Scarlet Macaws are bright, colorful parrots native to the rainforest of Central and South America. These highly intelligent birds live in large groups and are very vocal. Capable of mimicking a variety of sounds, including human speech, macaws are loud. Their squawks, and screeches can be heard from miles away. Scarlet macaws are protected underContinueContinue reading “Macaw”
Category Archives: Wildlife
Verdi
The Green Tree Python is an arboreal species of snake native to New Guinea, Indonesia and Northern Australia. They have a prehensile tail which they use to anchor themselves to a branch, allowing them to strike at prey without falling. They also use their tail as a lure prey. As with all pythons the greenContinueContinue reading “Verdi”
Barking Deer
Meet Jill, a Reeves muntjac. Also known as a barking deer, because their alarm call sounds like a dog’s bark. Unlike most deer species, muntjacs don’t form herds; they live alone or in pairs. They have long tongues that they use to strip leaves off of bushes. Native to China and Taiwan their biggest threatsContinueContinue reading “Barking Deer”
Crawdad
Found a little friend hanging out in the water. This is a northern clearwater crayfish. They can be found all over Michigan in rocky streams, lakes, and rivers. There are more than 540 species of crayfish worldwide. They can be found everywhere except in Africa and Antartica. Crayfish have excellent eyesight and can move eachContinueContinue reading “Crawdad”
Small but Deadly
The phantasmal poison dart frog lives on the slopes of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador. As their name suggests, they are poisonous. Their poison comes from their diet, which includes ants, spiders, mites, and other insects. The frogs metabolize the toxins from their prey and combine them to produce a poison that they secrete throughContinueContinue reading “Small but Deadly”
Living in Slow Motion
Sloths are native Central and South America. All sloths have 3 toes on their back feet, but two-toed sloths only have 2 toes on their forelimbs. This is a two-toed sloth. You can see that the front limbs have two toes while the back have three. They spend most of their time hanging out inContinueContinue reading “Living in Slow Motion”
Pigeons can be Beautiful
When you say pigeon most people think of the kind that live in big cities and go after your food in the park. But there are actually 175 different species of pigeons. The Victoria crowned pigeon is arguably the most elegant and ornate species of pigeons. Named after Queen Victoria for their regal appearance. TheContinueContinue reading “Pigeons can be Beautiful”
A Reptile Like No Other
Prehensile-tailed skinks are very unique reptiles. They are the longest species of skinks reaching up to 32 inches in length. As their name suggests they have a prehensile tail, meaning they can grip objects with their tail. This is useful for these skinks since they are arboreal (live in the trees). They are native toContinueContinue reading “A Reptile Like No Other”
Peafowl
Even though most people refer to both sexes as peacocks, only the males are called peacocks. The females are called peahens. And peafowl is the term for both. Peacocks use their bright iridescent trains to attract peahens. Another technique males use is quivering their feathers to produce infrasonic sounds (low frequency). Baby peafowl are calledContinueContinue reading “Peafowl”
Oryx in the US…?
Yes. There are wild oryxes (gemsbok) in the U.S.A. No, they are not a native species. They are native to Africa. In the 1970s the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish wanted to increase “large game” opportunities for hunters. So they intentionally released 95 oryxes into New Mexico’s White Sands Missile Range. An AbundanceContinueContinue reading “Oryx in the US…?”
Eye of the Wild Photography 