Whit Gibbons, Herpetologist and Author
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
SQUIDS ARE DEEP SEA MYSTERIES Q. Someone told me that the body and arms of calamari, like you eat in a restaurant, can be more than 40 feet long. I’m not sure I believe my buddy or what I read … Continued
BIGGER IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER Q. You wrote that blue whales are the largest mammals. What are the largest and smallest animals of other groups? What ecological problems do animals confront by being extremely big or extremely small? A. Body … Continued
BEE-EATERS ARE UNUSUAL BIRDS My friend Trip Lamb’s recent photographs from Africa reinforced for me the value of vicarious ecology, which I define as enjoying someone else’s outdoor experiences. Vicarious ecology offers ways to learn about the natural world that … Continued
THE WOODS ARE FULL OF WALLS A habitat in my yard is also in your neighborhood, as well as in downtown Honolulu, Iceland and all national parks. The habitat exists worldwide, and anyone has the option of checking it out … Continued
SOMETIMES A TAIL CAN BE A WEAPON Seeing photos of cold-stunned iguanas in Miami during a winter cold spell brought back an early memory. I was a 7th-grade intern in the reptile house at Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, when … Continued
THE LIGHTNER MUSUEM IS FULL OF ECOLOGY When my sister casually said, “Look at the snake,” I glanced at the woman we were standing beside. Sure enough, a small snake was wrapped around her wrist. We knew the snake was … Continued
WHY DO HAWKS PUT UP WITH MOBBING? Q. Why don’t hawks fight back when crows mob them? They seem almost indifferent to the attacks, like one I saw yesterday. He just sat at the top of the tree as the … Continued
VICARIOUS ECOLOGY HAS MUCH TO OFFER The message I received from my grandson Parker read, “Wonder how many people can say they’ve been bitten by a blue jay and an octopus in the same day?” I thought I knew the … Continued