An Animal A Day
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Sea cucumber
The sea cucumber is an echinoderm of the class Holothuroidea, with an elongated body and leathery skin. Mostly found on the sea floor. It is so named because of its cucumber-like shape. Like all echinoderms, sea cucumbers have an endoskeleton just below the skin.
Sea cucumber, class Holothuroidea
Sea cucumbers are generally scavengers, feeding on debris in the benthic layer. Their diet consist of plankton and other organic matter found in the sea. One way they might get a supply of food is to position themselves in a current where they can catch food that flow by with their tentacles when they open. Another way is to sift through the bottom sediments using their tentacles. They can be found in great numbers beneath fish farms.
They have the peculiar adaptation of expelling first sticky threads, perhaps to incapacitate predators, and then their internal organs when startled by a potential predator. These organs can then be regrown.
Sea cucumbers reproduce by releasing sperm and ova into the ocean water. Depending on conditions, one organism can produce thousands of gametes.
Sea cucumber as food and medicine
Sea cucumber is one of the most unique foodstuffs in Chinese cuisine. It is highly valued for its supposed medicinal properties. The flesh of the animal is "cleaned" in a process that takes several days. Trepang is often purchased dried, and rehydrated before use. The product is used in Chinese stews and braised dishes due to its gelatinous texture but is unappetising on its own. In Japanese cuisine, Konowata is made of cured sea cucumber entrails from which they extract, salt, and cure. It is considered a major delicacy.
Some varieties of sea cucumber (known as "gamat" in Malaysia) are said to have excellent healing properties. There are pharmaceutical companies being built based on this gamat product. Extracts are prepared and made into oil, cream or cosmetics. Some products are intended to be taken internally. The effectiveness of sea cucumber extract in tissue repair has been the subject of serious study. It not only helps a wound heal more quickly but is also said to reduce scarring.
Issue #307 -
Caribbean Monk Seal
The Caribbean Monk Seal (Monachus tropicalis), the only seal ever known to be native to the Caribbean sea and the Gulf of Mexico, is now considered extinct. In the United States, the last recorded sighting of this marine mammal occurred in 1932 off the Texas coast.
Caribbean Monk Seal, Monachus tropicalis
The Caribbean Monk Seal was a relatively small seal (6-9 feet) with rolls of fat around its neck and brown pelage that faded to a yellow-white color on the stomach. The soles and palms were naked, with the nails on the anterior digits well developed. The males reached a length of about 2.25 meters and weighed up to 200 kilograms. Displaying sexual dimorphism, the females of this species were generally smaller than males.
These pinnipeds lived in marine environment, spending much of their time in the water, and occupying rocky and sandy coastlines for shelter and breeding. Their diet included eels, lobsters, octopus, and other reef fish.
Like other true seals, the Caribbean Monk Seal was sluggish on land. This, along with its lack of fear for man, and an unaggressive and curious behaviour, likely contributed to its demise.
Reproduction and Longevity
Very little is known about the reproduction behavior and longevity of this animal. Live pups were likely born in early December because several females killed in the Yucatan during this time of the year had well-developed fetuses. It is believed that this animal's average lifespan was approximately 20 years.
History
During his 1493 voyage, Christopher Columbus described the Caribbean Monk Seal as a "sea-wolf". Once this region began to be colonized soon afterward, whatever little habitat this species had left was lost. It also began to be exploited commercially for its oil, and less frequently, for its meat.
Unconfirmed Sightings
Unconfirmed sightings of Caribbean Monk Seals are relatively common in Haiti and Jamaica, where two scientific expeditions were undertaken recently -- both failed to produce any evidence of this animal as still living. Nonetheless, local fishermen and divers regularly claim to have seen the seal, making the existence of this animal still a possibility.
Today
A collection of Caribbean Monk Seal bones can be found at the Tropical Crane Point Hammock Museum in Key Vaca.
Conservation status: Extinct (mid-1950s)
Issue #308 -
Singapura
The Singapura is a recognized breed of cat.
The Singapura is an alert, healthy, medium sized cat of foreign type. The body has good bone structure and is moderately stocky and muscular, yet gives an impression of great elegance. Females are usually smaller than the males, but still feel heavier than they look. The strong slender legs taper to small oval feet. The tail should be slender but not whippy. and should have a blunt tip. Body colour is an old or golden ivory with a soft warm effect, ticked with sepia brown. Each hair has at least two bands of sepia brown ticking, separated by light bands — light next to skin, and dark tip. Muzzle, chest, stomach and inner legs are an unticked light ivory colour. Singapuras should have some barring on their inner front legs and back knees. The coat is short, fine, silky, and close-lying.
