A little Bonus post: True or False? Debunking myths about nature.

Hey everyone!! For this week's post, I wanted to debunk some myths that some of us are told about nature. I am excited to research this because I know there are probably things I think are true but aren't. 

1. If you lick a banana slug, your tongue will go numb. True or False? (Take a guess!) 

True! 

I do not recommend trying this, but licking a banana slug will make your mouth and throat numb! It's the slime on the slug that has this effect. It is a defense mechanism so that when predators try a banana slug, their mouth will go numb and not eat it. This fact is so random, but I had no idea that this was true!

2. Bats can get tangled in your hair. True or False? (Take a guess!) 

False

Bats use echolocation to get around. Echolocation is where the animals make sounds that will reflect off objects to navigate and get around. Bats have no interest in getting in your hair or touching you in any way at all. They may fly close to you, but only to look for insects, not attack to you. 

3. When you pull on a lizard's tail, it will fall off. True or False? (Take a guess!) 

True!

Another defense mechanism, lizards can voluntarily eject their tails. When a predator grabs the lizard by the tail, they can take off the tail easily, and the lizard can get away. Its tail also acts as a decoy, so the predator gets distracted or even thinks the tail is the lizard. This fact is not a sign to pull off a lizard's tail because it is very stressful for them, and it takes a long time to grow it back. 

4. Porcupines can shoot their quills at predators. True or False? (Take a guess!) 

False! 

Porcupines do have quills and do use them in defense, but they cannot shoot them. When a porcupine feels the need, it can raise its quills and quickly let them loose into its predator, but to do this, the predator has to touch them. 

Sources: 

https://www.crittersquad.com/portfolio/banana-slugs-the-slimy-fruit-look-alike/ 

https://batwatch.ca/content/bat-myths 

https://www.buzzfeed.com/jonmichaelpoff/animal-myths

The story behind the California Condors

     The California condor has a fascinating story. In 1967 the condor was almost extinct in the wild. They were getting killed due to poaching, habitat destruction, and mainly lead poisoning. Lead poisoning in condors was due to people hunting with lead bullets. According to PNAS.org, the lead bullets would shatter upon impact throughout the body of the shot animal. Since Condors are scavengers, they feed on dead remains of animals. They would find the remains of these animals shot by lead bullets, feed on them, and soon after die of lead poisoning. In 1982, there was only 23 California Condors in the wild. All of these wild condors were captured in 1987 and put into a recovery program by the US fish and wildlife service. This program is what saved the condors from extinction.

Two California Condors grooming each other 

   During recovery, the condors were taken care of very cautiously. People didn't want the birds to get used to being taken care of and wanted to release them back into the wild as soon as possible. In this program, the condors were bred, and the offspring were taught how to survive in the wild. In 1992 condors were starting to be released again. According to di.org, these condors returned to the wild successfully. They were able to find food and travel.

A California Condor perched on a branch in Bitter Creek Wildlife Refuge

   California condors are now found in Utah, California, Arizona, and Mexico. I saw my first one at Zion national park in Utah during a backpacking trip. They roost on rocky cliffs, and their nests can be found as high as 6,000 feet in elevation. According to National Geographic, the California condor is the largest North American land bird. They have a wingspan of 9 to 10 feet, can fly up to 15,000 feet in the air, can fly as fast as 55 mph, and even live up to 60 years old. These birds are still critically endangered, but their population is rising substantially! According to The Guardian, condors are soon to be reintroduced to the Pacific Northwest. A captive breeding facility for these birds is also being put in the Redwood National Park. Scientists track all wild condors, and there are currently 160 in the wild, with more still in captivity. At the moment, life is looking pretty good for the California Condor population, and all of us nature lovers, are siked to see that happening. 

Sources: 

“California Condor, Facts and Photos.” Animals, National Geographic, www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/facts/california-condor. 

Clifton, Ken. “California Condor #77 & 44.” Flickr, Yahoo!, 23 May 2011, www.flickr.com/photos/by-ken/5749320462/. 

“Endangered Condors Return to Northern California Skies after Nearly a Century.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 27 Mar. 2021, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/26/california-condor-reintroduced-yurok-tribe.

Finkelstein, Myra E., et al. “Lead Poisoning and the Deceptive Recovery of the Critically Endangered California Condor.” PNAS, National Academy of Sciences, 10 July 2012, www.pnas.org/content/109/28/11449. 

Jeffrey P. Cohn, Saving the California Condor, BioScience, Volume 49, Issue 11, November 1999, Pages 864–868, https://doi.org/10.2307/1313644

Myatt, Jon. “Pacific Southwest Region: California Condor Recovery Program.” National USFWS Website, Fws.gov, 1 Apr. 2021, www.fws.gov/cno/es/calcondor/Condor.cfm. 

Region, USFWS Pacific Southwest. “California Condor #568.” Flickr, Yahoo!, 15 Aug. 2017, www.flickr.com/photos/usfws_pacificsw/35786702713. 

Icelandic Horses!

 

    Out of all the horse breeds, the Icelandic might be my favorite. Not only are they adorable with their fluffy, gigantic mane and sweet little faces, but they are also super important to the history of Iceland! Vikings used these horses for transportation and work. Icelandic horses have been on their little island without any other horse breeds, making them all purebred. They remain that way due to being strictly protected; no other horses are allowed in Iceland. A horse that is brought away from its home in Iceland can also never come back. Because of this, these horses don't need any vaccinations and suffer very little from any sicknesses. Due to their health, they live an average of 40 years old, whereas the average for other horse breeds is only 26 years. 

    After all this time, they have evolved to be some of the most sturdy and reliable horses out there. They are easy to ride, train, and are extremely friendly and gentle. 

    They run half-wild with their friends throughout the mountains and rivers of Iceland. In my opinion, they are some of the happiest horses out there. These horses are incredibly unique in that they have five gaits! Much like humans, a horse has the average gaits of walk, trot (like a jog), canter (a run)/galloping (like a sprint). Icelandic's have two more gaits, the tölt, and the flying pace. The tölt is where the horse puts its weight on its hind, allowing the front to move freely. The flying pace almost looks like a super extended trot and is quite fast. Here is an excellent video by the channel 'Horses Of Iceland' that shows each of their gates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV9P0w8vZi8&feature=emb_logo

<---A photo taken by my mom of my sister petting a sweet Icelandic horse.

Thanks for reading today's blog, and let me know if you want one of the horses as much as I do.

Please comment and tell my mom to get one for me and my little sister hehehe. 

Also none of these photos were taken by me!!! 

Sources:

Horses Of Iceland. "5 gaits of the Icelandic horse." YouTube, October 10, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV9P0w8vZi8&feature=emb_logo .

Klimaite, Vita. “5 Facts About the Icelandic Horse.” Adventures.com, 13 Nov. 2020, adventures.com/blog/icelandic-horse/. 

FEI. "The Uniqueness of Icelandic Horses | Equestrian World." YouTube, February 19, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieOl2BKOtBw.

Petersen, Simon. “The Best Way to See Iceland Is by Horse – Here Is Why!” Man vs World, 8 May 2020, www.manversusworld.com/the-best-way-to-see-iceland-is-by-horse-here-is-why/.