN as endangered.

New Zealand Birds- Takahe

Our tour of the amazing birds of New Zealand continues with the Takahe.
This bird is the largest member of the rail family, Rallidae, weighing in at as much as 6 pounds and standing 20 inches high. It was thought to be extinct like so many of NZ's flightless birds, but in 1948 it was rediscovered high in the mountains on South Island. The Takahe lives on alpine grasses, shoots,and insects. They are a long-lived species that takes at least two years to reach sexual maturity. Both male and female parents care for the offspring in above ground nests. Each November 1-3 eggs are laid and 80% of the eggs hatch, but few chicks survive their first winter.
Due to their life cycle they were especially vulnerable to predation by introduced species such as cats and stoats. Like other flightless birds of NZ they were hunted by the Maori and were especially easy to locate because of their loud call. Other threats come from competition for grasses with introduced deer, but the National Wildlife Service is working to cull the deer population, and from habitat destruction due to expansion in paper-tree farms as well as agriculture. As of 2008 there are 250 Takahe living on the South Island.
The Takahe is currently listed by the IUCN as endangered and as having a growing population.

Farming Rhinos

This post will have a bit of a political note to it. I will not show the bloody pictures of what poachers do to rhinos, but if you would like to read further on this topic and see those graphic images the article can be found here.
There is a lot of talk right now about the idea of farming rhinos. Now, before you start protesting let me talk a little bit about the reasons behind this. For starters the overwhelmingly major reason rhinos are being killed is not for sport, but for their horns' supposed medicinal properties. The use of rhino horn to cure everything from a sore throat to cancer is wide spread in south-east Asia, especially in Vietnam's growing economy. There has been little research done on the actual benefits of rhino horn, but most people in the debate agree that it has little to no effect on health.
In addition to this, the current laws in places like South Africa state that when sport hunting (in which a large fee is paid to the government) the rhino must be killed. This seems a little illogical as many hunters say they would be willing to simply dart the animal and remove its horn above the point where it will regrow.
This leads to another point about rhino horns- they will regrow it cut off 2-3 inches from the base in about 2 years. This means that the rhinos can be sedated and the horns removed without pain, other than the dart, and the animal can get a vet exam at the same time. To me, this seems much better than shooting them and sawing off the horn at the base then leaving the animal to die of blood loss and infection.
Some people say that the farming of rhinos will only increase the demand for their horn and that the animals will not be treated properly, that they will be kept in confined spaces and be unhappy. John Hume says that this will not be the case. He currently keeps 700 rhinos on a game farm in South Africa. His rhinos have a large range and because of the regular harvesting of their horns they get a vet exam every two years. He believes that if rhino farming can become more widespread it would employ people who now turn to poaching to earn money for their families.
In addition to supporting local people though job creation, rhino farming has many other benefits. One of which is local education about the animals. The money from their horns could also be used to educate people abroad about how the animals are poached and that their horns have no medicinal benefit. In addition, the farmed horn could be sold for less than those on the black market thus undermining the black market and hopefully causing it to collapse.

Bred from a Different Stock

Think of a dog, Canis lupus familiaris, just the name alone says that our pets are actually a sub species of wolf. This is true of every dog one can think of from Irish Wolf Hounds to Papillons, except a little known breed created in Russia by Klim Sulimov. This breed, known as Sulimov dogs, is descended from the Turkmen Golden Jackal (Canis aureus aureus). The breed was created in 1975 for sniffing out bombs and other dangerous materials for Russia's national airline Aeroflot.
So why use a jackal as the base for a breed rather than the wolf which has been used for thousands of years? According to Sulimov jackals have a better sense of smell than the wolf and have a natural desire to sniff things out, unlike the wolf-based breeds which have to be trained and bribed with treats to sniff out hazards. The first generation of the breed was pure jackal which was fostered by a Lapponion Herding Dog. This was done to increase the jackals' comfort with humans as well as their trainability. Even so, the first generation was hard to train and naturally wary of humans. Sulimov then bred in wolf-based breeds such as the Huskie, Reindeer Herding Hound, Spitzes, and Fox Terriers to in crease the dogs' size and genetic diversity. This mix eventually resulted in the modern Sulimov Dog. These dogs are not only easy to train and have a natural love of sniffing, they are also hardier than any other breed being able to withstand temperatures from negative 94-100 degrees Fahrenheit. This amazing tolerance is the result of crossing multiple arctic breeds with the heat-loving jackal.
As of this post the dogs are not available outside of Aeroflot's breeding program, but the airline plans to start selling them as a superior sniffer dog in the near future.

