Got Their Own Clade
Thursday, December 26, 2024
Got Their Own Clade
Today’s special animal friend is the harpy eagle, Harpia harpyja. The Harpiinae sub-family of “large broad-winged raptors native to tropical forests” includes the Papuan eagle, the bat hawk, the crested eagle, and the harpy eagle, each in its own genus. This grouping or “clade” was established after DNA studies were published this year, so they really are related, not just similar. The harpy eagle is native to South and Central America and is listed as Vulnerable by IUCN and “threatened with extinction” by CITES.
Harpy eagles are some of the world’s largest eagles. They are 3 to 3-1/2 feet high with a wingspan over six feet. Females weigh up to 20 lbs. while males are usually about 1/3 lighter. They are black or dark gray on the back and white underneath, with elegant black barring on the legs, super rad head feathers, and a killer hooked beak. They have the largest talons of any extant eagle species.
Naturally, such a large predator is going to need to eat a lot. Prey animals include sloths, monkeys, rodents, armadillos, and large birds. Because they live in the forest canopy, they are usually “sit and wait” predators rather than soaring and diving. They are diurnal and hunt by hearing as well as sight, using a facial disk like an owl’s to direct sound to their ears.
It is believed that harpy eagles form long-term monogamous pairs when they reach adulthood at about 5 years old. They build stick nests in the crown of emergent trees, those whose tops rise above the surrounding forest canopy. The female lays one or two eggs and does most of the incubation, sitting the eggs for around 55 days. Usually, only one egg hatches, and ornithologists have not seen any cases of two chicks surviving. While the female broods the chick for up to four months, the male provides most of the food for everyone.
The chick will reach adult size in about six months, but its coloration will distinguish it from adults for up to five years. It will remain somewhat dependent on its parents for a year or two. Pairs raise a chick every two to three years, not annually.
Habitat loss is a significant threat to harpy eagle populations. They require large areas of forest with tall trees full of prey animals; forest clearance for agriculture, ranching, and lumber sales removes many thousands of acres of forest annually. They are also hunted in much of their range because they are big and scary looking. People in their range believe they are a threat to humans, even though there are no recorded cases of harm to people who aren’t being super dumb. They are also considered a threat to farm animals, which is occasionally true. The better-run countries of Latin America have conservation programs.
The harpy eagle’s lifespan is 25 to 35 years. They are kept and bred in zoos including, in the United States, San Diego, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Miami.
Good morning, everyone. Placido jueves! No guests, no sign of family, just me and coffee.
45F. About 60F warmer than December 26, 1977. Where after marrying and starting a new job, moving from Delaware to Massachusetts in November, moved into our new 125 yr old house; Woman cat had 4 babies.
Moma Cat, aka Contess Biancous Moonface, was my wife's Himalayan. Bred to Flame Boy of the same type, 3 girls and a boy Himmy came.
The boy, a chocolate style was Attila the Hun.
The girls were Moofy, Melody and Winston aka WinBoy of course.
I had to wear double jeans sitting in the old Adirondack chair that still views me 8ft from here. The younger loved to jump and climb up my jeans playing.
That green enameled bas Relief Jotul was keeping the old country kitchen warm. Soup and coffee steaming. Stoking the stove. My 1975 RCA color TV. The antenna rotor to swing between Albany and Hartford and Springfield stations.
My father in law, born in 1914 in small cave like structure in mid New Jersey out by Lebanon Valley was 1st generation Polish American. His parents had scrapped across Poland to Germany, fleeing the sword wielding Russian Cosacks.
Of note is the time he came up from Jersey to visit. He tolerated our cats. But such in his day were not allowed inside. One day a 🐁 decides again, to sprint across the floor.
Bruno looks at the cats. Cats look back. He laughed. Doug!! You have mice!! Get a cat!!! 🤣🤣🤣. Totally haha. From a guy that grew up country, depression, fought the Japanese on 2 Pacific islands. He and I shared amateur astronomy love. He was a self taught guy. Built the most optically precise (1/20th wave) Newtonian in Jersey. Princeton physics Profs would come by and look at planets, galaxies and nebula. It was the largest scope in Jersey then.
So the cats, back to them! So for a few years, the Kitties just watched the mice.
Enter our first dog. Thangka. A highly trained Rottweiler.
Day 1. Mama Cat Moonface faces new boy Rotty. Sits up on her hind legs. And hauls off and snacks her paw right in his nose. It is therefore established that Momma Cat is #1 Boss.
Maybe a week later.
Dog sees mouse running across floor in front of him. Looks at the 4 baby cats... hey! What's up? Mouse alert!
Cats yawn. Dog irritated.
Next day. Mouse makes usual milk run across floor.
Thangka pounces, paws the mouse. Trapped! I retrieve one Mouse alive and deposit outside.
Cats eyes open. Dog catches 2nd Mouse. Cats are stirred. Game plan is concocted.
Next day. 4 kitties figure out how to hunt like a pack. One flushes the mouse that runs into the Cat 2 that turns the mouse at the corner towards Cat 3 that turns the running mouse towards cat 4 that forces mouse up vertical steam pipe for the radiator.
I retrieve mouse. Deposit outside.
Summary: Dog teaches Cats to hunt mice.
🐕 😼 🐁