Front Range Oasis

While those of us who live along the Colorado Front Range enjoy abundant sunshine and a mild, semiarid climate, there is plenty of aquatic habitat along the urban corridor.  One of the best places to observe water-loving birds and mammals is South Platte Park, which stretches across the river's floodplain from the northern edge of Chatfield Reservoir State Park to the outskirts of downtown Littleton.  A mosaic of ponds, lakes, wetlands, meadows and riparian woodlands, the Park is accessed by a paved bikeway, its parallel walking path and a number of adjoining trail loops.  An Interpretive Center, west of Santa Fe Drive and north of Mineral, introduces visitors to the varied fauna and flora of the Park.

On this mild, clear morning, the refuge was teeming with birds, including many that non-Coloradans might not associate with our State.  A dozen American white pelicans moved among the lakes or fished in the shallows, joined by a large number of double-crested cormorants, scattered great blue herons, a pair of snowy egrets, a flotilla of common mergansers, noisy flocks of Canada geese and a varied assortment of ducks (primarily mallards, gadwall and wood ducks).  Tree and barn swallows swooped above the ponds, a Swainson's hawk circled overhead, belted kingfishers chattered along the river and a wide assortment of songbirds moved among the trees and cattails; these included yellow warblers, common yellowthroats, American and lesser goldfinches, western wood pewees, northern orioles, house wrens, northern flickers, downy woodpeckers and those ever-vocal red-winged blackbirds.  A lone black-crowned night heron, spooked from his shadowy haunt, was my final sighting of the morning.

Though represented only by fox squirrels, cottontails and black-tailed prairie dogs this morning, a variety of mammals also inhabit the Park and are best seen at dawn or dusk.  Among these residents are mule and white-tailed deer, red fox, coyotes, beaver, muskrats, raccoons, striped skunks,  meadow voles and deer mice; mountain lions and black bear are potential visitors but are rarely encountered.

The Lena River Delta

On satellite imagery, the Lena River Delta on the northern coast of Siberia gives the appearance of a fan coral, its braided channels and numerous lakes forming an intricate pattern across the Arctic tundra.  It is this landscape of countless pools and waterways that attracts huge congregations of loons, grebes, shorebirds and waterfowl to this 11,600 square mile wetland to nest and raise their young during the brief Arctic summer.

The Lena River, the second largest stream in Siberia, rises a few miles west of Lake Baikal, flowing northward and gradually eastward for 2700 miles to its delta on the Laptev Sea.  There it delivers tons of sediment each year, gradually enlarging and enriching the delta which is also an important spawining area for Arctic fish.  Nesting birds of note include red-necked grebes, four species of loon, whooper and tundra swans, bean geese, black brant, king and Steller's eiders, long-tailed ducks, Ross's and Sabine's gulls and numerous shorebird species.  Of course, willow grouse, rock ptarmigan, snowy owls, peregrine falcons and a wide variety of Arctic songbirds also inhabit the delta.  Resident mammals include gray wolves, Arctic fox, wolverines, least weasels, stoats, lemmings, tundra voles and reindeer; beluga whales, walruses and a variety of seals often visit the area.

Fortunately, most of this vast tundra wetland is protected within the Lena River Delta Nature Reserve, the largest nature preserve in Russia.  Visited only by the most adventurous naturalists, this spectacular but remote site is relatively free of human disturbance; nevertheless, the Lena, like all rivers on our planet, is tainted by pollutants from agriculture, mining, industry and sewage and their long term effects on the delta ecosystem is yet to be determined.

Rock Squirrels on the Piedmont

Rock squirrels have long been common residents of canyons throughout central and western Colorado and of the varied rock formations that rise along the base of the Front Range foothills. Our largest ground squirrel is easily recognized by his attractive salt-and-pepper coat and his large bushy tail. Most often seen lounging on rocks early or late in the day, these omnivores consume a wide variety of plant materials (nuts, fruits, vegetation) in addition to insects, carrion, bird eggs and even small mammals on occasion. Two litters are produced each year (mid spring and late summer) and, though they retire to their dens for most of the winter, they store food and are not true hibernators, becoming active during periods of mild weather.

