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Blog postA WELL-GROUNDED OWLBy J.E. Rogers
When we think about owls, we envision a huge bird sitting in a pine tree at night, a full moon overhead, and a hoot echoing in the darkness. Not too long ago, I was taking my son home when on the side of the road we saw an owl. We were awed by his size and so grateful that we had caught a brief glimpse of him. I guessed that he was a Great Horned Owl because he looked like this:
Photo credit: Ronald Laubenstein – US Fish and Wildlife (public domain) -
Blog postPIKAS AT THE PEAKby J.E. Rogers
There are a number of different species of Pika, but this week’s post will focus on one, the American Pika. Although the IUCN* ranks them as ‘least concern,’ there has been some alarm recently. It seems that in several areas of the west, California and Tahoe specifically, the animal’s population has disappeared.
Photo credit: Shattil & Rozinski/naturpl.com arkive.org
According to UC Santa Cruz scientists and other studies, the Americ -
Blog postRATS IN TREES! SAY IT ISN’T SO.by J.E. Rogers
Most of us don’t like the idea of rats, but rats in trees raises that dislike to a new level. This week we’ll meet a rat that is mainly arboreal. Yes, there are rats in the trees in Australia. When you think about it, that makes sense. Everything in Australia is different. And that’s an understatement.
A few weeks ago, I saw an article about this creature and I decided that he needed top billing. So, this week we’ll learn a bit about h -
Blog postWHATTLE I DO?by J.E. Rogers
Hello, Friends. It’s been a long couple of weeks, but we’re back and once more exploring the wild, weird and unusual world of animals. I've decided to travel to Colombia and Ecuador to learn about the Long-Wattled Umbrella bird.
Photo credit: Peterhorrell.com
This is a very weird bird, but the above picture doesn’t reveal anything strange, except maybe that comb over. Elvis would be proud.
Photo credit: menshairstylestoday.com -
Blog postHERE, KITTY, KITTY!by J.E. Rogers
I know a lot of cat people. They own cats like a Siamese, or a Burmese, or a Tonkinese, or some other of the ‘eses.’ This week we’ll take a look at a very unusual and little known wild cat. A video of this cat in captivity prompted me to write this week’s post. I have spoken about this cat before, but it’s one of my favorites so let’s get to it.
The Pallas cat is named for Peter Pallas, a German naturalist (1741-1811), who first described it. Howeve -
Blog postOLINGO!by J.E. Rogers
I once had my picture taken with a kinkajou. Here’s that picture.
They’re really cute, and the little guy in this picture was enjoying all the attention he was getting. Why do I bring up the Kinkajou when the star of this week’s post is the Olingo? Well, it’s because the two look so much alike that the Olingo is commonly mistaken for a Kinkajou. They both are similar in appearance and behavior, and both of them are also members of the raccoon family. On -
Blog postI’M OTTERLY CONFUSED By J.E. Rogers
I was totally confused when I began researching this animal. Is it an otter or is it a civet? Finally, after reading article after article, I came across a statement that seemed to close the chapter on this question. The Otter Civet is a member of the Viverridae family of carnivores.
The following quote is taken from a book entitled, Candid Creatures: How Camera Traps Reveal the Mysteries of Nature, by Roland Kays, Ph.D. And I quote: “The Otter C -
Blog postA TINY RIVER HORSEby J.E. Rogers
The word hippopotamus comes to us from the Greek and means ‘river horse.’ There are two species in the Hippopotamidae family, and the Pygmy Hippo is one of them. Although he is the smaller of the two species, there’s nothing small about this mammal! He’s got a whole lot of cuteness! This week we’ll take a look at the Pygmy Hippo.
Photo credit: Michael Leach & Meriel Lland (arkive.org)
There is a huge difference in size be -
Blog postMIGHTY MOUSE MOVE OVER!By J.E. Rogers
The Grasshopper Mouse is not your ordinary house mouse. This fearless, miniscule mouse can take on a scorpion.
