by Roland D. Hallee

What a beautiful sight!

On my way to work last week I spotted a small flock of red-winged blackbirds. A sure sign of spring. They are probably the first migrating birds to arrive back from their southern winter homes.

The red-winged blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus, is found in most of North America and much of Central America. It breeds from Alaska and Newfoundland south to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, and Guatemala. It may winter as far north as Pennsylvania and British Columbia, but northern populations are generally migratory, moving south to Mexico and the southern United States.

It is believed that it is the most abundant living land bird in North America, as bird-counting of wintering red-winged blackbirds sometimes show that loose flocks can number in excess of a million birds per flock and the full number of breeding pairs across North and Central America may exceed 250 million in peak years. It also ranks among the best-studied wild bird species in the world. The male is all black with a red shoulder and yellow wing bar, while the female is a nondescript dark brown. Seeds and insects make up the bulk of the red-winged blackbird’s diet.

The common name for the red-winged blackbird is taken from the mainly black adult male’s distinctive red shoulder patches, which are visible when the bird is flying or displaying. At rest, the male also shows a pale yellow wingbar. The female is blackish-brown and paler below. The female is smaller than the male.

The range of the red-winged blackbird stretches from southern Alaska to the Yucatan peninsula, in Mexico, in the south, and from the western coast of North America to the east coast of the continent. Red-winged blackbirds in the northern reaches of the range are migratory, spending winters in the southern United States and Central America. Migration begins in September or October, occasionally as early as August.

The red-winged blackbird inhabits open grassy areas. It generally prefers wetlands, and inhabits both freshwater and saltwater marshes, particularly where cattail is present. It is also found in dry upland areas, where it inhabits meadows, prairies, and old fields.

The red-winged blackbird has many predators. Virtually all of North America’s raptors take adult or young red-winged blackbirds, even barn owls, which usually only take small mammals, and northern saw-whet owls, which are scarcely larger than a male red-winged. Locally, they are one of the preferred prey species of short-tailed hawks. Crows, ravens, magpies and herons are occasional predators of blackbird nests. Additional predators of blackbirds of all ages and their eggs include raccoons, mink, foxes and snakes, especially the rat snake. Marsh wrens destroy the eggs, at least sometimes drinking from them, and peck the nestlings to death.

The red-winged blackbird aggressively defends its territory from other animals. It will attack much larger birds. Males have been known to swoop at humans who encroach upon their nesting territory during breeding season.

The maximum longevity of the red-winged blackbird in the wild is 15.8 years.

The red-winged blackbird is omnivorous. It feeds primarily on plant materials, including seeds from weeds and waste grain such as corn and rice, but about a quarter of its diet consists of insects and other small animals, and considerably more so during breeding season. It prefers insects, such as dragonflies, damselflies, butterflies, moths, and flies, but also consumes snails, frogs, eggs, carrion, worms, spiders and mollusks. The red-winged blackbird forages for insects by picking them from plants, or by catching them in flight. In season, it eats blueberries, blackberries, and other fruit. These birds can be lured to backyard bird feeders by bread and seed mixtures and suet. In late summer and in autumn, the red-winged blackbird will feed in open fields, mixed with grackles, cowbirds, and starlings in flocks which can number in the thousands.

Red-winged blackbirds are polygynous, with territorial males defending up to 10 females. However, females frequently copulate with males other than their social mate and often lay clutches of mixed paternity. Pairs raise two or three clutches per season, in a new nest for each clutch.

Predation of eggs and nestlings is quite common. Nest predators include snakes, mink, raccoons, and other birds, even as small as marsh wrens. The red-winged blackbird is occasionally a victim of brood parasites, particularly brown-headed cowbirds. Since nest predation is common, several adaptations have evolved in this species. Group nesting is one such trait which reduces the risk of individual predation by increasing the number of alert parents. Nesting over water reduces the likelihood of predation, as do alarm calls. Nests, in particular, offer a strategic advantage over predators in that they are often well concealed in thick, waterside reeds and positioned at a height of three to six feet. Males often act as sentinels, employing a variety of calls to denote the kind and severity of danger. Mobbing, especially by males, is also used to scare off unwanted predators, although mobbing often targets large animals and man-made devices by mistake.

