The Pacific Rattlesnake is found throughout in
many places in California, from sea level on the Pacific Ocean, the
inland prairies and desert areas, to the mountains at elevations of
more than 10,000 feet. Click HERE
for links to many other places where they can be found, and extra
information.
From Lake Tahoe north, on the east side of the
Sierra, the Great Basin rattler. From Tahoe south through Death
Valley, the Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes) and Panamint
rattlers. Along the Colorado River, the Western Diamondback
(Crotalus atrox). In the southwestern area, the Red Diamondback
(Crotalus ruber) and Speckled (Crotalus mitchelli) rattlers.
The Mojave Desert is home to both the Mojave Rattlesnake and
the Sidewinder.
The Pacific rattler sometimes attains a length
of 5 feet, but the average adult size is between 3 and 4 feet. Rattlesnakes
eat lizards and small rodents such as ground squirrels, small rabbits,
rats and mice, striking rather than attempting to hold their prey.
When the hollow fangs of the rattler penetrate the victim's flesh,
venom is injected as though through twin hypodermic needles. Plan
a trip to the American
Rattlesnake Museum in Albuquerque, NM
NUTTY NOTES:
Rattlers are just big worms that bite if you trip
over them.
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GRIZZLY
BEARS - Yikes! Don't take this
teddy to bed with you!
Grizzly Bear
Ursus arctos - The following comes fromBC
adventure.com In some areas of North America Grizzlies are extinct
or had their numbers greatly reduced. Description - This large
animal reaches weights of 300-1500 pounds. The coat color ranges from
shades of blond, brown, black or a combination of these; the long
outer guard hairs are often tipped with white or silver giving it
a grizzled appearance hence the name. The grizzly has a large hump
over the shoulders which is a muscle mass used to power the forelimbs
in digging. In spite of their mass size this bear runs at speeds of
up to 35 mph.
The grizzly bear is primarily nocturnal and for
the winter puts on up to 400 pounds of fat.. Although they are not
true hibernators and can be woken easily, they like to den up in a
protected spot, such as a cave, crevice or hollow log during the winter
months. Being omnivores, they feed on a variety of plants and berries
including roots or sprouts and fungi as well as fish, insects and
small mammals. Normally a solitary animal, the grizzly congregates
alongside streams and rivers during the salmon spawn. Every other
year females produce 1-4 young which are the size of rats, weighing
only 1 pound.
The prints of the grizzly bear are characterized
by an oval pad with five toes along the wider top of the pad on the
hind feet. The front feet have a smaller heel pad and a dew claw which
may be present in the print. Claw marks over twice as long as the
toe pads are usually evident.
NUTTY NOTES: These
guys sleep all winter - and your mom said YOU'RE lazy!
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HUMMINGBIRDS
They invented fast-forward!
Each hummingbird species has its own migration
strategy, and it's incorrect to think of "hummingbirds"
as a single type of animal, all alike. This article will discuss Ruby-throated
migration, because it's likely that more people see that species than
all the others in North America combined, and its dynamics are similar
to other species, although the dates and locations vary. An exception
is Anna's Hummingbird, which typically does not migrate but may wander
up- and downslope following seasonal food resources.
Click HERE
to read more
fun facts. Click HERE
to see pictures of a nest, an egg and MORE.
NUTTY NOTES: Hummers
are colorful hovercraft - complete with feathers.
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SQUIRRELS
They have made food storage into a
fine art.
Squirrels are my favorite animals.
They give me joy when I'm feeling down. Let me tell you about the
four main kinds of tree squirrels here in USA. First of all, there's
the fox squirrel (Sciurus niger). They are the largest tree squirrels
here. In Florida, they are very beautiful, but I never see them 'cause
they are always hiding. Next is the famous gray squirrel (Sciurus
carolinensis). They are about half the size of a fox squirrel, and
no matter where you go, they're everywhere. Next is the red squirrel
(Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). These wee little guys don't live in Florida,
but they are common up north. They are smaller than gray squirrels,
and when you're near them, they'll chatter up a storm! Most people
say these are the cutest squirrels ever. Last but not least is the
flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans & G. sabrinus). These two species
are the southern and northern flying squirrels, respectively. They
are famous for their excellent gliding ability. The one I have is
the southern kind. There are other species of squirrel in the USA,
such as the Western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus) common to Californians,
Oregonians, and Washingtonians; and the tassel-eared squirrel (Sciurus
aberti) common to Arizonians, Coloradoans, and New Mexicans. There
are other members of the squirrel family in USA such as several species
of ground squirrel (Spermophilus and Ammospermophilus), Chipmunks
(Tamias), Woodchucks and Marmots (Marmota) and Prairie dogs (Cynomys).
For a complete list of the world's species of
squirrels, click
here. For Myths &
Facts about squirrels - click HERE.
For advice about feeding, nutrition and care,
click HERE
NUTTY NOTES:
Squirrels are just furry tree-huggers.
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BUMBLEBEES
How can they fly with that football
shape?
Bumblebees are the workaholics—diligent
and dependable, but a little dorky as they lumber around the garden.
The bumblebee isn't the most glamorous insect around, but the lovable
bear of a bee surpasses even the celebrated honeybee in the industriousness
department. Bumblebees are often up and out of the hive before dawn,
way before the honeybees, and they're frequently still hard at work
after the sun has set. In fact, the bumblebee is one of the world's
most proficient practitioners of the pollinating arts. Its distinctive
striped fur coat is tailor-made for attracting pollen, and the plump
pollinator is built like a Mack truck to carry a lot of cargo. We
live on a planet pollinated primarily by bees. Bees fertilize most
of our favorite flowers, and pollinate a third of the plants we eat.
