Author Archives: tech

SOME ANIMALS MAY BE SMARTER THAN WE THINK Q. A couple of years ago you wrote about our backyard hummingbird feeders in Clarksville, Tennessee. Our backyard is an open area bordering woods that harbor wildlife, including raccoons. We bring in … Continued

EXTREME HABITATS CAN SOMETIMES BE DECEIVING The barren hills catching the gold of the morning sun looked like a distant painting rather than real life. I saw no wildlife on the barren bluffs, which were devoid of vegetation save a … Continued

A BOOK ABOUT LOVING INSECTS IS WORTH THE READ When considering the country’s most famous early naturalists of the 18th and 19th centuries, John James Audubon comes to mind as the consummate painter of birds. William Bartram holds the crown … Continued

SOME INVASIVE SPECIES ARE AN ENIGMA When I looked down on the scene from atop the Piedras Blancas Light Station, I understood why the California coast was noted for its magnificent views. The ocean crashed along rocky shores; elephant seals … Continued

TASMANIAN DEVILS DON’T RESEMBLE CARTOON CRITTER Once upon a time I was fortunate enough to see one of the most incredible animals left on earth, a wild Tasmanian devil. I was in the company of 80 wildlife biologists from mainland … Continued

HOW DO ANIMALS GET THEIR NAMES? Many scientific names acknowledge some distinctive aspect of a plant or animal. For example, the scientific name for the Alabama waterdog, an aquatic, flat-tailed salamander native to the Black Warrior River, is Necturus alabamensis. … Continued

THE PORTUGUESE MAN-OF-WAR IS APTLY NAMED From one memorable day during childhood, I vividly recall four colors: pink, blue, white and red. The first three were the last ones I saw before someone pulled me out of the waters of … Continued

HORSESHOE CRABS LOOK FIERCE BUT ARE HARMLESS Two animal mysteries associated with coastlines intrigue me. Who ate the first raw oyster? Who picked up the first horseshoe crab? The first person who pried open what looks like a rough gray … Continued

SOMETIMES PREY FOLLOW A PREDATOR A publication by Steven G. Platt and Thomas R. Rainwater in the scientific journal Southeastern Naturalist discusses an intriguing predator-prey relationship between turtles and fish. Their observation has broad application by making a connection with … Continued