A Singapura
The breed has noticeably large eyes and ears. Eyes are large, set not less than an eye width apart, held wide open, but showing slant when closed or partially closed. A dark outline to the eyes is desirable. Eye colour hazel, green or yellow only. Ears are large, wide open at base, and deep cupped. The outer line of the ears extends upwards to an angle slightly wide of parallel. The head is gently rounded with a definite whisker break and a medium short, broad muzzle with a blunt nose. In profile, the Singapura has a rounded skull with a slight stop just below eye level. There must be evidence of dark pigment outline on the nose. ‘Cheetah’ lines from the inner corner of the eye towards just behind the whisker pad should be present.
The original home of the Singapura is the island of Singapore, with the breed taking its name from the local Malay name for the island — meaning 'Lion City'. The breed is the result of Mother Nature’s combination of genes indigenous to Southeast Asia — both the brown as in Siamese and Burmese and the agouti or ticked pattern. The area is the highest epicentre for the agouti gene, according to geneticist, Neal Todd, who has published articles on the migration of feline genes. This breed is the same colour as seal point cats or brown Burmese, but the difference is the agouti coat pattern and how it interacts with the sepia brown.
Alternate Names: The Drain Cat, Kucinta
Country of origin: Singapore
Issue #309 -
Parma Wallaby
The Parma Wallaby (Macropus parma) was first described by the great Australian naturalist John Gould in about 1840. A shy, cryptic creature of the wet sclerophyll forests of southern New South Wales, it was never common and, even before the end of the 19th century, it was believed to be extinct.
Parma Wallaby, Macropus parma
In 1965 workers on Kawau Island (near Auckland) attempting to control a plague of introduced Tammar Wallabies (a widespread and fairly common species in Australia) were astonished to discover that some of the pests were not Tammar Wallabies at all, but a miraculously surviving population of Parma Wallabies—a species long thought extinct. The extermination effort was put on hold while individuals were captured and sent to institutions in Australia and around the world in the hope that they would breed in captivity and could eventually be reintroduced to their native habitat.
The renewed interest in the Parma Wallaby soon produced another surprise: in 1967 it was found that they still existed in the forests near Gosford, New South Wales. Further investigation demonstrated that the Parma Wallaby was alive and well, and although not common, was to be found in forests along the Great Dividing Range from near Gosford almost as far north as the Queensland border.
Interestingly, the offspring of the Kawau Island population are smaller than their fully wild relatives, even when provided with ample food: it appears that competition for limited food resources on the island selected for smaller individuals.
The Parma Wallaby is the smallest member of the genus Macropus, at between 3.2 and 5.8 kg, less than one tenth the size of the largest surviving member, the Red Kangaroo. It is about a half metre in length, with a sparsely furred, blackish tail about the same length again. The fur is a reddish or greyish brown above, greyer about the head, and fading to pale grey underneath. Presumably, individuals had been sighted many times during the years when it was "extinct", but mistaken for an especially slender and long-tailed example of the otherwise similar Red-legged or Red-necked Pademelon.
Like the pademelons, it prefers to occupy wet sclerophyll forest with thick undergrowth, and grassy patches, although Parma Wallabies are also found occasionally in dry eucalypt forest and even rainforest. It is mainly nocturnal and usually shelters in thick scrub during the day, through which it can travel at speed along the runways it makes. It emerges from cover shortly before dusk to feed on grasses and herbs in forest clearings. The Parma Wallaby is largely solitary; two or at most three animals sometimes coming together to feed in favourable circumstances.
Although the Parma Wallaby remains rare, there seems to be no immediate threat to it provided that more habitat destruction does not take place, and the population is thought to be slowly increasing.
Conservation status: Lower risk (nt)
Issue #310 -
Common Cuckoo
The Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes, which also includes the roadrunners, the anis, the coucals, and the Hoatzin.
Common Cuckoo, Cuculus canorus
It is a widespead summer migrant to Europe and western Asia, and winters in Africa. It is a brood parasite, which lays its eggs in the nests particularly of Dunnocks, Meadow Pipits, and Reed Warblers.
Female Cuckoos are divided into gentes, that is populations favouring a particular host species nest and laying eggs which match those of that species' in colour and pattern.
The exception is in the case of the Dunnock, where the Cuckoo's egg has no resemblance to its hosts' blue eggs. This is thought to be because the Dunnock is a recent host, and has not acquired the ability to distinguish eggs. Male cuckoos breed with females without regard to gens. This results in gene flow between the gentes and maintains a common gene pool for the species.
The chick which hatches from the egg laid in the other species' nest methodically evicts all other occupants of the nest, a behaviour that was first described by Edward Jenner. This is necessary since it is a much larger bird than its hosts, and needs to monopolise the parents' food supplies.
This cuckoo is a greyish bird with a slender body, long tail and strong legs. The females only are sometimes brown, the “hepatic” phase. It looks like a small bird of prey in flight, although the wings stay below the horizontal.
