Zenyatta

I know that Famous Animals Week has ended, but yesterday saw the end of one of horse racing's greatest careers, and I just couldn't resist writing about this amazing horse.

Zenyatta was born in 2004, and purchased for a sum of $60,000, a relatively low amount in the world of thoroughbred racing. She was a late bloomer,  racing for her first time near the end of the 2007 season. But all that waiting paid off. Until yesterday, Zenyatta was undefeated in 19 starts, a record practically unheard of for any horse. She placed second in the Breeders Cup Classic, racing as both the only female, and the oldest horse on the field. She won the same race last year, becoming the very first filly to do so.

She is 17.2 hands and just over 1,200lbs, exceptionally large for a racehorse. Zenyatta has a personality and a demeanor that those around her describe as human-like.  She loves to dance and show off, and she loves a good, room-temperature Guinness. And even though her final race was lost by a nose, she will still go down in racing history as one of the greatest. Her final purse totaled $7.3 million.

Zenyatta will now enjoy a life of retirement and motherhood, though what stallion is worthy of her greatness? To quote her jockey, Hall of Fame Member Mike Smith, "They often talk about who they'd breed her to. And I've always said no one's worthy."

EDIT: Zenyatta was bred to 2006 Preakness winner and 3-year-old Male of the Year Bernardini in January, but in March it was announced that she was not in foal. She will be bred again.

If you'd like to read more about this amazing horse, check out some of these stories.
Taking Blame
Is Zenyatta the best Racehorse Ever?
The Legend of Zenyatta
Zenyatta is Looking Good


Images from here and here.

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Black-capped Chickadee

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The Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is a cute little bird that I'm sure many of us see each and every day. Chickadees are common across the Northern United states and Canada, and are found in forests, open woodlands, and in suburban areas.

The Black-capped Chickadee is characterized by its small body, short neck, and large head. The head is black with white cheeks, the back and wings are a light grey, and the underside ranged from cream to white. They have short beaks and long, (for their size) narrow tails. They are very active, social birds. They live in flocks that often intermingle with other species, and have a wide variety of calls that they use when communicating.

Black-capped Chickadees are monogamous birds, typically for life. They build their nests in pre-existing cavities, and lay 8-12 eggs which hatch nearly two weeks later. The female is the sole incubator, and the male provides food.

Insects and Seeds make up a majority of the Black-capped Chickadee's diet. They will hide seeds for later consumptions, placing them in secret spots that they come back to later. Chickadee's can remember thousands of different hiding spots!

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Tayra

We all know about Mustelids; otters, weasels, badgers. But have you heard about the Tayra? Tayras are the only species within the genus Eira and are found in tropical forests of Central and South America. They look quite weasel-life, with dark brown body hair, a lighter colored head, a body length of around 60cm, and a bushy tail. Tayras weigh up to 11lbs.

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Tayras (Eira barbara) are diurnal and solitary, and are both arboreal and terrestrial, often making their homes in hollow trees. Tayras are excellent swimmers and climbers. They are also omnivorous, and prefer to eat rodents, though reptiles, insects, and fruits are also consumed.

Tayras are different from some other mustelids in that they do not have delayed implantation during reproduction. After mating the females have a a 63-70 day gestation period before giving birth to 2-3 offspring. These young are weaned after 2-3 months.

Many wild Tayra populations are on the decline, due to habitat loss. The northernmost subspecies, found in Mexico, is listed as vulnerable.

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Giant Tube Worm

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Giant Tube Worms (Riftia pachyptila) live in one of the most harsh and unpredictable habitats on earth - the sea floor. These invertebrates live in the deep parts of the Pacific Ocean, at an average of 5,000 feet down. Amazingly, they cluster near thermal vents that spew an array of harsh chemicals that are lethal to most other organisms. Giant Tube Worms use those chemicals to their benefit with help from their partners in symbiosis. Tube Worms have no mouths or digestive systems, instead, they have a beneficial relationship with their internal bacteria. The bacteria converts the chemicals from the vents into nutrients that sustain the worm.

These worms truly are gigantic, and can grow to lengths of roughly eight feet. They are characterized by their bright red "plume" which is actually a hemoglobin-rich organ that siphons chemicals to the bacteria. The outer tube of the worm is comprised of chitin, the same material that makes up the exoskeletons of crustaceans. When threatened, the plume will retract in to the tube.

Giant Tube Worms reproduce through spawning; eggs are released into the water and are then fertilized. Young worms then eventually hatch and attach themselves within a worm community. No one is really sure how the young worms obtain their symbiotic bacteria, or how they find vents to attach themselves near. We do know, however, that Giant Tube Worms have remarkable growth rate, as they are able to reach a length of about five feet in roughly two years.

