Articles in regional publications that pertain to a wide range of North Carolina-related topics.
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165 results
for "North Carolina Naturalist"
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21024
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Burgess describes the state's newest public arboretum, as yet unnamed, which is constructed on a five-acre portion of land within the NC Museum of Natural Science's Prairie Ridge Ecostation in Raleigh. Though many of the plantings are small in stature now, when they grow, they will showcase every single wetland tree species in the state.
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Record #:
21025
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Burgess describes the110,000-acre Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge and its wildlife, along with its 2,900-acre Pungo Lake, and the ongoing controversy created when the U.S. Navy wanted to build a 28,000-acre practice field right next door for jet pilots to practice landings and takeoffs.
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21027
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There are 58 different species of salamanders found in the state--the densest concentration anywhere in the world. Schulte describes the marbled salamander, which has a unique reproductive custom--it lays its eggs out of water.
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21028
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The NC Museum of Natural Science provides thousands of creatures with artificial habitats, so many in fact that it could be classified as a mid-size zoo. How are these creatures treated when they get ill oo just need a checkup? That's when Dan Dombrowski, Coordinator of Living Collections and also the house veterinarian, receives the call. Burgess describes his work as veterinarian, which ranges from sea turtles to spiders and scorpions.
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21029
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The great horned owl is the largest owl species in the state. Daye describes this night hunter and dominator of the darkness with its exceptional low-light vision, five-foot wingspan and talons that grip with 500-pound -per-square-inch crushing power.
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Record #:
21030
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In 2001, Jimmy Holloman set out to dig for his two young grandsons a fishing pond on family land near Whiteville. He found something unexpected--bones--not human or animal of today, but from a giant ground sloth. This animal roamed the state during the Pleistocene Ice Age (roughly between two million and 11,000 years ago). Further excavation was delayed because of lack of state funding, however in 2007 with new funding, the digging began again. By 2008, 146 fossil bones had been preserved and cataloged.
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Record #:
21031
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White-nose syndrome has killed hundreds of thousands of bats in the eastern United States. Those that are dying are insect-eaters, and the largest bat colony in the northeast is estimated to eat two billion insects per night. Losing these night-hunters would allow more damage to crops and contribute to mosquito-borne diseases like the West Nile virus. The disease has spread down the East Coast to Smith County, Virginia, which abuts North Carolina, and is expected to cross into the state.
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Record #:
21037
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Beane explains how some creatures inhabiting our state--animals, snakes, amphibians--that lack claws, fangs, size, and protective armor, uses other devices to protect themselves. Some, such as opossums, make like carrion. Others, for example, hognose snakes, hedgehogs, and skunks, exude or excrete certain items that turn a would-be predators stomach.
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Record #:
21038
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Fuller calls vultures \"the custodians of the biological world--happily devouring the smelliest, foulest, and most putrid remains found in nature.\" North Carolina has two species--the black vulture and the turkey vulture. Fuller details their eating habits, and if the vultures are harassed, they will throw up \"their hot, stinky, corrosive stomach contents,\" definitely a deterrent to any would-be predator.
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Record #:
21039
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The hagfish is unusual to look at--an eel body that's pink, eyespots instead of eyes, and a sensor around the mouth to help it find food. However, it is the slime, not the looks that gross people out. Other creatures produce slime--slugs, eels, algae--but nothing else matches \"the sticky squishy mucus of hagfish slime.\"
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Record #:
21040
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Liz Baird, NC Museum of Natural Science in Raleigh, has been named Environmental Educator of the Year by the Environmental Educators of North Carolina. Baird has had a 15-year career with the museum. The award recognizes \"an educator who stands out, exemplifies excellence, lends credibility to the field, and is regarded as a \"dynamo\" that other environmental educators strive to emulate.\"
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Record #:
21041
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Mary Ann Brittain, an outstanding science educator with the NC Museum of Natural Science, is the recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. It is one of the most prestigious awards presented by the Governor of the state and recognizes \"individuals with a proven record of extraordinary service to the state.\" Brittain's career covers 43 years of service.
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Record #:
21042
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In 2007, Cathy Neilson was wading in Lake Waccamaw when she stumbled across the skull of a whale. Nearly three million years ago, the ocean covered the state's Coastal Plain, and as limestone formed the ocean floor, it covered and preserved the skull. It was recovered, cleaned, and preserved and is now being studied to determine what group it belongs to. Evidence proves that it comes from the whale family Balaenidae, which includes the right and bowhead whales. However, since there are several different kinds of living and extinct baleenids, which one came from Lake Waccamaw?
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Record #:
21043
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While this article cannot mention all the fossil sites in the state, it does serve as a brief guide to some of the more interesting ones. Among those listed with a brief description are the Triassic reptiles of the Research Triangle; Cretaceous Carolina: Traces of the dinosaurs; and Megalodon cruising grounds.
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Record #:
21051
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Previously the veterinary staff at the NC Museum of Natural Science, under the direction of Chief Veterinarian Dr. Dan Dombrowski, looked after the health of animals away from the public. This article describes the new clinic which is designed to allow visitors to see activities in the lab and procedure room and also ask questions about what is happening.
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