An Animal A Day

last SG · 2005-03-09T00:11:15+00:00

Deepwater Arrowtooth Eel The Deepwater Arrowtooth Eel (Histiobranchus bathybius) is a cutthroat eel of the genus Histiobranchus, found around the world at d...

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Goblin Shark

The Goblin Shark (Mitsukurina owstoni) is a rarely seen species of shark. It is notable for its long beak projecting forward of the jaws, the ability of its jaws to protrude greatly, and for its pink color. The Goblin Shark is the sole known living member of the family Mitsukurinidae; the relatively plentiful fossil record includes another two dozen or so species.

Goblin Shark, Mitsukurina owstoni

The front teeth are long and smooth-edged, while the rear teeth are adapted for crushing. Goblin Sharks feed on jacopever, octopuses and crabs, most likely by sensing the presence of prey with electro-sensitive organs in the beak, suddenly protruding the jaws, creating a sucking motion with a tongue-like muscle, and using the teeth to hold onto the victim.

The pink coloration, unique among sharks, is due to blood vessels underneath a semi-transparent skin, which bruises easily, thereby causing the coloring. The fins have a bluish appearance. As with Thresher Sharks and other members of the order Lamniformes, the upper lobe of the tail is much longer than the lower lobe.

Only about 45 specimens have been described in the scientific literature. They generally live at a depth of up to 1,200 m, at the sea bottom. Half have been found off Japan, including the first one described (Jordan, 1898). The largest seen so far was 385 cm (12.6 ft) in length. Several are preserved at the Australian Museum.

Issue #322

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Crab louse

Crab lice (singular, louse), scientific name Phthirus pubis and commonly called "crabs" due to their resemblence to the crab, are one of three kinds of human lice in the large group of lice families, the others being head lice and body lice, which live in clothing. They are wingless, about 1 to 3 mm long. They attach themselves to hair strands, and hatch out of pods with lids, or "nits", that are too tightly attached to be brushed off but must be removed by pulling with the nails or a fine-toothed comb.

Crab louse, Phthirus pubis

General information

The crab louse can live in almost any form of humanoid hair, but is found most commonly in pubic hair, leading to its other common name of pubic louse. Its legs are adapted to climbing along relatively widely spaced hairs, and so can be found in eyelashes, pubic hair, beards, moustaches, and even armpit hairs. The individual louse can survive up to a week apart from its necessary human host, so that crab lice can be passed on in sleeping bags and bedding. The female may lay up to 40 eggs a time, resulting in a fluctuating but growing population. The louse feeds on blood and can leave irritating spots on the skin, sometimes mistaken for pimples, a condition called Pediculosis pubis.

Pubic lice have legs that are spaced further apart than head lice, this is an adaptation that enables them to move around more easily in their habitat.

The female louse glues her eggs, called "nits", which look like tiny white beads, to hair shafts. The louse feeds on human blood, and the bite causes itching. Bites can become secondarily infected; scratching may break the skin and help cause secondary infection. The most common symptom is itching of genital area.

Pubic lice are normally spread by sexual contact and are considered a sexually transmitted disease, but can also be spread by sharing clothes or bedding. A common misbelief is that infestation can be spread by sitting on a toilet seat. This isn't likely, since lice cannot live long away from a warm human body. Also, lice do not have feet designed to walk or hold onto smooth surfaces such as toilet seats.

Life cycle

There are three stages in the life of a pubic louse: the nit, the nymph, and the adult.

* Nit: Nits are pubic lice eggs. They are hard to see and are found firmly attached to the hair shaft. They are oval and usually yellow to white. Nits take about 1 week to hatch.
* Nymph: The nit hatches into a baby louse called a nymph. It looks like an adult pubic louse, but is smaller. Nymphs mature into adults about 7 days after hatching. To live, the nymph must feed on blood.
* Adult: The adult pubic louse resembles a miniature crab when viewed through a strong magnifying glass. Pubic lice have six legs, but their two front legs are very large and look like the pincher claws of a crab; this how they got the nickname "crabs." Pubic lice are tan to greyish-white in color. Females lay nits; they are usually larger than males. To live, adult lice need to feed on blood. If the louse falls off a person, it dies within 1-2 days.

Treatment

Pubic lice are easily killed by a 1% permethrin or pyrethrin lice shampoo, but the pubic hair must be combed with a fine-toothed comb after treatment to remove the nits. Lice can survive in bedding and clothing, so these items must be treated, sterilized, or contact with them must be avoided for two weeks, after which time any lice will have died.

