Playing Opossum in Dallas: Saving Our Wildlife
September 16, 2009 by Kimberly · 2 Comments
Opossum
It’s 12:45 amмаси и столове in Dallas, Texas right now…
I just took our kitchen garbage out to the trash can and noticed one of our neighborhood stray dogs laying in the middle of the street.
As I focused in and started approaching, I noticed that it was sitting next to another animal, also in the middle of the street…I thought it could have been a run over cat or something like that…
…As I came upon the dog, I took a look at what kind of animal was laying there and lo and behold, it was the opossum I’ve been noticing walking through the neighborhood some nights, playing dead – completely still, eyes open and all.
The dog, who’s usually quite skiddish when you come near him, wanted to hold his ground even though I was very close and clapping him away to go home. He even growled at me.
I’m sure he was deciding whether he wanted to eat his catch or play with it for a while before eating it, but he finally took off down the way to his house – I don’t know what’s up with his owners.
Anyway, now I’m outside in my pajamas waiting on our street corner for this opossum to “wake” back up and get off the road to disappear into the night again.
I’m telling you, I had to wait
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Cockroaches 5 Inches Long in Texas
September 9, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
American Cockroach
They’re called water bugs or Palmetto bugs, but they’re actually American cockroaches and they’re huge.
They can fly, they run fast and will even come back to life on you after they’ve been smashed.
When we lived in Louisiana, they were a real problem especially when it rained or got cold as they’d find any tiny hole to get into your home. We actually set mouse traps for them and they worked!
They’re so large, you can hear them shuffling around in cupboards and on tile floors, even though we keep everything really spic and span.
Tonight, we just got rid of our 4th one this week that somehow found a way into our home here in Dallas.
Tough to catch, really smart and super fast, it’s not easy to Read more
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Bigfoot Sighting in Kentucky on Film
September 9, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
Exotic Animal Newsflash:
A Kentucky man, Kenny Mahoney, has a motion sensor hunting camera in his backyard, which often picks up images of rabbits, turkeys and deer.
What he found was an unidentified mysterious animal (UMA) on the photo raiding his garden. Check out this video:
Skeptical that it could be bigfoot, but unable to rule it out completely, the investigation moves on in the woods of Kentucky for bigfoot.
They say the figure looked to be six Read more
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Ladder-Backed Woodpecker Sighting in Dallas
September 8, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
Ladder-Backed (above) & Nuttall's (below) Woodpeckers
Out of all the exotic animals I’ve ever seen, for the first time in my life, I saw a woodpecker in person.
I’ve seen photos, heard them pecking, videos and know a bit about them, but have never seen one before.
I’m from Canada, so I’m sure there are more varieties there, but here in Dallas, there was a tiny, black with white speckled woodpecker with a touch of red on it’s head.
I’ve done my research online and found out that it’s a Ladder-Backed Woodpecker!
I knew it was a woodpecker from it’s tuft of hair on the back of it’s head, it’s pointy beak and how he was Read more
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Hanging Out with Squirrels in the Trees
August 26, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
One of the simple joys in my life is watching the squirrels in the trees play around the neighborhood.
They do vex our crew of dogs at the house, but they’re so fun to watch at the same time.
They chase each other, run up and down the trees, and they’re so busy with all of their chores, like cleaning themselves, watching out for predators like dogs and cats, and tending to their meals.
Today, I took a look out of the window to see a squirrel actually lazing around in this midday Texas summer heat!
I’ve never seen this before. He was just “chillin’ out” in the tree with it’s arm hanging off a wide enough branch to lay down on.
Squirrel Hangin' Out in Tree
Too cute! Look at him with his leg hanging off the branch “chillin’”!
I’m glad Read more
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Mock Chameleons in Texas
August 25, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
I have a little lizard friend that comes by my window and walks along the fence running the length of our home in Dallas.
Mock Chameleon
He’s a cute little guy – maybe 10 cm from nose to the end of his tail and is a khaki color.
When he sees me looking through the window, he starts showing off by forcing this rounded fan-like piece of skin out from his throat area. It turns a beautiful bright, ruby red color surrounded by sunshine yellow.
Now, I think he’s showing off to me. He’ll bob his head then thrust his beautiful fan out, walk a few inches and repeat, all the while peaking to see if I’m looking.
I think he thinks he’s a tough guy! LOL…
I don’t know if the showing off is because he feels threatened or he fancies me!
Today, just as I was Read more
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Keeping a Horny Toad as a Pet in Dallas
August 16, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
Well, as we all know, TCU’s (Texas Christian University’s) mascot is the horny toad. Actually, it’s also called a horned lizard.
They are ridiculously adorable and are great, placid pets, that are even great with children.
The problem with the Texas horned lizard, native to Texas, is that their food supply is waning. Even as a lizard owner, it’s gotten tougher and tougher to find natural sources for their food.
What Do Horned Lizards Eat?
A typical horned lizard should eat between 20-100 harvester ants per day. This is necessary because harvester ants provide this horned lizard with the formic acid it needs to survive.
You’re thinking, “Well, just find some harvester ants outside and be done with it!”
Problem: Harvester ants have been displaced by the fire ant in Texas, especially Dallas. So, you need to be educated and knowledgeable when looking for harvester ant nests.
Also, you certainly don’t want to capture fire ants for 2 reasons:
1. Their bite can be very painful to a human and they can swarm you quickly.
2. Horny toads will Read more
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A Black-Throated Magpie Jay in Dallas Today
July 29, 2009 by Kimberly · 2 Comments
I’ve been enjoying the bird life we have around our new property in Dallas in Lower Greenville.
We’ve got some beautiful cardinals with young, blue jays, cute, little sparrows and miscellaneous brown birds I haven’t completely identified yet.
However, this morning I thought I saw a blue jay in the tree from our kitchen window.
I kept watching it and low and behold, it wasn’t shadows on his blue color. He was a grey, black and white jay with a long tail!
Quickly, I ran to get my camera and when I returned to the window, he was gone.
I looked all over online for different types of jays in our area that may look like this and what I found was the Black-Throated Magpie Jay.
Why is this so interesting?
Because their range is Northwestern Read more
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There Are Bats in Dallas
May 24, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
That’s what I said!
I’ve been noticing a lot of bats this season in Dallas and to me, that’s a blessing…
That’s right!
I am so shocked every time I point out a bat to someone in the evening or night time and they nearly panic and run…
Bats aren’t the rabid, blood sucking, scary animals horror movies would have you believe they are.
In fact, they would love to stay away from you and have nothing to do with you! LOL…
They’re your best friends if you’re tired of all the darn mosquitoes biting you at night or during activities in the evening or on the weekends!
Why? Because bats love to Read more
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Basking Shark Mystery Migration Solved
May 10, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
Exotic Animal Newsflash:
Scientists have finally discovered where the heck those basking sharks go during the winter months.
Previously thought to be a cold water fish, this shark will migrate from New England in the Western Atlantic all the way down to the Bahamas!
They even recorded one of the sharks they tracked hanging out for 1 month at the mouth of the Amazon River.
Animals are just full of surprises, arent’ they?
What was most intriguing about basking sharks is that no one has ever seen a baby or a pregnant female or a basking shark giving birth.
They measure up to 35 m long and are the 2nd Read more
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