The American Mastodon (Mammut americanum) was a large tusked mammal that inhabited North American during the late Pleistocene from about 3 million to 11,000 years ago. They stood between eight and ten feet at the shoulder and weighed around 10,000lbs. Mastodons had stocky legs and long hairs covering their bodies. They also had massive tusks, which where more straight then those of their Mammoth cousins.
American Mastodons shared their Pleistocene homes with Mammoths. Though they both belong to the order Proboscidea, Mastodons are classed in the ancient and now completely extinct family of Mammutidae, while Mammoths shared the family of modern Elephants, Elephantidae. The American Mastodon was only the last of the Mastodon line. Members of the family appeared in Africa nearly 40 million years ago, and other species existed in Europe in Asia until about 2 million years ago.
Mastodons had low, ridged teeth that demonstrate a diet based on leaf browsing. This differs from the teeth of Mammoths which were used for grazing. Another distinction between the two is that the mouth of a Mastodon contained more teeth at one time than that of a Mammoth, though they shared the same number of overall teeth in a lifetime. The conical teeth of the Mastodon are the inspiration for their name. Mastodon means "nipple tooth."
Just this past Sunday it was reported that a new skull of what is believed to be a Mastodon was found in a mine in New Mexico. It measured eight feet long. Unfortunately, the skull crumbled during the excavation process, and will now be painstakingly reassembled. Mastodon fossils are relatively common throughout the United States, especially in the Midwest. A majority of these sites contain Mastodons dated between 40,000 and 11,000 years.
Fireflies or Lightning Bugs are not actually flies at all! They are actually beetles within the order Coleoptera and the specific family Lampyridae. There are over 2,000 species of Firefly, and they can be found across the planet in both tropical and temperate climates, typically in areas are have a more moist habitat.
So how do fireflies glow? Bioluminescence! They have organs dedicated to the production of light situation under their abdomens. Difference species produce different types of light flashes, and the lights are used for both finding mates and for defense. Even firefly larvae glow! Interestingly, the light that they emit produces no heat, making the light 100% efficient. Fireflies are even used for scientific purposes to study energy conversion.
As larvae, Fireflies consume other insects, including other species of Firefly. As adults however... well, no one really knows what they eat. Scientist suspect that they feed off of pollen and nectar, though they may not eat at all. Fireflies are adults only long enough to find a mate and produce eggs, so eating may not even be necessary.
It's my birthday today, and Wisconsin won yesterday, so heck, I'm doing the Badger! Badgers are awesome! Now, we're talking about the American Badger in this instance, not the European or Honey Badger, though both are just as awesome but will be discussed at a later date. American Badgers (Taxidea taxus) can be found throughout plains habitats in the western United States, Canada, and parts of Mexico. Since 1957 the Badger has been the state animal of Wisconsin, and the Badger moniker itself comes from the "Badger den" holes that miners lived in during the early 1800s. Fun Wisconsin Facts!
American Badgers are relatively large Mustelids. They can grow as large as 3ft in length and weight over 25lbs. They have flat bodies, and short, stocky legs that are used for some serious digging. They vary in overall color, but all Badgers have a very distinctive face with a white chin, black patches, and a white stripe that extends all the way down the back. They have excellent senses of sight, smell, and hearing, which are all used to search for prey. Badgers do most of their digging in order to locate and pursue prey, which includes various rodent species and ground nesting birds. In some areas, Badgers and Coyotes have a strange working relationship. Coyotes cannot dig and Badgers cannot chase, and by hanging out near each other both can benefit. It has been found that Coyotes are capable of catching a third more prey when working with a Badger.
American Badgers are solitary and primarily nocturnal. They do not actually hibernate in the winter, but instead will go into short inactive states where they may not leave their burrow for days at a time. Badgers actually mate in fall, but females are capable of delaying implantation so that their young are born in spring rather than during the cold winter months. An average of three young are born at a time, and will stay with their mother for 5-6 months.
Badgers are tough little guys and have few natural predators. While they will rarely pick a fight, if a Badger is provoked it can be a formidable fighter and can also emit a harsh musk to ward off attackers. There are anecdotes of Badgers fighting off pairs of Coyotes and being able to outdig men with shovels.
And not only are they awesomely fearsome... but they have an adorable side as well! Oh, and Teddy Roosevelt kept one as a pet, named Josiah. Not recommended, but awesome.
Methinks I might just visit the Badger at the Zoo today. Awesome.