It is a bird of open country. Its food is insects, with hairy caterpillars, which are distasteful to many birds, being a speciality.
The cuckoo group gets its English and scientific names from the call of the male Common Cuckoo, usually given from an open perch, goo-ko. The female has a loud bubbling call. In England, hearing the call of the Cuckoo is regarded as the first harbinger of spring, and The Times newspaper notoriously features correspondence every year reporting the first calls.
In Russia, there's a popular belief that a cuckoo can predict how many more years a person will live. If a person hears a cuckoo in the woods, he or she usually asks "Cuckoo, cuckoo, how long will I live?". It is believed that a person will live as many years as a cuckoo cuckooed.
The word "cuckold" derives from the Cuckoo's practice of tricking other birds into raising its young.
Issue #311 -
Fischer's Chameleon
The Fischer's Chameleon (Bradypodion fischeri) includes several subspecies of chameleon native to the mountains of Kenya and Tanzania, particularly the Usambara Mountains region. It is also known as the Usambara two-horned chameleon, from the flat horns evident on the males of the species. Females have very short or no horns.
Giant Fischer's Chameleon, Bradypodion fischeri fischeri
The three most common subspecies are the Giant Fischer's Chameleon (Bradypodion fischeri fischeri), the standard Fischer's Chameleon (Bradypodion fischeri multituberculatus), and the Dwarf Fischer's Chameleon (Bradypodion fischeri tavetanus). The names describe their relative sizes, with the giant Fischer's extending up to 16 in, and the dwarf subspecies as small as half that size.
Other less common subspecies are the (Bradypodion fischeri excubitor) and (Bradypodion fischeri uluguruensis).
The Fischer's Chameleon is commonly kept as a pet, mostly sold from those caught in the wild.
Issue #312 -
Bordered White
The Bordered White (Bupalus piniaria), also known as the Pine Looper, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is a common species of coniferous woodland throughout the Palearctic region, the Near East and North Africa.
Bordered White, Bupalus piniaria
This is a variable species with strong sexual dimorphism. The male has wings varying from white to deep yellow with broad brown borders. The female is plainer, varying from yellow to brown. The wingspan is 34-40 mm. The adults fly in May and June, sometimes later in the north of the range.
The larva is green with pale lines and usually feeds on various species of pine, especially Scots Pine and European Black Pine, although it has also been recorded feeding on Douglas-fir, larch and spruce. This species can be a serious pest in conifer plantations. It overwinters as a pupa.
Subspecies
* B. p. bernieri
* B. p. espagnolus
* B. p. piniaria
Issue #313 -
Spotted Moray
The Spotted Moray (Gymnothorax moringa) is a typical medium-sized Moray eel. It has a long snake-like body, white or pale yellow in color with small overlapping dark-brown spots. It can grow to over a metre in length and weigh up to 2.5 kg.
Spotted Moray, Gymnothorax moringa
The spotted moray is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina and Bermuda to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. It is also found around Mid- and Eastern Atlantic islands as far south as St Helena. It prefers shallow water (up to 200 metres in depth) with a rocky or grassy bottom.
Spotted morays are solitary animals, and are usually seen in holes, with only the head protruding. They are active during the day, feeding at the sea bottom on crustaceans and other fish. Their bite can be dangerous to humans. There is a minor fishery for them, and they have even been kept as aquarium fish, though they grow too large for this to be practicable in most circumstances.
Issue #314 -
Geoduck
Pronounced "GOO-wee-duck", the Geoduck (Panopea abrupta or Panope generosa) is a species of large saltwater clam, also known as the king clam or elephant trunk clam.
Pacific geoduck clam, Panopea abrupta
The name is derived from a Nisqualli Indian word meaning "dig deep", and its phonetically counterintuitive spelling is likely the result of poor transcription. Alternate spellings include gweduck and goiduck.
Native to the Pacific Coast of the United States and Canada (primarily Washington, British Columbia, and Southeast Alaska), it is the largest burrowing clam in the world, weighing in at an average of one to three pounds (1.4 kg) at maturity, but specimens weighing over 10 pounds (4.5 kg) and as much as a meter in length are not unheard of.
It has a life expectancy of more than 100 years, with the oldest recorded at over 160 years. Scientists speculate that the geoduck's longevity is the result of low wear and tear. A geoduck sucks plankton down through its long siphon, filtres them for food and ejects its refuse out through a separate hole in the siphon. Geoducks have few natural predators which may also contribute to their longevity. In Alaska, sea otters and dogfish have proved capable of dislodging adult geoducks. Starfish also attack and feed on the exposed geoduck siphon.
