Animals at War - Elephants

In one week's time, we will be celebrating Memorial Day. Our government views Memorial Day as "one day of national awareness and reverence, honoring those Americans who died while defending our Nation and its values." Nowhere in the White House Memoranda does it state that those honored and revered must be human. Perhaps this Memorial Day you can also remember the millions of animals that served and gave their lives in our armed services.

Animals have been integral in manmade conflicts for thousands of years. They have not volunteered for these duties and yet military outcomes have hinged upon their service. Using elephants as living battle tanks became a mostly advantageous military practice in 4000 BC. Although some were outfitted with archery towers and lance men, elephants were mostly driven forward and used for shock value. Horses were terrified at the mere scent of them and would frequently refuse to charge. The elephants didn't have as much difficulty in charging, and when goaded by their riders into a maddened stampede it little mattered which army stood before them. This is where the idea of elephants as a military advantage could (and frequently did) fall apart.

Perhaps the most famous practitioner of the "Elephant Offense" would be Hannibal. Histories are replete with tales of him taking a herd of African elephants over the alps to fight the Romans. What the histories fail to mention is that over half of Hannibal's army and all but a few of the elephants died during the crossing. The elephants that Hannibal used to win a victory in the Battle of the Trebia River, were different elephants altogether, but elephants all the same. There were about 30 of them, positioned on the flanks of Hannibal's main forces. The elephants played their part well, fostering terror among the enemy and scattering or trampling Rome's forces. Although given credit for a successful battle, many of the elephants were mortally wounded in the fight. Those that did not die on the battle field later succumbed to the cold and Hannibal was once again elephant-less.

Pollinators - Reptiles

The island of Mauritius is famous, or perhaps infamous, for having been the habitat of the Dodo bird. The dodo was a wonderful seed distributor but was probably not a pollinator. Instead that task fell to other indigenous birds like the Olive white-eye. Unfortunately, the Olive white-eye has more than just its native land in common with the dodo. The Olive white-eye is critically endangered and scientists fear only 150 nesting pairs may be left on Mauritius. The Olive white-eye was the key pollinator of the Trochetia, a plant producing pink, orange or white flowers. The Trochetia is also endangered due to invasive plant species and feral populations of monkeys and rats, but the Trochetia's fate could be more hopeful than that of the Olive white-eye.

Also living on the Island of Mauritius is the Blue-tailed Day Gecko. This tiny lizard is endemic to the island. A confirmed insectivore, the gecko found its food sources of insects becoming increasingly scarce and so began feeding on nectar. The Blue-tailed day gecko has been gradually taking over the duties of the Olive white-eye in becoming the Trochetia's main pollinator. In return, the Trochetia flowers have even begun to produce colored nectar, in shades of yellow and red; instead of the clear nectar other plants produce. It seems color is more important in attracting the little lizard than scent is. As the gecko dips in to the deep bell-shaped flowers, pollen falls across its throat and lips, adhering to the gecko's scales. While visiting another flower, the gecko brushes this pollen off on the flowers stigma, helping the Trochetia keep its fragile hold on the island.

Scientists are discovering that lizards are frequently the main pollinators in island communities. The Lilford's Wall Lizard is responsible for the pollination of over 20 plant species found off the coast of Spain. Lizards make very capable pollinators as they can carry a lot of pollen for long distances. Their inability to get off the island also makes them a more reliable resource than the birds.

Photo courtesy of Dennis Hansen.

Pollinators - Bats

We learned that without midges there would be no chocolate. Have you ever contemplated what you'd loose if we lost the bat? Let the question percolate in your brain while you read the rest of this post. We'll talk about it again at the end.

It is true that most bat species are insectivores, but a healthy minority (about 1/3rd) is nectarivorous and feed on nectar, pollen and fruit. They prefer trees or plants with larger flowers and while invading the blossom to lick out the nectar, they dust their heads and faces with pollen. When the next flower is visited, the first flower's pollen grains are brushed against the new flower's stigma and pollination takes place. 80% of the world's plants require pollination to produce fruits and seeds. The benefits of pollinators, (as opposed to self-pollination), is an assurance of genetic diversity, an important part of a plant's health. The same bats that pollinate will generally return to consume the plant's fruit, and thereby the fruit's seeds. Bats are strong fliers and maintain large home ranges in which they forage. Since they will poop in flight, this makes the bats wonderful seed dispersers, a talent that makes the bats major factors in the regeneration of clear cut tropical forests.

Have you had a chance to think about what products we'd have to give up if bats are driven from their habitat? Keep this in mind, more than 300 Old World tropical plants rely on bats for their pollination and seed-dispersal. Some of these plants are needed as ingredients in medicines, dyes and fuel. Others are more familiar to you. The bat is directly responsible for the proliferation of mangos, bananas, guavas, cashews and dates. And let's not forget the bat's role in the pollination of the agave plant, the key ingredient in tequila. Thought that might get your attention.




