Nature

Does a Squirrel’s Tail Grow Back?

by

I don’t believe that there are many animals in God’s kingdom that are as cute as a squirrel. I have seen brown squirrels, gray squirrels, and black squirrels.

Recently, a squirrel ran across the road in front of me and I noticed that it had a tail only about two inches long. I know that a squirrel’s tail is important—to the squirrel. Let’s look and see.

More than just a bushy appendage; it has many crucial functions that help the squirrel to survive in the wild. Its tail is made up of a series of small bones connected together by muscles and ligaments. The ligaments provide support and stability, while the muscles allow the squirrel to move its tail in a variety of directions. At the base of the tail is a gland that produces a sticky, pungent substance called musk. Squirrels use their musk to mark their territory and to communicate with other squirrels.

The squirrel uses its tail to climb trees and balance on branches. It serves as a stabilizer, a balance pole if you will, that aids in navigation as the squirrel scampers through treetops or speeds across open spaces on the ground. It is extremely agile allowing the squirrel to perform graceful and precise acrobatic feats to escape being the main course of a predator’s meal, helps to catch its food, and can even serve as an umbrella and a parachute.

A squirrel communicates with other squirrels by flicking and twitching its tail. The position and movement of its tail signals the different messages that warn of danger or confirm a safe zone.

The tail is also a temperature regulator, a biological thermostat. In winter, the squirrel will curl itself up with its tail wrapped around it like a cozy blanket. In this way, its tail helps to retain its body heat. In the summer, its tail becomes a fluffy fan by increasing the blood flow near the skin surface of the tail fur.

It looks like having a healthy, bushy tail is not just for show, but it is really important to keep the squirrel alive. So, what happens if a squirrel loses its tail?

Actually, it’s not all that uncommon for a squirrel to lose its tail.

Sometimes its tail gets stuck between the branches of a tree or between fence boards and the squirrel will simply yank it off to free itself.

For its size and cuteness, the squirrel is actually pretty aggressive. It fights over a mate and territory. It bites and claws other squirrels, so it’s no wonder that a tail can be lost from time to time.

Predators like hawks, cats, and large snakes, target its tail and it appears that the squirrel itself has the ability to “lose” it (as part of the same process that regenerates a tail) in order to save itself.

Frostbite can lead to tissue damage and the eventual loss of a tail.

Certain diseases like mange make the skin dry and brittle and can cause the tail to fall off.

So, can a squirrel’s tail grow back? Yes, it can; through a process known as autotomy. It may take several weeks, months, even a year or more for the tail to fully regrow, and the squirrel will have a short, stubby tail that grows longer and fuller as time passes, until it reaches its original length. But an interesting fact about autotomy is that it also enables the squirrel to voluntarily shed the tail.

While it’s nice to have a tail again, it’s not an exact replica of the original one. The color and texture might be slightly different, and the hair will be shorter, not as full as the original, but it will have all the necessary characteristics needed for the squirrel to survive and communicate.

DID YOU KNOW? There are other creatures in our world who have the ability to regenerate parts of their bodies: starfish, grasshoppers, sand dollars, Axolotls, certain lizards, crabs, octopi, frogs, and earthworms, to name a few.

Besides its tail, the squirrel has a few other unique anatomical features.

  • Its sharp claws help it to climb trees and grasp onto branches.
  • It has long incisors that continue to grow throughout its life.
  • Its jaw muscles are strong enough to crack open nuts and other hard foods.
  • Its large eyes provide excellent vision that can detect movement more than 100 feet away.
  • It has excellent hearing that can detect a predator even before it sees it.
  • Its fur provides insulation and camouflage.
  • Its small size helps it to move quickly and quietly.

Some additional interesting facts about the squirrel:

A group of squirrels is called a dray or a scurry.

Squirrels are generally small ranging from 4 inches to 5-1/2 inches, weighing less than an ounce. But there is another species of squirrel, the Bhutan giant flying squirrel that reaches 4 feet in length.

A tree squirrel has the ability to descend a tree, head first. It accomplishes this by rotating its ankles 180 degrees. Its hind feet are then pointing backward and able to grip the tree bark from the opposite direction.

Squirrel hair is prized in fly fishing for tying fishing flies.

Squirrels live in just about every habitat around the globe. They are predominately herbivores living on seeds, pine cones, fruit, fungi, and nuts, but will occasionally eat insects, bird eggs, and small vertebrates. In the wild, they live 5-10 years. In captivity, they can survive up to 20 years.

Baby squirrels are born altricial (in a helpless condition), naked, toothless, and blind. A little like human babies. Mom is responsible, in most species, for looking after the young. A squirrel baby is weaned at 6-10 weeks, and fully mature by the end of its first year.

Squirrels, like pigeons and certain faunas, are synanthropes, living near and benefiting from humans and their environmental modifications.

