Four-spotted Yellowneck
This extremely tiny moth seems to be a Four-spotted Yellowneck (Oegoconia quadripuncta). The wingspan of this nocturnal creature is little more than a centimeter! It is a good example of a life form the average person would never know existed if not for a targeted search and some help via mothing lights. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreDaddy Longlegs
Those really are some long legs after all…although I believe it is more accurate to call this a harvestman, or opiliones. The story of this being one of the most venormous animals in the world if not for the fact it does not have the requisite fangs to bite humans is a myth on many levels! I did not even notice until posting this photo that it seems to be missing one of those legs… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreRed Fox Encounter
I recently encountered an old friend in the form of a Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) at a known site that has a den and an annual family. I was unexpectedly thrust into the role of being the stalker instead of the sly fox. Even that is not a very accurate description as I stopped moving when I spotted it, knowing that it would detect me if I continued my progress. It was busy hunting, likely for small mammals, right along the earth in these grasslands. It took a couple of snaps of my shutter for it to turn around, see me, and then flee, all recorded below. This is what most mammalian predators,...
Read MoreWild Turkey: vicious predator
‘Tis now the season for the Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo). I have been regularly spotting a couple of groups lately, one with around 18 individuals and another with around 8. Here is one bird passing through on a showery and cloudy afternoon. It is hard to believe how rapidly the species has expanded in many areas in the last couple of decades. Is their population increase partially responsible for a decrease in some woodlands herpetofauna? I posted a great deal about Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) this summer, and would you believe this very turkey is a potential...
Read MoreA Short-snout Weevil (Compsus sp.)
This Short-snout Weevil (Compsus sp.) was photographed by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser while in Panama at the Cocobolo Nature Reserve for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project on assignment for us at Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. What a striking little creature…it almost looks like it has neon camouflage.
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