Video of Black-Nosed Dace in the Pemigewasset River in Thornton, NH

Join Dr. Mertz for this series of 10 micro-lectures from the Araquon Lodge.  This series will introduce you to the basics of how bodies are put together and how they work  in  the environment.  Let us know what else you  would like to  learn about comparative  anatomy and Dr. Mertz will talk about it  next time.

   On Greg’s Trail – underwater stream video

The raccoon who made these prints must have disappeared right before I arrived on this wooden bridge.  Our nature trails skirt through the homes of many species of wild animals.

It’s the box that worries me.

 A blue footed bearded dragon.

Welcome to Gallup! He is Penelope’s new friend.  Gallup is a 9 month old wethered Alpine goat.

Gallup was raised and donated to the Center by Jenna Illingworth.  Jenna is a student at the Norfolk Agricultural High School in Walpole.

On the first day together Penelope did not give Gallup a very warm greeting.  She refused to stand any where near him.   If he came close she would run to the other side of the pen.  She gave him dagger eyes.

Today, three days later, they are inseparable.  In fact last night they held a two goat meeting about how to cause the most trouble as a team.  In fact when I did this photo session I went inside their pen to get some close-ups of Gallup.  When I bent over, Penelope came up behind me and bit me in the butt.

Goats!

How grape vines frolic.  This is the underside of a wild fox grape vine.  These tendrils help fix the vine unto the ground or another surface if they touch it.  Until then they remain splayed and frolicsome.

Fox grapes are eaten by foxes, raccoons, squirrels, grackles, cedar waxwings, and me.

Summer is in full-swing. Suckling raccoons are now weaned and here, in our facility, are living outside on their own in an enclosure.  They are fed, watered and visually examined every day.  Without a mother to teach them, they learn from one another.  Raccoons are highly adaptable and opportunistic.  It is one of the characterisitics that make them successful. In this cage, we give them under road culverts that are hung from the sides of the cages to play in.  They love these tubes and turn them into sleeping, socializing and playing areas.  Here, two four-month old adolscent raccoons lounge during todays mid-day heat.

The ayes have it.

Baby raccoons are weaning at the Center.  After being bottle fed in early life they are then given a gruel of fruit, vegetables,and meat.  It is a messy business.  Once a baby finishes the sloppy job of eating they will often crawl into a cardboard tube to take a nap.

This moth visited my house last evening.  He obliged me with a short photo session.

Snapping turtle with Daisy

I went out for a walk this morning with Daisy Dog and encountered a snapping turtle who was out of the water in order to lay her eggs. Many spring-time activities are still happening even though it is the first day of summer. That was a cold wet spring we had! She grudgingly but calmly let me take her photo. She gave me a cold hard stare. I noticed she was getting hit hard with mosquitoes, so to help her out I took off my hat and gently slapped her across the face to shoo them away. It was like I had slapped my grandmother! She charged me snapping, physically knocking me over backwards. I skittered out of her way and let her to her own devices.

In spite of the rain and fog there is a lot happening on the trails and natural areas of our area.

Whoooah!! Odd Pet Vet, A.K.A. Dr. Greg Mertz is now on Twitter! Tweeting away from his iPhone about the exotic patients, nature encounters, or simply anything extraordinary and educational that comes to his mind! You can follow him @oddpetvet by clicking the link below:

http://twitter.com/#!/oddpetvet