Complete Field Guide - Four Rivers Charter Public School

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Frint cover was designed by Morghan Jolly and Luz Salame and features original artwork by the class of 2013.
Table of Contents
Title
Author
Page
Forward
Matt Leaf
4
What is a Vernal Pool?
Mikayla Goodwin
5
Who We Are
Alysha Boynton
6
Mammals
Brian Wendel and Sam Sol
7
Amphibians
Amy Graham and Jamila Roth
8
Reptiles
Levi Howard
9
Birds
Oliver Lowe and Jack Fox
10
Mollusks
Jack Fox and Oliver Lowe
11
Insects
Aliyah Sarro-Schwartz
12
Crustaceans
Meaghan Burns & Shannon Gilcreast
13
Air Breathing Snail
Dalila Bennett
14
American Toad
Connor Duffy
18
Blanding’s Turtle
Meaghan Burns
22
Blue Spotted Salamander
Oliver Lowe
26
Eastern Screech Owl
Cody Hutchinson
30
Fairy Shrimp
Jocelyn Rice
34
Fingernail Clam
Jack Fox
38
Fowler’s Toad
Gabe Pronovost
42
Garter Snake
Laura Campbell
46
Great Blue Heron
Mikayla Goodwin
50
Green Darner
Morghan Jolly
54
Grey Tree Frog
Jefferson Salamander
Long-Tailed Weasel
Mallard
Northern Caddisfly
Northern Short-Tailed Shrew
Opossum
Painted Turtle
Pickerel Frog
Raccoon
Red Shouldered Hawk
Red Spotted Newt
Ribbon Snake
Spadefoot Toad
Spotted Salamander
Spotted Turtle
Spring Peeper
Striped Skunk
Tule Bluet Damselfly
Water Bugs
Wild Turkey
Wood Duck
Wood Frog
Wood Turtle
Gloaaary
Kirsten Mattson
Sam Sol
Tristen Conolly
Alysha Boynton
Aliyah Sarro-Schwartz
Laura Averill
Luz Salame
Megan Atherton
Brittney Richotte
Mario DiPaolo
Shannon Gilcreast
Garrett Gamache
Ian Jennison
Kyle Sweeney
Jamila Roth
Sam DeLisle
Svyeta Reish
Brian Wendel
Alex Thacker
Francesca Maroney
Tom Perham
Amy Graham
Levi Howard
Emi Gregory
Class of 2013
58
62
66
70
74
78
82
86
90
94
98
102
106
110
114
118
122
126
130
134
138
142
146
150
154
FORWARD
Each year the students at Four Rivers Charter Public School spend the late winter and early spring creating a field guide to
some part of the natural world around them. This year our study focused on vernal pools. These ephemeral bodies of water are often overlooked by people or are incorrectly identified as ponds or puddles. What many do not understand is that vernal pools play an
important role in the ecosystem of a forest. For some animals they are a great source of water and nice place to visit for finding food.
For others they are an essential breeding ground where eggs can be laid without the threat of fish eating them. There are even some
species of animals that only live in vernal pools. There is a whole world waiting to be discovered in each one!
Part of our research of vernal pools included certifying one in the Highland Park area of Greenfield, Massachusetts. Starting in
the winter months, when there was still a healthy amount of snow on the ground, the students began researching animals connected to
vernal pools and began making regular trips to our nearby pool. We measured it dimensions. We identified sources of waterflow into
the pool. We looked for signs of life – especially the kind that can only be found in a vernal pool. In short, we conducted extensive
research in field and in the library and classroom. The students worked to get to know their animals and the vernal pool ecosystem.
Studying nature doesn’t really start with knowing. It begins with wondering, and for many of us that sense of wondering begins
at an early age with stories. Included in this book are original folktales written by our seventh graders about the very animals they
studied so thoroughly. We created these stories to activate the imagination and instill that sense of wonder in the world that leads to
investigation. The challenge in writing these tales was to combine facts about the animal with imaginative thinking about the origins
of one of its features.
We would like to thank the seventh grade students (Class of 2013) for all of their hard work and perseverance throughout this
project. We would also like to thank the students of King Middle School in Portland, Maine for the inspiration of writing an authentic field guide. Additional thanks goes to the late author and naturalist, Thornton Burgess, for providing such classic and much-loved
storiess and examples of how fact and fiction can be playfully combined in the folktale format.
Sincerely,
Matt Leaf
Mandy Locke
4
WHAT IS A VERNAL POOL?
The very first thing you need to know it that
a vernal pool is a pool that comes and goes
every year full of water that usually dries up
in the summer. As the snow melts it collects in
gully sometimes filling a vernal pool. They are
sometimes called big puddles but this is wrong
because puddles don’t have animals.
A vernal pool is the home to many different
animals including the fairy shrimp which can
only be found there. Frogs and salamanders
usually lay their eggs here because it is a safe
place and no fish will eat them while they
are tadpoles. Animals, like the fish, that need
water all year long cannot live in these pools.
Vernal pools come in every size shape and
form. The one we went to in the pictures is 80
meters long, 15.8 meters wide, and 18 meters
deep on average. Some are just the size of
a rain puddle and a little deeper. You can
recognize a vernal pool because that it has no
rivers, stream, or lakes feeding it with water.
The only thing that feeds a vernal pool is the
rain and melting snow.
The two different kinds of animal that use
vernal pools can be classified as either obligate
or facilitative species. Obligate species are
animals that need the vernal pool without it
they would die. Fairy shrimp and wood frogs
are obligate species because they need the vernal pool or they would die. Facilitative species
are not dependent on vernal pools, but they do
enjoy them.
5
WHO WE ARE
At Four Rivers Charter Public School,
we’re all about really getting involved in what
we’re learning about. We’re not listening to
lectures about the life cycle of a frog; we’re out
there seeing it. For this project, our goal was to
learn everything we could about our assigned
vernal pool animal. It could be anything from
a Mallard duck or a Raccoon to a Fairy Shrimp
and everything in between.
We took a trip to the Great Falls Discovery Center to learn about the water cycle
and vernal pools. We actually went to a real
uncertified vernal pool and did fieldwork not
only to learn lots of cool information about
our animals, but also to certify as an official
vernal pool.
Any animal that visits or lives in a
vernal pool, we learned about. Whether it was
painting watercolor versions of our animals
or learning about its habitat, we worked
hard (and long) to put together this book.
We learned about their physical appearance,
where they live, what they eat (and who eats
them), and just about any other odd fact there
is to know about our animals.
I think we’d all agree this expedition was a long and difficult one. The editing
process can become pretty tiring when you’re
determined to get it just right. But I think we
would also all agree that seeing this book finished and all our hard work coming together is
very worth it.
6
MAMMALS
All mammals are endothermic vertebrates. Endothermic means that they have a four chambered hearts and fur or hair
covering their skin. The young of most mammals are born alive and their mother produces milk to feed them. Mammals fertilize
their eggs inside the female’s body. The baby develops inside the mother until it is ready to live in the outside world. Since the
animals need energy from the food they eat, mammals have different shaped teeth adapted to work for the food they eat.
Mammals have been around for a long time. The first mammals were small mouse-sized creatures that lived in habitats
dominated by the dinosaurs. The fur and hair that grows from living cells below the surface of the skin helps the animal keep
a stable body temperature in cold weather. Also, mammals have a layer of fat beneath their skin to help keep them warm. They
have a nervous system and senses so they can sense the cold. If they didn’t have them they would die.
7
AMPHIBIANS
Amphibians are found mostly in rainforests and
forests. However, they are also found in deserts,
swamps, and of course, vernal pools!
An amphibian:
• is a cold blooded animal
• is a vertebrate
• spends part of its life in water and the other
part on land
• There are about 6316 species of Amphibians.
• Inside the class Amphibia, there are three
orders.
• The order Caudata contains Salamanders and
Newts. There are about 566 species (9% of
their class).
• The order Anura contains frogs and toads.
There are about 5575 species (88% of their
class).
•The order Gymnophiona contains caecilians
which are legless amphibians. There are about
175 species (3% of their class).
8
The typical life cycle:
• They are first eggs are laid in the water.
• Then they hatch and are larvae for a couple
of months.
• Next they metamorphose by growing legs
and replacing gills with lungs.
• Finally after a couple years on land, and
then are ready to return to the water and
breed.
REPTILES
Reptiles are animals with bodies that don’t produce body heat on their own Instead they absorb heat from their surrounding environmnet. This adapatation is known as cold-blooded. Some common members of this taxonomic class are snakes,
lizards, and turtles. All reptiles are vertebrates with lungs and scaly skin. Their eggs have a shell and multiple membranes that
protect the developing embroyo, and help prevent it from completely drying out.
9
BIRDS
What makes a bird a bird?” you may ask. Well for one, all birds are in the phylum “chordate”. This means that they have
a nerve bundle that runs along the center of their body. The chorsdate is used to send messages throughout the birds system.
All birds have feathers, as well. Even though some birds don’t use them to fly, to be a bird, you have to have feathers.
Bird’s feathers are hollow and have all sorts of uses. Some can be used for attracting a mate. Male Peacocks use this method
what they want to find a wife. Some use them to stay warm, such as penguins. So feathers have lots of uses besides just flying.
Another characteristic that all birds share is that they have hollow bones. Even though all birds don’t fly, all of them have
hollow bones. This way, flying birds are light enough to get air born. Birds’ light bones can also make them faster.
All birds lay hard-shelled eggs. Every single bird that you have and ever will see, was and will be born from an egg.
Which came first is a bigger question, however.
10
MOLLUSKS
A mollusk is classified as any animal under the phylum mollusca. Molluscus in Latin means thin-shelled and mollis
means soft. A mollusk is a marine invertebrate that usually has a soft body, a mantle, and a thin shell. A mantle is a fold of
the outer skin that lines the shell of a mollusk. All mollusks have a digestive system similar to humans in the sense that it starts
from the mouth and ends in the anus. Not all mollusks are live in aquatic environments, the class Gastropod (within Mollusca)
has animals that live on land like the slug. There are 112,000 species of mollusks. Mollusks can be anything from a squid to an
octopus to a snail. Malacology is the study of mollusks.
11
INSECTS
We’ve all seen an insect; they are extremely common. An insect must be a member of the class insecta. Insecta is Greek for cut up
into. This is because all insects have 3 body parts: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. Humans also have a head, and a thorax and an
abdomen. We all know what the head is, and the horax is around the area under your collarbone. Your abdomen is your stomach and chest
area. Connecting areas of the 3 parts of an insect are very skinny, dividing the insect into very directly visible parts. Insects all have 6 legs,
too. The legs are slender most of the time, and they are always jointed, meaning that they bend in more than one place. Antennae, or long appendages commonly on the insect’s head, are always there, and there are always two of them. Another thing that insects have in common is
that they have a very simple internal body structure.
Inside the insect, you will find a heart and a simple digestive system. You may find a couple blood vessels, but most of the body is
a cavity that the body fluids just kind o f float around. Oxygen is not always inhaled. Sometimes it is taken in through holes in the exoskeleton. Insects also are part of the phylum Invertebrate. This means that they have an exoskeleton, or no bones. Instead they have a stiff outer
structure that they sometimes shed. This process is called molting. However, not all of the insects that you will find molt. Some of them just
go through complete metamorphosis.
12
CRUSTACEANS
Crustaceans are very interesting creatures. They live in the sub-phylum crustacean, home to over 30,000 named species of crustaceans. The most familiar species are the crab, lobster, and crayfish. This leads us to their description.
As you may know, most crustaceans have claws or pincers to help eat and crawl around. Most also have many legs on each side
of their body for movement as well. Crustaceans have to major body structures, the head and the abdomen. The abdomen holds
all of the organs and body fluids that a thorax would (some crustaceans have a thorax, but not many). Crustaceans have two pairs
of antennae on their heads, which are used for sensing and feeling things. An amazing thing about the head of the crustacean is
that they have three pairs of mouthparts! That’s like having three mouths as a human. You may not be able to see them depending on its size, but almost all crustaceans breathe through gills on the sides of their body and head, though they are not a kind of
fish or amphibian.
13
AIR BREATHING SNAIL
(STAGNICOLA PILSBURYI)
14
Why Snails’ Eyes Pop Out
A
t first, all snails had eyes that sat inside of their head.
Their eyes were as black as the night sky with no moon.
The bright colors of their shells ranged from a glistening
yellow all the way to a cobalt blue. Because of their beauty
snails were respected by every animal that ever lived. Snails
were so admired, they got more attention than Mother Nature herself. Angry, she sent some of her best workers to
cause trouble for the snails. It was not long until the snails
had their color taken away, and were left with colors of dirt.
Their eyes, however, were the most beautiful eyes anyone
had every seen. They were so black it seemed like nothing was there. They were hollow inside, they had no story to
them.
Long ago there was a snail named Scott. Mother nature
loved him for he looked after everyone. He made sure they
and their eggs stayed safe and he made sure that no danger
ever came to the vernal pool. There was just one problem.
He was a coward. He was absolutely terrified of everything.
Most of all he was petrified of the dark. Even the thought of
the dark night made him shiver.
For a few weeks, a weasel had been hoping that he
might be able to sneak into the protected vernal pool area
and steal all of the eggs that he could find. There was just
one problem, Scott would be woken up by the loud noise of
the weasel turning over all of the leaves, splashing in the water and digging holes.
The weasel had a plan. He tricked the snail into thinking that the vernal pool had flooded. He told Scott all the
eggs had washed away. When Scott tried to go check on the
eggs, weasel said, “Oh, but wait you must not go back to
see if anyone has been hurt. It will be dark soon, and you
don‛t want to be stuck out in the dark all by yourself with
no one else, lost in the woods. If something happens to you
there will be no one there to save you. Go now!” Foolishly
enough, Scott believed him, and he decided to stay put for
the night. As he was settling in, Scott asked the wise old owl
about finding a new vernal pool to live in. Owl informed him
that there was no need to move. The vernal pool was fine.
Scott then knew the weasel was lying and was up to no good.
At this point it was getting dark, and Scott was terrified of
the fact he had to get home in the dark with things lurking
in the shadows of the cold, black night. He darted home as
fast as he could, which was very sluggishly, on account of his
being a snail. As he slid home he saw things in the shadows.
Every time he saw something, he jumped and his eyes popped
out farther and farther.
When he got there he found the weasel swimming
through the dense undergrowth in the middle of the pool.
“Help! Help! The weasel is stealing all of the eggs. Help!”
Scott screamed as he watched the weasel swallow a huge
mouthful of salamander eggs. All of the animals came. They
tried to scare the weasel out of the water, but instead the
weasel panicked. He had not though of the fact that he
couldn‛t swim. He cried “NO! I am sorry please help me.”
Scott thought about it but he knew he was too little to save
him, so no one helped him. The shifty weasel drowned.
Scott was proud of himself for what he had done. Every one was so happy that Scott had come and saved almost
all of the eggs. He knew that it was a great thing to do. His
fear of the dark was gone. Now snails always come out at
night searching for animals that are trying to eat the eggs of
others.
15
air breathing snail
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
Have you ever seen a male snail or a female snail? I bet you
haven’t because there are no males or females. They are both! Even
though snails are both male and female they still have to mate with
another snail. They basically all look the same oddly enough because of
this weird adaptation. There really is no difference between the young
and old except the age and the size. These snails can grow from 1 mm
when they come out of the egg to 4 inches wide. Snails are cold blooded,
which means that they move very slowly when it is cold out, and when it
is warm they move faster. This fact is why you don’t see them out in the
winter. They are also hiding in the winter to escape from predators. (In
general cold-blooded means that an organism’s temperature varies with
the outside temperature.)
In addition to being both male and female, snails can live in and
out of the water, which means that they breath air in their lungs instead
of having gills. Also, they have a hard shell to protect them from predators. Like people, snails use a foot to get around. Their colors range from
light brown to black.
Snails are invertebrates as you may assume because of the fact
that they have no bones at all. Their soft bodies contain a kidney, stomach, lung, male and female reproductive organs, a mantle and a heart.
The mantle is a membrane-like organ that builds the shell. All of these
essential body parts are protected in their sturdy shell. They also have a
liver just like us. Just outside the shell is respiratory pore, which is what
they breath through. They have two long tentacles that function as their
eyes, but they have bad “eye-sight” so they have two other tentacles used
for smelling their food. They also have a mouth, and in the back of their
throats they have radula, which are teeth. at the bottom of their “foot”
they have their anus, which they use to go to the bathroom.
Right now sitting in my classroom is a little woodland pond
snail. it is probably scared to death right now, because it sees weird
things other then the dark decaying leaves at the bottom of the vernal pool that it is used to. Pond snails are used to a habitat where
there is either icy cold and dark area under the decaying leaves at
the bottom of the vernal pool, or crawling around to find a nice
cold damp place like under a rock, which is usually what happens
in the summer when the vernal pool dries up. This snail is nocturnal, which means that they usually only come out at night. In the
morning you might wake up go outside and see a glimmering path
of slime.
Their range is all the way from here in Massachusetts to
near the west coast of Canada, and from as far south as Ohio all the
way up to the northernmost part of Canada.
Water temperature and depth, weather and seasons are some
abiotic factors that they have to live with. Predator/prey population and other animals/insects are biotic factors. Some of this little
snail’s predators that it has to live are birds, frogs, salamander, raccoons, turtles and toads. Some other animal/insects they live with
are dragonfly larvae, newts and fingernail clams.
These snails are a facultative species (indirect indicator
species) this means that they could survive without a vernal pool.
They can also live in ponds and freshwater lakes.
16
air breathing snail
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
• Predators: birds, turtles, toads, frogs, shrews, salamanders and raccoons.
• Prey: algae, tree sap, lichen, fungi and little food
particles that grow on rocks, plants and animals that are not
moving.
•Snails are herbivores, which means that they only eat
plants. They are also consumers, which means that they eat
producers and are eaten by other consumers and in the end by
decomposers. Also they are level 1 on the tropic level.
17
Once there was a true story of a little snail that ran away. A
museum worker at a museum found two snail shells that were empty.
The snails were believed to be dead. They were glued to a piece of
cardboard for a display. Four years later the museum worker put the
cardboard in water and one of the snails literally got up off of the cardboard and crawled away. Because snails pull back into their shells when
a predator comes near, like a turtle, they seem to “disappear”. Also, they
have a tight-fitting plate like a trap door on their foot, which fits tightly
into the shell opening.
The pond snail’s scientific name is either stagnicola pilsburyi,
meaning “fish springs marsh snail” or stagnicola catascopium meaning “woodland pondsnail”. They are part of the stagnicola genus which
means that they are all air-breathing, fresh water snails. Some others
snails that are in this genus are Arctic pondsnail and the Marsh pondsnail.
Snails reproduce by laying eggs, which means that they sexually reproduce. All they need to do is find another snail, and mate.
They have courtship for 2-12 hours before they mate, and this is when
they prepare for mating. They are “getting to know each other” during
this courtship. One of the snails climbs on top of the other while mating. They are internally fertilized, and they can lay up to 100 eggs at a
time. To protect their unhatched young they, dig a hole for the eggs, and
cover them so that they are safe from predators.
These snails can live in the wild anywhere from 1-7 years.
When they are free from predators and life threatening conditions they
can live about 15 years. The longest a snail has ever lived is 30 years.
Snails can’t leave their shell like hermit crabs can; instead it is a part of
them. They are born with it and die with it, and their shell also grows
with them. Snails go through no metamorphosis; instead they look
the same from when they first come out of their egg to when they die
(except for their size). Their incubation period is 6 to 8 months; just a
little less then humans.
Snails are actually a great delicacy in Europe and many other
places all over the world. People even enjoy eating snail caviar, which
is snail eggs, served in the shell with garlic and parsley butter. It sounds
really gross eating a snail, but I have tried one and they actually not that
bad.
AMERICAN TOAD
(BUFO AMERICANUS)
18
Why the American Toad has Warts
and Frog met each other near a road.
OneFrogday,said,Toad“I have
green, smooth skin and you have
bumpy, ugly skin. I am more beautiful.” A week passed
before toad and frog met again. The frog said, “My beautiful green skin blends into the green grass so I am safe
in yards and meadows.”
The toad answered back, “My brown, bumpy skin
blends into the colors of fields, gardens and woods. I
can go many places and not be seen. My skin is camouflage!” “Well” argued frog. “who can leap as fast as the
wind?”
Toad had to admit that he is a slow mover. “But, but…”
said Toad. “You know the warts on my back? They are
full of poison that protects me from predators.”
Frog had to admit that he has no poisonous warts
on him. Frog quickly said, “yeah, but you‛re still ugly”. A
few weeks passed and Frog was eaten by a hawk because
he wanted to show his beauty to the world and wouldn‛t
take Toad‛s advice and hide. Toad was safe because he
went and hid in some marshlands.
19
American Toad
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
The American toad sits by the water waiting for its prey.
The American toad has brownish, dry bumpy skin and finds a
background it can blend into. An American toad can last on land
away from water because its thick skin holds in moisture. It’ll be
a long time before it needs water, giving it plenty of time to catch
its prey. Without warning the toad shoots out its tongue and hits an
insect dead on. After a successful hunt the toad heads back to the
pond. It sees a dragonfly (Anax junius), but it doesn’t taste good so
the toad lets it fly off.
An American toad’s body is 2-4 inches long and about the
size of a fist. The average toad weighs about ¾ of a pound. It has
short legs so it travels by walking or hopping. Toads do not jump
as the long-legged frogs do. Toad’s large eyes are at the top of its
head for good vision. The female toad is slightly larger than the
male and has a whitish throat, compared to the darkly colored
throat of the male. The red and yellow “warts” on the skin of the
toad contain a milky liquid that is poisonous to predators if swallowed or gets in the eyes. Another defense the toad has is burrowing underground. The strong back legs of the toad are good for
digging through the dirt.
Toads cannot survive without water so they live near wetland ecosystems. American toads live all over North America, but
usually not in the southern states. In the spring tadpoles are born in
vernal pools and ponds. In the summer they live in shade and eat
bugs and spiders. In the fall they can defend themselves by playing dead to fool predators like snakes, hawks, raccoons and herons.
Then in the winter they hibernate by burrowing underground and
waiting until spring.
After the toads wake up from hibernation they head to
ponds, puddles and vernal pools. Female toads lay eggs in long
strings in the water. The eggs hatch into tadpoles and tadpoles live
in their fresh water habitat for 40 to 70 days. After a while they
change into toadlets. The toadlets hop to shore to live on the land.
They live in fields, gardens, and woodlands.
The things that are alive (biotic) in the American toad’s
ecosystem are grass, plants, flowers, squirrels, chipmunks, trees
and snakes. The nonliving things (abiotic) in the American toad’s
ecosystem are water, soil, dead logs and dead leaves
20
American Toad
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
The American toad is a cold-blooded amphibian. During its life, it goes through a metamorphosis. The toad starts its
life in the water of a small pool and then moves on to the land. In
early spring when the days start to get warm, male toads gather at
the vernal pool to sing in order to attract females. The throat sacs
of the males inflate and vibrate to make hi-pitched trilling sounds.
Female toads go to the pool and go to the best singers. After this
courtship behavior the female lays 1000’s of eggs in two long
strings. As the eggs are laid, the male toad fertilizes them. Sexual
reproduction is the result of external fertilization.
Tadpoles (larvae) live in a freshwater pool for 40 to 70
days. Tadpoles are long bodies that have tails and heads. They
breathe with gills. The tadpoles are black on top and lightly
colored underneath. Predators from above and below have a hard
time seeing the tadpoles because from below the blend in with the
sunlight and from above they blend into the water. After 70 days
the tadpoles grow four legs and lose their tails. Also, they grow
lungs. With these changes toadlets can walk up onto the land.
Toadlets travel in groups called “knots” for safety. They live anywhere that insects do and stay close to a source of water. Toads
can eat up to 1000 insects a day. If you see a toad in your garden,
it is a good thing! Toads are mostly nocturnal because they don’t
like too much exposure to the sun. Building a small shelter of
stones, sticks, or wood might attract a toad to live in your garden.
If you touch a toad, be sure to wash your hands because
the poison from its skin tastes REALLY BAD and makes your
salivary glands stop making spit so your mouth dries out. It’s not
true that you’ll get warts from a toad, so don’t believe people that
say you do.
After 2 to 3 years toads are ready to reproduce. Then it
starts all over again, beginning at the pool.
•Adult toads eat only meat. (carnivores)
•Tongue is attached to front of mouth; it is long and sticky.
•Tongue flops out, insect gets stuck on end of tongue, tongue
flops back in mouth, toad gulps down food.
•After molting, toads eat their shed skins.
•Second-level consumer. (eats smaller animals which eat
smaller animals and plants)
•Tadpoles eat only vegetation. (herbivores)
•Tadpoles can swim in very shallow water to avoid predators.
•First-level consumer. (eats producers/plants)
21
BLANDING’S TURTLE
(EMYDOIDEA BLANDINGII)
22
Why the Blanding’s Turtle Always Smiles
O
nce, there was a Blanding‛s Turtle named Paco. It
seemed Paco always had something to make him sad.
When anyone tried to help him feel better, he would take
advantage of them. One sunny day when the rest of the
Vernal Pool animals were frolicking in the water, Paco was
moping about the loss of his Grandmother on the banks of
the pool. When Flip the frog asked if there was anything
he could do to make Paco feel better, Paco replied with a
shocking response.
“Could you go hunting and get me 20 worms? Oh,
and three handfuls of bugs? If you don‛t mind,
could you also pick up some leeches and snails? I‛m saving
up for winter. You know?”
Next year, Paco‛s poor old Grandfather died. When
the Vernal Pool animals heard this tragic news, they decided to throw a surprise party for Paco to make him feel
better. They all hid among the reeds, and when Paco came
by to rest at the waters edge, they jumped out and yelled
“Surprise!” Paco had overheard them planning the party
so he knew what was coming, but he pretended to fain
from excitement. When he finally came to, Paco pretended that he had hurt himself. Marilyn the Air Breathing
Snail came to check on Paco, and he ate her!
The year after that, Paco‛s Aunt got a disease.
Now, this year, the Vernal Pool animals knew enough to
stay away from Paco because they figured out how he
took advantage of anybody who tried to help him. When
Paco realized that no one was coming to comfort him, he
went to his neighbor Connie the Wood Duck‛s house.
“Connie, my Aunt is terribly sick!”
Now, Connie didn‛t know how to respond, so she simply said “I‛m sorry.”
“Yes, it‛s very sad. I was wondering if I could spend
the night at your house, for some company?”
“Um, of course you can Paco, what are friends for?”
But, Connie didn‛t want Paco any where near her house.
She had heard what happened to poor Marilyn, and was
there to witness what Paco had done to Flip the frog.
When Connie woke up the next morning, Paco was gone,
and all of her valuables were, too!
After this, and all the other incidents, the Vernal Pool animals decided to file a complaint with Mother
Nature because they felt like Paco was a threat to their
community. When Mother Nature found what was happening, she was outraged! She decided to put a permanent
smile on Paco the turtle‛s face, so he could never again
take advantage of someone and get away with it because
he was “sad”. Now, all of Paco‛s children and Grandchildren smile constantly.
23
Blanding’s Turtle
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
When most people think of a turtle, they think of a slow little
guy who paddles his way through warm Florida waters. Well, the Blanding’s turtle is different. One special adaptation they have is that they are
cold blooded, so they can stand very cold temperatures (they even live
in Canada). An easy way to recognize the Blanding’s turtle is from its
smile. Yes, this turtle can smile. In fact, it can’t stop! The Blanding’s turtle has a permanent smile! Something else you can recognize the turtle is
its bright yellow chin. The average Blanding’s turtle is eight to ten inches
long and weighs about three pounds. The length of the turtle’s domed
carapace (the shell that covers the top of the turtle’s body) is about seven
to nine inches, and it has small yellowish whitish dots all over it. Well, I
hope this clarified how to recognize a Blanding’s turtle if you ever find
one!
The Blanding’s turtle doesn’t need vernal pools to live in but it is
where they are commonly found. They like to live in shallow waters with
lots of plant life, making vernal pools a natural match for them.
Some of the Abiotic Factors, or the nonliving parts of the
ecosystem that affect the Blanding’s Turtle are the water, which it needs
to live and the soil. The Biotic Factors, which are the living parts of the
ecosystem that affect the turtle, include the crustaceans, which they eat.
Another living part of their habitat that affects them are the animals that
hunt them. These animals include foxes, skunks and raccoons.
The Blanding’s Turtle enjoys cold temperatures between 24 and
60 degrees, and they are only found in North America. They are diurnal
and they usually hibernate from late October until early April. Sometimes, they are seen in the winter, but that is rare.
As I mentioned before, the Blanding’s Turtle lives in North
America, but they are endangered in Canada because people are building over vernal pools or emptying the ponds that they live in. Blanding’s
Turtles are also protected or rare in some parts of the United States.
24
Blanding’s Turtle
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
Did you know that once a Blanding’s turtle is about fourteen
years old, they start looking for a mate? Actually, the female has no say
in who her partner is. For this reason, they don’t really have distinguishable courtship behavior. The male decides which female he thinks
looks the strongest and would produce healthy offspring. Blanding’s
turtles mate in April and May and once the eggs incubation begins,
the females travel all over to find the ideal spot to lay their eggs. They
dig deep nests in sandy soil and then lay six to twenty-one eggs that are
about four centimeters long. They leave the nest and the eggs are left to
fend for themselves against things that enjoy eating turtle eggs, such as
foxes and skunks. Once Blanding’s turtles are forty, they stop reproducing. Usually they only live to the age of sixty, but sometimes they can
live to be up to one hundred years old.
