Sunday, August 15, 2010

Crane Fly & Raccoon -Shrub Carr

Raccoon / P. lotor

Order: Carnivora Family: Procyonidae Genus: Procyon
-omnivorous and opportunistic.
- mostly nocturnal. It is also solitary, except for mothers and their young. In the winter the raccoon may sleep in its den for a few weeks but it does not hibernate.
-has gray to brown fur. It has a black mask around its eyes with white fur around the mask. It has a stripe that runs from its forehead to its nose and white fur around its nose. It has a bushy, ringed tail and black paws with five toes. The raccoon's paws look a little like human hands. The raccoon's toes are flexible and it is very good at grabbing, pulling things apart and holding things. The raccoon is a very good climber and can go down a tree backwards or face first!


Crane Fly

Order: Diptera
Family: Tipulidae

-Crane fly adults only live for a couple of days and do not usually feed.
-Their larval stages are usually aquatic.
-These flies easily loose their long spindly legs if handled. Because of their size, you can study the “halteres” organs. Halteres function as balancing gyroscopes and are located just behind the first set of wings on the thorax.
-This large crane fly is sometimes mistaken for a giant mosquito due to conspicuous mouthparts. In England, they carry the common name of “daddy-long_legs”, not to be confused with Phalangida group of arachnids which also carry this common name. The French call these insects “cousins”.

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