The bacteria are spread from tree to tree by a tiny insect called the Asian citrus psyllid.
Habits, Diet & Other Facts Rabbits are small mammals with fluffy short tails whiskers and distinctive long ears.
While many people think rabbits are about the size of a cat some rabbit species such as the jackrabbit can grow to be as big as a small child.
The largest rabbit breeds are checkered giant Flemish giant French lop and giant chinchilla. These mammals are known for their insatiable reproductive habits for good reason.
They breed three to four times each year. This is because only 15 percent of baby rabbits make it to their first birthday.
Bunny is just an affectionate name for a rabbit young or adult according to Small Pet Select.
If there is a lack of natural predators an area can quickly become overrun with rabbits. Rabbits are omnivores.
Domestic rabbits often live in cages though many rabbit owners let their pets run freely throughout their home for exercise and only place the rabbit in a cage for sleeping.
The low light allows them to hide from predators. While many rabbit species are populated over the Oryctolagus cuniculus
or European rabbit is considered within near threatened range by the IUCN. The population is currently dropping
and in areas such as the Iberian peninsula the European rabbit populations have declined to as little as 5 percent of its 1950 numbers.
The white-tailed jack rabbits in Yellowstone are also becoming extinct. Rabbits can be very crafty and quick.
To get away from a predator a cottontail rabbit will run in a zigzag pattern and reach speeds of up to 18 miles an hour according to National geographic. Their ears can grow to 4 inches (10 cm).
This stretched out length allows them to better hear predators that may be approaching. It also allows them to stay cool in hot climates.
Rabbit Breeds by Size Humane Society of the United states-Rabbit IUCN Red List-Oryctolagus cuniculus National geographic-Cottontail rabbit BBC Nature-Rabbi a
In this layer of stone and dirt scientists have discovered the fossils of ancient turtles crocodiles croc-like champsosauruses as well as dinosaurs including Tyrannosaurus rex and the three-horned Triceratops horridus.
or any of their crossbreeds unless the grains are stripped first of gluten. People with certain digestive condtions such as celiac disease are advised to avoid eating gluten.
#Coyote Facts Coyotes are members of the Canidae family and share a lot of the same traits of their relatives:
wolves dogs foxes and jackals. There are 19 subspecies of coyote according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information system.
They have narrow elongated snouts lean bodies covered in thick fur yellow or amber eyes and long bushy tails.
Coyotes have gray white tan and brown fur. Their fur color depends on where they live.
Coyotes that live in the mountains have darker coats and ones that live in the desert have lighter coats.
Coyotes are about as big as medium-size dogs though they are smaller than wolves.
They are 32 to 37 inches (81 to 94 centimeters) from head to rump. Their tail adds another 16 inches (41 cm) to their length.
Coyotes typically weigh about 20 to 50 lbs. 9 to 23 kilograms. Coyotes live in North america
and roam the plains forests mountains and deserts of Canada the United states Mexico and Central america.
As humans take over more and more countryside coyotes are adapting to living in cities to find food.
In fact it is becoming more and more common to see coyotes in big cities like New york and Los angeles. Coyotes are solitary creatures and mark their territory with urine.
During the winter coyotes tend to become more social though. During the cold months they join forces creating hunting packs to find food more easily.
These hunters are nocturnal meaning they sleep during the day and hunt at night. This is why you usually only hear coyotes howling at night.
Coyotes howl to communicate their location. They also use other noises to communicate. They make huffing noises to call their pups
and they bark at others to tell them to stay away. Coyotes are not picky eaters.
They are thought typically to be only meat eaters but they are actually omnivores they eat meat and vegetation.
They eat small game such as rodents rabbits fish and frogs and larger game like deer.
When they aren't snacking on bigger prey they will eat snakes insects fruit and grass.
Coyotes are known for being pests because they will kill livestock and pets. In cities coyotes will eat pet food or garbage.
Breading season is February to March. In the spring females build dens in preparation for their young.
Females have a gestation period of 63 days and give birth to groups of three to 12 young at once.
The groups of babies are called litters and each coyote baby is called a pup. How big the litter size is depends on where the coyotes Live in areas where there are a lot of coyotes there will be a smaller litter size.
In areas with fewer coyotes the litter size will be larger. Both the male and female participate in taking care of the pups.
The male will bring food to the female and the pups and help protect them from predators.