Bumblebees are important pollinators of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers,
melons, raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, and many
other crops, and are the only known pollinators of potatoes worldwide.
To Learn more fun facts about
bumblebees CLICK
HERE. OR - Surf
Here for everything you want to know about
bumblebees.
NUTTY NOTES: Bumblebees
just love to make scientists scratch their heads.
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KITTY CATS
They make the Pu-u-u-u-rfect
pet
So, you've decided that you want to have a pet
cat. However, before you shop for your kitten, you may need to consider
a few important
things. After all, finding out that a cat is not for you, after
you've already grown attached, can be heart breaking. There is a huge
variety of cats and kittens available out there, from pedigreed Princes,
to girls from the Street of Hard Knocks. This
Website covers a multiple of issues and offers good pet advice.
False Economy in Cat Food Choices. Money saved
by buying cheap cat food will be spent hundreds of times over on veterinary
care. Cats are obligate carnivores, and need a good source of meat
protein. They do not need large amounts of grain fillers, especially
corn, which is a cheap source of protein used by many cat food manufacturers.
Learn how to choose cat food and select the best brands you can afford.
You'll find your cat may eat less of the high quality food because
they don't have to gorge to get the nutrients they need.
NUTTY NOTES:
Cats are a bundle of furry love - IF they feel like it.
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PRAIRIE DOGS
Better not try taking take them for
a walk.
Prairie dogs live in a secret world beneath the
plains of North America—complex underground burrows that spiral
for miles, and shelter prairie dogs from birth until death. "If
the prairie dog goes, so goes an entire ecosystem. Prairie dogs create
diversity. Destroy them and you destroy a varied world."
~Terry Tempest Williams
MYTH: No One Will Miss Prairie Dogs When They're Gone. This is not
true. Ferrets inhabit prairie dog burrows
and depend on prairie dogs for more than 95 percent of their dietary
needs. The war against the black-tailed prairie dog, which began at
the beginning of the twentieth century, is the main reason the black-footed
ferret is endangered. The swift fox and ferruginous hawk also depend
on prairie dogs for food, and their numbers have declined along with
the prairie dogs'. The mountain plover and burrowing owl depend on
the habitat prairie dogs create, and their numbers have also declined
throughout their ranges. There are many others–small mammals,
birds, reptiles, amphibians, plants, and insects–whose worlds
are crumbling as prairie dogs and their towns continue to be destroyed.
GO
HERE to read
more about how endangered the cute little praiorie dog has become.
NUTTY NOTES: They're
watchdogs that don't wag their tails or like belly rubs.
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BALD EAGLES
The king of our skies.
The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), our
national bird, is the only eagle unique to North America. The bald
eagle's scientific name signifies a sea (halo) eagle (aeetos) with
a white (leukos) head. At one time, the word "bald" meant
"white," not hairless. Bald eagles are found over most of
North America, from Alaska and Canada to northern Mexico. About half
of the world's 70,000 bald eagles live in Alaska. Combined with British
Columbia's population of about 20,000, the northwest coast of North
America is by far their greatest stronghold for bald eagles. They
flourish here in part because of the salmon. Dead or dying fish are
an important food source for all bald eagles. Eagles are a member
of the Accipitridae family, which also includes hawks, kites, and
old-world vultures.
Skunks are members of the weasel family (Mustelidae).
There are four species of skunk in North America: striped skunks (Mephitis
mephitis), hooded skunks (M. macroura), spotted skunks (Spilogale
putorius), and scarce hognosed skunks (Conepatus mesoleucus). Although
their markings vary, these bushy- tailed creatures are always back
and white and absolutely unmistakable. A litter of from one to seven
young, averaging five, is born from late April to early June.
An individual's territory may span 30 to 40 acres.
In the wild, skunks tend to den in shallow burrows or hollow logs.
They are hardly ever found more than two miles from a water source.
In urban territories, skunks den beneath buildings, decks, dumps,
and woodpiles. They are capable of burrowing a den a foot or so underground,
with well-hidden entrances. They like warm, dry, dark, and defensible
areas; most house basements and crawl spaces qualify.
To discover more Skunk History, and
do's and dont's, CLICK
HERE
NUTTY NOTES:
Just a cute cat who could use a heavy-duty deodorant
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Rattlesnakes
Warning! They bite!
The Enchanted
Learning site has neat rattlesnake pictures, print outs and details.
Rattlesnakes like hot dry places where they can hide from the sun
under large rocks, or trees. Desert areas of California, Montana,
Nevada, etc., are where they like to slither and hide. Like people,
they come in different sizes, colors, and dispositions. This
Page gives you a list of all the rattlesnakes you could think
of + their common and latin names. Click on the latin names for more
details about each rattler.
If rattlesnakes were people, I doubt
they would have friends. Most descriptions use words like sullen,
irritable, agressive, toxic and nervous. WOW! No wonder they like
to hide out in the desert. CLICK
HERE to read for yourself.
NUTTY NOTES:
Rattlesnakes are just humongous worms with rattles and attitude -
RUN!
of Writing for Children
US Critters !
*Mama
Grizzly Bear
*Prairie Dog Play Days
. . . . . . . AND
To BUY - visit 
WILD USA Territory!
Run
for your life!
Ursus arctos - The following comes from
They invented fast-forward!
They have made food storage into a
fine art. 
How can they fly with that football
shape? 
They make the Pu-u-u-u-rfect
pet
Better not try taking take them for
a walk.
The king of our skies.
Better hold
your nose, mate!
Warning! They bite!