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My dad requested, among other mammals (thanks, Dad!), a mule deer. Big old mule ears! She looks sleep-deprived. But they kind of always do to me.
Consecutive days of mammals: 8
Previous record: 11
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From the category archives:
Mammalthons
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0162
My uncle Jay, a great uncle in more than one way, requested a baby kit fox. This was at first confusing to research because baby foxes are sometimes called kits no matter the particular species (when they’re not being called pups or cubs). But here in fact is a kit fox cub. They live in the Chihuahuan desert (I used to live in it too!) and elsewhere in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Animal Diversity Web says they get as far north as the deserts of Oregon. The kit fox’s Spanish name is zorra del desierto.
You know those signs at work sites that say something like “consecutive days without an accident: 164″ or whatever? I’m going to try something similar to keep track of how long I manage to post a daily mammal without missing one. We will see how depressing this proves when, say, I’m sick or out of town or something. It’s certainly depressing that I’ve only ever gone 11 days before! (Of course, I’ve often posted after midnight, intending it to be for the previous day, and it would count for the next day.)
Consecutive days of mammals: 7
Previous record: 11
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click image to enlargeHere is a cheetah for my tía Yansci, who can go nearly as fast as one on her four-wheeler. We’ve lost about 90 percent of our cheetahs over the last century. And did you know that lions and hyenas prey on cheetah cubs?
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This kangaroo rat is for Tynan, who recently learned about them when his family visited the sand dunes. I think the Ord in this guy’s name is George Ord, a 19th-century ornithologist. About Ord, the American Philosophical Society says, “George Ord made important contributions as an ornithologist and writer but is also famous for his contempt of fellow ornithologist, John James Audubon.” Apparently, he called Audubon’s work stupid and his illustrations vile. (He also called Thomas Nuttall, another naturalist, a “presumptuous ass.” Nuttall is the namesake of a species of cottontail.) Basically, it sounds like the guy was a big old curmudgeon given to professional jealousies and petty sniping.
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Here is a cottontail for Sonja. It’s the same kind as the ones in her backyard.
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Here’s a little bat for Melinda! In fact, the western pipistrelle is the smallest bat in North America—far, far smaller than the drawing I made of it.
Here’s a nice little article about western pipistrelles by Merlin Tuttle.
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click image to enlargeThis little bird (requested by Mary) is here to say that Mammalthon 2 raised $1225 for the Wildlife Center!
$1225!
That can buy them a lot of applesauce, baby food, blankets, and veterinary supplies!
Thank you so much for contributing to the mammalthon. The drawings are still coming, don’t worry, but I didn’t want to wait to celebrate how much money we raised!
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