1. 1. BATS Here in the Yolo county there is a population of bats that have their pros and cons. They are fairly hard to see in the day since they are a nocturnal animal but you can see and hear them at night when driving past fields. I also found it interesting to read that they some what of a nuisance to locals because they break into homes. They also have been know to have rabies. Bellow is a picture of the common bats in the area know as Mexican free-tailed bats, Tadarida brasiliensis (Bats).
2. 2. ARE THESE LOCALS BATS BAD OR GOOD? Bats usually have a negative connotation when it comes to human interaction. Sure they sometimes carry rabies that can harm humans but they also have a lot to give to the community. They are important natural pest killers and eat many insects that are harmful for crops. So instead of farmers adding more pesticides, they rely on the bats to eat the insects for dinner. They have evolved into being able to ingest more of the pesticides that farers put out when they ingest the insects that may have traces of pesticides. The migration pattern has also changed a bit through out the years due to where they are able to find the most food during a certain season (Bats). It will be interesting to see if they notice that crop production may go down in California due to the brought and if that will affect their migration patterns.
3. 3. TADARIDA BRASILIENSIS Family: Molossidae Class: Chiroptera The bats are also known as Brazilian Free-tailed bats, Mexican Free-Tailed bats and Guano bats. Above is a clip of what they sound like when the chirp at night. I have mistaken the bats for crows at night because they have a decent size wing span up close but their sounds gives it away that they are not crows (North). Male bats are about 5% longer than females but female bats weigh about 5% more than males. So the female body is larger (North). They are a migratory animals that travels through all of Americas southern states and into Mexico (North).
4. 4. WILD TURKEYS Family: Phasianidae Class: Aves Also know as Meleagris gallopavo (Wild), I actually was amazed when I saw a wild turkey for the first time. I was driving in town and I saw a wild turkey eating some plants in a lawn. The size of it was incredible and it didnt mind the fact that I was looking at it. I thought it had escaped some sort of farm but doing some research let me know that there are wild turkeys roaming around town. They like to be in open land which allows them to keep moving and looking for food. Length: 43.345.3 in Wingspan: 49.256.7 in Weight 88.2381 oz 250010800 g
5. 5. MELEAGRIS GALLOPAVO Fossils of turkeys have been dated to have lived 5 million years ago! The turkey was easily fossilized because of its large bones and unique skeletal construction (Wild). In the 1500s European explores brought these turkeys to Mexico. It was not until the 1940s that the birds were released from farms in America and actually died before they could adapt to the wild. It was when the turkeys were releases far away that they managed to survive and become wild (Wild). It is still somewhat of a mystery as to why the birds had to be taken far away from where they lived to begin to adapt. Male turkeys have zero parental purposes. The females are the ones that raise the chicks from birth(Wild). The wild turkeys have a distinctive greenish shine to them due to their feathers. They have a long neck and skinny fit along with a large body. The go around looking for nuts, insects, berries and snails (Wild). They are usually out in the morning before it gets too hot and otherwise they stay up in trees. They gather together and roost at night.
6. 6. THE ASPEN TREE My favorite tree in the Tahoe basin is the aspen tree. Why? Because I love the sound the leaves make when there is a breeze on a summer day. Its brings me back to my childhood. The scientific name is Populus tremuloides (Aspens). The aspen is a relatively short lived tree living about twenty years. They grow very quickly which is why landscaping companies like to plant them. Aspens are often planted to cover up bare landscape due to fire because they grow fast and give a nice, lively color to the environments. They are also a very delicate tree that can be killed very easily due to a fugal infection or diseases (Aspens).
7. 7. POPULUS TREMULOIDES Family: Salicaceae Class: Spermatophytina The Aspen trees often have served as a canvas into the past. Basque sheepherders used to carve messages into the aspens tender trucks that have remained there for decades. This form of carving is called arborglyphs, which gives us a window of what old settlers where thinking and doing during their times out in the wild (Aspens).
8. 8. REFERENCES: Aspens have been a troublesome tree (n.d.) Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/4DMG/Trees/aspencan.htm Bats and Rabies (n.d.). Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.yolocounty.org/health-human-services/health-department/disease- information/bats-and-rabies North American mammals: Tadarida brasiliensis. (n.d) Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.mnh.si.edu/mna/image_info.cfm?species_id=376 Wild Turkeys (n.d.). Retrieved June 21, 2015, from http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/wild_turkey/id