According to the National Trappers Association a female coyote will stay in her den with her pups until their eyes open.
This can take 11 or 12 days. By fall the pups are old enough to hunt for themselves.
Coyotes are usually ready to mate at 20 to 22 months old. In the wild coyotes live around 14 years.
Coyotes can also mate with dogs. The offspring are called coydogs. Coydogs don't have a very big population
because they tend to mate and have babies during the winter making it harder for the pups to survive.
Also males do not help the females take care of the pups which also lead to poor survival rates.
The taxonomy of coyotes according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information system (ITIS) is: Kingdom: Animaliaphylum: Chordataclass: Mammalia Order:
Carnivora Family: Canidae Genus and species: Canis latranssubspecies: There are 19: Coyotes are endangered not. In fact some believe that the coyote population has never been higher.
Farmers and ranchers have tried controlling the population with poisons guns and traps but the populations are still growing according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
In fact since 1861 500000 coyotes have been killed by the U s. government to hamper population growth. This is a task that cost taxpayers around $30 million according to The Educational Broadcasting Corp. Coyotes are very quick creatures.
They can run around 40 miles (64 kilometers) an hour. To distinguish the difference between coyotes
and wolves scientists looked at both species'DNA according to the Journal of Mammalogy. Males will travel up to 100 miles to find food
when their current home is overpopulated r
#Whoosh! Air Race Showcases Extreme Engineering At the Texas Motor Speedway in Forth Worth Texas 12 planes are gearing up for a high-flying aerial showdown Saturday (Sept. 6) on the sixth
leg of this year's Red Bull Air Race World Championship. Reaching speeds of up to 250 mph (400 km h) the planes'pilots are accomplished aerobatics experts from around the world.
But these pros will need more than just flying chops to navigate the challenging slalom course set up inside the speedway.
Whoever wins the race will be aided by advanced light aviation engineering according to Mike Mangold an American aerobatics pilot who won the Red Bull Air Race World Championship twice
and now serves as a test pilot and commentator during races. Supersonic! The 10 Fastest Military Airplanes We're flying with very high G forces at very high speeds and at very low altitudes.
And we're doing this within a compact arena that's less than a mile 1. 6 km across Mangold told Live Science.
Only three models of airplanes are being used for this year's races: the Zivko Edge the Breitling MXS-R and the Corvus Racer.
While they may look slightly different all three planes have streamlined aerodynamic bodies that are designed to maximize speed
and minimize drag (the force that opposes the plane's movement through the air). Much of a plane's exterior can also be customized to make it more aerodynamicor to otherwise improve its design.
However there are certain parts of the planes that simply can't be engineered re. The engine and propeller or power plant is the same on every plane Mangold said.
One pilot Peter Besenyei will be flying the Hungarian-made Corvus Racer a plane designed specifically for him.
on Fox Sports 2 (check local listings. Follow Elizabeth Palermo@techepalermo. Follow Live Science@livescience Facebook & Google+.
One reason is that caffeine seems to prevent herbivores from munching on the plant's leaves Albert said.
Caffeine is habit-forming in some pollinators just as it is in humans. Albert pointed to a study published last year in the journal Science
which found that honeybees get a boost from caffeine found in plant nectar. This memory boost makes them more likely to remember flowers that contain this habit-forming substance and return there for nectar.
Caffeine habituates pollinators. Probably in the same way that it habituates us. It keeps them coming back for more Albert said.
In Asia they are hacking into the signals from tigers'satellite collars to find and kill them.
and infrared goggles to kill elephants in the dead of night. What if unmanned arial vehicle (UAV) developers could imagine their inventions through the eyes of conservation field staff?
Already authorities are using fixed-wing conservation UAVS to successfully keep track of hard-to-see rhinos in Nepal
and to monitor elephant habitat and prevent the illegal expansion of palm oil plantations in Sumatra.
providing future generations with the awe that comes from knowing that iconic animals like elephants rhinos
and tigers continue to roam safely in the wild and with luck seeing them firsthand.
#China Destroys Part of Illegal Ivory Stockpile As part of an effort to discourage elephant poaching and the illegal trade in elephant ivory China this morning (Jan 6) destroyed part of its stockpile of confiscated ivory.