Geoducks are broadcast spawners. A female geoduck produces about 5 billion eggs in her century-long lifespan—in comparison, a human female produces about 500 viable ova during the course of her life. It is possible that this fact, in conjunction with the phallic shape of the siphon, has led to the belief that the shellfish has aphrodisiac properties.
The geoduck is the official mascot of the Evergreen State College, located at the southernmost tip of Puget Sound in Olympia, Washington. The school's Latin motto, Omnia Extares (or, "let it all hang out") is probably intended as a tongue-in-cheek reference to the creature's appearance.
Industry
The world's first geoduck fishery was created in 1970, but demand for the semi-forgotten clam was low. Today, they sell in Asia for up to US$30/lb. The Jumbo clam, like abalone, is highly regarded in Chinese cuisine. Its large, meaty siphon is prized for its incredibly sweet (umame) flavour and crunchy texture. Extremely popular in Hong Kong, China and Japan, where it is considered a rare taste treat, Geoduck is mostly eaten cooked in a fondue-style Chinese hot pot or raw sashimi style, dipped in soy sauce and wasabi. On Japanese menus, Geoduck is called mirugai or mirukuigai. (Although mirugai is sometimes translated to english as "Giant Clam", it is distinguished from "Himejako" sushi made from Tridacna gigas.)
The geoduck's high market value has created an $80M annual industry, with harvesting occurring in both Washington state and the province of British Columbia. It is one of the most closely regulated fisheries in the both countries; in Washington, Department of Natural Resources staff are on the water continually, monitoring harvests, and the same is true in Canada where the Underwater Harvesters' Association manages the Canadian Fishery in conjunction with Canada's Department of Fisheries and Ocean. Demand has also led to a rapidly developing aquaculture industry.
Conservation status: Lower risk
Issue #315 -
Maiasaura
Maiasaura peeblesorum ("Peebles' good mother lizard") is a large duck-billed dinosaur species that lived in Montana in the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian), 74 million years ago.
Maiasaur with babies, at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center
Discovery
Maiasaura was discovered by dinosaur paleontologist Jack Horner (paleontologic advisor for the Jurassic Park movies). He named the dinosaur after a series of nests with remains of eggshells and hatchlings. This was the first proof of giant dinosaurs raising and feeding their young. Over 200 specimens, in all age ranges, have been found.
Characteristics
Maiasaura was quite a strange looking animal: it was large, about 7 meters long, and it had the typical hadrosaurid flat beak and a thick nose. It had a small, spiky crest in front of its eyes. The form of the head was reminiscent of a horse's. This dinosaur was herbivorous. It walked both on two or four legs and it had no defense against predators, excepting, perhaps, its heavy muscular tail and its herd behaviour.
It lived in herds and it raised its young in nesting colonies. The nests, containing 30 to 40 eggs, were made of earth, and were guarded by the parents (parental care). The eggs had about the size of ostrich eggs, so the hatchlings had to grow fast.
Maiasaura lived alongside with the ceratopsid Centrosaurus, the tank-like Euoplocephalus, and an earlier relative of Tyrannosaurus rex, Daspletosaurus torosus.
Conservation status: Fossil
Issue #316 -
Pharaoh Hound
The Pharaoh Hound is a breed of dog, classed as a member of the sighthound/pariah family. It has a decent balance between the primitive features and manners of the pariah family and the grace and racy lines of the sighthounds.
Pharaoh Hound
Appearance
Two other breeds that are similar to the Pharaoh Hound and that apparently descended from the same anscestral lines have developed in other Mediterranean islands. One is the striking Ibizan Hound, which has a form much like that of the Pharaoh hound, but is colored differently. The Ibizan Hound may be white, with shades of brown or tawn, whereas the Pharaoh hound is always a solid reddish-ruddy color. The other similar breed is the Sicilian Greyhound (not the Italian Greyhound), which is essentially a miniature of the Pharaoh with a wholly different personality.
History
For many years, this breed was considered one of the oldest dog breeds. Recent DNA analysis reveals, however, that this breed is actually a recent construction, bred to resemble an older form. This DNA data now puts to rest the "Egytian Myth" and proves the breed did not originate from Egypt.
Miscellaneous
The Pharaoh Hound is the national dog of Malta, and its Maltese name, Kelb-tal Fenek. A literally translation is "Dog of the Rabbit", a better translation is "Rabbit Hound" (translations are generally not literal).
Alternative names: Kelb Tal-Fenek
Country of origin: Malta
Issue #317 -
Naked Mole Rat
The Naked Mole Rat (Heterocephalus glaber), also known as the Sand Puppy, or desert mole rat, is a very unusual burrowing rodent native to parts of East Africa, predominately South Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. They are the only species currently classified in genus Heterocephalus.
