grrlscientist | August 26, 2007tags: eastern gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis, Image of the Day
Eastern Gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis.
Last but not least was a demonstration of the so-called "gravity assist" method. It was obvious that this required the most skill but was not always as effective as the the other methods. In fact I watched three squirrels drop their Black Walnuts. One retrieved its nut only to drop it again while assuming a second gravity assist posture. Considering the outcomes I am not at all sure that gravity assisted these participants at all but there is no denying the artistry involved in…
grrlscientist | August 25, 2007tags: eastern gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis, Image of the Day
Eastern Gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis.
Students of the history of western civilization will surmise that the "reclining method" harkens back to antiquity. At the height Roman Empire eating while reclining was all the rage though I have no proof that these Central Park creatures are related to those of that period and geographic location. Still one must admit these contemporary squirrels have mastered the technique and execute it with aplomb and a suave sophistication, n'cest pas? (second in a series of three).
Image:…
grrlscientist | August 24, 2007tags: evolution, helping behavior, cooperative breeding, suberb fairy-wren, Malurus cyaneus, birds
A breeding male superb fairy-wren, Malurus cyaneus.
Image: Martin Fowlie.
Here's a question for all of you: whose offspring would do better; those raised only by their parents, or those raised by their parents in addition to an extended family group?
Cooperative breeding is a breeding strategy where some individuals postpone their own reproductive efforts in order to help others in the family group to raise their offspring. Typically, these helpers are genetically related to the offspring…
grrlscientist | August 24, 2007tags: eastern gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis, Image of the Day
Eastern Gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis.
Central Park Gray Squirrels congregated in an apparent celebration of the ripening of Black Walnuts. This particular contingent of eight excited furry mammals demonstrated the species preferred techniques and proper etiquette for the opening and eating of Black Walnuts. Here are some highlights of the event (first in a series of three).
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George. [larger].
grrlscientist | August 24, 2007tags: vervet monkey, Cercopithecus aethiops, sexual harassment, Nachu, Kenya, behavior, interspecies communication
A young vervet monkey, Chlorocebus pygerythrus.
Image: shashamane.
If you live in the small village of Nachu in Kenya, watch out, because a group of approximately 300 marauding monkeys is out to steal your food, sexually harass your women and attack and kill your livestock! In a truly amazing incidence of interspecies communication, a group of vervet monkeys, Chlorocebus pygerythrus, is using sexual harassment to intimidate women and children, who are responsible for growing…
grrlscientist | August 24, 2007tags: animals, photography, blog carnival
For those of you who enjoy looking at animal images, the 153rd edition of the Friday Ark is now available for you to enjoy.
grrlscientist | August 24, 2007tags: Spanish, langauges, online quiz
You Passed 8th Grade Spanish
Congratulations, you got 8/8 correct!
Could You Pass 8th Grade Spanish?
How did you do? Did you think this online quiz was reflective of what one needs to know in eighth grade Spanish?
grrlscientist | August 23, 2007tags: ethics, wifi, piggybacking
Recently, I have been following the stories of people who have been arrested for stealing internet access using their neighbor's wireless connections. For example, a man was recently arrested in London and another man in St Petersburg, Florida is now facing trial for using unsecured wifi signals.
These connections are usually open, meaning they are not protected with a password, although there are ways to circumvent WEP or WPA security. So, considering that a person can secure their wifi connection but chose not to do so, is it stealing to use someone else's…
grrlscientist | August 23, 2007tags: mallard ducklings in a mug, birds, Image of the Day
A pair of tiny abandoned ducklings found battling against waves after being washed out to sea are being nursed back to health -- in a teacup.
The fluffy birds were saved from a watery grave when they were found by passing canoeist Chris Murray.
Image: Richard Austin.
grrlscientist | August 23, 2007tags: books, AP-Ipsos poll, book reading
As you know, I am trying to learn more about your reading habits and book choices, so I was surprised to learn that one in four adults say they have read no books at all in the past year. Of those who did read, women and seniors were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices. This is according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll that was released Tuesday.
Several more findings in this poll include;
The average person polled claimed to have read just four books in the last year. So basically, half of the respondents read…
grrlscientist | August 23, 2007tags: humor, Dr Seuss Bible, streaming video
Amusing and my my, those green uniforms near the end of the video are really quite revealing, aren't they? [2:29]
grrlscientist | August 22, 2007tags: JK Rowling, books, writing
Apparently, JK Rowling is writing a detective novel .. big surprise to me (not), since I thought her HP books read like detective novels for kids.