The ceremony largely symbolic was conducted in the city of Guangzhou in Guangdong Province and destroyed 6 tons of ivory (including tusks and various carvings) by burning according to news reports and a release from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
The ivory-burning event in China came just after an article in the Chinese newspaper Southern Weekly about Chinese demand driving much of the poaching of elephants in Africa lit up social media.
Elephant numbers have declined drastically across much of the continent with some 96 elephants killed each day on average mostly for their ivory according to the WCS.
We congratulate China's government for showing the world that elephant poaching and illegal ivory consumption is said unacceptable WCS president and CEO Cristiã¡
and that elephants will once again flourish i
#France Crushes 3 Tons of Illegal Ivory France became the latest country to destroy its stockpile of confiscated ivory with three tons (2. 7 tonnes) of it turned to dust during a ceremony in Paris today (Feb 6).
More than 15000 ivory pieces were pulverized most of them trinkets seized at airports between 1987 and 2007 from tourists who are likely unaware that their souvenirs contribute to a grisly elephant poaching industry.
Elephant populations have been in decline across much of Africa with some 96 killed each day on average mostly for their ivory according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.
and businessmen that buying ivory as souvenirs directly contributes to the elephant crisis we face today Tom Milliken TRAFFIC s ivory trade expert said in a statement.
and these arachnids are ubiquitous throughout the U s . But tick bites are more than just an annoying spring and summer nuisance.
Each year about 300000 people in the U s. catch Lyme disease which is caused by bacteria from a tick bite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates.
Thousands more develop tick-borne diseases such as the malarialike disease babesiosis the flulike anaplasmosis and the Heartland virus infection.
But people can take steps to avoid the nasty critters beyond the old-standby advice to cover up
From wood chips to a quick ride in the dryer here are 10 ways to avoid tick bites.
Watch a Tick Bite in Action 1. Repel the bugs Insecticides can be used to repel ticks said Thomas Mather a public health entomologist at the University of Rhode island and the director of tickencounter. org.
Permethrin the insecticide found in antimalarial bed nets kills adult ticks as well as those in their larval stage called nymphs which are the likeliest to harbor Lyme disease.
By contrast evidence suggests that the more common bug spray chemical NN-Diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) isn't useful against ticks.
It's not toxic to the ticks Mather told Live Science. They still can scurry across a DEET-treated surface
and camping aren't the most common ways to catch a tick-borne disease said Kirby Stafford III the state entomologist at The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and the author of the Tick Management Handbook.
We estimate three-fourths of people pick up the ticks in activities in and around the home with children's play and gardening being some of the riskiest activities Stafford told Live Science.
when they come in he said. 3. Stay in the sun Tick nymphs have leaky cuticles
As a result nymphs congregate in leaf piles in shady humid environments so sticking to sunny areas can reduce tick exposure he said. 4. Change the landscape Most ticks around homes stay within a few yards of the interface between the yard
To keep the yard tick-free use landscaping that deters mice deer woodchucks and other rodents that carry ticks he said.
People should also remove tick habitat such as leaf piles shrubs and groundcover near the house.
Play sets should be kept in the sun away from the shade he added. Ticks won't cross a barrier of wood chips placed around the yard's perimeter perhaps
because the dry material makes them dry out too much he said. 5. Check the dog Though American dog ticks don't usually harbor diseases that sicken people the lone star tick can often hitchhike on a pet into the home so pet owners should check pets for the bugs as soon as they come indoors.
Give them a good rub down and give them a good spray with the hose. They hate it
but you can make it fun Donohoe said. 6. Cover up Covering up can prevent ticks from latching on said Holly Donohoe a researcher at the University of Florida who studies the health risks of travel and sports.
Tucking pants into socks is a totally nerdy-looking thing but in this case it can save you the suffering from a tick-borne disease later on Donohoe said.
Of course that advice may be hard to follow during peak tick season Stafford said. In the summer months nobody is going to do that it's too hot.
I don't. I'll be protected from ticks but keel over from heat stroke he said. Other prevention measures may be more useful
Nymphal ticks are about the size of a poppy seed so if you wear lighter-colored clothing like light socks lighter-colored pants you're going to have an easier time identifying them. 8. Quick dry clothing
Because ticks are so vulnerable to drying out the hitchhiking parasites can be killed by giving clothing a quick whirl in the dryer on high heat for five minutes Mather said.
Ticks can survive the wash and people who have to both wash and dry their clothes may just toss their clothing into a pile for later.
