Archive for June 2010

Jun
17

Whale poop fights climate change

Posted by in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Endangered Species,Featured,Field Research,What You Can Do

Faecal attraction! At least that is the headline on Yahoo News at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/specieswhalesclimateoffbeat

Odd things catch my attention. First, I would have thought faecal was spelled fecal – but what do I know about whale poop? Much more after spending a few minutes riveted to my computer screen.

As if we did not need another reason to protect whales – it has been determined that sperm whale poop in the Southern Oceans remove the equivalent carbon emissions from 40,000 cars each year thanks to their faeces. What!

It is estimated that 12,000 sperm whales in the Southern Ocean each defecate around 50 tonnes of iron into the sea every year after digesting the fish and squid they hunt and the phytoplankton which eats the iron suck up carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.

What does this mean for you? It means we will not ask you to donate money through a carbon calculator to offset your travel. Oh no my friend, now we will ask you for money so that we may breed squid to feed to sprem whales to increase their poop output. This squid decarbonization formula will help you help whales help us.

Seriously though, read the article, whales are in trouble in every ocean they are found and being careful consumers and supporting protection measures will help protect these amazing animals.

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Jun
16

Keep Texas Wild! Horned Lizards

Posted by in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Texas,Travel

Just received a note from some friends at Texas Parks and Wildlife promoting Horned Lizards: 

Everyone loves horny toads, but for many Texans the fierce-looking yet amiable reptile is only a fond childhood memory. Once common throughout most of the state, the horny toad (or Texas Horned Lizard) has disappeared from many parts of its former range over the past 30 years. However, for those horny toads left, the best time to see them is now—from May through August in West and South Texas. Take some time to learn more about this native Texan and what you can do to help conserve the few that are left.

Yes, I know Houston is not in West or South Texas. But many of you travel across the state throughout the summer so keep an eye out for these little reptiles.

You can find a nice article on the Horned Lizard at Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine, Join the Texas Horned Lizard Watch Program, Join the Horned Lizard Conservation Society, or my favorite – Watch the Legend of Old Rip! The Lizard who apparently survived 31 years in a time capsule in Eastland, Texas beginning in 1897. “He’s our most famous citizen – he’s dead, but he is still our most famous citizen”.

Four Fun Horned Lizard Facts:

1. Horned Lizards are reptiles with scales, claws and eggs laid on land. However, the horned lizard’s scientific name, Phrynosoma, actually means “toady-body,” based on the lizards’ short, fat body shape
2. Horny Toads squirt blood from their eyelids at their targets, which usually consist of canine predators, such as foxes, coyotes and even dogs. 3. The primary source of food for Horned Lizards is ants- harvester ants that is! They can eat over 100 per day.
4. Scientists continue to research why the Horned Lizard has declined so dramatically in many parts of the state. Their disappearance has been blamed on many factors, including the spread of the red imported fire ant, changes in land use, collection for the pet trade, and environmental contaminants.

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Jun
14

National Pollinator Week June 21-27

Posted by in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Featured,What You Can Do

We are givign you a few weeks notice to get ready for National Pollinator’s Week June 21-27. Clearly you will need to send out invitations to family, friends and neighbors who are neither family nor friends but should be invovled in your National Pollinators Day BBQ. Who can have too many reasons to BBQ? Nobody, so let’s just consider this an unofficial holiday.

Three years ago the U.S. Senate’s unanimous approval and designation of the final week in June as “National Pollinator Week” marked a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations. In just three years Pollinator Week has grown to be an international celebration of the valuable ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles. The growing concern for pollinators is a sign of progress, but it is vital that we continue to maximize our collective effort. 

Pollinating animals, including bees, birds, butterflies, bats, beetles and others, are vital to our delicate ecosystem, supporting terrestrial wildlife, providing healthy watershed, and more. Therefore, Pollinator Week is a week to get the importance of pollinators’ message out to as many people as possible.

It’s not too early to start thinking about an event at your school, garden, church, store, etc. Pollinators positively effect all our lives- let’s SAVE them and CELEBRATE them!

What is on the poster?

