June 24/2015

(E.B.W.) Critter Corner

Feature:
San Diego Zoo’s Galapagos Tortoise, Speed, Dies at 150+Years

     "One of the oldest Galapagos tortoises (Chelonoidis nigra) in captivity has died. Speed, who was brought to the San Diego Zoo in 1933 was estimated to be between 150 & 160 years old. According to… the San Diego Tribune, Speed had been suffering from a variety of ailments, including arthritis. The zoo tried… hydrotherapy, acupuncture, a variety of medicines, & physically therapy but decided to euthanize him June 19 after these efforts were largely unsuccessful. 

     'He had some severe arthritis, & it just came down to a quality of life question,' Jonny Carlson, primary caregiver for the Galapagos tortoises at the zoo told the Tribune…

     Speed was a resident stud in the time he lived at the zoo, having sired 90 other tortoises over the more than 80 years he lived at the zoo, & was also one of the most popular Galapagos tortoises in the zoo’s habitat.  The zoo is home to 13 Galapagos tortoises that comprise 4 breeding groups.   


John Virata

http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/

June 20/2015

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June 17/2015

(E.B.W.) Critter Corner 

Feature:
Blue Skies for Bald Eagles  

           “Once a rare sight in Quebec, bald eagles are thriving across the province, & the surge shows no sign of a slowdown as these magnificent raptors re-populate our river, lakes, & shorelines.

           Reduced to a mere half-dozen nesting birds in the 1970s, there are now more than 200 bald eagle nests producing offspring…

           At their peak, bald eagles may have once numbered in the thousands across Quebec- from Anticosti Island to Abitibi, & from the southern tip of James By to the waterways of southern Quebec, with the highest population along the St.- Lawrence & Ottawa Rivers…

           Researchers & bird enthusiasts…have found that since the 1970s, bald & golden eagle populations have been more than doubling every 10 years in Quebec…

           In the early 1970s, there were fewer than 10 known active nest sites in the entire province…In 1989, that number had climbed to approximately 30 nesting pairs.

           As of this year, researchers have confirmed 200 active nests…

           With more than 130,000 rivers & a million lakes in Quebec, there is no lack of nesting space available for Canada’s largest bird of prey. The birds like to set up nests near large bodies of water that act as a source of food, & prefer large, old trees…

           Eagles could eventually nest in Montreal. A few years ago, a pair nested on heron Island, in the Lachine Rapids.”

Robert J. Galbraith

The Gazette, Montreal

Aug. 9/2014

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June 10/2015

(E.B.W.) Critter Corner

Feature:

Blue Crabs on Journey of Survival

           “Deep under the cold, dark waters of the Chesapeake Bay, the answer to whether the struggling blue crab population can survive lies buried in the mud.

           Tens of millions of female crabs are scattered across the floor of the lower bay in southern Virginia, where the estuary pours into the Atlantic Ocean, waiting out winter for one of the most important events of their short lives. When spring comes, they will inch closer to the ocean with billions of eggs…

           As females go, so go blue crabs. Last year, scientists estimated that there were only 68.5 million females old enough to spawn…

           Blue crabs, Maryland’s state crustacean & a symbol of pride for the region…are more threatened now than at any time since biologists started recording their numbers in the late 1940s…

                The total number of males, females, & juveniles was a mere 297 million last year…

           Adult male crabs are brawny, but the weight of maintaining the habitat falls on females. They do the heavy lifting, by far, in a yearly trek to replenish the species.

           After they mate from May to early October, nature beckons them to the mouth of the bay. Depending on where they depart in the estuary, pregnant females known as sooks migrate as far as 241 kilometres to get a spot in the lower bay near the salty Atlantic. Their offspring have a higher rate of survival in waters with elevated levels of salinity.

           Walking on 8 skinny legs & swimming with 2 tiny flippers, the perilous trip takes the entire fall…

           Females burrow in mud & stay almost perfectly still in winter to conserve energy at a time when food- oysters, clams, mussels, snails, insects, worms, & some fish- is scarce. After the thaw, they move closer to where the bay’s fresh water meets the salty Atlantic.

           Each female lays between 750,000 & 3 million eggs starting in late April…”

Darryl Fears

WASHINGTON POST

The Gazette, Montreal

Feb. 14/2015

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June 3/2015

(E.B.W.) Critter Corner

Feature:

Screaming Birds Parrot Humans at Their Worst

           “The Moluccan cockatoo does not sound pleased…Peaches is its name, & owner Elaine Sigmon told the Huffington Post that the bird busts out into these arguments with itself nearly every day. Sigmon said she believes the bird was previously owned by a bickering couple.

           ‘We had Peaches for several days when one afternoon she began ranting & raving as if (cursing) someone out,’ Sigmon told the Post. ‘My husband, Don, was sitting in the chair near her perch & she began to aggressively point her head toward him just like someone pointing their finger while arguing…’

           …Chris Davis, a bird behavioral consultant… said it’s hard to say how often this happens, but parrots can mimic humans at their worst…

           As for Peaches, Davis said this bird was likely in an environment ‘where it was hearing a person being emotionally & verbally abusive to another person.’ & it’s not all that surprising that Peaches picked up on the words.

           Why? Irene Pepperberg, a Harvard lecturer & scientist…said there are certain sounds that birds latch onto more than others.

           ‘In general, parrots will pick up what they hear, & vocalizations with a strong emotional content are more likely to be acquired than other vocalizations.’

           …'The bird will also pick up whatever will get attention (for example, birds often acquire sounds like telephone rings & microwave beeps, because humans immediately respond by going over to those objects).’

           … ‘Birds like emotion. They like a lot of emphatic movement, they like drama. Birds are drama queens; they love that kind of thing.’…”

Elahe Izadi

THE WASHINGTON POST

The Montreal Gazette

Feb. 14/2015

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