Rick A. provided the delicious photo of the Margaritas. Thanks!

Pollinators - Bugs

Ever been driven mad by midges? Ever gone nuts because of gnats? (Think back to the 2nd game of the 2007 American League Division Series when the Yankees got swarmed by bugs and you'll know what I'm talking about.) Bugs, especially those small little no-see-ums that invade every campsite I've ever stayed in, can really make you crazy. It's not always the buzzing or the biting that gets me. It's the way they dive bomb my eyes, my nose, my mouth, my ears, seeking any moisture they can find. At times like that I want the largest can of Deep Woods Off I can find. But if there were no bugs, there'd be no chocolate.

That's right. It's true. A wee little midge is responsible for all of the chocolate in the world. The lovely tropical tree, Theobroma cocoa (which means "food of the gods") produces complex, nickel-sized white flowers that bloom at night. Once in bloom, the flower has a mere 48 hours in which to be pollinated. This is where the midge comes in. Although the flowers possess both male and female parts, they do not self-pollinate and rely on the determined visit of the midge to accomplish the task. Even so, only about 5 of every 100 flowers will be pollinated at the correct time and become cocoa pods.

Cocoa trees thrive in the damp and shade of the tropical rainforest where they can tap into the nutrient-rich soil and are protected from strong winds by larger trees. The midges that pollinate the cocoa trees also thrive there, enjoying the damp and the decaying plant and animal life. It seems counter-productive that cocoa harvesters have been creating vast, cultivated, open-air cocoa tree plantations. To do this, they chop down the shade trees and clear the decaying plants and basically give the pollinating midge no habitat. Is it any surprise that instead of 5 in every 100 flowers becoming cocoa pods, as happens in the forest, the plantation's trees fall far short? Only 3 in every 1,000 blossoms will create cocoa pods, and that means less chocolate.

So, before you swat your next fly, remember your last bite of chocolate cake, or your last bite of Hershey's Special Dark, or your last bite of dusted truffle. Without the bugs, it could be your last bite.

Thank you to Kurt Stueber for the photo.

Pollinators - Interconnectedness

There is a rare and beautiful flower growing along one small stretch of dunes on the California coast. Small and delicate, this white evening primrose blooms from March until September. This primrose is listed as endangered and is protected in the Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge. Set about on all sides by fast-growing, aggressive, weedy neighbors, the primrose has needed all the human intervention it can get to keep a sandy toe-hold. Unfortunately, the plants still produce few fruits and viable seed counts remains low. For all our human care, we can not make them thrive. Only the Hawk Moth can do that.

The hawk moth is the main pollinator of the Antioch Dune primrose. Due to pesticide spraying at nearby vineyards, the population of hawk moths has declined, and so has the population of Antioch Dune primroses. Food crops are not the only plants that rely on pollinators (birds, bats, bees and other insects) and if we want to maintain the beauty and diversity of our world we need to keep in mind the connectedness of the world's living things. Designating pesticide free zones and maintaining buffers of natural land full of diverse, native plants will allow pollinators the habitat they need to keep up with their vital work. Plowing under a meadow of flowers to create another field for corn may be disturbing a vital "nectar highway" for pollinators. Due to their inability to span the disrupted area in a day, the pollinator will either starve while trying, or remain stranded on one side, unable to reach its food source on the other and continue its migration. Plant species disruption and decline is the result and that will simply be the first domino to fall.

The Federal Government does a careful job of protecting, tracking, counting and reporting on endangered species, be they plant or animal. One thing they have not been checking, even for endangered plants, is the availability of pollinators for those plants. The hawk moth enjoys a vigorous world wide population. There are close to 1200 species of hawk moth classified into 200 genera. That seems an awful lot of hawk moths. But there aren't enough of them on the Antioch Dunes in Contra Costa County, California. The primroses can tell you that.

Pollinators - Honey Bees

The garden is beautiful. My lilies and roses are close to a first bloom. The lavender's beginning its wild rampage on the South side of our house and the sedum has claimed yet another acre of rock wall. Year after year these glories happen and, although I notice them and appreciate them, I never really notice or appreciate the little critters that make it all possible.

Over 80% of our food crops are dependent upon the help of birds, bats, bees or other insects for pollination. It is not a process we humans can replicate with tool or machine, and yes, we have tried. When humans attempt it, the process can only be accomplished on a small scale and is still not very successful.