Do you know what taxonomy means? It’s how an animal
is classified in the animal kingdom. All animals are in the kingdom
Animalia. The next step in the classification is Phylum, where the
Blanding’s turtle is in the chordata group. A chordate is an animal with
a notochord, which is like a spine. Some only have it for part of their
life, while some, like the Blanding’s turtle, keep it their whole life. The
next smaller group is class, where the Blanding’s turtle is in the Reptilia
group. This covers reptiles which are grouped together because they are
cold-blooded and covered in scales. Next is order where the Blanding’s
turtle is in the testudines group which is a group with all tortoises and
turtles. Something all tortoises and turtles have in common is that they
all have shells to carry on their back! Family is next, where the Blanding’s turtle is in the group Emydidae which is just pond turtles. The last
part of the classification is species. The species is the Blanding’s turtle,
but scientifically it is Emydoidea blandingii. Blanding’s turtle is currently a species of concern in Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota,
New York, Wisconsin, Ontario and Quebec. The Blanding’s turtle is
endangered in Maine, South Dakota, Missouri, and Nova Scotia. The
Blanding’s turtle is protected in Michigan because it is a species of
special concern.
• Diet: Blanding’s Turtles eat insects, leeches, snails, and
frogs. They also occasionally eat vegetation.
• Predators: The eggs are hunted by raccoons, skunks and
foxes. Snakes, herons, and crows hunt young Blanding’s
Turtles.
• Trophic Level: The Blanding’s Turtle is a secondary level
consumer because it eats insects and they eat plants
• Feeding Habits: Blanding’s Turtles prefer eating their food
in water and if they catch something out of water, they drag it
into the water to eat it. If their prey is small, it is swallowed
whole. If it is too large, the turtle holds it by its jawbone and
shreds it to pieces so it is easier to eat.
25
BLUE SPOTTED SALAMANDER
(AMBYSTOMA LATERALE)
26
Why Blue Spotted Salamanders have their Spots
O
nce upon a time there was a cluster of eggs in a
vernal pool. Out of these eggs hatched a bunch of
little salamanders. They all were very small and very
cute. However, one salamander was really conceited.
This salamander thought that he had the most elaborate skin in the whole pool, and he bragged all the time
about it. Whenever he walked to the vernal pool, he held
his head up high and scoffed at every one else‛s skin.
“I am the most handsome salamander ever to live” he
thought. The stuck-up salamanders name was Peter. After a day of being hatched, all salamanders get to pick
what color spot they get to have on their body. This is
so that they can be classified. If you pick yellow spots,
you are a spotted salamander. If you pick black ones,
you are a Tiger salamander, and so on. Peter thought
that it was ridiculous that he was going to have to put
spots all over his back. “I don‛t want to ruin my skin by
putting spots all over it!” he exclaimed. “Then no one will
be able to admire my beautiful skin.”
“I‛m sure that you will find a color that you will
like,” said his mother.
When the young salamanders lined up to pick up
their spots, Peter had a wonderful idea. “I shall chose
the color spot that is the same as my skin, then I will
still have a beautiful coat and no one will know the difference!” So when peter went up to chose his color, he
chose a blue that was the exact same color as his skin.
When the king of all salamanders heard about this he
got angry. “All salamanders must fall into a category!
You have disturbed the natural order of things.” With
that, he then made Peters spots go an ugly dark blue
shade. From this day on, all salamanders born with the
same beautiful skin as Peter, also have dark blue spots
all up their back.
27
blue spotted salamander
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
If you get you’re leg cut off, will it grow back? It will in
the case of the blue spotted salamander. These interesting critters
can re-grow lost limbs, including arms, legs and even their tails!
Needless to say, the blue spotted salamander has a very interesting
physical description.
The way that you know that you have found a blue spotted salamander is because of its dark blue body and its white/blue
spots. It is 47-55 mm. long, and it varies in weight. They are always damp because they need water to help them breathe through
their skin. You can tell if they are adults or not because their external gills have receded back into their body. Be careful; if you make
it sense danger, two glands from behind and under the tail produce
a nauseous gas that is very pungent. Aside from regeneration, this
is probably its most interesting defense adaptation.
Oddly enough, there is almost no distinction between
male and female blue spotted salamanders. During mating season,
(spring), the males legs are extended a little longer than the female.
This is so that he can get into the required mating position. Apart
from that fact however, if you find a blue spotted salamander staring you in the face from the top of a molding log in a swamp, you
will have a rough time telling whether it’s a male or a female.
The blue spotted salamander’s whole existence depends on
vernal pools. Every spring, when vernal pools are created by rain
and melted snow water flowing into wetlands, blue spotted salamanders go down to them and mate. They can only mate in vernal pools, not just any water will do! This means that they are an
obligate species. The eggs stay in the pool for a month. Then, they
hatch into larvae, and stay around while they grow arms and legs.
Once they leave the pool, they wait a whole year, and go down to
the next vernal pool to continue the cycle.
During the rest of the year, the blue spotted salamanders
don’t have a “home”. They take refuge under trees, rocks and other
parts of the ecosystem. However, they have to live in a habitat near
water, and can usually be found in swampy areas. They depend on
water to survive, and all of their prey, such as: insects, arthropods,
annelids, centipedes and worms are plentiful around these kinds of
areas. The blue spotted salamanders are endemic to climates with
four seasons. This is because the change in heat and cold causes
there to be enough water to create vernal pools If blue spotted salamanders aren’t in that specific climate, then they won’t be able to
mate in vernal pools, and their entire population would go extinct.
28
Spotted Salamander
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
The blue spotted salamander has a lot more in common
with other salamanders then you might think. Its genus, Ambystoma, means mole salamander. This means that all mole salamanders are related to the blue spotted salamander. What they all have
in common is that they are shaped to burrow through and under
things. This is why they call it “Mole” salamander. Apart from
this digging, however, the only thing that salamanders have with
moles is that they both have babies through internal fertilization.
The male blue spotted salamander finds it mate by depositing its sperm into a little pile on the bottom of the shallow water.
Then he stands over it until a mate that likes the look of him
goes over to him and picks up the sperm. This means that they
never know their mate until they have children. WOW! Then,
she deposits her eggs and puts the sperm on them and the process
begins.
Once the fertilization happens, there is no gestation period inside the mother. She lays eggs that develop outside her body.
Since she put the sperm inside her this is called internal fertilization. Then they mature like this: they are first eggs for about
1 month. Then they hatch and live as larvae for 16-20 weeks.
Larvae is the stage when they are still maturing, but aren’t in the
eggs any more. They resemble tadpoles, but soon grow arms and
legs. You know when they aren’t larvae anymore because their
external gills have receded back into their neck. This means that
they are ready to go on land because they can breathe while out
of water. Once this period is up, they are fully matured, ready-tomate, blue spotted salamanders.
29
EASTERN SCREECH OWL
(OTUS ASIO)
30
Why the Eastern Screech Owl is so Small
A
t the vernal pool there was an eastern screech
owl named Luz. She ate too many small creatures
like mice, crayfish and snails. She ate all the small
creatures because she wanted to make herself small.
She wanted to get into small places. She ate more
small animals to get smaller.
31
Eastern Screech Owl
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
The Eastern Screech Owl is born thirty- one days after an egg is
laid. The chick breaks out of its eggshell. Owlets are tiny and helpless.
Their eyes are closed. Their bodies are covered with fuzzy feathers. An
egg tooth helps them hatch .It has a knob at the front of the beak .It is
like a tooth. Nine weeks after the owlets born they can fly.
Did you know the Eastern Screech Owl has 2 calls? One is a trilling
call on one pitch. It is used to communicate with family or mates. The
scientific name of the Eastern screech Owl is Otus asio. Otus means ears
asto means horned owl.
The vernal pool is a food source for the screech owl. It likes to
eat insects, crayfish, and worms. These are the biotic (living) factors in
the screech owl’s habitat: tree hole or tree cavity to live in. Prey includes
birds and rodents. Abiotic (not living) factors at the vernal pool are the
water, the air, the depth of the water, the temperature of the air, the season, and the weather. The owl will use nesting box parks, houses, cars,
roads urban and suburban areas with trees. The owl breeds early in the
year to late winter. It hunts during evening and night, occasionally during
the day.
The Eastern screech owl:
•Lives where there are a lot of trees
•Doesn’t like to be in crowded woods because that is where the
great Horned owls live. They are afraid they’ll be eaten by the
great horned owl. Like to make homes in a really old trees that
have holes in them.
•Lives in the eastern half of the U.S, in part of Canada.
•Is NOT afraid of humans, and even use nest boxes.
•They don’t migrate.
32
Eastern Screech Owl
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
•
Food Source: The Eastern Screech Owl eats moths,
katydids, crayfish, earthworms, amphibians, reptiles,
mice, bats, and small birds.
•
Predators: The Eastern Screech Owl’s predators are
rats, snakes, opossums, raccoons, larger owls, hawks,
and other Eastern Screech Owl.
•
Food Web: This species is a second level consumer
because although it is a predator, it is also prey to
some larger animals.
NATURAL HISTORY
The genus of the Eastern screech owl is Otusande. Other
animals in that genus are the Slops Owl and the Screech Owl.
The Eastern Screech Owl belongs to the Strigidae Family. The
Great Horned Owl is also in this family. The order is Strigiformes
which also has the Dusky Eagle Owl. The class of the Eastern
Screech Owl is Aves. The Bald Eagle is in this class. The Phylum is Chordate which also has fish. The Kingdom of the Eastern
Screech Owl is Animalia. The eastern Screech owl looks really
cool. It ears pointy and have tuft. The eyes are big and make it
look mad. The feathers are a mix of color like red, brown and
grey, the colors of the body make the owl blend in with the dark
on a tree (camouflaging). If an owl stays in the shade, the predator would not be able to find it. This owl can hide in small places
because it is only 6-10 inches tall. The wingspan is 19-24 inches.
Their weight is 4-9 ounces. Their feet are big and covered with
feathers, but are deadly weapons with their sharp talons. They
use their talons to grab their food. The screech owl’s bill is greenish and shaped like a hook. When screech owls hatch from their
little white eggs, hatchlings are covered in white down. The
hatchlings eyes are closed. When they grow older, their eyes
open, their beaks grow, their talons grow, and they get different
colored feathers. They keep these same feathers as adults. The
males and females are the same color, but females are taller. Owls
are warm blooded.
33
FAIRY SHRIMP
(EUBRANCHIPUS VERNALIS)
34
Why Fairy shrimp Swim Upside Down
M
any, many moons ago there was a little fairy shrimp
whose name was Moses. Now Moses, see, was one
child of 110.He tried to steal attention in whatever way
possible, but one day he got himself “head over legs” in
trouble.
During the time when the Earth was peaceful and
the far mountains were painted with the sunset skies,
Mr. Coyote lurked around with hunger prowling inside his
rascally eyes. Sneaking and creeping, Mr. Coyote quietly
roamed the open fields, until he reached “High Hopes”
vernal pool where the animals trollop, creatures dance
and trouble was about to bloom.
One day Mischievous Moses was looking for a
mate, not just any mate but the most beautiful of them
all. “What better way to attract a mate than to dance?”
thought Moses. So there he went day after day dancing, but he soon found that his dance wasn‛t as good as
the other fairy shrimp. Moses was very disappointed
and wanted to pocket the spotlight yet again, he began
thrusting, busting, and bouncing on springs of some sort.
The next moment Moses the fairy shrimp flew up with a
great leap, splashing out of the water! “How‛s that for an
impressive dance?” he exclaimed boastfully “I, Moses am
the best dancer in all of High Hopes.” Just as Moses was
in the middle of his gloating, Mr. Coyote came scrambling
around the corner and with one quick motion, tried to
scoop Moses up in one gulp! “Owe my back! I can‛t move it
or swim right!” he cried in agony. “How will I ever attract
a beautiful mate now that I can‛t swim correctly?” he
kept asking himself. “Oh Moses, what will the world ever
do with a boastful shrimp like you?” called an unknown
voice, so soft and sweet. It was the mother of all good
nature. “Moses, because of your attitude, you and your
ancestors must forever swim on your backs.”
So from the time of Moses until now and forever
more all Fairy shrimp shall swim on their backs because
of the one who‛s been taught a lesson he would never forget.
35
Fairy shrimp
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
Is it yellow, green, blue, or red? It’s all of them. The Fairy shrimp
has a body that is translucent, which results in refraction or bending of
surrounding light and colors. This act creates an illusion of colors to appear on the fairy shrimp where it actually is not present. The average size
of these mysterious critters is about 2.5 cm, about the length of a zipper,
but believe me you’ll need a magnifying glass to catch a glimpse of these
“torpedo-like” shrimp.
Torpedo? Yes, I said torpedo. Fairy shrimp have a unique part
called a trunk limb which enables them to shoot forward from the “jets”
of water that burst away from their rhythmic movements. Cool right? Yet
that isn’t the only interesting fact about this tiny fella. Not only does it
shoot “jets”, but it commonly changes gender as it matures to an adult!
These facts are just more reasons for you to go out and investigate for
yourself! You’ll know you’ve caught one at the vernal pool when you see
an exoskeleton critter with its eleven little legs squirming upside down,
and stalked eyes
When your playing outside, tromping on the freshly frozen
ice, beware of our little critter friends, the fairy shrimp beneath.
Their winter eggs are drying out and soon their whole life and population will depend on the one vernal pool that you’re disturbing
inadvertently. The habitat in which they thrive is mostly shaded,
leaf-like and marshy, but like you and me, they like to get that taste
of peeping sun every now and then. A canopy cover which serves
as a productive biotic factor in the ecosystem usually keeps the
harmful things out and the safe factors in. While the leaves fall
from the canopy they contribute to the energy cycle within the
habitat.
Often, fairy shrimp try to stay away from vibrations of our
“giant” bodies or anything else that may serve as a hazard in the
neighborhood that they are endemic to. The Eubranchipus species ranges from Europe, Central Asia, Africa, and Western North
America.
36
Fairy shrimp
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
Observing little creatures such as fairy shrimp may be a hard
task sometimes, yet if you’re lucky enough you may find just how interesting they really are! During a usual winter egg-laying season there
is a large population of males. This means that the females do not have
to resort to asexual reproduction. While incubation is in process male
fairy shrimp are separated from their mates unless they want to produce
another batch of eggs. In that case they would swim clasped together
for several days. As the tiny fellas await their arrival in this world their
eggs are burrowed in the mud or attached to debris. Often this causes
competition within the ecosystem for the hungry scavengers looking
for food.
• Fairy shrimp scrape up their food with their feet and trunk
limb.
• The trunk limb is used as a filter to receive only necessary
particles.
• Fairy shrimp are considered omnivores because they consume plankton and plant algae such as protozoan, detritus, and
bacteria.
• Predators of the Fairy shrimp include Caddisfly, waterfowl,
and some larger insects.
37
FINGERNAIL CLAM
(SPHAERIUM)
38
Why the Fingernail Clam is so Small
A
long, long, long, time ago in a place far far away, that
you never heard of lived a giant clam in a vernal pool.
They weren‛t called vernal pools then. They were called
enchanted aqua ditches. This clam had much pride in
having the biggest, shiniest shell in the entire enchanted
aqua ditch. He was the one that changed the name of
vernal pools because he felt that he controlled everything
and to prove it, he named the place he lived. When the
sun was out, the giant clams shell gleamed and you could
barely see because of its reflection. Jimmy the turtle
was extremely jealous because his shell was more beautiful but couldn‛t be seen because the giant clams shell was
so huge. Not only that, but the giant clam would always
tease Jimmy by calling him “Melvin”, his real name.
One day Jimmy and the giant clam were having an
intense argument about who had the better shell. “My
shell has enhanced designs and is gorgeous” said the
turtle. “But mine is larger and glistens so nobody sees
yours!” teased the giant clam. They shouted insults the
whole day as the other curious enchanted aqua ditch
creatures watched. Most if them had seen the two animals quarrel before but not to this extent. Jimmy was
furious with the giant clam and plotted revenge. He had
had enough of this argument and ran (as fast as a turtle
can “run”) home. Unfortunately for the giant clam, Jimmy‛s mother was mother earth herself. “Momma, nobody
sees my beautiful shell because the stupid giant clam is
enormous!” pleaded Jimmy. So mother earth took pity on
Jimmy and cursed the giant clam so his shell would be the
size of your fingernail, and that the species would not be
very well known. Fingernail clams are also endangered as
part of the punishment. The turtle never forgave the
fingernail clam so turtles eat fingernail clams. The moral
of the story is, don‛t boast or make fun of people.
39
Fingernail Clam
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
A fingernail clam emerges from the sand it has slept in all winter.
As it surfaces it realizes it’s in danger of becoming a morning snack. The
bivalve has adapted to dealing with predators by having a muscular foot.
It quickly scurries under the cover of an underwater plant. All the while,
this cold-blooded creature is filter feeding which means it absorbs food
through its gills, as the water passes through them.
The fingernail clam is a sandy-colored invertebrate with a soft
body that is usually has a slimy, wet texture. There are many different
types of fingernail clams so their size and shape varies except for one important fact: they are about the size of a fingernail. This soft body is covered by two shells which is why it falls in the family of Bivalve, (“Bi”
means 2 and “valve” means part). A ligament connects the two shells like
it connects the bones on a human body. Another vital part is its gills that
hang in the mantle cavity to help it obtain oxygen and filter its food with
the cilia on the gills, that trap the food and send it to the mouth.
The male and female fingernail clams look generally the same
as the description above except that the female gives birth. The reproductive process goes like this: Fingernail clam eggs are fertilized in the
reproductive tract. They then develop in the mantle cavity and brood
sacs of gill filaments, which is where the shell develops. The baby clam
comes out looking like an exact replica of the parent; except, of course,
for its size.
You can see a little movement. Something is breaking
through the leaf litter at the bottom of a vernal pool. You can now
tell that it is a small clam and it is lumbering on the vernal pool
floor. It buries itself under the sediment. It is invisible to all predators waiting for it to show itself again. They wait patiently but give
up when they are distracted by another easy meal. Vernal pools are
just one of the many places you can find a fingernail clam in the
world. Their habitat also can consist of small streams and lakes.
Fingernail clams have the ability to live in vernal pools all year
long because they sleep in the sediment in the winter.
There are many different abiotic and biotic factors for the
fingernail clam living in a vernal pool. One of the abiotic factors
is the sediment in a vernal pool. A fingernail clam can bury itself
there in the winter when the pool dries up. That way it can endure
the frigid climate during the winter. Underwater plants in a vernal
pool would be an example of a biotic factor because the fingernail
can climb on it with its foot and use it as cover from predators,
parts of it can also be filtered into its gills as food. Oxygen is
another factor because the fingernail clam also filters this in its gill
for it to survive. The temperature is another factor it can adapt to
because of its ability to withstand the winter with the absence of
liquid water.
Any fingernail clam can adapt to the different seasons,
climates, and temperatures of a vernal pool. They are submerged
in sediment (leaf litter, etc…) when the pool dries up in fall and
winter and when the snow melts and spring comes, they surface
and reproduce.
40
Fingernail clam
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
Fingernail clam eggs are internally fertilized in the reproductive tract. They then develop in the mantle cavity and brood sacs of gill
filaments, which is where the shell develops. This gestation period
lasts from fall - spring and ends with the miniscule clam is released by
its mother into the water. The larvae clam, or glochidia, floats around
for a while until it finds a host. Imagine floating aimlessly until you can
find something to cling onto. The young clam parasitizes the host for
2 weeks until it grows to be adult size, which probably isn’t the greatest experience for the host because in a parasite relationship the host
doesn’t benefit. Fingernail clams go through gradual metamorphosis
which means that the offspring is an exact replica of the mother even
though clams have sexual reproduction. The clam lives for the rest of
the year and mates in the fall.
How do you know what a Fingernail clam is related to? Well,
you could find out what the taxonomy is. Taxonomy is how the animal
is classified. Fingernail clams are in the phylum Mollusca. “Molluscus”
in Latin means thin-shelled. Mollusks are marine invertebrates ranging
from a squid to a mussel. The class of Fingernail clams is “Bivalvia”
which means two-part. Obviously, this means when you look for a
Fingernail clam in a vernal pool, you should search for a two-shelled
fingernail-sized clam. Bivalves are classified as two shelled mollusks.
•
Diet: The fingernail clam eats small things like algae
floating in a vernal pool or stream. They also eat other particles
of underwater vegetation. This would make them first level
consumers and herbivores.
•
How they eat: this species filter feeds which means that
the cilia on its gill trap food particles (and oxygen) and sends
it to the mouth to be digested. This way it can eat while doing
other things.
•
Predators: most predators find it hard to open the
clams shell but some turtles and otters find their way through
like the Diamondback Terrapin (turtle) and the River Otter.
41
FOWLER’S TOAD
(BUFO FOWLERI)
42
Why the Fowler’s Toad got it’s Poisonous Warts
T
his story begins in a forest. Deep down, way back in
the forest, there was a vernal pool that was so full
of animals that there was barely enough space for the
animals to get away from their predators. Somewhere in
the water, there was a Fowler‛s toad named Uno. Uno was
about 11 years old. He knew all the ways to get away from
predators. He knew what to eat, and he also knew how to
get to safe spots where no other animal would think of
going.
There was also one Fox named Freddy. Freddy really wanted to eat Uno, but Uno always managed to get
away from Freddy. One time, Uno was sitting on the highest rock; just above the vernal pool. This was where all
the bugs went to fly around. Freddy came right out from
behind him and swooped at Uno, but luckily Uno was a
toad, so he jumped right into the water.
Freddy always wondered how Uno got away so fast,
so one day he followed Uno around all day long. During
that time, he caught some glimpses of how he managed
to do it. He did it by hopping around, leaping diagonally;
because he always jumped like this he always got away.
Uno had another defense that Freddy didn‛t know about.
Mother Nature gave Uno poison warts because
when Uno was really mean to his parents. He called them
ugly because he thought he was so perfect with his
smooth skin. Mother Nature and decided to do something
about it. One morning, he woke up, went to the pool and
looked down at the water. HE SCREAMED! He saw that
he had warts just like his parents.
Uno wanted to find something better to do. He
wanted to see what would happen if something ate his
warts. So one day he was outside on his rock, and another
toad came up, and it was mad. The other toad kept biting
things, like rocks and twigs, and accidentally bit one of
Uno‛s Warts. The toad mumbled and grumbled saying “I
can‛t feel my mouth!”
One day, Uno was out on his rock. Swoop! came
Freddy and Uno was a goner. Uno has really terrible hearing. He was really good at everything else, but he didn‛t
see that fast one. The moral in this story was to always
check your surroundings before letting your defenses
down. But since Freddy ate a Fowler‛s toad he can‛t taste
anything for a couple weeks, because the warts on his
back are partly poisonous and affected his mouth after
eating them.
43
Fowler’s toad
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
It’s brown, tan, black, and partly poisonous. What could it be?
It’s not a snake, it’s not a salamander, oh, it’s just the Fowler’s Toad!
The adult size of the fowler’s toad is 5 – 9.4 centimeters long,
just about the same size as your pinky! The size of the tadpoles is 1 – 1.4
centimeters long, almost the same size as your thumb nail. As a tadpole,
they use their mouths as little vacuums and suck up algae on the rocks
around them.
The adult Fowler’s Toad is usually brown, gray, or olive green.
They use these kinds of colors for them to blend into their habitat. The
most interesting thing about fowler’s toads is that they can hide pretty
much anywhere, except artic places. This is because nothing in their
color is white. They usually have black edged dark spots on their back.
This is so there is warning sign for predators not to eat those toads. In every dark spot on its back are 2 – 4 warts, which tell other animals that the
fowler’s toad is very bad tasting and hurts our mouths after eating them.
The Fowler’s toads eat mostly insects. Other things it might eat
are small invertebrates. Don’t confuse this animal with an American
Toad, these eat earth worms and don’t live in the same habitats of the
Fowler’s toad, but they are considered family members of the Fowler’s
Toad.
The fowler’s toad has many different ways to defend itself, one
of them is to lie on its back and pretend to be dead. Another defense is to
blend in with its surroundings. Another adaptation to protect itself is that
the warts on its back have some secretion, therefore the warts are poisonous and when ingested the warts can injure the other animal but only
small mammals.
The Fowler’s toad has many differences between genders. The
male doesn’t have little dots on its belly; but the female does. The male
has 2 – 3 warts in each dark spot on its back; the female has 3 – 4 warts
on each dark spot.
The fowler’s toad is a cold – blooded animal. This means that
its body temperature changes with the temperature of its environment.
It is also vertebrate. This means that it has a backbone. The Fowler’s
toad also has something inside of its heart, called a ventricle. This pumps
blood into different sections of the toad. It also has something called an
atria, this receives blood (oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor) and it sends it to
the ventricle.
The fowler’s toad is not the only thing that goes to the vernal
pools, salamanders, frogs, other toads and even turtles go to these vernal
pools. Plants and moss are usually around those vernal pools so that the
animals around it have a place to eat and rest.
The fowler’s toad has many different places to live, it doesn’t
really need the vernal pools, but they offer a safer place to lay eggs. A
lot of fish live in ponds, but not in vernal pools. The fish would eat the
toad eggs, but they can’t live inside of the vernal pool because it dries
up eventually, so it lets the Tadpoles hatch. They like warm places to
live, and they also live in open woodlands, sand prairies, meadows, and
beaches. The fowler’s toad is also part of the vernal pool ecosystem. It
lays its eggs in the vernal pools. This specimen can lay up to 8,000 eggs
per breeding season! Isn’t that a lot? It usually comes out in the night to
lay its eggs, and it comes out day and night. The fowler’s toad also likes
the beaches and places with nice, loose soil, for digging burrows.
The Fowler’s toad is actually protected, because of Off-road vehicles often “squash” them, or bury and suffocate them inside their own
holes. Some types of agricultural chemicals are also killing this species.
A lot of places are trying to keep off-road vehicles out of the habitats of
animals. The off-road vehicles are also a way of polluting the air, which
all the animals breathe.
44
Fowler’s toad
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
The breeding season of the fowler’s toad is usually late April
to late June. The adults are diurnal, and mate usually in the night. Eggs
usually look like long strings, just like the American toad’s eggs. The
embryo usually turns to a tadpole in a week or so. They develop (otherwise they transform from tadpole to toad) from June to July.
The call of the fowler’s toad sounds like a W – A – A – A – H.
When it tries to call for a mate, and when it gets a mate they lay around
6,000 – 9,000 eggs (2 string like strands of eggs). There is a dark coloring on there vocal pouches, but only depending on what the original
color of the toad is.
•
Diet: the adults mostly eat insects And sometimes
leaves. The tadpoles Eat algae (the use their mouths as Little
vacuums to suck up the algae Off the rocks) and bits of leaves
•
Place In Food-Web: The Fowler’s Toad is a second
level consumer Because it eats leaves and insects Making it an
omnivore.
45
GARTER SNAKE
(THAMNOPHIS SIRTALIS)
46
Why The Garter Snake Has Stripes
T
he sun was rising around the vernal pool and all around
there was the sound of hustle and bustle of all the creatures scampering about getting ready for the day ahead of
them. One creature in particular was already roaming about
the grasses along the vernal pool: the garter snake named
Huey. He was just a plain ordinary snake who lived a plain and
ordinary life. Huey knew his ways around the vernal pool finding food and visiting his kind loyal friends.
One day he was going to visit his friend Louie the skunk.
He was slithering along when he saw squirrel a couple of yards
ahead, wobbling and trying to carry all of the nuts he had
gathered for the winter. Huey thought to himself, ‘I‛ll go see
if squirrel needs any help.” When he made his way to squirrel,
he got half way through saying “Hello squirrel” when squirrels
nuts flew into the air and landed with a thump on the ground!
Squirrel was very upset. “Huey you can‛t scare me like that”,
said squirrel. ‘You blend so well into the ground that I didn‛t
have any sign that you were there.” Huey tried to help pick up
the dropped nuts but squirrel just shooed him away and he
sulked, off feeling bad about his plain brown appearance. Sulking, Huey continued on his way.
He was mingling along the banks of the vernal pool when he
saw Frankie frog concentrating very hard. Maybe if I sneak
up really quietly I won‛t bother him. So Huey did that. He
crept up to where Frankie was and noticed that he was about
to catch a fly. Huey couldn‛t help but scream “GO FROG! YOU
CAN CATCH THAT FLY!” Frog was so startled that he fell
into the water and the fly flew away. ‘Uh oh” said Huey. Frog
jumped out of the water and started to yell at him “you just
ruined a meal I‛ve been trying to catch forever!” “Sorry” said
Huey. “Sorry is not enough”, yelled frog and he dove back
into the water. Again, feeling horrible and embarrassed Huey
lumbered on.
Now Huey was feeling very bad about the events that
had happened today. So he asked the advice of Mother Nature. “Mother Nature I need your help, I keep scaring everybody on accident and then they get wicked mad at me.” ‘I see”,
said mother nature. “I have a solution. I am going to put bright
yellow stripes on your back so that your friends will notice you
before you scare them.” “Thank you so much Mother Nature!”
So garter snake had no more trouble with scaring his friends
47
Garter Snake
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
It’s long, sleek, and scaly. What is it? It’s a garter snake! These
creatures are covered from head to tail in little scales. These scales feel
very rough and act as the snake’s skin and have a design on them that
consist of three stripes that run down their back. One especially bold
stripe runs straight down the middle while two fainter ones run down either side. The stripes come in several different colors; the most common
are yellow, tan and orange. In between the stripes there’s a brown and
black checkered pattern. There are exceptions to this description though;
some garter snakes appear to have no checkered pattern at all. Typically
the underside or belly of the garter snake is green or yellow.
You might not think there’s much of a difference between male
and female garter snakes, but there is. Females are usually 18-54 inches
long, while males are much shorter and thinner. Since they are vertebrates males have smaller backbones too. Males also have longer tails.
When garter snakes are born they are about 5-9 inches long. They definitely grow a lot from when they were little!
