Coming Soon!

If anyone besides me is keeping count, Thursday, August 5th will be Animal A Day's 100th animal. So in celebration of this momentous occasion I'll be having yet another special theme week. And this time, I'm going to be stepping outside of the box: we're going to be talking about Mythical Creatures!

So come back on Thursday (and heck, every day up till then too, I still have lots of fun animals planned until then) and meet our first featured Mythical Beast. I'll also be making a few other site changes as well during the next week or so, including a slightly different layout, new pages, and a new suggestion system. Be sure to check it out and let me know what you think!

And take a look at that awesome sloth over there. I found a set of zoology textbooks from the 1920s at a book fair last week. Absolutely full of amazing drawings and diagrams. I'm trying to figure out something to do with this new resource...

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Wolf Spider

The Tarantula Wolf Spider, Lycosa tarantula is the very first spider to ever be given the name "Tarantula," due to its native habitat around Taranto, Italy. Interestingly, what many non-Europeans consider to be Tarantulas are not even within the same taxonomic family as the genus Lycosa, and are instead their own distinct family, Theraphosidae. Tarantula Wolf Spiders are often simply called Wolf Spiders because of this.

Image from Wikimedia Commons

There are over 200 species within Lycosa alone, and several hundred more spread throughout the family Lycosidae. Wolf Spiders are large (some can grow to 2 inches) and are distinguished by their large eyes positioned centrally on their heads. Like all spiders, they have two body segments, and eight legs. They are (mostly) diurnal, ground dwelling spiders that hunt down their prey. This differentiates them from many other spider types, as they do not use webs. Another interesting trait is that the females actually carry their egg sacs with them, holding their abdomens up high so they do not hit the ground.

Wolf Spiders are actually really awesome to have around! They are wonderful hunters and can keep pest levels down. They are almost always found outdoors, though sometimes they'll end up inside by accident. If you find one, don't kill it! They can be herded into containers and transported back outside, where they are sure to keep away centipedes, beetles, cockroaches, and all sorts of other arthropods.

Wolf Spiders are abundant. Lycosidae has members across the world, and more than 125 species in the United States alone. Wolf Spiders have been known to bite humans, though it is rare and typically only happens when they are directly handled. They are poisonous, but it is mild and gives a similar reaction to a bee sting.

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Raccoon Dog

So, is it a dog? Or a raccoon? If you guessed canine, you'd be right. Raccoon Dogs (also known as Tanuki)  are in fact canids, through they split away from the other members of family Canidae somewhere between 7 and 10 million years ago. They are the only species within the genus Nyctereutes.

Image by Jinsuk Kim

Raccoon Dogs and actual Raccoons are far, far more distantly related, but the species name of the dog, procyonoides, is a nod to Procyon, the genus in which Raccoons are found. Raccoon Dogs are native to East Asia, and are now abundant in Central and Eastern Europe due to introduction there for the fur trade. In some areas of Scandinavia, Raccoon Dogs outnumber the native foxes. Raccoon Dogs are still hunted for their fur, but their numbers are large, and so the species as a whole is not threatened. They live in a variety of habitats, including grasslands, dense forests, and urban areas.

As one could probably guess by now, Raccoon Dogs have such a name for a reason. Their facial markings resemble those of a Raccoon. They are very foxy in appearance, but with shorter legs and a shorter tail. And did I mention that they have claws that allow them to climb trees? They also have a diet that seems to mirror that of a Raccoon... they eat small mammals, insects, crabs, fruits, nuts, and garbage.

Raccoon Dogs are monogamous, possibly for life, and live in dens that were often built by another species. They give birth to litters sized between 6 and 8, and both parents help to raise the pups. Raccoon Dogs hibernate. They are the only canid to do this in their natural state.

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False Gharial

I saw one of these interesting crocodilians at a zoo while I was on vacation last month, and its odd appearance blew me (and my family members who I went with) completely away. Tomistoma schlegelii is known as the "False" Gharial because it shares a similar snout to the "True" Gharials, but other morphological features place it within the family Crocodylidae. However, recent studies are showing that it might just be closely related to the True Gharials after all, and now the classification is a tad bit up in the air.

False Gharials are huge.. though not as huge as the other Gharials. They do however, regularly reach lengths of over 4 meters. Their snout is one of their most interesting features, because while the rest of their body is long and wide, their snout it quite thin. They live in Malaysia and Indonesia, and like all crocodilians, most of their time is spent in the water. Not a whole lot is known about their behavior. It is suspected that females build mound-nests to lay their eggs upon, but that the hatchlings receive no parental assistance.

