Louisiana has been in the news lately, not for its beautiful bayous or delicious Cajun cuisine, but for a story about a 22-pound nutria named Neuty. The story started when wildlife agents showed up at the seafood business of Denny and Myra Lacoste, Neuty’s adoptive family, with the intention of seizing the animal. According to […]
Tag: rodent
Are Rodents Really Our Enemies? Unpacking the Concept of ‘Pests’ in Bethany Brookshire’s Latest Book
Have you ever looked at a mouse, raccoon, or seagull and thought of them as nothing more than pests? If so, you’re not alone. However, Bethany Brookshire’s new book, “Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains,” offers a refreshing and enlightening perspective on these creatures that might just change your mind. As Brookshire writes, these animals […]
New research reveals incredible hunting secrets of the Great Grey Owl
A new study in Manitoba, Canada shows how the “Great Gray Owl,” a common site, either soaring over the plains or perching and nesting in the forests of the eastern prairies, overcomes many obstacles to find its prey. The prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) – Photo by Soebe, public domain The bird is able to “punch” […]
Beavers can help Britain fight the climate crisis – if we welcome them back
On Saturday 1 October, something remarkable happened. The Eurasian beaver was officially recognised as both a “native” and a “protected” species under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. In England, that means it is now illegal to deliberately kill, injure, or capture the world’s second largest rodent, or disturb their dams, lodges or […]
POLL: Should California be allowed to exterminate the nutria?
The call came from a wildlife trapper working in the wetlands of central California. “I think I caught a nutria,” the man said. Greg Gerstenberg, a state biologist, was thrown.“I was like, ‘a what?’” A year and a half later, Gerstenberg strode up to his waist into the sludgey wetlands, pulling a kayak through mats […]
Incredible “Incubator Bird” to be saved by rat removal on Pacific island
Kayangel Atoll is set to become the first inhabited island in the Pacific nation of Palau to be cleared of rats. As well as a healthier ecosystem for fascinating Endangered birds, residents look forward to better livelihoods through increased crop yields. The Micronesian Scrubfowl Megapodius laperouse is a genius at inventing ways to keep its […]
The Coypu, or River rat
Myocastor coypus (Camargue) – Rodentia – Myocastoridae – It can reach a weight of 12 to 14 kg! It lives in burrows alongside stretches of water. They waste close to 90% of the river plants they feed on eating only the stems, a destructive feeding and burrowing behavior but… that is not the full extent […]
The Dassie Rat – an unique rodent
The Dassie Rat (Petromus typicus) is endemic to the Southwest Arid Zone of Africa. Their range encompasses northwestern South Africa (Northern Cape Province), central and western Namibia and southwestern Angola. These cute, squirrel-like, long tailed rodents occur regularly and sometimes commonly in rocky areas within this vast swathe of desert and semi-desert land. What makes […]