Wildlife
Projects of the Ohio Division of Wildlife are carried out by a team of nearly 500 trained personnel. The Wildlife Officer for Crawford County is Jason Parr.
In one season one female rabbit can produce as many as 800 children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Crepuscular animals are most active at dawn and dusk. White-tailed deer are crepuscular.
An estimated 6,000 river otters occupy at least 67 Ohio counties.
Of over 900 different species of bats found worldwide, the two most common bats in Ohio are the little brown and big brown bats. Both species are found in cities and rural settings.
Chiroptera, which is the scientific order that bats belong to, means “hand wing.”
Many people erroneously believe that bats are blind. Their sight is excellent.
Every day 50 to 100 species of plants and animals become extinct as their habitat and human influences destroy them.
Wild Black Raspberries and Blackberries are very important food sources for wildlife and make a tasty treat for people as well. Black Raspberries begin to ripen the first week of July and Blackberries usually ripen in mid to late July with the seasons usually lasting a couple of weeks.
Male deer begin to grow their antlers in late April or early May by forming a layer of velvet like skin full of blood vessels which deposit the calcium phosphate proteins that hardens to form the antlers. In late August and throughout September the velvet dries out and rubs off to expose the hardened antlers which, are eventually shed in January and February.
The idea for Daylight Saving Time was conceived in 1905 by a London man who was upset that many people slept through the best part of the day; and he had to cut his golf game short in the evening! Utilize your new morning hours watching wildlife, as they can be abundant during the sunrise hours.
Mink occur in every county in Ohio and Crawford is no exception. Mink prefer small streams cluttered with vegetation or wooded banks. Their highest population densities occur in eastern and southeastern Ohio. It is uncommon for the casual hiker or nature lover to see mink as they are an extremely elusive furbearer.
Extirpated organisms are those that cease to exist in a given area but still exist elsewhere. Bison were once present in Ohio but have been extirpated.
The groundhog is also known as the woodchuck, land beaver and whistlepig. It belongs to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Its awakening from hibernation as a weather predictor is legend but its power to dig tunnels and destroy barn foundations is a rural truism.
Species like fairy shrimp and clam shrimp that live in vernal pools lay eggs with a tough shell which allows them to withstand drying out completely and freezing. The eggs remain viable in a dormant state until water returns and the conditions are right for them to hatch. These eggs can remain viable for years before hatching.
Even though flying squirrels are one of the most common squirrels in Ohio, they are rarely seen because they are nocturnal.
Once completely absent from the state, bobcats (Lynx rufus) are again in the forests and reclaimed strip mine lands of southeastern Ohio. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife, has provided a bobcat pelt that can be seen at Lowe-Volk Nature Center.
Mother deer have their fawns stay still and low (often curled up) all day while they are away. She will return at dusk and likely move them to a new spot. This is a safety precaution for the fawns, but many times fawns are mistaken to be orphans because of it.
In one season one female rabbit can produce as many as 800 children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Crepuscular animals are most active at dawn and dusk. White-tailed deer are crepuscular.
An estimated 6,000 river otters occupy at least 67 Ohio counties.
Of over 900 different species of bats found worldwide, the two most common bats in Ohio are the little brown and big brown bats. Both species are found in cities and rural settings.
Chiroptera, which is the scientific order that bats belong to, means “hand wing.”
Many people erroneously believe that bats are blind. Their sight is excellent.
Every day 50 to 100 species of plants and animals become extinct as their habitat and human influences destroy them.
Wild Black Raspberries and Blackberries are very important food sources for wildlife and make a tasty treat for people as well. Black Raspberries begin to ripen the first week of July and Blackberries usually ripen in mid to late July with the seasons usually lasting a couple of weeks.
Male deer begin to grow their antlers in late April or early May by forming a layer of velvet like skin full of blood vessels which deposit the calcium phosphate proteins that hardens to form the antlers. In late August and throughout September the velvet dries out and rubs off to expose the hardened antlers which, are eventually shed in January and February.
The idea for Daylight Saving Time was conceived in 1905 by a London man who was upset that many people slept through the best part of the day; and he had to cut his golf game short in the evening! Utilize your new morning hours watching wildlife, as they can be abundant during the sunrise hours.
Mink occur in every county in Ohio and Crawford is no exception. Mink prefer small streams cluttered with vegetation or wooded banks. Their highest population densities occur in eastern and southeastern Ohio. It is uncommon for the casual hiker or nature lover to see mink as they are an extremely elusive furbearer.
Extirpated organisms are those that cease to exist in a given area but still exist elsewhere. Bison were once present in Ohio but have been extirpated.
The groundhog is also known as the woodchuck, land beaver and whistlepig. It belongs to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Its awakening from hibernation as a weather predictor is legend but its power to dig tunnels and destroy barn foundations is a rural truism.
Species like fairy shrimp and clam shrimp that live in vernal pools lay eggs with a tough shell which allows them to withstand drying out completely and freezing. The eggs remain viable in a dormant state until water returns and the conditions are right for them to hatch. These eggs can remain viable for years before hatching.
Even though flying squirrels are one of the most common squirrels in Ohio, they are rarely seen because they are nocturnal.
Once completely absent from the state, bobcats (Lynx rufus) are again in the forests and reclaimed strip mine lands of southeastern Ohio. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife, has provided a bobcat pelt that can be seen at Lowe-Volk Nature Center.
Mother deer have their fawns stay still and low (often curled up) all day while they are away. She will return at dusk and likely move them to a new spot. This is a safety precaution for the fawns, but many times fawns are mistaken to be orphans because of it.
