Wild Facts

Photo by Meggar (Wikimedia)

Today we continue learning about obscure animals. Although today’s animal is a little more popular, you may be surprised to find out that you have an alligator living in your backyard……if your backyard is on the west coast in North America.  Okay, so maybe it is a Northern Alligator Lizard but that doesn’t take away from their awesomeness. Although, they may not be as large as a real alligator (thank goodness), they are known to be one of the largest lizards species in Canada, which is pretty impressive, right? So what are we waiting for? Let’s head out to your backyard and start looking for the incredible Northern Alligator Lizard.

The Defense Specialist

We may have a tough time spotting this medium-sized lizard since they are known to be quite secretive and will typically flee once spotted. Trust me when I tell you not to pursue a fleeing Alligator Lizard. I guarantee you will not be a happy camper once you catch them. Once caught the Northern Alligator will try a few different defence strategies. They will release a foul smelling mix of musk and faeces, followed by biting and if the situation calls for it, they will simply drop their tail and scurry away. Dropping their tail is a common trend among lizards and acts as a distraction to the predator, giving them just enough time run and hide. The tail of the Northern Alligator Lizard does grow back, however, it tends to be shorter, fatter and darker. I guess this is one way to tell which lizards have had a tough life.

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Anti-Social Lizards

Although the Northern Alligator Lizard doesn’t mind the cold, which is why they can be found living in Canada, they are still not big fans of winter. Therefore, this lizard species will hibernate in underground dens known as, hibernacula. The Northern Alligator Lizards living in British Columbia tend to stick around their hibernacula all year long. I guess they are afraid that winter can hit anytime! During the summer months, the Northern Alligator Lizard can often be found in groups as they sun themselves on the rocks. Although, they can be found in groups, the Northern Alligator Lizard is not a social animal and will hardly interact with the neighbouring sun tanners. Sometimes you just want to relax and soak up the sun without having to worry about entertaining other lizards, right?

That does it for today’s Wild Fact. I will see you tomorrow for the final animal fact of the week.

Photo by Hoffryan (Wikimedia)

It may have took awhile to get today’s Wild Fact out, due to computer issues, however, better late than never. I promise it was worth the wait as we are heading to the ocean today to study a critically endangered sea turtle known as the Hawksbill Turtle. This particular turtle can be found throughout tropical areas in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, so you get to choose which area you want to explore. As well, you won’t need to go too deep since the Hawksbill Turtle prefers living along the coastlines where they are close to food and nesting sites.

One Big Heart

The Hawksbill Turtle is smaller than most other sea turtles as they only grow to about 114 cm (45″) in length and weigh up to 68 kg (150 lbs). I find it funny that a 150 lb turtle is considered to be the runt of the family. The young Hawksbill Turtles seem to have more ‘heart” compared to the adults. The juvenile turtles have a heart shaped shell, which becomes elongated as they grow older. Similarly, the shell of this particular turtle tends to be beautifully coloured, which tends to get this turtle into quite a bit of trouble.

Photo by Tom Doeppner (Wikimedia)

Adopt a Turtle

As mentioned, the Hawksbill Turtle is critically endangered as a result of human influence. Although they are globally protected, people still love dining on their eggs and have no problems hunting this turtle for their flesh and amazingly beautiful shell. Similarly, the Hawksbill Turtle is also a victim to fishing as they are often accidentally caught in large fishing nets. Luckily, this turtle is getting some attention as the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) is working hard to ensure that this beautiful creature lives for a long time to come. If you would like to help out with this cause then please feel free to visit the “Adopt a Turtle” website.

The Talons of a Hawk

If you take a look at the head of the Hawksbill Turtle, you will quickly see how they received their name. Yes, their head tapers to a point, which resembles the beak of a majestic bird. Besides the beak, this Turtle also has talons like a Hawk. Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a little bit since I don’t think a pair of claws on each flipper would really constitute  as “talons” but these claws do separate the Hawksbill Turtle from most other sea turtles.