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Sacred Scarab Beetle

Ah... back to normal. Though I just might splice in some more famous animals into the daily routine, Animal A Day is pretty open ended after all.

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Anyway, today I present to you the Sacred Scarab Beetle, a curious little bug that was likened to a god. Scarabaeus sacer is one many, many species found within the Dung Beetle superfamily,  Scarabaeoidea. One of its families alone, Scarabaeinae, contains over 5,000 species.

But we're going to talk about just one! The Sacred Scarab is a dung beetle native to the Mediterranean region and central Europe. Like all dung beetles, Sacred Scarabs consume dung, locating it with their sense of smell. Oftentimes they will roll the dung into balls to transport it to burrows for safekeeping, and these balls can become larger than the beetle itself! Females will also lay their eggs within these dung balls, and the larvae will hatch and consume their "nest."

The Sacred Scarab's dung rolling and egg-hatching activities are what created the link between them and the gods. In Egyptian mythology, Kheperi, the god of the rising sun, rolls the rising and setting sun in the same way the beetle pushes the dung. Sacred Scarabs were further associated with rebirth due to their emergence from the dung as young.

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Sacred Scarabs are portrayed in Egyptian art, sculpture, heiroglyphics, and in jewelry.

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Ham

I've had a really fun time putting together this theme week, and would like to end on a happy note with Ham the Astrochimp! The first ape in space!

Ham post-mission
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There had been several animals in space before Ham. Mice, Dogs, and Monkeys had all been launched, but the purpose of Ham's trip was to prove something beyond survivability. Ham was trained to perform commands, so that reaction times could be recorded and assessed.

He was born in Camaroon in 1956, and in 1959 was brought to Holloman Air Force base, which would be the inspiration for his name: Holloman Aerospace Medical Center. (He was originally named #65, and didn't obtain an actual name until after his successful mission) There were originally 40 animals in the program, but it was eventually whittled down to just six, including Ham. These six chimpanzees were placed in Mercury mock-ups and trained to pull levers when prompted by lights. If they performed the task correctly, they were given a banana pellet; incorrect answers resulted in a small electric shock to the feet.

On January 31, 1961, Ham was selected to be the test subject aboard Project Mercury capsule MR-2. The original plan was that he would travel to an altitude of 115 miles, and reach a speed of 4,400 mph. Technical difficulties resulted in an altitude of 157 miles, and a top speed of 5,857 mph. There was a temporary loss of pressure in the cabin, but Ham's suit protected him from harm. He was up for 16.5 minutes, including 6.6 minutes of weightlessness.

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Ham was recovered from the Atlantic Ocean later that day, and was found to be in overall good health, albeit fatigued and a bit dehydrated. The results of Ham's test showed that reaction time in space was only a bit slower than on earth, proving that tasks could be performed. A little more than three months later, the United States sent their first human being, Alan Shepard, into space.

Ham retired from space flight and went to live in the National Zoo from 1963-1980. He was moved to the North Carolina Zoological Park in 1980, where he lived until his death at age 26 in 1983. Ham's skeleton was retained by the Armed Forces for ongoing testing, and the rest of his remains were buried at the International Space Hall of Fame in New Mexico. A plaque and a memorial garden mark the spot.

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Alex

Alex the African Grey Parrot was one of the most extraordinary birds to have ever lived. In 1977, animal psychologist Dr. Irene Pepperberg started an experiment to test the intelligence of parrots, and her first subject was Alex, a one-year old bird from an ordinary pet shop in Chicago.

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Previous to this project, it was believed that the brain's of birds were not capable of complex problem solving and speech formation; that their words were only the result of mimicry. Alex proved all of that wrong. He had a vocabulary of 150 words, including 50 objects and quantities up to the number six. He was capable of understanding concepts like number, shape, material, and color, and could compose short phrases to express responses and wants. He was even able to express frustration, both with repetitive research tasks and with incorrect responses given by his fellow parrots in the project. Alex also remarkably had a basic understanding of the the concept of zero. When asked about the differences between two objects that were exactly the same, Alex would respond that there were none. The video below shows some of the skills that Alex came to learn.

Alex died suddenly and unexpectedly on September 6th, 2007 from arteriosclerosis. His health check earlier in the week had given him a clean bill of health and shown normal asper and cholesterol levels, making his death especially tragic and out of no where. Even more depressing is the fact that his last words to Pepperberg the night before were "You be good. I love you." Alex is survived by two other birds within the project, Griffen and Arthur, though they are much younger and less advanced.

Dr. Pepperberg published a memoir about Alex and his accomplishments, titled Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process in 2008.

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