Ever wonder how garter snakes defend themselves? Well, they
have an extraordinarily large mouth that they can open up to two times
bigger then they are! They do this by popping their jaw bone out of its
socket and then stretching their mouth wide open. Immediately after
they do this, they then show off there long pointy fangs, scaring any
predators away. If for some reason that does not work they can then
fiercely bite the prey. Have no fear though, they are harmless to humans.
Garter snakes have a couple of big adaptations they use to
survive in their habitat. First, they are cold blooded so they adapt to the
warmth of the object they are making contact with. If they become too
hot they cool down by moving into a cooler place. If they’re cold they
use the warmth from surrounding objects to correct their temperature.
They also have a body part that lets them keep heat in. If you were wondering what body part it is it’s the scales. Scales keep in or store body
heat for the snake. Have you ever considered how snakes slither around
things that are in there way? The process takes place inside their body.
Two muscles tighten and contract letting the snake move in a slithering
motion. (So if I were you I wouldn’t take any risk of egging the snake
on.)
It’s a spring evening and the sun is setting in a sequence of bright
colors flashing on the horizon. A slithering sound fills the air, something
is approaching. As you look down you see a sleek male garter snake
gliding on top of the grass and leaf litter that surrounds the vernal pool.
Since he is a diurnal reptile, he is looking for a place to stay away from
the vernal pool for the night, like in a log or under a rock. In a way, he
has a different house for every day of the week. He is coming back from
a day filled with anticipation for some small mammal to come by so he
can seize it up and gobble it down.
This sneaky garter snake lives around the vernal pool (sometimes), using it for a food resource and for a habitat that supports its
needs for living. The garter snake lives around the vernal pool spring
through fall. In the winter they hibernate in small dens in the ground
that they make by themselves. They start migrating to these dens in late
September. Throughout the winter this den is usually kept above freezing,
letting the snake survive throughout the frigid winter. One requirement
that this den must have is a water resource because garter snakes can not
hold water for long. They need something in the winter weather to drink
even in the winter weather.
Since garter snakes are vernal pool facultative species you might
also find them in and around gardens, ponds, swamps, cities, parks,
drain ditches, brooks, streams and marshes. You might even see one on
your lawn! All of these places have a couple things in common that the
garter snake needs. For example, all of the habitats have water and food
sources. They also provide a safe environment for the snake to live. The
range of the garter snake is Southern Canada to Central America, but
they are most common in the United States.
Some things in its habitat and ecosystem that help it survive
are the sunlight because they are cold blooded animals and they need
warmth to stay alive. He also needs leaf litter. If the leaf litter wasn’t
there, neither would the food and most of the resources the snakes need.
He has a small niche with a big impact. His niche is eating prey (small
mammals; mice and rodents) and reproducing. So that all of the rest of
the critters can find food and the vernal pool lives on.
48
garter snake
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
•
•
•
•
•
NATURAL HISTORY
Have you ever heard of a snake that doesn’t lay eggs? Well,
now you have. Garter snakes are one of the few snakes that actually
bear their young alive. They breed and find a mate in the early spring
and then have a gestation period that is about 5 months long. When the
time comes in late summer, they give birth to their children. Females
can have anywhere from about 7 to 80 offspring, but in some peculiar
cases the mother could have less then seven. For example, something
could go wrong when she’s pregnant or she could get sick.
There are a couple mating or courtship strategies that garter
snakes have. One of them is called mating balls. Mating balls is when a
hundred or more garter snakes come from far and wide traveling across
a field or big piece of land and then, make themselves intertwined in a
big mass and start writhing. One more is a strategy that the males perform to catch the female’s attention. Believe it or not, the males mimic
the females. This unusual behavior captures the female garters attention
and earns the male a mate. Garter snakes reproduce through internal
fertilization.
Garter snakes have an enormous territory if you look at their
size. It is usually two acres big. They live in this territory pretty much
until they die, unless it’s impossible for them to find a mate, in which
case they may move to a new area in order to survive. Their offspring
will most likely stay in the same territory that they were born in.
Garter snakes have a few snakes that are very closely related to
them. These snakes are the ribbon snakes, and all other types of snakes
that are in its genus/ thamnophis. An easier way to think about it is that
the snakes I just named are so closely related that they are like cousins to the garter snake. The garter snakes scientific name (thamnophis
sirtalis) means something like garter serpent. As you can see the garter
snake is one special snake!
The Garter Snakes trophic level is a two or a secondary
consumer because they are carnivores. (They eat meat).
Garter snakes are scavengers so a lot of the food that they
eat has previously been killed by another animal.
Garter snakes hunt in an unusual way. They hunt with their
tongue; which acts like our nose. So they can scent out their
prey.
When garter snakes swallow something they usually don’t
chew they just swallow there food whole. They do this by
opening up their mouth really big.
There is a lot of competition in the garter snakes world for
food so garter snakes hunt most of the day.
49
GREAT BLUE HERON
(ARDEA HERODIAS)
50
Why the Great Bue Heron’s Beak Changes Color
L
ong, long ago in the great swamps there lived a beautiful great blue heron named Herrietta. She one day was
asked by her great-great-grandchildren why their beaks
were only orange during the period of mating season, and
She told this story:
When I had just changed feathers and started
to fly it was known to everybody that I had the brightest orange beak in all the swamps. Everyday I used to fly
over the sky showing my beak off and bragging about its
bright color.
Mr. Sun kept thinking of ways to get rid of me
and then one day he did finally get rid of me. You know,
as well as I, that we eat fish and Mr. Sun accused me of
murder.
He said I was hunting too many of the fish. In other
words I was killing them for pleasure.
Now then, where was I, yes I was killing them for
pleasure, instead of survival. So I was banned from the
great swamps never to return. Then something terrible
happened here. The fish became over populated.
Everyone started blaming Mr. Sun for the over
populated fish and they all agreed to let me come back on
one condition no more bragging.
Well with such a beautiful beak it was very difficult: some of the creatures at the vernal pool would try
and trick me into bragging. They would tell me how gorgeous I looked and how much my beak glittered in the
sunlight. It was not to brag but I did not want anything
terrible to happen again.
Then it slipped. The one thing I never wanted to do
again happened. A nasty fox was telling we how beautiful my beak was and I said, “I know it is the most bright
beak in all the swamps” at that moment I realized what I
had done. I had forgotten the promise I made with the
sun. Mr. Sun was furious but he said something unusual
to me. He said, “Herrietta, I am in a good mood right
now because my job lighting the sky is almost over so I
will give you one last chance to redeem yourself.” I was
thrilled
I was never manipulated to brag again and I always
thought before I spoke. One day around mating season
when we were checking out guys some cute guys were
fighting over who gets me to be their wife. I said, “Why
are you fighting over me is it because of my glorious
orange beak.” They replied “yes” as the sun started to
boom, “Herrietta I gave you three chances to prove yourself worthy but you have lost them all. Since we cannot
banish you, I will make yours and every other great blue
heron‛s beak male or female an ugly dull yellow until mating season. During that time it will return to a bright orange.” I was extremely sad after that incident but people
seemed to like me better. So I humbled myself and then
became very wise.
51
Great blue heron
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
Have you ever tried to be really quiet but failed because your
breathing gave you away? Well if your survival depended on stalking,
you probably would not make it. The great blue heron has to be able to
be that quiet, otherwise it would starve!
Before it becomes a mighty hunter the great blue heron has to go
through a lot of changes. Just like when we are growing up and our bodies’ changes, so does a heron’s. First it starts out as just an egg for about
3 to 4 weeks then it hatches into a beautiful baby bird covered in down
feathers. As it grows older the great blue heron looses its down to grow
its regular blue and gray feathers.
Imagine having a long neck, and relaxing meant holding it in the
shape of an “S”. Ouch! This odd fact a very important adaptation, the
heron’s long neck makes it so it does not have to move its leg while hunting and scare fish away. It stands extremely still only to suddenly, pluck
a fish out of the water. You might also be wondering why it has such long
legs. The answer to that question is that since they stand in shallow water
all the time their feathers would get wet then they would not be able to
fly. The heron, like all birds, is warm blooded. This adaptation keeps it
warm even when a cool spring breeze comes blowing through its hunting
grounds.
The great blue heron is a vertabrate and has some relatives it
can easily be confused with. Have no fear these are important features
to look for. First, the great blue heron is a huge bird; a remarkable three
to four feet tall from head to tail. The outstanding wingspan is nearly six
feet long. The heron usually lives by itself so if you see two; you probably have the wrong kind of bird. They have gray blue feathers, a curved
neck, long legs, and a dull, yellowish, sharp, pointed beak. Above the
eyes there are two black plumes. Their thighs are a reddish brown. Both
male and female look alike except for their internal reproductive organs.
The great blue heron is one of the most treasured sights in all of New
England. To look for it would be worth your while. I have seen one.
Have you?
The great blue heron is a beautiful bird that lives near fresh
water, specifically places like vernal pools, rivers, and swamps. Herons
only use vernal pools for eating animals like snakes bugs and other small
critters. They have to go elsewhere to find fish because a vernal pool
cannot support year round animals. The heron is neither an obligate nor a
facultative species of the vernal pool. Actually, great blue herons do not
even really need vernal pool, but the “puddle” does offer a great resting
spot, maybe a snack like a garter snake or gray tree frog and a nice sip of
clean drinking water.
A smooth running ecosystem is made up of biotic and abiotic
factors. To find out about the heron’s biotic surroundings we look at all
the living things. For example, their prey (frogs), predator (coyotes), and
trees are all considered biotic. If we looked at all the non-living things, or
abiotic factors, we would see dirt, water, sunlight, and mud. All of these
surroundings make up the beautiful bird’s habitat. You might be wondering why these are needed. They are there because with out them the
bird’s species would not be able to sustain life.
If we followed it home we would see its nest way up high in a
tree. It is about three feet in diameter. Do you want to know the most
amazing fact of all? She lives in North America. Of course during the
winter many birds go down south to warmer climates. The great blue
heron likes warm wet areas and can be found in our area typically in
spring, summer, and early fall. She lives in these areas because her food
is mostly creatures that live by water.
What is your niche or “way of life”? The great blue heron is
predator because it has to hunt to survive. Are you awake during the
day? This means you are diurnal. Guess what else is diurnal? Yup, you
guessed it, the great blue heron; who stays awake during the day just like
us.
52
great blue heron
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
The great blue heron…
- is a 3rd level consumer. They eat consumers that eat
others that eat producers.
- hunts by plucking fish out of the water with its sharp
pointed beak
- is a carnivore
- is a predator to fish snakes and shrews, coyotes eat
herons
- eats other things that live around water.
53
Great blue heron eggs are a beautiful faded blue. Heron are born from
amniotic eggs fertilized by internal fertilization. The eggs are then
laid in a nest and typically incubate for 3 to 4 weeks. The heron usually
lays 3 to 6 eggs. The male and female take turns incubating the eggs.
This is the only time the heron has contact with its young. This makes
them “k-selected” species meaning these birds are good parents. Like
humans, they take care of their babies until they mature and can take
care of themselves.
To answer the question of what is inside the egg we would first
have you travel through microscopic pores of the shell. Next, you might
think you are in a cushion and you are partly right. You would be in the
air sack in which gives the embryo oxygen and a cushion when it drops
from its mother. If you have ever cracked a chicken egg you know
about all that clear gooey stuff. That is called the albumen or the egg
white. It provides the embryo with water and protein. I am sure you are
wondering what the yolk does. There are two parts to the actual yolk
which provide nutritious food for the embryo, and the allantois which
stores waste and takes in oxygen for the embryo from the air space and
pores.
Herons go through very few changes as they get older, but they
do go through some change as they mature. After a heron hatches from
its egg, it looks a little wet. Eventually it dries out and reveals its down
feather. When they are at this young stage, before they can hunt, the
babies are fed from their parents by regurgitation. Gross! As they grow
up to look more like their parents they molt and grow contour feathers.
When they become more mature, the birds will reproduce. The great
blue heron’s dull yellowish beak turns into a bright orange to be much
more attractive. This color is just how some people put on make up.
The Native Americans were amazing stalkers and they learned it from
watching the heron’s walking movements. A great blue heron hunts by
stealthily lifting one leg and very gracefully and slowly setting it down.
They repeat this action over again until they reach their destination. The
Indians copied this action, enabling them to come closer to animals.
Another cool fact about them is that they fly around with rocks in their
stomachs. This way they can grind their food in their gizzard because
they do not have teeth. Can you imagine that, purposely swallowing
rocks to help you “chew” your food? Herons sure are unique.
GREEN DARNER
(ANAX JUNIUS)
54
T
How the Green Darner got Legs
his is a tale about a Green Darner named A.J., a
frisky little dragonfly, who wanted nothing more
than to have six legs. He could do anything with these
legs, he thought. A.J. was so busy thinking about six
marvelous legs that he absentmindedly flew into toad
territory.
He was so caught up in his imagination that he
did not notice Toad creeping up under him. SWISH!
a toad tongue flew past his ear. A.J. was brought
rudely back to reality. He whirled upon Toad and said
“Brother Toad, why have you attacked me?” Toad replied, “Because you are food. A lesser life form, you
do not even have legs. Not even the tiny legs of cousin mosquito, which we both hunt. You can not fly forever without being able to land, so, I will catch you,
and eat you.” A.J. became outraged, and attacked
Toad, trying to take Toad by surprise. But Toad had
anticipated this, and had sharpened six short grass
stems, as a trap. A.J. was stuck on the sticks. He
was angry at being tricked and so determined to escape that he pulled hard and ripped the stems out of
the ground.
Eventually, the stems turned brown and flexible.
As the stems aged they changed into part of his body
and he was able to bend them inward into the shape
of a basket. With his basket shaped legs he could
catch small insects more easily, but still A.J. could
not walk with them at all, only perch.
So A.J. had legs, but they were ugly things,
not the pair he wanted. That is why all Green darners now have short brown legs. They now fly around
everywhere, because they are still looking for those
perfect legs.
55
Green Darner
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
The Green darner is a cold blooded killer, rising from the bushes
in the morning to exterminate another population of pesky bugs. Anax’s
four, five-inch wings beat with a buzz in unison, lifting the speedy killer
into the morning air. His blue green colors shine in the morning sun as
he zones in on his target, a small, young mosquito, just out of the water.
The mosquito senses Anax coming, and puts on a series of miniature
evasive maneuvers. They are in vain; the darner puts on a counter burst
of speed, catching the mosquito in his basket of six legs. The hunter devours the mosquito with his toothed jaw while still remaining in mid air,
a feat only some dragonflies can do. The Green Darner flies to the pond,
looking for another meal, maybe even a damselfly. Anax spies one, but
someone else has spotted it too, the American Toad. He sees it and veers
off, as the toad could easily eat Anax.
The Green Darner is a chordate, which means it has a nerve
cord running along its back. Even though the Green Darner has this nerve
column, it is an invertebrate, which means that it has no spinal column
to protect the nerve chord.
The only visible difference between the male and female is
a small incisor on the tail of the female, which she uses to cut slits in
aquatic plants where she lays her eggs. The main difference between the
larvae and adults is the huge dissimilarity in body shape; the larvae have
short streamlined bodies, with two small eyes and no wings, while the
adult Green Darner has a longer body, two large eyes, and most importantly, wings. Another smaller difference is that the larvae are totally
aquatic, only coming above water for their final molt. The Green Darner
nymphs have a strange and interesting “attachment”, a long triple jointed
“clasper”, with which it grabs its aquatic prey. The clasper acts as a table,
napkin, and fork, for cleaning up the nymph’s meal.
The niche of Anax junius is usually near a clean pond, stream or
vernal pool, where the Green Darner can mate, and feed on tiny insects
that inhabit these places. Vernal pools are important to the Green darner
because they provide a safe place to mate and lay their eggs. The vernal
pools are safe because there are no fish in them, only bugs and frogs.
Fish are a problem because they eat dragonfly larvae.
Anax junius’s habitat’s abiotic factors are: dirt, water, oxygen,
and sunlight. The biotic factors are: birds, plants, bugs, and frogs. Without these, the Anax junius would not be able to survive. This is because
abiotic factors mean non-living, the Green Darner needs dirt, water,
oxygen, and sunlight to live. The Green Darner needs these things to
live because they are the foundations of life. Biotic factors are the living
parts of its environment, and while the Green darner could probably live
happily without frogs and birds (predators), it would die off VERY fast
without plants for shelter and bugs for food.
The range of the Green Darner is Southern and Northern climates; they
live everywhere in North America. Green Darners regularly use vernal
pools for breeding because there are no fish to eat their young when they
are in the nymph stages, which can last up to five years. When living in
a vernal pool, the larval stage usually lasts for a few months instead of
years, it mostly depends on the water temperature, and how quickly the
pool will dry up over the year.
Anax junius is usually active from sun up to sun down, depending on
the air temperature. They have undergone their final molt by June, this is
most likely why they are called “The King of June”, a literal translation
from Anax Junius.
The habitat of the Green darner’s larvae is only different in a few
ways from the adult Green darners; the differences between the habitats
are that in the larval stage they are in water, not air, and that they can be
eaten by other bugs in the larval stages.
56
Green Darner
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
• This animal is Heterotrophic.
• This animal is a carnivore, because it only eats “bugs”.
• The Green Darners larval diet is aquatic bugs,
in the adult stage they only eat flying insects.
• Their diet mainly consists of: mosquitoes,
bees, damselflies, other dragonflies, and beetles.
• The Green Darner catches its prey, instead of trapping it,
trapping is usually done with a web or a trap door. catching
is usually done with the legs or mouth.
• The Green Darner catches its prey with its six legs in the
adult stage, in the larval stage it uses its labium.
• The way the Green Darner catches it prey with its six legs
is by forming a basket out of them and then overtaking the
insect and catching it in its basket of legs.
• The Green Darners main predators are birds, and eventually bacteria.
NATURAL HISTORY
Slowly two Green darners connected in a heart-shaped loop,
buzz down through the leaves to a plant growing in a swamp, they settle
on the plant, and the female lays her eggs underwater in the plant’s
stem. The Green darner reproduces using sexual reproduction which
is internal fertilization. In three weeks the eggs will hatch, and the
Green Darner’s nymphs begin their life. These immature darners use
metamorphosis to grow. The Green Darner grows in molts, which
doubles their size each time. In each molt, they grow larger, and their
wings become slightly more defined, only in the final molt will the
Green Darner really look like a dragonfly. The Green Darner by pumping water or air into its abdomen and splitting open their skin with the
pressure of the water or air. Then they crawl out of their old skin with
their new legs.
The reason these Dragonflies are called Anax Junius is because
their name broken down into Latin is: June King, or, the King of June.
This is because they emerge as adults around June.
A common myth is that dragonflies can hurt you. Another myth
is that dragonflies are descendant from dragons, neither of these myths
being true. The reason for the first myth is most likely because the tails
resemble darning needles, which can hurt. The second myth is most
likely from medieval times, when dragons were rumored to be about.
These flashing insects probably resembled the dragons in the stories,
and therefore were named “dragonflies.”
57
GRAY TREE FROG
(HYLA VERSICOLOR)
58
Why the Gray Tree Frog Can’t Sing
I
n little wood not far from a house lived wonderful
animals. There was Mask the raccoon and Nuts the
squirrel and every one‛s favorite, Lilly the gray tree frog.
Now Lilly is a best friend to all. She would sing the best
songs they ever heard. All the other animals grew jealous and less and less came to listen to her. It didn‛t help
that she yelled and shouted to the whole wood that she
was the best singer and better than Mother Nature herself. A couple more days of this boasting and the other
animals went to see Mother Nature herself. Mother
Nature was very mad and asked Mask” tell me what she is
saying about me‛. Mask replied “well she brags that she
is better than you.” Mother Nature did not believe that
sweet little Lilly would do a thing like that so she called
Nuts and asked ‘tell me what Lilly is saying about me.‛
Nuts replied “she brags that she is better than even you.
The nerve of some creatures.” Well Mother Nature was
unhappy but she also liked the little frog that lived up in
the tree and gave her a warning “if you boast about your
voice again I will take it away.” Lilly promised to do what
Mother Nature asked.
The next day Lilly sang the most beautiful song
about a butterfly named Flutter. Again she boasted about
her song and old Mother Nature heard about it and came
over and yelled in her deepest voice yet and yelled “You
did not listen to me and now you will pay.” She made a
big gust of wind and then she was gone. Lilly held her
heart. It felt like her greatest love was gone she was in
excruciating pain. Her head hurt, the forest was spin-
ning, and then all was dark. The next day Lilly woke up
to sing and an ugly annoying sound that no one wanted to
hear and she only sings in the early in the morning or late
at night so not a lot of animals will hear her raspy voice.
Strangely enough, some creatures liked her singing so
that‛s why some animals come out at night to keep her
company.
59
gray tree fro g
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
Can you guess this animal? It is dark, to lighter, gray, with
bumpy skin. It is on the larger scale with 1.5 to2 inches which is on
the larger side for tree frogs. With its bumpy gray skin it is almost
invisible against a lichen-covered tree.One of the reasons it has
such good camouflage is when it gets colder the skin gets darker,
like the tree. When it is spring however it looks a lot like a spring
peeper. The only way to know the difference is to look for the
yellow under the legs of the gray tree frog. The way you tell a boy
from a girl is the color under the chin. The boys are dark and the
girls are lighter.
It has a another special adaptation: toe pads that help them
for climbing trees. The toe pads stick to just about any surface.
The gray tree frog has a the bone structure of a normal frog.
The only thing it is on the larger side. The tree frog bones are a
little bigger.
Like most frogs the babies are a lot different from the parents. Yes I’m talking about tadpoles. A tadpolesis like a little fish
with gills that over time grows into a air breathing frog.
If you take a walk on a hot day in the woods the leaves
under your feet and you will hear a noise that makes you happy.
It must be the call of the gray tree frog. The song they sing is like
music to your ears. The “Cheep “is like the gentle rain fall. It will
be surprising to be able to hear them in the spring, late winter and
early summer because they perfer a hot climate
Gray tree frogs
are neither nocturnal nor diurnal. Nocturnal means it only comes
out at night while diurnal means it comes out in the daytime. They
enjoy the best of both worlds and come when the feel like it.
As you walk through the world of the gray tree frog, you
will see trees as tall as buildings. There is also a lot of soil and the
blinding sun light. And don’t forget all the water. All the things
listed above are part of two groups the biotic factors and abiotic
factors of its habitat. In the biotic group are trees and in the abiotic
are soil, sun, light and water.
As you take the stroll through the woods you may see is a
pool. As you look closer you see that it’s a vernal pool. The reason you would be so excited to see the pool is that the gray tree
frog needs the pool to lay their eggs. Finally, when you get out of
the woods make sure to go home and tell your family all that you
learned.
60
gray tree frog
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
A little frog jumps out of the waterand on to the land and
goes off to find food. Before he could go up on land he went
through lots of changes. The change is called metamorphosis
and it is an important part of the grey tree frog’s life cycle. However, this metamorphosis is niether gradual nor complete.
The life cycle of a gray tree frog all starts with the mating.
The males go up in the trees and make a loud chirping sound. It
may sound annoying to us, but it is a romantic song to them. Then
they mate in the trees. After that is done the females lay the eggs
in ponds, swamps, ruts, or vernal pools.
After the eggs are laid the parents go off and never see the
babies again. How sad! Next, the tadpoles come out and swim
away to find food and shelter. If they make it past that first stage
they start to grow back legs. They have the back legs for along
time before they start to grow front legs. At this point they start to
lose their gills and develop lungs. Finally, they lose their tale and
grows up to look like an adult frog.
Diet: moths, tree crickets, ant, grass hoppers, and beetles
Predators: birds, snakes, other frogs, and small mammals
Place in food web: the gray tree frog is a carnivore. It’s a 2nd
level consumer.
61
JEFFERSON SALAMANDER
(AMBYSTOMA JEFFERSONAINUM)
62
A
Why the Jefferson Salamander is so Small
long time ago, just after the dinosaurs were extinct,
the Jefferson Salamander was the largest and most
fierce animal in the entire world. The salamanders would
roam the land with thundering steps and swim through
the ocean with swift movements. On the land, every animal and person would fear them for their huge size. They
could easily step on a regular size human without even
noticing. In the water, the bluish-gray skin couldn‛t be
spotted so they could creep up on a fish as simply as slicing butter with a hot knife.
The king of the Jefferson Salamanders was named
Jeffrey, and he was the largest, most fierce salamander
of them all. He had the largest teeth and bragged about
his skin which was the exact color of the largest ocean.
In fact, he was so proud about how magnificent he was,
he stopped ruling over his salamanders and boasted that
he was even larger and muscular than his long-gone cousins, the dinosaurs.
At that time a Spotted Salamander had just laid
its eggs underwater in a large vernal pool. It was rumored
that the salamanders that came out of these eggs would
be the largest and greatest predators in all of the waters. Now like all rumors, it spread rapidly, and after a
while, Jeffrey heard this rumor and instantly he headed
to the vernal pool were the eggs where. As he came upon
the eggs, he saw the rumors must be true because the
eggs were growing to the size of a large house. Jeffrey
quickly picked up the eggs and brought them to his kingdom were he made a meal out of them.
Just as the mother Spotted Salamander was returning to her vernal pool she saw her dwelling smashed
and her eggs missing. She swam to grandfather frog as
fast as she could and he called a meeting immediately. All
the animals showed up without hesitation and they murmured to another about what could have happened. Only
Jeffrey was silent. After Grandfather Frog explained
what had happened to the other animals, he first addressed Jeffrey, professing his belief that Jeffery had
done the deed. Before the Salamander king could defend
himself, others spoke up. The Weasel said “I saw the king
with a large bundle of wet eggs” Bear said “I heard the
king frying the eggs for his meal”. Then the salamander
mother came storming out of the crowd and shoved the
king into the mud, turned her back, and stomped away.
Grandfather frog said to the Jeffery, “Since everyone
agrees you did this, you shall now always have brown skin
and be so small that you will be prey to animals you have
never noticed before. Also, now you may not maneuver
the land and you are punished to live in just vernal pools”.
With a small pop, everyone was looking down at Jeffrey.
63
Jefferson Salamander
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
As you sit on the edge of a vernal pool, silently watching a
bluish-gray salamander approaching over a bundle of dry leaves,
you see its skin; moist and slippery even under the hot, beaming sun and a long tail trailing behind it. You realize this certain
cold-blooded salamander doesn’t need water to stay wet. Instead,
its skin absorbs moisture from the air. Silently you ask yourself,
“What is this strange critter heading toward the vernal pool?” It’s a
Jefferson Salamander, and even though it is full-grown, it is smaller than you expected and has a bluish-gray tint on its skin. (This
you can tell is a male, sizing from 20-30 cm because the females
are a bit larger, about 25 to 35 cm). When the Jefferson Salamander
is born, it looks like a small tadpole with external gills. As it grows
legs and lungs it will look like miniature version of its parents and
will grow to become a predator to small slugs, worms and beetles.
This vertebrate bears a striking resemblance to the Blue
Spotted Salamander who lives across the Connecticut River, on
the east side. Both salamanders have teeth so small that they can’t
chew, and they swallow their food whole. They have a smallish
body and a large head and four legs with webbed feet to help them
both maneuver over land and swim in vernal pools. This salamander will try to find a rotten log or burrow in the ground to avoid
any hungry predators. Like a lot of creatures, the Jefferson Salaman-der also has a couple of adaptations. The bluish-gray color of
the adults helps the critter swim underwater without being seen by
predators. Predators pose a big danger to the Jef-ferson Salamander.
That is why as you continue to sit on the edge of a vernal
pool, you see the sala-mander slip noiselessly into the water with
barely a ripple and vanish from sight.
It is Mid-spring when the Jefferson Salamanders emerges
from one of many eggs and climbs to the top of a vernal pool. The
Salamander will depend on the abiotic and biotic factors from
the vernal pool such as the soil, water and food (like slugs, snails,
beetles and worms). As the Jefferson Salamander develops his
lungs for breathing air, he will move from his habitat in the vernal
pool to about 450 feet away where most the of the population of
his kind live.
When the Jefferson Salamander reaches his destination,
he will burrow 3-4 cm under the soil or find an old rotten log to
live in so he can stay out of the hot summer climate. The Jefferson
Salamander will become a nocturnal animal, meaning he comes
out during the night to feed, to avoid the heat of the day.
The Jefferson Salamander’s range doesn’t go much further
than his burrow until the winter comes. When it gets colder, he will
burrow deeper to hibernate. After the salamanders long hibernation
he will wake during the spring. This the only time the Jefferson
Salamander will ever go back to the vernal pool he was born in to
mate. Once the new Jefferson Salamanders are born they will strive
to keep the population going.
64
Jefferson Salamander
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
The Ambystoma jeffersonianum rises from the interior of a soft
egg, near the edge of a vernal pool. The beginning its life cycle and
natural history will start here in the vernal pool. After emerging from
an egg, the Jefferson Salamander will look like a tadpole, except it will
have external gills. It will isolate itself from the other newborn salamanders and struggle for survival with the other breeds until its metamorphosis is finished and well-developed lungs replace the external
gills.
Although the adult Jefferson Salamander is seldom seen outside
of the mating season, it will lurk in the forest about 400 feet from the
vernal pool. Once in its new ter-ritory, the small creature will hunt for
anything that fits into its mouth. The salamander’s teeth are too small
to really chew the food it comes along on, so it eats living animals and
plant whole. Gross, huh?
The courtship behavior of the salamander begins
sometime in the spring, around April. The salamander will return to the
vernal pool where its life started to lay egg masses with somewhere
between 14-22 eggs per mass. In this species the males will arrive first
and point with their tails at their spermataforms, almost saying “pick
me, pick me”. Then the females show up and choose who they like best.
About a month later after incubation the eggs will hatch and the ones
that survive will be determined to keep the population of the Jefferson
Salamander successful.