Lindane (1%), another pediculocide, is not recommended for pregnant or nursing women or for children less than 2 years old.

Issue #323

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Norfolk Island Kaka

The Norfolk Island Kaka (Nestor productus) was a large parrot with a prominent beak. Its plumage was olive-brown, with an orange throat and straw-coloured breast. It inhabited the rocks and treetops of Norfolk Island and the adjacent Phillip Island. It was a relative of the Kaka from New Zealand.

Norfolk Island Kaka, Nestor productus

It was first described by the naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster and his son Georg following the discovery of Norfolk Island by James Cook on October 10, 1774. It was hunted for food and trapped as a pet from the arrival of the first settlers in 1788 onwards, and became extinct in the wild in the early nineteenth century. The last one in captivity died in London in 1851.

The bird was officially classified by John Gould in 1836, from a specimen at the Zoological Society of London. During his visit to Australia Gould established that the bird had also inhabited Phillip Island. At least seven specimens survive.

Conservation status: Extinct (19th C.)

Issue #324

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Ocicat

The Ocicat is a new and still-rare breed of cat which has spots resembling a 'wild' cat and the temperament of a domestic animal, named for its resemblance to the ocelot.

Sleeping Ocicat

Despite its appearance, there is no 'wild' DNA in the Ocicat's genepool. The species is actually a mixture of Siamese and Abyssinian, and later American Shorthairs (silver tabbies) were added to the mix for their silver colour and distinct markings.

The first breeder of Ocicats was Virginia Daly, of Berkley, Michigan, who attempted to breed an Abyssinian-pointed Siamese in 1964. The first generation of kittens appeared Abyssinian, but the surprising result in the second generation was a spotted kitten, Tonga, nicknamed an 'ocicat' by the breeder's daughter. Tonga was neutered and sold as a pet, but further breedings of his parents produced more spotted kittens, and became the base of a separate Ocicat breeding program.

There are twelve separate colour/pattern combinations registered for ocicats, and these fall into five larger groups - chocolate, cinnamon, tawny, silver and dilute. Ocicats must not have cream/red coloration or they are disqualified from showing.

Issue #325

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Onager

The Onager (Equus hemionus) is a large mammal belonging to the horse family and native to the deserts of Syria, Iran, India, and Tibet. It is sometimes known as the Half Ass or the Asian Wild Ass.

Onager, Equus hemionus

Like many other large grazing animals, its range has contracted greatly under the pressures of hunting and habitat loss, and of the six subspecies, one is extinct and two endangered. The Kiang (Equus kiang), a Tibetan relative, is generally regarded as a separate species, although classified by some as a subspecies of Onager, E. hemionus kiang.

Onagers are a little larger than Donkeys at about 290 kg and 2.1 metres (head-body length), and are a little more horse-like. They are short-legged compared to horses, and their coloring varies depending on the season. They are generally reddish-brown in color during the summer, becoming yellowish-brown in the winter months. They have a black stripe bordered in white that extends down the middle of the back. Onagers were used in ancient Sumer to pull chariots, circa 2600 BCE.

Subspecies

* Mongolian Wild Ass (Equus hemionus hemionus). Status: vulnerable.
* Indian Wild Ass or Khur (Equus hemionus khur). Status: endangered.
* Gobi Kulan (Equus hemionus luteus). Status: vulnerable.
* Kulan (Equus hemionus kulan). Status: critically endangered.
* Onager or Persian Onager (Equus hemionus onager). Status: critically endangered.
* Syrian Wild Ass (Equus hemionus hemippus). Status: extinct since 1927.

Issue #326

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Laysan Albatross

The Laysan Albatross, Phoebastria immutabilis, is a large seabird that ranges across the North Pacific. This small (for its family) albatross is the second most common seabird in the Hawaiian Islands, with an estimated population of 2.5 million birds, and is currently expanding (or possibly re-expanding) its range to new islands. It is named for Laysan, one of its breeding colonies in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Laysan Albatross, Phoebastria immutabilis

Description

The Laysan Albatross is usually easy to identify, in the North Pacific it is simple to separate from the other relatively common albatross, the all black Black-footed Albatross. It can be distinguished from the very rare Short-tailed Albatross by its all dark back and smaller size. The Laysan Albatross' plumage has been compared to that of a gull, two tone with a dark grey mantle and wings, and white underside and head.