Over the past few decades, rock squirrels have ventured onto the Colorado Piedmont and High Plains, following river channels from their original homeland in the foothills and lower mountains. Their expansion has been well documented along the Cache la Poudre River, in northern Colorado, and along the Arkansas River, from Pueblo all the way to the Kansas border. In all of my years hiking along the South Platte, I had not encountered rock squirrels until this week, when I saw a pair at the major rapids area in South Platte Park (just east of the golf course).

Though I am not familiar with scientific studies regarding their dispersal, I suspect that rock squirrels are spreading eastward due to both opportunism and human encroachment on their native habitat. Suburbs have increasingly pushed into the areas just west of the Dakota Hogback as well as along the primary canyons that incise the foothills. In addition, we humans have lined our river channels with rocky embankments, protecting our homes while producing new living quarters for the rock squirrels. Of course, over time, their presence becomes a nuisance as their digging and foraging creates havoc for human engineers and gardeners; once viewed as fascinating residents of our foothill parks, they are now despised as invasive varmints to be trapped or killed.

The Arctic Fox

Mention Arctic land mammals and the image of large, well-insulated creatures comes to mind: polar bears, musk ox, caribou and the extinct woolly mammoth, to name a few. But the small Arctic fox, the most northern-living canine on our planet, has managed to thrive on the harsh, treeless tundra of the Arctic biome. Equipped with a compact body habitus, thick, dense fur, furred paws and changing coloration to blend with its environment, this hardy fox also has an exquisite sense of hearing for prey location, adapts well to an omniverous diet and produces large litters to sustain its population.

After breeding in late winter or early spring, the monogamous pair uses a large den network in which to raise its litter of 6 to 15 or more kits; the newborn fox will remain with their mother through the summer and, as with some other wild canines, a few yearlings often stay behind to assist with feeding and protecting their younger siblings. The diet of the Arctic fox is dominated by lemmings and other small mammals (including seal pups) but also includes berries, vegetation, carrion, birds, fish and the eggs of seabirds and waterfowl. When food is abundant, they will bury eggs or meat in the Arctic permafrost for consumption during the harsh months of winter.

Circumpolar in their distribution, the populations of Arctic fox are stable in most areas though they are endangered in Scandinavia due to overhunting. Having evolved late in the Pleistocene, about 250,000 years ago, they spread across northern oceans on the vast ice shelves of that Period and are the only mammal native to Iceland. Today, like many polar species, Arctic fox are threatened by global warming that is changing their habitat, altering their food supply and allowing dominant predators (such as red fox and gray wolves) to invade their territory.

Midwest Mountain Lions

Having once inhabited most of the United States, mountains lions were extirpated from eastern and central portions of our country by the early 20th Century; an exception was the Florida panther, which managed to survive in the dense vegetation of the Everglades and adjacent cypress swamps. Throughout most of the 1900s, the easternmost populations of cougars (other than the Florida panther) were in West Texas and in the Black Hills of western South Dakota.

However, over the past decade, sightings of mountains lions have increased signficantly across the American Midwest. Almost all of the confirmed cases have been males, presumably banished from their home range by other dominant males; indeed, cougars are territorial and field studies have revealed that the home range of adult males is in the neighborhood of 100-300 square miles. While 5 mountain lions inhabited the Pine Ridge Escarpment of western Nebraska in 2004, 30 were documented by 2011, including females and cubs. Sightings in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin have involved male cougars that are thought to have wandered eastward from South Dakota and western Nebraska (though some may have arrived from Colorado via the Arkansas River corridor). One famous case involved a male that wandered through Minnesota and Wisconsin in 2009-2010 and ended up getting killed in Connecticut in 2011. Here in Missouri, there have been at least 29 cougar sightings since 1994, though, in some cases, multiple sightings of the same cat may have occurred. Since mountain lions are secretive and primarily nocturnal, an accurate estimate of Midwest wanderers is very difficult to obtain and it is likely that more pass through this region than some human residents might care to imagine; on the other hand, livestock loss to cougars has been minimal since these travelers seem to favor small mammals and the occasional deer.