Just as the squirrel can have a new chance in life by growing a new tail, we have the chance for a new life in Christ Jesus when we accept Him as our Lord and Saviour.

Sources: a-garden-diary.com/do-squirrels-tails-grow-back-what-happens-if-they-come-off; squirrelsatthefeeder.com/squirrel-tail; wildinformer.com/do-squirrel-tails-grow-back; wikipedia.org/wiki/Squirrels; facts.net/gallery/25-animals-that-can-regenerate-body-parts

Turtles and Tortoises

by

The tortoise, is often confused for a turtle, and the turtle, often confused for a tortoise, are reptiles that carry their houses on their backs. These houses are hard shells covering both their backs and sides. A tortoise’s shell is larger and dome-shaped. When threatened, both turtle and tortoise will draw their heads and legs into their shell for protection.

The tortoise varies in size by species. For instance, the Speckled Cape tortoise is approximately 3 inches long, while the Galapagos giant tortoise is 4 feet in length, and can weigh in excess of 220 pounds. The tortoise has stumpy feet, similar to an elephant’s feet, making it more adapted for walking on land. They are slow-moving with an average walking speed of 0.3 mph.

Tortoises are found most in southern North America to southern South America, the Mediterranean basin, Eurasia, Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, and the Pacific Islands. They live in the desert, grasslands, scrub, and evergreen forests, from sea level to mountains.

The tortoise is a strict herbivore eating grass, weeds, leafy greens, flowers, and some fruits. However, some do hunt and eat birds from time to time.

Giant tortoises cannot swim, but they can survive for long periods of time adrift at sea because they can survive without food and fresh water for months. Today only two living species of giant tortoises have survived: the Aldabra giant tortoise living on the Aldabra Atoll and the dozens of subspecies of Galapagos giant tortoise living on the Galapagos Islands.

Tortoises are the longest-living land animals in the world with an average lifespan of 80-150 years. The oldest recorded tortoise, an Aldabra giant tortoise named Adwaita (photo above)—believed to have hatched in 1750—lived an estimated 255 years until his death in 2006. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the heaviest living tortoise is Esmeralda. He, yes, a he, while not the oldest tortoise alive, is approximately 170 years old, and weighed in at 800 pounds in 2002. Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise, the oldest living tortoise, is believed to be 192 years of age.

The turtle is typically smaller. The smallest living turtle species is the Chersobius signatus found in South Africa. It is no more than 4 inches long and weighs about 6 ounces. However, the largest living turtle species is the leatherback turtle, just shy of 9 feet long and weighing 1,100 pounds. Turtle shells can be dome-shaped, making them more resistant to being crushed, but the shell of an aquatic turtle is flatter and smoother, making it easier to cut through water. Some species have camouflaged, pointy, or spiked shells that provide extra protection against predators. Softshell turtles have rubbery edges. The leatherback turtle has hardly any bones in its shell but has thick connective tissue and an outer layer of leathery skin.

Because of the weight of their shells, land turtles are slow-moving at a speed of 0.14-0.30 mph. By contrast, a sea turtle can swim 19 mph. Turtles have webbed feet with five toes.

Turtles have no ear openings, and their eardrums are covered with scales, and they have smell receptors along the nasal cavity. All turtles must breathe air. Depending on the aquatic turtle species, periods underwater vary between one minute and an hour.

Most turtle species are omnivores, but land-dwelling species are more herbivorous, and aquatic species are more carnivorous. Most feed on plant material or mollusks, worms, and insect larvae, though some will eat fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, and even other turtles.

Sources: wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle; wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortoise

The Boomslang

by

The boomslang is a swift and agile snake indigenous to much of the Sahara in Africa. In Afrikaan, its name “boom” and “slang” translates to tree snake. It is a member of the Colubridae (or Dispholidus typus) snake family and is often referred to as the rear-fanged snake.

An adult boomslang is three to five feet long, but some have reached six feet. It is a green, slender-bodied snake weighing just over a pound. Males are light green, with blue and black edging its scales. Females are more often brown or reddish. The juvenile boomslang is camouflaged, appearing as a twig, with a white throat and bright emerald eyes. It takes a number of its eight-year lifespan for a young snake to change to its adult color.

Given its size, its eyes are strikingly large in an egg-shaped head. It has excellent eyesight and often moves its head from side to side to better see objects directly in front of it. It has anteriorly seven or eight maxillary teeth with three big fangs at the back of the mouth. The size and location of these enlarged teeth, along with its ability to open its mouth at almost a 170-180° angle, help it to inject its venom deep into the flesh of its prey. The boomslang’s venom is more deadly than the venom of the black mamba and cobra.

It dwells primarily in savannas, lowland forests, karoo shrubs, and grasslands. It is a climber but does not live in trees, preferring to live on the land where it finds its food and seeks shelter. When the weather is cold, it goes into brumation (dormancy) and takes shelter underground.

