While waiting for the sun to rise on South Padre Island I discovered this skate egg case (aka mermaid’s purse) in the wrack line. Often mistaken for seaweed, the small pouch made of collagen protects the skate embryo as it develops.
While skates are related to both sharks and rays, they most closely resemble rays. There are roughly a dozen skate species found in the Gulf of Mexico and sadly, I was not able to pinpoint the exact species this egg case belongs to. Still fun to find, though.
I admit to being stymied by the scat I found near Port Isabel, Texas. The large size and quantity reminded me of elk but they aren’t commonly found in that part of the state. My poop mystery was cleared up by an interpretive sign at the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park that discussed invasive species.
Nilgai, large Asian antelope, were imported to south Texas for game hunting by the King Ranch in the 1930s. Of course, as so often happens with introduced species, without natural predators, the nilgai reproduced rapidly and have expanded beyond the ranch. There are now an estimated 15,000 of them wandering south Texas.
I met this Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) while touring Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park. There are 14 species of horned lizards in North America. Growing up in the Sonoran Desert I was fascinated by our local horned lizards. I would sit in the dirt and watch them patiently waiting near an anthill. They were so still that ants would walk right over their backs. Life ended in a flash of tongue for any ant foolish enough to walk in front, though.
We used to call them horny toads (because of the protuberances, not because they were randy) which is a reflection of the first part of their binomial which translates as toad-bodied.
Green Jay, Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, Los Fresnos, Texas March 2019
The Green Jay (Cyanocorax yncas) is a stunner! Though the common name references the overall body color of this species, the first part of its binomial translates as dark blue raven (which is the predominate feature of the members of this genus). As with others in the crow family, these birds are highly intelligent. They are known tool users, employing sticks to remove insects from tree bark.
Do not be fooled by the beautiful blue and pink colors of the Portugese Man o’ War (Physalia physalis). Their long tentacles can deliver a venomous sting, even when beached. Contact usually results in red welts but the venom can cause breathing trouble in some people. Surprisingly, it is a favorite food of Loggerhead Sea Turtles. I encountered these down on South Padre Island, thankfully, I have yet to find any on the beaches near me.
The awesome Amos Rehabilitation Keep (ARK), a subsidiary of the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas, recently released seven sea turtles. The animals were brought in to receive care for various injuries and were finally deemed healthy enough to return to the open water. Of the seven sea turtle species in the world, five of them can be found in the Gulf of Mexico: Loggerhead, Green, Kemp’s Ridley, Leatherback, and Hawksbill. Three species were released that morning: Loggerhead, Kemp’s Ridley and Green. As you can see in the video below, they were eager to swim away.
Admittedly, this Goatweed Leafwing (Anaea andria) is visually stunning in its vivid red winter coloration. As the name implies, a favored host plant for their caterpillars is goatweed and, when closed, their wings resemble leaves. The adults’ tastes are less high brow, preferring bird and animal scat as well as rotting fruit. Ah well, we can’t all be nectar sippers.
If the damp chest is anything to go by I interrupted this Black-crested Titmouse’s (Baeolophus atricristatus) bath time. I believe this to be a female, based on the lighter coloration of the crest. Though long considered a subspecies of the Tufted Titmouse, DNA analysis in 2002 showed that the BCTI lineage diverged 250,000 years ago.
The name titmouse derives from Old English, tit denoting something small, while mase (which later morphed to mose and then mouse) meant bird. Truly, she could care less what I call her just as long as I moved on so she could continue bathing in private.
This small odonate is a female Eastern Amberwing Dragonfly (Perithemis tenera). This species measures just under an inch and mimics similarly sized wasps in order to avoid predation. In addition to being tiny and shy, her wiggling made it difficult for me to capture a good photo. Ah well, you get the idea.
We’ve all heard of the natural phenomenon that is the pecking order. For Turkey Vultures along the Texas Gulf Coast, that hierarchy leaves a visible mark. Since the region lacks sizable trees, young, or tardy, or just plain unlucky vultures are forced to roost on lower limbs under the rest of their committee. Which means they often end up painted in feces, like this one I met recently. Poor bugger!
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