A Salute to Space Animals

As you’re probably aware, the Space Shuttle Atlantis made its final launch today, marking an end to the shuttle program and the start of an open-ended hiatus for manned American space flight. As commonplace as shuttle missions now seem, it’s important to remember how many animals blasted off into the unknown and in many cases gave their lives to help advance space programs throughout the world.


Baker, the first monkey to survive space flight.

 The first animals launched into space were fruit flies aboard a United States V2 rocket in 1947 to explore high-altitude radiation exposure, followed just a few years later by a rhesus monkey named Albert II in 1949.



Laika, the first dog to enter orbit.

In 1957, a Russian dog named Laika became the first animal to enter orbit aboard Sputnik 2. Unfortunately, at the time the technology to reenter the atmosphere from orbit did not yet exist, and Laika was unable to survive the mission. She is memorialized by a statue and plaque at the Russian Star City cosmonaut training facility and her likeness has appeared on postage stamps. In 1960, two other Russian dogs named Belka and Strelka became the first animals to enter orbit and return alive on Sputnik 5.

Ham the chimp upon recovery from his mission in 1961.

In 1961, chimpanzees entered the space program when Ham the chimp was launched into space as part of the U.S. Mercury-Redstone 2 mission. Ham was trained to pull levers in flight to receive food, proving that it was possible to perform tasks in space. Later that same year another chimp named Enos became the first chimpanzee to enter orbit.

With manned spaceflight becoming possible in the 1960s, animals became less common on missions. However in the decades since, hundreds of animals from tortoises to mice have taken part in missions as part of scientific studies. Even as recently as May, 2011 spiders were taken into orbit on the final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavor to study the effects of zero gravity on their behavior.




Space Shuttle Endeavour

 Although the future of space exploration is uncertain, we all owe a debt of gratitude to the brave animals that have helped advance technology and our understanding of the universe.

Pairing Up

Who ever said different species don’t get along? While researching for this blog, I stumbled upon some of these photos of strange animal pairings. They were too funny not to show, so check them out and have a good chuckle!

Mouse and Frog

Turtle and Hippo

Pony and Cat

Bird and Mouse

Mice Save the Day

Did you know that a mouse’s testicles can produce stem cells similar to embryonic stem cells in humans? Embryonic stem cells are cells that can grow into any type of cell found in the body, which can create new tissue and cure various ailments. While more research needs to be done, this means that — at least for men — mice could possibly provide a limitless supply of fresh stem cells customized to a man’s individual genetic makeup. While the ethical debate over stem cell research continues, this new discovery could be a more widely accepted approach, compared to the more controversial one of using human embryos. So, maybe we should put our brooms away and let these mice stay awhile!

For more information, visit National Geographic.

Meet the Staff

The Manager of The Jungle Store is such an animal lover, she won't even eat them! She has owned Rats, Guinea Pigs, Frogs, Ducks, Geese, Turtles, Hamsters, Hedgehogs, Cockatiels, Gerbils, Chinchillas, Mice (which were saved from being fed to the class snake) and Fish. She would have shared her life with more critters, but her brother had pet allergies.

14 Million Americans suffer allergic reactions to pets. This is primarily caused by the pet's dander – tiny bits of skin that slough off daily. There are dog and cat breeds that cause only mild reactions, sometimes none at all. While researching the pet that is best suited to you and your family, you may wish to take the "allergy factor" into account.

Now that our Manager has her own home, she shares her life with these friends:
Hermit crabs Mr. Crabs, Crabby Patty and Patrick Star (he's the one in the pink shell). Some might say that Hermit crabs are easy to tend to, but they do require special care and a warm, moist environment.

Raisin is her owner's favorite companion. She was chosen out of foster care when she was 8 months old. Her mom was a Shar Pei, her dad, a mystery. Raisin loves to sleep, nap and dress-up. She's a great runner and finished third in our local Dog & Jog race. She promises a first place finish this year.

The Generalists

Last night, as I contemplated which generalist's story I would tell next, I heard a low-pitched, haunting sound coming through the sparse trees across the street. We have a train crossing a few miles from us, and I love the occasional whistle, especially on a chill and starry night. But this noise was not a train.

In my very suburban neighborhood, there are at least two Owls and they call to each other in the night. I'm pretty sure they are Barred Owls, although I haven't gotten a good look at them. Text books say that Barred Owls can only survive in "old-growth forests," but in the last few years, these owls have rewritten those text books. The largest population of Barred Owls currently inhabits the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. Scientists have tried to determine why and found a rather obvious answer, one the owls hit on years ago. A Barred Owl's preference for old-growth forests is two-fold. First the trees are mature enough to offer holes to nest in. Second, the dense upper canopy keeps the under canopy bare and stunted. Barred owls hunt by sight. They sit in a tree branch and wait for something to move under them. Little or no undergrowth helps in the owl's success, so an old-growth forest makes sense.

Now think of your well-established suburban/urban neighborhood. For our pleasure we line our streets with oaks and elms, watering and nurturing them for size and breadth of branches. Underneath these stately trees, we weekly mow our lawns, providing broad swaths of close-clipped sod. We also provide bird feeders full of seed, and well-mulched flower beds—enticements to small birds and rodents. You've got to think that when the Barred Owls were driven from the old-growth forests and winged their way into our cities, they must have been well pleased. I love having these owls as my neighbors. I'm sure they are helping to curb the rabbit and mice populations and they seem contented as I've heard them, off and on, over the last three years. What I love most about having them nearby, is that they add mystery to an otherwise very middleclass world.

Animals in Literature

Mice and rats. Rats and mice. Whether pets or pests, they have been linked with humans, our culture and civilization, since the beginning of time. Wherever we have settled, mice and rats have soon settled with us. They've raided our larders, invaded our homes and been responsible for the largest mass death of humans in history by spreading the Black Plague. And yet many of us find rats, and especially mice, cute, clever and interesting.

In Robert C. O'Brien's book, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, mice and rats work together to save their homes and lives from humans. The rats are escaped lab animals whose time in captivity has given them wisdom and longevity. Mrs. Frisby is a simple country mouse, living in the field of a farmer. The novel explores the dual-edged reality of rats and mice co-existing with humans. Food and supplies can be plentiful, but so can cats, traps and poisons.

In Daniel Schwabauer's novel, Runt the Brave, humans are not a factor, just a blueprint. Mr. Schwabauer's memorable characters have been wonderfully anthropomorphized (given human traits and characteristics) into generals, royalty, villains and one very small hero. Battle tactics, betrayal and bravery factor in as the mice of Tira Nor try desperately to defend themselves and their way of life from invading rat forces.

If you're a fan of mice and rats (or even if you're not), you'll want to give both these books a read.

Merry Christmouse

This mouse’s name is Pip. Isn’t she cute? (Click here to see more photos taken by her owner, Kirra Jayde.)

Mice that are bred for pets are common house mice. Mice eat grains, fruits, and seeds, and like sweets, though chocolate is toxic to them. Despite all the stories of mice and cheese they don’t actually like cheese.

Mice have been in a lot of fiction – two of my favorite are the Redwall stories by Brian Jacques and the Runt stories by Dan Schwabauer.