Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
This is just a taste of what I’ll be posting in a few hours, along with a “lion wedding” involving copulation, and far closer pictures of the big cats. I’ve been on two game drives already, each 3.5 hours long, and have seen a ton. Join me in a few hours. In the meantime, spot the lion.
(I hope to get a “spot the leopard” photo soon.
Did you spot the two fawns this morning in Charles Schwing’s photo? Here’s the reveal, with the babies circled. You can see the legs of the one on the left and the spots on the fawn to the right, but click the photo (twice if you must) to enlarge it:
In lieu of a Readers’ Wildlife today (I’m running low again), we’ll have a “spot the. . . ” feature sent in by reader Charles Schwing. Here’s his lead-in:
I noticed an adult doe relaxing in our backyard in Napa, California, and chewing her cud. Knowing that this time of year there will usually be a fawn or two accompanying each doe, I started looking. It didn’t take long to spot
one – located where we often see backyard deer. Closer inspection revealed a second fawn.As I was searching for the young ‘uns, the “Spot the …” WEIT posts came to mind. I especially liked the idea of a “Spot the fawn” challenge since the fawns are themselves spotted. Indeed, it was the spots that caught my eye and revealed the second fawn. I apologize for the low resolution of my 20+ year old digicam. This challenge would be much easier with more pixels. I also wish I’d snapped a pic of mom, but shewas gone by the time I thought of submitting this. Happy non-lethal hunting.
Very often, a mother deer will leave her fawns alone when she goes off to graze, and they remain still while she’s gone, often lying down. If you find one or two fawns alone in the forest, don’t try to rescue them, for mom will be back soon.
Can you see the two fawns in this photo, which I consider “medium hard”. Please just say “yes” or “no” in the comments and don’t give away their location. At the very least you’ll see how good their camouflage is.
Click the photo to enlarge it, and I’ll put up the reveal at 11 a.m. Chicago time.
Did you spot the problem with picking up the wrench in this morning’s photo?
Here’s why you want to stay away: there’s an Eastern Copperhead snake right there (Agkistrodon contortrix). I’ve circled it, but it’s not hard to see.
Here’s a picture of a regular old wrench, but you’d best stay away from it. Why? There’s an animal nearby. Can you spot it? It’s about medium difficulty. I’ll put up the answer at 11 a.m. Chicago time. Click on the tweet and then on the photo to enlarge it.
When you see it, you will not want to pick up that wrench pic.twitter.com/jptg7lZGAJ
— John Shields, MD, FAAOS (@jointdocShields) May 20, 2024
Did you spot the horned “toad” this morning? Robert Lang sent two reveal photos; I’ve put them below. You can see how camouflaged they are!
We’re seriously low on readers’ wildlife photos, so I implore you to send in any good photos you have. Thanks!
If you know some biology, you probably realized that “horned toads” are not toads at all, but lizards (genus Phrynosoma). They are disappearing due to human incursion into their habitats and competition from fire ants, who displace the non-fire ants that are the lizards’ normal diet. But reader Robert Lang has photographed one for the “spot the” photo below. Robert’s words are indented.
We’ve had a relatively cool, wet spring in Southern California, but we’ve now had a series of warm days, which have brought out both wildflowers and wild fauna. The flora and some of the fauna will go into an upcoming Reader’s Wildlife Photos, but I wanted to share one sighting of a relatively uncommon creature: a Blainville’s Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma blainvillii), also called the San Diego horned lizard, but here in the San Gabriels, we’re rather far from San Diego. They used to be quite common, but a combination of rampant collection for the novelty trade in the early 20th century, plus changes in habitat (e.g., non-native ants pushing out the native species that they primarily eat) has reduced their numbers considerably. I’ve seen them occasionally on one particular ridge above Altadena, and was pleased to see one today. They have great camouflage for this terrain; can you see this one here?
Click the photo to enlarge it if you must, but try to spot it first. The reveal will be at noon Chicago time.
