I decided that my blog isn't very popular because it doesn't have a genre. There are religious blogs, political blogs, blogs for moms, Christians, fashion, computers, families, photography, etc.
So, I am going to give my blog a weekly genre. On Wednesdays I have to present one of the mammals we are supposed to learn about that day to my mammalogy class. I thought it would be fun to show all of you my mammals as well.
INSECTIVORES:
This last week I signed up for the Pangolin (Manis spp.) because I had never heard of it before.
So I present to you the pangolin:
The Pangolin is cool because...
1. Its tongue muscles begin at the lowest rib and it can extend its tongue out 25 cm (it is an ant and termite eater).
2. It has scales made from agglutinated hair (the hair is glued together).
3. The scales on its tail are super spikey and it can use them to swipe at predators.
4. It has super tough claws that can break open a termite home (a termite home is like the hardest cement on earth).
5. It can close up its nostrils and ears so that ants and termites don't get in.
Since that was my animal for last week you guys are going to get TWO-FOR-ONE this week!!
BATS:
My mammal this week is the Western Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus hesperus) (I totally picked it because of its name):
1. The Western Pipistrelle is not as cool as the Pangolin, sorry Pipi.
2. I think Pipi looks pretty cool with his Black leathery face, ears and patagium (that's the leathery wings specific to bats) paired with a brownish gray furry coat.
3. This bat mates in the fall and hibernates in the winter. Because of this the females can carry the spem inside her through her hibernation before becoming fertilized in the spring. Also if she rouses from her hibernation (which causes her to become fertilized)
in the middle of winter she will remove the sperm, so that she doesn't become pregnant before the hibernation period is over.
4. Newborns only take one month after birth before they look just like adults.
5. Newborns are taken care of by a maternal colony because the bat is short-lived (the mom might die before the young is weaned).
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About Me
Matt and I were married two years ago. We recently bought our first home in Eagle Mountain, UT. Little Ezra joined our family on September 30, 2007, and we love him lots! Feel free to get a peek into our life together here or at Matt's blog.
You are the cutest nerd I know...
I'm totally a fan of the first one. I wish I could close my ears to keep bugs out. (Not that bugs get into my ears that often, but when they get close it always weirds me out. If I had a mechanism that kept them away altogether it would be awesome.)
Yeah, that Pangolin looks like the sweetest animal ever. I want one. Or to be one.
And I bet he doesn't have to worry about earwigs.
You know, there is a bridge in Austin Texas with 2000 bats living under it. Just an fyi