Nov. 24/2021

 

Sloths Named the New National Animal of this Central American Country

 ''Slow-moving, sweet-faced & gentle sloths have taken the world by storm, becoming one of the most beloved creatures in popular culture in the last few years.

Formerly a synonym for laziness, sloths have become cultural darlings, with their famously adorable countenances that always seem to be smiling sweetly, 270-degree, slow head rotations, ability to hold their breath underwater for over half an hour, & a digestive system that takes days to process food. Sloth encounters have famously turned celebrities to tears, & have become among the top requested travel experiences.

Now, 2 of the 6 types of sloths in the world today have become national symbols of Costa Rica: the Two-Toed Sloth & the Three-Toed Brown Sloth. The country made the announcement ahead of world-wide International Sloth Day on October 20th.

According to The Costa Rica News, while signing the new law, Costa Rica’s president proclaimed, 'I celebrate the new national symbol: the sloth, the friendly & peaceful animal that is an international benchmark for animal protection.'

Another official explained the move 'sends a clear message to our society & the entire world, that our social pact with the environment is no reduced to the simple protection of large areas of land, but also shelters the species that live there.' Nearly 30% of the country is protected as a nature park or reserve.

Now, areas around known sloth habitats will be protected, & traffic slowed to reduce harm to the adorable, slow-moving creatures who are not able to walk, but pull themselves in slow-motion across the ground.

The country’s residents see a connection between the sloth’s easy-going, relaxed lifestyle, spending most of its time swinging gently from tree limbs, to the peaceful, Costa Rican ‘Pura Vida’ mindset which focuses on a living life with little stress & instead, enriching the mind, body, & soul. 

Even prior to its adoption as national animal, sloths were already among the best-known animals that visitors from North America look forward to spotting on a visit to Costa Rica.

Responsible Sloth Spotting in Costa Rica

Of the 6 sloth species in the world, Costa Rica is home to 2 unendangered subspecies – the 2-Toed Sloth and 3-Toed Brown Sloth, which are both typically spotted in tree canopies around the country.

While sloths can be spotted all throughout Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio National Park, Limón, Monteverde, the Osa Peninsula, Arenal, & Tortuguero are great places to start.

But spotting a sloth in the wild can be a challenge. Although they have few natural defenses, sloths can be hard to spot as their fur blends in well with the branches they hang from.

Travelers to Costa Rica are advised to book tours with tourism-board approved, responsible, & knowledgeable guides who can easily spot slots from a distance using a telescope. It is important to remember that petting, touching, & holding a sloth (or any wild animal) in any way in Costa Rica is illegal.

Instead, travelers are invited to take photographs. And even then, the government of Costa Rica has issued guidelines to avoid cruelty to the animals, support conservation efforts, & reduce illegal capture of sloths out of the wild.

Costa Rica has begun a #StopAnimalSelfies campaign & urges all visitors to practice responsible tourism by keeping a safe distance from any animal when taking photos.

You can also visit wildlife rescue centers in the country, such as Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center, Kids Saving The Rainforest, Las Pumas Wildlife Sanctuary, & Natuwa Wildlife Sanctuary, where visitor admission fees & purchases, as well as donations, help sloths & other wild animals return to nature. Extensive rehabilitation programs, where human contact is kept at a minimum, allow animals learn to re-develop their natural instincts. 

In some rescue cases, a sloth can’t be returned to its wild habitat, like 'Osito the Sloth' at Las Pumas - who suffered a birth injury rendering his hind legs non-functional. Sanctuaries provide enclosures similar to their natural habitat & offer educational information to visitors about why an animal cannot be re-released, what their diet looks like & typical enrichment activities that support their care & quality of life in captivity.

If sloths in particular, or wildlife encounters in general, are why you love to travel, Costa Rica’s new national animal is the perfect reason to plan a trip to see one of the most beloved & on-trend creatures in the world today."

trenttravel.ca

10/14/2021 

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Nov. 17/2021

Endangered rockhopper penguin successfully hatched at Montreal Biodôme

"A rockhopper penguin chick has emerged from its shell in the Montreal Biodôme, & it's being well cared for by its parents & a team of experts.

'I'm always extremely excited about chicks,' said Emiko Wong, head of the Biodôme's living collections department.

'I'm a true true sucker for chicks. They're just adorable in all kinds of ways & even more so when it's a penguin.'

The baby bird, an endangered species, was born on Oct. 28. The last successful birth was 2 years ago. In 2016, 3 chicks were born at the Biodôme.

Among zoological institutions in North America that keep the rockhopper penguin, the Biodôme has the largest colony & is the only one successfully breeding the species, according to the Space For Life Museum — the umbrella organization that manages sites like the Insectarium, Planetarium, & Botanical Garden.

