Animal Architects - termites

What creature builds this amazing structure? It is the wee termite. Termite mounds are found all over northern Australia near Darwin. They are called magnetic mounds because the termites align them in parallel groupings and orient them north to south. Scientists still aren't sure why or how termites orient their structures along the magnetic poles. One thing is known, these mounds are marvels of construction.

Using nothing more than dirt and their own saliva, termites create a multi-chambered, air-conditioned, rock-hard home. The walls are porous to allow the mound to "breathe," letting stale air out and fresh air in. The living quarters of the termites are usually below the surface of the ground. The many corridors and ducts built into the cathedral-like pillars are used to regulate heat, ensuring a fairly constant temperature for residence regardless of the baking tropical heat outside. Besides living chambers these mounds contain pantries, nurseries, a royal chamber for the king and queen and even gardens that are diligently tended by specially bred worker termites.

Termite mounds are not all built the same but may have special adaptations due to environment. Mounds built in areas with extreme temperatures look almost like they are pleated, giving the mound more surface area so more air can circulate around and through the structure. Termites that build in rainy areas will build an umbrella-like structure across the top of the mound to prevent water from entering the mound and damaging the inhabitants.

When I left Darwin to begin my southerly drive to Adielade along the Stuart Highway, I was amazed by these structures. They were everywhere, and they were huge. To get a sense of their size, realize that I was standing next to this mound when I took the photo. Granted I'm about 5'3", but this mound towered over me. These weren't even the big ones. Some termite mounds reach 20 feet in height.

Animal Architects - Other Birds

Bowerbirds aren't the only birds who build extravagant or fascinating nests. The bald eagle uses sticks and branches (not mere twigs) to build a nest anywhere from 5 to 9 feet wide. The nesting pair will use the same nest year after year, adding to and repairing the structure as needed. Bald eagle aeries have been known to weigh as much as 2 tons – that's the same as 2 mini coopers.

The Warbler builds a much smaller nest, literally creating the sides of the nest around its own body. The warbler gathers grass and stems, clumping them in to the fork of a tree. Then it sits in the middle of this debris and rotates itself, pushing with chest and feet to develop a cup shape. Once this base is established it will twine grass together to strengthen the nest's structure. The warbler will line the nest with hair from animals or people (it doesn't care which) and finish the edging with spider's silk. The warbler collects the spider threads and, after arriving back at the nest, brushes them off its beak onto the nest's twigs. As the silk adheres to the nest, the warbler draws the threads out and weaves them into the rim of the nest, making it smooth and strong.

Don't have branches, grass, silk or someone else's hair to build with? Then how about your own spit? The Edible-nest Swiftlet makes its nest out of saliva. The male of the species can produce condensed saliva from a special salivary gland in its throat. The extruded spit resembles strands of clear spaghetti. The swiftlet forms the strands into a pseudo-cuplike shape, attaching it to a vertical surface such as a cliff face. The strands harden as they are exposed to the air. They most be glorious to see, glistening on the cliff sides in their hundreds. Unfortunately, these nests are primary ingredients in the Asian delicacy, Bird's Nest Soup. Poachers are no longer waiting for chicks to fledge before they take the nests, thereby driving this species towards extinction.
I'll be turning my attention away from birds tomorrow. I've had the pleasure of seeing our next structure and it's very impressive. Want to try and guess at the next architect? Here's a hint. If humans were to build something similar, we would produce a skyscraper . . . 6 miles high!

Thank you Paul Bolstad from the University of Minnesota for bald eagle nest picture.

Animal Architects - the Bowerbird

There's been so much talk in the news regarding the housing market that I thought we might take a look at animal housing. Or, more appropriately, animal architects. This week we're going to focus on what kind of brilliant construction projects are out there and why and how animals create them.

Our first architect is the Bowerbird. A truly amazing little fellow, they are generally about the size of a pigeon. The builder among these birds is the male and he builds his remarkable structure to attract the attention of a female. Bowerbirds don't live in the bower, or nest and raise young there. The construction is all for the purpose of attraction and mating – a genuine "bachelor pad."