The best name ever

Meet the Hoopoe scientific name Upupa epops (oopoopa eepops) in the family Upupidae. Not only does this bird have possible the best common name ever its scientific name is equally wonderful. The name Upupa is an onomatopoeia for the call the bird makes.
The origin of the birds dates back to fossils from the Quarternary with their relatives, the woodhoopoes, dating back to the Miocene. There are currently 9 subspecies of the Hoopoe with ranges across Europe, Asia, and Africa. They need habitat with open ground on which to forage and places with tall cliffs in which to nest.
In relation to humans the Hoopoe is mentioned in the Torah as not being Kosher and thus should not be eaten. It is mentioned in the Quran when it is absent from a meeting with Solomon. It is connected with death in Estonian culture. It is also the state bird of Israel and of the Punjab province in India. The Hoopoe eats many pests to humans such as a destructive moth.
The Hoopoe is known for its calls of which there are many. It has a characteristic love song as well as calls for scolding others of its species and for simply talking to one another. The common name derives from the breeding call.
The Hoopoe is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN as it is not hunted and can live in a fairly wide range of habitats and lives well with humans all over its range.

New Zealand Birds- Weka

This will begin a series on the birds of New Zealand.
The Weka(Gallirallus australis) is a member of the rail family and native only to New Zealand (NZ). It has four subspecies all of which are considered vulnerable by the IUCN. Efforts to reintroduce the Weka to its original habitats have been moderately successful. Some subspecies have been successfully reintroduced while others have continued to decline in numbers. The total population is estimated at 120,000- 187,000 birds. The current threats to the Weka are feral cats and dogs which prey on the adults. The chicks face threats from stoats and rats which eat both eggs and chicks. Other threats include introduced plant species out competing their native food plants as well as pressure from introduces browsers eating their food resources.
In historic times before Europeans arrived on NZ the Weka were both revered and hunted by the Maori who saw them as curious and feisty, but these traits also made them easy to catch. They were used for their feathers, their fat was used to treat inflammation, and they were eaten for food.
The Weka, like many birds in NZ, is flightless. This loss of an evolutionary novelty most likely came about because for over 60 million years there were no mammals on NZ which would prey on these birds. Because of this their only predators were other birds which could be hidden from through the use of camouflage which the Weka accomplishes well with its brown feathers. Like all rails it has large un-webbed feet for walking across reeds in marshes. The Weka can be found in a wide range of habitats from sub-alpine to coastal wetlands to urban areas. They are omnivores with plants making up 70% of their diet and small invertebrates making up the other 30%. Their ability to live in many habitats and eat many things has probably served them well in their ever changing world. Other flightless birds on the island have not survived as well as the Weka.

Avian Dinosaurs

The Hoatzin is possibly one of the oddest birds on the planet. It is found in swamps and mangroves of the Amazon and Orinoco Delta. It feeds on fruits and leaves which is processes in a modified crop not unlike mammalian ruminants where the plant matter can ferment before being fully digested. While this is interesting, it is not what they are known for. The Hoatzin is famous not for being an odd looking bird with a funny way or processing food, but for its chicks which posses a unique feature.
These chicks have claws protruding from their wings. These claws recede as the bird matures to adulthood. The claws are on two digits in their "hand" which make up the wing. The chicks use them to clamber over branches, an adaptation especially useful in light of the fact that the adults will flee the nest at the first sign of a predator leaving the chicks to fend for themselves. The chicks will climb out of the nest and hide in the tree branches or drop into the water below as the nests are usually built over streams. Once the predator is gone the chicks then climb back into the nest to await the return of their parents. At a certain point the chick grows too heavy to rely on its claws for support, at this point the chick begins to learn to fly and the claws begin to diminish.
Feel how you will about the evolution of birds, but this seems like pretty good evidence of the link between birds and their dinosaur ancestry.

Cooking Class #1

This class was all about lasagna and cheese cake. To be more specific, cupcake lasagnas and blood orange cheese cake. The major thing in favor of the tiny lasagnas is the bake time, only 15 minutes compared to at least an hour for a full-sized lasagna. There's also the plus of making them personalized, so some can be made vegetarian, without red sauce, with lots of cheese, etc. The cheese cake came out well, not very pretty, but it tastes good. Next time I make it I'll add a drop of red food coloring and the pulp of the blood oranges for a bit more color and pops of flavor.

