NWF Naturalist David Mizejewski with an alligator, from the Today Show’s Instagram page.

In honor of this annual celebration of National Wildlife Federation’s 40-year-old Certified Wildlife Habitat program, I brought some “backyard wildlife” on my Today Show segment this week.  But these animals are definitely NOT the songbirds and butterflies that typically show up in a wildlife-friendly garden.

Instead, I brought species that might surprise you if you spotted them in your garden.  My goal was to let folks know that species other than birds and butterflies need our help and can benefit from wildlife-friendly gardens, and also to point out what to do to avoid conflict with some of these species.

I mean, groundhogs, alligators and beavers aren’t necessarily the most welcome species in the garden.  But two other predators I featured in the segment definitely are species you want around.

Here’s the full segment.  Watch it and then head over to our Garden for Wildlife Month page and certify your garden as wildlife-friendly with NWF!

Click here to view the embedded video.

See more of David’s TV appearances and find out where he’ll be appearing next! 

Golden Poison Dart Frog

The golden poison dart frog is only one of three dart frogs with poison lethal to humans. It is reported that an amount of poison equal to 2-3 grains of table salt is enough to cause the death of a human.

Photo by Leighton Pritchard 

Banana Slug

Banana slugs have primitive eyesight, which means they can only see light, dark and movement. The eyes fold in when they sense a shadow. Also, please don’t lick them; I’m sure they don’t like it.

Photo by Joao Paulo Krajewski

Bearded Dragon

Bearded dragons have a beard of spikes and thorns that they’ll puff out at predators as a defense mechanism. Also, when in danger, these lizards will run on the hind legs.

Photo by Bryce Gandy

Goldenrod Spider

These spiders jump on their prey, ambush style, which means they don’t have a reason to spin webs.

Photo by Christophe Quintin

Golden Lion Tamarin

Female tamarins usually give birth to twins and sometimes triplets. That’s a lot of weight to carry around alone, which is why the father and siblings share the load.

Photo by Nelson Wu

Yellow Rat Snake

These snakes are arboreal, which means they climb trees.  Like the black rat snake, they are non-venomous constrictors that suffocate their prey.

Photo by Flickr/vladeb

Goldfinch

A goldfinch’s diet is vegetable based, and they are the strictest vegetarians in the bird world (aside from an occasional insect cheat meal).

Photo by Flickr/TCDavis

Seahorse

Seahorses are unique creatures not only have a kangaroo-like pouch, but the dads are the ones to have the babies.

Photo by Vic DeLeon

Fiery Skipper

Fiery skipper have the ability to hold their wings in a triangular position, which is thought to help better absorb the sun’s rays.

Photo by Ronnie Pitman

Golden Eagle

The name implies that they should look more gold, but I decided to include them anyway. Mostly I wanted to tell you that despite being the largest bird of prey in North America, golden eagles can dive upon their victim at speeds over 150 miles per hour!

Photo by Ed Gaillard 

Red Foxes

What else is there to say, just enjoy this golden pile of fluff.

Photo by Canon Chris

Becky McIntire and I co-authored this blog.

Bats

Did you know Washington is home to sixteen of the world’s 900+ species of bats? While most commonly associated with comic book superheroes or blood-sucking vampires, bats are actually a critical part of Washington’s ecosystems. They dine on hundreds of insects a night in the summer, controlling pest populations and providing fertilizer and seed dispersal for our forests and other ecosystems. Check them out on batcams, here and here.

A female Townsend’s big-eared bat, Corynorhinus townsendii. Photo: J. N. Stuart

Myth: Bats only live in caves – or attics!

Fact: Bats make their homes in hollow trees and snags as well as caves. You can also put up bat houses.

Myth: Bats are flying rodents.

Fact: Bats are mammals! And they are more similar to humans than they are to rodents such as mice.

Myth: While bats on the East Coast are in trouble from White-Nose Syndrome, Pacific Northwest bats are doing just fine.

Fact: Nine of Washington’s bat species are listed as state Species of Special Concern or as Federal Candidate Category 2 species, which means we lack enough information to list them under the Endangered Species Act even though listing may be appropriate. The Townsend’s Big-eared bat, for example, is one of the rarest bats in Puget Sound. According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, whole colonies of these cave-dependent species have disappeared after human disturbance.

You can help bats! By providing habitat with trees, snags, and bat houses, minimizing pesticide use, avoiding roosting bats, supporting bat research, practicing responsible bat watching, and much more, you can help sustain our beautiful and essential bat populations.

