You are browsing archives for
Marty’s photo of the day #2952: I know what you’re thinking: “Oh, Marty photographed a chipmunk. It’s cute, but not unusual.” Actually this is not a chipmunk; it’s a golden-mantled ground squirrel. The two species look similar, but a golden-mantled ground squirrel doesn’t have face stripes and is quite a bit bigger. Now, aren’t you […]
Marty’s photo of the day #2938: I photographed this Orangutan on the island of Borneo. Here are a few orangutan facts from my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents: Orangutans are the world’s largest tree-dwelling animals. In the Malay language, orangutan means “man of the forest.” Considering they share 96.4 percent […]
Alabama’s new total abortion ban will require women who get pregnant as a result of rape to carry that fetus to term. Any doctor helping that woman end her pregnancy can be sentenced to 99 years in jail. Now before you blame this solely on men, keep in mind that the Republican sponsor of the […]
Marty’s photo of the day #2866: Greetings from Lynnwood, WA (just north of Seattle). Today I perform a 12:30 p.m. show at Edmonds Community College. Yesterday, I was on the opposite side of the Puget Sound for a show at Olympic College. To get where I am now, I had a choice of driving south […]
Marty’s photo of the day #2833: For most people, visiting the Amazon Rainforest during the rainy season is unthinkable. When I needed a very specific photo for my first book, “Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents,” Deb and I returned to the Amazon for a rainy season visit. In comparing our dry season […]
Marty’s photo of the day #2694: Fer-de-lances are the deadliest snakes in the western hemisphere, but they aren’t the most venomous. Others, such as bushmasters, have venom that is more potent. Fer-de-lances kill more people, because they blend in so well with the leaf litter on the forest floor and readily bite if stepped on […]
Marty’s photo of the day #2679: I love alligators! Here’s a short blurb from my second book, “Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades, and Puerto Rico”: Scientists consider crocodilians, including alligators, to be the most intelligent of the reptiles. Not only can they learn travel patterns of potential prey, […]
Marty’s photo of the day #2637: It’s “Animals A thru Z Month.” Each day in August, I will post an animal I’ve photographed—somewhere in the world—in alphabetical order. Z is for Zebra. When I present my show “Around the World in 90 Minutes” at colleges, the last animal photo I show is this one. I […]
Marty’s photo of the day #2634: It’s “Animals A thru Z Month.” Each day in August, I will post an animal I’ve photographed—somewhere in the world—in alphabetical order. W is for Wallaby. Wallabies are small-to-medium sized kangaroos—members of the Macropodidae family. The wallaby in this photo is Herbie, an adolescent agile wallaby who had lost […]
Marty’s photo of the day #2633: It’s “Animals A thru Z Month.” Each day in August, I will post an animal I’ve photographed—somewhere in the world—in alphabetical order. V is for Vampire Bat. Vampire bats are often exterminated when humans move into their territory. The bats are holding their own, for now, but they’re a […]
Marty’s photo of the day #2629: It’s “Animals A thru Z Month.” Each day in August, I will post an animal I’ve photographed—somewhere in the world—in alphabetical order. R is for Rhinoceros Beetle. At only three inches long, the rhinoceros beetle is considered by some to be the world’s strongest animal. Tests have shown it […]
Marty’s photo of the day #2627: It’s “Animals A thru Z Month.” Each day in August, I will post an animal I’ve photographed—somewhere in the world—in alphabetical order. P is for Painted Dogs. I photographed this pack of painted dogs in Zimbabwe. Big eared, long legged, and gangly, each dog has a unique coat pattern. […]
Marty’s photo of the day #2616: It’s “Animals A thru Z Month.” Each day in August, I will post an animal I’ve photographed—somewhere in the world—in alphabetical order. E is for Elephant. Did you know that elephants can’t climb? I was in Zimbabwe, standing atop a high riverbank, when a herd of elephants passed below […]
Marty’s photo of the day #2586: I’m pulling a paragraph from my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents, to give you information on this Spanish castle: Twenty minutes into our drive, we rounded a corner and came upon a classic crusader-era castle. Perched alone on a hill, it had a circular […]
Marty’s photo of the day #2539: This excerpt from my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents, explains today’s picture: I was looking forward to a nap until Ashley, the camp manager, mentioned over lunch that she had recently seen both a Mozambique spitting cobra and a spotted bush snake on […]
Marty’s photo of the day #2538: Because I often see spruce grouse hunting for insects on our dirt road, I assumed insects were their primary diet. While the birds do eat insects in the summer, overall they mostly eat pine needles! Since I took this photo in the summer, I can still think of it […]
Marty’s photo of the day #2535: Here’s what I wrote about laughing kookaburras in my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents: Though not as stunning as the kingfishers or cockatoos, laughing kookaburras are handsome gray and white birds with a very famous call: Oo-oo-oo-aw-aw-aw-oo-oo-oo-aw-aw-aw. When motion picture soundtracks were in their […]
Marty’s photo of the day #2398: The rhinoceros beetle is considered by some to be the world’s strongest animal. Tests have shown it can carry an enormous load in proportion to its weight. How much the beetle can actually carry is subject to debate. Although the prevailing opinion is 850 times its weight, a study […]
Marty’s photo of the day #2364: I took this photo inside Deception Island, off the coast of Antarctica. Yes, “inside” is the correct word. Deception Island is actually an active volcano, and you are looking at ocean water in the caldera of that volcano. The only way out, to open ocean, is straight ahead. The […]
Marty’s photo of the day #2326: This photo from Puerto Rico demonstrates the effect of the island’s interior mountains. Most of Puerto Rico has a tropical climate, with rainforests, but the Guánica State Forest, on the southwestern side of the island, is dry, as the mountains block much of the rain. Here the cacti grow […]