Its hunting technique is to simply lie in wait in a bush or tree until an unsuspecting frog, chameleon, or small mammal passes the boomslang’s way. It will also eat other snakes, including its mates, birds, and eggs. But as poisonous as it is, it is a delectable meal for falcons, ospreys, kestrels, and mongoose.

It is oviparous (egg-hatchers). Females lay around 30 eggs at a time in rotting logs and hollow tree trunks. Having laid her eggs, the female considers her job complete and moves on. The eggs then incubate on their own for about three months. The hatchling is grey with emerald eyes and is not harmful until it has grown to be more than eight inches long, but I would make it a rule not to bother it, no matter how small.

Once it reaches 18 inches long, it becomes highly venomous. Despite its venomous nature, the boomslang is a timid, non-aggressive snake that would like to be left alone. However, this is one snake you want to avoid. If confronted, chased, or mishandled, it will inflate its neck and assume an S-shaped striking pose typical of any snake species feeling threatened.

Boomslang venom is hemotoxic. It destroys red blood cells, prevents clotting, and causes tissue and organ degeneration. Massive internal hemorrhaging causes the victim to bleed externally from several orifices of the body—gums, nose, eyes. This massive hemorrhaging is a prolonged process that can take hours, even days, over which a victim bleeds to death.

Its venom is slow-acting, taking 24-48 hours for symptoms to appear, giving a victim a false assurance regarding how serious the bite is. If bitten, the victim should seek medical attention immediately. Symptoms to watch for include sleepiness, nausea, mental disorders, and headaches, as well as external and internal bleeding. An anti-venom for the boomslang has been available since the 1940s, originally only in Africa, but now available worldwide.

Just as Satan used the serpent in Eden to cause the fall of man and lead to his eventual death, a bite from this serpent will also lead to death. Only by the blood of Christ can we overcome this fate and obtain eternal life.

Source: thesnakeguide.com/boomslang; africansnakebiteinstitute.com/snake/boomslang; wikipedia.org/wiki/Boomslang; discovermagazine.com/the sciences/what-it-feels-like-to-die-of-a-boomslang-bite; iflscience.bom/deadly-boomslang-snake-venom-makes-you-bleed-all-your-orifices-until-you-die

Man’s Best Friend

by

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you
more than he loves himself.”

Josh Billings

“Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind’; and it was so. And God … saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:24, 25, last part

Along with all the other creatures that God created on the sixth day of Creation, He made the dog. A person could write, and many have written, volumes on the origin of the dog, the many different species of dog, and the multitude of breeds. But I would like to talk about just one very special characteristic of a dog—its capacity to love under any and all circumstances.

The dog is a domesticated descendant of the wolf, specifically the extinct gray wolf. It is thought to be the first species to be domesticated by man. For hundreds—even thousands—of years, man has been selectively breeding the dog. The process of breeding brings forward various behaviors, sensory capabilities, and certain physical traits. Since dogs are natural hunters, certain breeds, like Pointers and Spaniels, are bred to make this trait stronger. Some breeds may be bred to make the hunting trait stronger, but also physical traits that allow them to go where larger dogs and man can’t go; for instance, Terriers, Beagles, Foxhounds, and the Dachshund. Other breeds are bred for their strength and ability to protect, specific behavioral traits like the ability to sniff out drugs and bombs, for search and rescue, as overseers of herds and flocks, as comfort/companion animals, to lead the blind, and assist the disabled.

Did You Know? A dog’s vision is dichromatic. They see yellows, blues, and grays, but have a hard time telling the difference between red and green.

I did say that I wanted to talk about the dog’s ability to love. I don’t think man especially bred or breeds the trait of love into dogs. I believe that a dog’s capacity to love unconditionally is a gift God gave to it so that we might learn from them how to love and give love. In this broken world marred by sin, marked by hatred, neglect, and abuse, it is incredible that the God who unconditionally loves us, the Father who promises to never abandon nor forget us, the Brother whose love for us is eternal, would offer mankind a living, breathing illustration of that boundless love.

We can see it in their eyes (most often brown, but sometimes blue, amber, or green), in the wiggle of their body (no matter how big or small) when we walk through the door, and in their tail. While a dog’s tail helps it to maintain its balance, its primary function is to communicate the dog’s emotional state.

Did You Know? Dogs can actually hurt themselves by wagging their tails too forcefully. What a wonderful welcome after a long day at work to come home and be met at the door by a creature that loves you so much, and missed you so badly, that it could actually injure itself by being so happy to see you.

Dogs exemplify the compassionate nature and unwavering dedication of God for man. It reminds me of the parable of the Lost Sheep. The Shepherd left the other 99 sheep in the fold and went in search of that one lost sheep until He found it and brought it safely home.

