mammals
greengabbro | August 12, 2008The Scibling meetup weekend included free passes to see the ponies at the American Museum of Natural History. OMG PONIES... but I found the exhibit depressing, for the following reason:
I don't understand why more organizations don't give out press kits to bloggers. We make such good use of the material.
Anyway, the horse exhibit was nice, as far as exhibits about squishy living things go, but I ran off to see the rocks as quickly as possible. I wish I'd had time to do more than a quick jog through the earth science exhibits; there are ultra old-fashioned displays asserting that geologic…
laelaps | August 10, 2008
One of my favorite prehistoric creatures, Amphicyon. Photographed August 9th, 2008 at the AMNH.
edyong | August 6, 2008Dogs may be known for their skills at catching sticks, but new research shows that are just as adept at catching our yawns. The result probably comes as no surprise to dog-owners but it's the first time that it's ever been demonstrated under experimental conditions.
Yawning is famously contagious - if one person does it, the chances are that someone nearby will start too. A variety of back-boned animals yawn, but until now only three species are known to catch them from each other - humans, chimps and stumptail macaques. The new study provides the first evidence that yawns can be contagious…
laelaps | August 5, 2008
This past weekend I accidentally startled a white-tailed deer fawn (Odocoileus virginianus) that was resting in some tall grass. I was able to snap a few shots before it ran off into the woods (I think the third one is the most impressive).
I also found a femur and part of the hip of a small deer in the same area, which reminds me that I need to check in on that skull I collected a few months ago.
laelaps | August 5, 2008
A female Western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla). Photographed at the WCS-run Bronx zoo.
Nature still holds fascinating secrets that have yet to be discovered. Yesterday saw the announcement of the world's smallest known snake, for instance, but today a discovery of greater magnitude has been announced by the Wildlife Conservation Society. According to a recent census there are approximately 125,000 Western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) in two adjacent areas of northern Congo, more than doubling the number thought to be present previously.
This is certainly welcome news, yet we should not let it…
laelaps | August 5, 2008
Western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla), photographed July 23th, 2008 at the Bronx zoo.
laelaps | August 3, 2008
Nubian ibex (Capra ibex nubiana), photographed July 23th, 2008 at the Bronx zoo.
laelaps | August 2, 2008
Two zebras, photographed July 23th, 2008 at the Bronx zoo. Any guesses as to what kind they are?
[Update: Those that said Grevy's zebra were right on the money. The think stripe pattern is a dead giveaway.]
laelaps | August 1, 2008
Small-clawed otters (Aonyx cinerea), photographed July 23th, 2008 at the Bronx zoo.
laelaps | July 31, 2008
Western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla), photographed July 23th, 2008 at the Bronx zoo.
laelaps | July 30, 2008
A snow leopard (Panthera uncia), photographed July 23th, 2008 at the Bronx zoo.
edyong | July 29, 2008Imagine being able to drink ludicrous amounts of alcohol without getting drunk and without the nasty consequences in the morning. For some people, it would be a dream come true but for the pen-tailed treeshrew (Ptilocercus lowii), it's just part of everyday life.
The treeshrew lives in the rainforests of Malaysia and its local drinking establishment is a large plant called the bertam palm. The palm develops large stems a few metres in length, each of which sprouts about a thousand flowers. These are loaded with an alcoholic nectar with a maximum alcohol concentration of 3.8% - as strong as…
laelaps | July 29, 2008
A black-crested gibbon (Nomascus concolor), photographed July 23th, 2008 at the Bronx zoo.
jlynch | July 28, 2008
This is a pen-tailed tree shrew, Ptilocercus lowii, a Malaysian critter that weighs only 47g but can drink the pound-for-pound equivalent of nine glasses of wine without any ill-effect when it sups on the alcoholic nectar of the bertam palm. While there are other species that drink the nectar - the slow loris, Nycticebus coucang, the common tree shrew, Tupaia glis, and the plantain squirrel, Callosciurus notatus - the shrew is the Oliver Reed of the bunch.
See doi: 10.1073/pnas.0801628105
laelaps | July 28, 2008
A small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinerea), photographed July 23th, 2008 at the Bronx zoo.
laelaps | July 27, 2008
Rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis), photographed July 23th, 2008 at the Bronx zoo.
edyong | July 26, 2008
In a (very) loose tie-in with the recent release of the Dark Knight, it's Bat Weekend at Not Exactly Rocket Science, where I'll be reposting a few old but relevant pieces. If you were a biologist looking for astounding innovations in nature, you could do much worse than to study bats. They are like showcases of nature's ingenuity, possessing a massive variety of incredible adaptations that allow them to exploit the skies of the night.
They are the only mammal group capable of true flight and are one of only four groups of animals to have ever evolved the ability. As a result, they have…
laelaps | July 26, 2008
Western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla, a silverback male [top] and females [middle and bottom]), photographed July 23th, 2008 at the Bronx zoo.