July 27/2016

(E.B.W.) Critter Corner

Feature: 
Things You May Not Know About Frogs

 “...We jumped at the chance to learn some little-known frog facts from Mark Schick, who is the collection manager at Shedd Aquarium...

1. When pursued, cricket frogs can jump really, really high. Like, 60 times the length of the body!... That’s the same as a human jumping as high as a 38-story building.

2. The tomato frog...puffs itself into a round shape, which looks a lot like a tomato, when it’s threatened, at which time it also releases a milky poison from its skin... 

3. African bullfrogs have been known to eat members of their own species on occasion... 

4. ...African bullfrogs can bury themselves in underground burrows for months. This protects them during periods of extremely dry weather, when temperatures often reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the day & dip below freezing at night. Once the rainy season begins, they come out & head for the shallow waters of temporary seasonal floodplains & puddles.

5. Green & black dart frogs work as a co-ed team when it comes to child care. The females lay clusters of up to 13 eggs in leaf litter, after which the males care for the eggs before carrying the hatchlings on their backs to small still-water sources in the trees.

6. One noise just isn’t enough for the male southern leopard frog, which makes 2 distinct calls...  

7. Wood frogs don’t mind the cold... Up to a third of this frog’s bodily fluids can safely freeze, allowing him to survive temperatures as low as 23 degrees Fahrenheit.

8. Wood frogs have a reputation for being “explosive breeders.” ​You might find thousands at a breeding pond over a period of a few hours...

9. American​ ​​​bullfrogs are big in North America... they’re the largest frogs on the continent, & the males’ calls can be heard more than half a mile away.​

10. Not all frogs have webbed toes. The blue-legged mantella frog, for example, is one of several frogs that is terrestrial, so it doesn’t have (or need) webbed toes for swimming.”


Kristen Seymour (Vetstreet.com)
April 9/2016
care2.com

Cute Critter Pic 

Weekly Chuckle 

July 20/2016

(E.B.W.) Critter Corner

 Feature:
 ...Amazing Animal Traits

“...Elephants
Elephants can smell water up to 3 miles away. They live in matriarchal societies with strong social bonds...

Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds have wings that beat up to 200 times a second. They are also the only birds able to hover, & they can fly backwards & even upside down!

Dolphins
...Each dolphin has a uniquely identifying signature whistle...
Dolphin clicks are among the loudest sounds made by marine animals. Although they lack vocal cords, these sounds are produced using 6 air sacs near their blowholes.

 Dogs
A dog can... hear sounds 4 times farther away than humans. Dogs have a sense of smell ranging from 100,000 to 1,000,000 times more sensitive than a human’s... 

Rabbits
Rabbits can see behind themselves without turning their head. Free-living rabbits live around 10 years, while domesticated rabbits can live to 16 years, & the longest on record is 18 years...

Cows
Cows... have almost total 360-degree panoramic vision. They also have an excellent sense of smell & are able to detect odors 5-6 miles away...
The oldest cow on record, Big Bertha, was born in Ireland, & died 3 months shy of her 49th birthday. An average cow‘s natural lifespan is 20-25 years...

Horses
Horses have the unusual trait of being able to sleep both standing up & lying down. The oldest horse on record was “Old Billy.” Born in England in 1760, he lived to the age of 62!

Chickens
Chickens have a complex language all of their own...They also have great memories & can differentiate between over 100 different faces (of their fellow chickens)...

Mice
Mice are remarkably adaptable to almost any environment, making them one of the most successful mammals living on Earth today...

Galapagos Tortoises
The Galapagos tortoise has a potential life span of over 175 years...

Seahorses
Male seahorses produce offspring. The female seahorse deposits eggs into a pouch on the male, who carries them through gestation & births them...

Bald eagles
The bald eagle can swim! They use an overhand movement of the wings that is similar to the butterfly stroke...

Sheep
Sheep are known to self-medicate when they are ill, eating specific plants that can cure them. Sheep have very good memories... 