Of course, unless females begin to follow the nomadic males from mountainous areas of the West, breeding populations will not become established in the Heartland. The increasingly common sightings in recent decades surely reflects the growth of human populations throughout the Mountain West, depriving these predators of their natural habitat and forcing males to head east, following river channels across the Great Plains. Any excitement associated with the opportunity to observe these magnificent cats in the Midwest is tempered by the knowledge that we have driven them from their modern homeland and that they are returning to an ancient homeland that has forever changed. Whether they will be welcomed or persecuted remains to be seen.

Western Lake Superior

Facing an off-week and yearning to get back to the North Country after our memorable journey across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, last September, my wife and I decided to head for western Lake Superior. We left Columbia yesterday afternoon, driving north across the Glaciated Plain of northern Missouri and eastern Iowa, stopping for the night in Iowa City. This morning, we resumed our journey, dropping into the Mississippi Valley at Marquette, Iowa, and then paralleling the broad river and its wooded islands along the Wisconsin (eastern) shore. Scenic bluffs rise along both sides of the Mississippi Valley in this "Driftless Area" of the Upper Midwest, which was spared the erosive force of Pleistocene Glaciers.

Protected within the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge, access to the Mississippi and its varied riparian habitats is rather limited (except for boaters). However, Goose Island County Park, just south of La Crosse, Wisconsin, provided an excellent opportunity to study the floodplain wetlands, backwater bays and eastern channel of the river; birding was excellent at the Park. North of La Crosse, we cut away from the Mississippi for a more direct route to Duluth, Minnesota, where we are spending the night on that city's restored waterfront.

In the coming days, we plan to explore the northwest coast of Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands region of northern Wisconsin. So far, wildlife encounters have been limited to bald eagles, sandhill cranes, common loons, gulls, aquatic turtles and a host of waterfowl and songbird species. But we are now in wolf and moose country and I look forward to the possibility of seeing (or hearing) those North Country residents amidst the spectacular landscape that adjoins America's grandest Lake.

The Mackenzie River

Rising at the west end of Great Slave Lake in Canada's Northwest Territories, the Mackenzie River flows northwestward for almost 1100 miles to the Beaufort Sea. Un-dammed and winding through Subarctic and Arctic wilderness, its wide, braided channel is just the final conduit of a massive watershed that covers 20% of Canada, extending from northeast British Columbia, northern Alberta, northwest Saskatchewan and the western Yukon to the massive Mackenzie River Delta, the 12th largest on our planet. If one includes its most distant tributaries, this river system exceeds 2600 miles in length (the longest in Canada) and drains a watershed of almost 700,000 square miles.

To the southwest, the Peace and Athabaska Rivers rise on the east side of the Continental Divide in the northern Canadian Rockies; these large streams merge to form a large inland delta along Lake Athabaska, which drains to Great Slave Lake via the Slave River. Leaving Great Slave Lake, the Mackenzie River picks up meltwaters from the Mackenzie Mountains (to its west) via the Liard River system and then receives flow from Great Bear Lake, to its east, the largest lake in Canada. At its braided delta, just east of the Richardson Mountains, the Mackenzie discharges copious amounts of relatively warm, fresh, nutrient-rich water into the Arctic Ocean; this annual discharge, the 14th largest on Earth, dramatically affects the regional ecosystem, allowing boreal woodlands to extend well north of their usual range and increasing the diversity of plants and animals across the ever-changing delta. Beluga whales gather here in spring to molt in the mild river current and the countless, shallow lakes provide ideal breeding habitat for shorebirds, tundra swans and snow geese. Resident mammals include black bears, barren ground grizzlies, Arctic fox, Arctic wolves, caribou, moose, musk ox and a massive number of muskrats.

