Some Squirrels Are Over 3 Feet Long

© Rakesh Kumar Dogra (via Wikimedia Commons)

Depending on where you live, you're probably familiar with fox squirrels, red squirrels and grey squirrels. The largest of these, the fox squirrel, is about 20 - 26 inches in length. That's pretty big for a rodent, but a species of squirrel that lives in the forests of India dwarfs the fox squirrel. In fact, the entire length of the fox squirrel is about the length of the Indian Giant Squirrel's tail.

The Indian Giant Squirrel (Ratufa indica) has a 2-foot tail, with a body length of about 14 inches. While a fox squirrel weighs a pound or two, the average Indian Giant Squirrel weighs about two kilograms, or just shy of  four and a half pounds.

The size isn't the only impressive thing about this animal. They are an arboreal species (they live in trees), and  they rarely come down to the ground. They travel by jumping from tree to tree, and can jump as far as 20 feet!

Even though they might sound like scary mutant squirrels from a comic book or video game, these guys are less harmful than your average fox squirrel. They prefer to stay in the upper canopy, far away from people (so they won't invade your attic or destroy your bird feeders), and they eat fruit, insects, flowers, eggs, and will sometimes even snack on tree bark. Birds of prey and leopards are predators of this squirrel, and if the squirrel sees one, he will simply freeze or flatten himself against the tree trunk, presumably in the hopes of not being seen.

Chimpanzees Build Nests

When we think of animals that build nests, birds are probably the first that come to mind. Maybe bunnies, squirrels, reptiles or wasps. In the conventional sense, nests are built for laying eggs and/or raising young. However, chimpanzees build nests for a completely different reason - they make them for sleeping. They find a spot high in the trees and construct the nest out of branches, leaves, and anything else they find that might be suitable. According to the Jane Goodall Institute, chimps sleep in a different nest every night, and they sometimes even make leaf pillows. The only time they share a nest is when a mother shares with her child.

Researchers have studied chimpanzee sleeping nests for a long time, but never understood why they built them. A few years ago, a biological anthropologist by the name of Fiona Stewart decided to spend a few nights in chimp nests to find out. Sometimes she slept in nests that had previously been made by chimps, and sometimes she built her own using chimp techniques. She also spent a few nights on the ground to compare the experiences.

She discovered that the nests were very sturdy and secure in the trees, so there was very little danger of falling out. She slept better in the nests than she did on the ground because there was less worry over predators and snakes. She also received fewer bug bites - only one per night on average when in a nest, compared to 28 while on the ground. 

The Manakin Bird Can Moonwalk

Many birds have fascinating courtship rituals. Many will sing to attract and/or bond with a mate. Some preen each other. Some feed each other. In some species, the male will build a nest to show his construction skills to the females. Some like to show off their feathers, chest muscles, or their tail feathers (such as the male peafowl and turkey). Raptors and some shorebirds perform stunning aerial displays. Dancing is another popular courtship behavior among our feathered friends, and one of the most entertaining bird dances is performed by the male Red-capped Manakin.

This bird's range extends from southern Mexico, through much of Central America, and into Colombia and Ecuador. Once the rainy season is over (which runs from October through January), the Red-capped Manakin is ready for love. Males engage in "lekking behavior," which means several gather in one location and compete for the attentions of the females. The male manakins look for a long, straight branch without any leaves that might get in their way, and use it as a display perch for the entire season. This bird has four common displays: flying in a circle, darting around the vegetation surrounding his perch, showing off his yellow thigh feathers, and shuffling backwards along his perch. The steps are so tiny and he does them so quickly that, to the human eye, it looks like the Manakin is doing the Moonwalk. When a female likes what she sees, she'll join her chosen male on the perch.

Could you stop watching the video after one viewing? Neither could I.

Black Cats Are Sometimes Associated With Good Luck

Those of us in North America have all heard the myths - black cats are bad luck, especially if the cat crosses your path. It's believed that these myths came from the days of the witch hunts, when black cats were thought to be associated with the devil and witches. Fortunately for black cats and those who love them, most of us have come out of the Dark Ages and recognize these cats as the cool critters they are. Yes, I know, there are exceptions. Not everybody likes cats, some people have a phobia about them, and black cats tend to have lower adoption rates than their more brightly colored companions. Still, it's no longer socially acceptable (or legal) to hurt them.

Not all myths and folklore associated with black cats casts them in a negative light. In ancient Egypt, the goddess Bast (aka Bastet) was often depicted as a black cat. The Norse goddess Freya was thought to drive a chariot pulled by black cats. In Northern Europe during the 18th and 19th century, sailors often chose black cats as "ship's cats" for good luck, and their wives often kept black cats at home because they believed the cat would help bring the husband back safely. A Scottish myth says that if an unknown black cat shows up on your porch, it means prosperity is coming your way. In Japan, a popular Maneki Neko (lucky beckoning cat) color is black. It's believed that the black cat protects children, and keeps stalkers away from young women. It's also said that a young woman with a black cat as a pet will have many suitors (presumably acceptable suitors rather than stalkers). There's an old folk saying that goes along with this idea - "When the cat of the house is black, the lasses of lovers will have no lack."