“This is the way the true Shepherd treats the lost sinner. He goes after him; He does not hesitate at peril, self-denial, and self-sacrifice. He is intent upon bringing the sin-burdened soul to repentance, to salvation, to peace, rest, and happiness in his Saviour’s love … .” Sons and Daughters of God, 277

But dogs also remind me of the importance of remaining committed to God. Take, for instance, Bobbie the wonder dog.

In 1923, the Brazier family and their dog Bobbie left their home in Edgerton, Oregon, to travel to Indiana to spend some time with relatives. During a stop in Indiana, Bobbie was chased off by a pack of dogs. For months they searched for him, but when hope of finding him faded, they returned to Oregon without their beloved dog.

Six months later, to their utter amazement, Bobbie showed up on their doorstep, having traveled almost 2,500 miles from where he was last seen. He was severely malnourished, his paws worn down to the bone, and he was covered in cuts and bruises, but none of this mattered to Bobbie. He was simply overjoyed to see his family again. Bobbie’s unwavering loyalty and determination to be reunited with his family is a reminder that love knows no bounds. His incredible journey is a testament to the power of love and loyalty.

When we realize that we are far from home, far from God, we must turn our back on where we are, and with steadfast determination, head for home. We may be tired and foot sore, but every mile that brings us closer to God is worth the struggle.

Dogs have earned the moniker “Man’s best friend” because when you have troubles, hurts, pain, fear, emptiness, and loneliness, he sits with you—sometimes on you—or he will lay his head in your lap or on your shoulder, he will lick the tears from your cheeks, and softly whine encouragement.

The Bible tells us that we have a Friend who loves us even more than this furry friend can, and that He will stand by us whenever we call upon Him.

“There is a Friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24, last part

“He is our best friend. … We should ever keep Him in view.” Our High Calling, 55

Jesus is our best friend, and while we do not see Him, nor do we feel His touch, through this marvelous and amazing creature of His design, we can know that Jesus loves us, died to save us, and will never forsake us.

“No one has ever seen God; but if we love each other, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.” 1 John 4:12

Sources: wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog

Friends in the Sky

by

Nature! Open the door, step outside, and you’re in it, except that just what you’re in will depend on where you live. And that will determine what you see—that is, during the daytime. When the shades of night fall, if one can escape the bright city lights, it suddenly doesn’t matter whether the countryside is desolate or lush, humdrum or impressive. Upon gazing upward on a crisp, clear night one cannot but realize that words are inadequate to describe the grandeur of the stars, constellations, moon, and planets in the heavens above us.

But what do you see? And what do you hear? Do you have just a hazy, impressionistic idea of what is really up there or do you have a positive, distinct appreciation of the heavenly bodies? Do they speak to you in a language you can understand? Do you enjoy astronomy for the delight it really is, even if you don’t have a telescope or binoculars?

Star Friends

There is certainly a benefit to making friends with the stars and planets. They will always be there, wherever you are, and there is more to astronomy than just learning facts about this or that star or planet. They have their lessons for us as well, talking to us even though “there is no speech nor language.”

The stars, for instance, teach us the constancy and upholding power of their Creator. On a clear, moonless night, there are about 2,000 stars visible to the naked eye, all keeping their places, whether the North Star, the Big Dipper pointing to it, or the Southern Cross for those “down under.” By simple obedience to the laws of the universe, they maintain their appointed positions, shedding their light to gladden worlds without number.

As the earth rotates beneath these stars, they appear to curve through the sky in circles, completing their paths each 24 hours (really 23 hours and 56 minutes). This becomes obvious when one faces north. The North Star stays stationary, and should you watch for several hours you would see all the rest of the stars and constellations rotate in circles around it. As you take note of stars more and more directly overhead (and thus farther and farther southward), you find that they make bigger and bigger circles, until these circles start dipping below the northern terrain and start rising and setting like the sun.

As you continue to lift your gaze farther aloft, you find that the stars you are looking at rise and set farther and farther south on the horizon, until you get to those on the celestial equator which passes directly over our earth’s equator. By now, you had better either turn around, or have a very supple neck, because these stars pass to the south of those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, though they rise due east and set due west.

All the stars will always rise, pass over, and set in exactly the same place, but will rise and set at different times depending on the season of the year. Accordingly, we look for Orion during wintertime, because during that time of year it rises and is up in the sky during the night. Orion is still there during the summer, but it rises and sets with the sun, and therefore cannot be seen above the brightness of a summer day.