It's better to do a quick dry cycle immediately than to let the tick linger he said. 9. Shower
and do a tick inspection and shower. People who are in the habit of showering immediately after outdoor activities are less likely to get Lyme disease perhaps
because they can catch any biting ticks before they've transmitted the disease Stafford said.
After biting ticks can take several hours to transmit Lyme disease said Laura Kramer the director of the Arbovirus Laboratory at the New york state Department of health's Wadsworth Center. 10.
Remove the tick If after taking all these precautions people do get bitten they should remove the tick immediately with tweezers
or forceps experts said. It's important to visit a doctor if flulike symptoms or a suspicious rash appear
and to bring the tick in for testing by a state health department to see if it harbors any diseases Kramer told Live Science.
See Newly Hatched Osprey Chicks on Live'Critter Cam'For all you bird lovers out there you can watch a set of newly hatched osprey chicks ruffle their tiny feathers on a live webcam.
A monogamous pair of birds dubbed Steve and Rachel by viewers returns to this nest every year to raise their young.
Two chicks have hatched already and a third is expected to emerge any day. See livestream of the newly-hatched osprey chicks The Hog Island ospreys typically spend their winter in South america.
The lovebirds returned to Maine in late April and performed their courtship rituals. Steve gathered sticks and soft bark to line the nest
while Rachel prepared the nest for her eggs according to representatives from explore. org. When a pair of ospreys bonds they will attempt to mate more than 160 times over a period of weeks resulting in a clutch of two to four eggs.
The eggs will incubate for between 35 and 42 days before hatching. While a female incubates her eggs her mate provides most of her meals (osprey eat a diet almost exclusively of fish.
The eggs and chicks are almost never left alone including at night. About 50 days after they hatch chicks will start exercising their wings
and will practice flying from the nest. In early September they will launch on a solo journey along the Atlantic Flyway from Maine to South america via the Caribbean.
Explore. org is also operating a live puffin cam. The bird that can be seen in the burrow is incubating an egg that is expected to hatch in Mid-june.
Puffins were wiped out in Maine by hunters and egg snatchers but the National Audubon Society's Project Puffin reintroduced the birds in the 1970s.
Editor's Note: If you have an amazing animal photo you'd like to share for a possible story
or image gallery please contact managing editor Jeanna Bryner at LSPHOTOS@livescience. com. Follow Tanya Lewis on Twitter and Google+.
+Follow us@livescience Facebook & Google+.+Original article on Live Science e
#Ghoulish Photos: Creepy, Freaky Creatures That Are (Mostly) Harmless From snaggletoothed sharks to giant crabs nature is full of animals that frighten people often for no good reason.
Here's a collection of critters that give people the creeps but that pose little or no risk to humans.
Sea lampreys Sea lampreys are equipped with circular rows of hooked teeth that might have made surrealist and special effects artist H r. Giger squeamish.
But sea lamprey expert Joseph Zydlewski a U s. Geological Survey researcher and professor at the University of Maine said the risk to people is actually pretty tiny.
A sea lamprey would have to be attached for quite some time for it to rasp its way through your skin
and feed and we have said hands Zydlewski. We'd never just let the lamprey stay attached.
In addition when people usually come into contact with sea lampreys in shallow coastal waters or inlets the lampreys aren't eating he added.
They're coming back from the ocean into freshwater streams to breed and have absorbed already their digestive systems.
Without a digestive system they can't really feed. They have one interest Zydlewski said and it's not eating.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Michigan State university) Whip Spiders Whip spiders aren't spiders but they are arachnids (a group that includes spiders scorpions mites and ticks).
These creatures called amblypygids belong to their own order of arachnids and are known also (erroneously) as tailless whip scorpions.
And though their beady eyes spindly legs and bulbous bodies make the creatures look fearsome they are utterly harmless.
In Photos: The Amazing Arachnids of the World They possess no venom glands and many species are said quite passive Eileen Hebets a biology researcher at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who studies amblypygids.
I often collect animals by pinning them to a tree trunk with two fingers and then using my thumb underneath their bodies to pull them off of the tree.
Despite this intrusive approach I have had never an animal attempt to injure me in any way.
What amblypygids lack in teeth they don't even have stingers they make up for in smarts as they sport impressive brains.
