Features (Creature Feature)

Article - Creature Feature; by Sandra Olivetti Martin - 10/14/10

Where Are Your Osprey?

From here to Venezuela

Where have our osprey gone after abandoning Chesapeake Country over the last six weeks? In general, we know that Chesapeake osprey fly from between 2,000 and 4,000 miles. Their journey takes 15 to 50 days, depending on the individual’s flight plans. Transmitter-tagged birds can tell us much more. So we turn to 40-plus-year osprey researcher Rob Bierregaard of the University of North Carolina. He’s been banding birds since 2000 on Martha’s Vineyard and in New York, Rhode Island...

Article - Creature Feature; by Diana Beechener - 10/7/10

Doggie Distractions

AAA finds that careful driving has gone to the dogs

It’s now illegal for Marylanders to drive with their hands on their phone, but according to a AAA study, we’re still likely to fall victim to another driving distraction: our animal companions. The study — a joint effort between AAA and Kurgo Pet Dog Products — polled 1,000 dog owners who have driven with their dogs over the past year. Fifty-nine percent of pet owners admit that travel with their pets distracts them from the job at hand. The trouble arises because...

Article - Creature Feature; by Diana Beechener - 9/30/10

Bug Off

Life stinks for Marylanders

The brown marmorated stink bug has made itself Maryland’s least welcome invader of 2010. Fat from feasting on orchard and soybean crops, flocks of the Asian alien have invaded homes and gardens, causing more than a foul odor. “The populations this year have been astronomical when compared with years past,” says Dr. Joe Fiola, specialist in viticulture and small fruit for the University of Maryland Extension. “Multiple bugs per fruit, whereas with green stink bugs [the...

Article - Creature Feature; by Diana Beechener - 9/24/10

This Week’s Creature Feature - Two Years into a Life...

Calvert Marine Museum’s snakehead settles into life in solitary confinement

Two years ago, the Calvert Marine Museum put a new inmate in the tank, a snakehead fish, as the showpiece of the museum’s invasive species exhibit. “It was a good example because there was a lot of press on it a few years back,” says Ken Kaumeyer, the museum’s curator of estuarine biology. Though the fish hasn’t attempted a jailbreak, Kaumeyer isn’t ready to declare it a model prisoner. Originally, the snakehead was to be part of a larger exhibit,...

Article - Creature Feature; by Diana Beechener - 9/23/10

Sucked into Battle

In the war against the vacuum, Lothian’s Juanky is declared top dog

The war between pets and vacuum cleaners is long-standing and seemingly inexplicable. Maybe it’s the noise. Maybe it’s the aggressive suction coupled with a rolling machine. Maybe pets just don’t like clean carpets. Eureka Vacuums, however, sought an armistice between their cleaners and your furry friends, inviting pet owners around the country to enter Fido’s Fight or Flight contest with videos of their pets reactions to the vacuum. The contest promoted Eureka...

Article - Creature Feature; by Diana Beechener - 9/16/10

Elephants Join the Sexual Revolution

The Humane Society International successfully tests elephant contraception

In African game reserves, elephants were eating themselves out of house and home. So the Humane Society International found a way to control the growing elephant population in South African reserves without resorting to cruel practices: elephant contraception. “In a lot of places in Africa, elephants are confined by fences or barriers,” explains Humane Society International’s director of wildlife Theresa Telecky. “If the population isn’t controlled in some way, the...

Article - Creature Feature; by Diana Beechener - 9/2/10

Are You in Good Paws?

These pet insurance claims will make you check your policy

Insurance covers many members of your family, including the furry ones. The nation’s oldest pet insurance company, Veterinary Pet Insurance, rewards the most daring clients with its annual VPI Hambone Award, celebrating the most unusual claim. This is not the Darwin Awards. All pets considered for the competition have made full recoveries if not learned their lesson. The 12 most bizarre insurance claims are posted on the VPI website, where readers and pet fanciers vote for their favorite...

Article - Creature Feature; by Sandra Olivetti Martin - 8/26/10

This Week’s Creature Feature

Maryland’s Most Humane Lawmakers

The Maryland General Assembly is a pretty animal-friendly place, according to the Maryland Humane Scorecard released this month. Across both houses, 117 of 188 members scored 75 percent or higher; only 12 legislators scored less than 50 percent. Forty lawmakers — six senators and 34 delegates — scored 100 percent. Representing Anne Arundel and Calvert, House Speaker Michael Busch (District 30) and Del. James Proctor ((District 27A) are 100-percenters. Eight lawmakers scored even...

Article - Creature Feature; by Sandra Olivetti Martin - 8/19/10

Pain-Free Prognostication

A new website takes the sting out of your summer by predicting jellyfish migration patterns

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water — it is. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has created a website that forecasts the location of sea nettles throughout the Chesapeake and its tributaries. NOAA colors the Bay map according to a sliding population scale, using bright red for heavily infested and cool blue for jelly-free swim zones. To predict nettle nests in the water, scientists relied on their knowledge of environmental factors. Using satellite...

Article - Creature Feature; by Diana Beechener - 8/12/10

Last Call for Your Pet Tales

Show off your animal relations

We know you have pets. According to the Humane Society of the United States, 77.5 million dogs and 93.6 million cats around the country share our homes. On top of that staggering census, the Humane Society reports that we also spend generously on our pets — at least $200 per year on vet bills alone. Why not show off your furry money pits? This week, Bay Weekly collects the final reader submissions for our annual Pet Tales issue August 26. So far, we’ve got...