Behaviour and range

The Laysan Albatross has a wide range across the North Pacific. Its main breeding colonies are in the Hawaiian Islands, particularly the islands of Midway and Laysan. It also nests in the Bonin Islands near Japan, and has recently began to colonize islands off Mexico, such as Guadalupe Island. When away from the breeding areas they range widely from Japan to Alaska and down to California, but usually far offshore.

The Laysan Albatross is colonial, nesting on scattered small islands and atolls, often in huge numbers. They also have a protracted breeding cycle. Juvenile birds return to the colony three years after fledging, but will not mate for the first time until they are seven or eight years old. over these four or five years they form pair bonds with a mate that they will keep for life. Courtship entails especially elaborate 'dances' that have up to 25 ritualised movements.

Both birds incubate the single egg, with the male being the first to incubate the egg after laying. The incubation takes about 65 days, after which the chick is brooded for a few days, after which both parents are out at sea to provision for the growing chick. The chick takes about 160 days to fledge, a long investment for the parents (which may explain the long courtship, both parents want to sure the other is serious). The chicks are fed a stomach oil by the parents.

Conservation

The Laysan Albatross, while a common species, has not yet recovered from the wide-scale hunting that happened in the early 1900s, with feather hunters killing many hundreds of thousands, and wiping them out from Wake Island and Johnston Atoll. This slaughter led to efforts to protect the species (and others) which led eventually to the protection of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The species is still vulnerable to long-line fisheries, and the injestion of floating plastics. On some of the new islands it has colonized it has also been taken by feral cats.

Conservation status: Vulnerable

Issue #327

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Broad-snouted Caiman

The Broad-snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris) is a crocodilian reptile found in parts of South America. It is found mostly in freshwater marshes, swamps, and mangroves.

Broad-snouted Caiman, Caiman latirostris

Its notable physical characteristic is its broad snout from which its name is derived. Most tend to be of an olive-green color, with exceptions occuring as adaptations to varying climates. Its diet consists mainly of small invertebrates, and it can crush shells to feed on turtles and snails. The species is threatened to due illegal hunting and loss of habitat.

Range of the Broad-snouted Caiman

Issue #328

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Comma

The Comma (Polygonia c-album) is a species of butterfly, common in the United Kingdom and with a distribution across Europe and temperate Asia to Japan and south to Morocco. Similar species are found in the United States and Canada. It has a white marking on its underwings resembling a comma. The wings have a distinctive ragged edge, apparently a cryptic form as the butterfly resembles a fallen leaf. The caterpillars are also cryptic, resembling a bird dropping.

Comma, Polygonia c-album

In the 19th century the British population of comma butterflies crashed, and by 1920 there were only two sightings. The cause for this decline is unknown, and from about 1930 the population recovered and it is now one of the more familiar butterflies in Southern England, and is now resident in Scotland.

The caterpillars will feed up on hops, and they will also eat stinging nettle or elm or currant leaves, and in other parts of its distribution (e.g. in Sweden) also sallow and birch leaves.

The species survives the winter in the adult stage, and adults are of two forms. The form that overwinters before reproducing has dark undersides of the wings, whereas the form that develops directly to sexual maturation has lighter colured wing undersides. Both forms can arise from eggs laid by the same female, depending mainly on the photoperiods experienced by the larvae, but also with an influence of host plants, temperature and sex of individuals.

Issue #329

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Southern platyfish

The Southern platyfish (Xiphophorus maculatus) is a species of freshwater fish in family Poecilidae of order Cyprinodontiformes. A live-bearer, it is closely related to the green swordtail (X. helleri) and can interbreed with it. It is native to an area of North and Central America stretching from Veracruz, Mexico, to northern Belize.

Southern platyfish, Xiphophorus maculatus

The southern platyfish grows to a maximum overall length of 6.0 cm (2.4 in). Sexual dimorphism is slight, the male's caudal fin being more pointed. Wild varieties are drab in coloration, lacking the distinctive dark lateral line common to many Xiphophorus species.

X. maculatus prefers slow-moving waters of canals, ditches, and warm springs. Omnivorous, its diet includes both plants and small crustaceans, insects, and worms.

Breeders have developed a multitude of color varieties which are common aquarium fish for hobbyists.

The southern platyfish is commonly known simply as the platy (pl. platys), from the fish's original generic name, Platypoecilus.

In the aquarium

Platys are easy to keep and well suited to a community aquarium. They prefer water with a 7.08.0 pH, a water hardness of 9.019.0 dGH, and a temperature range of 1825 °C (6477 °F).