Depending on species, bowerbirds will build one of 3 different types of bower – a "maypole", an "avenue", or a "mat." Mats are fairly simple constructions consisting of a cleared area, possibly padded with plants, and ringed by ornaments like flowers or leaves.

The "avenue" is more detailed. Twin walls of twigs are erected and decorated. Occasionally these walls will arch over the empty space and form a tunnel. Some species of bowerbirds use a leaf or twig to paint the inside of these walls with charcoal and saliva.

The most elaborate bowerbird creation is the "maypole." These constructions use the trunks of young trees as support and stretch a roof-like awning over a broad expanse of ground. The courtyard, as it is called, is heavily decorated with flowers, shells, pebbles, fruits and all manner of brightly colored objects. The male bowerbird carefully arranges all of these objects and removes wilted or unattractive items from the area. He will also plant a lawn of moss under and around his bower, perhaps to draw more attention to his collections. Interestingly, the duller the bowerbird's plumage, the more elaborate and colorful their creation.

What do female bowerbirds think of all this? Only 25% of females visit more than one male's bower before mating. Then the female is off to solitarily build a nest, hatch the eggs and raise the young. Thank goodness she can manage on her own because the males are so wrapped up with the construction, decoration and upkeep of their "pad," they would have no time. Maybe if they snagged one of our snazzy Jungle Store birdhouses they could share a little incubating duty.

Scoop the Poop Week - from the Air

When I was a child, my family and I would spend one week every summer at my Uncle’s camp on Toddy Pond in Maine. One particular night we returned to camp after having dinner with the extended family in town. As we entered the small rustic cabin, a winged, black shadow entered with us. The creature swooped and dove near the single light, flapping erratically about the room. My father proclaimed it the biggest moth he had ever seen and proceeded to knock it from the air with a well-swung towel. It was only then we learned our enormous moth was actually a small brown bat. He had been drawn toward the light by the insects flying around it. Fortunately, the bat was merely stunned and my father carefully carried it outside and placed it on the picnic table till it could regain its senses and continue the nightly forage.

How are bats relevant in our discussion of poo? I am so glad you asked. Bat guano is nature’s most perfect fertilizer. It has been used for centuries by agricultural civilizations including the Incas who valued it so highly that anyone found interfering with the bats was put to death. Guano harvesting locations were kept as closely guarded secrets and the U.S. government actually promised free land to people who would make the deposits available to the public.

There are two distinct types of guano, that from fruit-eating bats and that from insect-eating bats. The insect-eating bats produce poo that is high in nitrogen and helps plants grow strong. Fruit-eating bat poo is higher in phosphorus and helps plants with budding and flowering. All guano is safe for indoor and outdoor use and can be used on vegetables, herbs, flowers, trees, lawns, fruit trees, etc. Just another way that scooping poop, especially bat poop, is beneficial to humans. If you want to learn more about bats, including where the largest colony of bats live, check out our Bat article on the Animal Facts page at The Jungle Store.

Scoop the Poop Week - in the Ocean

I have to admit, this week’s topic—celebrating Scoop the Poop week—has turned my thoughts down strange and less traveled roads. I was remembering my 10th grade history teacher. Wonderful man named Mr. Flemming. One day in class he surprised us all by stating he refused to eat seafood. Now remember, I grew up in Rhode Island. That’s like living in Iowa and not eating corn. We students began a frenzy of questions. Surely he wasn’t serious. Maybe he didn’t eat fish, but he must eat clams? No. Perhaps shrimp or scallops? No. He had to eat Tuna, even if it was just the stuff in the can? Uh uh. How could this be? He very simply explained. “I don’t eat fish for the same reason I don’t put my meatloaf in the toilet. Where do you think all those fish go?” Where indeed.

