Thursday, February 12, 2015

Shades of Gray

Just for the love of it, my own trilogy of creatures of the night and day. Highlighted are some of their more unusual traits.

Gray Squirrel- We all know these small mammals with their bushy tails. But did you know they are the real hoarders, making reality shows pale in comparison. The gray squirrel may have several thousand caches each season, plus due to their extreme spatial memory they can find them again. Eventually using their sense of smell when they get close. I'd called that extreme senses.

They also have the unique ability to descend trees head first, by turning their hind paws backwards enabling them to grip the bark. Kinda kinky.

Gray Fox-This smallest member of the canine family  is a skilled tree climber. Their semi retractable claws allow them to climb up to 30 feet up where they often build their nests.

This beautiful animal has influenced our language with sexual references to beautiful women (Foxy) and cunning references (Vixen). Oh my, who is the real animal.



Gray Catbird- As a member of the Mimidae family of birds (famously Mockingbirds) they can mimic the songs of other birds and sometimes even tree frogs and mechanical sounds. These vocal abilities are impressive as they can string along and create their own songs. Note- be careful what you say you never know whose listening.

Happy Valentines Day. Gotta love nature.

1 comment:

  1. Cute blog! Those catbirds can be entertaining, except for the ones that have learned to mimic the backup warning of large trucks....that would be annoying!

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