In captivity, they reach maturity in 34 months and breed readily, the females giving birth to about 4050 young a time.

Conservation status: Secure

Issue #330

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Brown huntsman spider

The Brown huntsman spider, Heteropoda venatoria, is found world-wide in tropical areas. It is also an able traveller, having shown up in places from Florida to Japan (except north Hoshu and Hokkaido). They are fairly large, some having a leg span of approximately five inches. Although they are rather fearsome in appearance, they are very easily alarmed by the approach of humans and will very rapidly flee.

Brown huntsman spider, Heteropoda venatoria

These spiders are known to hunt by waiting quietly on a vertical surface (or even a ceiling) and then rushing forward when their prey gets within close range. However, they do make a simple kind of tangle web under suitable circumstances. It is almost impossible to see, but the silk fibers are both strong and also sticky. This web seems to serve to slow the prey down enough to make capture more likely.

The female carries her egg case with her, and will protect it from predators.

Issue #331

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Sinosauropteryx

Sinosauropteryx prima ("first Chinese lizard-feather") was the first non-avian dinosaur found with the fossilized impressions of feathers. It lived in China during the Cretaceous period and is related to Compsognathus. It was around 3 feet long, most of which was taken up by its extremely long tail. The remarkably well-preserved fossils show that Sinosauropteryx was covered with a furry down of very simple feathers. These feathers consisted of a simple two-branched structure, similar to the secondarily primitive feahters of the modern kiwi.

Sinosauropteryx prima

Sinosauropteryx is important because it had feather-like structures, yet was not very closely related to true birds. There are many dinosaur families that were more closely related to birds than Sinosauropteryx, including the deinonychosaurs, the oviraptosaurs and therizinosaurs. This indicates that feathers may have been a characteristic of many theropod dinosaurs, not just the obviously bird-like ones, making it quite possible that equally distant animals such as Ornitholestes, Coelurus and even Tyrannosaurus rex may have had feathers.

Conservation status: Fossil

Issue #332

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Norfolk Terrier

The Norfolk Terrier is a small breed of dog, one of many terrier breeds. Prior to 1960, when it gained recognition as an independent breed, it was a variety of the Norwich Terrier, distinguished from the Norwich by its "drop", or folded ears.

Norfolk Terrier

Appearance

The Norfolk Terrier has a wire-haired coat which, according to the various national kennel club breed standards, can be "all shades of red, wheaten, black and tan, or grizzle."

They are the smallest of the working Terriers. They should feel heavier in weight than they appear to be. They are self confident and carry their heads with presence and importance and the tails should also be held erect.

They are active and compact, free moving, with good substance and bone. Good substance means good spring of rib and bone that matches the body such that the dog can be a very agile ratter, the function for which it was bred. Norfolks are moderately proportioned dogs. A too-heavy dog would not be agile. A too-refined dog would make it a toy breed. Norfolks generally have more reach and drive and a stronger rear angulation, hence cover more ground than their Norwich cousins. Norfolk have good side gait owed to their balanced angulation front and rear, not their perceived slightly longer length of back as is often cited.

The ideal height is 10 to 12 inches (25-30 cm) at the withers and weight is about 12 pounds (5 Kg). They are the smallest of the terriers.

Grooming

These breeds have two coats - a harsh, wiry topcoat and a soft warm undercoat. All that is really necessary for grooming a companion dog is a good combing and brushing once a week to remove the loose, dead hairs and prevent matting. The coats should be hand stripped once in the Fall and once in the Spring. Clipping or cutting ruins the coat's colours and texture. You can wash this coat with a dog shampoo any time it is desirable.

Temperament

Norfolk Terriers are described as fearless but should not be aggressive despite being capable of defending themselves if need be. The AKC standard describes the Norfolk as alert, gregarious, and loyal. They are dogs that work in packs and must get along with other dogs. They love people and children and can make good companions.

A Norfolk that is shy, or carries its tail between its legs is untypical as is a dog that is hot tempered and aggressive with other dogs; these are not the standard. Norfolk Terrier's typical breed temperament is happy, spirited and self confident.

Health

There are incidences of health issues that responsible breeders consider worthy to do preventative testing. Norfolks have incidences of mitral valve disease, luxating patellas, hip dysplasia and bad bites (where the teeth do not align with the breed standard, ie. overshot or undershot)

Exercise

A good daily walk takes care of the exercise requirements of the Norfolk Terrier. They are good walking companions and reasonable joggers.