In winter, the species forage away from marshes, taking seeds and grain from open fields and agricultural areas. It is sometimes considered an agricultural pest. Farmers have been known to use pesticides—such as parathion—in illegal attempts to control their populations. In the United States, such efforts are illegal because no pesticide can be used on non-target organisms, or for any use not explicitly listed on the pesticide’s label. However, the USDA has deliberately poisoned this species: in 2009, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service reported poisoning over 950,000 red-winged blackbirds in Texas and Louisiana. This poisoning has been implicated as a potential cause of the decline of the rusty blackbird, a once abundant species that has declined 99 percent since the 1960s and has been recently listed as Threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Love ‘em, or hate ‘em, when the red-winged blackbird makes its appearance in the north, it’s a pretty good sign that spring is not far into the future.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Name the only Red Sox pitcher to have won the American League Most Valuable Player Award.

Answer can be found here.

by Roland D. Hallee

I remember as a youngster growing up in a family of Canadian heritage, how we used to make annual pilgrimages to the land of our ancestors in Canada. My dad was born in Canada, and came to the United States at the age of three years, with his adopted parents.

So, every summer, usually in June, he and our mother would pack us four boys into the family Buick and venture into different parts of Canada, from the Gaspé, to L’Abitibi (Norandeau and Rouen), where our biological grandfather had a farm, to Sherbrooke and Montreal.

Our most frequent visits were to Lac Megantic, in the province of Québec, where our dad’s half-brother and family lived. There were many nights when the family would gather.

One particular night, when I was probably nine or ten years old, we went to visit some family who had a place on the lake. Back in those days – mid- to late ‘50s – children were “seen and not heard.” So, while the adults gathered inside for long conversations, and playing cards, us children would be sent outside to find something to do.

On that evening, I remember the lake being as calm as a piece of glass, and the moon shining brightly. But, what didn’t dawn on me then, but has greater meaning now, was the nearby field aglow with thousands of fireflies. We moved into the field in an attempt to capture some of the fireflies in jars to illuminate the area. It was fun, adventurous, and “gave us something to do.”

I now look back at that evening and think to myself, “what ever happened to all the fireflies?” We used to see some at our camp in Vassalboro, but I don’t think I have seen one in many, many years.

Where have they gone?

Actually, the phenomenon is worldwide.

In recent years, all around the world, the lights of fireflies are going out. The dazzling beetles are disappearing from long-established habitats. Often it is not clear why, but it seems likely that light pollution and the destruction of habitats are contributing factors. Biologists are scrambling to understand what is happening to fireflies so we can save them before their lights fade permanently.

In America, fireflies with flashing lights are known as lightning bugs. In Europe they are known as glow worms. All these terms are misleading. They are not flies. They are not bugs. They are not worms. They are beetles.

There are approximately 2,000 species of fireflies.

However, fireflies are in trouble. In 2019, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation published a report on North American fireflies, warning that “populations appear to be in decline.” It was co-authored by Sara Lewis, professor of evolutionary and behavioral ecology at Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts, and author of a book on fireflies, Silent Sparks: The Wondrous World of Fireflies.

The extent of the decrease is unclear because most firefly populations have not been tracked. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), only created its Firefly Specialist Group in 2018. Fireflies are difficult to study: they are hard to find when not glowing.

“The best data we have is from the UK,” says Lewis. Citizen scientists have tracked the UK’s one firefly, the common glow-worm, Lampyris noctiluca, since the 1970s. For most species there are only anecdotes, but they all tell the same story, and biologists who study wild fireflies are convinced.

Recently, Lewis and her colleagues published the first systematic review of threats to fireflies in the journal BioScience. They surveyed 49 firefly experts from around the world, asking them to rank 11 potential threats in order of importance. According to the experts, the biggest threats to fireflies are habitat loss, pesticides and light pollution.

While some animals adapt to life in human environments such as cities, many fireflies need particular habitats, so are vulnerable if those habitats are destroyed.

The congregating fireflies of south-east Asia are an example. The males have flashing lights with which they attract females. They gather at night in a mangrove tree, and flash – whereupon the females fly in and choose mates. In some species the males synchronize their flashes, creating spectacular displays that tourists love.

The second biggest threat, according to the survey, is light pollution. This takes many forms, from bright and direct streetlights to the diffuse “skyglow” that means the sky is never truly dark. Most biodiversity studies have largely neglected light pollution, says Lewis. “But for fireflies it’s front and center.”

