We got to feed them today, and they're so ... dare I say it? ... cute when they eat. Apparently a triops' mouth is on the bottom of its body, so they're all doing underwater backflips in order to reach the food that's floating on the surface. Watching the path one swims is like trying to follow as Liza writes in "cursive," which involves a lot of spirally scribbles and nothing that's actually legible.
And we've got about 10 of the things, as best I can count. Of course, the tank is only about 7" wide, so if these things get to be full size (which they won't) they'll be slithering over each other with about 2 tablespoons of water total around them in the tank. Now THERE'S a mental picture I needed right before bed ... Here's hoping for some Darwinian cannibalism in the next few days!
Oh, and in other natural science news, the hawks that are nesting in our neighbor's backyard apparently have a baby. Either that, or one of the adults was drunk, because when we watched it today, its cry was totally different, and it was doing a total shit job of trying to fly. It literally almost fell over on a branch while it was trying to climb up it with its beak and claws, parrot-style.
I haven't had a chance to get a close enough look to identify which type of hawk we've got, although from looking at various types of raptors at local nature centers, I'm pretty certain that's the general type of bird it is. All of the hawk identification photos and descriptions that I've seen talk about how difficult it can be to distinguish among them, so I may never know for sure. Right now, I'm betting on broad-shouldered , red shouldered, or red tailed, but that's just a guess.
1 comment:
All of those birds look the same!
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