Naked Mole Rat, Heterocephalus glaber
Typical individuals are 8–10 cm long and weigh 30–35 g. Queens are larger and may weigh over 50 g, the largest reaching 80 g. They are well-adapted for their underground existence. Their eyes are just narrow slits, and consequently their eyesight is poor. However, they are highly adapted to moving underground, and can move backwards as fast as they move forwards. Their large, protruding teeth are used to dig. Their lips are sealed just behind their teeth while digging to avoid filling their mouth with soil. Their legs are thin and short. They have little hair (hence the common name) and wrinkled pink or yellowish skin.
Clusters of 20 to 300 animals live together in complex systems of burrows in arid East African deserts. They have a complex social structure in which only one female (the queen) and one to three males reproduces. The relationships between the queen and the breeding males may last for many years. A behaviour called reproductive suppression is believed to be the reason why the other females do not reproduce, meaning the sterility in the working females is only temporary, and not genetic. Queens live from 13 to 18 years, and are extremely hostile to other females behaving like queens, or producing hormones for becoming queens. When the queen dies, another female takes her place, sometimes after a violent struggle with her competitors.
This eusocial organisation social structure, similar to that found in ants, termites, and some bees and wasps, is believed to be nearly unique among mammals. The Damaraland Mole Rat (Coetomys damarensis) is probably the only other eusocial mammal. The naked mole rat is also unique among mammals as it is virtually cold-blooded; it cannot regulate its body temperature at all and requires an environment with a specific constant temperature in order to survive.
Respiration plays an important role, because in the tunnels there exists hardly any oxygen. The lungs of this animal are built very small, so therefore they have blood with a very strong affinity for oxygen, which uses oxygen quite efficiently. It has a very low respiration and metabolism rate for an animal of its size, which uses oxygen minimally. In long periods of hunger, such as a drought, this rate can sink up to 25 percent.
The skin of naked mole rats lacks a key neurotransmitter called Substance P that is responsible in mammals for sending pain signals to the central nervous system. Therefore, when naked mole rats are cut, scraped or burned, they feel no pain. When injected with Substance P, however, the pain signalling works as it does in other mammals.
In popular culture
A naked mole rat named Rufus is featured in the Disney cartoon Kim Possible. The Errol Morris documentary Fast, Cheap and Out of Control features a naked mole rat specialist.
Issue #318 -
Chinstrap Penguin
The Chinstrap Penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica) is a species of penguin which is found in the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica, the South Orkneys, South Shetland, South Georgia, Bouvet Island, Balleny and Peter I Island. Their name derives from the narrow black band under their heads which makes it appear as if they are wearing black helmets, making them one of the most easily identified types of penguin.
Chinstrap Penguin, Pygoscelis antarctica, hunting for krill
Other names for them are "Ringed Penguins", "Bearded Penguins", and "Stonecracker Penguins" due to their harsh call. They grow to 75 cm and there are approximately 7,500,000 breeding pairs. Their diet mostly consists of krill with a little fish as well. They build circular nests from stones, and lay around two eggs, which are incubated by both the male and the female for shifts of five to ten days. The chicks hatch after about 35 days, and have fluffy grey backs and white fronts. The chicks stay in the nest for 20–30 days before they go to join a creche. At around 50–60 days old, they moult, gaining their adult plumage and go to sea.
Issue #319 -
Green Tree Python
The Green Tree Python (Morelia viridis) is a species of tree-dwelling python native to New Guinea, various islands in Indonesia, and the northern tip of Western Australia (Cape York Peninsula). Between localities, there are several supposed patterning differences; for example, species from Aru Island, Indonesia typically have more white spotting than species from say, Papua New Guinea.
Green Tree Python, Morelia viridis
Green Tree Pythons, formerly known as Chondropython viridis, are also referred to as "Chondros" by people in the reptile industry. After several taxonomic changes, taxonomists have finally settled with "Morelia viridis" as the scientific name.
The Green Tree Python is remarkable in several ways: one, it uses heat-sensitive labial pits to help capture its prey, usually at night, and two, it goes through a drastic ontogenetic color change between childhood and adulthood. Green Tree Python neonates can range from highlighter yellow to brick red or brown. Adults are like snowflakes - every one is a bit different - but most are green with some variation, depending on selective breeding or locality. In addition to several designer patterns recently breeders have produced an Albino animal. While some feel they are aggresive, most animals can be handled during daylight hours with no issues.
Issue #320 -
Emperor Dragonfly
The Emperor Dragonfly, Anax imperator, is a large and powerful species of European hawker dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae, averaging 78 mm in length.
Female Emperor Dragonfly, Anax imperator, laying eggs
Males have a sky blue abdomen marked with a diagnostic black dorsal stripe and an apple green thorax. Females have a green thorax and abdomen. The male is highly territorial, and difficult to approach. The species lives by larger ponds, gravel pits and slow rivers.