1.) Bees- Bumble bee (Bombus sonorus)
2.) Bees- The European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
3.) Bees- Orchid Bees (Euglossa imperialis and Euglossa  cf.  mixta)
4.) Wasps- The Blue Mud Wasp (Chalybion californicum)
5.) Butterflies- The EasternTiger Swallowtail (Papilio glacus)
6.) Butterflies- Cairns Birdwing (Ornithoptera priamus)
7.) Butterflies- Blue Morpho, male, (Morpho menelaus)
8.) Moths- The pink-spotted hawkmoth  (Agrius cingulata)
9.) Flies- a flower fly (Heliophilus pendulus)
10.) Birds- Scarlet Hawaiian Honey creeper, the ‘I’iwi  (Vestiaria coccinea)
11.) Birds- Rufuos hummingbird, SW USA,  (Selasphorus rufus)
12.) Beetles- Scarab beetle (Plusiotis gloriosa or Chrysina gloriosa)
13.) Mammals-  Banana bat (Musonycteris harrisoni)
14.) Mammals- Red-Bellied Lemur (Eulemur rubriventer)
15.) Mammals- Sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps)
16.) Mammals- Honey possum (Tarsipes rostratus)
17.) Lizards- Blue-tailed day gecko (Phelsuma cepediana)

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Jun
11

Free Endangered Species Ringtones

Posted by in amphibians,Endangered Species,Texas

Houston Toad

The nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity offers free ringtones of rare and endangered animals. Download their haunting hoots, sensational songs and crazy croaks to your cell phone. Available are calls of the blue-throated Macaw, Beluga Whale, Boreal Owl, Mountain Yellow-legged Frog, Houston Toad, or any one of over forty other endangered critters. 

Rareearthtones.org was designed by the Center for Biological Diversity, a non-profit group with over 30,000 members that has been working to protect endangered species and wild places since 1989.

“The goal is to get people talking about and learning more about endangered species. Some of the sounds are so unusual that when people hear the phones ring, they’re bound to ask, ‘What is that?’ That’s what we want.” says Peter Gavin, conservation director for the center.

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Jun
10

Kemp’s ridley sea turtle on beach yesterday!

Posted by in Endangered Species,Featured,Field Research,Sea Turtles,Texas,Uncategorized

While on my sea turtle patrol yesterday I intercepted this female Kemp’s ridley sea turtle awkwardly flapping and slowly inching her way along the beach to the dunes to nest and deposit her eggs. What an experience to share space and be alone with this magnificent sea dwelling animal on a sunny June afternoon! At a time of so much frustration and worry for the Gulf and all of it’s inhabitants-it is so hopeful & special to see one of the most endangered animals in the world both surviving, and thankfully, recovering from near extinction only a few decades ago.

 

She must have been a picky mom because she dug a few holes and went back into the water without depositing her eggs. She was looking for just the right spot. A shot of her making her way back to the sea…

 

There’s nothing like the cool and refreshing splatter of the ocean water after baking in the hot sun! 

Find out more about sea turtle conservation at the Houston Zoo and in Texas!

Would you please share with me and other Houston Zoo blog readers one of your most memorable wildlife experiences?

Jun
10

Cockroach food etiquette

Posted by in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Featured

This is all I needed to hear today to make me realize we have lost all control of the planet. “Cockroaches “recommend” good food sources to each other”.

“Hey Johnny, come taste this baby back rib scrap, it is quite delish”

“Be there in a minute, I am finishing up this slice of celery. The wife and 1,365 kids say the water content will make me look slimmer”

Researchers at a London (as in England) university have determined that cockroaches use chemicals to communicate about food taste preferences. This apparently is the reason some people may find them en masse sitting on the pot roast you left out overnight. Nevermind the fact you simply left a whole pot roast out on the counter, the roaches actually discussed it, sent in a taster, and then invited their family and friends over for a midnight snack.

I left a bit of food out once. Woke up to find both the cat and dog enjoying it and I can guarantee those two do not communicate at all unless it is to discuss the newest episode of The Cake Boss.

You could read the whole story on the link below or if you prefer, you can always stay up at night and strike up a conversation with our little insect friends about which of your neighbors makes the best Pecan Pie. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment/10236515.stm

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Jun
09

Adventures in Borneo with the Houston Zoo

Posted by in Borneo,community-based conservation,Field Research,orangutan,Travel

Proboscis Monkey photos courtesy of Paul Swen

The Houston Zoo’s VP of Animal Care, Sharon Joseph, and two excited travelers, Linda and Gail, embarked on an adventure to Borneo for the opportunity to view the regions wildlife along the banks of the Kinabatangan River a few weeks ago.  This unique opportunity was provided by the Houston zoo’s travel program.  In the inner east coast of Sabah, they saw some of the world’s rarest mammals, insects, reptiles, and birds while visiting with Houston zoo’s conservation partner, the Hutan which oversees the Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project.  They trekked through swampy forest and paddled down winding rivers, getting rare glimpses of unique species such as proboscis monkeys and smooth otters.

