Mammals

A Reflection on Natural History (Part 2)

Before the Scientific Revolution, any attempt to ascribe order to nature was largely rooted in the study of holy texts, rather than in the nature of minerals and organisms themselves. The development of natural history as an observational science in the seventeenth century changed this entirely and lives on to be a crucial element in the study of living organisms today.

It has become popular in the modern era to dismiss natural history as “mere” classification, lacking empirical methods, but this could not be further from the truth. Accurate classification is an essential element of understanding the natural world. There is not a more essential answer to the question “what is x?” than to give the classification of x, i.e. put it in relation to other living beings. Such an indefinite number of characteristics can be inferred by an organism’s taxonomic standing alone that this serves as a sort of shortcut to ripping individual organisms to shreds and painstakingly having to analyze and reanalyze the constituent parts of each individual organism. While an understanding of the anatomy of individuals within a species is of interest to some and has intrinsic value, the understanding of organisms in context with other similar and dissimilar organisms also has value. For those with questions unconcerned with the minutia of differences between individuals and who are focused with broader themes in evolution or organismal biology, a system of classification serves as a heuristic to understanding basic aspects of the organism at hand in relation to its own or other groups of organisms. Today, rather than defining natural groups by shared characteristics, these characteristics aid in the diagnoses of natural groups, which rather are defined by evolutionary relatedness. Still a need for the accurate classification of organisms persists.

Natural history as an observational rather than experimental science is not an outdated way of conducting zoology, ecology, or botany. Research lab settings are artificial and for those concerned with ethology, ecology, and observational field studies are crucial for comprehending the life history and behavior of animals and plants. Such observational studies have formed the bedrock of the modern understandings of these subjects. Even experimental studies themselves are inspired by observational studies after all.

Carolina Parakeet specimens are among the irreplaceable extinct specimens held in the Tetrapod Collection. (Photo Credit: Chelsea Hothem 2016)

Carolina Parakeet specimens are among the irreplaceable extinct specimens held in the Tetrapod Collection. (Photo Credit: Chelsea Hothem 2016)

Natural history museums and the specimens they contain also retain both intrinsic and practical value. Far from ‘mere’ cabinets of curiosities, natural history specimens serve as physical records of organisms, vouchers, from throughout history. The tags of these specimens usually record the location where the specimen was collected, the date, the stomach contents of the organism (for animals), pre-preparation measurements, the name of the collector, the cause of death, and many other bits of information that prove invaluable for research. Each specimen is comparable to a library book brimming with information that can inform future scientists on topics ranging from biodiversity, species distribution, the changes in species over time, impacts of humans over time, genetic information, historic climates, and conservation.

A young bluebird (Sialia sialis) that died after being entangled in this plastic. This is an unfortunate reminder that what humans do with their trash has repercussions for other species.This specimen was prepared by Tetrapod Curatorial Assistant, Grant Terrell and is now housed in the Museum of Biological Diversity’s Tetrapod Collection. (Photo: Grant Terrell, 2016)

A young bluebird (Sialia sialis) that died after being entangled in this plastic. This is an unfortunate reminder that what humans do with their trash has repercussions for other species.This specimen was prepared by Tetrapod Curatorial Assistant, Grant Terrell and is now housed in the Museum of Biological Diversity’s Tetrapod Collection. (Photo: Grant Terrell, 2016)

A modern example of the utility of museum collections is the application of DDT and its effects on North American birds. Chemicals within DDT were responsible for the terminal thinning of eggshells in birds exposed to the pesticide. Not until contemporary eggs could be compared with eggs in museum collections, were scientists able to confirm why avian populations were suffering.  If naturalists had not been consistently collecting eggs from North American bird species, humans may have continued using DDT without fully understanding its effects on non-targeted species. The value of a particular specimen only increases with time. This lesson can effortlessly be learned after only a single encounter with a specimen of a recently extinct species such as the Passenger Pigeon. Individuals within museum collections and the observations of naturalists are now all that remain for researchers with questions about such species. The advent of new technologies only increases the value of the work of naturalists such as Sir Hans Sloane. Researchers now sequence the DNA of specimens and compare it to that of modern individuals. It is unknowable what advances may further enhance the value of the study of natural history.

Thus it is very important to ensure preservation of specimens for future generations. Please support our efforts through our current fundraiser.

About the Author: Grant Terrell is a second year student at the Ohio State University who is currently double-majoring in Evolution & Ecology and History. He currently works as a Curatorial Assistant in the Tetrapod Collection of the Museum of Biological Diversity and focuses on Ornithology.