As this memory rattled around in my head, it got me wondering. If an elephant – the worlds largest land mammal- produces over 500 lbs of poo a day, what could a whale be capable of? And does anyone ever risk stepping in it? My research found some interesting facts, the greatest one being that there are real people who scoop the poop of whales.

In 2007, Whale Feces Researcher was ranked one of the 10 worst jobs in Science. Surprise, surprise. But, why was this even a job? It seems we learn rather a lot from whale poo, more than we can by merely observing and/or tagging whales. The poop tells about general health and diet, but also hormone levels, genetics and can act as a pregnancy test. Scientists can actually distinguish individual whales by their poo. And unlike the whale itself, who spends little time near the surface and may not take kindly to being approached, the whale’s poop will float atop the water for a good hour or more, making it rather easy to collect.

How do you find whale poop? With dogs of course. Once again the amazing olfactory senses of our best animal friend come to our aid. Poop sniffing dogs frequently grace the boats of researchers, helping them to find the fecal field. The scent carries well over open water and the dog can usually catch a whiff more than a mile away.

Interested in the other 9 Worst Jobs in Science? Of course you are. Go ahead and peek. I won’t tell.

Scoop the Poop Week - Cats

Not only do I have a dog that I clean up after, I have a cat as well. I've always had cats in my life. I adore their independent nature and regality. When a cat comes to spend time with you, you know it's because he wants to. There's only one thing I don't like about the cats who have deigned to share their lives with me, and that's the litter box. As easy as scooping can be, the "mining" duty runs low on my list of daily tasks. One time I got rather busy and let the scooping go for a few days. My cat sent me a gentle reminder by walking into the family room, looking me in the eye, and pooping on the floor. Problem solved, at least as far as he was concerned.

I did have a number of times I was freed from cat pan duty. Not because I didn't live with a cat, but because I was pregnant. Cats can be carriers of Toxoplasmosis. They contract the microscopic parasite by eating infected animals. Humans catch the disease by coming in contact with the cat's infected feces. Toxoplasmosis can be contracted in other ways—eating undercooked food, gardening without gloves where infected animals have died or defecated, playing in sandboxes that have been used as litterboxes—so a good rule of thumb is to scrub, scrub, scrub those hands. Toxoplasmosis does not generally transfer from human to human, except in cases of pregnancy. A pregnant woman who becomes infected runs a risk of passing the disease to her unborn child – hence the warning for pregnant women to avoid litter boxes.

Of course, becoming pregnant is no reason to get rid of your cat. All you need to do is mitigate the risk. Letting your cat use the great outdoors is the wrong answer. Not only will you be increasing the cat's risk of coming in contact with infected animals, you will also be increasing the risk to you, your family and neighbors by encouraging your cat to relieve itself somewhere in the yard. The best advice is to have someone else clean the cat box for you. A number of the dog waste disposal services you find in the yellow pages will be happy to take on your cat waste as well (for a fee). You could also try one of those automated box cleaners, or you could just glove up and use plenty of hot water and detergent.

There is another option. Suggest to your cat that he/she might use the bathroom, like everybody else in the house. Supposedly it isn't that hard to train them to do.



And if you'd like to reward your feline and make him feel like a "Big Cat," (or clue your guests in on which bathroom they may or may not want to use) try sporting one of our Jungle Store toilet seats. ;)

Scoop the Poop Week - Zoos

You were all so tolerant with my "pick up after your dog!" harangue that, as a reward, I'm taking you to the zoo. Let's face it, if there's one place you know they're going to have scooping issues, it's the Zoo. One Asian elephant can produce more than 500lbs of poo in a single day!

When I lived outside of Washington DC I was a FONZ. (That stands for Friend of the National Zoo.) Being a FONZ gained you certain privileges, one of which was an inside scoop on what was happening at the zoo. That's how I found out about "Zoo Doo." Zoo Doo was probably the most "natural" solution to a difficult problem – namely what to do with all the poo. They had it made into garden art. You could purchase poo pottery, place it in your garden, and have a somewhat attractive, naturally decomposing source of nutrients for your plants and soil. A win-win as far as I could tell. I'm not sure if the National Zoo is still involved in this program. I wasn't able to find any information on it. But, I did find a company in New Zealand that must have latched on to the same idea. They sell Endangered Feces statuary. Brilliant stuff.