History

In the 1880s, British sportsmen developed a working terrier of East Anglia, England. The Norwich Terrier and later the drop-eared variety now know as the Norfolk Terrier, were believed to have been developed by crossing Yorkshire Terriers, Cairn Terriers, and small, short-legged Irish Terrier breeds.

They were first called the Cantab Terrier when they became fashionable for students to keep in their dormitory at Cambridge University in England. Later, they were called the Thrumpington Terrier, after a street in the area where the breed was first developed. Then, just prior to WWI, a Norwich huntsman helped introduce the short-legged terriers to the USA, calling them the Jones Terrier.

In 1932, the Norwich was granted acceptance into the English Kennel Club and the first written standard was created. The American Kennel Club registered the first Norwich Terrier in 1936. In 1964, The Kennel Club reclassified the drop-ear variety as it its own breed, the Norfolk Terrier, and the prick-eared variety retained the name Norwich Terrier. The American Kennel Club and Canadian Kennel Club both recognized the division of the Norwich Terrier breed in 1979. After many generations, these two breeds have developed as two distinct breeds both in physical looks and in temperament. Of note, there is literature that suggests that the Norfolk and Norwich were always two distinct breeds and the original mistake was classifying them as one.

Working style

They are tireless workers in the field. These versatile, agreeable dogs can go to ground and bolt a fox and tackle or dispatch other small vermin, working alone or in a pack. Their courage is so that honourable scars from wear and tear should not be counted against them in the show ring.

Country of origin: Great Britain

Issue #333

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Rocky Mountain goat

The Rocky Mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus), often called simply mountain goat, is a large hoofed mammal found only in North America. Although it resembles a goat, it is actually more closely related to the antelope family. It resides at high elevations and is a sure-footed climber, often resting on rocky cliffs that predators cannot reach.

Rocky Mountain goat, Oreamnos americanus

Classification

Mountain goats are even-toed ungulates of the order Artiodactyla and its subdivision, the Bovidae family. They belong to the subfamily Caprinae, along with thirty-two other species, and are the only species in the genus Oreamnos. The name Oreamnos is derived from the Greek term "ore," mountain (or, alternatively, "oreas," mountain nymph) and the word "amnos," lamb.

General Appearance and Characteristics

Both male and female mountain goats have beards, short tails, and long black horns, 15-28 cm in length, which contain yearly growth rings. They are protected from the elements by their woolly white double coats. The fine, dense wool of their undercoats is covered by an outer layer of longer, hollow hairs. In warmer seasons, mountain goats molt by rubbing against rocks and trees, with the adult billies (males) shedding their extra wool first and the pregnant nannies (females) shedding last. In the winter, their coats help them to withstand temperatures as low as -50 Fahrenheit (-46 Celsius) and winds of up to 100 mph (161 km/h).

A billy stands about 1 meter (3'3") at the shoulder and weighs about 90 kg (200 lbs.). It has longer horns and a longer beard than the nanny. Adult males typically weigh between 45 and 100 kg, while females are usually 10-30% lighter.

The mountain goat's feet are well-suited for climbing steep, rocky slopes, sometimes with pitches of 60 degrees or more, with inner pads that provide traction and cloven hooves that can spread apart as needed. Dewclaws on the back of their feet also help to keep them from slipping.

Range and Habitat

The mountain goat inhabits the Rocky Mountains and Coast Mountain regions of North America, from northern Washington, Idaho and Montana through British Columbia and Alberta, into the southern Yukon and southwestern Alaska. Its northernmost range is said to be along the northern fringe of the Chugach Mountains in southcentral Alaska. Transplanted populations can also be found in such areas as Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, South Dakota, and the Olympic Peninsula of Washington.

Mountain goats are the largest mammals found in their high-altitude habitats, which reach elevations of 3,000 metres or more. Although they sometimes descend to coastal areas, they are primarily an alpine and subalpine species. Throughout the year, the animals usually stay above the timberline, but they will migrate seasonally to higher or lower elevations within that range.

Life Cycle and Breeding

In the wild, mountain goats usually live twelve to fifteen years, with their lifespan limited by the wearing down of their teeth. In zoos, however, they can live for sixteen to twenty years.