They were guided by a community operated tour company called Red Ape Encounters whose guide Mincho had been trained as a research assistant and nature guide by Hutan.  Local people are always the best guides as they are so at home in the forest.  Their eyes are trained for their environment so they have the ability to notice what would be considered “unnoticeable” to us.  One night cruse, as Mincho scanned the shore with a spotlight, all it took was the sight of the tiny tip of a tail to point out a species of small cat called a leopard cat for the group to see.  Mincho did everything he could think of to make sure they saw all of the wildlife that the island had to offer from Bornean elephants to orangutans.

Bornean orangutan photos courtesy of Paul Swen

The group had a great viewing of wild Orangutans when they ventured out to experience the Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project (KOCP).  The project was founded in the village of Sukau, in Malaysian Borneo by Hutan in collaboration with the Sabah Wildlife Department. The project’s objective is to restore harmonious relationships between local people and the orangutan. 

A great time was had by all and they ended up seeing 27 species of bird, 11 species of mammal and 6 species of reptile.  They also ended up making a life long friend of Mincho who took pride in introducing them to his village and family. 

Comments from the trip:
“Linda and I had an idea of the work going on, based on the information you sent to us.  Then we met and talked with Dr. Marc , Dr. Benoit and Dr. Isabelle , saw the programs detailed charts, sketches and newspaper articles, and it became perfectly clear what Hutan is accomplishing with support from the Houston Zoo.  They did not look at Linda and me as tourists – how much more special could one feel, since having inside information on their studies allowed us into areas that many other travelers could not access?  Along with their one-on-one dinners whereby we could ask any questions about the program and Mincho making sure we ‘did’ see the elephants – in a very Harrison Ford way, it was a trip most travelers only dream of.  You can read and read, but still not be truly ready for an experience like this.  From the very moment we arrived in Koto Kinabalu, we knew this trip would be like no other.  Linda has been to Africa several times and is still raving about this trip.

Mincho is certainly a treasure, the kindest person on this planet – he took us to meet his teacher, his wife and children.  He did everything within his power to make every little wish come true – the smallest details were taken care of.  He is truly a great representative for Red Ape and Zoo.”

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Jun
08

Prairie Chickens Part 7: A Day in the life of an APC Intern

Posted by in Endangered Species,Featured,Texas

The day starts at 7:00 in the morning with a visual check of all the chicks currently at the zoo. The smallest and youngest chicks are in brooder boxes, large boxes with heat lamps built into the top for warmth. Chicks that are around a week old live in “Stackers,” taller, more open boxes similar to brooder boxes but with adequate space for the growing birds. Chicks 50 grams and above live outdoors in gravel pens with heat lamps for warmth at night and cuttings of native plants for shelter.

After all the chicks are checked on, the cleaning begins. The lining in Stacker cages are changed daily and the gravel in the outdoor pens is raked daily. While their enclosures are cleaned, individual chick weights are recorded to monitor their health and growth. A diet is prepared for each enclosure with specially formulated grain for Attwater’s prairie chickens as well as live insects and a greens mix including carrot, peas, kale, and apple. Each enclosure’s diet is weighed and doled out four times a day based on the age of the chicks and the number of chicks in each enclosure.

A member of the vet staff comes by twice a day to check on the prairie chicken chicks and provide treatment if necessary to help the chicks grow big and strong.

Sometimes, the interns have help in their daily task of taking care of the prairie chicken chicks. Domestic hens are often given Attwater’s prairie chicken eggs to incubate, and these hens keep these chicks with them for the first few weeks of the chicks’ lives. The hens “brood” the chicks – allow the chicks to nestle under their feathers for warmth – and lead them to the food with a distinctive cluck.

The afternoon is primarily filled with projects around the department. As more chicks hatch, more outdoor pens are needed to house the growing chicks. Pens are scrubbed clean, filled with gravel, and some have grass planted in them and kept watered until the chicks arrive. Brooder boxes and Stackers are cleaned thoroughly after chicks grow large enough to move outside and before new chicks arrive. For the gravel pens, new trimmings of fresh plants such as hackberry limbs have to be prepared every few days so the chicks can always have fresh plants in their enclosures.

