Antlers Vs. Horns, Part 2: Horns

A horn, unlike an antler, is attached to an animal.  It consists of a bony core, a projection of the bone of an animal, and is covered by a layer of keratin (your fingernails are composed of keratin).  Also unlike an antler, that falls off easily and annually, a horn, if it is broken off, will never grow back the same way.  That is why poachers have to kill rhinos (who have horns) to actually take their horns, as opposed to just letting them fall off.

Many different types of animals have horns.  Let's take a look at a few of these creatures.

The members of the family "Giraffidae," which includes the giraffe and the okapi, both have horn-like things on their heads, called "ossicones."

The members of the family "Rhinocerotidae," or the rhinos, have horns that are composed solely of keratin, and do not have the bone core typical of many horns.  The horns of the rhinos also grow continuously.

Some of the members of the family "Chamaeleonidae," or the chameleons, often have horns projecting out of their skulls, which are covered in a layer of keratin.

And, of course, the members of the family "Ceratopsidae," a group of marginocephalian dinosaurs, have horns projecting out of their skulls. 
Below is a short list of some of the more famous Ceratopsian dinosaurs.

Famous examples of Ceratopsian Dinosaurs (or "Ceratopsians That I Have Heard Of):

1. Triceratops - (Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming, U.S.; Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada)
2. Arrhincoceratops - (Alberta, Canada)
3. Torosaurus - (Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming, U.S.; Saskatchewan, Canada)
   
4. Monoclonius - (Montana, U.S.; Alberta, Canada)
5. Chasmosaurus - (Alberta, Canada)
   
6. Centrosaurus - (Alberta, Canada)
7. Styracosaurus - (Montana, U.S.; Alberta, Canada)
   
8. Achelousaurus - (Montana, U.S.)
9. Pentaceratops - (New Mexico, U.S.)
10. Vagaceratops - (Alberta, Canada)
    
11. Diabloceratops - (Utah, U.S.)
12. Albertaceratops - (Montana, U.S.; Alberta, Canada)
13. Einiosaurus - (Montana, U.S.)
14. Anchiceratops - (Alberta, Canada)
15. Mojoceratops - (Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada)
16. Pachyrhinosaurus - (Alaska, U.S.; Alberta, Canada)
17. Kosmoceratops - (Utah, U.S.)
18. Medusaceratops (Montana, U.S.)
19. Utahceratops - (Utah, U.S.)

Keep in mind that the tusks seen in elephants, mammoths, walruses, and hippos, despite being superficially similar to horns, are actually greatly enlarged teeth!

A Look Ahead, Fun Fact 8/9/2012

First off, check out today's post about the coati, down below!

Here's this weeks "A Look Ahead:"

Friday:  Simba, Pumbaa, and Other Swahili Names From "The Lion King" - Learn what the names of some of your favorite characters mean!

Saturday:  The Light Rail Coyote - All about the coyote who hitched a ride on a train.

Sunday:  Guards of the Fairy Penguin - Guarding the world's smallest penguins with professional snipers! 

Monday:  Shrinky Dink: The Channel Island Fox and The Island Effect - How getting trapped on an island caused these foxes to shrink!

Tuesday:  Stupid People Stealing Turtles - What sounds better than stealing a bunch of turtles from a museum?

Wednesday:  The Sounds of Star Wars - Chewbacca may look like a bear, but was he voiced by one, too?

Thursday:  The Loch Ness Monster....Fact or Fiction? - Spoiler Alert:  It's Fiction
 

Friday:  Perfume-Loving Lions and Record-Breaking Cheetahs - Lions from the Denver Zoo fawn over the men's perfume "Obsession," while Sarah the cheetah become the world's fastest animal!

FUN FACT:   THE JACKALOPE IS REAL

A "jackalope."  Photo Credit:  Mona Kamath

 "Scoff," most of you are probably saying.  "This guy is pathetic."  Pathetic I may be, but the jackalope is, in fact, real; just not necessarily in the way you might think.  

Although the first picture is a fake (photo credit: Mona Kamath), the one above, as well as down below, are both real.  Clearly these are not antlers, but what are they?  Well, these "antlers" are actually tumors, caused by the Cottontail Rabbit Papilloma Virus (CRPV).  Many rabbits get by just fine with these growths.  In 2003, a man named Grant VanGilder (a cool last name if there ever was one) took this picture in Mankato, Minnesota, an hour or so outside of Annandale, Minnesota.  According the Mr. VanGilder (awesome), “He is still alive and kicking and is the talk of the neighborhood.”  However, if the tumors grow to big, they could effect the animal in its ability to feed or flee, which would eventually lead to its downfall.  The picture above is of a mounted cottontail rabbit, caught near Topeka, Kansas.

When early settlers would see these animals, they would most likely assume that they were a crossbreed between a deer and a rabbit.  Although most people understand this now, at the time, people also thought that the jackalope was so rare because it would only mate during lightning storms with hail, tasted like lobster, and can mimic the voices of drunk people.

So presumably, settlers, cowboys, and the like would discover these cottontails, dead or alive, and talk about them, show them around.  From this, it has been speculated, and seems most likely, that the jackalope arose.  It seems as if rabbits in Germany get this cancer as well, explaining the origin of Germany's "Wolpertinger."