Issue #321 -
Goblin Shark
The Goblin Shark (Mitsukurina owstoni) is a rarely seen species of shark. It is notable for its long beak projecting forward of the jaws, the ability of its jaws to protrude greatly, and for its pink color. The Goblin Shark is the sole known living member of the family Mitsukurinidae; the relatively plentiful fossil record includes another two dozen or so species.
Goblin Shark, Mitsukurina owstoni
The front teeth are long and smooth-edged, while the rear teeth are adapted for crushing. Goblin Sharks feed on jacopever, octopuses and crabs, most likely by sensing the presence of prey with electro-sensitive organs in the beak, suddenly protruding the jaws, creating a sucking motion with a tongue-like muscle, and using the teeth to hold onto the victim.
The pink coloration, unique among sharks, is due to blood vessels underneath a semi-transparent skin, which bruises easily, thereby causing the coloring. The fins have a bluish appearance. As with Thresher Sharks and other members of the order Lamniformes, the upper lobe of the tail is much longer than the lower lobe.
Only about 45 specimens have been described in the scientific literature. They generally live at a depth of up to 1,200 m, at the sea bottom. Half have been found off Japan, including the first one described (Jordan, 1898). The largest seen so far was 385 cm (12.6 ft) in length. Several are preserved at the Australian Museum.
Issue #322 -
Crab louse
Crab lice (singular, louse), scientific name Phthirus pubis and commonly called "crabs" due to their resemblence to the crab, are one of three kinds of human lice in the large group of lice families, the others being head lice and body lice, which live in clothing. They are wingless, about 1 to 3 mm long. They attach themselves to hair strands, and hatch out of pods with lids, or "nits", that are too tightly attached to be brushed off but must be removed by pulling with the nails or a fine-toothed comb.
Crab louse, Phthirus pubis
General information
The crab louse can live in almost any form of humanoid hair, but is found most commonly in pubic hair, leading to its other common name of pubic louse. Its legs are adapted to climbing along relatively widely spaced hairs, and so can be found in eyelashes, pubic hair, beards, moustaches, and even armpit hairs. The individual louse can survive up to a week apart from its necessary human host, so that crab lice can be passed on in sleeping bags and bedding. The female may lay up to 40 eggs a time, resulting in a fluctuating but growing population. The louse feeds on blood and can leave irritating spots on the skin, sometimes mistaken for pimples, a condition called Pediculosis pubis.
Pubic lice have legs that are spaced further apart than head lice, this is an adaptation that enables them to move around more easily in their habitat.
The female louse glues her eggs, called "nits", which look like tiny white beads, to hair shafts. The louse feeds on human blood, and the bite causes itching. Bites can become secondarily infected; scratching may break the skin and help cause secondary infection. The most common symptom is itching of genital area.
Pubic lice are normally spread by sexual contact and are considered a sexually transmitted disease, but can also be spread by sharing clothes or bedding. A common misbelief is that infestation can be spread by sitting on a toilet seat. This isn't likely, since lice cannot live long away from a warm human body. Also, lice do not have feet designed to walk or hold onto smooth surfaces such as toilet seats.
Life cycle
There are three stages in the life of a pubic louse: the nit, the nymph, and the adult.
* Nit: Nits are pubic lice eggs. They are hard to see and are found firmly attached to the hair shaft. They are oval and usually yellow to white. Nits take about 1 week to hatch.
* Nymph: The nit hatches into a baby louse called a nymph. It looks like an adult pubic louse, but is smaller. Nymphs mature into adults about 7 days after hatching. To live, the nymph must feed on blood.
* Adult: The adult pubic louse resembles a miniature crab when viewed through a strong magnifying glass. Pubic lice have six legs, but their two front legs are very large and look like the pincher claws of a crab; this how they got the nickname "crabs." Pubic lice are tan to greyish-white in color. Females lay nits; they are usually larger than males. To live, adult lice need to feed on blood. If the louse falls off a person, it dies within 1-2 days.
Treatment
Pubic lice are easily killed by a 1% permethrin or pyrethrin lice shampoo, but the pubic hair must be combed with a fine-toothed comb after treatment to remove the nits. Lice can survive in bedding and clothing, so these items must be treated, sterilized, or contact with them must be avoided for two weeks, after which time any lice will have died.
Lindane (1%), another pediculocide, is not recommended for pregnant or nursing women or for children less than 2 years old.
Issue #323 -
Norfolk Island Kaka
The Norfolk Island Kaka (Nestor productus) was a large parrot with a prominent beak. Its plumage was olive-brown, with an orange throat and straw-coloured breast. It inhabited the rocks and treetops of Norfolk Island and the adjacent Phillip Island. It was a relative of the Kaka from New Zealand.
