The Great Things About The Great Lakes

StonesWild 12/21/15

 

First off let me thank you all for reading this- Its important my blogs get recognized properly
Article fifteen, here we go.

I, Stone, would like to welcome you all to todays wildlife discussion...

 

The Great Things About The Great Lakes

The last post of the year...wow. With over a year of posts behind us now, I would like to thank all of StonesWild's readers, whether you be a loyal follower of the blog, or simply an interested person skimming Google.

This last post I will devote to a wonderful habitat that has been very close to me my entire life- The Great Lakes. Michigan and Erie will be the main focus today. What many do not realize is that the wildlife treasures of these inland seas compare with their ocean brethren in splendor- It isn't all bass fishing and zebra mussels.




-Lake Sturgeon-
A primitive yet intriguing fish, now quite rare, the deep-dwelling Sturgeon is consequently rarely observed in the wild. Shark-like in appearance, and equally similar in it's large size, the sturgeon is, however, quite harmless. A consumer of clams and crawfish, this wonderful piscine nears over 7 feet at its greatest.
 


-White Pelican-
An immense, noisy bird, the pelican is normally associated with the salty seas, but is actually quite comfortable in the summer bays of Lake Erie, Michigan, and occasionally others. The saggy throat pouch, however odd looking, is quite practical in rounding up fish. A tough, rugged bird, American White Pelicans will angrily beat down hawks and even eagles that may prey upon their young ones.




-Spotted Turtle-
Small, but brightly patterned, this rare, aquatic reptile is quite brave. It often ventures onto land, from which escapades many individuals bear scars from run-ins with raccoons or similar toothy mammals! An active hunter, this turtle hunts crawfish in warm shallow water, and small fish in the open water. Browsing aquatic vegetation as well, the foraging wanders of this animals take it throughout a range of anywhere from roughly 2 to 8 acres.



-Double Crested Cormorant-
A heavy bodied, rough-looking bird, the Double Crested cormorant looks quite regal when dry, but thoroughly bedraggled after a dive. The yellow mask, fringy wings and the hooked bill make this avian an interesting character to meet. Often associating with other seabirds, cormorants hunt small fish by diving deep with their heavy, solid builds.




-Softshell Turtle-
This solid, substantial turtle can grow 18 inches long and live 53 years. They enjoy warm, sandy shallows, where small plants and fish are plentiful. The amusing tubular nose of the animal is used for breathing in shallow water, much as a scuba dive uses a snorkel.



Thank you everyone for reading! I hope you all enjoyed it.

All the Best, and have a phenomenal Christmas everyone!

Safari Stone

 

America's Amazing Atolls

StonesWild 11/25/15

 

First off let me thank you all for reading this- Its important my blogs get recognized properly
Article fourteen, here we go.

I, Stone, would like to welcome you all to todays wildlife discussion...

 

America's Amazing Atolls

The United States owns several uninhabited reef-islands, coral rims forming small lagoons, usually with above-water habitats, often sandy with salt-hardy vegetation. Most of these fantastic habitats are located in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. Our Atoll's contain some of the world's highest quality coral reef habitats, prime habitats for endangered Hawaiian Monk Seals, Green Sea Turtles, Hawksbill Sea Turtles, and the Laysan Teal. Numerous tropical seabirds nest and feed here as well. Today, We'll take a look at some of the awesome animal life to be founds in these exotic places.

 


 

-Hawaiian Monk Seal-
A rare species, the Hawaiian Monk seal s one of only two surviving species of Monk Seal- the other being the Mediterranean race. Slender and trusting, this mild-mannered pinniped spends it's days resting on warm beaches on places like the Midway and Johnston Atolls. Being a generalist feeder among seals, this marine mammal eats intermittently a diet of squid, octopus, crustaceans, eel, and various other fish.



-Black Noddy-
Sometimes almost plastic-looking, the streamlined feathers of this bird blend into a white crown atop the head. Smaller then a gull and light in build, this tropical bird hunts for small fish and invertebrates near the surface of the water.


-Great Frigatebird-
A sedentary bird that rests in mangroves, this predatory eater of fish and squid occasionally takes the chick of another bird as a meal. The inflatable throat pouch, quite reminiscent of a red party balloon, present in both genders, is used as a mating display in males. A rambunctious nest-builder, these birds often steal nesting material for their own, in particular, they may steal the entire nest of a smaller bird like the Brown Noddy ( see above).





-Red Tailed Tropicbird-
A truly angelic, graceful animal, the Red Tailed Tropicbird is a pure, clean white with contrasting glossy black eye rings and a thin, neon-red tail and bill. A plunge-diver, these efficient hunters take squid along with the quick and light Flying Fish.

R.T. Tropicbird chick.