The light can make them lose track of the time or their position. The fireflies may struggle to recognize important objects, such as their snail prey. In species where one sex is attracted to the glow of the other, artificial lights may disrupt mating. Finally, really bright lights may dazzle or even blind the fireflies.

Many fireflies display late at night, when it would naturally be very dark. “If there’s a lot of background illumination from streetlights or even skyglow, then their signals are going to be less visible,” says Lewis. These nocturnal species are most vulnerable to light pollution.

Fireflies’ eyes are particularly sensitive to certain kinds of artificial light, says Alan Stewart, of the University of Sussex. His team studied the eyes of British common glow-worms, in which males are attracted to glowing females. The males’ eyes were tuned to the females’ green light, but when blue light was added, the males struggled to find the females. This means new LED streetlights, which are longer-lasting and thus environmentally beneficial, are likely to disrupt the fireflies more than old-fashioned sodium streetlights, due to their blueish light.

The third major threat is pesticides. This never occurs to most people, says Lewis, because they see fireflies only as displaying adults. “People don’t really think about the life cycle,” she says. Most of a firefly’s life is spent as a larva, on or under the ground, or underwater. There, they are exposed to pesticides. Firefly larvae are especially at risk because they are predators, normally hunting small snails, each of which may contain a dose of pesticide. “If people were aware of that, I think they would be a lot more hesitant to spray pesticides on their lawn,” says Lewis.

Beyond these external factors, there are also risks tied to fireflies’ lifestyles. In a 2019 paper published in Biodiversity and Conservation, Lewis and her colleagues highlighted “numerous risk factors.” For instance, adults often cannot fly far – and in some species may not fly at all – so they struggle to move if their habitat is threatened. Many species also have specialised diets, so can starve if their food supply is lost.

The good news is, now we are starting to understand what is happening to fireflies. Some practices, such as the harvesting of fireflies, simply need to stop. Japan has achieved this. In the early 1900s, firefly shops collected the insects, packed them into bags and sent them by bicycle courier to big cities where they were released for people to enjoy. “That put a huge dent in firefly populations,” says Lewis. In the 1920s a young man named Kiichiro Minami figured out how to rear fireflies in captivity, with no scientific training. Minami started releasing the fireflies back into rivers, restoring the population. This is still happening. “Schoolchildren raise fireflies in class and release them into rivers,” says Lewis. While Japan’s fireflies have not been restored to their former numbers, they are a conservation success story.

Beyond that, Lewis identifies three actions that should help every firefly species. First, she says, “if there’s a place with firefly biodiversity or abundance, try to preserve that habitat.” Not all of us can do that, but one thing anyone who lives near fireflies can do is reduce light pollution. “Turn off your lights during firefly season, or just turn off your lights in general. Have motion-detector lights that only come on when you need them.” And reduce the use of pesticides.

People can also help by reporting firefly sightings. Anyone in North America can do so by joining the organization Firefly Watch, which has been running since 2010.

With care, many of us may one day have fireflies sparkling in our backyards again. It is so sad that our children and grandchildren have never seen a firefly, and may never. By doing what you can to help save fireflies, it will give you something to do.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Which pitcher holds MLB’s record for the most career no-hitters?

Answer can be found here.

by Roland D. Hallee

Just the other day a friend told me she thought robins went south for the winter. That is the common thought.

The American robin, Turdus migratorius, is a migratory songbird. While robins occasionally overwinter in the northern United States and southern Canada, most migrate to Florida and the Gulf Coast to central Mexico. Most will depart south by the beginning of September and begin their northern migration in February and March, which gives the illusion that they don’t migrate during a regular winter, when snow covers the ground during those times.

Despite being depicted in the film Mary Poppins, in London, this species is actually a rare occasion to western Europe.

Robins breed in woodland and more open farmland and urban areas. It becomes less common as a breeder in the southernmost part of the deep south of the United States.

The sexes are similar but the female tends to be duller than the male, with a brown tint to the head, brown upperparts and less bright underparts. However, some birds cannot be safely sexed on plumage alone.

Robins are active mostly during the day. During the winter, they flock in large groups at night to roost in trees in swamps or dense vegetation. The flock breaks up during the day when the birds feed on fruits and berries in smaller groups. However, during the summer, the American robin defends a breeding territory and is less social.