Our Creator must have been trying to tell us something about Himself when He said, “Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing.” Isaiah 40:26

Planet Friends

Wandering among the stationary* stars, we find the five visible planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, as well as the Sun. Though these by no means stay in the same place, they do teach us about keeping appointments because that is what they do. The appointment book in this case is the almanac, which tells you (not them) when and where to look for each one. If you know this, you can keep your end of the appointment by being there to look for each planet as it appears. As the planets and the sun move through the heavens, wandering among the stars, they all follow one common line called the ecliptic. If you go out at the same time on successive nights, you can note their movement along this line. Mercury and Venus remain close to the sun, traveling with it over the course of the year. Depending on their relative positions, they will always be seen just before sunrise or just after sunset, as morning or evening stars. On the other hand, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn travel in their own way and at their own rate and may happen to be visible at any time during the night. The fact that they are all along one line is also very helpful in finding these heavenly bodies that do not twinkle as the stars do. …

Why not make friends with the stars and planets? Watch them. Listen to them. By the way, April should be a nice time to see the planets in the morning. During the last week of the month get up early and step out into a spring dawn. If you have a low enough eastern horizon, you will see Venus, the morning star, just above it. Then as you follow the line of the ecliptic which slants sharply to your right, if the sky is still dark enough, you may be able to see Mercury, then Mars, and lastly Saturn overhead, all these planets keeping their appointments. Will you keep yours? Mark your calendar, step outside and look up. Why have only anacquaintance, with the heavens. Stop to listen, and continue to make friends in the sky.

What though in solemn silence all

Move round the dark terrestrial ball?

What though no real voice nor sound

Amid their radiant orbs be found?

In reason’s ear they all rejoice

And utter forth a glorious voice,

Forever singing as they shine,

The Hand That Made Us Is Divine —                          Joseph Addison, 1712

 

*Although we say stars are stationary, they really do move slowly both in relation to each other and to our view on earth as a whole.

From The Journal of Health and Healing, Vol. 15, No. 3, Mark Chuljian, CTL, HEW, 28, 29

The Rose

by

Orange RoseRosaceae is a family of medium-sized, flowering plants. These plants can be woody trees, climbers, or herbaceous plants. Many familiar, edible fruits are a part of this family: pears, apricots, plums, cherries, peaches, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries, to name a few, and almonds, too. Also included are trees and shrubs such as meadowsweets, firethorns, and roses.

The rose family comes from the genus Rosa. There are 100 species of this perennial shrub found mostly in the Northern Hemisphere. Roses come in many colors—white, yellow, pink, crimson, maroon, purple—with a delightful fragrance, depending on the variety of rose and the climate. The flower consists of multiple sets of petals, stems covered in prickly thorns (unless the thorns have been bred out), and oval leaflets that are sharply toothed on the edges.

The rose industry is divided into three main areas: fragrance, fresh flower/florist, and garden.

The Fragrance Industry

The Damask rose (R. Damascena) and several other species are specifically grown for the creation of attar of roses which is used in the production of perfumes. The industry is concentrated in the Mediterranean basin where the climate is the most ideal.

Different colors of roses have been assigned to communicate the feelings of the giver for or to the receiver of a bouquet of roses:

Red – love and desire

White – purity and innocence

Yellow – friendship and care

Peach – sympathy and genuineness

Pink – admiration and joy

Black – death

Red roses are most often given to express romantic love toward a girlfriend, fiancé, or wife. Giving three red roses conveys “I love you” to that special someone.

The Florist Industry

More than one billion stems per year are produced from more than 30,000 acres of greenhouses worldwide. The industry started in Europe and the U.S. in the late 19th century. However, the industry was later moved to Columbia, Ecuador, Kenya, and Ethiopia because of their climates. China and India are also major producing areas.

The Garden Industry

The garden industry has been popular since the Middle Ages, although the roses then were grown for their medicinal properties.

Most rose species are native to Asia, with a smaller number found in North America, Europe, and Northwest Africa. They hybridize readily resulting in the many different types of garden roses. Hybridization began in the 18th century in Western Europe. Today, there are more than 11,000 varieties of hybrid roses, and more are bred every year. An estimated 35 million units are sold annually in the U.S. alone.

Did You Know? The majority of the most popular, modern hybrids are protected by U.S. plant patents and cannot be propagated without prior consent from the breeders.

The roses most commonly sold in the U.S. are:

  • Hybrid Tea Roses – the classic, long-stemmed varieties
  • Grandiflora Roses – similar to the Hybrid Tea Roses, but with multiple blooms per stem
  • Floribunda Roses – compact and multi-flowered
  • Miniature Roses – often grown in containers as gifts
  • Climbing Roses
  • Landscape or Shrub Roses – the main component of today’s North American rose industry

Sources: Britannica.com/plant/rose-plant; Wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosaceae; ngb.org/year-of-the-rose; proflowers.com/blog/rose-color-meanings

The rose is a beautiful, intricately-designed flower whose fragrance is sweet and often intoxicating. But there is a rose that surpasses even this beautiful flower. Mrs. White calls Him the Rose of Sharon.