Pelagornischilensis is a large, now extinct bird that once soared the coastal skies. It is believed that they may be a precursor to modern pelicans and stocks. Pelagornis chilensis is one of a handful of species within the genus, and has been the one most in the public eye. Literally last week news reports started to come out about a gigantic prehistoric bird from Chile with a confirmed wingspan of over 17ft. While spans of birds like Argentavis magnificens have been estimated as being larger, due to flight feather length, P. chilensis is confirmed to have longer wing bones.
The bird lived between 5 and 10 million years ago, and has a remarkable complete skeleton. Because birds have such fragile frames in order to maintain flight, wing bones were often crushed. This skeleton is 70% complete. It is in fact the most complete fossil bird wing ever excavated.
Another awesome piece of information about P. chilensis? It had teeth.Well, kinda of. P. chilensis had bony psuedoteeth, which probably aided in grabbing and holding on to slippery seafood like squid and fish.
The skeleton of chilensis will remain in Chile for study and display, while a replica is currently being prepared for display in Frankfurt, Germany. A full copy of the P. chilensis report is in the September issue of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
Llamas (Lama glama) are camelids that were domesticated 4,000-5,000 years ago in the Andes Mountains of South America. They are one of two members of the genus Lama, the other being their wild counterpart, the Guanaco (Lama guanicoe). Llamas are only found in their domesticated form, and there are over 7 million of them in South America, and about 100,000 in North America. Llames come in a wide variety of colors, and they stand 5-6 feet tall at the head and weigh between 250 and 400lbs.
Llamas were domesticated to serve many functions. They are pack animals, they provide meat, and they have thick wool and hides to be used for clothing and shelter. Llamas were, and still are, used to carry loads over difficult terrain. Their two-toed feet give them remarkable sure-footedness and they can carry 20-30% of their body weight. In recent years Llamas have also be utilized as livestock guardians.
Another benefit to pack-Llamas is that they require very little water and can subsist off of a variety of different plant materials. They also have excrement that not only attracts few flies, but can also be burnt for fuel. Llama wool is warm and lightweight, but has no commercial market, and is not as fine at that of Alpaca or Vicuna.
Female llamas have an interesting breeding cycle. They do not go into heat as many other mammals do. Rather, ovulation is induced by the act of mating itself. The gestation period is 350 days, and 1 baby (Cria) is born at a time, typically during the morning.
Llamas are described as being very social, yet independent animals. They are, in most cases, intelligent and easy to train. Llamas do spit! But this behavior is most often a result of a perceived threat, or to establish an order within the herd.
Northern Mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos) are native to the United States and Mexico where they live year round in a wide variety of habitats. They are medium sized, slender songbirds, with a brown and grey coloration.
Mockingbirds are very aggressive. They don't take kindly to birds that invade their territory, and will guard it vigilantly. They feed off of a variety of things including insects, crustaceans, and fruits. Mockingbirds nest in shrubs and trees and lay 2-6 eggs at a time. They may raise multiple broods in a season.
Mockingbirds are extremely vocal, can mimic many other bird species, and continue to add new songs throughout their lifetime. An adult male may learn up to 200 songs throughout its life. One recording of a Northern Mockingbirds showed that it could imitate the calls of 36 other bird species. They sing both night and day, depending on if they have a mate or not. Females also sing, though they are less loud.
Also known as Eohippus, or "Dawn Horse," Hyracotherium is the oldest known horse. Both terms are names of genera. The name Hyracotherium actually means "Hyrax-like" because when it was initially discovered by Robert Owen in 1841 he believed it was an early Hyrax. A few decades after that, Othniel C. Marsh determined that the fossils in fact belonged to an early horse, but due to naming rules the first name became the official one, even though Eohippus is probably more appropriate. Both names are still heard today.
Hyracotherium lived in the Early Eocene, approximately 60-45 million years ago. It was a very small mammal that measured only about two feet long and stood 12-14 inches at the shoulder. They lived in woodland areas in the Northern Hemisphere.
Hyracotherium did not have the hooves of modern horses. Instead, they had toes! Four toes were found on the front feet, while the back feet had only three. They also had pads on their feet similar to those of modern dogs. Hyracotherium had 44 low crowned teeth, including six incisors and two canines, and most likely browsed on leaves, fruits, and plant shoots. Thought we don't actually known what color Hyracotherium was, they are often drawn as having dark coats with light spots, which would help to camouflage them in a forest habitat. Hyracotherium is only the first of a long line of early horses that gradually evolved into the animals we have today. There are even some scientists who believe that Hyracotherium was the ancestor to not just horses, but to many other modern mammals as well, including Rhinos and Tapirs.
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