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Archive for the ‘Interesting blogs’ Category

Pet mongoose in Hawaii

Posted in Interesting blogs, introduced species, wildlife, tagged Hawaiian mongoose, Small Asian mongoose, small Indian mongoose on July 28, 2011 | 2 Comments »

Source.

(The Steve Irwin reference is to the program that is being watched on the television in the background.)

This is a small Asian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus), which were introduced from Jamaica to control cane rats. The mongooses are not native to Jamaica either.

The mongooses on the Hawaiian islands are larger than those in Asia.  That’s probably because they are the only wild terrestrial predator in Hawaii, unless one wants to count feral cats.

They have been very bad for ground nesting native birds in Hawaii. The nēnē goose has suffered greatly from mongoose depredations, and controlling mongoose numbers has been key in protecting this species.

I first encountered a mongoose on Maui. I was sitting on the deck at the hotel where we were staying, when I noticed a squirrel-sized animal with bushy tail running between one copse of palm trees into the undergrowth. My mind registered it as a squirrel, but then I began to question that assumption. What was a squirrel doing in Hawaii?

As I watched the undergrowth for a little bit longer, the creature emerged, and there was no doubt that I was looking at a mongoose.

 

 

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An interesting set of blogs

Posted in author, conservationist, Interesting blogs, tagged cryptozoology, Natural history, zoology on May 3, 2009 |

source.

Lately, I’ve been into biological mysteries and newly discovered species. it was a major interest of my youth, and in this time of grad-school induced ennui, I have felt a need to return to the interests that excited me as a boy.

And if you want to find a site that has all the latest news and analysis on these topics, check out the Centre for Fortean Zoology’s blog. It’s not exactly a single blog but a compendium of blogs from their supporters and staff.

Now, as I said before, this blog will not focus merely on orthodoxy. I am interested in unusual creatures and anomalies. Some of these issues require a bit of a shift from the mainstream. I think that too much of a focus on orthodoxy will make your brain turn to mush.

And that’s why I linked to them. When I visit the main site, I very rarely find nothing of interest. It’s not so much that you have to agree with every theory, hypothesis, or postulate. It’s about approaching zoological and natural history issues with a different mindset, and if you can let yourself do this, it becomes a lot of fun to look at things from a different angle.

Unlike many of these organizations, the Centre for Fortean Zoology does follow scientific principles in their research.  They are not “believers.” They are investigators.

The Centre has its own youtube channel. It includes videos of various presentations and interviews of people interested in these sorts of phenomena. It also includes a monthly nature program (“On the Track”) hosted by the Centre’s director, Jon Downes.

Every once in a while, the blog asks its readers to identify a species. This past week, I identified this chick of a waterbird species. It is a young common merganser.

I love finding out which new species have been discovered or which ones that have been declared extinct have suddenly been found again. That’s why I regularly visit the site.

I am very grateful to the Centre for linking to my post on the Lazarus lizard, and I hope that you will visit their site and find as many interesting things there as I have.

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