Wandering Violin Mantis

Gongylus gongylodes

Today's animal is yet another one of the many suggestions that have been pouring in lately. Thanks everyone! Meet the Wandering Violin Mantis, also known as the Indian Rose Mantis and the Ornate Mantis.

You can see where the "Ornate" name comes from. These Mantises sport very slender bodies, but huge limbs that are very leafy in appearance and allow them to blend into the foliage. A useful trait when you hunt flying insects! Males are actually a bit smaller than the females, but they are able to fly, while the females have small, useless wings.

Wandering Violin Mantises go through several moltings before reaching adulthood, and are sexually mature about two weeks after that. Females lay an egg mass called an Ootheca. It contains up to 3 dozen eggs and has a protein casing that protects them.

Wandering Violin Mantises are native to India and Sri Lanka, and require very warm environments to survive. The species is often kept by hobbyists, but they are not recommended for the first time Mantis owner. They need heat pads to stay warm, and because they eat flying insects, they also need a high netted cage that prey can be released into.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : India, Sri Lanka
Size : Body Length up to 4.5in (11cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Mantodea
Family : Empusidae -- Genus : Gongylus -- Species : G. gongylodes

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Crabeater Seal

Lobodon carcinophagus

The Crabeater Seal is an incredibly abundant species that can be found throughout the Antarctic waters. It is estimated that there are literally millions, if not tens of millions of these guys swimming around, which is a huge contrast to some of the other Seals we've talked about that are on the brink of extinction.

What makes Crabeater Seals so successful? Well, they have incredibly specialized teeth that allow them to strain out Krill and other small critters. (Interestingly, they don't eat crabs!) Those tiny crustaceans are very abundant in the Antarctic waters, giving the Seals a huge food source. They are able to dive down several hundred meters in search of prey, and can hold their breath for over 10 minutes. (Though dives are typically much shorter and more shallow)

Crabeater Seals also have a pretty unique family group. Most seals mate, and then the male leaves and has nothing to do with the pup and female. Crabeater males hang around and defend the female and her pup until the pup is completely weaned. Another interesting tidbit about these guys is that the males and females are very similar in size, unlike the extreme sexual dimorphism found in some other Seal and Sea Lion species.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Antarctica
Size : Body Length up to 7.5ft (2.5m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata--  Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Superfamily : Pinnipedia -- Family : Phocidae -- Genus : Lobodon-- Species : L. carcinophagus

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Pileated Woodpecker

Dryocopus pileatus

The Pileated Woodpecker is a large Woodpecker, the largest in North America in fact. It also has a pretty substantial range that covers the forested, non-mountainous areas of the continent.

You can identify the Pileated Woodpecker by its black body, red cap, and white bar that runs down the throat. The only difference between males and females is a red stripe that runs from the beak to the throat in males. They are similar in look to two other Woodpeckers that we have talked about here, the Ivory-Billed and Imperial, but those species have slightly different ranges, and are also extremely rare, if not extinct. The Pileated Woodpecker on the other hand, is very common.

You can tell that a Pileated Woodpecker is in your area by their loud call and by the pattern that they leave behind in dead trees. Insects like ants and beetle larvae make up big chunks of their diet, and in order to get to these meals they drill large rectangular patterns in the wood. Sometimes these holes are so deep that they cause small trees to break completely in half! Often times though, the tree is left very much intact, and the holes that they dig become nesting sites for other bird species.

When it comes to their own nesting, the male Woodpecker will excavate a large cavity, usually in a dead tree. He will use this nest site to attract a mate, and together they will raise 3-5 young each season. Pairs often remain monogamous for life, but the nest sites are rarely used more than once. Once again, these cavities are used by other birds for their own mating habits.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : North America
Size : Body Length up to 19in (49cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Piciformes
Family : Picidae -- Genus : Dryocopus -- Species : D. pileatus

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Irish Setter

Irish Setter

Now, I don't always write about animals that correspond to holidays, but with all the cool critters that come out of Ireland, I couldn't really resist.

Irish Setters are gorgeous red sporting dogs that were developed in Ireland during the 19th century. The term "Setter" actually first appears a few centuries earlier, but those dogs were more spaniel like. Modern Setters first appeared in the 1700s, and the characteristic redness of the Irish Setter popped up by the 1850s as an offshoot of the Red and White Setters.

Setter Pointing

Irish Setters are all purpose hunting dogs. They have great noses, great speed, and have the abilities to point, track, and retrieve. Keep in mind that that long silky coats of the Show dogs aren't usually present on the hunting dogs. Their hair is kept shorter in order to be more manageable in the field.

To own an Irish Setter you had better have enough time and energy to give it proper exercise. They are a high energy breed and need to have an outlet for that energy to remain well adjusted and happy. Irish Setters are also very playful, intelligent, and affectionate, and are easy to house-train.

