Did you know that there are islands all over Los Angeles County? In fact, Debs Park is one of them. (So are Verdugo Hills, Baldwin Hills, and Griffith Park, just to name a few.) “Debs Park is an island within the sea of urbanization that is Los Angeles,” says wildlife biologist Tom Ryan. This hidden…
Tag: biology
Endangered Baby: Pangolin
It looks like a Pokémon. That’s cause it totally inspired one (Sandshrew). The pangolin is like some kind of freakish armadillo-dragon hybrid. But it’s no fearsome, fire-breathing reptile. It doesn’t even have teeth. It’s just a gentle, solitary mammal quietly roving its habitats across Africa and Asia in search of a tasty meal of ants….
An Ode to Crows—the Ultimate Birdbrains
When George RR Martin nicknamed the men of the Night’s Watch (I’m talking about Game of Thrones—if you don’t know, you better ask somebody!) “crows,” I bet it wasn’t merely because they’re cloaked in black. I like to think it’s because, like the birds themselves, they get a bad rap, but most people don’t know…
Not So Supernatural: Can Snakes Slither Backwards?
Ever sit around and wonder about the small mysteries of the world? How do marine mammals hydrate? Why do turtle doves come in pairs? Why are coconuts hairy? I do. I think about this stuff all the time. Sometimes I feel insecure that I’m asking a stupid question, but of course, there are no stupid…
Endangered Baby: Saiga
The saiga antelope has an old soul – they have roamed the Earth since the age of mammoths, saber-toothed cats, and woolly rhinos. Their distinctive feature, a large hooked nose, not only characterizes them as anomalous creatures, but it’s actually functional – it acts as a filter for sand and dust in the summertime and…
everything is nature 