'When we have larger colonies, we have more potential for mates to find each other because there's a bond,' said Wong, noting rockhoppers are monogamous.

The penguins live in the Biodôme habitat that replicates the tip of South America, where there are rocky islands in a subantarctic zone.

Hopping from rock to rock, or swimming in the Antarctic Ocean, the rockhopper penguin lives 10 to 15 years in the wild. But it can live about 30 years in captivity.

They weigh 2 to 2.5 kg. The males & females are identical, with a yellow line above their eyes & a crown of long yellow & black feathers.

The female lays one clutch with 2 eggs per year, one of them smaller than the other. Only one of the young, generally the one hatched from the larger egg, survives in the wild.

The male & female take turns caring for the eggs & young. In this case, Biodôme staff put the eggs in an incubator. 

'And we actually see the chick moving in the eggs,' said Wong. 'A few days before the pipping & the chipping & the hatching, we put it back under the parents.'

At the Biodôme there are 7 other rockhopper penguin couples, & many have already laid 2 eggs. 

'All these 7 couples have found their nest,' she said.

In 2013, about 240,000 northern rockhopper pairs were counted in the wild, & the International Union for Conservation of Nature & Natural Resources (IUCN) found the population had declined by 57% over the last 4 decades.

Climate change is thought to be one the main reasons for the decline as temperature variations affect the bird's ability to breed & limits food sources. Rockhoppers eat mostly krill, but also cephalopods...

For now, the Biodôme's new chick doesn't have a name. In fact, because males & females look so much alike, it's impossible to know its gender without a DNA test. That will be done later, when the chick is a bit older, Wong said.

And now with 7 couples nesting in the Biodôme, Wong said she hopes there will be a few more rockhoppers swimming in the habitat next year."

CBC News

Nov 13, 2021

cbc.ca 

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Nov. 10/2021

Fascinating Hummingbird Facts

"...WHAT IS A HUMMINGBIRD’S SIZE?

These diminutive birds weigh only about 4 g.—or .141 oz... The egg of a hummingbird weighs just 0.4g to 2.4 g. A newly hatched bird is just 0.62 g. However, when it’s time to migrate, hummers pack on the grams for the long trip—sometimes doubling their weight.

They are among the smallest birds, too, with most species measuring 3 to 5 inches long. The smallest bird, the bee hummingbird, is only 2 inches long—& weighs less than 2 g.

HOW FAST DO HUMMINGBIRDS BEAT THEIR WINGS?

Hummingbirds, with their iridescent colors & fairly short wings, beat their wings as fast as 80 times per second! They do NOT flap their wings—they rotate them in a figure 8, which makes it even more remarkable! In fact, their name comes from the fact that they move their wings so fast that they make a humming noise. Hummingbirds can hover, stop instantly, & fly in different directions (even upside down) with exquisite control.

WHERE DO HUMMINGBIRDS LIVE?

Hummingbirds evolved in the equatorial tropics. In the spring, 21 species fly thousands of miles northward from Mexico, Costa Rica, & other southern places to visit the United States & Canada. In the fall, they return to their southern homes. 

In North America, the greatest number & variety of hummingbirds can be found in western areas of the United States & as far north as Alaska. Only the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is found east of the Mississippi. The birds also visit southern Canada, especially British Columbia, Alberta, & Nova Scotia.

HOW FAR DO HUMMINGBIRDS MIGRATE?

Many of these birds make round-trip migration flights of more than 1,600 km (995 miles)! Although hummingbirds usually weigh less than an ounce, these tiny birds have a lot of energy. When the wind blows in the direction in which they are flying, they can travel up to 50 mph.

Some fly nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico in spring & autumn. Cornell University scientists report that in preparation for such flights, they double their body weight with nectar & insects. They burn all additional weight when crossing the Gulf of Mexico.  They consume 10 times per gram of muscle tissue than the most elite among human athletes, marathoners, & cross-country skiers.

When hummingbirds are arriving in the north, they are sometimes confronted with unusually cold weather & will enter into a hypothermic torpor to survive.

HOW FAST IS A HUMMINGBIRD’S HEART RATE?

Hummingbirds have a very high metabolic rate, with heart rate of 1,260 beats per minute & breaths of 250 times per minute. 

The long flights & wing-beating can make a hummingbird weary. As often as every 15 minutes, they look for a place to rest on trees & shrubs with small leaves. Particular plants include birch trees, butterfly bushes, & honey locusts. Don’t worry if you do not have these plants in your yard—your hummingbird might also rest on your feeder’s hanger.