Norfolk Island Kaka, Nestor productus
It was first described by the naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster and his son Georg following the discovery of Norfolk Island by James Cook on October 10, 1774. It was hunted for food and trapped as a pet from the arrival of the first settlers in 1788 onwards, and became extinct in the wild in the early nineteenth century. The last one in captivity died in London in 1851.
The bird was officially classified by John Gould in 1836, from a specimen at the Zoological Society of London. During his visit to Australia Gould established that the bird had also inhabited Phillip Island. At least seven specimens survive.
Conservation status: Extinct (19th C.)
Issue #324 -
Ocicat
The Ocicat is a new and still-rare breed of cat which has spots resembling a 'wild' cat and the temperament of a domestic animal, named for its resemblance to the ocelot.
Sleeping Ocicat
Despite its appearance, there is no 'wild' DNA in the Ocicat's genepool. The species is actually a mixture of Siamese and Abyssinian, and later American Shorthairs (silver tabbies) were added to the mix for their silver colour and distinct markings.
The first breeder of Ocicats was Virginia Daly, of Berkley, Michigan, who attempted to breed an Abyssinian-pointed Siamese in 1964. The first generation of kittens appeared Abyssinian, but the surprising result in the second generation was a spotted kitten, Tonga, nicknamed an 'ocicat' by the breeder's daughter. Tonga was neutered and sold as a pet, but further breedings of his parents produced more spotted kittens, and became the base of a separate Ocicat breeding program.
There are twelve separate colour/pattern combinations registered for ocicats, and these fall into five larger groups - chocolate, cinnamon, tawny, silver and dilute. Ocicats must not have cream/red coloration or they are disqualified from showing.
Issue #325 -
Onager
The Onager (Equus hemionus) is a large mammal belonging to the horse family and native to the deserts of Syria, Iran, India, and Tibet. It is sometimes known as the Half Ass or the Asian Wild Ass.
Onager, Equus hemionus
Like many other large grazing animals, its range has contracted greatly under the pressures of hunting and habitat loss, and of the six subspecies, one is extinct and two endangered. The Kiang (Equus kiang), a Tibetan relative, is generally regarded as a separate species, although classified by some as a subspecies of Onager, E. hemionus kiang.
Onagers are a little larger than Donkeys at about 290 kg and 2.1 metres (head-body length), and are a little more horse-like. They are short-legged compared to horses, and their coloring varies depending on the season. They are generally reddish-brown in color during the summer, becoming yellowish-brown in the winter months. They have a black stripe bordered in white that extends down the middle of the back. Onagers were used in ancient Sumer to pull chariots, circa 2600 BCE.
Subspecies
* Mongolian Wild Ass (Equus hemionus hemionus). Status: vulnerable.
* Indian Wild Ass or Khur (Equus hemionus khur). Status: endangered.
* Gobi Kulan (Equus hemionus luteus). Status: vulnerable.
* Kulan (Equus hemionus kulan). Status: critically endangered.
* Onager or Persian Onager (Equus hemionus onager). Status: critically endangered.
* Syrian Wild Ass (Equus hemionus hemippus). Status: extinct since 1927.
Issue #326 -
Laysan Albatross
The Laysan Albatross, Phoebastria immutabilis, is a large seabird that ranges across the North Pacific. This small (for its family) albatross is the second most common seabird in the Hawaiian Islands, with an estimated population of 2.5 million birds, and is currently expanding (or possibly re-expanding) its range to new islands. It is named for Laysan, one of its breeding colonies in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
Laysan Albatross, Phoebastria immutabilis
Description
The Laysan Albatross is usually easy to identify, in the North Pacific it is simple to separate from the other relatively common albatross, the all black Black-footed Albatross. It can be distinguished from the very rare Short-tailed Albatross by its all dark back and smaller size. The Laysan Albatross' plumage has been compared to that of a gull, two tone with a dark grey mantle and wings, and white underside and head.
Behaviour and range
The Laysan Albatross has a wide range across the North Pacific. Its main breeding colonies are in the Hawaiian Islands, particularly the islands of Midway and Laysan. It also nests in the Bonin Islands near Japan, and has recently began to colonize islands off Mexico, such as Guadalupe Island. When away from the breeding areas they range widely from Japan to Alaska and down to California, but usually far offshore.
The Laysan Albatross is colonial, nesting on scattered small islands and atolls, often in huge numbers. They also have a protracted breeding cycle. Juvenile birds return to the colony three years after fledging, but will not mate for the first time until they are seven or eight years old. over these four or five years they form pair bonds with a mate that they will keep for life. Courtship entails especially elaborate 'dances' that have up to 25 ritualised movements.
