Expanding Opossums

This is a blog that has two stories. The first story is about an encounter with an animal. This is an encounter I had back in February of 2020 while I was in Dallas, Texas. I went for a fairly early morning walk (the sun wasn’t up yet). The path I was walking included a …

How Do Birds Keep Their Feet Warm?

I was recently told about a state park that had some beavers. Having only been able to capture a photo of a beaver on previous occasions, I decided it warrant a try. Upon arriving at the state park and locating the lake, I began my hike around the lake. I found evidence for the presence …

Do Eagles Migrate?

It was Mother’s Day in 2022. My mother had just gotten off work and the whole family had decided to walk a trail that wasn’t too far from the house. We were walking it in hopes of seeing eagle nestlings. We were aware of a seemingly active nest located on the trail, and we decided …

Walk in the Woods in 2022

Here we are at the end of another calendar year. For those of who you don’t remember or hadn’t read last year’s review blog, this is the blog where I list any achievements or milestones the blog has reached. I’ll also list the five most popular blogs and the five least popular blogs, as well …

A Tommies’ Social Life

It wasn’t long before we came upon another species of antelope. This species is actually considered to be one of the most common in East Africa2,3. Although common, the Thomson’s Gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii) is one of the smaller species of antelopes, weight at most 77 pounds (35 kg)1,2,4 and reaching only 32 inches (82 cm) …

Prehistoric Kansas, Part 3: Swimming Reptiles

As impressive as the fish were to see, they were not the true masters of the waves. That title belonged to the marine reptiles that inhabited the same waters. These are the animals that made these prehistoric waters a dangerous place to swim. Protostega The first marine reptile I came across was not a vicious …

Prehistoric Kansas, Part 2 – Killer Fish

When one thinks of the ocean, one of the first things they picture in their mind is fish. Fish have occupied almost every place imaginable in aquatic systems. There are fish that clean other fish. Fish that eat plankton and other microscopic organisms. Fish that hunt in coral reefs. Fish that hunt in the open …

Prehistoric Kansas, Part 1: A Different Sea

When I am not working out in the field, searching for an animal, I must find another line of work. My go-to for the last couple of years has been working as a substitute teacher for the local school district. This year, I accepted a tutoring position at the elementary school. A Nyctosaurus This last …

What is That on Your Web?

Here are some pictures that I had taken in Dallas, Texas during a brief stay I had there. I was visiting a local park with some friends of mine. We were celebrating Labor Day, so we had a grill going and were playing some games outside in the warm sunshine. A female Yellow Garden Spider …

Handling the Heat

The Secretary Bird wasn’t the only thing moving through the grass around us. In the same area as the running bird of prey, there was a small group of antelope making its way across the grassland. These were Grant’s Gazelle (Nanger granti). This is a smaller species of antelope, reaching up to three feet (0.9 …