Beaver

Alright, I had a different animal planned for today, but then a news story popped up that I simply could not ignore....

World's largest beaver dam. Located in a remote, basically inaccessible area of Alberta, Canada, this thing is almost 3,000 feet long and has likely been under construction for 40 years by multiple beaver families and generations. (Alberta is interestingly also the home of a 15 foot tall roadside beaver attraction!)


Beavers had a guest role in one of my posts last week, which mentioned their importance to local ecosystems. Beavers build dams for food storage and protection, but there are several valuable side effects that go along with them just trying to get away from some coyotes. These dams help to prevent erosion, help develop new wetlands, mitigate the damage cause by floods, provide spawning sites for salmon and help to adsorb excess sediments. These are only a few of the long and short terms benefits provided by beaver dams, and its no wonder other species have disappeared following beaver extinction in a certain area. Their homes hold a habitat together... provided it is the correct type of habitat. Beavers were introduced to an Argentinian island in the 1940's for fur farming purposes, but because the trees there were not meant to have submerged roots, they began to rot and the original habitat flooded and caused serious damage over time.


There are two species of beaver, the North American (Castor canadensis) and the European (Castor fiber). They have some differences in their physical characteristics, and they are not genetically compatible between species, but they are fairly similar in size, ranking as #3 and #2 respectively for the largest rodents in the world. (Capybara wins #1) It is not uncommon for them to hit 50 lbs! 


Both species once had vast habitat ranges through their respective continents, but where hunted to near extinction for their pelts and for a medicinal secretion called castoreum. Efforts to reintroduce them have been happening around the world.


image from Beavers in England

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Tuatara

The two species of Tuatara, Sphenodon guntheri and Sphenodon punctatus are the only living members within the entire order of Sphenodontia. Way back in the day, I'm talking 200 million years back, members of this group flourished. But over time, all but these two species died out, leaving the other orders within the Reptilia class to far outnumber them not only in regards to species count, but in world domination as well. They are sometimes considered living fossils. Tuataras only live in one location in the entire world- New Zealand. Specifically, small islands off the coast of the larger two that are not heavy with predators. (Though reintroduction efforts on the mainland have been ongoing) They've been living as the last of their kind for nearly 60 million years, though molecular work has confirmed that changes have occurred in the past 200 million years, though they still retain many primitive characteristics.

While they may look like lizards... they aren't. Like I mentioned, Tuataras are not a part of the Squamata order (which houses lizards & snakes), they are their own distinct branch of Reptilia. They have dentition unlike that of any other type of animal, with two rows of teeth on the upper jaw overlapping one row on the lower. They also have a second bony ridge in their skull, which doesn't exist in lizards or snakes but can be found in crocodilians. They also have a third eye, hidden between the other two under a layer of skin and scales that scientists believe may act as a light sensor. Tuataras also live an extremely long amount of time. They don't even stop their growth until around age 35 and can live well over 100 years. In 2009, a 111 year old male and an 80 year old female successfully produced 11 offspring, which is fantastic for a species that is becoming so low in numbers. And have I mentioned their ability to live in cold weather climates? Tuataras have a lower body temperature than other reptiles and are able to function in weather as low as 40 degrees, and find anything over 80 to be unbearable, even deadly. This has allowed them to live for all this time in their colder, New Zealand homes.


image from pixdaus.com

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Harpy Eagle

I think we'll just start his post off with a video.

Yup. That's what Harpy Eagles (Harpia harpyja) do. They soar above the treetops of the Amazon, and swoop in to grab unsuspecting sloths, monkeys, opossums, anteaters.... but sloths are apparently their favorites. They are one of the largest species of raptor in the world.

Harpy Eagles are the only member of genus Harpia, so named after the Harpies, winged death spirits in Greek Mythology that had eagle-like bodies and the heads of women. In the Jason and the Argonauts story, the Harpies tortured king Phineas by always snatching food out of his hands, leaving him perpetually hungry until Jason and his band relieved him. They resorted to similar snatching in The Aeneid, and were also said to have grabbed who people in other myths as well. In short, a very appropriate name for an eagle that makes its living grabbing tree dwellers while they are just doing their thing.

Though it is the only member in its genus, the Harpy Eagle is a member of the very large and diverse Accipitridae family. This family goes back in the fossil record over 50 million years, and now contains hawks, eagles, kites, vultures, buzzards and other sorts of hook-beaked, carnivorous birds.

Harpy eagles have body lengths of around 3 feet, with wingspans of up to seven. Their span is not as long as those of other eagles, due to their tropical, tree filled habitat. Aside from the hooked beak that is commonplace of their family, Harpy Eagles have some seriously large claws. They grow up to 5 inches long, and are used to grasp prey weighing up to half their own body weight. Huge.

images from animals of belize, bone clones

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Jewel Beetle

I'm cheating a bit with this one, since there are actually something around the ballpark of 15,000 species in the Buprestidae family, but hey, they are a really interesting group of insects! They range in size (from about 4-100mm) and habitat, but they all share the common characteristic of looking shiny.

Scientists have been looking at the molecular structure of their every so shiny exoskeletons because they reflect, rather than absorb color.

One specific species, the jewel scarab Chrysina gloriosa, can actually distinguish between circularly polarized and non polarized light, and reflect circularly polarized light off of their exoskeletons. This allows them to see each other, but keeps predators from seeing them. Only one other species (a type of shrimp) is known to be sensitive to this type of light. (CP light is what movies these days are using for 3D effects, we have to wear glasses cause humans lack the natural perception)

And while we're on the topic of super neat exoskeletons, their vibrant colors have led certain cultures to use them for decorative purposes for hundreds of years. You can even buy your own beetle jewelry!