The adult robin, however, must stay alert. It is preyed upon by hawks, cats, and larger snakes. Brown-headed cowbirds lay eggs in robin nests but robins usually reject the cowbird eggs. Juvenile robins and eggs are preyed upon by squirrels, snakes and some birds such as blue jays, common grackles, crows and ravens.

The robin is the state bird of Connecticut, Michigan and Wisconsin. It ranks behind only the red-winged blackbird as the most abundant bird species in North America, just ahead of the European starling.

American robins have an extensive range, estimated at 6.2 million square miles. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the bird as “least concern” when evaluating its position as a threatened species. At one point, the robins were hunted for their meat, but it is now protected throughout its range in the United States by the Migratory Bird Act.

The species was first described in 1766 by Carl Linnaeus in the 12th edition of his Systema Naturae. The term robin has been recorded since 1703.

Despite is wonderful song, the American robin is known to carry West Nile virus. While crows and jays are often the first noticed deaths in an area with West Nile virus, the American robin is suspected to be a key host, and holds a larger responsibility for the transmission of the virus to humans. This is because, while crows and blue jays die quickly from the virus, robins survive the virus longer, thus spreading it to more mosquitoes, which then transmit the virus to humans.

Robins eat primarily (approximately 60 percent) on wild and cultivated fruits and berries, and (approximately 40 percent) on invertebrates, such as earthworms, beetle grubs, caterpillars and grasshoppers. That ability to switch to berries allows them to winter much farther north than most other North American thrushes, of which it is a member of that family.

Legends about robins:

• What does it mean to see a robin? Symbolic characteristics and traits of a robin: The robin in the spirit world is known as the divine bird. The Robin is a symbol of good luck and the fact that spring is impending. To see a robin flying can indicate a symbol of renewal, passion and new beginnings. Alternatively, it could represent patience and wisdom.
• Robins entering a house have always been thought of as a sign of forthcoming death, while robins are long associated with religious buildings which, if nothing else, helps to cement its image as the most churchgoing of our birds.
• Robins in Winter. “Robins can withstand very cold temperatures,” Howard explains. “In most places you can see robins in the wintertime. You’ll see them wandering around and yet it’s not considered migration because basically they’re moving in a nomadic way, following the food.”
• Bird Continually Hitting Window. It’s a common myth that a bird pecking at your window on three successive days means a death will occur inside that house. This is a problem that is most common in spring as male birds are establishing and defending territories. The male sees his reflection in the window and thinks it is a rival trying to usurp his territory. He flies at the window to try and make the rival leave.

The answer to the question as to whether they go south for the winter or not, is that it does migrate, but some don’t travel as far as others, and some will stay behind, probably depending on the severity of the winter. Their return in February and March also contributes to the belief that they don’t migrate.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Where did MLB’s Atlanta Braves originate?

Answer can be found here.

by Roland D. Hallee

Huhhhh!

It’s time again to bundle up and make my trek through the snow fields of center Vassalboro in search of my old friend, Woodrow Charles. As folklore goes, Woody is a weather prognosticating groundhog. With Groundhog Day coming on February 2, I always visit him a little early to give our readers a head start on the possibilities of the weather for the next couple of months.

As I headed out on that day, it was a pleasant start to the day, clear skies with the temperature in the low 30s. Really balmy for the last week in January.

As I walked through the fields, I couldn’t help but notice that, had it not been for the five inches or so we received the previous week, there would not be much snow to trudge through.

As I approached his lair, I spotted the usual smoke billowing from the chimney above the stump, and the glow of lights through the only window he has. There were many tracks outside with groundhog footprints headed in every direction.

I arrived at the door, knocked and waited for an answer. I noticed things were a little different from last year.

If you remember, Woody was off the grid. He had given up all his electronics, given away his 60-inch TV, had his electricity turned off, and basically went all natural with everything. Sustainability, they call it.

But today, I see an electric light on inside.

I knocked again.

Silence.

“What is going on,” I think to myself.

I knocked a third time. Apparently, he’s out. I didn’t notify him that I was coming today.

Suddenly, I heard something behind me.

It’s Woody, waddling through the snow, carrying a bag.

He stopped, looked at me, and said, “Oh, I didn’t know you were coming today. You should have called first. I’ve been out foraging”

“Well,” I responded. “The reason I didn’t call is because, as of last year, you were off the grid, and swore you were in it for the long haul.”