J.K. Rowling has been spotted at cafes in Scotland working on a detective novel, a British newspaper reported Saturday.
The Sunday Times newspaper quoted Ian Rankin, a fellow author and neighbor of Rowling's, as saying the creator of the "Harry Potter" books is turning to crime fiction. [story]
As you might recall, Rowling wrote the first drafts of the Potter story in Edinburgh cafes.At that time, she was a…
grrlscientist | August 22, 2007tags: writers, writing, blog carnival
Another edition of Writers from across the blogosphere is now available for you to enjoy. Along with all the other links they have, this blog carnival includes two submissions from me that you might not have read yet.
grrlscientist | August 22, 2007tags: researchblogging.org, evolution, social behavior, cooperative breeding, environment, global warming, climate change, African starlings, birds
Superb starling, Lamprotornis superbus, a cooperative breeding savanna dweller that is abundant throughout northeast Africa.
Image: Dustin R. Rubenstein [larger]
Postponing one's own reproductive efforts to help other individuals raise their offspring might seem like a bad choice, evolutionarily speaking. But cooperative breeding, as this behavior is known, is fairly common in the animal kingdom, although the reasons underlying the evolution…
grrlscientist | August 22, 2007tags: researchblogging.org, Egyptian Rousette, Egyptian fruit bat, Rousettus aegyptiacus, Marburg hemorrhagic fever virus, Ebola hemorrhagic fever virus, Uganda, zoonoses, pathogen
Portrait of an Egyptian Rousette or Egyptian fruit bat, Rousettus aegyptiacus.
Image: Wikipedia
Like something out of a sci-fi novel, a man from Uganda died a horrible, bloody death from Marburg hemorrhagic fever this past July. As a result, scientists from the USA and the African nation of Gabon raced to the area to search for the source of this disease, and they may have finally discovered it. The team tested…
grrlscientist | August 22, 2007tags: SciBlings, montage
Here's a montage of all the SciBlings that went to the bash in NYC, courtesy of my friend, fellow SciBling and occasional houseguest, Chris;
[wallpaper size]
grrlscientist | August 22, 2007tags: snails, weird pets, streaming video
Speaking of escargot, these giant African land snails (also known as the Agate Snail or Ghana Tiger Snail) are truly amazing and they weigh up to two pounds (900 grams) -- EACH! They are easy to keep, eating all sorts of vegetables and fruits, and if you get tired of keeping them as pets, you can always eat them for dinner. Oh, and you'll also enjoy the music that accompanies this video [3:03]
Oh, and to give you an idea of the size of these things, take a look at this video [0:30] ..
grrlscientist | August 21, 2007tags: grebes, birds, Image of the Day
Clark's Grebe, Aechmorphus clarkii, in the foreground with a Western Grebe, Aechmorphus occidentalis, behind. Both were photographed on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge (north end of the Great Salt Lake) in the spring of 2005. Similar birds, but the field marks are straw-yellow bill (Clark's) cf. greenish-yellow bill (Western); white feathering around the eye (Clark's) cf black (Western), and whiter flanks on the Clark's Grebe. This pair of birds was hanging out together, and that was not unusual, making one wonder if splitting these into two…
grrlscientist | August 21, 2007tags: researchblogging.org, evolution, squirrels, rattlesnakes, tail-flagging, behavior, biology
A mother squirrel rapidly waves her tail to warn off a rattlesnake in a confrontation staged by researchers in May 1987. Adult squirrels are immune to rattlesnake venom, but their offspring are vulnerable. New infrared research found that heat from the mother's tail sends an alarming signal to the slithery predators.
Image: Donald H. Owings, UC Davis.
Researchers have long been mystified by the defensive behaviors exhibited by California ground squirrels, Spermophilus beecheyi, when they are…
grrlscientist | August 21, 2007tags: Patches, the world's coolest horse, streaming video
After watching this video, you'll come to the conclusion that there's nothing like a man and his horse. Not only does this horse enjoy going for rides in the car, but he also likes eating cheeseburgers, answering the phone, watching TV, sleeping in a bed and he will even fetch a beer from the refrigerator for his human [3:29]