Author Archives: tech

SOME INVASIVE SPECIES ARE HERE TO STAY In southern Alabama or southern Georgia, seeing an American alligator gobble up a beaver amid white water lilies would be a memorable sight, and an entirely natural one. To see a Nile crocodile … Continued

Q. In a recent column you said bushmasters are the largest pit vipers in the world. I was told pit vipers have vertical pupils, which is one way to determine if a snake is venomous. However, you included a photo … Continued

HOW DO PREY ANIMALS PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM PREDATORS? Animals protect themselves from being eaten by other animals in countless ways. Some are commonplace. Others are unconventional. Camouflage and running are well-known defenses. Not being seen by a predator in the … Continued

HORNED LIZARDS NOW THRIVE IN THE SOUTHEAST When my grandson Parker was 11 years old, he called me from a coastal island with exciting news. Problem was I took the call outside a restaurant with people jabbering and at a … Continued

WITH SPRING COMES ALLIGATOR QUESTIONS I received the following questions about American alligators, which have spent most of their time in a dormant state since autumn. Q. How old do alligators get in the wild? A. Determining the age of … Continued

BELUGA WHALES ARE COOL Prepossessing, alluring, enigmatic. If someone uses these descriptors, they might be talking about a person they find attractive. If they add graceful, charismatic and supple to the description, they are probably talking about a beluga whale. … Continued

ECOTOURS OFFER NATURAL HISTORY EXPERIENCES I received the following message: “ We found a painted ant-nest frog today, a peculiar frog with an incredible natural history. Once thought to be a species belonging to the group of poisonous dart frogs, … Continued

VELVET ANTS CAN DELIVER A PAINFUL STING The email from Trip Lamb, biology professor at Eastern Carolina University, said, “As a velvet ant sting survivor, you may appreciate the attached.” The attachment was a scientific paper titled “The Indestructible Insect: … Continued

SPRING IS A GOOD TIME FOR BUG THERAPY  Adults who don’t think some children spend far too much time on their cell phones are probably too engaged with their own cell phones to notice. I’m not sure those adults can … Continued

SCORPIONS GLOW IN THE DARK  I recently received a question about the use of technology in ecological research, which led to a discussion about blacklights. I wrote a column 5 years ago about a nighttime adventure in a southwestern desert … Continued