He had a strange look on his face. “It didn’t work out. I was out of touch with everything. Couldn’t talk to my buddies, Frank, Butch and Slim. I didn’t know what was going on in the world with no TV. It just wasn’t working.”

He continued, “Luckily, Slim gave the TV back to me, but I had to promise to invite him to every one of my Super Bowl parties.”

That got me to thinking. “Hey, the Super Bowl is on Groundhog Day this year. Any predictions?”

I don’t know how he does it, but he’s usually correct.

“If you remember last year I predicted the Patriots by 10 points,” he started bragging. “And the final score was 13-3.”

“OK,” I responded, “you nailed it! Let’s see how you do this year.”

Woody rubbed his chin, and said, “This one is a little tough. I don’t know that much about San Francisco. Being a west coast team, they are not on television that much.

“From what I have read and heard, Kansas City’s offense is generally unstoppable, and the 49ers have one of the top defenses in the league. I usually like to go with defense. So, here goes, San Francisco by four points, as long as Jimmy Garoppolo can put up enough points against an improving Kansas City defense.”

Finally, I remembered. I was here to get a weather prediction, and somehow it always turns to Super Bowl picks.

“What about the weather?” I asked. “It’s been a pretty mild winter so far.”

Woody looked at the floor, then looked up, scratched his head, and spoke: “The worst of the winter is still ahead of us. I get mixed messages on snowfall, but I predict a little more snow than we have received so far, but with no major snow events. Temperatures, however, will plummet, with most of the precipitation being in the form of some snow, but a lot of wintry mix, with rain, sleet and freezing rain.”

I smiled wryly. “That doesn’t sound very encouraging.”

“Also,” Woody continued as though I hadn’t said anything, “the winter will be prolonged into late March, and into early and mid-April.”

That being said, Woody turned to me and said, “Cup of coffee?”

“Sure,” I replied. “I have a little time on my hands.”

So, for the next hour, we had coffee, and talked about many different subjects. I didn’t realize he was so well informed.

In all, everything he had a couple of years ago was back in its place, including his cell phone, WiFi, weather equipment, even Siri.

“Cost me a bit,” he said embarrassingly. “I needed to get everything out of hawk.”

So, what about Siri? “Gives me someone to talk to,” he said. “She knows a lot about a lot. It gets lonely here during winter.”

“So, you’re fairly well connected,” I asked.

“That’s what happens when you have communication with the outside world,” Woody said. “It’s amazing what you can learn with Google. And on television, there is the Home Shopping Network, CNN, FoxNews, Home & Garden Network, and my favorite, Animal Planet.”

Coffee finished, I got up, put on my coat, hat and gloves, and headed to the door. Once there, I turned, and wished my host a good day.

“Stay warm, and I’ll see you next year,” I said.

“Be safe, my friend,” Woody responded.

With that, I began my journey back home.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

The San Francisco 49ers have appeared in six Super Bowls, winning five. Who defeated them in Super Bowl XLXII, in 2012?

Answer can be found here.

by Roland D. Hallee

The bush fires in Australia have been in the news lately, and the affects of those blazes on the wildlife there have been devastating.

The blazes, which have been burning across Australia for months, have razed homes and wiped out entire towns. Across Australia, nearly 18 million acres of land have been burned – much of it bushland, forests and national parks, home to the country’s unique wildlife.

Nearly half a billion animals have been impacted by the fires in New South Wales (NSW) alone, with millions potentially dead, according to ecologists at the University of Sydney. That figure includes birds, reptiles, and mammals. The total number of animals affected nationwide could be as high as a billion, according to Christopher Dickman, the University of Sydney ecologist who led the report.

Fires are nothing new in Australia, but they have been growing more intense and becoming more destructive in recent years, a problem that has been exacerbated by climate change. And animals have been the most affected.

Some animals, like koalas and kangaroos, are primarily killed directly by the fires – for instance, by being incinerated in flames or choking on smoke. Nearly a third of all koalas in NSW have died and about a third of their habitat has been destroyed, federal environment minister Sussan Ley said in December.

Nearly a third of all koalas in NSW have died and about a third of their habitat has been destroyed, federal environment minister Sussan Ley said in December.

Photos from the ground show koalas with singed fur, raw patches of burned flesh, and blistered paws. Even if they are rescued and treated, sometimes their injuries are simply too extensive to survive.

Let’s take a look at the koala.

