My Temple of Nature

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Fantastic Flying Foxes

When I lived in Georgia, my neighbor and I used to watch the bats come out at night and go after the insects that would collect around the overhead lights in the parking lot. There would only be a few bats and I couldn't tell you what kind they were, but watching their acro'bat'ics was entertaining. I know - a bad play on words - but I couldn't resist.

Flying foxes are the largest bats in the world - known as megabats (as opposed to their smaller cousins, the microbats). The megabats actually have fur on their faces and upper bodies which is where they get their name. Like this Giant Golden-crowned flying fox from the Phillipines. Its face really does look like a fox.

Source: Wikipedia

Thinking he looks rather sinister? This guy can have a wingspan of over 5 feet so you might think he's an able predator. Shades of Dracula? He wouldn't attack unless you had a fig in your hand! Strange but true - this flying fox is a fig specialist and figs make up the major part of its diet! That's right - the biggest bats in the world are also known as fruit bats and they are strictly vegetarians. There are many tropical plant species that strictly rely on fruit bats to distribute their seeds. Some megabats eat the nectar from flowers and actually pollinate them. The smaller species are able to hover in the air like hummingbirds and have long tongues that reach deep into the flower acting like the hummingbirds' long bill.

Even though they're called megabats not all species are large - like the Lesser Short-Nosed Fruit Bat which hails from southern Asia and Indonesia and can weigh in at less than an ounce.

Source: Wikipedia

There are 186 species of flying foxes and some species definitely look more benign than others. Like the Sulawesi Flying Fox - isn't it a cutie?

Source: Wikipedia

Some species are highly endangered due to habitat loss, like the Fijian Monkey-faced Bat, a species only found in one small area of Fiji.

Source: Wikipedia

Also unlike the microbats, except for one species, megabats don't use echolocation to navigate, but rely on their eyesight, usually much better than most microbats. Rather than a cave, the black flying fox from Australia (and many other species) roosts in trees during the day.

Source: Wikipedia

Flying foxes are mammals and are sometimes hunted for their meat, like the Seychelles Flying Fox.

Source: Wikipedia

Who could eat him?? He looks a little more like Pomeranian. I think these guys are awesome!

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Historic Slater Park

The mobile home park I live in is right next to a park - Slater Park, the oldest and largest public park in Pawtucket. Friday I went on a drive through the park, and also stopped and took a walk with my camera. Before it was a park, it was Daggett Farm - almost 200 acres of land. It still includes a small petting zoo where the kids can meet some farm animals.

There's also a children's playground.

Yes, that's an elephant in front - but not a real one, of course. There also used to be a small zoo where Fanny the elephant lived, much loved by regular visitors. This was built as a tribute to her after she passed away.

And there's a dog park.

These guys were having fun for the most part, but I did hear a growl or two.

Of course. you can also take your dog for a walk within the rest of the park as long as it's on a leash.

There is also a Looff Carousel built in 1894. Charles I. D. Looff was a master carver and built over 50 carousels and rides for amusement parks. The Slater Park carousel was originally located in New York, but relocated here in 1910, and supposed to be the fastest carousel he ever made. The carousel may be part of the reason that Slater Park is on the National Register of Historic Places. This is the building that houses the carousel, not usually open this time of year.

It is open occasionally around Christmas. This is a photo I took several years ago. I was really struck by this very proper-looking woman riding a huge dog.

The dog is one of the animals that doesn't go up or down. I'll have to do a full post just on the carousel in the spring when I can get more pictures.

Across from the carousel is a little man-made lake. It's been so warm this winter there's not a speck of ice on the lake, one of the reasons why there are so many birds this year.

As I started to walk up to the lake, all the birds immediately came over to check me out, hoping for a handout. There were lots of mallards..

Canadian geese, a few swans...

and the ever-present gulls.

I apologized for not bringing them anything to eat, but was actually glad I hadn't. There were a couple people at the other end of the lake that brought some bread and were quickly mobbed by birds.