“We need Jesus, the Rose of Sharon, to beautify the character and make our lives fragrant with good works, so that we shall be a savor of Christ unto God.” The Review and Herald, August 14, 1894

Redback Spider

by

I’m not exactly sure why I’m writing about spiders since I really don’t care for them, but I was intrigued when I read a recent story about a couple who bought a box of grapes at a grocery store on the border between Queensland and New South Wales, and brought a little something extra home.

The redback spider, a cousin of the black widow (hence its oft-used moniker, “the Australian black widow”), is one of the deadliest spiders in the world. Only the females are deadly, but they prefer to remain in their funnel-shaped webs. The bite of a male redback generally is only painful at the site of the bite. As deadly as the female redback can be, there hasn’t been a reported death from the species since 1979, thanks to an effective anti-venom introduced to Australia in 1956. Most redback spider bites occur during the summer months, when the arachnid is most active. The Australian Museum reports that approximately 250 serious bites requiring anti-venom treatment occur each year.

DID YOU KNOW? Dogs have a greater resistance to their venom, but cats, horses, Guinea pigs, and camels will most likely require anti-venom.

The body of an adult female redback is less than a half inch long. Her legs are slender, but the two front legs are longer than the other six. Her abdomen is round, deep black with a red longitudinal stripe on the upper surface and the familiar red hourglass on the underside. Juvenile females may also have white markings on the abdomen. They have two venom glands, one attached to each of its chelicerae (fangs).

The body of an adult male redback is significantly smaller than the female, measuring around a quarter of an inch long or a bit longer. He is light brown and has white markings on the upper side of his abdomen and a pale hourglass on the underside.

Redbacks prefer a drier habitat found in trash cans or sheds, outhouses, or under rocks, logs, tree hollows, and shrubs. They eat bigger spiders, like the trapdoor spider, crickets (the only reason I might like spiders), small lizards, and even an occasional snake.

The redback is nocturnal. Females stay concealed during the day, and then come out to spin their webs during the night. They usually remain in the same location for most of their adult life. Their webs are an irregular-looking tangle of fine but strong silk, and while the threads may seem random, they are strategically placed to support and entrap prey. The rear portion of the web forms a funnel-like retreat where she spends a lot of her time and where she leaves the egg sac.

Once alerted to some hapless creature’s frantic efforts to free itself from the web, the female redback approaches and sprays its dinner with a liquid glutinous silk to immobilize it. Once her meal is secure, she bites it multiple times on the head, body, and leg joints—liquefying its innards. She then wraps it in silk and takes it to her retreat at the rear of the web where she feeds on it over time.

Female redbacks live two to three years, while the males only live six to seven months. Neither can tolerate temperatures from below freezing to 104°F, but they need temperatures from 59°F to 77°F for a couple of months in order to breed.

Spiderlings live with their mom in her web for several days, then they catch a ride on the wind to establish a home of their own. They follow the light and climb out of the tunnel retreat to a high point like on rocks or logs. By extending their abdomens high into the air, they produce a droplet of silk which is drawn out into a long gossamer thread, and when long enough, the wind catches it and carries the spider away. This is known as ballooning or kiting. Soon the thread will catch on an object, and this is where, after falling to the ground, the spiderling will establish its own web.

BUT DID YOU KNOW? As spiderlings, they also eat each other.

Redbacks are widespread across Australia, but are also found in Southeast Asia, New Zealand, Japan, England, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran.

Sources: wikipedia.org/wiki/Redback_spider; newsweek.com/extremely-deadly-spider-found-box-grapes-grocery-store

All We Can Be – A story of two cats

by

We have six cats, all rescues from the hard times of living on the streets. Animals have many things to teach us. With each rescue I have ever been surprised by how love can take over in what appears at first to be an indifferent cat. Here are two of their stories.

Tank lived next door to us. One day freezing rain was falling and I saw him high up on the windowsill of his house, trying to get someone’s attention inside to let him in. He was a very young cat, and I went out and got him and took him to his owner. I found out that they left him outside most of the time, even in severe winter weather. I would see him going back and forth in our back yard, but he would never come to me. During the time before winter of that year, I did not see him as much, but finally spotted him one day in the cold winter weather and snow outside of our window eating the corn and deer meal.

I know a cat will not eat this kind of food unless they are starving. He had been left outside to fend for himself, and I found that he had been coming and going back and forth under the abandoned house next door to us. He must have suffered terribly that long winter outside, but I knew I could not get him to come to me to rescue him.

As winter finally faded into early spring, he was still coming and going underneath the abandoned house. I began to give him food in the morning and evening, and eventually, he would sit on my lap under a blanket for a short time in the morning sunlight. Little by little I would call him when I brought him food and he would come. His owners knew he was living under the abandoned house, but they would not take him home. He needed to be neutered, but they would not do it. I asked them if I could have him neutered and the owner said I could.