This species of salamander belongs with the other animals in
the Kingdom Animalia and given that the Jefferson Salamander has a
backbone it precedes to the Phylum Chordata. It travels with the other
amphibians to the Class Amphibia and is then singled out with the other
salamanders to the Order Caudata. Mole salamanders or burrowing
salamanders progress to Family Ambystomatidae and then to the Genus
Ambystoma. Finally the Jefferson is in its rightful place at the Species
Ambystoma Jeffersonianum.
•
Diet: This salamander will eat anything that fits into its
mouth, including slugs, snails, beetles, worms and small plants.
•
Predators: Many birds, skunks and shrews would enjoy
a Jefferson Salamander as a snack, and a raccoon or two may
come along for the meal.
•
Place in the food web: This species of salamander eats
small animals along with plants so it is an omnivore, meaning
it eats plants and other organisms.
•
Competitors: Other salamanders in the vernal pool
compete for the same food as the Jefferson Salamander.
65
LONG TAILED WEASEL
(MUSTELA FRENATA)
66
How the Long Tailed Weasel got a Long Tail
I
t started out one afternoon when young little Wyatt Weasel was being his mischievous and bragging
self. He was saying that he was the fastest and swiftest
weasel in all the forest, and for this fact he deserved a
trophy. To make sure he deserved the trophy, he went
far and wide gathering all the weasels he could find for a
race from one side of the forest to the other and back.
The race was to start at the vernal pool on the edge of
the forest by which Wyatt lived. Who ever won the race
would be the fastest and swiftest weasel in the win forest and the trophy.
When all the other weasels were told they had to
compete they all started practicing for the race, but not
Wyatt. When it came time for the race, he hadn‛t practiced running and in a panic, he realized how out of shape
he was. To make up for his laziness he decided to run the
whole race before it started. The little weasel found the
quickest and easiest ways to go. When he got back to the
starting line he was all ready to run more, but saw none
of the others practicing so he had no idea what he was in
store for. He had no idea if the other runners where any
good.
BAM!! Went the starting signal and off went Wyatt in the lead with Margie and Shannon close behind.
The race was on. It turns out that one of the weasels in
the race bribed another animal to drop a rock on Wyatt.
When Wyatt came to be under/near the cliff that the
animal was waiting on, the rock dropped and missed Wyatt‛s body, but landed on his tail. He kept running and his
tail just stretched and stretched. After the runner right
behind Wyatt realized that Wyatt‛s tail was stuck underneath a rock he yelled to Wyatt, “STOP RUNNING!!!
YOUR TAIL IS STUCK UNDER A ROCK”. As a result
Wyatt stopped running right as his tail got to be 11 ½
inches long. That is the longest the weasel‛s tail can get
and if it gets any longer that will be a new historic record
for all the long tailed weasels out there. That‛s how the
long tailed weasel got a long tail.
67
Long Tailed Weasel
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
You might be wondering about what the long tailed weasel
looks like. Well I’m here to describe it to you. Let’s talk about the
description of the fur. The fur of a long tailed weasel is short and
brown cinnamon in color. They only look like this during the seasons of spring, summer, and fall. In the winter they change color
from brown to white then inearly spring they change back to the
brown cinnamon color. The reason for this is a camouflage adaptation during the different seasons is for protection because they will
blend in with the snow in the winter. They are the brown cinnamon
in the other seasons because the then blend in with the leaf litter This fur we’ve been talking about is made up of soft under fur
covered by shiny guard hair. A long slender body is what this shiny
coat covers. The long tailed weasel is a warm blooded animal.
This helps the animal because its easier for them to survive in the
winter months.
Besides having a slender body these weasels have small
narrow heads with long whiskers. These little mammals’ legs are
so short it looks like they’re slithering throughout their habitat
with no legs at all. The males of this species are larger on average
than the females. The length of a male long tailed weasel is 330 to
420mm long with a tail length of 132 to 294mm long with a female
long tailed weasel they are only 280 to 350mm long. With a length
of 112 to 245mm long. If you compare the length of the weasel’s
body to the length of their tails you will see that the tail length is
about half of the length their bodies are. Another thing as far as
the males being larger than the females is the males weight ranges
from 7-12oz and the females range from 3-7oz.
The way you can tell a long tailed weasel from a short tailed weasel is, you guessed it, the length of the tail. The long tailed weasel
and the short tailed weasel look a lot alike.
At birth the baby weasels look like little white wrinkly
things. This is because at this time in their life they have wrinkly
skin with white fur. They also only weigh about 3 grams.
The long tailed weasel’s range is from southern Canada
through most of the United States to Mexico, Central America
and the northern parts of South America. The Long tailed weasel is
generally found in open or semi-open habitats near water including
woodlands, thickets, open areas and farmland. They are usually not
found in deserts or dense forests. Temperate and tropical climates
are what these weasels prefer for their habitat. Even though they
prefer warmer climates you can still find them during the winter
around here.
They make their nests out of hollow logs, rock piles, and
under barns are a few or things they can nest or burrow in.
This type of weasel will even take the nest or burrow from their
prey. These house-theft victims are mammals like shrews, voles,
mice, rabbits, snowshoe hares, and squirrels.
The long tailed weasel is both nocturnal and a diurnal animal. It is most active in the night, but it also comes out in the day.
They like to live near a source of water and, therefore can often be
found near vernal pools. By living near a pool they have a source
of water and it is an ideal place for them to catch food.
68
Long Tailed Weasel
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
•
Food Source/Prey: The long Tailed Weasel belongs in
the carnivore section of the food web because shrews, voles,
mice, rabbits, snowshoe hares, squirrels, even some ground
nesting birds, insects, carrion, and occasional snakes, also they
will even eat bats when they can are what they eat.
•
Predators: The long tailed weasel is eaten by Owls,
Coyotes, Hawks, and Large Snakes like the Massasavga Rattle
Snake.
•
Trophic Level: The long tailed weasel is a second level
consumer because this animal eats little mammals that are for
the most part first level consumers, herbivores or omnivores.
69
Both the male and female long tailed weasels reach
sexual maturity between 3-12 months old. The female long tailed
weasels mate in their 1st summer and males mate in their second
summer. These weasels mate around the months of July and August once every year. The long tailed weasel will drag their butts
along the ground when in mating season because this leaves scent
trails for the opposite sex to let them know that they are ready to
mate. The long tailed weasel has a gestation period of 280 days
which is almost 9 months. The long tailed weasel is a placental
animal which means that the baby weasels develop inside of the
mother until their digestive system is strong enough to digest the
milk the mother supplies. The average size of the litter is 6 baby
long tailed weasels. When born they only weigh about 3 grams.
At first they drink milk from the mother then after 36 days their
able to eat any food she brings home to the den. Then after 56
days they’re able to catch their own food. They learn how to do
this by watching their mother.
The long tailed weasel can be found near humans because
they like to eat chickens when given the chance. This weasel has
been known to have vicious murdering sprees in chicken coops.
These sprees are thought to be brought on by the smell of blood.
The kingdom that the long tailed weasel belongs in is Kingdom
Animalia. The phylum that the long tailed weasel is in is chordata which means they have a spinal cord. The class that the long
tailed weasel is in is class mammalia. Carnivora is the order that
the long tailed weasel belongs to which means that they eat meat.
The family that my animal belongs to is mustelinae which means
weasels are primarily in this section. Badgers and otters, the other
relatives are a few of the other relatives of these weasels. In the
Genus section of taxonomy the long tailed weasel belongs to is
Mustela which means they are related to ermines, minks, and ferrets. Now the last part of the taxonomy of a long tailed weasel is
the species which is Mustela Frenata (Scientific Name) which is
the long tailed weasel.
MALLARD
(ANAS PLATYRYNCHOS)
70
Why Male Mallards Have Green Heads
once was a duck named Gizmo. He lived in a humThere
ble little nest with his wife, in a time when all mallards
looked the same. His wife and all the female mallards
in the flock had the very important job of waking the
males and children with their loud, shrill quacks. One very
chilly September morning, Gizmo decided to try this job
himself. “I‛m just as important as any of the women,” he
said to himself, “I should be able to do anything they can
do, if not more”. So he perched himself atop a mound of
dried leaves, ruffled his feathers egotistically, then took
the biggest breathe he could muster.
“Eeeeeiiiiffrroooooosh.”
He tried again, and again. The only noise that he
could make was a pathetic whistling sound. He couldn‛t
believe his ears. He couldn‛t quack? Surely he, the most
handsome and talented bird that ever lived, should be
able to do something as trivial as a quack. He waddled off
as fast as he could to find his best friend, Dave, who was
the leader of their mallard flock. “Dave,” he shrieked hysterically, “I can‛t quack! I never thought to try before,
but now that I have… Oh it‛s too horrible. To be the only
one who can‛t quack…” Dave looked quizzically at Gizmo,
then said “Why Gizmo, surely you know that all males
can‛t quack.” The look of disappointment on Gizmo‛s face
slowly turned to anger. “Well that‛s not fair! Why should
they get to quack? I mean, we are men after all.”
That night, Gizmo tossed and turned. He wanted to
quack so much, more than anything else in the world. He
became so jealous in fact, that the next morning he woke
to a very strange surprise. When he went for his morning swim, his reflection showed a brilliant emerald colored
head staring back at him. At first, he was so startled he
flapped his wings and nearly flew away. Then a thought
occurred to him. It might not be a quack, but at least now
we males have something that females don‛t. Anyways, it
is a lovely color. Ooh, and it looks great on me.
That is how male mallards came to have green
heads. Mother Nature was disgusted by Gizmo‛s jealousy,
so she turned him green with envy. Literally. She had
intended for it to be a bad thing, to curse male mallards
for all eternity, but instead males now use it to attract
females.
71
Mallard
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
That telltale flash of fluorescent green among the dully colored
leaves is a sign that a male mallard is nearby. Males have a brilliant green
head to attract a mate, and females are dappled with drab brown and tan
spots over their whole body; a form of protection to camouflage them so
their eggs aren’t eaten by predators.
Both genders have a metallic blue-violet stripe on their tails, and
although the male is larger, the average size between males and females
is 23 inches long (a little less than 2 foot long rulers laid side by side)
while the average weight is 2.4 pounds. Their average wingspan is 30-40
inches, making them one of the largest ducks in the world. A mallard’s
entire body shape is determined by its contour feather, a large mass of
feathers that covers most of its body and goes to the tip of its wings.
Mallards have many interesting adaptations such as the lack
of feeling in their feet; it’s believed that you could cut their legs off and
they wouldn’t even feel it! I bet you didn’t know that ducks feathers
are waterproof; their whole bodies are coated with oil, so the water just
slides right off. Their webbed feet are an adaptation that enables them to
swim faster and farther with less effort.
Mallards and all other birds are warm-blooded animals, meaning that they maintain an almost constant body temperature that is not
affected by their surroundings.
A single drop of icy water slips from the water resistant
feathers of a female mallard, as her shrill quack echoes over the
placid lake to her mate. It has been time to go south for many days
now, and she is not made to endure the harsh climate of New England in late November. The two mallards will fly south with their
flock of about 50 other mallards to warmer (probably salt) waters.
Ducks whose habitats are slightly further south don’t have to migrate at all; they just take shelter in town parks and search for food
in nearby fields.
With a grand swoop of their wings, the two mallards take
flight, but soon spot a vernal pool down below, and seize their
opportunity for a nice little snack. Landing with a grand splash! In
the shallow water of the pool, they dip their bills under and scoop
up some of their favorite snack: a small crustacean called daphnia.
Mallards are rarely ever seen at vernal pools except for short visits
for food, but they can be found almost everywhere else. Mallards
have the most widespread range of all ducks, meaning that they
live in wetlands all over the world, even on some remote islands.
Mallards usually nest in tufts of grass near ponds or lakes.
The nests are made of various twigs, pieces of grass, and feathers from the female’s breast. Biotic factors like predators such as
crows, foxes, pike and weasels make it dangerous for the ducklings
both in the eggs and after they’ve hatched.
72
Mallard
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
The bright green head of the male mallard is the male’s main
sign of courtship behavior. His display has done its job, and the male
and female face each other and repeatedly jerk their heads downward, a
display that’s called “pumping”. The process is the first step of sexual
reproduction. Mallards usually mate for life, so these two will probably be together until one or both of them die. The female will then
lay 5-10 eggs then incubate them for 26-30 days. When the young
ducklings finally hatch, they will soon be able to leave the nest. When
ducklings are born they’re covered with light yellow fuzz, which they
soon shed in exchange for feathers. Females will be fully mature after
only 3 months, and males take 3 months longer.
Mallards are the ancestor of the domestic farmyard duck, and
are the most widespread, versatile and numerous of all ducks. Similar
to the female mallard are birds such as the Northern Shoveler, Common
Merganser, Red-Breasted Merganser, and the Black Duck. Only the females can quack, the males make an awkward whistling sound called a
“piu”. Another interesting fact is that the feathers of a mallard are made
of the same material as our fingernails.
•
Mallards are all omnivores; they eat everything from
weeds and grains to small crustaceans such as daphnia and
Cyclops
•
Mallards get most of their food by dipping their heads
under the water and using their flat beaks to scoop up food.
Ducks that obtain food this way are called Dabbling Ducks.
•
A serious problem for mallards is the overfeeding of
them by people. The ducks get too fat and sluggish to outrun
their predators and many more get eaten.
•
Mallards are prey to only a few animals in their adult
lives, but as eggs they are targeted by countless other animals,
such as pike, bears, and predators that eat them as adults.
73
NORTHERN CADDISFLY
(LIMNEPHILIDAE)
74
Why the Caddisfly Hides
T
he northern caddisfly didn‛t always look so different
in every stage of its life. A long time ago, long before
you were born, the northern caddisfly was born from an
egg into its adult form, only smaller. Caddisflies were also
known for being mischievous.
One extremely tricky caddisfly was named Loki.
Why, didn‛t Loki trick poor, dumb Steve the Turkey rob
Mother Grouse of her speckled eggs just last week! After the loss of some tail feathers, Steve escaped after
squawking out the true story. Mother Grouse told Loki
that he was getting off easy. Two more tricks and he
would be sorry, she had said.
Three days later, Loki had snuck up on Cadbury the
Rabbit and yanked his bobtail as hard as he could! You can
bet that Cadbury was mad. Today, Loki was up to his old
tricks again—and this time he was going to steal the bee‛s
treasured honey. The immature bug set off to complete
the daring—and stupid—venture.
He crept up to the hive. All around, the bees were
buzzing, working on the endless task of feeding the entire hive. Loki snuck up to the hive and dipped his antennae in the honey. Furiously, the worker bees swarmed all
around Loki. Outraged bees beat Loki, and stretched his
body and pulled his wings off. Thoroughly embarrassed,
beaten, and ridiculed, the caddisfly crawled back to his
home, the vernal pool.
Bees are one of a kind, and when someone like little
trouble-making Loki wrongs them and violates their precious hive, they find a way to take revenge on all of the
relations and friends. Soon, all of the bees were mauling
the young caddisflies, not just Loki, who had actually stolen the honey. All of the immature caddisflies had to hide
in houses that they drag around. The houses are made of
heavy leaves, sand and twigs that they hope will protect
them from the angry and wild attacks of the bees.
Eventually, when the northern caddisfly ages and stops
playing tricks on people, his wings will grow back, and he
will fly once more. He will then pupate, and turn into an
adult, mature and sensible.
75
Northern Caddisfly
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
Most people hate insects. We all know that shivery feeling of
disgust we get when we find one. But how do you know what type of
creepy insect you’ve caught? Well, if the insect you’ve found is around
an inch long, then it could be a Northern Caddisfly. Of course, lots of
insects are an inch long, so more distinguishing features are needed. For
one, Northern Caddisflies all have antennae that are as long as their bodies, or even longer! The six legs of caddisflies are generally long, slender,
and always jointed. If you find yourself close enough to count legs, the
bug will probably fly away using its four thin wings. Don’t be ashamed
if you’ve never seen one, though. Sometimes, it will be hard to see a
northern caddisfly because their coloring is usually dull browns, grays,
and blacks.
If you are trying to spot an immature caddisfly in the spring, then
go to a vernal pool and you will find the larvae, or caterpillar-like, young.
The larvae are actually fairly speedy, surprisingly enough. Moving backwards and forwards, the larvae roam around the vernal pool. Unlike their
parents, they have little hooks at the end of their body, not on the head.
All animals have different adaptations, or special features, that
help them to survive. Caddisflies have a special one: well-developed
palps. In essence, palps are just antennae. Both the palps and antennae
are used to locate food by smelling and tasting and feeling the air around
them. Northern caddisflies have poorly developed mouthparts, and they
can only suck up water and other liquids. Drinking plant juice is actually considered cool when you are a caddisfly. There is no accounting for
taste, is there?
Extremely devoted caddisfly hunters will go out at night and
search for the bugs, as caddisflies are nocturnal, even though they are
cold-blooded. Northern caddisflies have huge night-vision eyes called
tarsi. Female caddisflies are slightly larger than their male friends. While
a detail like this seems insignificant, it is probably to make sure that the
ladies have sufficient space for the THOUSANDS of eggs that they lay.
What a burden! Can you imagine carrying thousands of eggs around
when you’re around the size of a paperclip?
Dawn breaks over a new day. Peeking over the horizon, the sun
casts its rays over a vernal pool in the springtime. Life is just beginning
to wake up. A large brown insect settles down on a branch that overhangs
the pool. It is here to do its mission; lay the thousands of eggs she is carrying, and then fly away, soon to die.
Her eggs will be laid on branches that extend over the vernal
pool, or on rocks in the vernal pool. The eggs will hatch into larvae the
following spring. Some abiotic, or non-living, things that these larvae
will interact with, and which you will find in large quantities, include
sand/dirt and water. The living, or biotic, factors the caddisfly young
will interact with are the other vernal pool inhabitants, such as fingernail
clams, spadefoot toads, daphnia and fairy shrimp. Leaves, bark, twigs
and detritus are also biotic. Larvae will make a cocoon from bark, leaves,
sand, and silk from their saliva glands. As gross as using your spit to
build a house may seem, caddisfly spit is surprisingly sticky. Finding
larvae in action will be hard, however, because they are nocturnal.
Long before the meltwater of the vernal pool has evaporated; the
young will have grown up and flown toward a river, where the fish that
live in the river might eat one for a tasty snack. Where the adults will fly
depends on where they are. They have a fairly short life-span, so they
normally just fly to the nearest body of freshwater. The northern caddisfly
as a species can be found anywhere in the northern and western US, and
Canada. This is the range of the caddisfly, or where it can be found. So if
you are visitiing California and are looking for a northern caddisfly, you
won’t find one!
76
Northern Caddisfly
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
Caddisflies may not use cologne or perfume, but they can smell
another bug ready to mate from up to a mile away. This incredible ability to sniff out others of its kind is thanks to its antennae. Wouldn’t it be
awesome if you could smell someone from a mile away? Eggs are internally fertilized, which means fertilized while still in the body of the
female. The only way that caddisflies can reproduce is through sexual
reproduction.
Because we can’t really smell caddisflies like they can smell
each other, we get to look for them. Caddisflies undergo complete
metamorphosis, which means they have four distinct stages of their
life where they look completely different. So when searching for caddisfly, make sure to look for caddisflies in all four phases!
Being in an egg is the first stage of caddisfly life. After eggs
hatch into larvae, they look a lot like caterpillars. Can you rearrange
your body into a completely different form, say, one with wings that
worked? Well, a caddisfly larva does just that when it turns into a pupa.
A pupa is a transforming larva that is on its final changing stage. Amazingly, caddisfly pupas just attach themselves on branches or rocks and
stay there, snug and safe in their cocoons. Here is where they turn into
adults by reassembling the components of the larva body. Often, this
amazing transformation takes place in a vernal pool, where there are no
fish to eat the caddisflies before they can grow up and fly away.
Eventually, the adult caddisfly emerges from the cocoon, ready
to fly. If you are lucky, you even take a branch that has a cocoon on it
home with you, if you are careful not to jostle the bug. There you will
be able to watch it emerge from its cocoon, fully formed, and ready to
get out there and fly, ready to live life as an adult and mate. The metamorphosis of the northern caddisfly is now complete.
We can all see how caddisfly has the word “fly” in it, right? In
truth, caddisflies are actually not flies. They are some of the many fly
impostors, so be on your lookout for fakers like these! The family of
the caddisfly is not the same family as the True Flies, ironically enough.
Northern Caddisflies have their own family, Trichoptera, meaning hairy
wing. They also have four wings, while True Flies only have two wings,
which is what sets the northern caddisfly apart from the True Flies.
•Trophic Level: First level consumer. This means that the caddisfly
eats other organisms, but eats plants, which are autotrophs, who
make their own food. They are also herbivores, which means that
they eat only plant matter (in this case liquids). This is true of both
the northern caddisfly larvae, and the adults.
•Adaptations: Poorly adapted mouths are the only things caddisflies
eat with. Because of this, northern caddisflies can sip liquids only.
Larvae eat using mouthparts, eating leaves, rotting plants, etc.
•Predators: Avoiding predators for the northern caddisfly is hard
because they are clumsy. Trout love these tasty bugs, but as the
caddisflies are nocturnal they are sometimes harder to catch. Larva
predators include many types of bug eaters, such as turtles, fish,
birds, etc.
•Prey: Caddisfly prey doesn’t run away, it is a sitting duck. Plants
are landed on, and then the caddisfly sucks liquid out using poorly
developed mouth parts. Larval prey is plant matter too, it sits still.
77
NORTHERN SHORT-TAILED SHREW
(BLARINA BREVICAUDA)
78
How Blarina got her Scent
O
ne crisp, starry night, a moon rose over a mountain.
The wind whistled and trees rattled, and a being
bolted about. It was a bold being. It was a brazen being.
It was Blarina.
Blarina wasn‛t friendly. She wasn‛t big and she
squeaky voice. Mine. But tonight, I‛ll guard my cache”.
As the moon rose, so did Blarina. She knew her
destination. It wasn‛t the vernal pool, where she snacked
on salamander sandwiches. It was the cache castle. She
spied the hole and plunged right in. Soft soil plumed up.
wasn‛t beautiful. She was however, hungry. As a shrew,
she ate. And she ate. She was a paunch, proud master of
consumption. Food was family. Food was her friend.
Amidst the cloud came a squeaky voice. “I should have
known, Blarina”, said Matt mole. “You ever-searching
food hound, you chower of chow. We should have known
As she scuttled about, leaves cracked beneath her
feet. Was she heard? Was she spotted? Did an owl
it was you! Have you no respect, no dignity! Have you
no food! From this day on, you shall be marked. Marked
sense her coming? At the woodland edge, she saw the
field. She hopped across and plopped in a burrow. “Ah”,
she cried. More treasure: insects, earthworms, and
other treats stored by Moe Mole. She grabbed her pack,
stuffed her sack, and left like a stolen whisper.
The next day, the moles convened. “Another robbery. That‛s the third this week. Who‛s responsible”,
asked Matt mole? “This isn‛t pleasant and it isn‛t pretty.
We‛re starving and seemingly shrinking to bone”.
That night, Blarina was back. With a mouth agape
she fastened her cape and headed right out to the wood.
She skulked through brush and bramble. She crossed
two fields and a fen. She found the hole of Melinda mole,
and quietly let herself in. “Ah”, she cried. “More treasure”. She grabbed her pack, stuffed her sack, and left
like a stolen whisper.
The next day, the moles planned. “We‛ll catch this
beast”, said Melinda. “We‛ll catch em‛, and we‛ll catch em‛
good. Whose burrow hasn‛t been binged?” “Mine, said a
with a scent so bad we will know where you‛ve been. If
the scent is present but our food is not, we‛ll know it was
you. Now be off Blarina, and take your smelly scent. You
shall never again steal our food”.
79
Northern Short-Tailed Shrew
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
The Northern short-tailed shrew is a small, insect-eating, warmblooded mammal. It is called a short-tailed shrew because the length of
its tail is less than one half the length of its body. This species is about
four to five inches long and weighs only between a half an ounce and an
ounce (about as much as 32 M & M’s!) Despite its small size, it is the
largest North American shrew. Generally, males are larger than females,
like your dad is larger than your mom. Like all mammals, it is a vertebrate. This means it has a backbone.
This species has soft, velvety, thick, dark gray fur. It also has
small, cute eyes and wispy, long whiskers. Although it looks cuddly, stay
away! Resist, I tell you! This species has a continuous row of 32 razorsharp teeth to satisfy its huge appetite. These teeth deliver powerful bites
and a powerful poison from its salivary (spit) glands. This poison (similar to cobra venom) won’t kill you, but a good bite will hurt for days. In
addition, it stinks! If frightened, scent glands on its sides and belly make
it smell super duper bad. If you’re “sprayed”, you won’t like it. And
neither will your friends! If you ever do hold one, wash those hands!
The spray tastes awful. In fact, foxes, weasels, and other predators
sometimes skip shrew snacks because of their seriously smelly ways!
In addition to being stinky, this species has other interesting
physical characteristics and adaptations. Since it’s often underground,
it is well adapted to digging and the dark. Of all the American shrews,
this one is the best at digging and tunneling. It has large, powerful front
feet, sharp claws, and a strong snout to build runways and burrows. In its
dark, black burrows, it doesn’t need great eyesight. And that’s O.K. because it doesn’t have it! It’s practically blind! Some scientists believe its
tiny eyes perceive only light and dark. Instead, this species “sees” with
its ears. Although its small ears are nearly hidden in fur, they’re really
useful at finding food. To find invertebrates (insects and earthworms for
example), it uses something called echolocation. This is a food-finding
adaptation that bats and whales use, too. In its dark and smelly burrow,
the shrew sends out ultra-sonic (humans can’t hear it) clicks. It then
listens for the click’s echo. By locating the echo, they locate the food.
If prey is large such as a mole or vole, the prey is injected with poison.
Poisoned prey is immobilized (it can’t move) for up to 3 to 5 days, making a great future snack. That’s quite a doggie bag!
The northern short-tailed shrew is one of North America’s most
common mammals. It is found in lots of habitats. It really likes moist
forests and meadows, bushy fields, swampy areas, and lands along
streams. In these areas, populations are usually largest where ground
plants like ferns are thick or lots of leaves cover the ground. Sometimes,
it even inhabits cities.
To find food, this species uses shallow runways under leaves and
other things like branches that cover the ground. And finding food is BIG
business. A huge eater, this species consumes at least its own weight in
food every day! To find food, it also uses underground burrows. Although it builds burrows, it often steals them from something else--move
over moles and voles! Burrows are like subway systems. They’re a great
way to get around. They’re also dark, have lots of routes, and plenty of
fast food restaurants!
Burrows are also used to nest and rest. Nesting and resting areas
are found about 6 to 16 inches below ground. They are usually made of
grasses and leaves arranged like a hollow ball. The resting area is about
the size of a large apple. The larger breeding nest is about 6 to 8 inches
across. Both nest types have 1 to 3 holes that connect to underground
burrows. Nesting and resting areas are also found under stumps, logs,
or rocks. So if you’re in shrew country, flip a log. It just might surprise
you--and a shrew!
Unlike a wood frog or spotted salamander, this species does not
depend on vernal pools for any part of its life. Since it likes moist habitats however, it may be found in or near the brushy edges of vernal pools.
In addition, this species loves insects. And insects love vernal pools!
Lots of beetles, dragonflies, water striders, and other insects provide delicious dinners. When the pool begins drying, stranded creatures provide
dessert. Welcome to the caddisfly café!
Because of its hearty appetite, this species is diurnal, meaning it
is active both day and night. It is also active during all seasons. It can be
found in a wide variety of climates from sweltering Florida to bitter cold
Canada.
80
Northern Short-Tailed Shrew
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
Did dinosaurs ever meet shrews? They probably did! About
ten years ago, Chinese and American scientists found a fossilized
shrew-like animal they think scurried under dinosaurs about 195 million
years ago. The creature, named Hadrocodium Wui, was the size of a
paper clip and weighed less than an ounce. Although it wasn’t a Northern short-tailed shrew, it was a very close relative. Based on fossil
evidence, Northern short-tailed shrews have existed at least 37 million
years.
Have you ever frightened a shrew? Please don’t! If too excited, it can literally be scared to death. With a heartbeat of about 1,000
times a minute, this species has one of the fastest heart rates of any animal. Because of its heart rate, this species has developed an interesting
lifestyle. Throughout the day, it has short (about 4.5 minutes) bursts of
extreme activity; it feeds, finds mates, and marks territories. To calm
itself, it then rests about a half an hour. By being active only 8% of the
time, it saves energy and manages its incredible disposition.
Another fascinating fact relates to temperature. This species
has the highest surface area to body mass ratio of any animal. That
means that its body is really big compared to how much it weighs. To
maintain its body temperature, it must eat, eat, eat. Without constant
food, they would simply freeze. Fortunately, this species is especially
adapted to winter. It has specialized fat cells that generate and store lots
of energy, an extra thick winter coat, and superb digging abilities that
help it escape cold.
Because shrews don’t like each other, courtship behavior is
dangerous. It can take hours for mates to become “friends”. And since
mating only takes about ten seconds, they’re not friends long! As a placental mammal, young first grow inside the mother. This takes about 20
days and is called the gestation period. No, this species doesn’t hatch
from eggs or undergo metamorphosis like insects. They’re born alive,
just like you. Females have three to four litters per year, and about nine
babies per litter.
-Metabolism: Because of its high metabolism, this species eats at
least its own weight in food every day. If it doesn’t eat within two
hours, it is known to eat its own family members!
-Poisonous!: This species is one of only a few poisonous mammals.
Using its teeth, it injects poison into prey larger than itself (like a
mouse) and stores it for future use.
-Trophic level: This species is a secondary consumer because it eats
insects and other invertebrates that eat plants.
-Diet: Primarily insects but also consumes earthworms, spiders,
slugs, centipedes and small mammals such as mice.