That does it for today’s adventure. Enjoy the remainder of your day and I will see you tomorrow for a new animal fact.

Photo by Azhikerdude (Wikimedia)

Now that the partying from the weekend festivities is completely over, well it should be by now, it is time to get serious about our Wild Facts. Okay, I am just messing with you, I am not usually known for being serious. In fact, I chose today’s animal simply because I loved saying its name. Go ahead and say Chuckwalla! Fun, isn’t it? To me it sounds like a bad cross between  a Chumbawamba and Dishwalla song but it is entertaining, just like “Tubthumping”. In fact, this song would be perfect considering how many people probably had a few drinks this past weekend. Let’s take a short break to listen to this one hit wonder and reconvene in 3 minutes and 42 seconds.

See, it is a horrible song but incredibly entertaining.  Now where were we?  Oh yeah the Chuckwalla! The Chuckwalla is a large lizard, which is part of the Iguana family and is commonly found in the Southern USA and Northern Mexico. Much like the Wart Snake, they also have a lot of loose skin, which forms folds around their neck and sides of their body. Perhaps they are also trying to hide a bulky stomach?

When a Chuckwalla is threatened they will typically run away, which is a smart strategy. If the simple run away method doesn’t work they will actually lodge themselves into the crevice of a rock and inflate their stomach by gulping in air.  This is incredibly fascinating and ensures that the predator will not be able to pull out their scrumptious dinner. How about that, another animal that is conscious about their weight and tries hard to hide it so they can fit in.

Photo from Wikimedia

The male Chuckwalla is pretty territorial during certain times of the year and will typically try all kinds of things to defend his special territory. For example they will do push-ups, bob their head and widely open their mouth all in an attempt to warn other lizards to back off.  To me, it just sounds like a normal day at the gym. You think with all those push-ups they wouldn’t have to worry about a few extra pounds.

Okay, so that does it for Reptile Tuesdays.  Actually, we have been talking about reptiles all week. I will make sure to mix things up for Wednesday’s Wild Fact so make sure you tune in.  Enjoy the rest of your day.

Photo by Stephen G. Johnson

Happy Tuesday everyone!  I hope you are enjoying your day so far and are ready to learn about an interesting reptile.  I figured it has been awhile since we talked about a cool reptile so today we are learning about the Rhinoceros Iguana. No it isn’t related to the rhinoceros, although that would be pretty impressive.  Actually it gets this name because of the bony plate “pseudo-horn” growing out of its head.  I know, I wish it was because it was the size of rhino or something cool like that but we will just have to settle for a “pseudo-horn”.

The Rhinoceros Iguana can be found in the Dominican Republic and Haiti so it prefers the nice tropical locations. The Rhinoceros Iguana is not much different than other iguanas as far as their diet is concerned.  They are omnivores but focus their efforts feeding on fruit, leaves and other plant matter.  They will mix it up occasionally and feed on insects and small mammals so keep your pet beetle on a leash when you are in Rhino Iguana territory (I don’t know what’s wrong with me, it’s late!)

As with the males in other species (including humans) the Rhinoceros Iguana generally has to try hard to get the attention of a suitable mate.  They will have an elaborate courting dance which includes head bobbing and erecting the spines along their back.  For the record, it is not known for sure what the horns do but they believe they somehow play a role in this courting behaviour.  The Rhinoceros Iguana doesn’t just save their unique spine trick and head bobbing behaviour just for getting the attention of a lovely mate.  In fact when threatened the Rhinoceros Iguana will try a variety of elaborate head and neck movements to make themselves look bigger.  I am not sure how well it works but considering these iguanas are still around, I would say they are doing a find job tricking their predators.

Rhinoceros Iguana Fast Fact – The Rhinoceros Iguana are more terrestrial than some of the other iguana species.  This gives them the advantage for living in a rocky and dry climate.  These little guys will rarely been seen hanging out in trees or forested areas for that matter.

Well that is it for today.  I hope you all enjoyed the fact!

