This little mammal loves to get down on pine cones, and while its not bouncing from treetop to treetop, will build its nest in the tip-top of very tall ponderosa pines. For today’s edition of Wildlife Wednesday, a profile of Abert’s squirrel (Sciurus aberti).
Found in both the U.S. and Mexico, the most distinctive feature of this squirrel are its hairy tufted ears, which can extend 2-3 cm from the skin.
It’s named after Col. John James Abert, an American naturalist and member of the U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers who helped organize the mapping of the American West.
A favorite food of the Abert’s squirrel is the ponderosa pine cone, which they will turn slowly while eating (much like people do with corn on the cob) to peel away the cone and dig into its meaty seeds.
These critters have a sweet tooth. In early spring, sap begins to flow in boxelder maple trees and Abert’s squirrels can be seen climbing the trees, licking the bark to get down on their gooey sap, which is a high-energy treat.
Abert’s squirrels shed their thick coat and tasseled ears in the summer (see bottom right photo).
Excellent climbers, according to the National Park Service, Abert’s squirrels can hang onto a tree limb “using only their rear feet while keeping their front feet free to handle food.”
Zoologger: Octopus makes own quicksand to build burrow on seabed
by
Agata Blaszczak-Boxe
Species: The southern sand octopus (Octopus kaurna)
Habitat: The seafloor on the south-eastern coast of Australia
The southern sand octopus has taken hide-and-seek to a whole new
level. It shoots jets of water into the seafloor creating quicksand that
allows it to vanish.
A skilled architect, the octopus can build a mucus-lined home –
complete with a chimney –20 centimetres down into the seabed, where it
holes up during the day. It only emerges from its underground burrow at
night to crawl over the seafloor and snack on small crustaceans.
Now, its unique burrowing technique has been revealed for the first time…
#DidYouKnow- Most octopus females will mate with a male and then bite his head off-But Scientists have recently discovered a species that mates beak to beak!
Ross and Roy Caldwell of the University of California (Berkeley Campus) have discovered that the larger Pacific striped octopus
🐙 Share dens and meals, whereas most octopuses are loners (if not cannibals).
🐙 mate as often as daily, and females lay eggs over months; in most other species, females die after raising one brood.
🐙 And though most octopuses couple warily, at arm’s length, LPSOs mate with the beaks on their undersides pressed together, as if kissing. :)
The battling octopi “use a sort of inverted jet propulsion” to chuck the shells, videographer Peter Godfrey-Smith explained. They gather up projectiles in their many arms, and then shoot water out of their siphons to give their throws some added oomph.