-Food Chain: As a small mammal, this species
is at the bottom of the food chain.
81
OPOSSUM
(DIDELPHIS VIRGINIANA)
82
Why the Opossum Plays Dead
A
shley Climb lived near a vernal pool all year long.
There were many trees around and she loved to climb
all of them. Ashley went to the vernal pool every day. Every time she went to there all the younger animals would
tease her. They would tease her because she was different than everybody else; she lived in her mommy‛s pouch,
had big claws, and a naked tail. Her family was the only
opossum family who lived there. Every day when she came
from the pool she would run to her mother and father in
tears.
Ashley didn‛t have many friends. She would be
considered cool if she had friends, but everyone rejected
her for being different. This made her feel left out.
One day she was at the vernal pool and there was
a fox coming up to her and the other animals, and he was
being very mean. Because she is an opossum and reacts to
everything, she said to the fox, “I bet that I can climb
that tree faster than you can run from that rock to the
tree all the way down by the entrance of the path to the
vernal pool.” Everyone gasped because they knew that the
fox was the fastest animal at the vernal pool. Fox said,
“That‛s a done deal. Meet me here at meal time.”
It approached the time of the race. Ashley was
feeling confident because she loved to climb trees. The
fox came but he didn‛t take the race very seriously. During the race he kept stopping because he knew he was going to win. He didn‛t know how fast Ashley was at climbing
trees, so he thought he had all the time in world. As Ashley was coming down, he turned around and saw her, so
he ran as fast as he could, but he got tired and collapsed
five feet in front of the line. Ashley won the race!
When the fox lost he was angry. He threatened
Ashley and charged at her. Ashley was so startled that
she instantly fainted. Her tongue was sticking out of her
mouth, her eyes were closed and it looked like she wasn‛t
breathing. The fox lost his interest in getting back at
Ashley and he walked away. When Ashley woke up she
realized she had fooled the fox. Ever since that day the
fox never bothered Ashley again and opossums learned to
play dead whenever approached or startled by a predator.
83
OPOSSUM
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
If you see an animal that looks like a rat with a long pointy nose
it must be an opossum. Its face is white with a stripe down the middle between its brown eyes. Their ears are pink and brown. The brown is on the
outside for blending in a little. The body is covered with grayish white
fur, but its tail is naked and pink like a rat’s. Near the head it is a little tan
and white mixed. The Opossums’ paws are naked and pink, their claws
are see-through white, and are used for climbing. The opossum’s fur is
the softest part while its tail, claws, and paws are the roughest.
A normal size of an opossum is about 12 ¾ - 19 ¾ inches. Its tail
is about 10-21 inches long and is used for helping the opossum climb.
The average opossum can weigh up to 12lb. Opossums have a pouch for
their babies to fully develop. The pouch is only found on the female, but
the male has a fake pouch to fool predators while the female escapes.
They also have opposable thumbs to help them climb faster away from
their predators. The opossum’s body has double-thick fur coats so it
doesn’t get cold in the winter which means that they’re warm-blooded.
Like cats, they groom each other with their rough tongues. They also
have sharp claws, and like dogs, they have large canine teeth.
The opossum has a backbone so that means it’s a vertebrate. This animal is a marsupial because they have a pouch like a kangaroo. Males,
females, and young have no difference between each other so it is very
hard to tell them apart.
With a Virginia opossum you can tell them apart from the others because they have different texture and different color fur. Different
types of opossums have different types of environmental adaptations, and
that makes it different from the northern opossum (Virginia opossum).
The living parts of an opossum’s habitat are trees, edge of
forests, and grasslands. Sometimes opossums are found in the cities. They can make their homes in parks and eat from dumpsters
and garbage cans. Opossums stay close to a water supply. This
species can live in dryer climates but they prefer the climate of
forests, and wet areas.
Opossums have a large range. They are found in Canada,
U.S.A., Central America, and as far south as Argentina. Opossums
are the only marsupial found north of Mexico. The relatives of the
northern opossum can be found in Australia and New Zealand.
They originally come from a southern, warm so they are
not used to the cool climate such as Canada and New England.
Most opossums live in the south eastern states. Opossums were
only recently found in the north eastern states. Their range seems
to be moving further north all the time. They are coming up this
way because the weather is too warm for the opossum. Some of the
opossums are used to the warm weather so they stay down south.
The opossums are connected to the vernal pool because
they need to stay near food and water supply.
An opossum doesn’t hibernate in the winter but they can sleep for
two weeks at a time until they eventually get hungry. They are nocturnal so they scavenge at night. They scavenge at night because
most of the predators are asleep.
84
oPOSSUM
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
The scientific name of the opossum is Didelphis Virginiana. Didelphis means “double womb” which refers to its pouch and Virginiana
means location. They can be easily found, Virginia, where they were
first spotted there.
The gestation period of an opossum is an incredibly short 12.5
to 13 days and the mother has 7 to 9 young in a litter. Baby opossums
only weigh .16 grams at birth. These tiny furless blind babies are not
ready for the big world yet. They rely on their mother’s pouch for the
protection and security. Inside the pouch they can drink mother’s milk
and fully developed. After about 100 days they do not depend on their
mother anymore. That means that the mother leaves them and then the
young opossums have to go hunting on their own.
The opossum is distantly related to the kangaroo because they
are both marsupials. The kangaroo also has a pouch for its young just
like the opossum. Didelphis Virginiana is most closely related to the
American Opossum because it is the same genus but a different species.
The American opossum is only found in the U.S.A. while the Didelphis
is found in various countries including the U.S.A.
Opossums find their mates by the loud squeal that they make.
The males give out this sound, and then it waits for a response from the
female. As the female responds, the male finds her location. Just like
humans do, they flirt with the females until they find the right female
to mate with. A male stays with the female throughout the years, until
either the male or the female dies.
An interesting fact about opossums is that they can “play dead”
when they are attacked by a predator. They stay “dead” four about 4 to
5 hours. They are not just “pretending,” though their body is shocked
and they are literally knocked out. Their heart beats slowly and it looks
like they are actually dead. When the opossum is knocked out, predators think it is really dead and walks away. The predator away because
they want to kill the opossum itself. Some folks say “are you playing possum” when you are fooling around. The idiom “playing dead”
comes from this fact.
85
PAINTED TURTLE
CHRYSEMYS PICTA
86
Why the Painted Turtle has it’s Stripes
T
HERE ONCE WAS A TURTLE THAT LIVED IN A VILLAGE FAR OUT IN
THE WOODS.
HE WAS THE BEST HUNTER AROUND. PHILIP WOULD
HUNT ALL NIGHT. HE WOULD CATCH ALL KINDS OF STUFF LIKE FISH
AND SNAILS. HE HAD A SPECIAL TRUNK THAT HE WOULD FILL UP
WITH HIS FOOD. THE ADVANTAGE THAT HE HAD WITH HUNTING IS
THAT HE HAD AN ALL BLACK COAT. ALL THE TURTLES HAD THIS COAT
OF BLACK ON THEIR BACK.
ONE SPRING NIGHT PHILIP WENT HUNTING FOR FOOD ALL BY
HIMSELF BECAUSE HE‛S SO GREEDY. WHILE HE WAS OUT HE FOUND A
LARGE VERNAL POOL DEEP OUT IN THE WOODS AWAY FROM HIS VILLAGE. AND AT THIS POOL HE FOUND LUSH ALGAE, HUGE DELICIOUS
SNAILS AND NICE GOOPY EGG MASSES WHEREVER THE EYE COULD SEE.
PHILIP LOVE TO EAT THE EGG MASSES IN THE POND. HE WOULD MAKE
DIFFERENT KINDS OF FOOD DISHES.
WHEN HE WOULD GET BACK HE WOULD FILL UP THE WHOLE
TRUNK AND BRING VERY LITTLE TO THE WHOLE VILLAGE FOR THE OTHER TO EAT. THE VILLAGE WOULD HAVE TO SHARE ALL THE FOOD WITH
EVERYONE INCLUDING PHILIP. THEN EVERYONE WOULD COMPLAIN TO
THE REST OF THE TURTLES AROUND. PHILIP WOULD GO BACK TO HIS
ALLIE WENT TO THE VILLAGE LEADER AND TOLD HIM ABOUT
THE WHOLE INCIDENT. HE ALSO WAS CONFUSED ABOUT EVERYTHING.
SO HE CANCELED THE BIRTHDAY PARTY AND CALLED EVERYONE TO
HIS HOUSE INCLUDING THE NATURE GOD. THE VILLAGE LEADER TOLD
EVERYONE ABOUT THE WHOLE INCIDENT.
PHILIP WAS ON HIS WAY HOME WHEN HE SAW THAT EVERYONE WAS AT HIS HOUSE. HE WANTED TO TURN AROUND AND GO BACK
TO VERNAL POOL TO LIVE BECAUSE HE KNEW THAT HE COULD IF HE
WANTED TO.
BUT THEN HE THOUGHT THAT MAYBE THEY WERE PLANNING A SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR HIM. HE WALKED IN AND ALL
THE TURTLES GAVE HIM A DIRTY LOOK. THE LEADER WAS HOLDING UP
A BUCKET OF SNAILS.
“I CAN EXPLAIN” SAID PHILIP.
THE NATURE GOD SAID “FROM NOW ON YOU AND THE REST
OF THE TURTLES ARE TO HAVE BRIGHT STRIPS ON THE BACK OF YOUR
NECK AND HEAD SO THAT YOU CAN‛T HUNT AS WELL.
THE REST OF THE TURTLES WENT DOWN TO THE VILLAGE AND
HAD THE BEST FEAST IN THE WHOLE SWAMP.
HUNT AND STUFF HIMSELF FULL OF FOOD TILL HE FELT LIKE HE COULD
EXPLODE.
ONE OF THE TURTLES WHO LIVED IN THE VILLAGE WAS
NAMED ALLIE. SHE WOULD LOVE TO HANG OUT WITH PHILIP. PHILIPS
BIRTHDAY WAS COMING UP SOON AND ALLIE WANTED TO PLANE A
SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR HIM.
SHE WENT OVER HIS HOUSE AND CLEANED IT UP ALL OVER
AND SHE CAME TO THE TRUNK AND OPENED IT UP AND FOOD OF ALL
KINDS CAME FLYING OUT.
SHE WAS AMAZED THAT HE WOULD HIDE
ALL THAT FOOD FROM THE VILLAGE TURTLES.
87
Painted Turtle
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
I have a slimy skin underneath my hard shell. What am I?
I am the painted turtle. Under my protection (shell) is a slimy skin
the colors of black, yellow and red. On my neck I have red stripes
and on my head I have yellow ones. Beneath the red and yellow I
have a black coat. No other turtles have the same markings. I look
pretty cool in the reflection of the sunlight off the water. I tend to
blend in so much that people sometimes can’t find me. This part of
my appearance also helps me stay protected from my predators.
My shell is about 8 ½ inches, the size of the short side of a
piece of paper. My total length is about 10 inches long (the longer
side of a piece of paper) which is pretty big for your common eastern painted turtle. Compared to Sea Turtles, I’m like an ant next to
a child.
When most people find us turtles they can’t tell if we’re a
boy or a girl. To tell us apart, a male turtle has quite long nails and
females don’t. I think that’s weird but it’s the truth.
What is the difference between a baby painted turtle and an
adult painted turtle? The difference is the size and that the shape
and design aren’t complete yet in the baby. And when we are born
our colors are very bright and when we grow older they tend to
fade. Baby turtles are only 2 ½ -3 inches long.
During the day I can be found on the edge of the water or
near a log or a rock. Being a cold blooded creature, I like to lie in
the sun to warm up my body. Almost like what you humans do on
the beach. This is my place to relax and sit back.
I live near all fresh water sources like ponds, lakes, rivers,
streams, and swamps. I like to eat the stuff found at the bottom of
the deep streambeds and other places. But we don’t depend on the
vernal pool. We just live there for a long period of time and then
find a place to go after the pool dries up.
We painted turtle can be spotted in the spring and summer
because that’s when the snow melts and runs down hill into ditches
to form a vernal pool. In the middle of the summer the vernal pool
dries up and is gone until next year. During the winter when the
vernal pool is full of ice and snow us turtles stay underground to
keep from freezing.
88
painted turtle
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
How do we Painted turtles reproduce? It is up to the males
to find us girls and the girls have to carry and look after the eggs.
Once the males find the females they have a special way
of saying “your mine”. Reproduction starts when the male performs the courtship dance. Then they chase us and he vibrates
his claws for us. As a turtle, this can be very attractive. Touching
is another way for us to attract the other turtle. The courtship
dance is the mating dance that the turtle uses to attract the female.
This special dance takes place at the vernal pool in the spring.
They vibrate the claws to attract the female only sometimes this
works.
For us females we have to care for and protect the eggs.
After they are fertilized we dig holes on the edge of any water
source to burry the eggs. To me it is hard work.
We just got off the endangered list so don’t hurt us if you
see us.
When do the eggs hatch you might ask? It takes time
because the temperature has to be a certain degrees. That certain
degrees is 84F and it takes about 50 days for it to hatch.
The turtle is mainly a carnivore (mainly eats meat) like
fish and other kinds of meat. As they get more mature they turn to
start eating more veggie stuff like duck weed and aquatic plants.
The Latin name for painted turtle is Chrysemys Picta.
Chrysemys means “turtles” and Picta means “painted”. Now you
know the Latin name for me, the painted turtle.
• Food Source: The Eastern Painted Turtle eats duck
weed, larvae, maggots, beetles, fish and aquatic insects.
.
• Predators: The Eastern Painted Turtle’s predators are
foxes, otters, minks and raccoons
• Food Web: This species is a secondary consumer (trophic
level- which is the second level ) , although it is a predator
it is also prey to some larger animals
89
PICKEREL FROG
(RANA PALUSTRIS)
90
O
How the Pickerel Frog got Square Spots
nce there lived a community of frogs. The ugliest
frog of all was the disgusting pickerel frog. The
most beautiful frog was the wood frog so you would
never see a pickerel frog and a wood frog together.
Because the pickerel frog was so ugly, he could never
find a mate. Their no frog more sad about this then
Jimmy.
One day a Mother Nature walked into the forest, up to the vernal pool and called to “Jimmy.”
Jimmy didn‛t come for a long time. Mother Nature was being to worry.
Finally Jimmy came out. Mother Nature said
“Jimmy why you are so sad?”
“Well I like this girl her name is Tabitha Ruth.
But she is a beautiful pickerel. I‛m only an ugly pickerel frog, I have no design or nothing she would never
go out with me.”
Mother Nature listened very carefully to what
Jimmy was saying. “Well what would you say if I could
make you and all your descendants more beautiful?”
“That would be awesome. Could you?”
“Yes but it might be a little while because I
have to get the stuff from the west wind.”
“Cool!” yelled Jimmy
The next week Mother Nature came back with
water colors of orange, yellow, and black. She asked
Jimmy, “what kind of spots do you want on the top of
your brown, ugly skin?”
“Well what do you think would look best?” replied
Jimmy.
“I think square spots would be unique. Circular
spots are not very original. How about we make them
black and brown swuare spots?”
“That sounds GREAT!” yelled Jimmy.
“What color do you want your belly to be? Orane or
yellow?” Asked Mother Nature
“Do I have to pick only one? I like them both.”
“Okay, that‛s understandable. How about we
make you half orange and half yellow and one of your
kids can end up with either color?”
“That sounds good” Jimmy agreed.
Mother Nature started painting Jimmy and all
the other pickerel frogs in the vernal pool. By the
end everybody thought that pickerel frogs were the
most beautiful animal alive. they all said thank you
to Mother Nature and got on the merry way back to
their home.
A few weeks later Mother Nature came back
to the vernal pool. Jimmy hopped right to him with
his wife and said, “Thank you so much for making my
life so much better. If it wasn‛t for you I would have
never met my mate.”
91
pickerel frog
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
Pickerel frogs are tan and their square spots are black. Their
belly can be either orange or yellow. All frogs have a vertebra. A
pickerel frog is 1 and ¾ of an inch to 3 inches that is like about the
size of a cell phone.
This cold-blooded animal often gets confused with the
leopard frog, but the pickerel frog has square spots instead of circular spots.
All frogs have webbed feet so they can swim faster. They
also breathe through their skin! When they are tadpoles they only
live in water. During this phase of their life have a tail and like a
fish they have gills!
Usually you see frogs swimming in the water but they
don’t live in the water, they live on land. They do go in the water
to swim away from their predators. What’s also cool about frogs is
that the have lungs like us!
You have probably either have seen a frog eat a fly of at
least heard of it. Well that’s not the only thing they eat. They also
eat worms, slugs, spiders, caterpillars, and smallish beetles. Look
closely their tongues are very sticky. Do you know what tadpoles
eat? They eat algae! Gross!
Pickerel frogs can often be found under rocks and soil.
They need a moist habitat to survive. Did you know that pickerel
frogs only lay their eggs in spring? The pickerel frog lives near the
vernal pool to lay their eggs. They also live there to mate.
A vernal pool is like a little lake but it dyes up during the
summer and fills during the winter and spring from all the snow.
The range they live in is like North Carolina, South Carolina, so
they usually live in the southern parts of the US, and in Texas and
Minnesota. They also live around here so go try to find one.
The climate for a pickerel frog can range from hot to somewhat cold. From October to March they hibernate because the need
warmer climates to survive. Pickerel frogs are nocturnal. So if you
want to find a frog that is active go out at night and bring a net to
catch them with!
92
pickerel frog
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
The pickerel frog doesn’t start out looking like a frog.
First the female frog finds a male frog and then they mate. Females find mates by using their low croak. This is their mating
call, or a courtship behavior. The pickerel frog starts out as
an egg, after about twenty days the egg hatches and the tadpole
comes out.
Tadpoles are small and have big eyes. They look like little
balloons. Their tail moves their body through the water. Then they
lose their tail and it grows into the middle of their legs, like a flab
of skin.
An adult frog unlike a tadpole has no tail but has legs. The
adult frog also has lungs. So they manly live on land but they still
swim in water to hide from predators.
Predators:
•The frog eggs are eaten by fish, bull frogs, ducks, and snakes,
raccoons, herons, hawks, otters, minks and skunks. .
•Ta dpoles are eaten by bull frogs, fish, large water bugs,
painted turtles, , wading birds, and king fishers
Consumes:
• Tadpoles eat: algae
• Adult frogs eat: flies, spiders, smallish beetles, caterpillars,
worms, and slugs
93
RACCOON
(PROCYON LOTO)
94
How the Raccoon Got its Colors
T
here was raccoon named “Hopeflower” and Hopeflower was
very colorful. He was like a rainbow. Poor Hopeflower had
a problem, all his friends where hunters but he could not hunt.
He did not take no for an answer so he tried and he tried but
he could never kill the animals he caught because he didn‛t and
he kept in a secret in till. When Jack the fox figured it out
and Jack the fox, Tom the turkey, Mario squirrel, Oliver the
Gofer, Morgan the owl, and Amy the wood duck all laughed.
Angrily Hopeflower said “you are just jealous of my colors and
that I, Hopeflower, am the prettiest of the land and this is
why you try to make fun of me, but it is not going to
work”. He glides out side very happy with him self and pushed
the gofer in to the vernal pool. While pushing the gofer he
said “you are too ugly and have so dull of color, go jump in the
pool”. All that day he was acting rude to every one. Then that
night as he was walking he saw his old friend that he had not
seen in a while. It was the opossum, but his tail was different.
Instead of the lovely color of fur it was naked. Hopeflower
said “what happen‛ to your tail?!” Then the opossum said “I
bragged too much and the turkey shaved it, so beware. Do
not let this happen to you. Be more kind.” Hopeflower said
“yeah right I do not believe you. Now you are just saying this
because you are jealous of my color” and Hopeflower proudly
walked home.
The next day went about the same. Hopeflower was insulting every one. To the cooper hawk, he said “you stupid bird
,just flying around in circles”. That night instead seeing the
opossum, he saw the turkey. Hopeflower said “you ugly fool.
Leave my site”. Then the turkey said” you are right. I am ugly
and you are so wonderful”. Hopeflower said “I know. I guess
you can walk with me.” Then, as they were walking the turkey
pushed Hopeflower into the vernal pool and ran away. By the
time Hopeflower got out of the vernal pool, his colors were all
faded to gray and black. Around his eyes there was a black
plant that was stuck on his face and to this day Hopeflower
never goes out in the day light because he is so embarrassed.
95
Raccoon
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
Raccoons are furry little things. The raccoon’s colors range from
buff to brown and from black to reddish. They have a stocky body type
and 50 % of their body can be fat: wow I know! They are also 603 to 950
mm long and weight around 6 kilograms
Some call the northern raccoon a thief because he can and will
eat out of your trash can. The raccoon’s marking around his eyes makes
it look like he is wearing a mask. It also has cool hands with opposable
thumbs so it can eat more things; that is it adaptation. Another interesting fact is that a raccoon’s hands are only a little bit different than human
hands. There are also 5 toes on each foot of a northern raccoon just like
humans.
Now let’s go to the back half of the body. The raccoon’s tail has
5 black stripes and it also accounts for about half of its length.
These are the names of some living and nonliving factors of
the raccoon’s habitat. The vernal pool is one of the nonliving factors. The northern raccoon eats turtle eggs so that is a living factor
because the eggs give the raccoon energy. The tree is the northern
raccoon’s home so that must be another living factor. Temperature
is a nonliving factor of the raccoon’s habitat because the colder
it gets, the more energy the raccoon uses to stay warm. If it uses
more energy it has to eat more so it affects its diet. It is nocturnal
so the sun is a nonliving factor. When the sun is out there should
be no northern raccoons in sight. The last nonliving factor is water
because without it the raccoon would die.
These are the countries where the northern raccoon can be
found: Canada, North America, and Central America. They can
live almost in any environment like the desert, near a lake or a
river, in a forest, and in tropical areas.
96
Raccoon
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
The raccoon is back at the vernal pool, but this time it is mating
season which is between January and March. After mating the male
raccoons do not stay with a female raccoon for long at all. He will
mate with around three female raccoons per season. As you probably
guessed, the male raccoon is not there to raise the raccoon cubs.
After 60 to 73 days of gestation 3 to 4 cubs can be born from
the female raccoon. A raccoon will go through many stages in life. The
first one is when it is born and weights less than 3 ounces. The next big
thing to happen is that their eyes and ears open after a couple weeks.
After 3 weeks the cub begins to get its black color around its eyes in
the shape of a mask. Another change comes after 9 weeks when the cub
raccoon leaves the nest. After 6 months the raccoon become independent. Yeah! With in a year the raccoon becomes sexually active at about
one year of age. In the wild raccoon only live for about 5 years but in
zoological setting it lives about 13-16 years.
Now the real scientific name for the Northern Raccoon is Procyon
Lotor . In Greek words “pro” means before, and “kyon” means dog.
The term refers to the characteristic of the early dog and bear. Lotor
is Latin for ‘washer,’ and refers to the raccoon’s habit of appearing to
“wash” food before eating it. The northern raccoon is closely related to
the raccoon dog.
•Diet: white grub, rabbit, fish, mice, frog, clams, eggs, eels,
tadpoles
•Place in the food web: The Northern Raccoon is a second level
consumer because it eats fruit but it is also a carnivore.
•Predators: bobcat, coyote, red fox, great horned .owl
97
RED SHOULDERED HAWK
(BUTEO LINEATUS)
98
How the Red Shouldered Hawk got Red Shoulders
L
ong ago, before Red shouldered hawks had red shoulders,
the animals and humans all lived together. In the Forest of
Beginnings, where everyone is born, the children played with all
the animals and creatures of the woods. They lived by a small
pond that disappeared every summer and fall. The town‛s people
called it the season‛s pool.
One day a red shouldered hawk noticed the small children and flew down to the nearest tree to look upon the small
children. She was the mother of all hawks; many called her the
hawk queen, or the queen of the sky. She enjoyed the attention all birds gave her, and she enjoyed even more the care of
the people when she flew down to play. But today, the queen
of hawks sighted the children playing with the mice, toads,
frogs and weasels. This was natural, but they had ignored her
for three days now and she was getting mad. “Anne, queen of
the sky, come down and play with us”, the children had once
cried. But now the smaller and sweeter animals were here and
the people would not be pleased at her company as much as
they used to be. , A raging jealousy bubbled inside her. As if
her good feelings evaporated like mist in the morning sun, Anne
thought to herself “Who do they think they are? Casting me off
to the side with no care of the consequences! Well, they will
soon see what happens when a hawk feels rage…”
Two days passed, and the next time Anne came to the
forest, she brought an army. What looked like millions of
hawks, eagles, and vultures had come with her so she could
hatch her plan. First she looked for the smallest and weakest
child, for she couldn‛t make her plan a success if the child could
fight back. It wasn‛t long until Anne spotted a small boy playing
with a weasel. She swept up slowly, and flew full speed towards
the weasel. Her silent flying tricked the weasel, and he was
quickly eaten. Everything became silent, as if someone pressed
a pause button on the forest. The people all looked at the
queen, who herself could feel and hear her heart beating with a
swift pace. Before she knew it the people had started grabbing
spears, knives, and anything else they could and started attacking the queen of the sky. Anne had wanted the people to fear
her after she ate the weasel, but it backfired into the people
hating her. In a horrifying escape, Anne found herself in the
forest by the season‛s pool. She decided that nobody would look
for her here. To many humans this place was a sacred place
where the water comes back when needed. She settled down
to rest after such a long and harrowing day. Her wings ached
even as she sat still, and her heart raced and ran so fast that
she felt as if she was flying. ”What a failed plan”, she thought
to herself, “From being queen of the air, of the sky, to being a shallow mourning bird living in a small and degraded forest”. Anne fell asleep mourning for her lost pride and crown,
while the people of the forest slowly snuck up on her. They cut
her shoulders, thinking she could not fly if the cuts were deep
enough. Then they left, fading like shadows into the forest.
When Anne awoke the next morning, her wings were
numb. She stretched her neck to clean them and noticed the
dried blood on her feathers. As she saw more and more blood
she knew what had happened. “No, she thought, “This cannot
be! My beautiful wings that gave me my title and power are as
useless as the weasels‛ long tail!”. In a desperate attempt to
prove her theory wrong, Anne flapped her wings in huge, frantic
swoops. Alas, she could not fly. After then she had lived long
enough to call upon a friend to look after her eggs she had laid.
A week soon after Anne died after giving up on her life and not
being able to feed. When her eggs hatched, the young bird‛s
shoulders were red like their mothers. They grew up to fly, but
were marked with their mother‛s legacy within each flap of a
wing.
99
Red Shouldered Hawk
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
Chicks and immature birds start off with brown and tan head
feathers, brown backs and pale upper and lower wings. Buff stripes
(meaning a light tan) appear on their brown tail feathers after about 15
weeks. The adults are a lot different, let me tell you! They have pale
heads that in the light can look pale blue. The tips of their shoulders are
an orange color which gives these hawks their distinct name and look.
Their chests, bellies, and upper wings are a reddish orange color (if you
have ever seen the inside of a blood orange it’s a bit paler then that).
White bars mark their pale orange bellies in long thin lines that stretch
from the lower chest to upper belly. The soft bottom feathers on their
upper wings are a reddish orange color, while the tail is dark with several
narrow white bars like the ones on the belly and chest feathers. The
females have paler feathers than the males, but they are about twice the
size of the males. Girls win this round!
When a Red shouldered hawk swallows food (they don’t chew
because they have no teeth) it goes into the crop. The crop is like a storage system for freshly eaten food. Then the food moves into the gizzard.
The food needs to be churned and chewed to be digested, so the gizzard
churns and grinds the food to make a digestible paste for the bird. Imagine this, it’s like the bird has teeth inside its belly! That’s crazy!
The red shouldered hawk is about 17 to 24 inches in body length.
Their wingspan is a pretty impressive 37 to 44 inches. This hawk is
pretty light, weighing about 17 to 27 ounces.
The red shouldered hawk has adaptations that make them great
hunters. Their long talons are perfect for catching small creatures and
fish, and long flexible wings so they can fly swiftly after their prey. They
also have very well developed eyesight! They can spot prey a good 4 to
5 feet away from where they are! With broad wings they can fly effortlessly for hours on end.
First off, the red shouldered hawk does not need a vernal pool to
survive; rather it mostly relies on the swampy and forest lands that can
often be found near one. With the mice, small birds, bugs, frogs and other
small amphibians and reptiles that can be found in and around a vernal
pool, red shouldered hawks would easily be drawn in instantly for food.
Perhaps that’s why vernal pools make such a fine addition to its habitat.
The red shouldered hawk is a bird found in wetlands, hard wood
forests, swamps, and deciduous (de-sid-you-us) woodland areas. These
birds don’t stay in one place for long. They have been seen nesting in
places like Quebec (in Canada) and all the way down in the Florida Keys.
That’s a pretty big range of living if you ask me! Even if they fly down
to the Florida Keys, it’s rare to catch them in cities. You might be able
to catch site of one in places in New York where it’s not as active. My
advice to you, don’t go to Times Square. It lacks trees and cover so the
hawks might not even go there. These birds like plenty of tree cover to
hunt in and nest in. So places with many people often resort to treeless
areas, fewer places the hawks can live and eat.
The red shouldered hawk does not require a specific temperature
to be comfortable. People have even seen them in freezing climates with
not many biotic factors! That fact suggests that they can be anywhere in
the USA or other countries. So anywhere you are so are they! So go out
and find one, if you can!
100
Red Shouldered Hawk
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
•Diet: the red shouldered hawk is a consumer, so it obtains energy
by eating a multitude of things. Mostly small rodents like mice, rats,
voles, chipmunks, and weasels. They also eat a few small birds like
mourning doves, house sparrows, and European starlings. Now we
can’t forget amphibians or reptiles can we? Red shouldered hawks
eat small toads and frogs, water snakes, garter snakes, and turtles.