About the Author: Grant Terrell is a second year student at the Ohio State University who is currently double-majoring in Evolution & Ecology and History. He currently works as a Curatorial Assistant in the Tetrapod Collection of the Museum of Biological Diversity and focuses on Ornithology.

Works Cited

Huxley, Robert. The Great Naturalists. London: Thames & Hudson, 2007. Print.

Otter, Christopher. “Natural History.” History 3712. The Ohio State University Main Campus, Columbus. 6 Sept. 2016. Lecture.

Stott, Rebecca. Darwin’s Ghosts: The Secret History of Evolution. New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2012. Print.

Wintering strategies of our endangered animals

Over the past weeks we have seen that animals employ three strategies to survive our cold Northern hemisphere winters: migrate, hibernate or adapt. Many bird species migrate, amphibians and reptiles hibernate and mammals, in particular large ones, adapt. So today let’s look at how some  of the endangered or even extinct species survive(d) the winters in Ohio – only 5 more days to contribute to our campaign to purchase a new mobile cabinet for our endangered tetrapods, let’s keep them safe!

male Bachman's Warbler

male Bachman’s Warbler (Whatbird.com)

The Bachman’s Warbler, like most of today’s species in the family wood warblers, migrated south, in this case to Cuba. It is an example of how migratory birds face even more risks than their cousins who stay year-round in one place. Its populations probably declined dramatically as a result of habitat destruction both on the breeding and wintering grounds. The last confirmed breeding record of this species was in 1937, and it has not been reported since 1988.

 

Indiana bats in cave

Indiana bats cluster together and hibernate during winter in caves, occasionally in abandoned mines. For hibernation, they require cool, humid caves with stable temperatures, under 50° F but above freezing. Only a few caves within the range of the species (Eastern USA) have these conditions. To survive up to 6 months of hibernation they rely on their energy reserves in the form of fat. The stored fat is their only source of energy because insects are rare in the middle of winter. If bats are disturbed during hibernation and move around they use up more energy and may starve.

Hibernating Indiana bats in cave

Hibernating Indiana bats (Wikipedia)

The Allegheny woodrat is adapted to cold conditions: Its fur becomes slightly darker and longer and it caches food in small caves or rock crevices. They feed mainly on plant material which means that they need large piles of it as they eat about five percent of their weight daily. You can imagine that woodrats are busily preparing for the winter these days.

 

The Carolina Parakeet was rather unusual for a parrot species.

image_carolina_parakeet02First of all it was the only parrot species that ever occurred natively in the USA. Furthermore it did not migrate south in the winter but weathered the cold. This may explain why some of today’s introduced parrot species survive in the wild just fine. Did you know that the last two known parakeets, Lady Jane and Incas, lived together for thirty-two years in the Cincinnati Zoo, the same zoo the last Passenger Pigeon lived? Lady Jane died in 1917 and Incas, soon after, on February 21, 1918.

group of Eskimo Curlews

The Eskimo Curlew migrated to South America where it overwintered in wet pampas grasslands, intertidal and semi-desert areas. A long flight from the breeding grounds in the tundra of the Western Arctic.

The Passenger Pigeon established winter “roosting” sites in the forests in the southern US states, Arkansas to North Carolina south to the uplands of the Gulf Coast states. Birds timed their movements with the availability of food.

We hope this made you appreciate these species even more; please help us preserve their remains for future generations to study. Donate today!

How do mammals survive our cold winters?

Today we explore how mammals spend the winter. Some of them migrate, though often not in response to the cold but rather to changes in rainfall, some hibernate, but many adapt to cooler temperatures. To keep warm, they grow thicker fur, they may collect and store extra food to eat it later and they find shelter in tree holes or burrows. Some may even huddle close together to benefit from each others body heat.

bank voles huddling underground

bank voles huddling underground

Some sixty species of mammals call Ohio home. The ones that you are probably most familiar with, because they are fairly large in size, active during the day and frequent your garden, are the Eastern gray squirrel and white-tailed deer. At dawn and dusk you may catch a glimpse of a racoon or an opossum. The latter two can be seen looking for food at times, while they sleep through periods of bad weather.

Eastern gray squirrel

Eastern gray squirrel study skin

If you have an acorn-producing oak tree in your garden you may have noticed squirrels foraging busily and collecting acorns that they store in safe places so they can retrieve them when the ground is frozen and covered with snow. Squirrels do not hibernate, they slow down their activity and may sleep for days when a snowstorm hits. They build nests out of twigs and leaves in the top of trees where they hide and stay warm.