Moby Duck

Moby Duck by Donovan Hohn follows the story of 28,800 children’s bath toys that were lost at sea from a container ship in 1992.It is a story of science and fun. Hohn goes on a quest to find out everything he can about these toys. In the process he uncovers many things most readers probably didn’t know as well as dispelling misconceptions. On his journey he travels to the factory in China that made the toys, travels on a container ship along the same route the toys took, hunts for them on beaches, and sends the toys to labs for chemical analysis. He dispels the myth that all the toys were rubber ducks, that rubber ducks are made of rubber, and that the Great Garbage Patch is a single entity. Through it all he instills a love of the ocean in his readers, a desire to learn more about how we are changing the oceanic environment and what can be done to reverse or arrest the negative effects we are having on it. The book is a fantastic combination of hapless travel log and in depth scientific look at plastic debris and its journey around the world and through society.

A Tribute to the Tardigrade

Tardigrades, more commonly known as Water Bears, are microscopic relatives of arthropods. They are water dwellers with eight legs and segmented bodies. The phylum was first discovered in 1773 when the first member was described. There are currently 1,150 species known to science found throughout the world, from 20,000 feet above sea level to 13,000 feet below sea level and from the poles to the equator.

Adults range in size from 0.1 to 1.5mm with newly hatched larvae often smaller than 0.05mm in length. They are most often found in damp areas, preferring habitats such as lichens or mosses, and can be found in concentrations of up to 25,000 animals per liter of water. Their diet consists of the fluids of plant and animals cells. They access this fluid by puncturing the cell membrane (and wall in plants) with a stylet and then ingest the contents of the cell. Some species will eat organisms whole such as rotifers and other Tardigrades.

They are best known for their ability to survive extreme environments. They can survive temperatures close to absolute zero (−459 °F) and as high as 304 °F. They can withstand 1,000 times more radiation than any other animal and can go almost a decade without water. Starting 2007 Tardigrades were sent into outer space for survival experiments; they were able to survive the vacuum of outer space in low earth orbit.

Smallest Mammal in the World

The Etruscan Shrew is the smallest mammal in the world weighing less than 2 grams, averaging 1.8; that’s the weight of two U.S. 1 dollar bills. It lives from Europe and North Africa to Malaysia, between 10° and 30°N latitude. The little guys prefer warm, damp places such as abandoned olive groves, vineyards, and other cultivated areas overrun by shrubs. Because of their high surface-area to volume ratio the shrews have to eat a huge amount, averaging 1.5 – 2 times its body weight in food per day. It eats small vertebrates and invertebrates, mostly insects. It can hunt prey up to their own body size. Their heart beats at 1,500 beats per minute, that’s 25 beats per second. During winter, when food is scarce, the shrew can reduce its body temperature to 12 °C and temporarily hibernate to reduce energy consumption.

They have an estimated life span of 2 years, but there is a large amount of variation to this. This is partially due to predations, most commonly by owls. They, like owls are mostly nocturnal, being most active at dawn. Other threats include harsh winters. Their biggest threat is from humans. Their nesting grounds are being turned into farm land. Though this is going on, the IUCN puts them at a status of Least Concern or Low Risk.

Sexual Dimorphism Troubles

Meet the Forest Rain Frog (Breviceps sylvestris) discovered in 1930. It is endemic to the Limpopo Province of north-eastern South Africa, where it has two sub-populations separated by 80 km of unsuitable habitat. It lives at 800-1,800 km above sea level, making it a highland species. It is on the IUCN Red List as endangered due to habitat fragmentation; in this case more than half of the total individuals in the species live in isolated patches. It is a small frog, ranging from 2-10cm long (snout-ventral length). They are fossorial (living underground), and as such have adapted to walking and digging rather than hopping or swimming; their hind limbs are too reduced for either of these modes of locomotion.

But, what makes this frog really amazing is how it mates. The mating occurs in underground chambers dug by the female. This isn’t too unusual. The odd part is that the female is significantly larger than the male. This presents a problem in that the male cannot clasp his forelimbs around her body to mate with her. The solution: glue. The male secretes a natural glue on his stomach and attaches himself to the back of the female. At this point he is attached to her and can fertilize the eggs once they are in the underground chamber she has dug. The eggs hatch into fully formed frogs, the tadpole (larval) stage occurring within the egg. This helps reduce the number of offspring lost to predations during the transition from the larval to adult stage.

The diagram shows typical frog mating positions with the center diagram being the Forest Rain Frogs. The male is grey, the female white.