Albatross-
Several species of Albatross, notably the Laysan, Black-footed, and Short-Tailed, nest on Midway Atoll. The Laysan Albatross in particular has won the prize for the oldest wild bird- a female, Wisdom, was at least 62 as of 2013.  The incredible span of these bird's wings makes for quite a sight when encountered- nearing 8 feet in the Black-Footed race.

A Regal-looking Short-Tailed Albatross, or, less formally, also known as a Golden Gooney.

 

A Laysan Albatross soars overhead.

A pair of B.F. Albatross on Midway Atoll.

 

Thank you everyone for reading! I hope you all enjoyed it.

All the Best,

Safari Stone

 

Furious Fangs- Dangerous Dentition of the Animal World

StonesWild 10/24/15

 

First off let me thank you all for reading this- Its important my blogs get recognized properly
Article thirteen, here we go.

I, Stone, would like to welcome you all to todays wildlife discussion...

 

Furious Fangs- Dangerous Dentition of the Animal World



Not something you'd want to encounter, right? The above picture happens to be a crocodilian, one of many efficiently equipped predators of the present, reminiscent of Tyrannosaurus, Allosaurus, along with other familiar beasts of primeval days. Today, we shall observe these organic blades that line the mouths of so many reptilian kings...


-Eastern Diamondback-
The venom teeth of this serpent- well over an inch- produce an immediate burning sensation and later lead to excruciating death if left untreated. The fear of this animal has lasted from its discovery to the present, however, when left unmolested, the Diamondback is actually quite a peaceful species. in regards to large mammal such as humans. This fact inspired one of Our Nation's first flags-





Due to the harmless nature of the Diamondback when left alone, together with the strong contrast of action when wrongfully disturbed, the Patriots found the Eastern Diamondback a striking metaphor for the new U.S.A

 

-Orinoco Crocodile-
A truly immense animal, the Orinoco crocodile has been formally recorded as over 21 feet and 840+ pounds, making it the largest predator in South America. This animal hails from the Orinoco river region of Colombia and Venezuela, hence the name. With a bite force somewhat less than 1K psi, this is a formidable beast.








-Komodo Dragon-
This hulking reptilian form from Indonesia has the most unusual methods of prey dispatchment- with a bite force literally weaker then a house cat's, the dragon relies on the bulky neck muscles and potentially deadly saliva to take down large prey, such as water buffalo. The razorine dentition assist in the consumption of smaller meals.





-Saltwater Crocodile-
The leviathans of Australasia, the Saltwater Crocodiles rival the bite force of Tyrannosaurus.
At an estimated 7,700 psi bite force for 20- foot animals, these terrors of river and ocean dominate all known predators living today.











Thank you everyone for reading! I hope you all enjoyed it.

All the Best,

Safari Stone

 

Maniacal Migrations-The World of the Wild Wildebeest

StonesWild 9/30/15

 

First off let me thank you all for reading this- Its important my blogs get recognized properly
Article twelve, here we go.

I, Stone, would like to welcome you all to todays wildlife discussion...

 

Maniacal Migrations- The World of the Wild Wildebeest

 

 

Every year, the wet and dry seasons of Africa bring worldly change to the grasslands of the Masai Mara in Kenya. Although these quickly surging changes take effect in only days, turn scrubland to swamp in a fortnight, seemingly unique to this area of the Dark Continent...the ecosystem's philosophy here is the same as anywhere else where the rules of the wild still preside over the lives of the inhabitants...only the most adaptable survive.

The largest herds that participate in this mad rush are composed of White Bearded Wildebeest, Thomson's Gazelles, and Burchell's Zebra. The greatest component, however, are the wildebeest. This is due to the wildebeest's requirements for phosphorus, which cannot be found in enough quantity annually in their favored habitat to sustain them.

 

 

 

 

 

The enormous influx of ungulates through such a relatively small corridor of land gives one almost certainty that every East African predator would make a point not to miss this opportunistic repast. Consequently, Nile Crocodiles, Lions, Spotted Hyenas, and several vulture species often trail the migrants, with the chief exception of the crocodiles, who prefer to lie in wait at river crossings. It's been estimated that roughly 3,000 Lions and 9,000 Spotted Hyenas share the plains of the Masai Mara with the migratory animals.
 

 

 The fault of the nomadic predators, however, is that of their placement- the very plains the ungulates make leave from when the rains fail are the greatest kingdom for these carnivora. It seems that the majority of their population is left behind as the migrant herbivores set out for pastures new. Therefore, in addition to arriving where the vital nutrient phosphorus can be found, the predators are temporarily outrun.

 

 

 

 

Thank you everyone for reading! I hope you all enjoyed it.

All the Best,

Safari Stone