As an intern working with the Attwater’s prairie chicken chicks, there is never a dull moment between feeding, cleaning, and caring for these endangered birds. We are proud of the opportunity to be a part of so many important lives, each one of which helps bring such an amazing species back from the brink of extinction.

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Jun
07

Marine Debris: A Plastic Nurdle Hurdle

Posted by in Sea Turtles,What You Can Do

NURDLES!

How could something called a nurdle be harmful to wildlife and the environment?

A nurdle  is a teeny tiny plastic pellet typically found outside of the typical plastics manufacturing stream. Plastic pellets are a product which is used to produce a final products, while a nurdle is scrap and can also be what remains once plastic is broken down in the environment.

So there you have it, nurdles are scrap and nurdles are also a major contributor to marine debris. Nurdles that escape (they do not plot this escape, they are the end result of a degraded product) from the plastic production process into waterways or oceans have become a significant source of ocean and beach pollution. Marine life is severely threatened by these small pieces of plastic: the creatures that make up the base of the marine food chain, such as krill (shrimp-like marine invertebrate fed on by many marine species from birds to whales), are prematurely dying by choking on nurdles.

You think Texas is big? Well, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is up to twice the size of Texas and is made up of plastic and other garbage debris. Why plastic? Plastic doesn’t biodegrade – it just “photodegrades,” which means it fragments into smaller and smaller pieces called “nurdles” that soak up toxins and wind up being ingested by fish, birds, turtles, marine mammals, etc.

Follow the food chain: Jellyfish eat nurdles. Fish eat jellyfish which ate the nurdle. You eat the fish which ate the jellyfish which ate the nurdle. Effectively, you have just been nurdled. How’s that feel? Clearly not nurdlicious.

Oceanic garbage patch

Too bad nurdles are so harmful as it can actually be quite enjoyable to randomly shout out. Disclaimer: do not try this at home as it may frighten the dog, cat, kids and neighbors. Keep waste in its place and out of the oceans – the nurdles do not mean to be bad, they just are.

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Jun
04

Don’t Mess With Texas

Posted by in Texas,What You Can Do

If I was a company and thought it would be beneficial to quote the phrase and use the official logo – you would think I would do more to keep waste out of the environment.

It is all about the styrofoam today as I caught glimpse of a fast food/drive through chains styrofoam beverage cup with the Don’t Mess with Texas logo brazenly adorned across it’s side.

From the Don’t Mess with Texas website: Back in 1985, Texas had a big problem. A litter problem. To battle this big, expensive roadside mess, the Texas Highway Commission launched an extensive public education campaign. Using research, we identified the state’s worst offenders and how best to reach them, and with that — the legend was born. And we’ve been reminding Texans to keep litter off the roads ever since.

Both this slogan and organization have become synonymous with keeping Texas clean (and reminding non-Texans to stay on our good side).

Back to our brazenly adorned styrofoam cup. I can understand the sentiment of the food chains to keep litter in it’s place. But putting litter in it’s place will not resolve the problem of putting an environmentally unfriendly product into the waste stream.

“Styrofoam” is a petroleum-based product which may contain potentially carcinogenic components and takes between decades and forever to biodegrade as it is resistant to photolysis (breaking down of materials from a light source). Currently, recycling markets for ”styrofoam” products are extremely limited and do not exist in most places as its value is, well – it is worthless as scrap material, so using less to none of this product is best for us consumers.

Back to the fast food beverage cup. Look – I like my milkshakes and other beverages of choice to stay frosty cold as much as anyone, but I am just happy to drink these angelic offerings of chilly goodness out of a recyclable plastic (plastic #1 or 2 please) cup. Maybe we rant about plastic straws later on in the month, but for now…

I know of, and no longer frequent, at least 4 of these fast food/drive through giants which use styrofoam for beverage cups. I realize it is a cheaper alternative and thus offers them a higher profit margin – but at what cost to the State of Texas? Every penny they save brings us a eternity of non-disposable waste.

Don’t Mess With Texas? “Styrofoam” was extremely valuable in it’s early days but it is time we moved on and banned the use of “styrofoam” in the food industries as a first step to cleaning up our waste stream (and yes, you can bring your own rubbermaid / tupperware style container from home when eating out so as not to need their styrofoam take-out container for the leftover food).

You can also support companies with products such as EarthCorr Packaging who offer Cooler boxes to be used for shipping meats, desserts, pastries and pharmaceuticals which are easily compostable.

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