Author Archives: tech

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

CAN A CENTIPEDE HURT YOU? I turned over a log in the woods last week and was pleased to see nearly two dozen pairs of bright red legs disappear beneath the leaves: a centipede. I immediately thought of three questions … Continued

ENVIRONMENTAL BYCATCH CAN BE INTERESTING A marine animal caught unintentionally by commercial fishing gear is known as bycatch. Dolphins trapped in nets targeting tuna, sea turtles swept up in shrimp trawls and terrapins caught in crab traps are bycatch. Inland, … Continued

BIRDS, SNAKES AND TURTLES PROMPT WILDLIFE QUESTIONS Q. I saw a photo on Facebook of a rattlesnake with its head looking up at the base of an oak tree and its enormous body stretched out in the leaves on the … Continued