COMMON HUMMINGBIRDS TYPES

Among the most common hummingbirds are the Ruby-throated, Rufous, & Anna’s Hummingbirds.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Only the Ruby-throated Hummingbird usually visits areas east of the Mississippi. The males have a distinctive ruby-red throat. Females are greenish, with a white throat & a notched tail.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird has a range which closely follows deciduous forests east of the 100th Meridian... While most Ruby-throated Hummingbirds cross the Gulf of Mexico, some take a more leisurely route along the coast during spring migration to Mexico & Central America & back in the fall. Males arrive about a week before females during both migrations.

Rufous Hummingbird

A popular hummingbird in the western United States, it makes the longest migration—to northern Alaska—for a bird so small. They have been extensively studied for foraging behavior & pollen transfer. An orange gorget & rufous flanks identify this species. Researchers believe that Rufous Hummingbirds had a major influence on the speciation of flowers in California.

Anna’s Hummingbird

A resident of the Pacific & Southwest states, the male is identified by it’s red throat & crown. The female has a small red patch on its throat.

DO HUMMINGBIRDS SEE RED?

...It turns out that hummingbirds have a dense concentration of cones in their retinas. These cones contain pigments & oil droplets in shades of yellow to red, which seem to act like filters. The filters appear to heighten color sensitivity to red & also yellow, while muting colors such as blue.

WHAT DO HUMMINGBIRDS EAT?

Hummingbirds live on flower nectar & insects, supplemented by food from hummingbird feeders...  

HUMMINGBIRD FLOWERS

Hummers will zoom towards any nectar-rich flowers. They do have a heightened sensitivity to brightly-hued red & yellow flowers but also they are speedy learners & will find nectar wherever they can.

The hummingbird is a prolific pollinator of flowers. Research shows that Ruby-throated Hummingbirds deposit 10 times as much pollen as bumblebees. So, to attract hummingbirds to your garden, make sure to include lots of plants known to attract hummingbirds.

What is a hummingbird’s favorite flower? Try bee balm & foxglove, just to name 2. 

WHEN DO HUMMINGBIRDS MATE?

Hummingbirds generally mate between March & July, with mid-May being the height of the breeding season.

These tiny flyers are especially vocal during the breeding season, when males interact with other males. Sounds vary from chittering to a humming sound caused by wing movement.  

The female selects the nest site & builds the nest—the size of a thimble!—within a week. Common materials for nests are moss & lichen, plant down, spider silk, cotton fibers, feathers, & fur or hair rubbed off on leaves.

2 very small eggs hatch in about 14 days, & the young fledge in 3 weeks. Pairs are only together a few days or weeks. After mating, the male is on his own, leaving the female to incubate the eggs & feed the young mostly a diet of insects.

WHAT’S A HUMMINGBIRD’S LIFE SPAN?

The life expectancy of a hummingbird is from 3 to 6 years. The oldest surviving hummingbird was 9 years old. Females outlive males by several years, probably due to the males’ high energy costs of defending territories & the long spring & fall migrations.

HUMMINGBIRD PREDATORS

The main predators of hummingbirds are swift-flying raptors, such as kestrels; other birds, such as blue jays; & some insects, such as the Praying Mantis. Occasionally, one is caught by a large fish as the bird sips nectar from a pond lily."

Tom Warren

August 18/2021

almanac.com

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Nov. 3/2021

Very good boy lands gig as Busch's 'chief tasting officer' for Dog Brew

"New York (CNN) After several weeks of searching, Busch has found the goodest boy to be its official Dog Brew 'chief tasting officer'."

Meet Ethan, a blockheaded, jowly rescue pup who had 'a fur-rific resume & story that will inspire us for years to come,' Busch said on its Facebook page.

Just 4 months ago, Ethan was abandoned, fighting for his life, in the parking lot of the Humane Society in Louisville, Kentucky. With help from the organization & his adoptive family, Ethan defied the odds & became a happy, healthy pup with an absolutely stupid grin...

Busch... that it was sniffing around to fill a newly created role for 'Dog Brew' — its canine-friendly, nonalcoholic bone broth.

The job pays $20,000 a year (plus free Dog Brew, of course) & includes such vital responsibilities as 'taste-testing, quality control, & fulfilling duties as an ambassador for the product,' the company said.

Ethan's story galvanized the community in Louisville. According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, he was left at the Humane Society severely dehydrated & malnourished, weighing just 40 pounds. He's now 85 pounds of pure goofball energy."

Allison Morrow

May 23, 2021

cnn.com/2021/05/23/business/busch-dog-brew-ethan-trnd

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