Canadian Animal Lore: Research News

 

Research News ~ Canadian Animal Lore

Red Crossbills and White-Winged Crossbills

Over the course of evolution, once birds committed their front limbs to flight, their beak had to become an all-purpose-tool that could be used for grasping, carrying, digging, grooming and food handling. Some of the most remarkable food-handling beaks are those of the two crossbill species in Canada:

the red crossbill and the white crossbill. The upper and lower tips of their bills don't meet.

Instead, the tips cross over each other, making their beaks appear deformed. These highly specialized beaks enable these handsome songbirds to deftly pry apart the tough scales of the unopened cones of pine, spruce, fir and tamarack trees ~ exposing the nutritious seeds hidden underneath, which they scoop out with their strong dexterous tongue, Using this feeding method, a hungry white-winged crossbill can eat as many as 3,000 spruce seeds over the course of a day...as stated by Wayne Lynch.

Venomous Animals In the Wild

Northern Pacific Rattlesnake: The only sub-species of western rattlesnake found in Canada, this snake grows to about 1.3 metres long. Its bite is potentially...but rarely...fatal to humans. This rattler coils up to wait for prey...usually small mammals such as mice and shrews...then strikes...and delivers venom through two, hinged fangs at the front of its upper jaw. Location:B.C. Interior.

Northern Black Widow Spider: The females among these spiders pack a big punch for their tiny size...venom that can cause stomach and muscle cramps lasting a day or more in healthy adult humans. A black widow's bite generally isn't deadly, although head to the doctor if someone is in ill health...or a child gets bit. The spider uses venom to paralyze insects that get caught in its web...then breaks them down with digestive juices before eating them. Location: Southern Canada...(rare).

Canadian Toad: Although this toad is not endangered, it faces threats from habitat loss and local pollutants such as road salt and pesticides, just like other amphibians. The Canadian Toad which can grow up to 7.5 centimetres long, creates toxins from its parotoid glands and wart-like bumps on its skin to keep predators at bay, by irritating their eyes and mouth. Location: Prairies and NW Territories.

Current News Studies

Elk Improvement: Using GPS collars on elk, University of Alberta biologists have tracked how wildlife diseases like tapeworm, diarrhea-causing illnesses and wasting diseases can spread

to livestock ...and even humans. They're using the data to create guidelines for ranchers.
For more: visit folio.ca.

Bug Monitors: Hundreds of citizen scientists from Newfoundland to Ontario are tracking the spruce budworm. The first three years of data from this budworm tracker program have now been published.
Among other things, it contains some welcome news that the population of budworm seems to be going down in New Brunswick, thanks to containment efforts. Visit: healthypartnership.ca.

Freshwater fixes: Freshwater biodiversity is vanishing fast. An emergency recovery plan, developed by an international team of researchers and co-authored by Carlton University's Stephen Cooke,

calls for protecting and and restoring critical habitats...ending over-fishing...and unsustainable sand mining in rivers and lakes...controlling invasive species...protecting and restoring free flowing rivers...and restoring water quality through measures such as sewage before it's flushed into rivers.

For more, visit newsroom.carleton.ca.

Conservation Dilemma: Entanglements and 'ship strikes' continue to kill North Atlantic right whales.

Canada is introducing new rules to protect them in our east coastal waters.

If a whale is spotted in the Gulf of St. Lawrence this summer, a 2,000-square-kilometre area around it will will be closed to fishing for 15 days; if a whale is detected there again, parts of the area will be closed to fishing until November 15.

New rules for this summer also require fisheries to mark their gear
so it can be identified after the entanglement.

The federal government is also providing $8.3 million
to clean up lost fishing gear known as 'ghost gear.'

Fur Foes: Animal rights advocates are calling on Supreme Court of Canada judges
to stop wearing their ceremonial robes with real white mink
and switch to robes with synthetic fur.

Although the date is passed, May 16 was World Fish Migration Day.
Animal Rights advocates request you join or organize a trash clean-up
of waters near you...so the salmon can safely reach their spawning grounds.

Fortunately, for peoples living in or near Dundas,
yearly, we are familiar with the salmon from Lake Ontario...
fighting up streams...to reach the town where they cross over
to arrive at their yearly spawning areas.
We are fortunate to observe this yearly event!

Trusting you enjoy Nature...as daily we have access to it.
The foregoing information is manifested in the recent Canadian Wildlife Magazine.
Each magazine is a stimulus of education pertaining to “Stay at home wildlife”.

For your reading pleasure...written May 28, 2020
Comments welcome, compiled by MBK.