False Gharials are considered to be harmless toward humans. The largest animals they are known to prey on are monkeys and small deer, though overall fish and crustaceans comprise a large portion of their diet. The slender snout that they possess helps them to capture these creatures, as it provides less water resistance when thrashing back and forth, and also allows them to probe into dens and burrows. Prey is swallowed whole.

False Gharials are an endangered species due to habitat loss, fishing, and the skin trade. Their are specimens in captivity (such as the one I got to see) but the total number of the wild population is probably around 2,500 adults, and they are very fragmented.

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Snowy Owl

Snowy Owls (Bubo scandiaca) go by a variety of different names: Artic Owl, Great White Owl, Ghost Owl, or my personal favorite, the White Terror of the North! Even their scientific name was a bit up for grabs, as for years they were classified as the sole extant species within the genus Nyctea. But now, thanks to the magic of *science*, they are now classified with the Great Horned Owls within the genus Bubo.

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Snowy Owls are large, diurnal owls that can be found in Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions across the planet. As their name might suggest, they are white birds as adults. Younger birds have some darker coloration, as do the adult females. (In the Harry Potter films, Hedwig was played by a male owl, as the females have more dark spots)

They are a very nomadic species, as in, individual birds do not live in the same area their entire lives. They follow the prey. Many birds also have separate breeding and wintering grounds. Because they breed in open tundras, their nests are built on the group and are vigilantly defended... even from much larger animals like wolves. Because Snowy Owls do not hunt near their nest, other birds species sometimes move in for the protection, as the Owls will drive off other predators in order to protect their eggs.

Snowy Owls hunt by waiting, usually on hills or outcroppings. They sit still until seeing a potential prey object, and they swoop down to capture it either directly from the air, off the ground, or from the water. They feed on small mammals, including hares, voles, and lemmings. Fish, and various bird species are also hunted. After catching their target, they bring it to the ground, flip it over, and break its neck with their beaks to kill it. Snowy Owls will swallow whole anything that they can, but larger prey is torn up and carried off in pieces. When prey is swallow whole and a lot of roughage is consume, more pellets are created.

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Pistol Shrimp

The common name Pistol Shrimp can refer to one of the 600 species belonging to the family Alpheidae. They are also sometimes referred to as Snapping Shrimp. Most species are found in tropical and temperate saltwater, though others are able to live in colder seas, and even in freshwater caves. They feed off of fish and other crustaceans and typically live within burrows.

Shrimp and Goby

They are an interesting little family of Crustaceans in that they share a handful of bizarre characteristics. The first is physical: all species have one "normal" sized claw, while the second claw is much, much larger. They use these claws for what is probably their most interesting trait; their title as one of the loudest creatures in existence. Even though they are small, growing not much larger than a few inches, Pistol Shrimp are able to produce 218 decibel sounds. This is louder than a gunshot, (typically around 190 decibels) and comparable to sounds made by the 50 ton Sperm Whale. They do so by snapping their large claws closed, which creates something called a cavitation bubble. When this bubble collapses, it not only produces an incredible loud pop, but it also, very briefly, creates extremely hot temperatures, up to 4700 degrees Celsius! (that's nearly 8,500 Fahrenheit) This bubble is able to stun prey, and on a human beings feels like getting snapped hard by a rubber band.

Pistol Shrimp also have an interesting relationship with Goby fish. The two creatures share a burrow and remain in physical contact at all times. The Shrimp have terrible eyesight, but the Goby's is exceptional. If the Goby spots danger, it twitches to warn the Shrimp, and both are able to move to safety. In return, the Shrimp maintains the den that they share. This relationship exists even with captive shrimp and fish.

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Giant Swallowtail

Papilio cresphontes is the largest butterfly species in North America. They can be found throughout the Southern United States and Mexico, and in spattered areas across the Eastern and Central United States.

Image from Florida HTR

Giant Swallowtails are pretty easy to pick out. Not only are they large, with wingspans of up to 6 inches, but they have some pretty interesting coloration. The wings of the adults are black, but a horizontal band of yellow crosses from wing to wing, with additional mirrored yellow patterns found below, and possibly above, this band. Red marking are also sometimes found in the tail. Caterpillars are brown with white splotches, which camouflages them to look a lot like bird droppings. They are called "Orangedogs" due to an orange gland that acts as a further defense mechanism by secreting a toxin.

Giant Swallowtails feed off the nectar of a variety of plants, including Azaleas and Goldenrods. The caterpillars feed off of Citrus trees, and are considered to be pests by growers of Sweet Oranges. Giant Swallowtails prefer to lay their eggs on Citrus plants, and they do so by laying single eggs on various trees. The larvae eventually hatch, and then go through five phases before they form a chrysalis.

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