Monthly Archives: December 2016

Living With Mitchell Satyrs

Posted on December 31, 2016 by jjneal

The Mitchell Satyr, Neonympha mitchellii mitchellii, is an endangered butterfly found mostly Michigan, and Northern Indiana. It inhabits fens feeding on tussock sedge. Before human development, habitat was created by beaver dams and fires that removed trees that shade the … Continue reading →

Posted in by jjneal, Endangered Species | 1 Comment

Catching a Breath

Posted on December 30, 2016 by jjneal

Insect embryos develop inside eggs that contain food (yolk) needed for development. The embryo also needs oxygen for respiration. Eggs lack spiracles that are found in insect larvae. Instead, eggs have tiny openings called aeropyles to allow exchange of carbon … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Celebrated Insect For 2017

Posted on December 29, 2016 by jjneal

The start of the new year is a time to celebrate little known animals including insects. German speleologists chose the spotted ichneumon, a large parasitoid wasp, as its insect of the year. This parasitoid hunts prey in the warm months … Continue reading →

Posted in by jjneal, Environment, Insect Inspired | 1 Comment

Learning, Memory, Ants

Posted on December 28, 2016 by jjneal

Behaviorists divide the learning process into three steps:  1) Reception of the information,  2) Storage of the information in the brain and 3) Retrieval of the information. Studies have shown that most animals learn faster if information is received through multiple … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, by jjneal | 2 Comments

Ecology Affects Orientation

Posted on December 27, 2016 by jjneal

Myrmecologists (biologists who study ants) have devoted much effort to understanding ant orientation behavior.  Ant orientation studies are useful in building models that can inform the engineering of orientation by artificial intelligence. Over 10,000 species of ants offer a  variety of orientation models.   Comparisons can … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, by jjneal, Environment | 1 Comment

Follow The Trail

Posted on December 26, 2016 by jjneal

Ants use trail pheromones to recruit additional foragers to a food source. When a foraging ant discovers food, she lays a pheromone trail as she returns to the nest with the food. Other foragers can follow her trail to locate the … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, by jjneal, communication | 1 Comment

Fleas Navidad

Posted on December 25, 2016 by jjneal

Santa and his reindeer had a meltdown this year due to the warmest arctic temperatures ever. While they patch things up, the Fleas are working as replacements. The sleigh is pulled by Cat Flea and driven by Flea, best known … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, by jjneal | 1 Comment