However, all is not well in this seemingly pristine wilderness. Dams on tributaries of the Mackenzie have reduced flow through its primary channel and are diminishing the annual floods that are crucial to the welfare of its delta ecosystem. In addition, worrisome levels of mercury have been found in the river over the past few years, the product of mining and power plant effluent across the watershed. Of course, as with other Arctic ecosystems, global warming may dramatically affect the natural diversity of this magnificent yet fragile landscape.

Wildlife of Afghanistan

Based on television images beamed to the world over the past few decades, Afghanistan appears to be a desolate region of rock and sand, a landscape of drought and human carnage. Yet, Afghanistan hosts a spectacular diversity of wildlife and many of its species have been threatened by the recurrent and protracted wars that have ravaged this country.

Among these threatened species are the reclusive snow leopard, markhors (large wild goats), Marco Polo sheep, urials (another wild sheep) and Asiatic black bears. Other native mammals include ibex, gray wolves, leopard cats, caracals, Pallas's cat, stone martens, lynx, Eurasian otters and Kashmir cave bats. At least 500 species of birds have been observed in Afghanistan, 200 of which breed in the country. Raptors include lammergeiers (large vultures), amur falcons, Eurasian eagle-owls and nine species of eagles, including Pallas's fish eagle. Other birds of note include grey herons, Dalmatian pelicans, black storks, greater and lesser flamingos, Himalayan snowcocks,, Demoiselle cranes, great bustards, pheasant-tailed jacanas and whiskered terns. Afghanistan hosts 3 species of bee-eaters, 7 species of sandgrouse, 8 species of shrike, 5 species of wagtail and 3 species of parakeet.

Indeed, when it comes to birds, Afghanistan rivals the Lower 48 of the U.S. in its diversity of species, though migrant and wintering birds account for the majority of its population. But when we consider the wide range of habitat on our Continent compared with the landlocked deserts and mountainous terrain of Afghanistan, its diversity of birds is truly impressive, reflecting the fact that Afghanistan, long a crossroads for human trade and migration, remains an important crossroads for avian travel.

The Prolific Muskrat

Native to North America, muskrats are semi-aquatic rodents that inhabit wetlands and streams across the Continent; hunted and trapped for their dense fur and meat, they have also been introduced in Eurasia and South America. When spotted on lakes and ponds, muskrats are often mistaken for beaver; however, they are significantly smaller (weighing 5 pounds or less) and are easily identified by their long, narrow tail.

Muskrats dig dens in the banks of streams, canals and lakes or construct mounds of aquatic vegetation and mud; in either case, multiple entrances to the lodge chamber, both above and below the water line, permit escape routes from predators and access to aquatic food when the surface water is frozen. Primarily nocturnal and active throughout the year, muskrats feed on a wide variety of plant material and also consume amphibians, snails, turles and fish; they, themselves, are potential prey for coyotes, fox, otters, mink, raccoons, snapping turtles, snakes, eagles, herons and owls.

Breeding from late winter through late summer, muskrats are both polygamous and highly territorial. Females may produce up to five litters each year, with 6-10 kits per litter; as with cottontails, the young mature rapidly and females born in spring may breed by late summer. On the other hand, female muskrats chase off their youngsters when a new litter is about to arrive and often kill those that refuse to leave. Though muskrats may damage levees and dikes, especially during periods of overpopulation, their activity opens up dense cattail marshes for waterfowl and their abandoned dens provide homes for raccoons, mink and aquatic snakes; as avid birders know, Canada geese often nest atop muskrat lodges.

The Porcupine Caribou

Named for the Yukon River tributary that drains most of their range, the Porcupine Caribou Herd inhabits northeastern Alaska and the northern Yukon Territory of Canada. According to the last official count, in the summer of 2010, the herd is now composed of about 169,000 individuals, making this one of the most spectacular concentrations of migrant mammals on our planet.