Perhaps the most well-known pollinator is the honey bee. When my lavender blooms, their little black and yellow bodies are constantly weaving about the purple flowers. While searching for nectar, the honey bee dusts itself with pollen from one flower and transfers it to the next flower it lands on, thereby enabling the plant to reproduce and bear fruit, seeds or more flowers. Honey bees are responsible for the reproduction of apple trees, blueberry bushes, cucumber plants, sunflowers and many more crops we humans rely upon. In the year 2000, Cornell University conducted a study and found, "the direct value of honey bee pollination to U.S. agriculture is more than $14.6 billion." Let's hope the bees don't expect to collect.

Good Mothers - Humans

These are two of the best mothers it has been my privilege to know. They’ve stayed with one mate, raised strong, resourceful daughters, and caring, gentle sons. They’ve kept their extended family “herds” intact and passed down a genetic predisposition to see the humor in life all while accomplishing their own personal goals and dreams. Not easy tasks, but these moms have made them appear effortless.


The mother on the left happens to be my mother. The mother on the right is my Mom’s best friend. (I’m honored to say she is one of my best friends too.) If you define mothering as the investment of time in the life and development of offspring, no animal can top the investment a human mother provides her child. Humans are the only species that commit to the process for a lifetime. That’s why having a Good Mother in your corner is such a great gift.
Thanks for the effort, Mom.

Happy Mother’s Day.

Manatees Make Good Mothers

Manatees are very attentive and doting mothers. They usually give birth to a single calf in a quiet and secluded area. Once the calf is born, the mother will stay very close, ensuring the calf can take its first breath on its own. The calf will vocalize immediately and the mother will call back. Scientists believe this is crucial to the pair's early bonding process. 

Manatee mothers have been seen floating perpendicularly and holding their calves against their bodies. In this pose they look very much like a human mother nursing her child. Calves begin to nurse a few hours after birth.

For manatees, the sense of touch is important and mother and calf will frequently swim pressed against each other. Manatees are generally solitary animals. If you see two manatees swimming together, chances are they are mother and child.

When the manatee calf is only a few weeks old, it will begin nibbling on plants. The calf will not be fully weaned until it is closer to a year old but will stay with its mother for a year of more after that. During this time, the mother is busy teaching her offspring which plants to eat, where to find safe resting areas and warm water refuges, as well as which migratory routes to follow.

Good Mothers - Elephants

Hello, Readership! I was not lost in the deepest darkest parts of Africa. I've been on Jury Duty. Some may consider that comparable, but it was actually quite interesting to see the inner workings of our judicial system.

This week, or for what's left of it, I'm going to write about the Good Mother, since we'll be celebrating Mother's Day this coming Sunday, May 11th. You know, when we see someone acting horribly or out-of-control, we say they're "behaving like an animal." That is patently unfair to animals. They are not all creatures of mere instinct and habit. Animals can form complex social structures and develop deep attachments to each other and humans.

Elephants are such animals. Their bonds are lifelong and even last past death. After a gestation period of 22 months (yes, 22 months), the soon-to-be-mother will choose an "Auntie" from the predominantly female herd and retire to a secluded area to give birth. The Auntie is there to help the mother and protect her and the calf during labor and the birthing process.

Elephant mothers dote on their young, investing 4 or more years in suckling alone. They take great care in guiding and teaching their children, even meting out discipline in the form of a trunk slap on the flank or rump. Mothers are aided in their child-rearing by the entire herd, which is made up of sisters, nieces, cousins, mothers and grandmothers. Daughters will stay with their mothers and the herd they are born into for the rest of their lives. Sons will remain with their mother until they are approximately 15 years old, when they will join smaller male groups.

Photo taken by Sandra Fenley

Animal Architects - Wasps

I'm sorry to say I've had "dealings" with our next architect. As interesting and complex as their nests are, I have no love of wasps. They are aggressive and their stings Hurt!

Paper wasps make their own version of paper to build their nests. Wasps collect wood fibers with their mandibles. They look for sources with exposed wood, such as fences, telephone poles, buildings or damaged trees. They will even visit trash sites or dumps and scrap the fibers from cardboard or paper bags. They mix the pulp with their own saliva, and sometimes with their own poo, to get the fibers soft and moist. Once it is in a paste-like form, the wasp spreads it along an exposed leading edge of the nest, using both mandibles and legs. Once the substance dries, it becomes a strong and durable paper.

You may think making your home out of paper is unwise, but it works beautifully for the wasp. The pockets of air trapped between paper layers keep the nest temperature regulated. Need to cool the nest off? Peel off some paper. Getting too cold? Spread more layers on.

Unfortunately, paper wasps tend to build their homes near or on our homes. Wasps eat other insects and spiders, which is good, but they are also aggressive and highly territorial, which is bad. If you need to remove wasps that have decided to become your neighbors, do so at dusk. They are less active then. Even so, make sure you have a clear route of escape as they will not be happy.

Wasp photo by Susan Ellis.
Nest photo by Mensatic.