They can also resort to insects and crustaceans like grasshoppers,
crickets, crayfish, and crabs. But if needed they will also eat a few
kinds of berries, making red shouldered hawks omnivores.
•Predators of eggs and small hatchlings: raccoons, martens, peregrine falcons, great horned owls, and red tailed hawks
•Immature and adult predators: fisher cats
•Hunting strategies: red shouldered hawks often perch on branches
or hunt from flight. If perched on a branch they will keep a sharp eye
out for movement, keeping still themselves. When prey is spotted
they will launch themselves off the branch into flight. When they are
flying they will dive towards the ground to catch whatever they are
after. They will eat the prey with incredibly sharp and strong beaks
NATURAL HISTORY
The red shouldered hawk has a life drawn close to the parents
when young. Even as an egg the chicks cause trouble for their poor
parents who sit by the chick’s side for about a year because of many
predators who wouldn’t mind a baby bird snack.
Red shouldered hawks are spread out when it comes to nesting sites and territory. First the parents-to-be fly to a different territory
where they can raise their eggs. The parents or adults quickly create
a secure nest of branches, leaves, and brambles scattered around the
swampy area. When the time comes the male will do a ‘sky dance’
which is a type of courtship behavior. When he attracts a mate the
fertilization of the eggs will begin. After a few weeks the female hawk
will lay 3 to 4 smooth white eggs with brown and lavender splotches.
They will be watched very closely and kept warm by the careful mother
while the father hawk hunts and supports them both, bringing her breakfast in bed almost everyday. This work is no vacation for the female,
though. While she watches over the eggs she must protect them from
raccoons, owls, falcons and/or hawks. This time of incubation lasts for
about a month or so. Soon, small, small white and fluffy puffball chicks
crack out of the eggshells and wander curiously out into the bright and
unfamiliar open.
Upon emerging from their eggs, chicks are even more vulnerable to predators. Both parents will fly off to get food for the chicks, but
the mother will stay close to keep a well trained eye on them. In 30 to
32 days the chicks will leave the nest for the first time, but that doesn’t
mean the parents get a break from watching over them. The parents will
care for them until they are about 14 to 16 weeks, although they are
considered worthy predators at 10 weeks.
At the age of 10 weeks, they have now doubled, if not tripled
in size, and have strong, colored feathers for protection and flight. You
would think now that the chicks are a year old the parents would no longer have use for the nest and leave to their old territory, right? Wrong!
Even after the migration back to their original home, every time mating
season comes those same two hawks go back to that very nesting place
each year.
101
RED SPOTTED NEWT
(NOTOPHTHALMUS VIRIDSCENS)
102
How the Red Spotted Newt got its Spots
E
very animal is beautiful to its family, friends, and kind
folks. But there are some like Melvin that was once the
most beautiful newt of all until one fateful day. Melvin, like
all newts, was purely red at birth. Unfortunately he was the
worst newt that ever came to the vernal pool.
Once Melvin arrived at the vernal pool and dragged a
rock all the way around it so that a person looking from above
would notice that it said “Newts are the only beautiful things
in the world”. This was only one of his pranks.
He took algae and put it on Mr. Turtles shell and called
him ugly”. Next, Melvin cut the strings on the lily pads. When
the frogs climbed onto the lily pads they floated down to the
bottom like they were fat and heavy.
Soon enough the vernal pool residents got sick of Melvin‛s pranks and decided to get back at him. With a trick of
their own. The prank included black paint made out of mud and
black and orange regular paint made out of berries. They went
to his house at night and went to work on him. When Melvin
woke up he was shocked! His back had black speckles and orange spots with black around the spots. He was, in a way ugly.
He tried to undo everything he had done wrong. Even though
he made up his wrongs the spots never came off. And that is
why to this day red spotted newts have spots.
103
Red Spotted Newt
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
Have you ever seen a leaf swimming under the ice or moving
about the forest floor? Well, you may have seen the red spotted newt. As
a vertebrate, the red spotted newt has a back bone to give it shape. It can
also use its tail to swim. It swims as a strait line! The red spotted newt
isn’t really hard to identify as an adult, with its flat head top and red spots
but it may not always have a red back. Do you know what to look for in
a newt? Of course, they have red spots on their back and also may have
some black ones but they may have a greenish brownish color on their
backs and yellowish color for their bellies.
The red spotted newt is a type of salamander, and as a salamander it needs a moist environment. A vernal pool can provide that moisture
during the spring. It can also provide the newt a place to lay its eggs, and
a safe place to begin its life. As a newborn newt, all salamanders need
little critters to eat. The red spotted newt can sometimes be found swimming under the ice during the late winter and early spring. As a newborn,
the habitat of the red spotted newt includes moist forests, lakes, rivers, vernal pools, hollow logs, and moist environments in particular. A
vernal pool provides food, protection from animals because it cant leave
the water, and a place to grow up for a red spotted newt. It can be found
right here in Massachusetts. The red spotted newt likes to sleep by night
and be active by day, which means its diurnal. Sometimes they likes to
come out when it’s raining because not many birds fly in wet weather
and with many predators out of the way, hunting season for the them is
officially open. Mosquitoes=5points worms=10points snails=15points
beetles=20points small fish=full belly, this is saying how much each
thing it eats fills up its belly. Some biotic factors of a red spotted newts
environment are snails, beetles, worms, fish, turtles, trees, plants in
general, and other bugs small enough for it to eat. these are biotic factors
because the are predators, prey, and its environment. Some abiotic factors of a red spotted newt’s environment include rocks, soil, and water.
Have you ever felt a newt? If you do you may feel not a slimy
skin but rather a smooth one that is moist. Do you know why salamanders and newts need moist skin? Its because they absorb most of their
oxygen and water through their skin. This can be hard if the weather is
dry. Red spotted newts are cold-blooded and they depend on the environment’s temperature to help regulate their body temperature. They can
grow up to about 6inches long that is about as long as a 12year olds wrist
to tip of middle finger. Pretty much all salamanders have only four toes
and no claws. When they are young they have gills and as they mature
they loose their gills and gain lungs. This, of course lets them venture
from the vernal pool and experience the forest floor. An adaption that
helps red spotted newts escape predators is their colors. They look like
fall leaves. A pretty good camouflage, huh?
104
Red Spotted Newt
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
Life for the red spotted newt begins with external fertilization. This happens in a vernal pool, when the eggs are laid by females
and then fertilized by males. After the fertilizing, the parents leave the
young to survive on their own. The egg that the embryo lives in is not
hard, but rather squishy and see through. When the newt emerges it has
no legs like a tadpole. However only its gills are attached to the outside
of the body and look like fingers reaching out and
searching for oxygen.
The red spotted newt goes through metamorphosis and changes its body structure. It’s like maturing for them. As it continues to
grow, a newt grows arms and legs. At this point it is called a red eft, and
is in its a larval stage. A red eft looks like an adult but is not yet fully
grown. When the red eft is done changing when gills are closed, lungs
grow and legs and arms are fully developed it is an official adult. As
an adult the males find eggs laid by the females in the vernal pool and
fertilize them. This is the only courtship behavior of the red spotted
newt. Here’s a fun fact: Did you know that the female red spotted newt
can lay 5-500 eggs a year but does not stick around, she just leaves
them there to and hopes that they survive on there own!
• Predators: herons, snakes, foxes, shrews, voles, frogs, and
other birds.
• Hunting: how the red spotted newt hunts is it swims with its
tail, catches prey in its mouth and swallows them whole.
• Prey: The red spotted newt is not a fussy eater and is an
omnivore. It eats just about anything that will fit in its mouth.
Here are some specific foods that it eats: beetles, small fish,
worms, aquatic plants for some, crustaceans, spiders, mollusk,
and plants in general.
105
EASTERN RIBBON SNAKE
THAMNOPHIS SAURITUS
106
I
Why Snakes Can’t Talk
n the sunniest field in western Massachusetts lived a
happy snake. Named Clouse. He lived in the smallest
den in the field. Clouse went over to the local vernal pool
and ate some frog, newts, and a dead lizard. On Clouse‛s
journey back he looked at the happiest of all snakes. His
rival, Red bragged all the time and he couldn‛t stop it.
Clouse had it in for Red because he had the best den.
Back at Clouse‛s den he remembered what happened the
first time they met. It was at the vernal pool when they
were little ones. Red was hogging all the food. Clouse
spotted his prey but Red came pushed him out of the way
and stole it.
Clouse was angry thinking about his rival. Later on
that day, Clouse was walking by and noticed some ants
moving out of their den. It was one of the biggest dens in
the field, other than Red‛s, of course. Clouse sighed and
decided not to take it.
The next day Clouse saw some ants take their place
in the hole and he noticed they dug deeper and deeper.
When he went back to the vernal pool it started to rain.
He heard around the vernal pool that the field was starting to flood. On his way back he noticed all the dirt the
ants left and the hole. ‘They moved out!‛ Clouse said to
himself. So he moved in and bragged to Red and all of his
new neighbors about his fancy and deep hole.
“My home is so much bigger than your, Red,” he
said. “I got the ants to dig it out for me. As soon as the
field started to flood, they moved out and I took it. How
do you like being lower class now?”
Red got so mad about that he came out during the
night and beat Clouse up. Clouse learned his lesson and
tried to talk to others to tell them not to brag. As soon
as he went up to a snake, though, he couldn‛t say a word.
Ever since, snakes have not been able to talk.
107
Eastern ribbon Snake
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
HEY! I see you’re reading this and you probably want to
know what it is about. Well this is about how to identify the eastern ribbon snake and what it looks like. Also it’s on how to tell it
apart from the garter snake.
The eastern ribbon snake is cold blooded, meaning that its
temperature depends on its envirment. Meaning if its cold outside
the eastern ribbon snake won’t move to fast, if it’s warm outside it
moves fast.
If you ever go to a vernal pool and try to find one of these
fascinating creatures you need to follow these tips. They like to
hide in vegetation if they are attacked. It’s a survival strategy. If
you really want to find one of these animals look in the water,
plants or leaves. They can stay in the water because they’re semi
aquatic. When the ribbon snake is threatened or harassed it flattens its head and bites the thing threatening it. This snake is not
poisonous. And its not quick to bite. They only bite if you really
bug them. They go to vernal pools because they get there food
there.
There aren’t many key differences between young to old
snakes. The young are smaller. Their body length is 16-24 cm
long. The young ribbon snakes is born alive. The differences
from male to female are that female are larger. The eastern ribbon
snake is a vertebrate.
The eastern ribbon snake is often confused with the garter
snake, but the key differences between the two are. The tails of
the ribbon snakes are longer (18-34inches long). And it has black
bands with olive body.
Earth-We like to call it home, but we have to remember, that it is home to other animals. The eastern ribbon snake
is one of them. Here you will learn about where you can find this
interesting snake.
The eastern ribbon snake is often associated with vernal
pools because it likes to have some of its meals there The eastern ribbon snake eats newts, salamanders, toads, frogs, and dead
animals. The eastern ribbon snake needs water to survive because
when a predator attacks it will stride along water and dive to the
bottom in the dense vegetation. Its habitat is wet meadows because
they can escape there or under water, Fields, near water, and sunny
sites.
The range of the eastern ribbon snake is mostly in the
eastern area of U.S and it is rarely found in the middle states. This
snake doesn’t need a vernal pool, can be found near one. It doesn’t
need it because vernal pools are not the only place because it can
find its food in other areas. The biotic factors in its life are water,
sun, and rocks. The abiotic factors are grass, living things for
food. The eastern ribbon snake is cold blooded so it has to have a
warm climate to survive and move faster.
108
Eastern Ribbon Snake
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
Thamnophis sauritus, also known as the eastern ribbon
snake has some interesting Latin names for the taxonomy. The
names that classify the eastern ribbon snake are, kingdom Animalia, phylum chordate, class reptilian, order Squamata, family Colabridge, Genus thamnophis. The snakes that are closely related
to the eastern ribbon snake are the water snake and garter snake.
The life cycle of the eastern ribbon snake! It all begins
with the male snake out waiting and trying to find a mate. Once
he finds one they come together and produce a sexual reproduction. After a while, when the baby snakes hatch they go on there
own. Sadly the parents of the baby snake don’t bother taking care
of them but they will be able to survive. The eastern ribbon snake
gives live birth, meaning that the female give birth to live baby
snakes, and doesn’t lay eggs. There is no such thing as an animal
not giving birth with no egg. The egg is either found inside the
female or she lays them.
•Diet: road kill, frogs, toads, eggs, small fish, and
salamanders.
•Predators: birds, herons, shrews.
•Hunting strategies: bites when harassed, usually chases and
stalks prey until caught. The eastern ribbon snake only bites.
This snake has no venom. The ribbon snake swallows their
prey whole. The eastern ribbon snake is a carnivore.
109
EASTERN SPADEFOOTED TOAD
(SCAPHIOPUS HOLBROOKII)
110
Why the Spadefoot has Spades.
H
e was walking across the land…Nameless, not able
to hop, croak, or dig. He was only known as a toad.
Mother Nature had given all the other animals of the
vernal pool special abilities, but not the toad. She simply skipped over him. She gave the cadis flies the ability
to blend in and hide, the birds flight, and even the frogs
were able to hop, and croak.
“It‛s because I‛m ugly. That‛s why!” the toad said to
himself. “I must find Mother Nature to have a word with
her!” So the toad started off. First he came to a big log
that he couldn‛t walk around. He tried and tried but he
kept on failing. Just when he was ready to give up, he had
an urge to try once more. He gave his mighty last jump
and was over it! He had somehow jumped over the log!
He continued until he came upon a bridge. On the bridge
sat a crow. The crow said, “Anyone that crosses this
bridge must make a noise that sounds like mine!”
“Who could ever make such a terrifying noise as a
crow?” the toad thought to himself, but just as quickly as
he jumped over the log, a noise close enough to the one of
a crow, came out of the little toad‛s mouth. Then he was
allowed to cross.
His journey continued until he looked up and saw a
mighty hawk. He knew that if he didn‛t do something soon
he will be hawk meat. So as quickly as he jumped and
crowed, he dug under ground and the hawk lost sight of
him.
Finally after his long pilgrimage, he came upon Mother
Nature‛s house. He went to her and asked “Why did you
give all the other animals special abilities but not me?”
So then Mother Nature replied, “When you didn‛t give
up, and you were in need to jump, I gave you long, strong
legs to help you, when you needed to crow I gave you the
just the noise you were looking for. When your life was
in danger I gave you spades on your feet to help you dig
and hide from your enemies. And from now on, all of your
family will be called Spadefoots and they will all have the
same characteristics that you have. Because you never
gave up, I will award you with a prize. I will give you two
golden stripes.” So the Spadefoot put them on his back
and to this day he shows them off to all his frog and toad
friends.
111
Eastern Spadefoot Toad
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
The Spadefoot Toad comes out of the moist mud bubble under
ground in which it hibernates. This vertebrate dug this hole with the
sharp spades on its hind legs. These “mini shovels” make digging a
breeze with their cutting power. They also work to help the Spadefoot get
away from predators. These adaptations are a good way to distinguish
the Spadefoot from other toads.
As the Spadefoot comes out, its eyes start to adjust in much of the
same way a humans’ eyes do. Their bright yellow and black swirled eyes
open when there is not enough light to see and get smaller when there is.
This is one of the ways the toad adapts to its surroundings.
This cold-blooded amphibian is a grayish brown color with an oily
texture, as if it just jumped out of a pail of gasoline. It has bright yellow
stripes across its back and is covered in tons of small warts, almost like
a mountain range. The toad is born as a small tadpole and grows into
the full sized toad. The aquatic tadpole has a small toad like head with
a tail coming off the back of it. Its is about the size of a babies thumb.
The males are only a little bit bigger than the females but have the same
colors. It is about the size of the credit card (about 3 ½ by 1 ½).
The Spadefoot crawls out from its hole. It’s a late night
in early spring with lots of rain and thunder….mating time. The
Spadefoot makes its way over to the vernal pool. There it finds a
female and they mate at the bottom of the pool. There she lays the
eggs. The female leaves and the male sticks around to find another
mate. This makes the vernal pool a very important part in the toad’s
ecosystem, but this is not the only place that the toad can mate.
They can also use large puddles (not quite the size of vernal pools).
The other toads and frogs are also mating.
The Spade Foot is a nocturnal animal that only wanders at
night. It eats flies and other small insects it can get a hold of. They
find these insects in meadows, fields, farm land, and dunes where
they live. This animal is endemic to the North East regions of
North America and the meadows, wet lands, and vernal pools of
Asia.
112
Eastern Spadefoot Toad
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
WOW! When you pick oe up you will realized why they are
called Spadefoots. The hard growths on its back feet hurt when this toad
kicks its feet. It feels like dull cheese graders kicking your hands.
These toads use sexual reproduction to keep there species alive.
When the male finds a female, he fertilizes the eggs. When the eggs are
fertilized the female goes down to the bottom of a vernal pool and lays
her eggs. They hatch into the 1st stages of life…tadpoles.
Once the tadpoles are ready (just after a few days) they start metamorphosis. This is when they grow from larvae into adult frogs. First
they start to grow legs. Then they start to loose their tail as it gradually
gets smaller and smaller. Last they grow lungs to replace their gills and
leave the water. Adulthood. Now they are ready to start the cycle over
again.
The Spadefoot calls to its mate by giving a short four second call
that sounds like “WANK!” or “WAGH!” Some say the call resembles
the noise a crow makes and many believe it is a very annoying noise.
To hear this noise you must go out to the vernal pool on a rainy, warm
night in mid-spring. Although it is very rare to find or see these creatures, some lucky people get out at the right time to see them.
Prey: The spadefoot eats small insects like crickets, worms and
flies. They are carnivores and second level consumers.
Predators: It is hunted by larger animals like owls, snakes, and
household cats and dogs.
113
SPOTTED SALAMANDER
(AMBYSTOMA MACULATUM)
114
How the Spotted Salamander Got its Spots
A
long time ago, when the earth was young and
spotted salamanders didn‛t have a single spot,
there lived a salamander named Billy. He was a very
sensitive salamander. He would get insulted by just
a little bit of teasing or the smallest criticism. One
day, Billy went to the vernal pool to play with the
tiger salamanders. After a walk through the leaves,
he met up with his tiger salamander friends. Sadly,
they were having a very bad day, and they took all of
their anger out on poor little Billy.
“You‛re the ugliest shade of grey that we could
ever imagine! Every time we set eyes on you, we get
a headache!” shouted Billy‛s companions. Billy‛s feelings were badly hurt and he just went home and hid
in his burrow.
Billy was so offended that he wouldn‛t eat anything, and this started to create problems. Mother
Earth was getting frustrated with Billy. Since he
wasn‛t eating his daily dose of bugs, the earth was
getting overrun with insects. Due to this infestation none of the other creatures could do their jobs
because they were full of disease from bug bites!
Mother Earth was so upset with Billy for not
doing his job, that she changed her plans for him.
She had always meant for him to get bright spots
when he was older. Now that he had quit working
though, she decided she would give him pale, dull
yellow spots. Billy thought that the spots were okay,
but yellow was his least favorite color and he hated
how pale they were. He was happy enough though to
realize that he had to start thinking about the wellbeing of others and perform his job. In doing this,
he learned that the future is brighter if you don‛t
let little things get in the way of doing your duty.
115
Spotted Salamander
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
Would you like it if your tail fell off whenever you were
attacked? If your answer is no, then you’d hate to be a Spotted
Salamander. This is an adaptation that helps distract and discourage their predators though, and luckily, salamanders can regrow
all of their limbs. Another adaptation is their slate grey or brown
color which allows them to easily blend in with leaf litter. Just
think about how hard it’d be to find this dark colored salamander at
night!
Spotted Salamanders begin as eggs and go through many
changes during their life span. After 4-7 weeks as eggs, they hatch
in water and are born with frilly red gills, two front legs, dark
green bodies, pale bellies, and speckled tails. These larva are only
about half an inch long and after 2-4 months its metamorphosis is
completed and they are called juveniles. At this point the salamander has not only lost gills and gained lungs, but it now has 4 sturdy
legs. Within a week of this momentous event, the salamander
grows 2 irregular rows of yellowish orange spots down its back.
Two to three years later, this amphibian is officially considered an
adult and can reproduce. An adult salamander keeps its spots and
has a stout dark body, grey/blue belly with blue speckles, a slightly
swollen jaw, 4-5 toes and can be 5-10 inches in length. WARNING: You don’t want to taste or touch this slimy creature because
it’ll release a sticky white poison from its back! Male and female
salamanders are both dangerous.
Both the male and female Spotted Salamanders are vertebrates and cold-blooded. To be cold-blooded means that unlike
you, they change body temperature with the environment. This
is one of the reasons they hibernate during winter. If they didn’t
hibernate, they’d become very sluggish and get eaten. One advantage to being cold-blooded is that most of the energy from eating
food can go directly into growing.
Have you ever caught a glimpse of a dark salamander with
bright yellow spots hiding under a rock or resting in a snug burrow underground? If you have, then you’ve probably set eyes on a
Spotted Salamander! Endemic to quiet forests with vernal pools,
these nocturnal animals live underground during the day and
emerge on wet cool nights so they can have a snack without their
skin drying out. Vernal pools are essential to their habitat because
salamanders breed in freshwater without bothersome, hungry fish.
For this reason, the Spotted Salamander is a vernal pool obligate
species.
Spotted Salamanders have a home range of about 8-15
square meters of forest floor with plenty of logs, rocks and dead
leaves on the ground for them to live under. Logs, rocks, dead
leaves, and shade are just a few of the many abiotic factors that
salamanders seek. Snails, earthworms and insects are abundant
biotic factors in the salamander’s habitat. They also make a nutritious mid-night (or anytime) snack for the spotted salamander.
During winter, these amphibious creatures hibernate underground staying below the frost line in order to keep from freezing.
When the snow starts to melt and the ground is thawing, spotted
salamanders take advantage of a rainy night to trek to the same
vernal pool they were born in and breed. Then during mid-to-late
summer, the juvenile salamanders leave the wetlands.
Spotted Salamanders enjoy a temperate climate in their
range which exists anywhere that’s not near the equator or the
North and South Poles. In Eastern North America they inhabit
areas from Nova Scotia and the Gaspe Peninsula to the northern
shore of Lake Superior down to southern Georgia and eastern Texas. However, no matter how long or hard you search, you won’t
find a Spotted Salamander in certain parts of New Jersey, Illinois,
North Carolina and Delaware.
116
Spotted Salamander
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
•Their prey is small crustaceans, earthworms, zooplankton, and
insects.
•Some of their predators are raccoons, skunks, turtles and
snakes.
•There are two ways that they avoid being eaten. One is their
yellow spots which warn predators that they are poisonous and
don’t taste good. Another is the way they butt their heads and
lash their tails to expose their predators to as much poison as
possible.
NATURAL HISTORY
Spotted Salamanders have strange courtship behavior
for finding their mates. First, on a rainy night, the males go to
the same vernal pool that they were born in seeking its familiar
scent. When the females start trickling down to the pond, the
males begin to vigorously swim around rubbing and nosing the
females. The males are communicating with the females by smell
and touch. Next, the male will swim in circles around the female.
Internal fertilization is how Spotted Salamanders breed.
This process begins with the males dropping spermatophores in
the pond. Afterwards, the females will pick up the spermatophores and take them into their bodies where the eggs will be
fertilized. Within two to three days, the eggs will be laid. The
average number of eggs laid by one female salamander is 200
since they can take in spermatophores from more than one male.
The Spotted Salamander’s scientific name is Ambystoma
maculatum. Some people think that the genus name Ambystoma
comes from the Greek word Amblystoma meaning “blunt mouth.”
Others say that it comes from the Latin word Anabystoma which
translates into “to cram into the mouth.” Everyone agrees that
the species name maculatum is Latin for “spots or spotted.” So,
if you go out now and see a blunt-mouthed salamander with spots
that is either stuffing its mouth or tunneling underground, you’ll
know you’ve found a Spotted Salamander, otherwise known as
Ambystoma maculatum.
•These carnivores are mainly 2nd level consumers.
•They catch their food by sitting and waiting. Then, they will
suddenly unroll their sticky tongues and capture what they’ve
seen.
117
SPOTTED TURTLE
(CLEMMYS GUTTATA)
118
How the Spotted Turtle got it’s Shell
A
long time ago, when people were wondering how the continents moved, only one person had the answer. He was a
very wise old man named Jed. He was older then time itself
and he knew what moved the continents. He explained that
giant black turtles with yellow spots move the continents on
their backs. The reason Pangaea formed is because every
couple million years the turtles get together in the center of
the ocean and have a meeting.
Now, back then the turtle had no shell. Their only
protection were the continents. How would you feel if you had
to carry the world on your back? Believe me they didn‛t like
it. So they decided after their meeting they would drop their
burdens, and leave them there. So they did. Now the turtles
were without shells so they were almost wiped off the earth.
A young turtle named Ted asked Jed for help. Jed said that
since Ted‛s ancestors did as they were told for so long he
would grant Ted one wish. Ted said he needed some time to
think about it, so Jed went off into the clouds to wait for Ted
to decide what to wish for. Now when the ruler of the earth
comes down, it‛s going to attract attention, and it did hiding in
a vernal pool (where Ted lives) was a newt called Nosey Nicole Newt. Nicole didn‛t like Ted very much so she told every
one in the forest about the one wish. In this forest every one
thought that they needed something and the one wish could
do this. At first every one was nice to Ted in hopes of getting
the wish for themselves. As the week dragged on the animals
were worried Ted was going to wish something for himself so
instead of being nice to him they were threatening him to give
them his wish.
One day when Ted the turtle came out of his home
(which was next to a vernal pool) he was very hungry so he
went to the front of a cave where there was a small stream.
Ted sat there and waited for a fish to swim bye, but unbeknownst to him he was being watched by a particular sneaky
animal and her name was Maxi Muskrat. Now you see Maxi
was very hungry because she couldn‛t find any food so when
she saw Ted, she knew about his wish. Maxi was a particularly
smart muskrat so she walked up to Ted and started to persuade him with food but Ted was also a smart little turtle and
in 5 minutes he figured out what Maxi was trying to do and he
decided to go look for more food in another place. Ted hadn‛t
gone more then 10 feet when Maxi tackled him and tried to
eat him but Maxi didn‛t notice that Ted had already made his
wish. Ted wished that he and all the other turtles had a hard
protective layer of scales on the outside that wouldn‛t allow
predators to eat him us humans today call these scales shells.
Maxi was very slow in the head and she kept biting it until she
noticed that all her teeth were broken and Ted said in a very
sly way are you done yet. Maxi stared at Ted in shock and ran
away crying. Ted thanked Jed for his wish and went on his
search for food. This how the spotted turtle got its shell.
119
Spotted Turtle
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
The word adaptation is tossed around pretty loosely. You may
be wondering what does it actually mean? Well, an adaptation will help
an animal survive to reproduce in its habitat right? Right. The spotted
turtle has several useful adaptations. For one it’s a cold blooded vertebrate which means it is an animal with a backbone and relies on its
surroundings for its body temperature. You may be wondering how these
help. Well, it helps when you have a spine so you don’t just flop around
and dangle like a piece of spaghetti. Another helpful trait is if you’re a
cold blooded reptile you can live in a wider variety of climates because
whatever the temp is outside your body is probably close to that so you
can’t get cold which is really cool if you ask me! Spotted turtles are a
semi aquatic turtle which means they can travel on land and in water for
a fair amount of time.
The spotted turtle might be smaller then most other turtles, being only 4 in long, it has a lot in common with its relatives. Most of you
know a turtle is covered in hard set of scales more commonly called
a shell. A shell is a stupendous way to defend yourself. For one thing,
you’re basically a little fort with four small legs that’s about 3 inches
from the top of the shell to the ground. Any predator with half a brain
won’t try to eat you because it would be like biting a rock. Another
interesting trait of this turtle is that it can stay in its shell for a long
period of time so if a predator is trying to eat it, it would just get bored.
The reason its shell is covered in small yellow dots is for camouflage,
(camouflage is just a fancy word for blending in with your environment).
Yellow dots + black shell = camouflage in leaf litter and rocks. Not only
does the camouflage protect it from predators, it also helps it hide and
wait for food to go by so it can eat. It, traps prey in its beak like jaws to
in a devastating grip and pretty much crushes it. An interesting fact about
the spotted turtle is that a male has brown eyes while females have yellow ones no ifs ands or buts. That’s a convenient way to be able to tell a
female and a male apart. All you had to look at was its eyes.
The spotted turtle is connected to vernal pools because
its habitat consists of shallow water where it hunts, eats, sleeps,
and basically lives. It’s mostly a carnivore which means it eats
meat, like little insects, amphibians, and reptiles. Spotted turtles
love vernal pools because they’re semi aquatic, which means they
partly live in water they can live in marshes and ponds. That’s why
its scientific classification is Clemmys which means “marsh and
pond turtles”. This type of turtle likes to bask in the sun on warm
rocks in a group. Kind of like when you take some one to a tanning
booth, that’s what they’re doing but on a smaller scale.
It prefers a cool climate in a damp, wet region. That’s why
it resides or its range in south eastern Canada to the south central
United States. They hibernate in the winter and are active in middle
spring, all of summer, and into the fall. They are a diurnal animal
which means it is active during the day. Sadly, in the south eastern
part of Canada its population is thinning drastically in some places. It’s almost extinct due to loss of habitat from people destroying
forests, lakes, ponds, marshes, and especially, vernal pools.
120
Spotted Turtle
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
•Food Source: The spotted turtle consumes tadpole, grass,
worms, millipedes, slugs, snails, crayfish, spiders, small crustaceans, and insects this means it is an omnivore because it eats
grass and tadpoles.
•Predators: The predators of the spotted turtles are minks,
foxes, muskrat, and raccoons.
