The Question: In low marshy wooded areas I am finding piles of mud deposited in long snaky shapes on dry leaves near holes in the damp ground. The holes are about 2 inches across and go deep into the ground, and the mud is deposited some distance away, several inches at least, not contiguous with [...]
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What Are They Picking At?
The Question: What exactly are the things that apes groom out of each other’s fur? Ticks? Fleas? Dirt? Submitted by: Thomas The Short Answer: You’re on track. Apes and monkeys (and lots of other animals as well) clean each other of dead skin, dirt, bits of leaves and other debris, and especially parasites like ticks, [...]
Why it’s harder to keep a small bird warm
The Question: Why is it harder to stay warm when you’re small? Imagine if you put a thimbleful of water and a gallon jug of water out on a cold night. Which one would freeze first? Intuitively, you’d say, “the thimble.” And you’d be correct. But is that just because there’s more water in the [...]
Why are these birds not-of-a-feather flocking together?
The Question: I am in Toledo, Ohio. A couple of times a day, the area around my bird feeder is visited by a flock of sparrows that also includes 4-5 female and 3 male cardinals. At first I thought it was a coincidence. But they have arrived together daily for a couple of months. All [...]