After wintering in mountainous regions south and east of the Brooks Range, the Porcupine Caribou begin their spring migration in March, led by cows and yearlings (bulls and juveniles follow a few weeks later). Using three primary routes across the Brooks Range of Alaska and British Mountains of the northern Yukon, pregnant cows reach the North Slope by late May and calving begins, synchronized to reduce the impact of predation by wolves, grizzlies and golden eagles; the formation of nursery groups and the rapid development of calves (able to run within 24 hours) also serve to diminish loss of the newborns. As the bulls and juveniles arrive, the caribou assemble in huge herds, feeding on the nutritious tundra and moving about to escape hordes of mosquitoes.

By late July, the Porcupine herd begins to leave the vast tundra plain and heads to the northern foothills of the Brooks Range where they now endure biting flies (warble and nose-bot flies) that deposit larvae in their hide and nostrils, respectively. The fall migration ensues by late August and the 2-week rut occurs in October, as frenzied bulls forego eating to gather and impregnate their harem. While some of the herd remains within the Brooks and British Mountains, most head for the Richardson and Ogilvie Mountains of the Yukon Terrority, in the upper reaches of the Porcupine River. Their neighbors, the Central Arctic Caribou herd, numbering about 20,000 individuals, have a much shorter migration, wintering in the Brooks Range and summering on the Coastal Plain. Both herds are threatened by global warming and by human development across their territories, especially the ongoing political pressure to drill on the Arctic NWR.

Black Squirrels

Having lived among gray tree squirrels and golden-brown fox squirrels throughout my life, I am always caught off guard when I re-encounter the black squirrels of northeastern Ohio during visits to my wife's home town. These melanistic variants of eastern gray squirrels are not isolated mutants but, rather, represent the dominant phenotype of their species.

When European explorers and settlers first arrived in North America, almost all eastern gray squirrel populations were reported to be black in color. Thought to have evolved as camouflage from predators when these agile creatures inhabited the dark, mature forests of the eastern U.S. and eastern Canada, the coloration has shifted to gray or gray-brown in the open forests, woodlots and suburban areas that characterize most regions today. Nevertheless, the black race of eastern gray squirrels remains dominant in many areas of the Northeast, from southern Canada to northeastern Ohio and northern Pennsylvania and from Michigan to New England. In some areas, eastern gray squirrels may harbor a mixed coat of gray-brown, black and white.

In all other respects, these racial variants manifest the same behavior and arboreal lifestyle and, as members of the same species, they are able to interbreed; their variable coloration merely reflects the outward expression of their genome (as does the hair color and skin tone of humans). Sexual reproduction ensures a serial mixing of their genes and, over many generations, natural selection determines the physical appearance of regional squirrel populations, retaining traits that favor survival within each ecosystem.

Evolution of the Horse

The common ancestor of Perissodactyls (horses, rhinos, tapirs) appeared in North American during the Paleocene, about 60 million years ago (MYA). The first known member of the horse lineage was Hyracotherium, formerly known as Eohippus, a small deer-like herbivore of subtropical forests that fed on tender vegetation and fruit. Appearing in the early Eocene, some 55 MYA, this dog-sized mammal evolved through a series of early horse ancestors to Oligocene forms such as Mesohippus (37 MYA) and Epihippus (30 MYA) that began to emerge from the forest to take advantage of newly evolved and nutritious grasslands; in concert, their teeth took on traits vital to grazing and their dominant third toe would evolve toward the modern hoof.

Diversification in the early Miocene led to Parahippus, a pony-sized ancestor, and Meryhippus (17 MYA), the first true grazer and fleet, horse-sized member of the lineage. Meryhippus diverged into at least three groups, one of which, Hipparion, was the first ancestral horse to cross into Eurasia. Equus, the genus of all modern horses, first appeared in the Pliocene, about 5 MYA; some members of that genus spread into South America by 1.5 MYA while others crossed the Bering land bridge into Eurasia throughout the Pleistocene. By the end of the Wisconsin Glacial Period, 10,000 years ago, the horse had disappeared from the Americas, likely a result of changing flora and hunting pressure from humans; they would be domesticated by human tribes in Central Asia about 6000 years ago and brought back to the Americas by Spanish explorers in the 15th and 16th Centurys.

