Porcupines - Flight over Fight
Did you know that porcupines will try to run away from danger before using their quills? Like most animals, it takes less energy to run than using other protective measure like venom or fighting. Porcupines will try to seek a safe haven under rocks or up a tree as their first instinct to danger. Porcupines spend a considerable amount of time in trees, eating and staying safe from certain predators. If this running strategy doesn't work though, then it's time for the quills. P
World Curlew Day!
Today we want to celebrate these big billed birds, especially since most curlew species are at risk, including our very own Long-billed curlew. As a ground laying bird, Long-billed curlew have to be careful of all the potential predators that can disturb them and their nest. Thankfully, the young are ready to go pretty quickly after they hatch. Only a couple hours after these chicks hatch, they are already running around the grasslands, and the nest is abandoned within 24 hou
World Bat Day!
Today we want to celebrate all of our insect eating superheroes along with some amazing work that is being done to help them out. Ove the last several years, White-Nose syndrome (WNS) has been damaging certain bat populations across North America. This syndrome is a fungal issue that affects bats during their hibernation. It irritates their skin to the point that they wake up in the middle of winter and since they don't have access to food and they need to spend so much energ
International Beaver Day!
Today celebrates one of our world's greatest engineers- the beaver. These rodents have amazing capacity to accumulate water in an area and alter hydrology. As climate change affects our planet, areas are subject to desertification, with water sources becoming more scarce and dry areas become even more arid. Beavers help to mitigate some of these effects- beaver ponds store water during wet times of years, and as water recedes in the dry months, water is released slowly into s
Happy Aquatic Animal Day!
There are so many amazing aquatic species in the world, and still new ones are getting identified, even here in the Okanagan. One newly identified species is the Okanagan Crayfish. While it was known that crayfish were in the area, many people thought that this crayfish was the same as the Signal Crayfish which is native to the Pacific Northwest. However, this population was found to be more distinct than your normal Signal Crayfish, so it became its own species. Okanagan Cra
