More on Juma, the Baby Giraffe

Photo Appears Courtesy of the NC Zoo

I know, I've already been oohing and aahing over this adorable baby, but I couldn't resist posting this fantastic picture a friend at the NC Zoo sent me. Plus, they have announced officially that the baby is a girl. She has been named Juma, which means "Born on Friday," in Swahili. I can't wait to go meet Juma in person. Jamili is taking great care of her daughter, too. Since she is just four years old herself, I am very proud of this young mother.

Also, this week is our season 1 finale at The Ravens Crossing, so while I'm repeating myself, don't forget to drop by every day this week to read our Big Bang Finish. Sharon and Alex will post tomorrow morning at 8. This week's stories are some of the best things I've written to date. Morgan and Holly posted Tuesday. Here's the link to them. I'm really so proud of this entire project. All of the stories by the other authors, Andi Lea and West Thornhill are fantastic. Don't miss out! You can start with the week 1 stories here and read them all by following the weeks on the story tab at the top of the page. It's a young adult sci-fi adventure. And  what do you suppose is the best part? It's all free! So go! Read! Enjoy!

Help Us Bark for Lynchburg's Dog Park!

For the second year running, we are in second place to win the Pet Safe Bark for the Park competition. If we can muster enough votes before August 1st, we will win a much needed $100,000. Last year we came so close. If we can pull off a win this year, we will make the off-leash dog park our community has been struggling to build a reality at last. This project has been ongoing for years, and speaking as a dog owner and pet sitter in this community, it's is sorely needed. You can help our doggy dreams become a reality! It's really simple. All you have to do is go this page and vote. You can vote once each day for the remainder of the contest.

Yesterday, a whole bunch of our community members showed up to create a video for the contest, and to ask others to join in to vote and vote for Lynchburg. My friend Rebecca and her dog Eli made it onto the news broadcast about yesterday's event. Check it out.

Oh, and don't forget, if you like science fiction, to head over and read Sharon & Alex's story today at The Ravens Crossing. Two more weeks until the season finale. Things are heating up in Wildwood!

The World's Smallest Chameleon Makes it Big!

If you make the rounds of nature blogs like I do, you will have a hard time missing the world's smallest chameleon today. Ever since Valentine's Day, when the latest research on Malagasy Leaf Chameleons, Brookesia Minima, published, these little guys have been causing a big sensation.

Why all the hype? Well, they are pretty cool itty bitty things. They do all the cool things other chameleons do, rapidly changing skin for chamoflage, long projectile tongues and rotating eyes for hunting. You know the drill. They can use their prehensile tail to grasp, but unlike other chameleons, this species often uses it as a fifth leg for stability due to their size. Still, this doesn't that big of a deal. So I went exploring, and I think  I've figured it out, though the cause of the sensation is not really what most of the blogs are talking about. Perhaps they didn't want to sound too nerdy? I don't mind. I'm a proud science nerd. Here is the scuttlebutt on these four species of tiny chameleons discovered in extreme northern regions of Madagascar.

According to research by Frank Glaw, Jörn Köhler, Ted M. Townsend, Miguel Vences :

"Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on one mitochondrial and two nuclear genes of all nominal species in the B. minima group congruently support that the four new species, together with B. tuberculata from Montagne d'Ambre in northern Madagascar, form a strongly supported clade. This suggests that these species have diversified in geographical proximity in this small area."


These species, despite being superficially like other chameleons, have been given separate evolutionary status based on differences in their external morphology, mostly based on differences to the hemipenis structure. The new research is now suggesting they have evolved differently within their range for a reason. The new conclusions suggest that they represent "extreme cases of island dwarfism." 


Yep, this is cool stuff! And speaking of cool stuff, my second story posted today over at The Ravens Crossing. Go meet Sharon & Alex today. You have two more days to enter to WIN a FREE KINDLE Wifi Touch. Don't miss out!