Specifically they have known the largest mushroom body (a brain structure found in some invertebrates) of any arthropod relative to their body size.
The arthropod mushroom body is a higher-order processing center that is thought to be involved in learning
AMNH/R. Mickens) Townsend's Big-eared bat The Townsend's big-eared bat has a face only a mother could love.
and the hundreds of other bat species. They shouldn't be. These bats would never attack a person there's no reason for them to do so said Micaela Jemison a bat ecologist
and author of a bat blog called theinvertedperspective. com. They'd only come near people if they are hunting the insects that are congregating around lights.
Bats do us a great service in eating insects like mosquitoes and agricultural pests. They are an important part of our environment.
See more photos of bats People also fear bats because infected ones can transmit rabies.
The vast majority of bats do not carry the rabies virus Jemison said. I mean we're talking about a really tiny number of bats that become infected.
The most common way rabies is transmitted is through the bite from an infected animal and as long as you don't try to catch
If you see a sick bat do not touch it or try to kill it.
MP cz Shutterstock. com) Camel Crickets These basement-dwelling insects also known as cave crickets or sprickets often startle homeowners with their spiky legs and frenzied jumping.
and are not pests. In fact Naskrecki said I cannot think of a more innocuous friendly cohabitant of our houses.
Although hard evidence is lacking they are probably beneficial in removing organic debris (including dead bodies of other insects) that accumulate in our houses.
or dying animals that were barely capable of swimming let alone molesting a human. Still scared?
In addition as the name suggests their claws are powerful enough to open coconuts which are common on their home islands in the Indian and western Pacific oceans.
They are slow-moving creatures comparable to land turtles. The easiest way to avoid a coconut crab injury?
Another reason to respect these giant arthropods? They can live for up to 100 years. There are crabs walking around right
Jakob Krieger University of Greifswald) Aye-aye Aye-ayes are nocturnal lemurs native to Madagascar. With their incredibly long fingers staring eyes
and batlike ears aye-ayes could easily frighten someone who stumbles across them in the dark.
or fear these nocturnal lemurs as omens of bad luck. But these creatures are completely harmless to humans.
and like most wild animals will flee when encountering a human said Charles Welch the conservation coordinator at the Duke Lemur Center.
The worst that they do is sometimes eat people's coconuts or sugar cane. See more images of aye-ayes Aye-ayes are extraordinary examples of evolution at its weirdest
and maybe its best said Chris Smith an educational specialist at the Duke Lemur Center.
Aye-ayes tap along branches actually building mental maps of the hollow tunnels they find. They chisel a hole into the bark to reach inside with their thin flexible middle finger and extract beetle larvae.
The only bad luck they bring is to grubs hiding beneath the bark of a tree.
Ed Louis) Goliath Bird-Eating Spider If you don't like spiders you really won't like Goliath bird-eating spiders as these hairy tarantulas have a leg span that can reach up to 11 inches (28 centimeters.
The Goliath bird-eating tarantula is big and'fangy'and both factors cause some people to fear them said Chris Buddle an arachnologist who studies arthropod ecology at Mcgill University.
However their name is not'Goliath human-eating tarantula'for good reason: We are not their prey.
We shouldn't be fearful of them because they pose no risk to us.##In fact they don't pose much of a risk to birds either.
While they have been known to eat small birds amphibians and other creatures their diet consists primarily of insects.
Photo credit: B & T Media Group Inc. Shutterstock. com) Cockroach No list of unnerving animals would be complete without cockroaches
which manage to terrify people despite the fact that they don't pack lethal bites or stings. There are more than 4500 known species of cockroach
and they can be found on every continent including Antarctica (where they were introduced inadvertently presumably by researchers).
But the cockroaches most people in the United states are familiar with are the American and German cockroaches.
Those species do tend to move germs from one place to another but they're not parasites.
They don't do anything that directly harms us said Dominic Evangelista a doctoral student at Rutgers University who studies cockroaches.
Though Evangelista notes that cockroaches can give off allergens that may trigger asthma attacks in some people
so they aren't as harmless as camel crickets or aye-ayes. Still Evangelista argues that American
and German cockroaches give all of the other cockroaches a bad rap. Cockroaches come in all colors of the rainbow blue red green orange a whole array of colors Evangelista said.
And because they are so abundant and they'll eat almost anything they play an important role in the ecosystem they clean up after everything else.
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