•Food web: This is a second level consumer because although
it is a predator it is also prey to larger animals.
NATURAL HISTORY
The lifecycle of the spotted turtle begins when an egg is laid
near a source of water. After the egg hatches the little turtle literally
makes a dash for life to the water where it’s protected from its predators. For now. (They can live up to 20 years in captivity and 18 in the
wild.) When it hatches the Spotted turtle is no more then an inch and
a half long! That’s really small! The spotted turtle does most of the
growing in its life in the first 5-10 yrs. Where it grows up to about 4 in
long and when size does matter it’s not a good thing. So it needs some
really helpful adaptations to help it survive until sexual reproduction.
In simpler terms the turtle is trying to survive until it can mate. A baby
turtle is created by internal fertilization. This is just a fancy word for
saying an egg in the female turtle is fertilized by the male turtle, before
the egg is laid.
Taxonomy is just a word for putting animals that have similarities in the same scientific group. The spotted turtle goes in the kingdom
animalia which means, you guessed it the animal kingdom (a real brain
buster there). Its Phylum is chordata which means a bundle of nerves
in your back that is protected by your spine. Its class is reptilia which
means reptile (another real tuffy huh). Its order is Testudines which
means turtles and tortoises. Its family is Emydidae which is box and
pond turtles. Its Genus is Clemmmys which is marsh and pond turtles.
Finally its species is Clemmys Guttata which means, you guessed it the
Spotted turtle.
121
SPRING PEEPER
(PSEUDACRIS CRUCIFER)
122
O
How the Spring Peeper got the X on his Back.
nce upon a time there was a spring peeper named
Stebobbie who would always go around and sing
in the other animal‛s ears. They would always ask him
to please stop but he would always say “No”. Stebobbie said “I‛m singing in your ears. Ha ha!”. Bunny
said,”Stop it! Stebobbie said, “No”. They finally got
so fed up with him they decided to do something
about it. They decided to call Mother Nature Mother to the vernal pool. They talked to Mother Nature
and told her about how the spring peeper would go up
to the animals ears and sing. Mother Nature decided
that she would go talk to the spring peeper about the
singing in the ears. “You can‛t go and sing in peoples
ears that loud”.
“I know I shouldn‛t, but I can‛t help it”
“I have an idea to help you control your singing,”
Mother Nature said as she put an X on the spring
peeper‛s back. The X would remind him not to sing too
loudly.
He got the X on a dark rainy night when it was
near breeding season. That‛s how he got the X on his
back and that‛s why he can only sing for that one part
of the year. It just happens to be that the singing
would help him. During that one part of the year he
can sing as loud and as strong as he wants in order to
find a mate.
123
Spring peeper
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
What do the spring peeper and the owl have in common? Like
the owl they both have big eyes like the owl and sleep during the day and
awake during the night. The spring peeper is a vertebrate. A vertebrate
is an animal with a backbone.
The spring peeper varies in color from yellow to brown to olive
to grey with black lines. The difference between females and males is
that the female usually has lighter coloration in her skin compared to
the males. Usually males have a darker throat than the females. You
know how in our world the males are usually bigger and stronger than
the females? Well in their world females are bigger and stronger then
the males. The size of the female is usually around 0.75-1.7 inches long
and the males are usually around 0.75-1.2. As you can see they’re very
small, but being small is helpful because predators think that it’s pointless to eat them because they are too small to make a meal. The spring
peeper looks are that their small, slender body but the abdomin may
bulge sometimes but it only bulge when they sing. The abdominal might
bulge sometimes because they have un webbed toes because they’re
not really swimmers. They are actually more like a tree frog. Their un
webbed feet have a sticky pad on the hands and feet. This is helpful to
latch on to trees and branches.
A cool thing about the males is that sometimes the males get
together and peep. That is called a chorus. They do this because then
the females know that is their single and looking for males to mate with.
The stage of life for a spring peeper is that first they are laid as an egg
in this gooey stuff to protect them. When the eggs are in the thick layer
of jelly like stuff it’s just a black dot.. Then they hatch and become a tadpole. After that they start growing the back and front legs so that they can
walk on land. Then soon after that the tale goes away so then they are a
real frog.
The spring peeper is a cold blooded animal. Cold blooded
means that your body temperature goes up and down depending on the
environment. One of the Adaptations of the spring peeper is that they
produce glucose in the liver so that they don’t freeze to death. The
glucose only goes to two places though the lungs and heart. Glucose is a
type of sugar that acts like an anti freeze in the frog body in the winter.
When you’re walking across a pond you probably won’t see the
Spring peeper but if you go out at night you will hear them way more and
sometimes you can see them.
The habitat of the spring peeper is woodlands areas, brushy
growth, swamps, ponds and vernal pools. They don’t need all of those
they just like to be in those areas. Those habitats keep their skin moist.
The difference between the larvae and the adults is that the adults can go
on land and the larvae can’t go on land. So the tadpoles can only live in
water until they get their legs.
Remember, the spring peeper is cold blooded and relies on it’s
glucose (anti freeze) to keep from freezing in the winter. Some of the
predators of the spring peeper are snakes, skunks and large frogs. This
frog eats insects, bugs and worms. The spring peeper is a carnivore.
124
Spring peeper
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
Diet: For the adult spring peepers worms, ants,
Flies, beetles and spiders. For the tadpoles they eat
Algae and Detritus.
Predators: For the adults are snakes, bullfrogs
and birds. For the tadpoles are fish, aquatic insects
and turtles.
NATURAL HISTORY
It’s between April and May you hear loud noise in the distance.
What could it be? It’s the sound of hundreds of males inside a pond
sitting and singing waiting for the females. The louder and faster he
peeps, the better chance that he will get a mate. That’s called courtship
behavior. The females come towards the males looking for the right
one to mate with. The female usually chooses who she wants by size.
The bigger the frog the more successful breeders they are. They find
the male they want.
The mother lays the eggs on the edge of a pond. The egg in
a jelly and then the daddy squirts the sperm on the eggs. That’s how
they mate. This is external fertilization. (The mother lays the eggs in
jelly-like goo). The eggs hatch in about 9 to 12 days. They come out
as tadpoles which are also called larvae.
For the first part of their life, they swim around and look for
food. They eat just two different foods: algae and detritus. They get
their front legs in about 2 months. That means that they can start to
crawl up the side of the pond, but they can’t get all the way up. Ten
days after that they get their back legs. Soon after their legs are formed
then the tail disappears. This process usually takes around 45 to 90
days until they can crawl up the trees. This is called metamorphosis.
The frog is usually around three years old when it’s ready to start mating. Then the whole cycle starts over again.
The scientific name of my animal is Pseudacris crucifer. Pseudacris means false locust and crucifer means cross. So the full meaning
is false locust cross. They get that name because they have an x on
their back. This frog is related to 4 different frogs Tree frogs, cricket
frogs, branch frogs and chorus frogs.
125
STRIPED SKUNK
(Mephitis mephitis)
126
A
Why Sammy Skunk is Nocturnal
fter taking so many complaints of this and that, Mother
Nature was sick and tired. The village animals were just
never satisfied. One complaint that seemed to be recurring
over and over again was about Sammy the skunk. Sammy was
always on the edge and ready to snap back. It seems as if
every day he woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Since he
had a short temper it was easy to make him spray, and since
nobody‛s perfect, every other day someone else seemed to
suffer this cruel fate. None of the other animals liked to constantly bathe the dreadful stench of skunk spray off all the
time, so something had to be done.
Tired of solving everyone‛s problems, Mother Nature
told the animals, “If you can come up with a way to stop getting sprayed, I‛ll make it happen.” So all the village animals
(except Sammy of course) had a meeting at the Vernal Pool
and got straight to work. They thought up all kinds of things,
like taking the spray away all together. That wouldn‛t be
good because he would lose his only defense. They thought
of blocking him off to a certain area, but that wouldn‛t work
either because he might accidentally run into the barrier that
was surrounding him and get injured. Finally they thought
of just the right idea. He could be awake when others were
asleep so there would be nobody around or about to agitate
him. All the village animals agreed that this was the best plan
and they brought it up to Mother Nature.
The next time Sammy skunk woke up, he was very, very
confused. He thought to himself, “Has the end of the earth
already come, or has the sky fallen?”, but he knew that those
were both crazy ideas. He had to face the fact that he actually woke up in the night. Being confused, he decided to take a
stroll and explore. After this little walk of his which took all
night long, he crashed right back into his den and fell asleep.
He slept through the entire day and then the next night, to
his surprise, he woke up again. Sammy skunk was very disappointed that he slept through the excitement of the day. This
upset him, but he decided that he would have his fun during the night. Sammy thought it would be quite a fun game to
sneak up on Dotty woodpecker and steal some eggs. He played
these games all night long with other birds and he had a blast.
After a while this became his constant routine of the night,
and yet again, the complaints started firing back at Mother
Nature. So she told the village animals, either you can come
up with another way to not get sprayed by Sammy skunk, or
you find another place for your eggs. The village animals really couldn‛t come up with something for avoiding Sammy‛s
spray other than Sammy being nocturnal, so they thought up
something about the eggs, and this time Mother Nature didn‛t
even have to help them out. The birds decided that they would
always sleep on their nests so if good ol‛ Sammy came along he
would have to get through them first. That is how skunk became nocturnal and why birds sleep in their nests.
127
Striped Skunk
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
If you ever encounter a skunk (which I highly suggest you try
not to do), you wouldn’t take a second guess of what it is. Yes, everybody knows the skunk. Even though it is easy to recognize, there are still
some aspects about the skunk that could confuse you. The striped skunks’
stripes can be so short that the whole skunk looks black, or can be so
wide that the skunk looks white. In most cases their stripes extend from
the head down to or onto the tail. They have a blaze of white on their
noses, a white hood, and there are some additional spots on their legs and
around their ears.
One thing that everybody knows and thinks about when they
hear the word skunk is its most famous adaptation; the nauseating spray.
A skunk performs this spray to defend itself, but before doing so, it gives
some warning. It shoots its tail up and walks towards the enemy, it hisses
and clicks its teeth, stamps its front feet and does a headstand. (If none
of this works, BE PREPARED! i.e. RUN FOR YOU LIFE!) From this
headstand, it arches its body into a U shape and “fires”. Its reliable and
accurately aimed spray can reach 4 meters or more. In case you thought
you were a fast runner, think again. It can spray several times in a short
period too, so it’s good that you started running early when you saw the
warning signs.
Another adaptation that striped skunks have is rough pads under
their paws. They use them for squishing insects, including bees and
wasps. As a matter of fact, most of the time you will find them doing just
that- squishing and mashing bees and other insects of that sort. Since
insects make up most of their diet, those rough paws are very helpful.
Did you know that the males are 15% larger than females, even
though the females have about the same length tails as them? With this
interestng fact in mind, the average skunk is about 23 inches long.
A more noticeable difference is the difference between first born kits and
the adults. When kits are born they are blind and deaf and hardly have
any hair. Speaking of hair, the skunks in the northern part of their range
are hairier than the southern ones, but during the fall, all of them get
hairier to insulate against winter chill. Since skunks are warm blooded,
they don’t have to worry about getting as cold as those cold blooded
animals because their body temperature stays the same all year long.
The striped skunk lives throughout southern Canada (except
coastal British Columbia), all of the United States, and northern Mexico.
It can be found in all kinds of habitats except the driest. In the summer
it dwells in aboveground dens like hollow trees, rock cavities, or abandoned animal burrows. The skunk dens underground in burrows dug by
badgers and woodchucks in two time periods of its daily life: during the
winter and when females are pregnant or have just given birth to a litter.
Sometimes as many as 20 skunks den together, with one male and many
females. This communal living is more common in the northern part of
their range. They roam forest-field edges, semi-open country, woods,
meadows, agricultural lands, suburban areas, and dumps. Suburban areas
are where you can find them the most because of the easy access trash
waiting to be tossed into the trash trucks. At my old house in Natick, MA,
we had a skunk living under our deck, and I’m sure we weren’t the only
people with that reeking problem.
Striped skunks stay near their dens year round, meaning they
don’t migrate. They are nocturnal, and can live through all the seasons,
although the cold of the winter is very harsh for them it’s very cold for
them and many of the young ones die their first winter. In the cold there
are no insects around and much of their food is unavailable.
Insects connect striped skunks to vernal pools. Since insects
make up most of their diet, the skunks can go to vernal pools to find
them. Eating insects is part of the striped skunk’s niche. If skunks didn’t
eat the insects, then there would be even higher amounts of those little
pests, so we have to thank the skunks for controlling the insect population.
128
Striped Skunk
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
•
Diet: The striped skunk is a consumer, so that means that
they have to find their own food, they don’t produce it. Their diet
consists of up to 90% insects, bird eggs, frogs, small rodents, young
rabbits, birds, carrion and fruit and other vegetable matter. Even
though they are carnivores, the fruit and other vegetables are exceptions. The young drink milk produced by the mother.
•
Predators: Since the skunks are who they are [because of
their nauseating spray], they don’t have that many predators. Their
most common predators are the great – horned owl and other raptors, but if other larger mammals are very hungry, they will endure
the smell. Most of the striped skunks deaths are due to cold winters
and diseases like pneumonias, distemper, leptospirosis and many
times rabies. Also sometimes skunks think that they can take on cars,
meaning that they become road kill.
•
Hunting Strategies: The insects that striped skunks eat
most are bumblebees, hornets and other insects that have nests in the
ground. They catch those insects by turning up the soil where those
nests are, and when the insects come out to defend themselves, the
skunk squishes them between its rough paws. Striped skunks are
scavengers too, so that means that they will rummage in trash cans
and dumps etc.
NATURAL HISTORY
The striped skunk’s scientific name is Mephitis mephitis, and
do you know what that means? Even if you don’t it sure is easy to
guess. Yes, just as you thought, Mephitis mephitis means nauseating
odor. Also, the striped skunk is closely related to some other smelly animals like the hooded skunk and the stink badgers, I’m sure I don’t even
need to tell you what connects them. So if you invade their territory,
you better watch out. As much as you may think that the spray is gross,
it is actually a very interesting fact about the striped skunk because it is
a pretty unusual among animals.
Striped skunks breed in February and March, and give birth to
litters of about 1- 10 kits (baby skunks). Just like all other mammals,
there is a specific amount of time between conception and birth. For a
skunk that gestation period takes about 59 – 77 days. Also, the striped
skunk is a placental mammal, which means that the embryo develops inside the mother and when the kit is born, it can function on its
own. That doesn’t mean that they don’t need their mother’s help. It just
means that they don’t need to be inside an egg or a pouch or anything
like that.
As I mentioned earlier when a striped skunk is born, it is blind,
deaf, and basically has no hair. Cool enough, even though it doesn’t
have that much hair, you can already see its color patterns. Each skunk
has its own unique color pattern; it’s like their trademark. Their eyes
open at 24 days and the ears start working soon after. Even before their
eyes and ears work the striped skunk can spray as early as 8 days after
birth. You don’t really need to worry about them though, because they
can’t aim, yet. After 2 months, the baby skunks are weaned, which
means that they do not need to breast feed from their mother’s milk
anymore. After the skunk is weaned, it starts going out and exploring
with its mother to learn what it’s like in the real world. Some of the kits
stay until autumn and some stay with their mother through the winter
and leave in spring.
The common life span for wild skunks is 2 – 3 years, but many
die their first winter. In captivity they can live up to about 5 years.
Skunks are also nocturnal, and that could be considered a good thing for
us because most of the time you won’t cross paths with them.
129
TULE BLUET DAMSELFLY
(ENALLAGMA CARUNCULATUM)
130
C
Why the Damselfly Folds its Wings Back
asey damselfly was about to embark on the journey of
his lifetime. It all started when the sun was high. He
was going on a morning fly when all of a sudden, it started to rain and he heard a terrified scream. Casey flew
home as fast as he could only to find a terrifying sight.
There were frogs everywhere; his father was in the frog
queen‛s jaws. Casey grabbed some food before he chased
after the frogs.
It was not long until they reached the frog castle.
There was only one problem: The only way in was to go
into the vernal pool were the frogs lived or through a
skinny passageway, that Casey could not fit through. He
knew that he could not make it under the water so he
focused on finding a way through the tiny passage.
Casey was thinking of a way to get into the frogs
castle when the great Wind of the West saw him there
and came down to see what he was doing. Seeing he was
angry and sad, the west wind asked what is wrong. “The
mean frog queen kidnapped my father and I need to rescue him.” Casey replied
“The only thing that I can do for you is grant you
three wishes.”
“I was thinking could I wish to change my form to
be able to fit in that tiny hole?”
“Yes you could, all you have to do is wishes.”
“Then, I wish that my body was shorter and my
wings bent back so I can fit through that tiny crack in
the wall.”
Just like that, his wish came true. Casey thanked
the West Wind and set off through the tiny pass. When
he got came out on the other side he was amazed that
the frogs had created a castle. However, he still knew
what he had to do so he approached the castle. When he
got inside he knew that it was too late. He saw his father
frozen inside an ice cube on the wall stored for summer.
Since he was so small the frogs could not see him
Casey flew over to where his father laid and used his.
second wish, “I wish that my father was unfrozen so he
and I can escape.” They had to do one more thing, and
that was to reform his father so he could fit through
the tiny crack. So they used his last wish to turn Casey‛s
father into a damselfly like Casey. Then on the way back
home he filled his father in on what happened to him and
how he was rescued. To this day, damselflies fold back
their wings when they are not flying.
131
tule bluet damselfly
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
Damselflies reach an average length of about 1 to 1.4
inches long, and they happen to be cold-blooded insects. Both
male and female have a long slender abdomen and large eyes on
the side of their head. They also have short antennae. In addition,
they have four heavily veined wings.
The male damselfly has a blue thorax with black stripes on
its shoulders and top. The female damselfly has a thicker abdomen
and is generally brown, whereas males are blue.
The fully developed nymphs (nymphs are what come out
of the eggs that look some what like the adult damselfly) are .75
to .9 inches long. Nymphs live in aquatic vegetation and adults
live in non-aquatic vegetation. The nymphs are slender, with three
leaf-like appendages called medial gills that serve as gills for living
in the water. They have large lower jaws to help catch their prey.
The nymphs can swim and walk, while the adult damselfly can
walk and fly (but not swim).
The reason the Tule Bluet damselfly go to vernal pools
is to lay their eggs on the plants above the pool. When the eggs
hatch, the nymphs will fall into the fresh pools or lakes and then
will grow up there. Damselfly nymphs live on plants, among
stones and leaf litter, at the bottom of ponds or slow moving rivers.
While it is underwater, the nymph eats mosquito larvae. Without
the nymphs, the insect population would be out of control.
The Tule Bluet damselfly’s habitat includes a lot of living
and non-living factors. The biotic factors of the ecosystem include aquatic plants for damselflies to lay their eggs on, and insects
which the damselfly eats. The abiotic factors consist of water for
the damselfly’s eggs and nymphs, as well as rocks and logs for the
damselfly to perch on.
Adult damselflies have a flying season that only is in the
summer and fall, between July and October. Damselflies are diurnal, which is the opposite of nocturnal. Diurnal means active
during the day and sleeping during the night.
There is a wide range over which Damselflies live. Tule
Bluet damselflies live as far south as northern Mexico. They are
also found in the northern boreal zone. You can find a few Tule
Bluet damselflies in New England from the northern most extension of the Atlantic Coastal Plain in Plymouth County as well as
Cape Cod and if you’re lucky you can find them in Alberta, Canada.
132
tule bluet damselfly
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
• Diet: the damselflies eat flies, small insects, and the
nymphs eat aquatic insect larva.
NATURAL HISTORY
The Tule Bluet damselfly has an extraordinary natural history.
Even though there life span is extremely short, they have been on earth
longer than man has.
The Damselflies have a one-year life cycle. They start as an
egg with a gestation period, which lasts about 10 month. Next it goes
through metamorphosis, a process in which it turns into a nymph that
lives in vernal pools, lakes, and ponds for a little less then a month. Finally, it molts into an adult damselfly. After they become an adult, they
only live for about 3-4 weeks.
There are at least 20 different species of Damselflies in the
world. The Tule Bluet Damselfly is mostly related to the familiar Bluet.
Other damselflies include the Willow Emerald, Southern Emerald,
Emerald Damselfly, Scarce Emerald, Winter, While-legged, Large Red,
Red-eyed, Small Red-eyed, and Southern.
There are a lot of interesting facts about the Tule Bluet damselfly. About 180 million years ago in the Jurassic period, the first
Damselfly emerged on earth. If your are a fly-fisher you could be using
a lure that imitates a Damselfly. The Native Americans thought that
damselflies were the souls of the dead. Isn’t it strange that the Japanese
thought the opposite, that damselflies represented new light and joy?
• Predators: frogs, fish, birds, turtles all eat damsel
flies.
• Place in the food web: the Tule Bluet damselfly is
a second level consumer, because it eats other insects
that eat other things.
•Since it is a predator of flies, small insects, and insect
larva, it is considered an omnivore.
133
WATER BOATMEN, BACKSWIMMERS AND WATER SCORPIONS
(NOTONECTIDAE, NEPIDAE AND CORIXIDAE)
134
O
How Backswimmer got his Name
ne evening, a little backswimmer asked an older
one, “Why do we swim on our backs?” The older
backswimmer was unsurprised that the young one
asked this question. She herself had asked the same
question when she was a nymph frisking around her
home, the vernal pool. “Well,” she said. “This story
goes way back to before any living backswimmer actually swam on their backs. One backswimmer, by
the name of- oh, what was it? Ah, yes. His name was
hmmm… Ferdinand. Back then, our species didn‛t
have a name, because, of course we didn‛t swim on our
backs. We swam on our fronts, like the delicious water boatmen we eat. Of course, looking like them was
good for hunting, because everyone thought we were
those herbivores.
“Ferdinand, though, didn‛t like not having a
name. He wanted something to define us as who we
are. Some people just don‛t want to blend in with
the crowd. He tried all sorts of things. He painted
himself, but it washed off before it dried. He tried
living on land, but he wasn‛t made for it. Forfeit happened when he tried to walk. He tried everything and
anything. Then, desperate, he tried the last thing
possible. Our namesake flipped over to swim on his
back.
“Swimming that way was hard, but he persevered, and found a perfect technique. That is how we
swim today. Many of Ferdinand‛s friends thought he
was crazy, but everyone knew who he was. So other
backswimmers decided it was time to define themselves as a species, and tried to swim on their backs,
too. That‛s how we got our name: Backswimmer, or
Swimmer on Back.”
The little one was amazed at what Ferdinand
would do for a name. He decided then and there to
be the proudest backswimmer ever, and that he was.
He has told many young backswimmers of Ferdinand,
and now you can pass the story along, too.
135
Water Boatmen, backswimmers and water scorpions
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
Backswimmer:
There’s a frog, happy as can be, then it starts to crumple. It falls
aside, the skin empty. What kind of monster could do such a thing? All
you can see of the backswimmer is a torpedo shape. What happened to
that frog? Backswimmers inject their digestive fluids into prey. How
cool is that?
You can recognize a backswimmer from how it swims; you
guessed it, on its back. When it dives underwater, it holds an air bubble
under its wings that it uses for breathing. One of the coolest things it
does is that it controls its buoyancy. They’re about 15mm long, roughly
the size of a penny. The back is light, so it blends in with the sky on top,
and the belly is dark, to blend with the leaves on the bottom of the pool.
Water Boatman:
The waterboatman is a species that are very similar to backswimmers, but there are big differences. These creatures are 13mm or
less, about the size of a dime, and lighter than water. This can be bad
when trying to eat their veggies, which they DO like, so they hold onto
them as they eat. Water Boatmen are grayish with yellow cross lines.
The bugs are well named for their boat-like bodies, oar-like hind legs,
spoon-like forelegs, along with their cone-shaped, unsegmented beak.
Water Scorpion:
Then there’s the water scorpion. Since they can’t swim very
well, their survival strategy is to lurk in the leaves using their brown
color as camouflage. An adaptation these bugs have is their breathing
tube from their abdomens that looks like a tail. They can be from 20-40
mm long, about the size of 1 to 2 quarters, and have long, skinny legs,
with scissor-like forelegs.
Water Scorpion plus teeth equals ouch! These bugs have sharp
teeth. They also have compound eyes, which see better than ours.
These bugs also have 3 pairs of disks on their bodies, called fake spiracles which gauge depth and let the scorpion adapt for water pressure.
You may wonder why I mention three different species of bug
in one section of the book. It’s because they are related. These animals
wear their skeletons, called exoskeletons, on the outside because they
are invertebrates. They are also cold blooded animals. The males of
all three of these species stridulate to make a sound like a cricket. The
young of all of these bugs look like the adults, just without wings.
Water Boatman:
Consider the water boatman. A humble species, it can be widespread throughout the world. It can live in many types of water, from
salty to fresh to brackish. It can live in tide pools, streams, ponds, and,
yes, vernal pools, which it frequents in the summer. It can adapt to
high (think Himalayas) to low (Death Valley) elevations. Since it feeds
on aquatic plants, it can be found clinging onto some veggies to stay
underwater. Otherwise, it’s lighter than water and floats to the top. The
biggest parts of their habitat are water and the vegetation they need to
survive, both of which can be found in vernal pools.
Backswimmer:
What of his cousin, the backswimmer? Where does he live? He
is yet another bug that likes ponds. The backswimmer often floats on
the surface, waiting for his next meal to come. While bobbing around
up there, he can flip over and take off, rather like a sea plane. When
flying, he is attracted to lights. Yeah, he’s definitely a bug. Some backswimmers also sink down to the bottom of the pool in the winter for an
extended nap. His ecosystem includes his food sources- tadpoles, small
fish (though not in vernal pools), and other water bugs. The most important part of his ecosystem is abiotic, as it is responsible for life. Show
me water! While the backswimmer doesn’t need vernal pools, they are
places some of his favorite delicacies visit, so he follows.
Water Scorpion:
Hiding in the reeds is our friend, the water scorpion. He doesn’t
really come out much because he’s not the best swimmer in the world.
Give him a ditch or a muddy pond chock full of leaves and plants, and
you have a very happy bug. This arthropod’s favorite places are just
brimming with certain biotic factors, like aquatic plants, prey (mostly
water bugs), and the leaves he huddles down in. There are also some
equally specific abiotic factors, like the sediment always found at the
bottom of a pond that he also disappears into, and the water that fills it.
Lucky for us, and for him, vernal pools provide all of these essentials.
136
Water Boatmen, Backswimmers and Water Scorpions
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
•
The backswimmer injects a digestive chemical into its
prey to liquefy it.
•
Most of the insects it eats get trapped in the surface film
of the water
•
It’s eaten by water bugs larger than itself.
•
It’s a second level consumer.
NATURAL HISTORY
Having learned about these critters, you may wonder why they
are written about together? The similarities between them are clearest in their natural history. All of them metamorphose, but not like
a butterfly. What they do is called gradual metamorphosis. This
happens when the egg hatches a nymph that looks a lot like the adult,
except without wings. This immature insect sheds its skin, because it’s
growing out of it, so it needs a new one that fits. It’s like wearing the
same set of clothes until they’re too small for you. This happens until
it’s an adult and it stops growing.
Once they’re adults, how do the guys hook up with the ladies? It’s not by flexing their muscles, that’s for sure. That’s why they
stridulate, making a noise like a cricket. Girls dig cricket sounds.
The only big difference between these three insects is how they
make nurseries for the babies. Where do these water bugs lay their
eggs, you ask? The water boatman mother finds fitting underwater
vegetation and weeds. She must want her kids to eat their greens. The
backswimmer prefers plant tissue and stems. Water scorpion eggs are
more comfortable in crevices and underwater debris. The thing is, none
of them are very good parents. They just lay their eggs and run, which
makes them “r” selected animals. R selected animals have a lot of babies, in a very short time, because they have short lives, and they aren’t
going to spend them raising kids. They want to make sure they have
enough offspring that grow up to have kids of their own. They’re really
great parents, huh?
Now we come to taxonomy. They’re closely related. They’re
all arthropods, insects, and in the order hemptera, which is “true
bugs”. They just are different families so they’re very close. Really!
Just like 3 peas in an arthropod!
137
WILD TURKEY
(MELEAGRIS GALLOPAVO)
138
Why The Turkey Gobbles
O
nce, long before your Father‛s father was born,
there was a turkey, named Ted. Ted had the most
beautiful call that anyone had ever heard. It was so
beautiful, in fact, the other animals of the forest would
drop whatever they were doing to stop and listen to him
sing. The only problem was that with all the praise he was
getting he started to get really full of himself.
One day Timmy the turtle said “What a beautiful
voice you have Ted. Can you maybe teach me how to sing
like that?” “Phhhst” Ted scoffed “You sing like me? Ya
right!” So Timmy sulked away sniffling.
“What‛s wrong Timmy?” Mother Nature asked him
when he returned from Ted‛s house. “Ted said that I
could never sing like him, and he‛s probably right!” Now,
Mother Nature didn‛t like that so she decided to gather
the forest animals and teach Ted a lesson.
That afternoon Kyle the hawk flew by Ted‛s ear and
told him about the First annual Forest Singing contest.
Ted immediately told Kyle that he‛d be there to win it.
When the sun started to set in the west, all the
forest animals were gathered around the vernal pool
for the contest. In the center of the pool there was a
little island where the contestants were preparing to
sing. They were: Hopeflower the raccoon, the giant clam,
Timmy the turtle, and last of all Ted.
Hopeflower started off with a soft melody about
the forest. He seemed pleased with himself and everyone
clapped. The giant clam admitted that he only entered in
as a dare from his friends so he didn‛t even sing.
Next up was Timmy; he sang a ballad about a
squirrel that had to go on a journey to find an oak tree.
When he finished everyone was stunned into silence.
For the finale, Ted prepared one of his favorites
that always got a very good reaction from the audience.