Since it was -20 degrees in the Yukon today I figured I could use a tropical vacation, so we are all heading to the tropical rain-forest of Southeast Asia.  I am sure if we look closely we will see some pretty cool things but if we are really lucky we might catch a glimpse of a Flying Dragon. Of course I am not talking about the kind of dragon that is guarding a Princess in a castle.  At least I don’t think they are used as guards!

These flying dragons are just slightly less than 30 cm (12″) in length and are capable of gliding about 30′.  Although, these little guys do not breathe fire they do have a set of false ribs covered with a flap of skin.  When the lizard expands their ribs these flaps turn into “wings” and allow the reptile to move from tree to tree.  Since the flying dragon spend the majority of their lives in the trees it is easy to see the importance of these wings. If you are hoping to catch one of these guys “flying” in the trees then you best pick a nice, calm day since they don’t usually glide in the rain or wind.

Flying lizards are actually a territorial animal and the male of the species will usually claim two or three trees as their Tropical Condo.  Interestingly enough the male will allow one to three female lizards to live in each tree. As usual, the male will show off when they spot a female by spreading his wings and doing some “fancy dancing”! For the record, “fancy dancing” is not the scientific term.  I think the flying and housing habits of this dragon make it much more interesting than the fire-breathing, Princess guarding, dragons found in fairy tales, such as in Shrek! For some reason I had that red dragon that Donkey marries in my head the whole time I was writing this Wild Fact!

Flying Dragon Fast Facts – The female flying dragon will only visit the forest floor to lay her eggs in the soil.  The rest of the time she will hang out high in the trees.

Photo from Michigan Science Art

Before we get into today’s Wild Fact, I have a little bit of housekeeping to take care of.  First of all I wanted to thank Larissa over at Reef Botanicals for presenting Wild Facts with the Sunshine Award.  Your support is greatly appreciated, Larissa.  Secondly, I wanted to let all of you know that Wild Facts was featured on Daily Planet which aired last night on the Discovery Channel.  I will post details and link to the show once it is posted online.  Thank you to Margo Losier for recommending Wild Facts to the producers at Daily Planet. I have to admit, I feel very honoured to have Wild Facts featured on such an amazing television program about Science and Technology.  All right, let’s get onto Wild Fact #858!

Today we are going to talk about a little Australian lizard called the Thorny Devil. They may look like the deadliest animal in the world, however, these lizards are only about 15-20 cm (5.9-8″) long. Although they may not be deadly to us, I would hate to be an ant in Australia with these guys kicking around.  The thorny devil is capable of consuming about 3000 ants in one sitting! Imagine the fear that would strike the little ants when they see the deadly, thorny lizard approaching. My guess is you would hear faint cries of “Godzilla!  Godzilla!”.

Besides the incredibly cool appearance of the thorny devil they also have two adaptations that are absolutely mind boggling.  The first has to do with their method of consuming water.  Most people just go to the tap and pour themselves a glass.  Actually, who am I kidding, these days most people just grab a bottle of water out of the fridge.  Well, the thorny devil simply walks through dew-filled grass and shrubs.  You see, this particular lizard is able to drink water no matter where it hits them on their body.  They have these tiny little grooves all over their body that direct the water to their mouth.  Once the water lands on them they will begin gulping which causes the water to move towards their mouth using a capillary action.  Imagine how much water they would be able to drink when they are swimming or in the shower.

The second adaptation is one of our usual defense mechanisms.  When a predator actually wants to try and consume this spikey little lizard they will have a tough time finding its head.  You see the thorny devil hides its real head and exposes a fake, spike-filled head which is located on their back.  As you can imagine the predator will be very surprised if it tries to attack the ball of spikes.  This isn’t one of those  good surprises either.

If you just can’t get enough of the Thorny Devils then I suggest checking out the video below.  It is just a short clip from National Geographic that discusses both adaptations I mentioned in today’s post.

Well, I guess that is all I have to say about the Thorny Devil.  Be sure to check back tomorrow for another interesting Wild Fact or if you would like to receive Wild Facts in your e-mail then just sign up at the top right corner.