The male mallards are really spectacular with their iridescent green heads and neon orange feet.

I got a couple pictures of headless swans as they were grazing on something under the water.

A few geese were very friendly...

(and no, I never saw any geese walk up the stairs!)

And this guy was very curious about my camera, so I held the camera close to his face, not being able to see through the view finder. I think it came out rather well.

Next time I go I might be daring and take some food!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Brilliant Bee-eaters

We don't have any here in the US, but bee-eaters are some of the most striking and uniquely colored birds I've seen (or rather haven't seen since I only know them from photographs). The 26 species are found mostly in Africa, with a few also living in Asia, Australia, the South Pacific and southern Europe.

As their name suggests, they eat mostly bees, especially honey bees, as well as wasps and ants, and many other flying insects, generally caught in mid flight. It's tricky eating stinging insects, but these birds have developed a foolproof technique of catching their prey, knocking and rubbing it against a branch or fence post to remove the stinger while at the same time squeezing it with their curved, sharp bill to remove the venom.

Bee-eaters live in colonies, burrowing into the sides of river banks or nesting on cliffs. Each colony is composed of two or three clans of male and female pairs, their offspring and 'helpers'. It is not unusual for females to try to lay eggs in their neighbor's nest and each clan defends their individual territory, including from the clan that lives right next door.

Take a look at some of these beautiful birds. Note the dark eye stripe making them appear to be wearing a mask.

Little Bee-eater Source: Wikipedia

Blue-cheeked bee-eater Source: Wikipedia

White-fronted Bee-eater Source: Wikipedia

Rainbow Bee-eaters Source: Wikipedia

European Bee-eater Source: Wikipedia

Northern Carmine Bee-eater Source: Wikipedia

You can click on the Wikipedia links under each picture to learn more. These birds are gorgeous as adults, but check out the babies here. Here's a video - and another. Enjoy.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Daring Dolphins

If you were around in the 1960's you remember the TV show 'Flipper'. It was revived in the 90's or you may have seen the movies. When we say the word dolphin, the bottlenose dolphin is what we visualize, the original Flipper. It's actually called the common bottlenose dolphin, but in my mind there's nothing common about dolphins.

Source: Wikipedia

But there are over 35 species of dolphins, including the orca or killer whale. Dolphins eat fish and crustaceans, while the larger "whale" dolphins also eat marine mammals such as sea lions. Dolphins range in size from just 4 feet to 30 feet long. Dolphins are also very social - some live in pods of up to 500 individuals. And they are considered one of the most intelligent animals on the planet.

Most dolphins live in the oceans of the world, but there are also freshwater river dolphins. Most have poor eyesight, unlike their ocean cousins, because river water tends to be much murkier than saltwater. Each year the Amazon River floods a huge area of normally forested land. The Amazon river dolphins are specialists at navigating through underwater vegetation with their echo location, plus they have an unfused vertebrae which enables them be much more flexible. They can turn their head 180 degrees. To learn more check out this video. Oh, and did I mention that these dolphins are pink?? The murkier the water, the pinker they are.

Photo by Kevin Schafer Source: National Geographic

Found only around the southern tip of South America and nearby islands, the Commerson's dolphin is a little more unusual looking - more like a cross between a dolphin and the orca. With it's black and white color pattern it's easy to see why it's also known as the panda dolphin and the skunk dolphin.

Source: Wikipedia

There are also spotted dolphins...

Source: Wikipedia

and striped dolphins...

Source: Wikipedia

and dusky dolphins...

Source: Wikipedia

and the true acrobats of the sea, spinner dolphins.

Source: Wikipedia

You can click on the links under each photo to find out more. Check out these videos: for more information about dolphin intelligence, click here and here. To see a spinner dolphin in slow motion, click here. To see dolphins making bubble rings, click here. For more information on Commerson's dolphins, click here.