Fauna
I am by no means an expert in ecology or animals, but I do put effort into learning about them. I enjoy puzzling through the complexities of how each being impacts other creatures and their environment.
There is beauty in the nature all around us. Sometimes you have to look a little closer to see it.
What got you interested in other animals?
I started with learning about my local fauna (animals) because I wanted to be able to recognize our venomous residents. It’s useful information to know if you are bitten and need antivenom from the ER. In order to confidently identify venomous creatures, it helps to be able to identify the non-venomous ones as well. So, I was learning a lot about a variety of creatures around me.
It can be a bit mind-boggling how strange real life is. Sci-fi seems less and less far-fetched the more I’m exposed to information about the world we live in already. I’m going to share some of my favorite animal facts below and would LOVE to hear your favorites as well! My curiosity is insatiable and I love learning from other people.
A harvestman that posed for a photo with a nice backdrop one morning.
Several species of fish are able to change their sex.
All creatures, yes, even bugs, have personalities. Within any group, a herd of deer, a pride of lions, a congress of salamanders, there is variation in how explorative they are about animals outside of their species. Some may be more irritable towards their group mates while others aim to please. It’s easy to see this when we look at dogs, no matter their breed or relation to each other. Why would we expect other animals to be identical to each other in behavior?
A box turtle that was grumpy with me for moving them off the road.
A group of crows is called a murder.
Spiders are rather intelligent. The variety in webs and hunting strategies alone is really quite astounding. Bolus spiders swing a ball of sticky web on the end of a web string and go fishing (for moths and flying creatures) with it. Ogre-faced spiders make a net then hang above a certain spot, waiting to ensnare an unsuspecting passerby. Funnel spiders build, well, funnels to lure their prey in. Trap door spiders pop out from under the ground when they sense soon-to-be-food getting near. Spitting spiders launch 2 threads of silk at their prey, immobilizing them.
I don’t know the name of this spider but they’re so shiny they look like a piece of jewelry.
Dolphins sleep only half their brain at a time.
I’m not going to explain the mating habits of hyenas, anglerfish, and snails here but they’re incredibly interesting. If you want to delve into it, read these:
https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/01/science/hyenas-hormone-flow-puts-females-in-charge.html
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/anglerfish-mating-rare-video-spd