Rats
Rats like playing collectively & love to sleep curled up together. They often share parenting responsibilities & take care of any injured or sick rats in their group.

Ducks
Ducks have waterproof feathers... There is a special gland near their tails to produce oil that spreads & covers the outer feathers. Beneath the outer coat is a layer of fluffy & soft feathers (down) that keeps them warm...

Whales
Whales are cetaceans...& are descendants of land-dwelling mammals...whales breathe air, are warm-blooded, nurse their young with milk from mammary glands, & have body hair.

Cats
Each cat nose pad is unique, similar to fingerprints in humans.
They can also have a litter of kittens fathered by more than one male...”

Alisa Rutherford-Fortunati
care2.com

Cute Critter Pic

Weekly Chuckle

Special Mentions
My Girls Lola & Sage had their birthdays (anniversaries actually) this week.
Sage turned 5 years old on July 19th & Lola hit the big 10 today (July 20th).
Happy Birthday to My Favorite Girls!!!

 

July 13/2016

(E.B.W.) Critter Corner

                                    

Feature:
Wild Sea Otter Visits Aquarium & Puts on a Rare Show

“Visitors at California’s Monterey Bay Aquarium were treated to a unique show after an expecting wild sea otter took refuge there to give birth...

Officials said they believe she appeared at the aquarium’s Great Tide Pool, which is sheltered by large rocks, to escape stormy seas. Her visit gave guests & staff an incredibly rare & exciting opportunity to witness the miracle of a sea otter birth firsthand...

Sea otters can give birth in water or on land... mom starts grooming her pup right away to help it stay warm & buoyant―a well-groomed sea otter pup is so buoyant it’s practically unsinkable.

Officials added, ‘Our sea otter researchers have been watching wild otters for years & have never seen a birth close up like this. We’re amazed & awed to have had a chance to witness this Monterey Bay conservation success story first hand in our own backyard. Welcome to the world, little otter!’

Sea otter populations were once abundant along the west coast, but they were nearly wiped out for the fur trade by the early 1900s...Today, they are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, & California’s population of southern sea otters is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
 
This otter mom is the second to visit the aquarium since December to give birth & although recovery has been slow, they are continuing to make a comeback. Now the latest birth offers more hope that the number of sea otters will continue to grow.”

Alicia Graef
March 8/2016
care2.com

Cute Critter Pic

Weekly Chuckle

Memorial
Annabelle
July 16/2001
Sweet, sweet Belle. I miss you so very much precious one.
RIP

 

July 6/2016

(E.B.W.) Critter Corner

                                 
 Feature:
 There’s Good News for Green Sea Turtles

     “Endangered sea turtles are making a comeback. Following a global status review of green sea turtles, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) & U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) announced some good news for green sea turtles who nest in Florida & along the Pacific Coast of Mexico.
     Citing successful conservation efforts that have helped bring their numbers up since they were first protected in 1978, the agencies announced that these turtles will now have their status officially downgraded from endangered to threatened.
     ‘... the reclassification of green sea turtles in Florida & Mexico shows how ESA-inspired partnerships... is making a real difference for some of our planet’s most imperiled species,’ said FWS  director Dan Ashe...
      Globally, green sea turtles are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species...  
     ...the agencies will be dividing green sea turtles around the world into 11 distinct population segments, which they say will allow for targeted conservation efforts that will help protect each one from different threats they face...
     ‘Identifying distinct population segments across the green sea turtle’s range provides flexibility for managers to address specific challenges facing individual populations with a tailored approach. Ultimately, this will help us protect & conserve green sea turtles more efficiently & effectively, so that we can achieve our goal of recovering the species,’ said Eileen Sobeck, assistant NOAA administrator for fisheries.
     Hopefully continued efforts to study & protect these sea turtles will help them overcome the obstacles & threats they face & ensure they remain a treasured part of our world.”

Alicia Graef
April 12/ 2016
care2.com

Cute Critter Pic

Weekly Chuckle