The above summary leaves out numerous intermediate and side-branch species in what is one of the most complete and well documented evolutionary trees for any mammal. Perhaps most enlightening is the gradual, physical adaptation of ancestral horses to their changing environment, progressing from small, forest dwelling creatures to large, fleet and hardy residents of our vast grasslands. What better creature, so vitally important to the advance of human culture, to fully understand and appreciate?

Deadly Romance

No, this is not the title for another TV murder mystery. Rather, it is an acknowledgement that we have entered the peak roadkill season, as the carcasses of raccoons, opossums and skunks litter our scenic byways. Soon to be joined by lovesick groundhogs, these small mammals are roaming about in response to their mating instinct, following trails of pheromones across the late winter landscape. Primarily nocturnal, these determined suitors sometimes look for love in the wrong places, even on our concrete ribbons of death, and too often meet an inglorious demise.

Were it not for our roads and vehicles they might be culled by owls, fox or coyotes; in fact, fresh carcasses may be claimed by natural predators while others provide sustenance for vultures and less conspicuous scavengers. Fortunately, these small mammals are prolific and the highway slaughter has little impact on their populations.

However, it is disturbing to realize that these victims are often lured to their deaths by the chemicals of reproduction. Then again, nature sustains itself through a balance of life and death and we often take part in that process, as purposeful hunters or as night-blind motorists.

The Armadillo Army

Distantly related to sloths and anteaters, armadillos evolved in South America during the mammal explosion of the early Tertiary Period, some 50-60 million years ago. When the Isthmus of Panama formed, about 3 MYA, some species moved into Central America; today, all but 2 of the 20 modern species of armadillo inhabit South America and the nine-banded armadillo is the only one found in the United States.

Since crossing into Texas in the late 1800s, nine-banded armadillos have rapidly expanded their range; limited by dryness and poorly equipped to survive in prolonged cold, these prolific mammals can be found from western Oklahoma to the Atlantic Seaboard and from southern Kansas, southern Missouri and South Carolina to the Gulf Coast. Favoring streamside habitat, the armadillo army has spread along the Arkansas and Lower Mississippi Valleys and inward from the Gulf and Southern Atlantic Coasts via rivers and streams of the broad Coastal Plain; they have also been transplanted to some areas in the Southeast.

Armadillos mate in mid summer and, after delayed implantation and four months of pregnancy, identical quadruplets are born in early to mid spring; able to forage soon after birth, they nurse for two months and are sexually mature by the following summer. Powerful diggers, armadillos feast on earthworms, insects, grubs, fruit and carrion and excavate dens in which to sleep, give birth or to wait out periods of cold weather. Though often victims of dogs, coyotes and automobiles, armadillos may live 15 years or more and their range is expected to expand into the Mid Atlantic States over the coming decades.

Natural History of Elephants

Sixty million years ago (MYA), a common ancestor gave rise to three orders: Sirenia (represented today by manatees and dugongs), Hyracoidea (represented by the hyrax) and Proboscidea, which encompasses all extinct and living species of elephants and their close relatives. Moeritherium, a pig-sized mammal that lived in North Africa about 50 MYA, is the earliest known proboscidean and the Deinotherium line diverged 10 million years later; this lineage culminated in a massive elephant-like creature that spread throughout Eurasia and Africa during the Miocene and became extinct by the onset of the Pleistocene (2 MYA).

