Label: Animal Books

July 30, 2009

I was excited to receive a package in the mail the other day from my publisher HarperCollins. It contained three new books of mine: DOGS, CATS, and GLOBAL WARMING. The first two are reissues and updates of my books in their new uniform editions from Smithsonian/Collins. GLOBAL WARMING is not really a book yet, but printed sheets which are not yet bound. (Publishers call them f&g’s,  which stands for "folded and gathered sheets.") I’ll post photos of the covers soon. 

July 21, 2009

May 31, 2009

What’s so interesting about dolphins?

  A while ago, I read a science fiction story about an ocean planet populated with intelligent water mammals such as whales and dolphins. The ocean animals of this planet even explored beyond their planet in spaceships filled with ocean water. And who were the leaders and the smartest sea life on the ocean planet? Dolphins, naturally.

  What makes dolphins so smart? Why their brains of course. Dolphins have very large brains in relation to their body size. In fact, bottlenose dolphins rank second only to humans in the ratio of their brain size to body size. Just how intelligent on the dolphins that live on our planet Earth? Nobody really knows the exact answer to this question (or at least no one on Earth knows), but researchers are finding out that dolphins can and do communicate with each other and that they can even solve some puzzles and problems.

  All of this is interesting, but the real reason I wrote a book about dolphins is that they are beautiful and fascinating to watch at sea and even in large public aquariums.  And like with most of the books I write, even after the book is published I still am finding out new things which I wish I had put in the book. Do you know things about dolphins or have you taken pictures or video of dolphins that you would like to share with readers of Seymour Science?  Send an email to Seymour Science  and tell me all about it so I can post your note on my site.
 

May 31, 2009

  1. Dolphins are the "wonder of the animal kingdom." Take a tour of a dolphin’s body to find out what makes them so wonderful.

    a. Teeth: A dolphin’s teeth are not for chewing, but how do they help in food gathering? Some scientists think that the teeth are spaced in a way to help dolphins analyze sound waves.

    b. The melon: The melon is used in echolocation to focus sound waves the dolphin gives off.

      c. Dorsal fin: As distinctive as a person’s face. Used by scientists to identify individual dolphins.

    d.  Eyes: Special glands to protect their eyes from ocean water.

      e. Skin: Many nerve endings in skin helps explain why tame dolphins like to be stroked.

    f. Blowhole: Like a person’s nostril.  Blowhole allows a dolphin to breathe while swimming at top speed.

  2. What makes Dolphins so smart?

    a. Brains: large size, second only to human in ratio of brain size to body size.

    b.  Communication: Dolphins communicate by sounds. Listen to a recording of a "conversation" to hear the squeaks and whistles.

      c. Dolphins make choices and learn quickly.

  3.  What are some amazing dolphin facts? What other facts do you know?

          a. Using sonar, a dolphin can find a single marble dropped into the end of a 70 foot pool.

    b. A mother dolphin will stay with a calf for two to three years.

      c. The killer whale (Orca) is really the largest dolphin, not a whale.

    d. Dolphins can mimic a human whistle.

      e. Baby dolphins "babble" like human children.

      f. Dolphins were once land animals and evolved into sea animals.  Their front legs became fins for steering although they still have a land mammal’s finger-like bones.
 

April 14, 2009

Editorial Observer - Science, Mythology, Hatred, and the Fate of the Gray Wolf -  NYTimes.com

If you want to protect wolves from being hunted again to the point of extinction, then you need to protest the decision of the Interior Department to allow wolves to be hunted again. You can write to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar at feedback@ios.doi.gov . 

February 17, 2009

Julia wandered into the den and saw her friend Chloe playing chess with her dog.

"Amazing!" Julia said. "That must be the smartest dog in the history of the world!"

"He’s not so smart," Chloe responded.  "I’ve beaten him three out of five games so far." 

February 13, 2009

I was walking down a trail in a swampy area near the shore in a National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia when this poisonous snake, a water moccasin,  crawled out of the grasses on one side of the trail and headed across to the other side. Naturally, I had no objections. Why does a water moccasin cross a trail?

To get to the other side, of course.

A water moccasin is also called a cottonmouth or a black moccasin.  It’s called a cottonmouth because it will stand its ground and open its jaws, exposing the white lining of its mouth. Adult water moccasins are large and capable of delivering a painful and potentially fatal bite,  but their reputation for attacking people without warning is not exactly accurate.

Water moccasins live in the Eastern part of the United States,  usually near slow-moving streams and shallow lakes. They are strong swimmers and will even enter the ocean where they will sometimes swim to nearby islands.

February 11, 2009

GORILLAS

Contest: Go Gorilla!

Gorillas and humans share 98% of their DNA. Now is your chance to show how similar our species really are!

First,  find an example of gorilla behavior online [see examples below]. Then,  submit a short video of you imitating some aspect of gorilla behavior-its walk, its sounds, facial expressions, and more. No costumes are required - in fact, they’re discouraged.
The Prize: An autographed copy of Seymour Simon’s new Gorillas book! Your video also gets posted on the SeymourScience Web site! In case of ties, more than one prize will be given.

Gorilla Behavior Videos

January 30, 2009

A lion decided one day to remind everyone he was king of the jungle.

He saw a monkey, and roared "Who is the King of the Jungle?"

"You are, Master," said the monkey, cowering.

Then the lion approached a warthog. "Who is the King of the Jungle?" roared the lion.

"You are, my Lord," said the warthog, quivering with fear.

Next the lion met an elephant. "Who is the King of the Jungle?" roared the lion.

The elephant grabbed the lion with his trunk, swung him in the air, slammed him ten times against a tree trunk, threw him into a dense patch of thorns, and strolled away.

"Okay!" shouted the lion. "There’s no need to turn nasty just because you don’t know the answer!" 

January 30, 2009

"Your dog must be sick. He isn’t barking. He just goes tick, tick,  tick."

"He’s not sick. He goes tick, tick, tick because he’s a watchdog!"

"Well, if he’s a watchdog, why is he running around in circles?"

"That’s because he’s all wound up!" 

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