Mrs. Possum came up to him and gave him some home
made frogcakes beforehand. Ted noticed that they were
pretty hard but ate anyway. As the frogcakes were going
down the animals all hid smiles, their plan had worked.
As he went to sing all that came out was a horrible
sound “GOBBLE GOBBLE!” He squawked. He tried again
“Gobble Gobble” He was stunned. What had happened to
him?
Mother Nature was only too happy to inform him,
“Because of your bragging and your foolishness I had
Mrs. Possum give you rocks to eat. Now you and all your
descendants will have to bear the shame of not being able
to sing.”
139
Wild Turkey
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
Turkey. For most people this word will put a vivid picture of a
gobbling bird in their heads. From a very young age most Americans
grow up having thanksgiving and reading about turkeys so you probably
know some of what they look like. I’m going to explain more specific
details than “Turkeys go gobble gobble.”
Let’s start with the basics. Turkeys are vertebrates, which means
that they are part of the large group of animals that have backbones. Being the largest bird in America they can weigh up to about 18 pounds in
the wild (record holding bird was 38lbs) In contrast, some domesticated
turkeys can get to be 50 lbs! These are maximum weights for males,
and females usually are smaller. The average length is three and a half
feet. Can you imagine running into a flock of those in a walk through the
woods?
The adult turkeys have a wingspan of 4-5 feet so they don’t
have to worry about many predators. Each one of their feet has four toes.
Turkeys are large and bulky compared to most birds, and are strong fliers
but only for short distances. But when they need to, turkeys can reach a
speed of 55 mph. They only fly if they really need to otherwise they’ll
run(up to 20 mph).The few birds that are in its taxonomic family like
pheasants and quails are also blunt winged, but can be told apart easily.
The wild turkey is larger and can’t fly well. As they are warm blooded
they can maintain a constant body temperature.
If you ever found a turkey feather on the ground you probably
wondered how they could lose feathers. Well in truth, they can have up
to 6000 feathers on their bodies so no worries. Male turkeys (also known
as Toms) have a much larger variety of colored feathers whereas the
females are usually duller colored like brown and gray. When a turkey’s
tail feathers are up they look like a fan. Both genders’ tail feathers are
the same size but younger turkeys have smaller ones. When a turkey is
born it has fuzzy tufts for feathers. Like most birds, turkeys have special
beaks to help them eat. It is curved slightly and sharp like a pair of yard
clippers. The turkey’s beak is good for eating grass, and that’s what the
turkey eats most. The fleshy part on a turkeys’ neck is called a wattle.
This floppy piece of flesh seems like it has no purpose. But when a Tom
does his strut it turns bright red, to attract the hens! Learn something new
everyday, don’t you?
As humans, we can control our habitat and climate, but
animals can’t. They are completely subject to Mother Nature and
therefore must live in a certain place to survive.
You’ve probably only seen a turkey cooked and stuffed on your
dining room table. But the true habitat of the wild turkey is quite
different. This large bird’s range is across most of the countryside
of the United States and Mexico. Most are found in woody areas,
but move out into the open to mate.
For a turkey, grassy areas are the best, as grass makes up
around 80% of their diet. Like most animals, they need to be near
water. To a turkey vernal pools are not only a source of water, but
also provide an abundance of biotic factors (living things) for
them to eat. Turkeys are omnivorous; although they eat mostly
grass they’ll eat small critters that live near vernal pools. They will
eat insects and sometimes small amphibians like frogs. Their connection to the vernal pool is small, as they could get along without it. Some animals are obligate, which means that they depend
entirely on an area to be there if they are to survive. There are also
animals that can survive in a different area as long as it has the
same conditions, these are called facultative species. Turkeys are
neither obligate nor facultative; they could survive even if there
weren’t vernal pools.
In 1999, the population of wild turkeys in the United States was
estimated at 5,460,000. Keep in mind this doesn’t include domesticated turkeys (ones raised/bred by humans). Turkeys live across
temperate areas, and have a fondness for golf courses because of
the vast grassy plains and occasional trees that they have to offer.
Having trees in the area is an important factor as they nest at the
bottom of them, and roost in the branches. Humans and coyotes are
the main predators of the turkey. These birds aren’t all that smart
and can be hunted with ease.
140
wild Turkey
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
Turkeys are common animals and they aren’t very bright, so the
only way that they can survive is by laying lots of eggs. The Toms have
territories with up to 5 hens. During mating season the male’s wattle
turns bright red. This is part of their courtship behavior to attract the
females. Usually that leads to sexual reproduction. The hens lay from
eight to fifteen eggs in a concealed spot. Some eggs can be found at
the base of trees, where they incubate for twenty-eight days. Then the
poults (baby turkeys) break out of their eggs and follow their mother.
They can usually leave the nest in 12-24 hours after hatching. Their
feathers start off fuzzy and then develop into the full-sized adult feathers. Turkeys don’t have as magnificent feathers as the peacock, but they
can still be a helpful identifying feature.
The turkey’s scientific name is meligris gallopavo. Latin names
don’t seem to make sense at first but they do mean something about this
animal. Meligris means “guinea fowl”, gallo means “cock” and pavo
means “peafowl”. People often have very different views about animals. While some may think that turkeys are only good for thanksgiving, Benjamin Franklin thought that the wild turkey should have been
our national bird. He thought that the turkey was a much more bird than
the bald eagle. Do you?
141
WOOD DUCK
(AIX SPONSA)
142
Why the Female Wood Duck is Ugly
T
he male wood duck is currently one of the most
beautiful ducks in the world. The female is certainly
not quite as striking as the male is, but long long ago, the
female was even more gorgeous than the male is now. It is
hard to believe that these female ducks were beautiful,
but yes, they were.
The female wood ducks were having a lot of funstopping andresting at the vernal pool and looking at the
reflection of their feathers the colors of the rainbow.
The males were enjoying it as well with their limited
colors of blue, purple, and green. All the females were
living pretty well until one female - one foolish duck
indeed, changed the future of the female wood duck for
all.
One day, this duck was taking a walk in the woods
right near the vernal pool. Wood ducks love wooded
areas with water nearby, like vernal pools. She was just
waddling along, singing a song expressing her love of being
so beautiful. ”My colors, my colors are the most beautiful
ever. No one will ever be as beautiful as me. I am the
prettiest of all wood animals! I am even prettier than
male wood ducks!,” she sang. But the animals in the woods
got very jealous. A raccoon was simply walking by when
the duck went a bit too far. “Haha raccoon”, she said,
“ You are ugly and I am so beautiful!” But the raccoon
simply replied, “ Wow, female duck. I can not believe how
conceited you are being.” She continued putting other
animals down until she had gone through
all the wood animals. But, the wood animals started to
gossip about her.“Have you heard this conceited female
wood duck?”, some said. Others said that she was a vain
duck that didn‛t know how to keep her ground.Now, the
animals got so upset, that mother nature got furious.
“Female wood duck”, she said “because you have
bragged about your colors and made other animals angry,
you have made me angry. From now on, you and your
female descendants will have ugly colors of gray and
brown.”
And from then on, the female wood duck has been
hideous. But,because the male wood duck did not brag
about his feathers, he kept his beautiful colors.
143
wood duck
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
Imagine sitting in the woods near a vernal pool. There
are so many animals that you could see, but your interest is really in the unmistakable Wood Duck you see gliding in the water.
At first glance, you might be drawn to the amazing colors of the
male wood duck. The striking colors are to attract the female. The
beautiful colors of the male are bright green, blue, and purple,
with smooth feathers of red, white, and yellow. The male makes
a noise of a soft-slurred whistle. Where is the female, you wonder? She is getting food and hiding. Imagine hiding from a wild
bear that wants to eat you. That is what the female does and this is
the reason she has colors of brown, yellow and white.The female
wood duck makes a “hoo-eek” sound. But then, wait, what is that
you see? A small duckling by the father’s side. The the young duck
looks almost exactly like the female duck, except the young ones
have a dark stripe extending from the back to the eye. The Wood
ducks have webbed feet to help them swim through the water. The
wood duck is a warm-blooded animal because it can adapt to its
surroundings, whether its warm or cold.
If you were to see the wood duck soar into the sky, you
would notice that the wood duck has a wingspan of 28”-30”. This
full grown vertebrate can be 20” from head to tail. For being so
long it doesn’t weigh too much. Can you imagine only weighing
1.3 pounds? This is how much a full wood duck ways and that is so
it can fly easier and this is also because it has hollow bones.
Although vernal pools are not necessary for this duck
because they cannot live there all year round, they are very helpful to the duck because it provides a place for it to swim and rest.
These ducks do not have to live in the water, but they do need to
be near water. Vernal pools are used by the wood duck as a place
to come hang out and eat. Think about when you are on a long
trip,and you stop to use the restroom or to get a bite to eat, the
wood duck does the same thing.
SPLASH! Suddenly, the wood duck splashes around in the
water that was so still. Water is an abiotic factor that is part of its
ecosystem. The duck scrounges around because it sees something
delicious. Be happy you are not a small invertebrate living in
the vernal pool the same time as the Wood Duck! These stunning
ducks would eat you in a second. They also thrive on seeds and
acorns. These are biotic factors that interact with the duck.
This duck is a diurnal animal that lives in all types of climates. Since its habitat is in wooded areas, especially along the
Mississippi River, it can deal with many different seasons. Instead
of nesting on the ground like most ducks, wood duck nests in cavities in trees. They are sometimes found in vernal pools and other
parts of the country though The wood duck is usually found on the
Eastern Side of North America in swamps, ponds and maybe even
in that river in your backyard!
144
wood duck
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
NATURAL HISTORY
Wood ducks go through three phases of courtship behavior.
The first phase is when the males ducks display their beautiful feathers
to the female. Next, the bird goes on “double dates”, so to speak where
more than one duck couple mate at a time. Lastly, the female and male
display their gorgeous feathers to each other and sit in various body
positions. This courtship leads to sexual reproduction, which is when
the female and male mate together.
Wood ducks are hatched from eggs after internal fertilization
.The incubation period of their eggs is 22-24 days. After hatching and
growing up, ducklings jump down from the cavities nests in the trees
formed by woodpeckers and follow their mother into the water. There
are about 10-15 eggs that the female lays at a time. Now that would be
interesting! To have 10-15 kids? Please! I would hate to be the mother,
having all of these chicks follow me around.
Aix Sponsa ,is the latin name for the wood duck meaning “
the bird in a bridal dress or “ the duck in a wedding dress”. Being so
beautiful (and good to eat, apparently), they were huge hunting targets. In fact, the wood duck almost became extinct in the early 1900’s.
Recently conservation efforts like building nest boxes are being used to
help keep the wood duck around and increase its numbers.
• Prey of the wood duck: wood ducks are omnivores.
They eat nuts, fruits, seeds, insects, and small
invertebrates
•
Predators of the wood duck: Young wood ducks will
end up being the dinner for hungry minks,foxes,owls,
snakes, etc, but fully grown ducks don’t get targeted too
much.
• The wood duck is a consumer because it does not
make its own food.
145
WOOD FROG
(RANA SYLVATICA)
146
Why the Wood Frog is a Masked Quacker
M
any generations ago, there was a special vernal pool
where all the inhabitants lived in peace. Predators
would go somewhere else when they needed a meal, for
there wasn‛t prey in this pool, just friends. One of the
animals that lived here was Mr. Wood Frog. Mr. Wood
Frog was one of the friendliest critters in all of the pool,
and that‛s saying something. Everybody loved him just
as much as they loved everyone else, but they all sensed
something extra special about him. He had all the good
qualities of everyone else in the pool, only better. His
favorite activity was to lie down on his lily pad and watch
everyone play in harmony.
One day, however, Big Brother Bear from the adjacent valley couldn‛t find and prey in his normal spot.
Bees usually lived in their hives, but not today. Brother
Bear wasn‛t exactly the smartest animal alive, so when he
couldn‛t find the bees, he figured they must have come
to the vernal pool to visit their cousins, the dragonflies.
When Brother Bear arrived, he made such a ruckus that
all of the pools inhabitants lost their signature features.
The Salamander lost his spots. The Peeper lost its song.
The Eastern Ribbon Snake lost her stripes. Normally they
would go to Grandfather Frog, but since all his unique
features were gone, no-one could identify him. After
weeks of searching, they finally found him, and he started
to help them with their problem. The pool‛s inhabitants
all rejoiced when they regained their features. However,
he and Mr. Wood Frog had never really formed a relationship, so he didn‛t know any of Mr. Wood Frog‛s physical
features. Not knowing what to do, Grandfather Frog took
one trait each from the well known Duck and Raccoon, and
gave them to Mr. Wood Frog.
In the end, Mr. Wood Frog was a dull brown colored
amphibian with the Duck‛s quack and the Raccoon‛s mask.
Nothing has changed since.
147
Wood Frog
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
QUACK! QUACK! What animal is that? No, it’s not a duck. It’s
actually the voice of a male wood frog. Starting about the beginning of
April, you might occasionally hear a wood frog chorus. That’s because
that duck-like quack is their mating call, and the females think it’s rather
attractive. Speaking of females, in Wood Frog Land they are larger than
the males. This is because they need more room to be able to store all
the eggs.
You still might not be able to tell a male and female wood frog
apart. Don’t feel bad, though, because not many people can tell at a
glance. However, most people can tell the difference between the adult
and young. Have you ever seen a tadpole? If you have, then you have
seen an immature frog. This is how they look before they go through
metamorphosis. These small (1-1 ½ inch) frantic creatures can be
found swimming around in the water. They don’t have arms or legs, but
they have a tail. The adult wood frog can be found in many different
colors, usually brown, tan, or rusty colored, but it’s sometimes found in
shades of green or gray. There is a white stripe along the upper lip, and
sometimes there are dark stripes on its legs. It also has smooth, wet skin,
which gives frogs that slimy feel. If you spot an adult Wood frog, you
will find that it can range from the size of your ear to as big as your fist.
One of the coolest things about the wood frog is that it has a
“Bandits Mask” across its face, just like a raccoon. If you’re ever looking for a wood frog, this is one of the key features you might use to
identify it. The marks around the eyes are noticeably dark, but they’re
attached to the frog’s skin, so you know that it won’t rob you.
Since it lives in the woods, the wood frog is on a permanent
camping trip, and even though you might take more equipment with
you than it does, it is most likely better suited for the environment. Its
long, strong, muscular hind legs make it a good jumper. This is probably
because of its hip joints. Of course, that’s nothing to write home about.
It’s what most people would expect from a frog. The wood frog is cold
blooded. It has a fluid running through its veins that stops it from actually freezing to death. If you like cars, you could call this antifreeze.
Of course, they could die if it’s too cold, but they can survive at much
colder temperatures than humans. Because of this, they can lay their
eggs in early spring, when the water is pretty close to freezing.
The Wood Frog is a cool climate species that likes to hang out
in forests and woodlands because they offer perfect places to find vernal
pools. If you live in Canada, Alaska, or somewhere in the Northeastern
United States, you might be able to find one of these little animals underneath the frozen leaves.
The Wood Frog’s habitat has enough water, sunlight, and
oxygen that any human could easily survive there, assuming they don’t
mind eating nothing but dirt, bugs, and gross veggies. The place I am
describing is full of all the biotic (Living) and abiotic (Non-living) factors essential to the survival of the Wood Frog. If there were no vernal
pools, there would be no Wood Frogs. When an animal can’t survive
without a vernal pool it is called an obligate species. One reason why the
wood frog needs the vernal pool is that this is where they lay their eggs.
That fact sounds pretty normal until you hear that they lay their eggs in
the middle of winter. They perform this important job before any of their
predators are done hibernating, in order to give the eggs a head start in
developing. Keep in mind, this is one of the only times of the year that
the adult wood frog has anything to do with the vernal pool.
The Wood Frog is an amphibian with no set sleep schedule. Instead,
they are happy being metaturnal. Metaturnal means sleeping and being
active whenever you want to. Sometimes they even sleep in the daytime!
148
Wood Frog
NATURAL HISTORY
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
• DIET: The Wood Frogs are known predators of spiders, beetles,
bugs, slugs, snails, and moth larvae. They also eat mollusks,
terrestrial worms, insects, and terrestrial non-insect arthropods.
The Wood Frog has also been known to munch on a nice, crunchy
dragonfly.
•PREDATORS: Some of the known predators of the adult Wood
Frog include snakes, red-winged blackbirds, and herons. Some more
include powerful birds such as hawks and eagles. Certain nymphs are
common predators of the tadpole, as are dragonflies.
•PLACE IN FOOD WEB: The Wood Frog is somewhat in the middle
of the food chain. It’s kind of risky to say that, though, because one
of the animals eaten by the adult Wood Frog preys on Wood Frog
larvae. The adult Wood Frog is mainly a carnivore, but the
Do you remember that special mating call used by the adult
male Wood Frog? Well when they quack, they are using their courtship
behavior. This is whatever an animal does to attract a mate. When a
male engages in this special activity, they are courting the female.
The Wood Frog’s lifecycle has been known to confuse people
a bit. First, the breeding occurs, which usually falls somewhere from
early March to May. After the breeding, the females lay globular masses
containing anywhere from several hundred to a few thousand eggs. The
eggs can easily develop and hatch within the course of a week or two,
but the metamorphosis is confusing. At first you might think it to be
complete metamorphosis, but this can’t be right because there is no
pupa involved. It definitely is not gradual metamorphosis, because a
tadpole looks significantly different than the adults. Whatever kind of
metamorphosis it is, it happens during the 2-3 month period after the
eggs hatch, and before the vernal pool dries out.
The Wood Frog is very easy to confuse with the Striped Chorus
Frog. This makes sense because they are in the same Taxonomic order.
This order is called anura which is home to all frogs and toads. None
of the organisms in this taxonomic group have tails in their adult stage,
except for Ascaphus. Crazy as it sound, Ascaphus is scientific for tailed
frogs. However, this is where the Wood Frogs and Striped Chorus Frogs
split up. Out of these two frogs, only the Wood Frog is of the river or
tree variety. Most of the Ranadian family members have teeth on their
upper jaws, but are missing ribs. Next is the genus. The Wood Frogs
fit into the genus of rana, which are the only ranids found in Australia
or the Americas. The last taxonomic grouping of the Wood Frog is its
species. The Wood Frog’s species is the Wood Frog, or less obviously,
Rana sylvatica.
young’s diet consists mostly of algae. The adults will also feed
on algae if it’s essential.
•TROPHIC LEVEL: The Wood Frog is a heterotrophic amphibian.
149
WOOD TURTLE
(CLEMMYS INSCULPTA)
150
Why the Wood Turtle has an Engraved Shell
T
immy Turtle plodded slowly down to the vernal pool.
After catching a few worms, he dove into the water
in search of his favorite meal; tadpoles. While gliding
above the leaf litter, he saw a slight commotion at the
top of the water. As soon as he surfaced, he saw a duck
floating with a frog in its mouth. As he watched, the duck
balked and flew away upon the sight of what was coming down the path. A fox.
The fox leered persuasively, “Timmy Turtle, won‛t
you come over here? I have a nice collection of tadpoles
over at my den if you want some.” Timmy Turtle, being
a gullible and friendly fellow, said “Really? That would
be awesome. Thank you so much!” Fox smiled, displaying
his sharp white teeth. Timmy lumbered as quickly as he
could after the swift canine, and called out to the other
turtles, “Come on, he‛s got lots of tadpoles in his den!”
They all stared back wide-eyed at his stupidity. Puzzled
by their refusal, Timmy Turtle followed Fox until they
reached his den.
He inhaled, expecting to find the fishy pungent smell of
tadpoles, but none reached him. Suddenly it occurred to
him why the other turtles wouldn‛t come. Foxes are fond
of eating wood turtles.
After his moment of realization, Timmy‛s blood
chilled (and stayed that way) with dread as he tried to
turn around unnoticed to escape the hungry fox. But Fox
was upon him, slashing at his shell in frustration. Blood
ran down the inside of Timmy‛s legs, his neck and his
eyes, dying them all red.
Timmy saw the vernal pool glinting in the distance,
and staggered towards it with fox still attacking him. He
tripped into the water felt fox‛s grip loosen. Fox ran off,
shivering and wet, but not before many gashes were left
in the tired turtle, making it look like his shell was engraved or sculpted. Timmy Turtle survived, and had many
children with his wife Tabitha Turtle and they all had
engraved shells. Because of Timmy‛s foolishness, all wood
turtles‛ have engraves shells, cold blood and red eyes, les
and necks.
151
Wood Turtle
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
HABITAT
Just visible under the murky water, you see a brown-gray turtle,
with red-orange eyes, neck and legs. This is a wood turtle and its main
color varies from the common gray-brown that you saw to an olive color.
The young wood turtle looks about the same as the older except smaller
and with slightly duller coloring. Before they hatch, their eggs are white
and about the size of a golf-ball. Females and males look about the same,
although the males tend to have a longer tail. The average wood turtle is
7-9.5 inches long and has engraved/carved patterns on its shell.
If I were to say ‘worm stomping’ what would you think of?
Maybe an Irish step-dance, an adolescent picture book, a primitive form
of hunting…? Actually, it is an adaptation of the Wood Turtle. To get
the food they want, the turtle will stomp on the ground until the worms
emerge for fear of being squished underground, and are rewarded by
promptly being eaten. Other adaptations of the wood turtle are hibernating under the mud (in winter), the hard shell that protects it, and their
surprising excellence with climbing.
The wood turtle is a vertebrate, which means that it had a notochord (commonly a backbone) and bone structure. Unlike most other
vertebrates, their backbone isn’t in the form of a spine (like yours.)
Instead, it is a hard shell on their back. The shell allows them to hide,
and protects them from attack. The wood turtle is also a cold-blooded
reptile which basically means that instead of maintaining their own body
temperature (like warm-blooded creatures such as humans, and most
mammals), cold-blooded animals bodies’ are the same temperature as
their environment and things that surround them. This is another adaptation that prevents them from using energy on staying warm. But, this also
means that when its cold out... let’s just say the turtle won’t be running
any marathons.
The North American Wood turtle emerges from the mud at the
bottom of the vernal pool in Massachusetts, after a long winter’s hibernation. Spring begins; causing snow to melt, and the vernal pools to fill
with water from run-off. During the 3 seasons of Spring, Summer and
Fall that come along with the climate, the Wood turtle lives near the
water of the Vernal Pool. He fills his niche by eating berries, plants, nut,
insects and worms on land during this time, eating amphibians (both eggs
and adults) in the water, and hibernating burrowed in the mud which he
will do every winter for 30-50 years.
The Wood Turtle’s companions in these months at the vernal pool
are other turtles, fairy shrimp, clams, snakes, fowl (ducks), insects,
plants, trees and mammals such as raccoons and weasels. These organisms frolic beside the abiotic factors of water, mud, leaf litter, rocks and
other sediments.
The Wood Turtle’s range is from Nova Scotia to North Virginia;
where it is found in fresh water habitats like vernal pools, streams, rivers
and a few lakes. They live mainly on land but usually nearby running
water.
152
Wood Turtle
DIET & FEEDING HABITS
● Wood Turtles eat earth worms, slugs, snails, crayfish,
millipedes,beetles, moths, flies, ants, leeches, tadpoles, larvae,
frogs,newborn mice, leaves, plants and nuts. This means that
they are a consumer, because they don’t produce their own
food.
● Wood Turtles surprisingly have also been known to scavenge
when given the option. As I said above, they eat newborn mice
mainly because its speed is slower than that of an adult mouse.
But when the opportunity presents itself, wood turtles have
been known to eat full grown mice, as well.
● An adult wood turtle is hardly ever eaten, but young
(hatched) are eaten by raccoons, cats, dogs, opossums, largemouth bass, and several types of birds. The eggs are eaten by
skunks, raccoons, coyotes as well as the larvae of a certain fly
NATURAL HISTORY
Indents in the sandpit show evidence of a filled-in-hole, and
tracks of the wood turtle lead away from the sand towards the water.
It has just laid 5-13 eggs after waiting 10-15 years (out of their entire
life of 35-50 years) to achieve sexual maturity (when it becomes able
to reproduce). The egg’s incubation is around 69-80 days, and after
which the eggs will hatch, introducing the young wood turtle to the
world. These eggs are created by internal fertilization, where the eggs
and sperm unite inside the female. Because the turtle goes from egg to
young, it has no distinct metamorphosis. The form that emerges from
the egg is a smaller version of the adult (with slightly duller coloring)
which means that it has no nymph or larval stage.
As for how they attract the other gender to reproduce, it
sounds rather violent. The males often battle each-other (most often the
larger prevails) for the female in question. “Courtship” includes a mating dance where the couples (male/female wood turtles) face each other
and swing their heads back and forth. The male also often ‘nips’ the female’s shell while mating, which most often takes place in the shallow
water during the summer and fall when the turtles are most aquatic. The
female will bury the eggs once laid, but after this act her duty is done;
the eggs and young have to survive on their own. Out of the 5-13 eggs,
usually only 1 or 2 survive to adult-hood… most not even surviving to
hatch.
The wood turtle’s scientific name is Clemmys insculpta. ‘Clemmys’ means marsh and pond turtles and ‘insculpta’ means ‘engraved’
for the sculpted-looking patterns and texture of their scutes. Scutes are
the individual scales on the turtle’s shell.
153
Glossary
Abiotic factors:
Adapted:
Albubem:
Allantois:
Aquatic:
Arthropod:
Biotic factors
Brackish:
Buoyancy:
Camouflauge:
Carnivore:
Cilia
Climate:
Cold-blooded:
Complete metamorphosis:
Consumer:
Contour feathers:
Diffusion:
Diurnal:
Ecosystem :
Embryo:
Endemic:
External fertilization:
Non-living factors in an ecosystem.
A state of being that allows an organism that has made itself able to
live in its environment.
Clear part of the which provides the embryo with water and protein.
Part of the yellow part of the egg that stores wasteand gives oxygen.
Of/in water.
An invertebrate with a segmented body, jointed appendages, and
usually a shell.
Living variables to the ecosystem.
Slightly salty.
The ability to float.
Colors to further help protection from predators.
An animal that only eats other animals.
Minute hairlike “sensers” located on a creatures gills that catch food
particles and send them to the mouth to be digested.
The typical weather pattern in an area over a long period of time.
An organism that is the same temperature as its environment.
A type of metamorphosis with four dramatically different stages:
Egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
An animal that gets its energy by feeding on other organisms.
A bird’s adult feathers that grow in after the down. A contour feather
is a large feather that makes up the main shape of a bird and extends
to the tip of its wing.
How molecules move from a place where there’s less to where
there’s more.
Active in the day time.
The combination of a community of organisms and its environment
functioning as an ecological unit.
An unborn animal inside an egg.
Restricted or peculiar to a locality or region.
Sperm and egg joining outside of the female.
Glossary
Family:
Food chain:
Food web:
Gestation period:
Gradual metamorphosis:
Guard hair:
Habitat:
Herbivore
Incubation
Internal fertilization:
Invertebrate
Larva
Lifecycle
Mantle:
Metamorphosis:
Migrate:
Niche:
Nocturnal:
Nymph:
Omnivores:
Palps:
Parasite:
One of the seven levels of taxonomy, which is placing organisms
into groups split up by similar features. The levels of taxonomy,
biggest to smallest, are Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family,
Genus, and Species.
A series of events in which one organism eats another.
All the overlapping food chains in one ecosystem.
The time between fertilization and birth.
A type of metamorphosis where the egg hatches into the nymph
stage that look a lot like an adult.
The long, usually stiff outer hair that covers the underfur.
The natural environment of an organism. Where it lives.
An animal that only eats plants.
The time between fertilization and hatching of an egg.
Sperm and egg joining inside the female.
Not vertebrate; without a backbone.
A juvenile form of animal that undergoes metamorphosis (for
example, insects or amphibians). The larva can look completely different from the adult form.
The various stages through which a living thing passes as it grows
and develops
The organ in a snail that builds the shell.
A process in which an animal’s body changes dramatically in shape.
When birds fly south when the weather gets too cold and they can
no longer find food.
An organisms particular role in an eco system or how it makes its
living.
Only active at night.
A young form of an animal that resembles the adult.
An animal that eats both animals and plants.
Appendages used for sensing the surrounding environment. Antennae are one form of palps.
An organism that lives by harming another.
Glossary
Placental mammal:
Population:
Poults:
Predator:
Prey:
Producers:
Pupa:
Radula:
Range:
Regurgitation:
Respiratory pore:
Scavenger:
Sexual reproduction:
Stridulate:
Tarsi:
Temperate:
Territories:
Underfur:
Vertebrate:
Warm blooded:
Wattle:
weaned:
Yolk:
A mammal that develops inside its mother until it can function on
its own.
All the members of one species in a particular area.
Baby turkeys.
An organism that kills and eats its prey.
An organism that is eaten by a predator.
Organisms that use the suns rays to make their food. Mainly plants.
An intemediate stage of metamorphasis of insects between larva and
adult, insects are usually enclosed in a chrysalis or cocoon as they
transform from their larval stage to their adult stage.
Teeth in the back of the snails mouth that helps “chew” the food.
The geographic area(s) of where a species can be found.
Bringing food that has been swallowed back up out of the stomach
in other words throwing up food.
The hole near a snail’s shell, which they breath through.
An animal that eats already dead bodies.
Reproductive process in which two organisms create young by the
joining of two sex cells.
To make a chirping sound, like a cricket.
Huge segmented night-vision eyes.
Mild climate; the climate that extends from between the tropic of
cancer and the arctic circle to between the tropic of capricorn and
the antarctic circle.
Areas controlled by an individual.
The fine, soft and thick coat that is covered by the guard hair.
An organism with a backbone.
A animal that can regulate it’s own body temperature.
Fleshy part on a turkeys’ neck.
When a kit does not need to breast feed from their mother’s milk
anymore.
Yellow part of the egg that gives the embryo nutrious foods.