Critter Round-up 2020

 It’s time! It’s time! The time has come for my annual critter round-up, the post in which I highlight some of the new and/or special critters we espied during the year and share what I think is an interesting Fresh Fun Fact™ (FFF™) about each of them. This year for the first time, a mollusk makes the list, there are two FFF™ involving urine, and reptiles fill the most-represented slot at ten with four of those being turtles. Bonus FFF™ all tortoises are turtles but not all turtles are tortoises. Bonus-bonus FFF™ a group of turtles is called a creep.

Now release the beasties!

 Long-nosed Leopard Lizard (UT) FFF™ Relying on its spots to mimic sun-dappled shadows beneath desert scrub, if ambushed first, it may hiss and run away upright using only its back legs.

Black Vulture (FL) FFF™ Vultures often urinate on their own legs to increase evaporative cooling in the hot months. I don’t know if it stinks, but I do know they wouldn’t mind if it did.

 Chuckwalla (CA) FFF™ Think those little crumbs around its nostrils are dried boogies? Think again! Chuckies “sneeze” excess salt from their diets, and those boogies are actually salt residue.

Red-shouldered Hawk (FL) FFF™ They like to eat cold-blooded creatures in the hot months and warm-blooded ones in the cooler months. Well, who doesn’t? It is also my FFO™ (Fresh Fun Opinion™) that they are the sweetest-faced raptor ever. 

Great Basin Rattlesnack (UT) FFF™ The rattles are empty – no beads inside! The noise is created by the shaking of the tail agitating the rattle’s layers of keratin. They rattle to let you know they’re there and please not to step on or otherwise harm them.

 

 Blister Beetle (AZ) FFF™ They secrete cantharidin, a poisonous chemical causing blistering of the skin and painful swelling. Cantharidin is used medically to remove warts.

 

 Mojave Desert Tortoise (UT) FFF™ They might pee as a defense if picked up, but unless they can find water soon afterwards, it could be one of the last things they do. They can go a long time without drinking, but that’s because they need that stored urine.

 

Osprey (everywhere USA) FFF™ They have a reversible outer toe and barbed pads on their feet to grip fish, which they will carry head-first for less wind resistance. 

 

Armadillo (OK) FFF™ It is the only animal in the world that gives birth to identical quadruplets with every birth.

 

FFF™ A group of Butterflies (UT, OK, AR, AL) is called a kaleidoscope. Delightful!

 

American Alligator (FL) FFF™ The location of the nest determines the sex of the babies. Shade = more females, sun = more males. 

 

Cuban Tree Frog (FL) FFF™ These are an invasive non-native species, and they decimate the native tree frog population. If you find one (or more) you’re supposed to kill it (them.) As a responsible critter-lover, I did what I had to do. Love hurts.

 

Crested Caracara (FL) FFF™ It is the only falcon that builds its own nest. Other falcons use old ones from other birds or make a scrape-nest on the ground. I daresay it’s the only falcon with a pink and blue beak, too!

 

 Gopher Tortoise (FL) FFF™ Their large, deep burrows not only account for their name, but they provide shelter for many other animals, especially during fires both natural and not.

 

Katydid (FL) FFF™ Those wings that resemble leaves are functional, but katydids don’t use them much. They climb and flutter downward instead, like the leaves they resemble.
 

FFF™ A group of herons (FL) is called a sedge, and they are very adaptable birds, hunting both day and night in fresh or salt water. Clockwise: Tri-colored, yellow-crowned night, green, black-crowned night, and little blue.

 

Brown Garden Snail (UT) Snails can see and smell, but they cannot hear. The upper tentacles carry the eyes, the lower the olfactory organs.

 

Three-toed Box Turtle (AR) FFF™ How do you tell a boy box turtle from a girl box turtle? It’s in the eyes! Boys usually have colorful red eyes, while girls have yellowish-brown or brown.

 Red Fox (CO) FFF™ They have whiskers on their legs as well as their snouts to help them navigate.

Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnack (FL) FFF™ Their little rattles often fall off, but if they do have one and shake it, it sounds like a buzzing bee. You have to be pretty close to hear it, but fortunately, there have been no recorded deaths from a dusky’s bite.

 

Two-striped Walking Stick (FL) Walking sticks are found across the southern U.S. but this black and white species is found only in the Ocala N.F. FFF™ Once the smaller male finds a female, he will attach and stay with her until death do them part.

 

 Spiny Softshell Turtle (FL) FFF™ Their pliable, leather-like shells are only minimally protective compared to their hard-shelled cousins. Their pig-snouted faces are even soft, unlike the bird-beak visages of other turtles.

 

Purple Gallinule (FL) FFF™ The chicks have a special claw on their “thumb” feather that helps them climb around in the reeds.

American Crocodile (FL) FFF™ They swallow rocks to help with digestion and to control buoyancy – like a diver’s weighted belt!

Manatee (FL) FFF™ They are not fat! In fact, they have no blubber at all, which is why they need to stay in warm water in the winter. Why so porky? It’s all guts! Bonus FFF™ Alligators very rarely attack manatees. When a manatee wants the right-of-way, it nudges the gator with its snoot, and the gator acquiesces.

Every year is the worst for some and the best for others (yes, even 2020) and the fact of it is that no one knows which is which until they get to the end of theirs. What separates us from all the wondrous critters is that we have the power to determine our perception of the years we’re given. Your life will pass in the same amount of time no matter how you choose to feel about it. Choose wisely, Faithful Readers. Let’s bite 2021 by the pantleg and shake every bit of happiness out of it that we possibly can.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

COMMENTS

 

1. path08 I always love your posts! Especially now when we are off the road temporarily (I hope) waiting out the pandemic. Thanks for keeping travel alive!