I took him to the vet and then kept him on our front porch for many days after, secluded from our other cats. I invited his owner to come over to see him and when she did, she said I could keep him. Shortly after his operation he had a urinary blockage and had to be in the hospital for over a week to clear it up. When he was able to come home, and after he felt better, I introduced him to our other cats. He did not have an aggressive nature and got along well with all but Harry, another male cat, who was a bully. Tank and Jasper became playmates and best friends. Tank is now a happy kitty with no more food or shelter worries. He became a happy indoor cat and does not long to go outside again. He was so grateful to have a home.

As the days and weeks went by, Tank really began to change. He was so loving, and now, no longer afraid of me, he comes up on the bed at night while I am sleeping and lays his head on my shoulder with one paw on my face and goes to sleep. I remember the morning I first woke up and saw him peacefully sleeping beside me, amazed at what love could do and how it had changed him.

Jasper was found going back and forth from the abandoned house to get food, chasing all the other cats away. I had to take him in to stop this. He was not wild and let me pick him up. One November day, I realized I hadn’t seen him for a few days and prayed that he would come back before winter so I could rescue him. God answered and he has been part of the family ever since. He was people-friendly, and while we didn’t know his story, we concluded that he had gotten lost, because he appeared to have been on his own for a long time. He was raggedy with gray around his face and the vet thought that he was about five years old. Apparently not so. As soon as he got good food and care, the gray on his face all went away and he was playing like a kitten. He is the sweetest cat ever and so happy to be in his forever home.

Through Tank’s and Jasper’s reaction to kindness I have been reminded of the changes that can take place in us through the love of Christ. We can be wholly made new through His love, mercy and intervention in our lives. Through the love and care of Christ we can get through the trials of this world, and at last be forever home.

Nature – The Eyes Have It

by

Have you ever really considered how the eye works?

According to the National Eye Institute, light passes through the cornea and is bent to help the eye focus. Some of this light then enters through the pupil. The iris controls how much of the light is let in, and that light passes through the lens. The lens works together with the cornea to focus light correctly on the retina. And finally, when the light hits the retina, photoreceptors turn it into electrical signals. These signals travel from the retina through the optic nerve to the brain, and the brain turns the signals into an image. And all this happens instantaneously and continuously. Whew! Did you get all that? Source: nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/healthy-vision/how-eyes-work

Of course, in nature, we find all kinds of eyes, each of which works in ways specific to the creature they dwell in. Let’s look at a few examples.

The eyes of a prairie dog are positioned on the side of its head. This appears to provide it with the ability to focus in a wide arc. The lenses of their eyes are also tinted amber, like having built-in sunglasses.

Good eyesight is essential for a bird’s safe flight. Birds have the largest eyes relative to their size, but have limited movement in the bony eye sockets. Eyes located on the sides of the head have a wide field of view while the eyes located on the front of the head provide binocular vision. Birds of prey have high-density receptors to maximize visual acuity. The placement of their eyes gives them good binocular vision enabling accurate judgment of distances. Nocturnal birds have tubular eyes, with less color detectors, but high-density rod cells that function better in poor light.

Birds’ eyes are protected by two eyelids, and a third transparent, movable membrane. The eyelids are not used for blinking. The third membrane (nictitating membrane) lubricates the eye as it passes side to side across it, much like a windshield wiper. This membrane also covers the eye in many aquatic birds when they are under water. When sleeping, the lower eyelid rises to cover the eye in most birds, but the horned owl is an exception. Its upper eyelid closes down to meet the lower eyelid.

Hippopotamus eyes, along with the ears and nostrils, are placed high on the roof of their skulls so they can submerge and still see above water, but when they swim underwater, nictitating membranes cover the eyes.

Most spiders can have eight, though some have six, eyes, each a single lens above the retina rather than multiple units like the fly or other insects. The specific arrangement and structure of the eyes is one of the features used to identify and classify the different species and genus. Most spiders’ eyes detect little more than brightness and motion, playing a pretty minor role in spider behavior. Species such as jumping spiders or wolf spiders have more developed eyes and can even perceive color.

But Did You Know? Cave spiders have no eyes at all.

One of the defining features of the common house fly is its compound eyes. Their eyes can often be so large that they take almost all the space on their head. These compound eyes comprise an array of tiny sensors—ommatidia—around 3,500 of them. The ommatidia are many tiny lenses all bunched together in a globular shape to form the eye. The large, round shape gives the fly almost a 360-degree view of its surroundings. It contains a corneal lens to focus light and pigments that sense color. The fly eye has the ability to process images at a speed more than six times faster than the human eye. That probably explains why they get away so often when we try to swat them. However, their ability to focus as clearly as the human eye has been sacrificed in order to have such big eyes. They also have excellent peripheral vision, few blind spots, and a better range of focus. And flies can actually see in slow motion. This ability has inspired scientists and engineers to develop cameras that mimic the eye of the fly in the creation of surveillance systems that can act just like the proverbial fly on the wall.

