Today I checked on the baby owl. He's grown into his big eyes at least, but still seems fairly helpless. A little less wobbly, and very fuzzy. I took a few seconds of video and a picture...


The pic below (without the cage door between us) is a little blurry because I snapped it quickly. I had several rows of opossum babies who I wanted to give fresh milk and water to. But I could not resist the chance to document his growth. I learn so much every day that I do this work.

Right across from him were twin great horned owls, who are what the baby will grow into. As you can see from their equal fuzziness, they are still not adults, but they are strong, able to stand on their own. Aren't they just a fabulous sight? Click on the pic to enlarge.

(PS: CLICK HERE and HERE to see past pictures of the baby over the last few weeks)

Tan and A Looker

Who says you there's not something for everyone on this blog?

Oh, no one said that?

Well, insects really aren't my thing, but I've learned that, just like how in the dating world there's someone for everyone out there, there is a person for every species. If Tarantulas or snakes or alligators make your skin crawl, there are all kinds of folks who prefer them to the furry sweet faced kittens and puppies you adore. And I imagine that goes for insects as well...

I can't speak for the textbook definition of the hierarchical scale, but I kind of think of insects as being at the far edge --- I won't say the bottom, as who am I to judge. They are, after all, living things. They may be smaller than the smallest animals, but they certainly are way above plants, as living things go.

I dearly hope you're getting that this is all quite tongue in cheek. Any one of my zoo friends who actually went to school for all of this would be moaning at my botched attempt at humor and could probably set me straight in an instant.

I got an appreciation for grasshoppers when I was sitting in our rental car in the hills near Boulder, CO and noticed this fella sitting on the wiper, checking me out.


Being a former stylist, I admired his monochromatic theme. When I zoomed in with my HD camera, I saw that even his eyes matched the rest of him.

He looks like he's prehistoric, and like he's wearing a coat of armor. And he's damn big as grasshoppers go (at least where I grew up with them, which was in a suburb near Chicago). I thought for all those reasons, he was pretty cool.

I do wonder if he is something else, as he doesn't quite exhibit the big back legs that allow for the "hop" part.... They look more like wings, but maybe his back legs are hidden? I did some research but could not come up with anything definitive. CLICK HERE to see a bit of what I found.

But maybe if you're one of those people who loves insects, dear readers, you can set me straight on this one... Does anyone know what this elegant guy is?