   
   
   • Chasing Dirt Thank you! I hope you’re back on the road soon, too, and these uncertain times are behind us.

2. patdante Thanks for sharing your wonderful photos and the informative descriptions. I wish you a safe and successful New Year!

   
   

   Chasing Dirt My pleasure! I hope you have a new year full of wonder and happiness!

    
3. OwnLessDoMore.us My favorite new facts: creep of turtles, reversible outer toe, and baby gender determined by sun vs shade.

   My favorite pic: The wee snail. Something about seeing its back turned to you hit me right in the feels. KEEP MOVING FORWARD, YA DEAF SLOWPOKE! And so shall we all.

   • Chasing Dirt I just love certain animal group names, and it makes me wish I could be in charge of naming stuff.

     Yah, keep moving forward — I like that photo interpretation!

4. Diana Amazing photos, and thanks for all the fun facts! I didn’t know any of them.

   
   
   • Chasing Dirt Thanks! I love when folks like my FFFs. You wouldn’t believe how much time I spend looking things up and fretting over which tidbits to choose. I’m a little obsessed 😆

5. Shannon LOVE these photos and facts, especially the photo of the ospreys. The one towards the back cracks me up.

   Temperature-based sex determination is common in reptiles and an interesting but unfortunate fact is that some species like sea turtles that nest on the same beaches every year are at risk of becoming all one sex (and dying out) because of climate change. It would of course be a huge bummer if ancient creatures that survived so many eons were wiped out by our stupid 150 years of industrial activity.

   What are your thoughts on the idea that vultures projectile vomit partially digested carrion as a defense and escape mechanism? Old wives’ tale, fresh and fun, or too disgusting for words? 🙂

   • Chasing Dirt That funny osprey is why I picked them for this year’s Round-up 😂

     We just saw a show a few weeks ago about the sea turtles and the increasing all-female hatches. It was sadly fascinating.

     I think that’s probably true about the puking vultures. Fear has a way of clearing things out!

6. placestheygo What a great post. Seeing wildlife is one of the fun parts of hiking. You certainly hit the jackpot of wildlife sightings this year. Awesome photos! Wishing you both a Happy New Year. Hope we meet up again in 2021.

   • Chasing Dirt I have so much fun gathering all my critter photos and facts throughout the year. I’m always worried I won’t get “enough,” especially this year, but so far I always end up with more than I can post about. (birds and bugs will keep me in critters forever 😆)

     Here’s to a fabulous new year — it would be great to hit the trails with you again!

7. Laurel Haha, ‘release the beasties!’ I know the group names of many birds…but I am not as familiar with the group names of other creatures. A kaleidoscope of butterflies is so perfect! I learn so many fun facts in your yearly critter roundup. I always thought manatee were fat! And wondered how they could be fat when the only thing they eat is green leafy calorie neutral stuff.

   Here’s something I can contribute: Black Vultures are indeed stinky!! Especially when they’re in a group. Thanks to your helpful commentary, now I know why.

   I’m doing my best to choose wisely in the way that I think. You know I’m all about choosing happiness. Still, I’m hoping 2021 will be a vast improvement over 2020…

   • Chasing Dirt You are my go-to bird expert(s)! I can’t wait to do some bird-walking with you.

     The manatee fact blew me away, too. Every fact about those dirigibles is interesting! I like your smelly contribution 😂 about vultures. Let’s start using a new phrase “like stink on a vulture,” and see if we can get it to catch on.

     It’s going to be a happy new year, dammit! 🤣

8. chapter3travels So, you’re not a turtle murderer, but you are a frog assassin? Hmmm. I mean, I guess it was for the greater good and all, but all I can think of is poor Kermit, smooshed. Also, maybe we could keep the whole “peeing on the leg for evaporative cooling effects” away from the general public. Lord knows we don’t need to give people any more bad ideas.

   Fabulous photos as always and all kinds of neat factoids. Good advice too. We could all use a bit of positive thinking.

   Happy New Year!

   • Chasing Dirt Turtle lives! Froggie, not so much. I was nice and didn’t smash it with a rock. It went to Freezer Camp, where it fell into a peaceful chilly slumber in a Ziploc sleeping bag before passing away.

     So, was the leg-peeing strategy factoid your favorite?😅 Mum’s the word from now on, though.

     I’m positive we’ll all have a good year. I mean, come on, right?!

9. Sharron @onlytherocks I think my favorite thing about this lifestyle is the wildlife. Your critter round up was a joy to read. I never knew a group of butterflies was called a kaleidoscope. How appropriate! I really enjoyed all of the photos of the different types of Herons. Such graceful birds I think. Thanks for sharing your photos and for all of the fun facts.

   
   
   • Chasing Dirt I’ve always maintained that the primary reason I hike is for the chance to see critters.

     It was hard to decide to make a collage of the herons since those are such good individual photos. They really are all beautiful birds and generally very cooperative photo subjects.

     Happy New Year!

10. Lowe's Travels The best FFF round up in my opinion because I learned a lot this evening. Since pausing from blogging I have not been in the know of nature. I have become an ordinary person simply enjoying what nature provides aka knowns nature watching 🙂 So I rely on you now to feed me information ha ha ha .

    What an appropriate name for a group of butterflies! I did not know that nor about the stinky Black Vulture…mmm.
    Here’s wishing you and TBG better travel days ahead, a better 2021 ( well the capitol has just been stormed by stupid protesters, what a sad day 😦 Can’t wait for Jan 20, and the nightmare will be over.

    • Chasing Dirt I am more than happy to provide info, but don’t sell yourself short because you get lots of cool critters where you are!

      Here’s hoping to a LOT of better days in ’21 for everyone 🙂