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Status : Domesticated
Location : Originated in Ireland
Size : Height up to 27in (69cm), Weight up to 70lbs (32kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Canidae -- Genus : Canis -- Species : C. lupus -- Subspecies : C. l. familiaris

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Mountain Bluebird

Sialia currucoides (male)

Spring has arrived (for now), and the songbirds have returned to my neck of the woods. Now, to be fair, today's bird doesn't live anywhere near me, but I'm sure they are fluttering around by some of my western readers. Allow me to introduce you to the Mountain Bluebird, the state bird of both Idaho and Nevada.

Mountain Bluebirds come in different colors, depending on the sex of the bird. Females are a dull brownish-grey, with hints of light blue on the wings and tail. Males, on the other hand, are a very bright blue all around, with the underparts lighter than the top. They use their colors, their calls, and their carefully scouted nest locations, to attract mates.

When it comes to nesting habits, most of what we know comes from the birds that raise their young in man-made nest boxes. Females do almost all of the actual nest building, as the males for some reason tend to drop the materials en route to the site (and that's if they even help at all!). Thankfully, the males make up for their lack of building expertise by being great food providers. They deliver meals to the mother and their chicks. Mountain Bluebirds feed on insects, hovering in the air or waiting on a perch before swooping down for a catch.

The species has a very large range, and thanks to all the man-made nest boxes, the birds are doing quite well for themselves. Once upon a time their numbers were decreasing due to the nest site competition caused by habitat loss, but now the population is stable and the bird are listed as being of Least Concern.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Western North America
Size : Body Length up to 8in (20cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes
Family : Turdidae -- Genus : Sialia -- Species : S. currucoides

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Red Flour Beetle

Tribolium castaneum

Today's animal is quite the pest; they are destructive as both larvae and adults, and though they originated in the Indo-Australian tropical regions, they can be found causing damage all around the world!

One little interesting fact is that the Red Flour Beetle is very similar in size, appearance, and behavior to the Confused Flour Beetle from Africa. The latter actually got its name because the two species were so alike!

Despite the name, Red Flour Beetles can be found in more than just flour. They hang out in cereals, nuts, seeds, and all sorts of other dried food products. They don't cause structural damage, and they don't have stingers that harm people, but they can have a huge negative impact on stored food. The Beetles even lay their eggs in food, the larvae eat the food, and the adults can live as long as 3 years.

Red Flour Beetles are very small, and very hardy. This makes it difficult to truly get rid of them. You have to completely eradicate all infested materials, check all possible cracks and crevasses, and essentially set up a sealed, protected food storage system. Pesticides and bleaches don't do a whole lot; a thorough disposal of materials is your best bet.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Worldwide
Size : Body Length less than 1cm

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Coleoptera
Family : Tenebrionidae -- Genus : Tribolium -- Species : T. castaneum

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Merino Sheep

Merino Sheep

Meet the Merino! This domesticated breed of sheep is known for its fine, high quality wool... but it has a lot of other cool characteristics as well, including a history that takes back over a thousand years, as well as a strong presence in the study of livestock genetics.

But first, let's go over some basic facts. Merino sheep are bred almost exclusively for their wool, and that wool is considered to be the finest in the world. It is so desirable that it is actually the wool that all other wool is compared to, as far as grading goes! The breed is also quite hardy and adapts very well to different climates and habitats. For example, they originated in Spain and North Africa, but are now being bred all over the world, including in Australia, Germany, and New England.

The very first Merino ancestors came through North Africa via Asia thanks to the Phonecians. When the Moors entered Spain in the 8th century they brought sheep with them, and by the 12th century the first foundation flocks were in place. These Spanish sheep bred with existing European breeds, and the Merino was the result.

For hundreds of years Spain had a monopoly on these fine quality sheep, and made a large profit off of the wool. Before the 18th century it was against the law to export them, but that all changed when the members of the nobility (including the King) started to send small flocks to other countries and principalities. The Spanish Merinos even became the bases for new breeds, including the popular Rambouillet.

Booroola Merino Ewe with Quadruplets

It was a good thing the Merinos eventually made it out of Spain, because the industry was almost completely obliterated there during the Napoleonic Wars. Since 1810, Australia, the United States, and Germany have been the top countries for the breed. There are now a handful of different strains, including the Peppin, Delaine, and the Booroola.

The Booroola Merino has been studied at a genetic level because they posses a gene called Booroola FecB.   (Named for the Australian ranch that it was discovered on back in the 1950s) This gene has allowed the strain to be one of the most prolifically breeding sheep strains in the world. While most sheep have one or maybe two lambs at a time, Booroola Merinos often have triplets or even quadruplets. Some have even have sextuplets! Introducing Merinos with the FecB gene can substantially increase birthrates without needing to introduce traits from other breeds that have high births, but less desirable wool.

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Status : Domesticated
Location : Originated in Spain
Size : Varies, but males can weigh up to 130lbs (59kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Artiodactyla
Family : Bovidae -- Genus : Ovis -- Species : O. aries

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