Their close relative, the Eastern chipmunk, also does not hibernate. These little creatures are now busy collecting food that they scurry down into their newly dug burrows. They do not hibernate even though you may not see them until spring. They sleep in their burrows and wake up periodically to feed on their stores. On a warm winter day you may even be lucky to see one run across the snow.

The Eastern chipmunk has a close relative in Ohio, the thirteen-lined ground squirrel, also known as the striped gopher. It inhabits grasslands and prairies in North America and as these habitats are disappearing makes use of substitutes, such as cemeteries. They often are not welcome guests though due to their extensive digging habit in these and other open areas such as golf courses. Their burrows are important though as they hibernate in them. In fall, these little creatures put on a layer of fat and prepare to sleep through winter. They truly hibernate, i.e. their body temperature, heart rate, breathing and metabolic rate drop below normal levels. Thirteen-lined ground squirrels can spend up to 6 months of the year in hibernation!

Next week we will reveal how some of the species associated with our current fundraiser survive(d) the winter, so please check back to find out about the Bachman’s Warbler, Indiana Bat, Allegheny Woodrat, Carolina Parakeet, Eskimo Curlew, and Passenger Pigeon. If any of these species are dear to your heart, consider donating for their preservation!

Specimen Photo Shoot: Roll it Out Specimens

Roll it Out: Specimen Photo Shoot

Curious what the extinct and highly endangered specimens we will be moving to the mobile cabinet look like? One of our student research assistants took detailed photos just for YOU. All of these specimens are considered irreplaceable and some being the last records of their species. Be sure to check out our campaign page for information on how to to support the collection and help us roll out the irreplaceable specimens represented from the photos below.

 

A research assistant shows off a tiger cub.

Chelsea Hothem, Student Research Assistant

PHOTOS BY: Chelsea Hothem, 2016

Species of January: The Bengal Tiger

I had been saving this particular species of tetrapod for my final blog post, and now that time has come. Recently I accepted an internship at the Center Of Science and Industry in Columbus, so I will be ending my work here at the Tetrapod Collection. As my time here comes to an end, I’d like to finish by writing about my favorite tetrapod species.

Growing up to 6 feet in length and weighing up to 500 lbs, the Bengal Tiger (Panther tigris tigris) is, without question, one of the most majestic and regal animals on this planet. Different tiger species can be found in different parts of Asia but the Bengal Tiger is found primarily in India and some areas of neighboring Bangladesh. Tigers are the largest cats in the world and have a distinct roar that can be heard

A tiger skull that we have here in the Tetrapod Collection.

A tiger skull that we have here in the Tetrapod Collection.

from two miles away. Tigers are known for their distinctive striped coats and, like our fingerprints, no two tigers have the same pattern of stripes. The tiger’s stripes are used to break up the tiger’s shape against the shadows of the mangrove forests in which they live. When tigers hunt, they will get in very close and use a quick fatal pounce to deliver a crushing bite to their prey. An adult tiger can eat up to 60 pounds of meat in one night, and will usually bury whatever it can’t finish in order to come back to it later. Tigers are fiercely territorial and unlike lions (who live and hunt in a large pride) tigers live, hunt, and rear offspring alone. Female tigers give birth to two to six cubs and raise them for two to three years before the young are kicked out and must find territory ranges of their own. To learn more facts about the Bengal Tiger, feel free to visit the National Geographic’s website.

It pains me dearly to say that all subspecies of tiger are endangered. At the beginning of the 20th century there were eight subspecies, but they have now been reduced to five. There are many reasons for the tiger’s place on the endangered species list, the primary being poachers illegally selling the tiger’s body parts for use in Traditional Chinese Medicine. However, other threats such as habitat loss have also caused tiger numbers to shrink.

Yet another reason for the reduction in tiger numbers has received some attention lately. Loss of prey items has always been a large concern in tiger population, but a new paper by Bhattarai et al (2012) explores a different aspect of this problem. In much of the range, tigers often live in the same habitat and compete for food with their cousin the Leopard (Panthera pardus). In India, this isn’t much of a problem because tigers like to hunt larger prey items while the leopards prefer to hunt smaller prey items. However, due to increased human activity in the area, larger prey species are vanishing which means that tigers now must resort to hunting prey species that the leopard would usually hunt. This lack of food will often cause the big cats to hunt livestock, which brings tigers and leopards into conflict with humans. The researchers stress that larger prey species must be protected to help the tigers and leopards go back to their normal feeding patterns so as to reduce inter-species competition and conflict with humans.

