Author Archives: BJ Quinton

One of the first groups of birds that I had the pleasure of working with full time consisted largely of birds of prey. Like the appendages of the praying mantis, the adaptation of the feet to grab prey is know as “raptorial” which is why birds of prey are also known as raptors. Which birdContinue reading “Raptors (Birds of Prey)”

While I love and appreciate all type of wildlife, there is one group that really captured my interest over the past few years – birds. There are so many interesting facts just about birds in general. Most know that the bones of birds are hollow, but it’s not that simple. There are internal struts throughoutContinue reading “Birds – An Introduction”

Transitioning from herps to mammals, I thought I would bring up a couple of mammals that are actually quite frequently found in gopher tortoise burrows. I’ll start with one that is seen so frequently, it is often overlooked as a pest. However, it is actually a fascinating animal for a variety of reasons. If theContinue reading “Mammals”

The Florida scrub jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) is one of the most interesting birds we have here in Florida. It is one of four species of scrub jay in North America. The others include the Woodhouse’s scrub jay (Aphelocoma woodhouseii), which is found in the desert southwest, from Nevada to the southwestern mortions of Texas andContinue reading “Florida Scrub Jay”

In addition to the interesting yet detrimental invasive species, Florida is also home to an array of native species that are not only beautiful in their own way, but also play a valuable role in our ecosystem. Sometimes when I start these pages, I struggle to find a starting point. But deciding which native reptileContinue reading “Herpetofauna – Native”

Herpetofauna (sometimes shortened to “herps”) refer to reptiles and amphibians. We get the word “reptile” from the Latin repere meaning “to creep”. The word “amphibian” comes from the Greek amphíbios, a combination of amphi, meaning “both kinds” and bios meaning “life”. So it literally translates to “both kinds of life”, since they have both anContinue reading “Herpetofauna – Invasive”

As my biography will tell you, I have always been an advocate for the less lovable creatures in nature. So I thought it would be fitting to start my blog with some of my favorite insects and arachnids. I’ll start with what those words mean. We all know the term “insect”, having heard from aContinue reading “Insects/Arachnids”