Happy Friday the 13th!

The Red Wolf Is Coming Back From Extinction in the Wild

Photographer: Dave Pape (Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

As the title says, the red wolf is slowly bouncing back from extinction in the wild. Not "near extinction," but actual extinction.

The generally shy red wolf was once common in the southeastern United States. Even though this animal tends to avoid humans, humans still felt the need to kill off as many wolves as they could in the early 20th century. Extensive predator control programs with large bounties paid to wolf hunters encouraged this. The wolves also lost habitat as humans cut down forests. By the 1930s, red wolf populations were decimated. According to the Endangered Wolf Center, it's believed that only two populations remained by that point. By 1970, less than 100 animals remained. When the Endangered Species Act became law in 1973, the red wolf was declared endangered. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service captured as many remaining wolves as possible, and by 1980, the red wolf no longer existed in the wild.

Of the 17 wolves captured, 14 were used to start a captive breeding program. In 1987, enough pups had been raised to start the restoration efforts, and four male-female pairs were released in the Alligator National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. There are currently between 100 and 120 red wolves in the wild, all in North Carolina, and around 200 are still in the captive breeding program.

The red wolf is still critically endangered, and it's clear that there's still a lot of work to do to bring the populations back up to stable levels. Currently, the biggest threat is hybridization. Coyotes extended their range into red wolf territory in the 1990s, and the two species started mixing. Fish & Wildlife is working to keep this under control by sterilizing the coyotes. There are also 40 zoos and nature centers around the country involved in the captive breeding program, so hopefully these animals will exist in the wild at healthy levels once again.

Check with the Fish & Wildlife Service periodically for updates.

Pets Are Good for Your Health

© Chris Reynolds (via Wikimedia Commons)

We pet lovers have always known that being around our furry, feathered and scaly friends makes us feel better. To the nay-saying non-pet owners out there, research backs us up.

You don't need to run any scientific studies to see one obvious health benefit of pets -- increased exercise. Most dogs love physical activity. Taking your dog for a walk or playing fetch with her in the park helps YOU get some physical activity in as well. Even though most cats aren't amenable to the idea of going for a walk, a few will eventually accept a harness and will enjoy exploring the yard with you. I even once met a lady who would put a harness on her pet parrot and let him ride on her shoulder as she walked around the block. She got exercise, and her bird got some beneficial natural sunlight. Even doing simply daily pet care chores such as feeding the little guys and cleaning up after them forces us to get off our butts and move a little.

Animals seem to have a knack for knowing when we need them, and cuddling with a pet always helps when we're stressed or upset about something. Studies have shown that our bodies actually go through changes when we're with our animals. Our levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, is lowered, and we produce more serotonin, which gives us that feeling of well-being.

Of course, if we feel better mentally and emotionally, we aren't as likely to succumb to the physical effects of stress (tension headaches, backaches, high blood pressure, increased risk of heart attack, lowered immunity, and so on). This all goes along with research that shows pet owners are less likely to die from heart attacks or strokes, have lower blood pressure and cholesterol, have stronger immune systems, and are more likely to recover from catastrophic illness.

If you don't have a pet, you may want to consider adopting one. It'll benefit both of you!

Walruses Are Chatterboxes

© Ansgar Walk (via Wikimedia Commons)

You'll never hear a walrus say "goo goo g'joob" like you hear in a certain famous song, but these animals do love to vocalize. In fact, they're some of the biggest chatterboxes among the pinnipeds ("fin-footed" mammals). They use their vocal cords to make sounds both above and below water. Like almost all animals, they use body language for some communication, but they also bark, grunt, whistle and click at each other. If young walruses are scared, they bellow for mom (who recognizes the voice of her son or daughter). When males fight for dominance, they roar, cough and snort. A male walrus can use air sacs in his pharynx to make noises that sound like ringing bells or gongs when he's underwater. He does this during the breeding season when he's trying to attract the lady walruses. The air pouches can also be used as amplifiers, and they help the walrus remain upright in the water when he wants to sing to the ladies who are watching from ice packs.

Male walruses can also make a knocking sound from their foreheads, which is unusual because no air is released when they make the sound. Researchers aren't yet sure how they do it.

The moms teach their young how to communicate, and this is extremely important for the health and well-being of the developing walrus calf. Researchers who have studied walruses in captivity have observed that, without that socialization, babies do not eat or grow properly.

You can hear walrus sounds for yourself at the Western Soundscape Library.