More recently, people such as Ronald Reagan have used the jackalope as a way to mess with people.  The story goes that during press tours of his house in the '80s, he would show the reporters a mounted jackalope head, and tell them he had caught it himself, when, in actuality, it had been a gift from James Abdnor, a senator for South Dakota.

So next time one of your friends says "There's no such thing as a jackalope!" make sure to set the record straight.  Tell them everything that you have just learned, and they will think you are really smart.  Because you ARE smart.

Top Ten: Extinct Sea Monsters (Part 4 of 5)

7.  Archelon - Archelon is the largest sea turtle that has been discovered to date, the closest living relative that Archelon has is the "Critically Endangered" leatherback sea turtle, the largest sea turtle alive today.  Living in the Late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway between 75-65 MYA, Archelon has been discovered in the states of South Dakota, Wyoming and Kansas. 

8.  Leedsichthys - Often cited as the largest fish known to humankind, the largest Leedsichthys had an estimated length of 72 feet, but some researchers believe that it could have grown to sizes that would rival those seen in the blue whale, the largest known animal ever to live on planet Earth.   Although Leedsichthys swam the seas only during the Jurassic Period, the group that it belonged to survived until the end of the Cretaceous Period.  Remains of this filter feeder have been uncovered in England, France, Germany, and Chile.  


COMING UP NEXT WE HAVE:

9.  Tanystropheus
10. Tylosaurus

This post is part of the "Top Ten: Extinct Sea Monsters" series.  For the rest of the posts in this series, click HERE.  

Animals of South Dakota: Part 2

NOW.  What animals should you be watching for on your trip?  Well, I am so glad you asked!  There are going to be three main areas where you would be able to see wildlife; the Prairies (P), the Pine Forests (PF), and the Black Hills (BH).

1.  Bison - If you are lucky, you might get stuck for a few minutes as a herd of bison crosses the road in front of you!  Be careful when viewing these animals, and use common sense; don't be the stereotypical stupid tourist and get yourself trampled to death by the bison.  They are the largest living mammals in North America, and can be testy. - P, BH

2.  Mule Deer - Just like we have in Boulder.  - P, PF, BH

A pair of mule deer fawns, near my house

3.  Pronghorn - One of my favorite animals, the Pronghorn Antelope is the second fastest animal in the world, and the fastest in North America, capabable of running around 61 MPH.  Why it can do that, we will talk about next Wednesday. - P, BH

4.  Red and Gray Fox, Coyote - Just like we have in Boulder, except for the Gray Fox. - P

A picture of a gray fox, taken by me at Brookgreen Gardens in  South Carolina

5.  Turkey Vulture - Watch for these guys anywhere, but they should be especially easy to spot on the vast swathes of prairie separating you from South Dakota.  They are instantly recognizable by their "V-Shaped" wing profile, their relative lack of wing-flapping, as well as the fact that they are probably circling something in the air.  Usually groups of them will signifiy a dead animal, as they are carrion eaters. - P, PF, BH

6.  Bighorn Sheep - Just like we have in Colorado - PF, BH

7.  These are the main ones to watch for, but if you get really lucky, you might see one of the black-footed ferrets in the Badlands, or a badger in the prairies!

Animals of South Dakota: Part 1

Hypothetically, let's say that you are taking a trip up to South Dakota from where I live in Boulder, Colorado, much like my family did nine years ago, in 2003.  You might be thinking "Ew, South Dakota?  What's there to do there?"  Well, although much of the driving might be boring, there are most definitely a few cool places to stop, as well as cool animals to watch for on the way!  Let's start with the sites.

1. The Mammoth Site - This is one of my all time favorite Ice Age sites, about 40 minutes south of Custer.  According to their website, "To date 60 mammoths (57 Columbian and 3 woolly) have been discovered as well as 85 other species of animals, plants, and several unidentified insects."  This place is very interesting, and not just to those of my ilk.  Most recently, they have added a replica of the frozen baby mammoth discovered in Siberia named "Lyuba." - http://www.mammothsite.com/
   

   

   My sister and I standing next to a Columbian Mammoth cutout at The Mammoth Site

Part of The Mammoth Site

2.  Badlands Petrified Garden - I do not remember if we went to this place, but it definitely looks cool.  It is right around the Badlands National Park.  - http://www.badlandspetrifiedgardens.com/

3.  Reptile Gardens - On the way to the Badlands National Park in Rapid City, we have the awesome Reptile Gardens, which I know for a fact that I have been to as we have pictures of my sister and I next to a couple of massive tortoises.  However, our scanner stopped working, so all I have is this picture of a guy pulling a Steve Irwin-like stunt.  Definitely worth the admission price. - http://www.reptilegardens.com/

4.  Bear Country USA - Also on the way to the Badlands National Park, and just a bit farther than the Reptile Gardens, and also in Rapid City, is Bear Country USA.  I have not been there, but my parents have in I believe 1991.  They said that it is a really cool place, where (surprise surprise) you get to see a bunch of bears.  So that should be exciting! - http://www.bearcountryusa.com/

Custer on Dwellable