Blog Archives
Snowy Owl Facts and Snowy Owl Pictures
The birds of the order Strigiformes are owls of all kinds: barn owls, screech owls, horned owls. Owls have been used as symbols of wisdom; they have been considered also as birds of ill omen. This superstitious fear is probably due to their silent flight, to the disconcerting stare of their big round eyes, to … Continue reading
Harpy Eagle facts and Harpy Eagle Pictures
The harpy eagle may be named for the Harpies of ancient Greek mythology. The Harpies were creatures with the heads of women and the bodies of birds of prey. These legendary Harpies were sent to punish people by carrying off their food. However, this superb bird of Central and South America does not really resemble … Continue reading
Jaguar Facts and Jaguar Pictures
Each tribe of South American Indians has given the jaguar a different name. Also this jungle cat is commonly called the onca in Brazil and el tigre in Spanish. The Brazilians describe a dangerous acquaintance as “a friend of the onca (amigo cia onca)’ The cat’s most common name, though, is the jaguar. This name … Continue reading
Silver Hatchet Fish
It is thought that some fishes of the depths make frequent excursions to the surface of the water at night, going down again at daybreak to the depths, which they light up feebly with their light-producing organs, or photophores. And so fishermen will sometimes find, in a squirming mass of silvery sardines, mackerel or other … Continue reading
Alpine Newts
In ancient Greek mythology, Triton was a sea deity, the son of Poseidon. Sculptors and painters have depicted him in human form down to his waist. The rest of his body is shown as a fish’s tail. When his father issued the command, he blew into a conch shell trumpet. At this bellowing sound the … Continue reading
Tree Frogs
The common tree frog of Europe, North Africa, and Asia, Hyla arborea, is a graceful little amphibian with a remarkable ability to keep its balance on all kinds of surfaces— trees, trunks, leaves, even the smallest of twigs. Because of its musical call and its appetite for insects, it is welcome in gardens.
The Flying Squirrels
Squirrels are attractive animals, belonging to the Sciuridae family, which is so large that scientists have divided it into sub-families. In Greek the family name means “shade tail.” Our common tree squirrels belong to the Sciuridae; the flying squirrels are classified as Petauristidae, a sub-family. Among its members are the common flying squirrel of North … Continue reading
Echidna Facts, Echidna Pictures
When people unfamiliar with the existence of the echidna hear a description of it and its behavior, based on anatomical and physiological facts, their typical reaction is: “Impossible! Inconceivable!” Toward the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth, when naturalists were beginning to exchange information about monotremes— platypuses and echidnas—they had … Continue reading