The Paleomastadon line emerged in North Africa about 34 MYA; Gomphotheriums split from this primary lineage about 25 MYA, giving rise to the Mastadon line about 20 MYA. The main group of Gomphotheriums died out by the end of the Pliocene (2 MYA) but the mastodons lived through the Pleistocene, occupying Africa, Eurasia and North America. Primelephas, the first member of the Family Elephantidae, appeared in North Africa about 7 MYA and this lineage would eventually give rise to mammoths and our modern elephants. The African and Indian elephant lines diverged very early in the history of this family; African elephants would then split into savannah and forest species (some say subspecies since they can interbreed) about 4 MYA and, during the same period, mammoths would split from Indian elephants. While the latter split occurred in North Africa, both species would leave their home Continent; Indian elephants spread across southern Asia (giving rise to Indian, Sumatran and Sri Lankan subspecies) while mammoth species colonized Eurasia and, during the Pleistocene, North America.

Here in North America, our elephant heritage is limited to mastadons and woolly mammoths that crossed the Bering land bridge during the glacial periods of the Pleistocene (2 MYA to 10,000 years ago). Like our ancestral bison, they were pursued by human hunters who likely colonized our Continent by 20,000 years ago. This predation, combined with the warming climate of the late Pleistocene and early Holocene led to the demise of our North American elephants; the last woolly mammoths are thought to have died out in the Arctic about 8000 years ago. Though we have lost the company of these large, sociable and intelligent creatures, we still have the manatees, their very distant cousins.

Along the Myakka

The Myakka River, in southwest Florida, one of only two rivers designated "Wild & Scenic" by the Sunshine State, rises in northern Manatee County and flows southward for 60 miles to Charlotte Harbor. Along the way, it passes through the lakes and marshlands of Myakka River State Park, east of Sarasota, and encounters little human development for much of its course; indeed, Sarasota County has been especially committed to protecting its natural channel and three preserves offer access to southern portions of this ecosystem.

Having enjoyed a week along the Gulf Coast, we decided to head inland and explore the lower Myakka corridor. Jelks Preserve, about two miles south of I-75 on North River Road (via the North Port/Englewood Exit), provides an excellent overview of natural habitats along the river as well as scenic views of the Myakka itself; oak hammocks, festooned with Spanish moss, border slash pine flatwoods, marsh-lined ponds and scrub meadows. Armadillos were abundant along the sandy trails, black vultures and bald eagles soared overhead and American alligators, though unseen on our visit, haunt the shallow pools and wetlands. Myakka River State Forest, about 5 miles south of U.S. 41 via River Road, offers an extensive network of trail loops through these same habitats; it was there that we encountered a massive flock of wintering tree swallows, surely numbering in the thousands, and watched a trio of Florida sandhill cranes drift across the bright blue sky. Finally, Myakka Islands Point, a Sarasota County preserve west of North Port, provides access to pine flatwoods (dominated by slash pine, cabbage palm and saw palmetto) which overlook broad swaths of riverside marsh.

South of these preserves the Myakka becomes increasing brackish as it receives tidal inflow; in concert, the river leaves its meandering, tree-lined corridor and open marshlands stretch across its broad floodplain. Alligators that bask along the River's more northern shores avoid these salty waters but manatees, moving in from the bay, now inhabit the Myakka. As expected, wading birds are abundant across this vibrant tidal zone, roosting in tree islands that rise above the marsh.

A Free Dolphin Show

Never a fan of Disney-esque human-wildlife bonding films and personally concerned about the new wave of ecotourism that baits wild creatures for close human encounters, I favor granting our wild neighbors their space, satisfied to observe them at a safe and non-threatening distance. But yesterday afternoon, as I sat on our seawall along Sarasota Bay, a dolphin chose to pay a visit.

Racing along the wall, he repeatedly turned his head to glance at me as he chased a school of fish. Catching one in his mouth, he tossed it into the air several times before ingesting the meal. At one point, he stretched out on the surface, looked in my direction and then sped toward the wall, performing a flip turn just before impact. The show continued for about ten minutes before he tired of the performance and swam off to the south. I have no doubt that his antics were a means of communication, perhaps an attempt to encourage my participation.

