Wild Facts

Photo by Stephen G. Johnson

Happy Tuesday everyone!  I hope you are enjoying your day so far and are ready to learn about an interesting reptile.  I figured it has been awhile since we talked about a cool reptile so today we are learning about the Rhinoceros Iguana. No it isn’t related to the rhinoceros, although that would be pretty impressive.  Actually it gets this name because of the bony plate “pseudo-horn” growing out of its head.  I know, I wish it was because it was the size of rhino or something cool like that but we will just have to settle for a “pseudo-horn”.

The Rhinoceros Iguana can be found in the Dominican Republic and Haiti so it prefers the nice tropical locations. The Rhinoceros Iguana is not much different than other iguanas as far as their diet is concerned.  They are omnivores but focus their efforts feeding on fruit, leaves and other plant matter.  They will mix it up occasionally and feed on insects and small mammals so keep your pet beetle on a leash when you are in Rhino Iguana territory (I don’t know what’s wrong with me, it’s late!)

As with the males in other species (including humans) the Rhinoceros Iguana generally has to try hard to get the attention of a suitable mate.  They will have an elaborate courting dance which includes head bobbing and erecting the spines along their back.  For the record, it is not known for sure what the horns do but they believe they somehow play a role in this courting behaviour.  The Rhinoceros Iguana doesn’t just save their unique spine trick and head bobbing behaviour just for getting the attention of a lovely mate.  In fact when threatened the Rhinoceros Iguana will try a variety of elaborate head and neck movements to make themselves look bigger.  I am not sure how well it works but considering these iguanas are still around, I would say they are doing a find job tricking their predators.

Rhinoceros Iguana Fast Fact – The Rhinoceros Iguana are more terrestrial than some of the other iguana species.  This gives them the advantage for living in a rocky and dry climate.  These little guys will rarely been seen hanging out in trees or forested areas for that matter.

Well that is it for today.  I hope you all enjoyed the fact!

Since it was -20 degrees in the Yukon today I figured I could use a tropical vacation, so we are all heading to the tropical rain-forest of Southeast Asia.  I am sure if we look closely we will see some pretty cool things but if we are really lucky we might catch a glimpse of a Flying Dragon. Of course I am not talking about the kind of dragon that is guarding a Princess in a castle.  At least I don’t think they are used as guards!

These flying dragons are just slightly less than 30 cm (12″) in length and are capable of gliding about 30′.  Although, these little guys do not breathe fire they do have a set of false ribs covered with a flap of skin.  When the lizard expands their ribs these flaps turn into “wings” and allow the reptile to move from tree to tree.  Since the flying dragon spend the majority of their lives in the trees it is easy to see the importance of these wings. If you are hoping to catch one of these guys “flying” in the trees then you best pick a nice, calm day since they don’t usually glide in the rain or wind.

Flying lizards are actually a territorial animal and the male of the species will usually claim two or three trees as their Tropical Condo.  Interestingly enough the male will allow one to three female lizards to live in each tree. As usual, the male will show off when they spot a female by spreading his wings and doing some “fancy dancing”! For the record, “fancy dancing” is not the scientific term.  I think the flying and housing habits of this dragon make it much more interesting than the fire-breathing, Princess guarding, dragons found in fairy tales, such as in Shrek! For some reason I had that red dragon that Donkey marries in my head the whole time I was writing this Wild Fact!

Flying Dragon Fast Facts – The female flying dragon will only visit the forest floor to lay her eggs in the soil.  The rest of the time she will hang out high in the trees.

Photo from Michigan Science Art

Before we get into today’s Wild Fact, I have a little bit of housekeeping to take care of.  First of all I wanted to thank Larissa over at Reef Botanicals for presenting Wild Facts with the Sunshine Award.  Your support is greatly appreciated, Larissa.  Secondly, I wanted to let all of you know that Wild Facts was featured on Daily Planet which aired last night on the Discovery Channel.  I will post details and link to the show once it is posted online.  Thank you to Margo Losier for recommending Wild Facts to the producers at Daily Planet. I have to admit, I feel very honoured to have Wild Facts featured on such an amazing television program about Science and Technology.  All right, let’s get onto Wild Fact #858!

Today we are going to talk about a little Australian lizard called the Thorny Devil. They may look like the deadliest animal in the world, however, these lizards are only about 15-20 cm (5.9-8″) long. Although they may not be deadly to us, I would hate to be an ant in Australia with these guys kicking around.  The thorny devil is capable of consuming about 3000 ants in one sitting! Imagine the fear that would strike the little ants when they see the deadly, thorny lizard approaching. My guess is you would hear faint cries of “Godzilla!  Godzilla!”.

Besides the incredibly cool appearance of the thorny devil they also have two adaptations that are absolutely mind boggling.  The first has to do with their method of consuming water.  Most people just go to the tap and pour themselves a glass.  Actually, who am I kidding, these days most people just grab a bottle of water out of the fridge.  Well, the thorny devil simply walks through dew-filled grass and shrubs.  You see, this particular lizard is able to drink water no matter where it hits them on their body.  They have these tiny little grooves all over their body that direct the water to their mouth.  Once the water lands on them they will begin gulping which causes the water to move towards their mouth using a capillary action.  Imagine how much water they would be able to drink when they are swimming or in the shower.

The second adaptation is one of our usual defense mechanisms.  When a predator actually wants to try and consume this spikey little lizard they will have a tough time finding its head.  You see the thorny devil hides its real head and exposes a fake, spike-filled head which is located on their back.  As you can imagine the predator will be very surprised if it tries to attack the ball of spikes.  This isn’t one of those  good surprises either.

If you just can’t get enough of the Thorny Devils then I suggest checking out the video below.  It is just a short clip from National Geographic that discusses both adaptations I mentioned in today’s post.

Well, I guess that is all I have to say about the Thorny Devil.  Be sure to check back tomorrow for another interesting Wild Fact or if you would like to receive Wild Facts in your e-mail then just sign up at the top right corner.