Let’s meet and learn a bit about this incredibly aggressive rodent.
Photo credit: Matthew and Ashlee Rowe
The Grasshopper Mouse lives in the Southwestern United States. It is the only carnivorous mouse in North America. This little sparkplug of a mammal eats scorpions for lunch. Although the sting and venom of a scorpion a -
Blog postKING OF THE FORESTby J.E. Rogers
This past weekend, I had the honor of signing books at the Birds of Prey event in Brewster, New York, at the Green Chimneys school. I was pleased to sell and autograph books for the many readers that stopped by to talk to me. However, I was super thrilled to meet the birds and speak with their handlers.
One of the most largest birds at the event was the African Crowned Eagle, pictured below. It is a stunning, glorious, and majestic animal.
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Blog postTHE FLORIDA PANTHER by J.E. Rogers
I have been away for the past two weeks, and I’m about to give you a hint as to where I have been. I spent my time on the west coast of Florida, north of Tampa. There’s a lot of land there, and both and I wondered about the wildlife that might be wandering in the acreage along the main roads. Then I thought about Florida’s critically endangered Panther, which is a subspecies of the Puma. I saw one while visiting Big Cat Rescue. They are beauti -
Blog postKOHANA, A NATIVE AMERICAN CREATION MYTHBy J.E. RogersIllustrated by Guy Atherfold
THIS EXCITING AND BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED story is based on a Native American creation myth. Myth has always played an important part in helping humans to understand and explain the unexplainable. Native American myth played an important role in helping America’s indigenous peoples live in harmony with the natural world, express awe for its beauty, and celebrate its bounty. Not only does Kohana br -
Blog postA SPECIAL GUESTMEET SHELLEY LOWELL
I am honored this week to introduce my readers to an artist and writer who occupies a little corner of my heart. Her work defines our connection with the world around us in verse and on canvas. The beauty of her paintings and her words speak to us of reverence for and commitment to the land—to the world around us; This is the Land of Two Suns!
Shelley Lowell didn’t start out with the intention of writing This is the Land of Two Suns.& -
Blog postIT’S NAKED, IT’S A MOLE, IT’S A RAT?by J.E. Rogers
We’re really going weird this week. My husband has suggested this strange creature, and if you knew my husband, all would be perfectly clear. Our guest is not an endangered, but it qualifies as an unusual animal, which is something I’m always interested in sharing.
Let’s meet the Naked Mole Rat (Heterocephalus glaber).
Photo credit: Joel Sartore (National Geographic Photo Ark)
Yep, it’s pretty ugly, but this subterrane -
Blog postTHERE IS A PEACEABLE KINGDOMBy J.E. Rogers
For many animals, surviving in the wild is dangerous business. The manner in which each species has evolved to survive makes for some fascinating reading. Some even kill their own young and each other to ensure the survival of their genetic material. Most have developed extraordinary techniques and weapons, such as, camouflage, claws and sharp canines, just to mention a few. How many animals can you name that are peacekeepers, especially among the -
Blog postTHERE IT IS!By J.E. Rogers
Lemurs are indigenous to Madagascar, an island off the east coast of Africa. They are stunning, come in various sizes and colors, and most species are endangered.
Red Ruffed LemurPhoto credit: http://www.lemurreserve.org
This week, we’ll discuss one lemur in particular, the Indri (Indri Indri). The Indri is the largest of all lemur species and the only one without a tail. The local Malagasy tribes called out ‘indri, indri’ when pointing out this spe -
Blog postI’M JUST WILD ABOUT HAIRY!By J.E. Rogers
Wombats are one of Australia’s iconic marsupials. It is a pudgy little mammal that looks like a cross between a bear and a pig.
So let’s visit Australian and talk about wombats!
