Whit Gibbons, Herpetologist and Author
WHAT ARE THOSE METAL CONES BELOW DUCK BOXES? Q. What kind of ducks lay eggs in the boxes I see on trees and poles around lakes and reservoirs? And what is the purpose of the large silver-colored cones installed between … Continued
HOW HIGH CAN AN ALLIGATOR JUMP? Some animals keep the human spirit alive by spurring our curiosity. The American alligator is a superstar in this role, as shown by these questions I have received. Q. We have moved to a community … Continued
WHO ARE OUR BIGGEST BIRDS? Q. I am pretty sure that ostriches are the biggest birds in the world. But what is the biggest bird in North America? A. The first step is to define “big.” Andrew Lydeard, program coordinator … Continued
WHY DO SOME LIZARDS CHANGE COLORS? One of the most commonly seen lizards in the southern states is the green anole, also known as the North American green anole or Carolina anole. (Its scientific name is Anolis carolinensis.) Although more … Continued
COWBIRDS ARE NEST PARASITES Q. Do brown-headed cowbirds pick the nest of another bird to lay eggs in based on which kind of bird raised them as a nestling? In other words, if a cowbird is raised as a chick … Continued
WHAT IS THE RAREST ANIMAL IN THE WORLD? Q. I get different answers on the Internet when I ask what is the rarest animal in the world. What’s the correct answer? A. In the strictest sense, the answer to your … Continued
LICHENS ARE ALL OVER THE WORLD What am I going to do with these kids, I wondered. I had agreed to oversee an after-hours science club at a local elementary school to teach a bunch of third-graders about ecology. I … Continued
A PRETTY BIRD IS A BETTER BIRD Ornithologist Peter Stangel points out that male American goldfinches are “neon yellow and jet black when advertising to females, but more modest yellow-green the rest of the year.” He further notes that in … Continued
WHAT SNAKES LIVE AROUND YOUR HOUSE? Following are questions readers have asked about snakes in and around the house. They sometimes send photos to help with identification. Q. We’ve been trying to clean out the weir of our freshwater, man-made … Continued
SNAKES ARE COMING OUT ALL OVER Q. Our porch light is suspended by a chain from the ceiling. Last year, finches built a nest in the light fixture. A ratsnake climbed up the brick walls and got into it. Although … Continued