Human eyes, when working together, have a field of view approximately 200 degrees wide and 135 degrees tall, and when they work together correctly, they give you depth perception and 3D vision, as well as color vision.

Sight and vision, terms often used interchangeably, are not necessarily the same thing. Sight is what the eyes do and vision is the process that starts with sight and ends with the brain’s interpretation of what the eyes have seen in a way that it can use and understand. The human eye is one of the most important organs in the body.

The Bible talks about the eyes, too.

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.” Matthew 6:22

“Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you.” Proverbs 4:25

“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.” Proverbs 21:2

“The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.” Psalm 19:8

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from whence comes my help?” Psalm 121:1

“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.” Proverbs 3:7

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 21:4, first part

Yes, we need only to look at the eye, in whatever creature we see, to be assured of the truth in David’s declaration, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. And that my soul knows very well.” Psalm 139:14

Sources: desertusa.com/animals/prairie-dogs; Wikipedia.org/Bird_vision; Wikipedia.org/Hippopotamus; Wikipedia.org/Spider_vision; grunge.com/801094/this-is-what-the-compound-eye-of-a-fly-actually-sees; my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21823-eyes; informationparlour.com/article-health-eye-defects-and-corrections-humans#

Spring

by

It’s March and spring is on the way. I thought we could look at some of the things that start to happen in nature as winter’s cold hand finally lets go and the warmer breezes of spring begin to blow.

Crocuses, daffodils, and tulips begin to bloom in early spring. Hyacinths begin to bloom in mid-spring. And when late spring arrives irises begin to bloom.

The animals that have hibernated through the cold winter months start waking up. Soon bears, ground squirrels and chipmunks, groundhogs, hedgehogs, woodchucks, prairie dogs, skunks, bats, box turtles, bumblebees, garter snakes, snails, lizards, ladybugs, and moths will be popping out of their sleeping places to welcome the sunshine and warmer temperatures.

Did you know? In Florida, it rains lizards. When the temperature drops below 45 degrees F, the lizards undergo a temporary cold shock and fall out of trees and off walls and fences. But don’t worry, once the temperature gets warm again, they wake right up. Source: news.miami.edu/as/stories/2022/why-do-lizards-plummet-in-the-cold

Every spring, it is estimated that 3.5 million birds fly back home from the south where they have found food and warm temperatures during the winter months. These include meadowlarks, robins (though some robins do stick around), certain sparrows, bald eagles, ducks and geese, bluebirds, finches, and killdeers. Who hasn’t seen flocks of Canada geese flying overhead on their way to warm southern fields. Some birds fly as much as 1,000 miles to reach their winter home. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, when you hear the backyard birds—robins, sparrows, and the like—singing, that is one of the best predictors that spring is not far away.

“Bluebirds are a sign of spring; warm weather and gentle southern breezes they bring.”

Did you know? The Baltimore oriole and the meadowlark are related. The bald eagle cruises at a leisurely 30 mph, but can dive up to 100 mph. A Ruppel’s griffon vulture holds the record for the highest flying altitude at 37,000 feet (that’s seven miles). The Arctic tern flies 49,700 miles in a year during their round-trip to and from the Arctic to their breeding grounds in the Antarctic. The bird lives 30 years, so that is the equivalent of three trips to the moon and back!

My favorite spring song is from the spring peepers. Frogs! Tiny amphibians singing loudly around dusk.

The barren trees and bushes show signs of life—the eastern redbud, southern magnolia, flowering dogwood, rhododendron and azalea, lilac (my personal favorite), flowering cherry, crabapple, and forsythia. Oak, elm, maple, and sycamore will begin to leaf-out later in mid-April.

As winter’s cold begins to give way to warm spring temperatures, we can praise God for His marvelous handiwork.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” Psalm 19:1–4

Spring and summer bring the beautiful flowers of so many varying colors and green leaves that wave gently in the breezes, along with the fruits and vegetables that can be harvested and eaten during summer and fall or stored away for winter and spring.

Fall brings the bright red, gold, and orange leaves that signal the end of summer and the soon onset again of winter.

But even in winter, we are reminded that spring will soon come again by the beautiful evergreen trees—the spruce, cypress, juniper, fir, redwood, and cedar. The needles of the evergreen can change color in the winter, but they do not drop from the tree.

Did you know? The true definition of an evergreen is simply a tree that doesn’t lose its leaves.

“The beauty of [the man who loves God is] his well-ordered life and godly conversation [that] inspires faith and hope and courage in others. This is Christianity in practice. Seek to be an evergreen tree.” My Life Today, 50

Other sources: bhg.com/gardening/trees-shrubs-vines/trees/best-flowering-trees-shrubs; Audubon.org/news/9-awesome-facts-about-bird-migration; faunafacts.com/birds/birds-that-fly-south-for-winter