Both birds incubate the single egg, with the male being the first to incubate the egg after laying. The incubation takes about 65 days, after which the chick is brooded for a few days, after which both parents are out at sea to provision for the growing chick. The chick takes about 160 days to fledge, a long investment for the parents (which may explain the long courtship, both parents want to sure the other is serious). The chicks are fed a stomach oil by the parents.
Conservation
The Laysan Albatross, while a common species, has not yet recovered from the wide-scale hunting that happened in the early 1900s, with feather hunters killing many hundreds of thousands, and wiping them out from Wake Island and Johnston Atoll. This slaughter led to efforts to protect the species (and others) which led eventually to the protection of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The species is still vulnerable to long-line fisheries, and the injestion of floating plastics. On some of the new islands it has colonized it has also been taken by feral cats.
Conservation status: Vulnerable
Issue #327 -
Broad-snouted Caiman
The Broad-snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris) is a crocodilian reptile found in parts of South America. It is found mostly in freshwater marshes, swamps, and mangroves.
Broad-snouted Caiman, Caiman latirostris
Its notable physical characteristic is its broad snout from which its name is derived. Most tend to be of an olive-green color, with exceptions occuring as adaptations to varying climates. Its diet consists mainly of small invertebrates, and it can crush shells to feed on turtles and snails. The species is threatened to due illegal hunting and loss of habitat.
Range of the Broad-snouted Caiman
Issue #328 -
Comma
The Comma (Polygonia c-album) is a species of butterfly, common in the United Kingdom and with a distribution across Europe and temperate Asia to Japan and south to Morocco. Similar species are found in the United States and Canada. It has a white marking on its underwings resembling a comma. The wings have a distinctive ragged edge, apparently a cryptic form as the butterfly resembles a fallen leaf. The caterpillars are also cryptic, resembling a bird dropping.
Comma, Polygonia c-album
In the 19th century the British population of comma butterflies crashed, and by 1920 there were only two sightings. The cause for this decline is unknown, and from about 1930 the population recovered and it is now one of the more familiar butterflies in Southern England, and is now resident in Scotland.
The caterpillars will feed up on hops, and they will also eat stinging nettle or elm or currant leaves, and in other parts of its distribution (e.g. in Sweden) also sallow and birch leaves.
The species survives the winter in the adult stage, and adults are of two forms. The form that overwinters before reproducing has dark undersides of the wings, whereas the form that develops directly to sexual maturation has lighter colured wing undersides. Both forms can arise from eggs laid by the same female, depending mainly on the photoperiods experienced by the larvae, but also with an influence of host plants, temperature and sex of individuals.
Issue #329 -
Southern platyfish
The Southern platyfish (Xiphophorus maculatus) is a species of freshwater fish in family Poecilidae of order Cyprinodontiformes. A live-bearer, it is closely related to the green swordtail (X. helleri) and can interbreed with it. It is native to an area of North and Central America stretching from Veracruz, Mexico, to northern Belize.
Southern platyfish, Xiphophorus maculatus
The southern platyfish grows to a maximum overall length of 6.0 cm (2.4 in). Sexual dimorphism is slight, the male's caudal fin being more pointed. Wild varieties are drab in coloration, lacking the distinctive dark lateral line common to many Xiphophorus species.
X. maculatus prefers slow-moving waters of canals, ditches, and warm springs. Omnivorous, its diet includes both plants and small crustaceans, insects, and worms.
Breeders have developed a multitude of color varieties which are common aquarium fish for hobbyists.
The southern platyfish is commonly known simply as the platy (pl. platys), from the fish's original generic name, Platypoecilus.
In the aquarium
Platys are easy to keep and well suited to a community aquarium. They prefer water with a 7.0–8.0 pH, a water hardness of 9.0–19.0 dGH, and a temperature range of 18–25 °C (64–77 °F).
In captivity, they reach maturity in 3–4 months and breed readily, the females giving birth to about 40–50 young a time.
Conservation status: Secure
Issue #330 -
Brown huntsman spider
The Brown huntsman spider, Heteropoda venatoria, is found world-wide in tropical areas. It is also an able traveller, having shown up in places from Florida to Japan (except north Hoshu and Hokkaido). They are fairly large, some having a leg span of approximately five inches. Although they are rather fearsome in appearance, they are very easily alarmed by the approach of humans and will very rapidly flee.
Brown huntsman spider, Heteropoda venatoria
These spiders are known to hunt by waiting quietly on a vertical surface (or even a ceiling) and then rushing forward when their prey gets within close range. However, they do make a simple kind of tangle web under suitable circumstances. It is almost impossible to see, but the silk fibers are both strong and also sticky. This web seems to serve to slow the prey down enough to make capture more likely.
The female carries her egg case with her, and will protect it from predators.
Issue #331