Few other big cats come close to matching the tiger’s enormous strength and majestic beauty. None of the other species of big cat is as critically endangered as the tiger is and there are many projects currently underway attempting to increase, or even double the tiger’s population. Talks with the Indian government and a protected tiger pathway into neighboring Bhutan are among some of the ideas being discussed to help protect this beautiful animal. The World Wildlife Fund’s website lists several ways to action for you to help save tigers. Their struggle to survive in the modern world is reflected in the problems all endangered species face. So if we can save the Bengal Tiger, then there may be hope for other species teetering on the edge of existence.

 

I’d like to say thank you to everyone who has read my posts. It has been a pleasure and an honor to expand this blog with fresh stories and new feature. I’d like to believe at my posts were educational and entertaining. From here on out, OSU undergraduate and Tetrapod Volunteer Abby Miller, will be taking over as editor of the blog. May she entertain and enlighten you as much as hope that I have. Thank you.

References

“Bengal Tiger, Bengal Tiger Pictures, Bengal Tiger Facts – National Geographic.” National Geographic. http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/bengal-tiger/

“Leopard, Leopard Pictures, Leopard Facts – National Geographic.” National Geographic.

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/leopard/

Bhattarai, B. P., Kindlmann P. 2012 Interactions between Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris) and Leopard (Panthera pardus): Implications for Their Conservation. Biodiversity and Conservation 21, 2075-2094.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10531-012-0298-y/fulltext.html

“Bengal Tiger.” WorldWildlife.org. World Wildlife Fund. http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/bengal-tiger

Brown Bats and Red Bats and Myotis Oh my!

An evening walk, in search of the Ohio State University’s only flying mammal, the bat.

 

BioPresence and the Museum of Biological Diversity’s Tetrapod Collection presents an evening with Count Dracula’s counterpart and the only flying mammal found in the world, the bat. Come learn more and follow around some of Ohio’s most unique and fascinating mammals. With the use of a bat detector we will be recording what species we are finding and documenting as much of the local campus bat life as possible.

 

All are welcome: Bat Walk will occur Tuesday August 25th 2015 at 8:15PM and meeting location to be announced closer to event.

Species of July: Indiana Bat

Three Indiana Bat skins from the Tetrapod Collection.

Indiana bats from the Tetrapod Division

by Raymond Gonzo

There’s nothing like being outdoors on a warm summer night. The sunset, the fireflies, a barbeque all make summer nights truly magical. However, there is an important part of the summer night that you won’t hear too many people reminiscing about, bats flying overhead. Bats though play an important role in making these summer nights so pleasant and memorable, they feast on mosquitoes and help keep their numbers in check.

Here in the Tetrapod collection, we have several species of bats that have been preserved and placed in a glass container with labels for each individual so that we can show them to visitors. While any of the species that we have would make for interesting conversation, I feel that it would be most interesting to discuss a species of bat that is both unique and important to the Midwest and Ohio, the Indiana Bat.

Weighing the same as approximately three pennies and with a wingspan just under one foot, the Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis) is quite small . Despite being small, these bats can have a large impact: they are capable of eating half their body weight in insects per night and when you do the math, a bat can eat 3.75 g of mosquitoes which amounts to roughly 1,500 mosquitoes at 2.5 mg each. Thus bats are highly valuable in pest control. Like all bats, the Indiana Bat will hibernate during the winter when there are no insects to be found. These bats hibernate in very large clusters and, like their Latin name (sodalis, meaning companion) implies, are very social. When hibernating bats slow their metabolism, heart rate and breathing rate to extremely low levels to conserve energy. Given that they cannot refuel during the cold months, their energy reserves are finite and any unnecessary movement will cause them to burn more of their fat reserves than they can afford to lose. Thus during hibernation, bats absolutely cannot be disturbed. This will cause the bats to starve and die before the warmer weather with replenished food supplies returns. To find out more about the Indiana Bat in particular, you can visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s website.

The Indiana bat, has been endangered since 1967. One of the reasons is disturbance during hibernation. There are a few different causes for disturbance of the bats’ hibernation, but the biggest threat nowadays may be white-nose syndrome.

The white-nose syndrome is a fungus that was introduced to North American caves by European spelunkers sometime in the early 2000’s. The fungus causes a white patch to grow on the bats’ nose, hence the name; this irritates the bat and may alter its behavior. Bats with this syndrome have been observed flying around in the middle of the winter, burning more fat than they normally would, which ultimately leads to death by starvation. This disease has already killed millions of bats across the U.S. and Canada and according to some researchers, it may continue to do so before we will see improvement.