Kids are born in the spring (late May or early June) after a six month gestation period. Nannies give birth, usually to a single offspring, after moving to an isolated ledge; post-partum, they lick the baby dry and ingest the placenta. Kids weigh a little over 3 kg (about 7 lb) at birth and begin to run and climb (or attempt to do so) within hours. Although they are mostly weaned within one month, kids follow their mothers closely for the first year of life (or until the nanny gives birth again, if this does not occur the next breeding season); nannies protect their young by leading them out of danger, standing over them when faced by predators, and positioning themselves below their kids on steep slopes to stop freefalls.

Mountain goats reach sexual maturity at about thirty months. Nannies in a herd undergo synchronized estrus in late October through early December, at which time males and females participate in a mating ritual. Mature billies will stare at nannies for long periods, dig rutting pits, and fight each other in showy (though occasionally dangerous) scuffles. Young billies sometimes try to participate, but they are ignored by nannies; nannies will also sometimes pursue inattentive billies. Both males and females usually mate with multiple individuals during breeding season, although some billies try to keep other males away from certain nannies. After the breeding season is over, males and females move away from each other, with the adult billies breaking up into small bands of two or three individuals. Nannies form loose-knit nursery groups of up to 50 animals.

Aggressive Behavior

Females can be very competitive and protective of their space and food sources. They will fight with one another for dominance in conflicts that can ultimately include all the females in the herd. In these battles, nannies will circle each other with their heads lowered, showing off their horns. As with fights between billies during breeding season, these conflicts can occasionally lead to injury or even death, but they are largely harmless. To avoid fighting, an animal may show a posture of non-aggression by stretching low to the ground.

In lower regions below the timberline, nannies also use their fighting abilities to protect themselves and their offspring from predators, such as wolves, wolverines, cougars, lynx, and bears. Even though their size protects them from most potential predators in higher altitudes, females still must defend their young from golden eagles, which can be a threat to very young kids. Nannies have even been observed trying to dominate the more passive bighorn sheep that share some of their territory.

Diet

Although they have gained notoriety for their shows of aggression, mountain goats spend most of their time quietly grazing. Their diet includes grasses, herbs, sedges, ferns, moss, lichen, twigs, and leaves from the low-growing shrubs and conifers of their high-altitude habitat.

In captivity, the mountain goat's diet can also include grain, alfalfa, fruits and vegetables.

Issue #334

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Crested Wood Partridge

The Crested Wood Partridge, Rollulus rouloul, is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It is the only member of the genus Rollulus (Bonnaterre, 1791). It is also known as the Crested Partridge, Roul-roul, Red-crowned Wood Partridge or Green Wood Partridge.

Crested Wood Partridge, Rollulus rouloul. Female in front.

This small partridge is a resident breeder in lowland rainforests in south Myanmar, south Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo. Its nest is a ground scrape lined with leaves, which is concealed under a heap of leaf litter. Five or six white eggs are incubated for 18 days.

Unusually for a galliform species, the young are fed bill-to-bill by both parents instead of pecking from the ground, and, although precocial, they roost in the nest while small.

Crested Wood Partridge is a rotund short-tailed bird, 25 cm in length, with the male marginally larger than the female. Both sexes have a scarlet patch of bare skin around the eye, and red legs without a spur or hind toe.

The male is metallic green above with glossy dark blue underparts and a brownish wing panel. The head is adorned with a tall red crest, a white forehead spot and black frontal bristles.

The female has pea green body plumage apart from the brown wing coverts. She has a slate grey head with the bristles but no spot or crest. The bill is all-dark. Young birds are duller versions of the adult of the same sex. The song is a mournful whistled si-ul.

The Crested Wood Partridge is usually seen singly or in pairs as it forages on the ground for fruit, seeds and invertebrates. When disturbed, it prefers to run, but if necessary it flies a short distance on its rounded wings.

There is some concern about the effect of habitat destruction on this bird, especially with regard to logging; however, it seems to be somewhat more adaptable than other southeast Asian pheasants.

Conservation status: Lower risk (nt)

Issue #335

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Mojave Rattlesnake

The Mojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) is a rattlesnake found in the Southwestern United States and Central Mexico. It is perhaps best known for its potent venom, which is particularly dangerous, even among other rattlesnake venoms.

Mojave Rattlesnake, Crotalus scutulatus

Physical characteristics

Mojave Rattlesnakes grow from two to four feet in length and their color varies from shades of brown to green depending on their surroundings. The green hue found among Mojave Rattlesnakes has led to them being known as Mojave Greens in some areas. Like the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, which it closely resembles, the Mojave Rattlesnake has a dark, diamond pattern down its back, but the Mojave's diamond pattern ends before the tail, giving way to wide, white bands. The Mojave Rattlesnake is a pit viper.

