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SHELL GAME

SHELL GAME

by | May 13, 2021 | Reptiles, Wildlife

BY KIERAN LINDSEY, PhD Sometimes you just need to shut out the world for a while, you know? If you can’t relate, I know the Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) certainly can. Whether the threat is carnivores or a demanding career or even an infinite to-do...
IDENTITY THIEF

IDENTITY THIEF

by | Mar 4, 2021 | Invertebrates, Wildlife

BY KIERAN LINDSEY, PhD Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we’re twenty years into the Information Age so I’m pretty sure everyone in this courtroom knows that, to quote a famous New Yorker cartoon, “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” The anonymity baked into...
ENDEMIC IMMIGRANTS

ENDEMIC IMMIGRANTS

by | Oct 14, 2020 | Birds, Wildlife

A prominent German-American publisher in St. Louis at that time, sponsored the Transatlantic voyage of a dozen Eurasian Tree Sparrows (Passer montanus, aka German sparrows) and representatives of 5 other species from his fatherland. Hoping to establish colonies in the Missouri Rhineland, shortly after their arrival the itinerant avians were released into the park.

FISH, OUT OF WATER

FISH, OUT OF WATER

by | Sep 16, 2020 | Birds, Wildlife

BY KIERAN LINDSEY, PhD Sometimes, what may appear as indolence, indecision, or timid reluctance is, in fact, a strategic decision to bide one’s time until the moment is right. Consider, if you will, the Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon). These stocky...