According to a study conducted by Wayne E Thogmartin et al (2013) the population of the Indian Bat will be ravaged by white-nose syndrome over the next century. The study conducted was able to predict the rate at which bats will die off should conditions continue as they are, and they’ve found that the Indiana Bat will survive into the next half century, but at greatly reduced numbers. There is, however, the chance that the bats will develop immunity to the fungus, which could turn things around.

Bats of all species (the Indiana bat included) are dying due to the white-nose fungus’ rapid advancement. If we lose these bats, then we lose a very effective regulator of insect populations. The good news is that there are many ways you can help bats, starting in your own backyard in order to make it more inhabitable for bats. You can also support an organization that is working to save bats (e.g. the organization for bat conservation), and you can attend programs to learn more about bats.

At OSU Marne Titchenell, Wildlife Extension Program Specialist has studied bats and knows about their ecology and management. Marne and other naturalists periodically give talks on bat conservation at local metro parks. This weekend, join a Journey into Nature with Bats at Glacier Ridge Metro Park on Saturday July 25th at 8pm or take a bat walk at Blacklick Woods Metro Park on July 31st. Happy bat watching!

References

Thogmartin W.E., Carol A.S.R., Szymanski J.A., McKann P.C., Pruitt L., King R.A., Runge M.C., Russell R.E. 2013 White-nose Syndrome Is Likely to Extirpate the Endangered Indiana Bat over Large Parts of Its Range. Biological Conservation 160, 162-72. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320713000207

“Indiana Bat (Myotis Sodalis).” USFWS: Indiana Bat (Myotis Sodalis) Fact Sheet. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 18 May 2015. http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/mammals/inba/inbafctsht.html

“White-Nose Syndrome (WNS).” USGS National Wildlife Health Center –. U.S. Geological Survey, 13 Mar. 2015. http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/disease_information/white-nose_syndrome/

Bruce, Heidi, and Shannan Stoll. “How to Save Bats in Your Own Backyard.” YES! Magazine. YES! Magazine, 17 July 2012. http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/making-it-home/how-to-save-backyard-bats

Second life of a manatee

You may have seen the newest addition to the tetrapod collection, a manatee skeleton, during the Open House (7-Feb) or read the previous blog post. Last Sunday the manatee was in the news again: reporters from the Columbus Dispatch had interviewed Andy Calinger-Yoak, EEOB Ph.D. candidate who articulated the skeleton. He told the detailed story of manatee Willoughby’s short life, how she was sent from St. Lucie River in Florida to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium to recover from injuries from a boat incident, her death two years later and how she ended up well preserved in our museum collection. Andy took on the challenge, recruited a team of helpers and articulated Willoughby’s full skeleton so that visitors can learn about peculiarities of and adaptations to a manatee’s lifestyle.

You can read the full article and hear an interview with Andy here.

Andy talking about the manatee skeleton

Andy talking about the manatee skeleton

 

Meet Willoughby, a Florida manatee

Thanks to Andy Yoak, graduate student in EEOB, we now have an articulated skeleton of a manatee on display in the collection! Visit her during our annual Open House on Saturday, February 7th (more information about this event soon!)

Willoughby, an 11-year-old female Caribbean manatee, was donated by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. The animal was rescued from the St. Lucie River in Florida after being struck with a propeller from a watercraft in June 1995.

Several bones of the skeleton were missing and we were able to 3-D print some of them and give Willougby a unique look. The assembly process of this skeleton has been captured with a GoPro camera and you can watch the video on YouTube.

skeleton of a Florida manatee

Note the part of the lower left jaw that was reconstructed through 3-D printing

lateral view manatee skeleton

Note the right shoulder blade which was reconstructed through 3-D printing

Cool facts about manatees

You may know  manatees under their alternate name sea cows which is inspired by their slow pace when grazing underwater. Powering themselves with their strong tails, manatees typically glide along at 5 miles/hr.  They eat water grasses, weeds and algae, and lots of them to keep up their massive bodies. An adult manatee weighs on average 800-1,200 pounds at a length of 8-10 feet and feeds 6-8 hours each day.

Despite their bulk, manatees actually have very little fat under their skin which makes them very sensitive to water temperature changes and intolerant to cold waters (below 68 degrees).

Boating collisions are the number one killer of manatees. They are killed by impact injuries from physical force of a boat traveling at a high rate of speed as well as by rotating propellers.

You can find more facts about manatees and how to help them survive here.  To see a life manatee, visit the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.