Some species are apparently able to detect fires from dozens of miles away using a sensor that detects infrared radiation from fire and other sources. They specifically need burnt firewood to breed so what better way to figure out where fires are happening? Figuring out how to mimic these sensors could have major civilian and military impacts, and all from the undersides of tiny beetles! (Interestingly, these places are a great place for them to breed because no other critters go there. Safety!)

images from hondurasbutterfly.com and treknature.com

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Rough Collie

Today we have a very special animal of the day: My dog. It's his 2nd birthday! So far, he's broken two vacuums with his excessive hair, and he's claimed every single surface in the house as his own. But we love him, and so he (and more specifically, his breed) get the post for the day.

Collies, as pretty much everyone knows, descend from the herding dogs of Scotland. Rough (and smooth) collies today get their distinctive looks through possible crossings between the local collies and Borzois and Irish Setters back in the day. I can definitely see the Borzoi thing, they both have really long faces. Anyway, the aesthetic look changed when collies started to become the "it" dog to have, and years of selective breeding has distinguished it from other collie-types. Queen Victoria owned collies, and had their portraits painted numerous times, though those collies look far more like the border collie does today. Heck, one of those paintings is a dead ringer for my parent's old Border Collie/German Shepherd cross. They were also much smaller then, weighing less than 45lbs. Modern collies can hit up to 80. The Collie has been recognized by the AKC since 1885, and its national breed clubs are some of the oldest in the world, though the look of the dog has of course shifted over time. The modern AKC standard has been unchanged since 1977.

Collies come in 4 colors, sable, tricolor, blue merle, and white. The picture I threw in here shows the first three. White is well, white, with patches of color coming from one of the other three styles. While those coats are gorgeous (my dog gets so many shout-outs on walks I've contemplated a making a list), they can also cause a lot of grief during coat blowing season. Their double coat leads to a lot of hair, so frequent grooming is necessary for a happy dog and happy vacuum. They have some potential health issues and sensitivities, but I'll let you read a fact sheet if you really want to know.

Well, I made it all this way without mentioning Lassie. There, Lassie, I did it. And while the joke about my dog saving children from wells gets a bit old, he really (and the breed as a whole) is a smart, (usually) loyal dog who is just so freaking happy all of the time. AND he's really good at snuggling. Who wouldn't want to snuggle with that beast?

And just for the hell of it, because dog evolution is so fascinating, many people consider domesticated dogs to be omnivores. They are not obligate carnivores like cats are, and don't require the super high levels of animal protein in their diets. That type of diet is a major reason why dog breeds have become so diverse; they don't need to keep a short, muscular snout in order to tear at and consume prey. Oh dentition! There are a whole bunch of other interesting physical comparisons that arose between canids and felids in their respective evolutions... but I'll leave that to this awesome book for now.

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Bongo

Does anyone remember a game called Sim Safari? Circa 1998? I sure do! That game taught me all about the wide wide world of African antelopes. And ever since I picked up that game so many years ago, the Bongo has been one of my all time favorites.

Why the Bongo? Well, I'd be lying if I didn't mention their striking looks. That reddish brown coat! Those stripes! Those fabulous twisted horns! Their absolutely adorable calves! Plus, an anonymous source thinks they look like Cinnabons.

But they are also the largest of all mountain antelopes, and one of the largest antelope species overall, with males capable of reaching 900lbs despite being only about 4 feet tall. They are also fairly unique in that both that males and females of the species sport those snazzy horns. And speaking of those horns, when Bongo's run (they are actually pretty darn fast) they flatten their head and horns back, which can cause bald patches on their backs from all the rubbing. The distinctive run is even seen in the young ones, as this video clearly shows.

There are actually two different subspecies of Bongo, the western/lowland Tragelaphus eurycerus eurycerus, and the eastern/mountain, Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci. They are pretty similar to one another, the major differences being the location of the habitat and the coat vibrancy. (mountain Bongo's win that prize) They are very solitary creatures overall, males live alone while females might be found in small bands of less than ten.

The western/mountain fellows are actually really endangered, with only about 100 estimated in the wild. But organizations like the Saint Louis Zoo are working to get them reintroduced. Recently they, and 12 other zoos worldwide, released some captive born specimens in hope to bring the wild numbers back up.

And rolling back to the topic of animal simulation games... Zoo Tycoon 2 rocks faces. (Bongos are in it too)
picture from National Geographic

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Mekong Giant Catfish

So now we move from a tiny little frog to the largest freshwater fish in existence, Pangasianodon gigas. In 2005, the largest specimen ever recorded was caught in northern Thailand. It was nine feet long and weighed nearly 650lbs. Unfortunately though, she died before being re-released. Anyways, so while one of these dudes could probably swallow a small child with ease, they eat primarily algae that they find on rocks on the bottom of the river, though when they are youngin's they have cannibalistic tendencies! But I think I'm going to stamp herbivore on this one, since after their first year (they can live to be 60!) they exclusively eat plant-type materials. Oh the complications of classification systems. I do not envy taxonomists one bit.

But back to the fish! They are endangered, primarily due to habitat changes (damn those dams!) and overfishing. It is currently illegal to harvest them in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. However, the river is gigantic and is home to many small villages that are nearly impossible to enforce fishing bans on. Catfish in general are also a major food source to these populations, and are believed to cause good luck.

Projects have be implemented by a number of organizations to save these monster fishes, but due to the elusive nature of the animal (only a few have been captured since 2000), and the large migratory distances it embarks on, spawning sites have never been found, and the exact number remaining in the wild is unknown. Estimates state that the number has declined by 90% in the past 20 years.

Anyway, for more information check out this really great video from National Geographic.



image from nationalgeographic.com

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