Habitat

Mojave Rattlesnakes inhabit a range that includes California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Nevada, and central Mexico. Primarily a snake of high desert or lower mountain slopes, they are often found near scrub brush such as mesquite and creosote, but may also reside in lowland areas of sparse vegetation, among cacti, Joshua tree forests, or grassy plains.

Behaviour

Mojave rattlers are most active from April to September, and hibernate alone or in small groups during the winter. Nocturnal hunters, they prey mostly on small rodents and lizards. Females bear live young, from two to eleven, in July or August.

Mojave Toxin

Rattlesnake venom typically contains a hemotoxin. While some Mojave Rattlesnakes (Venom B populations) exhibit hemotoxic venom, there are others (Venom A populations) that possess Mojave Toxin, a potent neurotoxin, and still others that demonstrate both hemotoxic and neurotoxic venom. Because Mojave Toxin is a deadly venom component, the bite of a Mojave Rattlesnake is considered one of the most dangerous of snakes found in the United States.

Issue #336

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Angle Shades

The Angle Shades (Phlogophora meticulosa) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is a common and familiar European species and is often strongly migratory.

Angle Shades, Phlogophora meticulosa

This species has a wingspan of 45-52 mm and the forewings are very distinctively shaped with a sharply pointed apex. The common name is derived from the characteristic markings on the forewings: The base colour is buffish, brown towards the termen, and is marked with a bold v-shaped pink and green marking. Despite this bright colouring, the angular markings provide excellent camouflage against foliage. The hindwings are whitish with darker venation. Two broods are produced each year and the adults are on the wing from May to October in the English Isles. This moth flies at night and is attracted to light and sugar.

The larva is green or brown with reddish spots along the sides and faint dark chevrons along the back. It feeds on a wide variety of plants (see list below). This species overwinters as a larva.

Issue #337

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Giant Grouper

The Giant Grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus), also known as the Brindle Bass and as the Queensland Groper in Australia, is the largest bony fish found in coral reefs, and the aquatic emblem of Queensland, Australia. It is found throughout the Indo-Pacific region, with the exception of the Persian Gulf. The species can grow as large as 3 m long, weighing up to 600 kg, and there have been unconfirmed reports of attacks on humans. They are fairly common in shallow waters and feed on a variety of marine life, including small sharks and juvenile sea turtles.

Giant Grouper, Epinephelus lanceolatus

The Giant Grouper has a large mouth and a rounded tail. Juveniles have irregular black and yellow markings, while adults are green-grey to grey-brown with faint mottling. There are numerous small black spots on the fins.

Issue #338

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Northern Pacific seastar

Asterias amurensis, commonly referred to as the Northern Pacific sea star, is native to the coasts of northern China, North Korea, South Korea, Russia and Japan. Distribution of this species has increased, into other countries. Based on the distribution of northern Pacific sea star populations in shipping ports and routes, the most likely mechanism of introduction is the transport of free-swimming larvae in ballast water for ships. The ships suck in the ballast water containing sea star larvae, in a port such as one in Japan, and let it out in a port such as one in Tasmania, the larvae come out with the water, and metamophasize into juvenile sea stars.

Northern Pacific sea star, Asterias amurensis

Reproduction

In Australia spawning occurs from July to October at temperatures of 10°-12° C. Fertilised eggs develop into free-swimming larvae that live in the water for around 90 days, before settling and metamorphosizing into juvenile sea stars. In one year the sea star is capable of increasing its diameter by 8 cm; at fully grown, the northern Pacific sea star can reach sizes up to 40 to 50 cm in diameter. Larval survival is constrained by temperature and salinity of the surrounding marine habitat, with the optimal ranges respectively 8° to 16° C, and 3° to 8.75° . Generally, sea stars are sensitive to salinity fluctuations, and is unlikely to be found in places as such. Northern Pacific sea stars live up to five years. In Japan its numbers increase and reach outbreak for two to three years; outbreaks tend to occur in three or ten year cycles.

Habitat

Native to the coasts of northern China, Korea, Russia and Japan, the northern Pacific sea star lives in waters between 7° and 22° C.

It lives in mainly shallow water, but also is found as deep as 200 metres. It is rarely found on reefs or high wave action areas, instead sitting on mud, sand or pebble substrates.

