Oscar Has a Plus One

My family has a habit of calling every black rat snake they run across on our farm, be it in our garage, the attic, or the backyard by the name of Oscar. The original Oscar was named by my uncle after he got done screaming like a teenager at a One Direction concert, that is. The snake had crawled over the door frame that led from the garage to the house and wigged my uncle slam out. He had to be convinced that there were very good reasons to keep said black rat snake around. That took some doing, let me tell you.

Less mice and rats and general pest species that carry all manner of diseases around the house was one of the selling points. But, I'm fairly sure that knowing the black rat snake would establish a territory and thereby keep the other more venomous relatives away was probably the thing that finally convinced the uncle to leave Oscar alone. Well, that and bestowing upon him a name. That seemed to give the guy personality and suddenly the uncle was no longer so keen on killing him.

Over the years, the whole family has gotten used to "Oscar" and they often now come running, but rather than to scream and ask me to get rid of it, they are more interested in pointimg "him" out so I can see him whenever they run across him. I have kept it pretty close to the vest that there was probably more than one Oscar around judging by the variation in size and markings on the snakes they were finding. So far, that has been my little secret. At least until today.

This morning, my mother came rushing in from the yard to tell me Oscar had been spotted breakfasting in the rose garden. "Come quick and see." Sure enough, there Oscar was, all lumpy and obviously well fed. But, here's the clincher. While we were standing there watching him, Oscar's plus one decided to make an appearance and crawled right across the yard beside us. So much for stealth.

The mother wanted to know what this meant for her birds, and we had to have the whole snake has to eat conversation. But, otherwise she didn't seem too upset by the news. I am stoked that Oscar has a "girlfriend" and various other family members around. Others might not be so pleased. Since the cat's already out of the bag, fair warning Uncle. You might want to break out the girly voice and get it ready for the next run in. Luckily for Oscar and his friends, they can't hear you screaming. So go ahead and do your worst. It's all good.

Animal Moms and Ellen

This year, Ellen's Mother's Day show had an audience filled with expectant mothers and her opening monologue was right up my alley, since it was all about animal mothers from around the world. In case you missed it, I thought I'd share. Happy Mother's Day, everyone.

The Cinco in Mayo Stands for Five Reasons to Love Your Dog!

Anyone who knows me knows that I found my little dog on this fateful day twelve years ago and named her Cinco de Mayo. It was fitting, not only because of the date, but because I grew up in Morelia, Mexico, and though I realize the holiday is more an American thing, still, it seemed like a name that suited us both.

Her puppy years were a bit rough, since she had been abused even in her short existence before I found her, so she suffers from a smidge of separation anxiety. I admit there were years where I said the Cinco stood for five reasons never to own a dog. But, she has become my best friend and faithful companion, and looking back I wouldn't change a thing.

Last year I told the story of finding her over on my other blog. You can read that here. I've blogged about Miss Cinco a lot, in fact. Check out her doggy diva days as a local celebrity here. Or, how about the time she helped the firemen promote the new Forest Fire Station. She gets around.

Anyway, all this is really just to say, Happy Cinco de Mayo to you all, and most of all, Happy Birthday, fabulous Cinco. I love you, my little nugget. Yes, I realize she can't read this, but it's nice to put it out there, anyway.

Edith Widder and the Giant Squid

When I learned it was a woman's innovation that first captured a live giant squid on camera, I had a throw two arms in the air, touchdown kind of a moment. Can't help it. This excites me. But, just wait until you find out the brilliant plan she came up with. I'm going to let her tell you in her own words. Here is a recent TED talk by Edith Widder explaining the science and filming behind the recent Discovery documentary, Looking for Giant Squid.

The Singing Cow Cracks Me Up!

What can I say. I love this freaking ridiculous commercial, and no I am not trying to sell you anything. Milk does not always do the body good, particularly if you are lactose intolerant. And happy cows might live in all kinds of places. I'm not sure why they would be so thrilled by the overpopulated state of California when they could perhaps choose more wide open spaces, but whatever. All that aside, I had to share this commercial because it makes me smile.. Hope your day begins with a little time for singing in the shower!

'Tis the Season. Butterflies are here!

Today, I finally felt like spring was here. Yes, I know the Vernal Equinox has already passed, but it was snowing here the other day. You heard me. Snowing in Virginia in April. It's been a little trippy weird. Anyway, today I broke out the shorts and enjoyed some fun in the sun. Now that the day is done, I find myself looking through my photography from the past two years. I thought I'd share a few. I'm partial to winged insects, it seems. All of the photos appearing on this page are my own. Feel free to use the images in any way you see fit, as long as you attribute Amanda Corlies as the artist.
Happy spring, peeps!

Don't forget to check out the online young adult adventure over at The Ravens Crossing . It's a ton of fun!

March Madness Brought A Plethora of New Species

Being a science nerd, I spend a good deal of time most mornings trolling the science blogs, news outlets, and magazines. Maybe it's just me, but March seemed to be the month for new species to come out of the woods, or whatever habitat they call home. And these aren't just in one area of the globe, but all over the freaking place. Heck, a highway being dug in California even netted us the remains of a new and previously unknown whale species. But, I'm not talking fossils here, people. I'm talking living breathing beings we had no idea existed until now. Isn't that amazing? With all our technology, we are still discovering. So, I give you some new wonders of the earth, ocean, and sky to ponder. Hooray for March Madness.

Photo Courtesy of Avi Klapfer

First, may I introduce a new, and apparently unnamed deep sea jellyfish. This was recorded by the submarine DeepSee while exploring around the island of Desventuradas off the coast of Chile. The discovery is being credited to Enric Sala.

Photo Courtesy of Peter Kappeler

And as usual, Madagascar just keeps turning out the wonders. There are now two new species of Madagascan mouse lemurs on the books. Here you have the Marohita mouse lemur caught on film for the very first time.

Photo Courtesy of Philippe Verbelen

Meet the Rinjani Scops Owl and, okay, I admit, this one is a little bit of a cheat. They've known about this little guy who lives only on Lombok Island, a resort island off the coast of Bali for, like, ten years. It has a very similar species it lives with, and scientists had to have time to verify that this is indeed a different species entirely. As it turns out, this little owl sings an entirely different song. So the truth is in the music. At last, it has been confirmed as it's own species.

Photo Courtesy of Ranil Nanayakkara

And not to leave out the insects, I give you a brand new giant tarantula who just happens to be venomous. Woot. Isn't he gorgeous? From Sri Lanka, it is on average the size of a human face. Wow! This guy lives in the trees of the forest and is now threatened by deforestation. Guess what people, when you cut down their trees, where do you think these babies are going to go? Under the house, perhaps? One more reason to leave their habitat alone, if you ask me. I mean, he's pretty, but I'd prefer he keep to the trees, thanks.

So, there you have it. A few new species making the official science books here and there. There are plenty more where these came from. Can't wait to see what April brings.