Like Koalas and Kangaroos, a wombat’s babies develop in a pouch. Unlike Koalas and Kangaroos, a wombat’s pouch is on backward. The reverse position prevents dirt from getting into the pouch. Since the wombat is a burrowing mammal, their babies, and the inside -
Blog postA FOX ON STILTSBy J.E. Rogers
In our last blog post, we visited with the Dhole, a wild dog of Asia. This week we’re traveling to the continent of South America to visit with another unusual canid; the Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus). Our special guest this week is neither a wolf, a dog or a fox. It is the only member of its genus: Chrysocyon, which means ‘golden dog.’
So, let’s get to know this unusual mammal a little better.
Photo credit: Sage Ross / Wikipedia Commons -
Blog postDHOLE, THE WILD DOG FROM INDIABy J.E. Rogers
The Dhole, (pronounced Dole), is also known as the Asiatic Dog and the Indian Wild Dog. The below photo inspired me to write about this beautiful animal, which I think looks like a blend of the red wolf and a red fox. Unlike the red wolf and red fox, the Dhole has rounded ears and a shorter jaw than other canids. Therefore, they have one less molar tooth on either side of their jaw.
Photo credit: San Diego Zoo
&n -
Blog postMOUNTAIN PYGMY POSSUM
by J.E. Rogers
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is an organization dedicated to the field of conservation. They continuation collect data and analyze it. They are involved in research, field projects, sponsor and lobby for the education of environmental issues that include both flora and fauna around the world.
The IUCN has a list of eighty-six animals living on the continent of Australia that are considered endangered. The Mount -
Blog postBEWARE THE CRYPT-KEEPER!
“So nat’ralist observe, a fleaHas smaller fleas that on him prey; And these have smaller fleas to bite ‘em.And so proceeds Ad infinitum.” Jonathan Swift
It will invade your nightmares, and other living things as well. Meet the Crypt-keeper (Euderus set) wasp. This insect is named after the Egyptian God, Set. Set, the god of evil and chaos, trapped his brother, Osiris, in a crypt, killed him and then cut him into little pieces. It was also believed that -
Blog postA HUMMING CAMEL LEOPARD!
by J.E. Rogers
They are the tallest terrestrial animal, they are magnificent and graceful, and the 'hum.' They are the giraffe.
The giraffe’s species name comes from the Latin ‘camelopardalis,’ which means ‘camel marked like a leopard.’ That makes sense to me. The blotches on their coat, which are leopard-like in appearance, help to camouflage them while they are feeding in the dappled sunlight beneath acacia trees.
According to the Giraffe Co -
Blog postA CANDIDATE FOR GQBy J.E. Rogers
There are so many beautifully adorned birds. There’s the Golden Pheasant;
Photo credit: KeaPhotography.org
The Woodland Kingfisher,
Photo credit: Hennie von Heerden https://www.flickr.com/photos/hvhe1/4231636638/
the Peacock, the Flamingo… I could go on and on. It seems that primates are never referred to as beautifully dressed or ‘pretty.’ Nevertheless, if we were hard-pressed to list a few, I believe the Red-Shanked Douc (Pygath -
Blog postTHERE’S A ‘PERSON’ IN THE FOREST!by, J.E. Rogers
There is a ‘person’ in the forest, and he’s critically endangered because of human greed. In the Malay and Indonesian language, the word orangutan translates into English as ‘person of the forest.’ This ‘person’ is the focus of this week’s blog. The orangutan is one of man’s closest relatives, so let’s get to know him a bit better.
There are two species of orangutan, the Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), and the Sumat -
Blog postLEAPIN’ LEMURS – THIS GUY’S ENDANGERED
We are going to Madagascar this week to visit with the Alaotra, or Bamboo Lemur, which is critically endangered due to its required, specialized environment.
Photo credit: bbc.co
The Alaotra Lemur, also known as the Alaotran Gentle Lemur, lives in a very small region of Madagascar, specifically in the reed beds around Lac Alaotra, Madagascar’s largest lake. Although there are other species of bamboo lemurs, the Alaotran Lemur is the o
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