Plagues

In Tasmania, due to the plague of sea stars, hunting days have been organised, where volunteers work together to physically remove as many of the sea stars as possible. Efforts of this kind in 1993 resulted in the collection of more than 30,000 sea stars. During the first attempts to remove the sea star from Tasmania, many of the sea stars that were captured were cutg up and thrown back into the sea. Unfortunately, each part that was thrown back was able to regenerate and grow a new starfish.

Sea star poisons are not specific and in the ocean, could damage many other natural marine communities. Also, the amount of chemicals needed to poison sea stars in estuaries would be very expensive, and very impractical. In Australia, northern Pacific sea stars don't have any pathogens, though in Japan, northern Pacific sea stars are attacked by unicelled animal, called Orchitophrya. Orchitophrya invades sea stars' testes, and kills sperm and castrates the sea star. However scientists later found out that Orchitophrya don't usually invade all 10 of the sea star's testesm and it's unlikely Orchitophrya will have the effect scientists had hoped for.

The NOrthern Pacific sea star has also been found in Port Phillip, Victoria, for some years now. Interestingly, the seastar has migrated inland in the Maribyrnong River, reaching as far inland as Essendon. The Maribyrnong is a salty river (previously known as Saltwater River), but finding the sea star this far inland is quite unique.

Issue #339

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Laysan Rail

The Laysan Rail, Porzana palmeri, was a tiny inhabitant of the North West Hawaiian atoll of Laysan. This small island was and still is an important seabird colony, and sustained a number of endemic species, including the rail. It became extinct due to habitat loss, feral rats, and the Second World War.

Laysan Rail, Porzana palmeri

Habitat and Description

Laysan is considered one of the most important seabird colonies in the United States. It has thousands of Black-footed Albatross, Laysan Albatross as well as shearwaters and terns. The island also held 5 unique landbirds, including the Laysan Rail. It was a small (15 cm) bird, flightless member of the rail family, an opportunist that would feed on invertebrates and the eggs of seabirds. It was an aggressive feeder that would fight off other species, particularly the Laysan Finch. It was endemic to the Laysan, though some authors have noted that there were records on other Hawaiian islands.

Extinction

The extinction of the Laysan Rail is particularly unfortunate as it could have easily been avoided. The rail was initially threatened when rabbits were introduced to Laysan. With no predators to control their numbers the rabbits soon ate the entire vegetation cover on the island. This turned the island into a barren dust bowl, sending the Laysan Millerbird and the Laysan Honeycreeper (both subspecies endemic to the island) to extinction. The Laysan Finch and Laysan Duck both survived by eating shore flies and scavenging bird eggs and carrion. The rail is believed to have become extinct on Laysan in the 1920s.

The story did not end there, however. The rail had been introduced to Midway Atoll in 1891, and had thrived on the island. Once the rail had become extinct on Laysan moves were made to both re-introduce the rail to its old home and take some to the main islands of Hawaii, along with Laysan Finches, to form a experimental population. This would have safeguarded the species. Rails were collected for this, however the idea was held up by red-tape, some people in the United States Biological Survey were concerned that the Laysan Finch, if it escaped on the main islands, would become a serious pest. The move of some of the birds to safety was therefore held up because of concerns about the finch.

The population on Midway survived until the Second World War, when in 1943 a landing craft accidentally broke free during a battle and rats were introduced on to the island. Within two years the species was extinct. A final irony was that the last man to see a Laysan Rail alive was warden Ed Caum, the man who had refused their export to Honolulu.

The scientific name honours Henry Palmer, who collected in the Hawaiian Islands for Walter Rothschild.

Conservation status: Extinct (1945)

Issue #340

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Selkirk Rex

The Selkirk Rex is a breed of cat with highly curled hair, including the whiskers (vibrissae). Unlike the Devon Rex and Cornish Rex, the hair is of normal length and not partly missing, and there are longhair and shorthair varieties. Also unlike the other Rexes, the Selkirk gene is dominant.

White Short-haired Selkirk Rex

The Selkirk Rex originated in America in 1987, with a cat named Miss DePesto, who was bred to a Persian, producing three Selkirk Rexes and three straight-haired cats. It is a large and solidly built breed, similar to a British Shorthair but with a characteristic curled coat. The coat has a woolly look and feel.

American Shorthairs, Persians, Exotics and British Shorthairs have been used as out crosses to develop this breed. The American Shorthair has now been discontinued as a breeding partner. In Australia Persians, Exotics and British are accepted out crosses until 2015.

Issue #341

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