Most of all, this delightful experience reinforced my conviction that whales and dolphins are too intelligent to be held in captivity. No amount of tasty fish or audience appreciation can justify their loss of freedom.

Musk Hogs

Collared peccaries, otherwise known as javelinas or by their more colorful title of musk hogs, are native pig-like residents of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts of the Southwest U.S., from southern Arizona to southwest Texas. They and other peccary species are also found southward through Mexico, Central American and most of South America. All are descendents of a Eurasian ancestor that split from the common pig lineage back in the Eocene, some 50 million years ago.

Living in herds of up to 50 individuals (10-20 is typical), collared peccaries roam the canyons and arroyos of the Desert Southwest, under the control of a dominant male. He breeds with females in the group throughout the year and pregnant females temporarily leave the herd to deliver their young (usually 2) in a den or hollow log. Older sisters help to raise their new siblings and newborn females are sexually mature within a year.

Thinner and longer-legged than common pigs, collared peccaries have a coarse coat of gray-brown hair with a darker mane down their back and a lighter ring around their neck; while their eyesight is rather poor, these desert residents have a keen sense of smell. Short, sharp tusks offer some protection from predators (mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats) but their aggressive nature and group mentality provide their best defence. Omnivorous, peccaries feed on a variety of plant materials (prickly pear cactus and agaves are favored) but also consume eggs, reptiles and carrion; avoiding the heat of mid-day, they usually forage in the early morning and evening hours. The name "musk hog" is derived from the potent musk gland on their upper rump which they use to mark their territory and one another.

The Desert Raccoon

Natives of Central and South America, coatimundis have spread into the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts of the southwestern U.S. Formally known as white-nosed coatimundis, these members of the raccoon family, unlike their more widespread and familiar relatives, are diurnal and gregarious, often moving about in noisy bands composed of females and their young.

Adult males, twice as large as the females, weigh up to 25 pounds and tend to be more solitary. Mating occurs in the early spring and 4-6 young are born after a gestation of almost 3 months. Females often use rock crevices for nursery dens but she and her offspring later use crude arboreal platforms for sleeping and resting. Wandering about for much of the day, these omnivores locate food and prey with their long, tapered snout; insects, lizards, eggs, nuts and fruit comprise most of their diet. Coatimundis are agile climbers, equipped with sharp claws to grasp limbs and a long tail for balance.

Favoring wooded canyons of the Desert Southwest, white-nosed coatis and their brown-nosed South American cousins are threatened primarily by habitat loss. Natural predators include mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats and golden eagles in the U.S. and jaguars, ocelots and boas in Central and South America. Known to live up to 15 years in captivity, coatis have a natural life span of 6-8 years.

Short-tailed Weasels

Short-tailed weasels, also known as ermine or stoats, are circumboreal in their distribution; in North America, they are found across Alaska and Canada, extending southward to the Northern Sierra, through the higher Rockies to New Mexico, across the Upper Great Lakes region and into New England. These small mustelids favor taiga, stunted timberline forest and open, brushy woodlands along streams; there they hunt for voles, mice, pikas, chipmunks, rabbits and small birds.

Solitary for much of the year, short-tailed weasels mate in summer and, after a period of delayed implantation, an average of 6-8 kits are born the following spring; able to fend for themselves within 2 months, the young disperse by late summer. Adult short-tailed weasels are generally 10-12 inches long and sport a brownish coat with white underparts during the spring and summer months; come fall, they molt to a white pelt to blend with their snowy surroundings though the tip of their tail remains black in all seasons. Like many predators, these energetic and aggressive hunters are primarily nocturnal but may be encountered early or late in the day.

The population of short-tailed weasels tends to wax and wane with that of their major prey species; most live less than two years but some survive for six years or more. Owls, gyrfalcons, coyotes and fox are their primary natural predators and humans have trapped them for their white winter pelts over the centuries. Introduced in New Zealand during the 1800s, these mustelids have since been decimating native bird populations, reminding us that human manipulation of natural ecosystems is frought with danger.