If you live near a zoo, it may be worth contacting them regarding their disposal of waste. They've obviously got the supply, you could make the demand. The Woodland Park Zoo outside of Seattle, WA offers up Elephant dung by the gallon.

Of course, if you'd rather have a more lasting piece of statuary that doesn't have its own special aroma; you may want to check out the Jungle Stores Lawn and Garden area.

Scoop the Poop Week - Dogs

Here's a segue for you. Did you know it's "Scoop the Poop" week? I know you're saying, "Jungle Jane. We were talking about saving the earth and now you want to talk about poo?" There's a broader connection to those two topics than you might think. Did you know that the out-product of cow digestion (burping, flatulence and poop) is a constant source of methane – a greenhouse gas? But don't worry. I'm not asking you run to the nearest ranch, baggies in hand, to clear the pastures. Let's stay closer to home.

While driving my son to school one morning, we saw a fellow walking his dog. Well, he wasn't actually walking his dog. His dog was busy following other doggly pursuits, mainly despoiling the parkway. As we approached, the guy reached into his pocket and produced the requisite plastic bag. He began to bend over to retrieve his dog's calling card. We passed, and as I continued watching him in the rearview mirror, I beheld a most amazing sight. He didn't pick it up! He left that poo right where it was and put the baggie back in his pocket! It was all a pantomime, a performance, put on for the benefit of a passing stranger. Mainly - me.

I was flabbergasted. So I stopped the car. That caused him to reach again for his plastic bag. If my son hadn't been cringing in the front seat, begging me to drive on, I would have backed up and made sure he did the job properly. As it is, I have to assume his next course of actions resulted in picking up after his dog.

For this post, we'll be putting aside the shear audacity of the man. (Only doing the right thing because other people are watching you is a different topic and for a different blogger.) Dog poop contains a number of bacteria and parasites that can not only be passed from dog to dog, but from dogs to people. An example is fecal coliform bacteria which causes severe stomach illness and rashes. Children are especially susceptible. For the sake of yourself, your kids, your pets, pick up your dog's poop. I know it isn't a pleasant job (I've got a dog myself), but it is a necessary one, even when no one is looking.


I don't get as fancy as Martha, but I do always carry multiple bags when walking my dog. Just in case my Airedale decides to "double dip."

Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!!

We've still got a lot of work to do, but let's celebrate what's been accomplished.

Deforestation of the Brazilian Rainforest has dropped by another 47%, following a 4 year trend.

Over 1,996,792,933 trees have been planted by the UNEP with another 3,511,630,487 trees pledged to be planted.

Of the over 1,300 animals on the Endangered Species list, 93% have stabilized their populations and made movement towards recovery. One of the most successful species is the American Bald Eagle. Listed in 1967, Bald Eagle populations have soared from about 400 in 1963 to more than 9,700 in 2006.

Remember your three R's – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. It can be even more rewarding than that shopping spree. And without the bill.

Earth Day

With all of the focus on global warming, and our environment, it only makes sense that people would be forming opinions and generating ideas. The exciting part is the wonderful ideas they're coming up with. Not only are they finding solutions, but they're making money at it, adding yet another layer to our economy. The old Blue Collar and White Collar systems no longer apply. These eco-friendly entrepreneurs are adding "Green Collar" jobs to our economic picture. And established companies are finding their "green" status plays a big role in attracting the best and the brightest.

Sometimes you can do what's easy and what's right. At the Jungle Store we are adding more environmentally friendly products every week. As an example, the cards, puzzles, etc. that we carry from Planet Zoo feature the CreatedGreen logo. Looking for logos like these on the products you buy helps make your dollars mean something.