Tuesday

Jellies You'll Never Find in Your Fridge

Jellyfish!

They aren't fish, so their name has been changed...

...to Sea Jellies

Which I like better than their old name.

A sea jelly is made of the top part, called the umbrella, and the bottom part, called the bell.

Many live upside down, looking like plants on the ocean floor.

That Creature Sitting Next to You

You swing onto the Portland train one rainy morning, find a seat and sit down. You look across the aisle, and there. There is a wild dog of some sort staring back at you.

Quite a shock.

It looks very like a fox, or a coyote. Maybe.... a wolf?

You know that if it's a wolf, you better back away as quietly as possible, with your umbrella at the ready.

But if it's a fox or coyote, you can probably safely leave him alone.

But how will you know what to do?

Identifying the creature sitting next to you is crucial. If only you know what to look for...

Let me help

First, take a look at the differences in size, below:

But unless a wolf, a coyote, and a fox are all sitting together on your train, (not likely), comparing their sizes is not going to work.

Color? well, no. Coloring of the three animals can look very similar, so that's not good either.

Okay, ears. That's a good start, because coyote and fox ears are fairly large and pointy. But wolf ears are smaller and have rounded tips.

And snouts? Yes! Coyotes and foxes have narrow snouts, wolves' snouts are broad, like a dog's.

Well, wonderful. Let's take a closer peek at our train companion:

Hmmm, slim snout and pointy ears. Whew! So it's not a wolf.

Then it's got to be a coyote or fox. Now what?

Eyes...are a dead giveaway. Did you know that the pupils in a fox's eye are slit like a cat's? But coyotes have round pupils like a dog does.

And tails! Fox tails are so long that they can drag on the ground, while coyote tails only reach their back hocks.

Let's test these facts on our companion. The train photo doesn't reveal much about the eyes...but I think that tail is short, or it would be wrapped around the body more.

Sooo.....coyote!

Also known as the Prairie wolf, and the American jackal, and even the Brush wolf.

Whoa, lots of names for this clever guy.

He lives almost everywhere in North America; even, as we've seen, in the cities.

And now we know how to identify him!

How about I make up a little chart...visuals really work for me when I'm trying to learn something:

Got it? Good. Because, uh, there's a little test...

See if you can identify these animals as wolf, coyote, or fox:

How was it? As scary as sitting next to a coyote on a train?

Let's see how you did.

Check out the answers below:

If you did well, you could easily be certified to ride the trains in Portland without any negative affect. Congratulations!

But now...what about that creature in the public bathroom?

Monday

Camo! Or...How To Look Like What You're Sitting On

When it comes to camouflage, animals have mastered it.

Camo allows animals to blend in, either by color or shape.

A leopard's spots and a tiger's stripes break up their outline to hide them from prey.

Here are some animals that hide using their colors:

And some that use their color and shape:

Now, let's see if you can spot the camouflaged creature

in the photo below

and if you can't, here's a biiiig hint...just scroll a bit!

Pretty amazing, right?

The Skunk World: It's Not All Black & White

The Skunk World

It's Not All Black and White

This little guy looks like a regular skunk...black with a two white stripes down its back.

But not all skunks look like this. Not by a long shot!

Skunks actually have morphs...patterns or colors that are different from the usual.

Do you see the leash on that skunk?

It's a pet skunk. And when you get into pet skunks, the colors go wild!

Pet skunks are de-scented so they can't spray...a very nice feature.

And people who have these pretty skunks can take them on walks and even enter them in a Skunk Show, like the one below.

Not all states allow you to own a skunk, however. But if yours does, and you find a breeder, you might have to decide which skunk color you like the best!