Giant Beaver

Giant Beaver at the Field Museum

So today lets learn about the largest Ice Age rodent: the Giant Beaver. These massive creatures could grow over 8ft long! Based on their skeletal structure, we can assume that they looked very much like modern Beavers, only on a greater scale. To give some perspective on how large Giant Beavers were, they would be about the same size as a Black Bear!

Reconstruction at the Kenosha Public Museum

Giant Beavers lived in North America during the last Ice Age, and went extinct around 10,000 years ago, along with many of the other megafauna species. While human movement into North America may have played  a part in the extinction of other creatures, there has been no found evidence yet that Giant Beavers were hunted by man.

Giant Beavers and modern Beavers share many similarities. They both build lodges and they both live a semi-aquatic lifestyle. However, Giant Beavers had broader teeth than their cousins, and they were rounded rather then chiseled. They also had shorter legs, larger hind feet, and a longer tail (proportionally, of course). This suggests that they may have had difficultly moving on land, making them an even more aquatic species.

Habitat reduction and competition with modern Beavers may have led to the demise of this gigantic species, much like many of the other Ice Age giants.

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Status : Extinct for 10,000 years

Location : North America

Size : Body length up to 8.2ft (2.5m), Weight up to 220lbs (100kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Rodentia
Family : Castoridae -- Genus : †Castoroides -- Species : †C. ohioensis

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Reunion Harrier

Circus maillardi

Like many of the birds found on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, the Reunion Harrier is a threatened species. Listed as engandered by the IUCN, this bird of prey is found only on that one island, and only around 500 birds remain. They are the only raptor that breeds on the island.

Reunion Harrier are members of the family Accipitridae, which contains the Hawks and Eagles of the world. Males are dark, almost black in coloration, with lighter underparts. Females are actually larger than the males, and are more brown in color.

During the breeding season, males perform aerial displays and make a series of calls in order to attract a mate. Once a partner has been found, a nest is built in tall, forested areas.

Reunion Harriers once lived off birds and insects, but the human introduction of rats and other rodents has caused those to be added to their diet as well.

Reunion Harriers are protected on their native island, but poaching and loss of breeding grounds have continued to pose threats.

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IUCN Status : Endangered

Location : Reunion Island

Size : Body length 20in (51cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Falconiformes (
Family : Accipitridae -- Genus : Circus -- Species : C. maillardi

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Plains Viscacha Rat

Tympanotomys barrerae

This little South American Rat may look unremarkable on the outside, but on the inside it is really something special. Plains Viscacha Rats have more diploid chromosomes than any other mammal, a whopping 102! Humans, to contrast, have only 46!

Plains Viscacha Rats are found in only one small bit of Argentina, where habitat loss has caused the species to go into a population decline. They live in very dry, sandy or scrubland areas where they build complex burrows underground. The rats are nocturnal, and spend the warm daytime in these subterranean homes.

Plains Viscacha Rats are herbivores that feed primary on plants that thrive in salty areas. In order to counteract the salt, the rats have hairs on the sides of their mouths that help to scrape off excess salt, as well as kidneys that can process the higher levels.

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IUCN Status : Near Threatened

Location : Argentina

Size : Length up to 4.5in (12cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Rodentia
Family : Octodontidae -- Genus : Tympanoctomys -- Species : T. barrerae

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Great Diving Beetle

Dytiscus marginalis

Picking out just one Diving Beetle to talk about today was pretty tough, considering there are around 4,000 of them! Diving Beetles are members of a HUGE family, Dytiscidae, which includes 160 different genera.

The Great Diving Beetle is notable for its range, size, and incredible appetite. They can be found in various countries throughout Europe and Asia, and especially enjoy colder climates.

As larvae these insects can grow up to 2.3in (6cm) long. Though they are only about half that length as adults, they develop incredible hydrodynamic bodies that allow them to swiftly dive down into water in order to hunt and flee from their own hunters.

Great Diving Beetles will eat all sorts of things, even fish! They are carnivorous as both adults and larvae, and swim through the water, hunting out whatever living meals they can find. Adults have claws on their forelegs that let them grab on to prey. They then bite down and inject a fluid that begins to predigest the meal, which allows them to slurp up the insides. Yum!

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IUCN Status : Not Listed

Location : Europe and Asia

Size : Adult body length up to 3.5cm

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Coleoptera
Family : Dytiscidae -- Genus : Dytiscus -- Species : D. marginalis

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Zebra-tailed Lizard

Callisaurus draconoides

Zebra-Tailed Lizard are small, sandy-pale reptiles with banded white and black tails. They can be found in the scorching hot desert areas of the Southwestern United States. What makes them so remarkable is that they are actually active during the day, unlike many other desert critters that only come out during the cooler nights.

During hot days they can be found basking on rocks, and though they may look tired in the heat, don't be fooled! Zebra-tailed Lizards are incredibly fast and quite crafty. They can speed away from danger, and if the movement isn't enough they use their striped tails to distract their attacker. This is because the tail can detach and grow back.

Zebra-tailed lizards are carnivores, and they feed mostly on Insects. Smaller lizards sometimes become a part of their diet as well. They'll even eat vegetation on occasion!

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IUCN Status : Not Listed

Location : Southwest United States

Size : Body Length up to 4in (10cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Sauropsida -- Order : Squamata
Family : Phrynosomatidae Genus : Callisaurus -- Species : C. draconoides

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Rhode Island Red

Rhode Island Red

The Rhode Island Red, developed in Rhode Island of all places, is a domesticated breed of chicken. Though once a quite popular variety, Rhode Island Reds have declined in number during the course of the 20th century,. They are now making a comeback with small farmers, and are listed as "Recovering" by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.

Rhode Island Reds are considered a "daul-purpose" bird. That means that they can be raised for both meat and eggs. As a breed, they are pretty great all around. They provide good meat, they lay amazingly well, and they are quite hardy to boot. One downside, however, is that they can become quite aggressive.

Since 1954, Rhode Island Reds have been listed as the state bird of Rhode Island. Interestingly, they are one of the only state birds not found in Audubons' Birds of America. This is because his masterful volume only covers wild species of bird. And even if it covered domestic fowl, the breed was only first worked on in 1830, which was at the tail end of Audubon's publication.

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Status : Domesticated, listed as Recovering by the ALBC

Location : Developed in the United States

Size : Weight up to 8lbs (3.6kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Galliformes
Family : Phasianidae -- Genus : Gallus -- Species : G. gallus -- Subspecies : G. g. domesticus

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Ghost Slug

Selonochlamys ysbryda

The Ghost Slug is a relatively new species to science, having only been discovered in 2006. Similar slugs had been previously found in Turkey and Georgia, so the discovery of this little guy in Wales was quite interesting! It's species name, S. ysbryda, means "ghost" in Welsh.

Ghost Slugs are interesting because unlike most other slugs, they are carnivores. These guys feed off worms, cutting them up with their teeth and sucking them down. They hunt at night and live underground, sporting pale white skin and no external eyes.

Ghost Slugs may have arrived in Wales via potted plants, as they have only been found in gardens and similar areas. It is still unknown if they are actually an alien species. Biologists are collecting information from residents to help them learn more about Ghost Slugs. An identification guide can even be found on their website.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed

Location : Europe

Size : Length 2.5in (6.5cm)

Classification : Phylum : Mollusca -- Class : Gastropoda -- Superfamily : Parmacelloidea
Family : Trigonochlamydidae -- Genus : Selenochlamys -- Species : S. ysbryda

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