The word koala comes from the Dharug “gula,” meaning no water. It was at one time thought, since the animals were not observed to come down from trees often, that they were able to survive without drinking. The leaves of the eucalyptus tree have a high water content, so the koala does not need to drink often. But the notion that they do not need to drink water at all was shown to be a myth. Because of the koala’s supposed resemblance to a bear, it was often misnamed the koala bear, particularly by early settlers. It still is to this day, with many identifying the animal as a “koala bear.”

The koala is a stocky animal with a large head and non-existent tail. It has a body length of 24–33 inches and weighs 9–33 lbs., making it among the largest arboreal marsupials. Koalas from Victoria are twice as heavy as those from Queensland. The species is sexually dimorphic (the occurrence of two types of individuals in the same species, distinct in coloring and size), with males 50 percent larger than females. Males are further distinguished from females by their more curved noses and the presence of chest glands, which are visible as hairless patches.

The koala has one of the smallest brains in proportion to body weight of any mammal, only 0.68 oz. Because of its small brain, the koala has a limited ability to perform complex, unfamiliar behaviors. For example, when presented with plucked leaves on a flat surface, the animal cannot adapt to the change in its normal feeding routine and will not eat the leaves. The koala’s olfactory senses are normal, and it is known to sniff the oils of individual branchlets to assess their edibility. Its round ears provide it with good hearing. A koala’s vision is not well developed, and its relatively small eyes are unusual among marsupials in that the pupils have vertical slits.

The koala has several adaptations for its eucalypt diet, which is of low nutritional value, of high toxicity, and high in dietary fiber. Koalas may also store food in their cheek pouches before it is ready to be chewed.

Koalas are herbivorous, and while most of their diet consists of eucalypt leaves, they can be found in other kinds of trees. They tend to choose species that have a high protein content and low proportions of fiber.

Koalas may live from 13 to 18 years in the wild. While female koalas usually live this long, males may die sooner because of their more hazardous lives. Koalas usually survive falls from trees and immediately climb back up, but injuries and deaths from falls do occur, particularly in inexperienced young and fighting males. At around six years of age, the koala’s chewing teeth begin to wear down and their chewing efficiency decreases. Eventually, the cusps disappear completely and the animal will die of starvation.

Koalas have few predators, dingos and large pythons may prey on them; birds of prey (such as powerful owls and wedge-tailed eagles) are threats to young. Koalas are generally not subject to external parasites, other than ticks in coastal areas.

The animals are vulnerable to bushfires due to their slow movements and the flammability of eucalyptus trees. The koala instinctively seeks refuge in the higher branches, where it is vulnerable to intense heat and flames. Bushfires also fragment the animal’s habitat, which restricts their movement and leads to population decline and loss of genetic diversity. Dehydration and overheating can also prove fatal. Consequently, the koala is vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Models of climate change in Australia predict warmer and drier climates, suggesting that the koala’s range will shrink in the east and south to more mesic habitats.

According to Australian health minister Sussan Ley, the 2019-20 Australian bushfire season, and especially fires in NSW, resulted in the death of up to 8,400 koalas (30 percent of the local population) on New South Wales’s mid-north coast.

The first written reference of the koala was recorded by John Price, servant of John Hunter, the Governor of New South Wales. Price encountered the “cullawine” on January 26, 1798, during an expedition to the Blue Mountains, although his account was not published until nearly a century later in Historical Records of Australia. In 1802, French-born explorer Francis Louis Barrallier encountered the animal when his two Aboriginal guides were returning from a hunt,

Koalas were hunted for food by Aboriginals. According to the customs of some tribes, it was considered taboo to skin the animal, while other tribes thought the animal’s head had a special status, and saved them for burial.

The koala was heavily hunted by European settlers in the early 20th century, largely for its thick, soft fur. More than two million pelts are estimated to have left Australia by 1924. Pelts were in demand for use in rugs, coat linings, muffs, and as trimming on women’s garments. Extensive cullings occurred in Queensland in 1915, 1917, and again in 1919, when over one million koalas were killed with guns, poisons, and nooses. The public outcry over these cullings was probably the first wide-scale environmental issue that rallied Australians.

Australia has the highest rate of species loss of any area in the world, and researchers fear that rate could increase as the fire disaster continues.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Of the four remaining teams in the NFL playoffs, only Tennessee has never won a Super Bowl. They appeared in Super Bowl XXXIV in January 2000. To which team did they lose?

Answer can be found here.