Most of this information is drawn from a wonderful website: www.batsnorthwest.org.

Owls

Owls have held a mysterious appeal for humans for thousands of years, appearing in myths, legends and superstitions, often as harbingers of death or as symbols of wisdom.  Maybe we find owls fascinating because of their large eyes, silent flight, nocturnal habits and their disconcerting

Threatened northern spotted owl, Strix occidentalis caurina, with young. Photo: Jim Thrailkill/USFWS

Myth: Owls can turn their heads around in a full 360 degree circle.

 Fact: Most sources agree that an owl can turn its head just 3/4 or 270 degrees around, which is still impressive.

Myth: Those tufts are ears.

 Fact: Nope, the ears are located on the side of the head, just like in people.  However, the ears may be uneven, allowing the birds to locate prey by triangulating with sound when  vision isn’t enough.  The tufts are thought to be useful in camouflaging the bird as well as expressing aggression.

Lamprey

If you need a costume idea for next year, consider lamprey! The lamprey is a culturally-important species for many Pacific Northwest Tribes, who harvest the fish for subsistence, ceremonial, and medicinal purposes. All three species have been suggested for listing as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Despite their importance, myths persist about their feeding and habitat preferences.

Although mating pairs of lamprey typically construct their redds, or nest, together, this is a single female Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata). Photo: USFWS Pacific (courtesy of Jeremy Monroe)

Myth: Lamprey live only in fresh water.

Fact: Four lamprey species are native to the Columbia Basin and two of them – Pacific and river lamprey – are anadromous, meaning they live in both fresh and saltwater. The other two, Western brook and Pacific brook lamprey, are freshwater species. All lamprey play an important role in the freshwater stream ecosystem, recycling nutrients by filtering microscopic plants and animals from the bottom sediments.

 Myth: Lamprey are parasites.

Fact: Pacific and river lamprey are parasitic, but only in the ocean phase of their life cycle. They are also food for sharks and sea lions! Western brook and Pacific brook lamprey are not parasites. 

Spiders

From horror movies with giant spiders to the fear of spiders known as arachnophobia, spiders are among the most feared and misunderstood creatures common to the Pacific Northwest. In truth, spiders are quite important for managing pests and generally avoid contact with us.

Myth: Daddy-longlegs venom is fatal to humans, but fortunately their fangs are too small to bite us.

Fact: Only one of the three groups called daddy-longlegs – the Pholcid spiders – has venom and there is no evidenceit is fatal. Also, what many term daddy-longlegs are actually crane

Is this Tegenaria gigantea, the giant house spider? It’s hard to tell without a microscope and other tools. Photo: Becky McIntire

flies or harvestmen, neither of which have venom.

Myth: Spiders found in or near drains came up through the pipes.

Fact: It seems spiders actually get stuck on the smooth surfaces common to sinks and tubs after they have come down from a wall or ceiling.

Myth: Spiders are easy to identify, for example by their markings.

Fact: Spiders are identified by their structure and a microscope is often needed to do so.

And for those of you who think spider webs are small, check out this blog to see an enormous spider web! Most of these mythbusting facts are drawn from an extensive website on Spider Myths, authored by the Burke Museum’s Curator of Arachnids Rod Crawford.

Snakes

Snakes are fascinating. I devoured every book and Discovery channel show I could find on them as a child. I learned that yes, snakes shed their skin, but no, they do not roll into a big “O” and roll away from you. I’ve even had the opportunity to hold a garter snake and feel the muscles of an albino python around my neck. My love and curiosity about snakes remains today. Here are some other cool myths and facts about snakes in the Pacific Northwest.

Common garter snakes (Thamnophus sirtalis) are quite common in the Pacific Northwest. Photo: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Myth: Garter snakes swallow their young to protect them from danger.

Fact: There is no evidence that garter snakes, or any of the other snakes common to the Pacific Northwest, swallow their young. Garter snakes do, however, give birth to live young. And this winter, you are unlikely to see many snakes because most species will be hibernating.

Myth: Snakes are slimy.

Fact: Snakeskin is actually dry and relatively smooth. Amphibians such as frogs and salamanders, on the other hand, have moist skin to allow water and other nutrients to pass through.

Myth: Constrictor species like pythons and boas are only found in tropical climates.

Fact: Washington is home to the rubber boa, a 14-30 inch long relative of the world’s largest snakes! It is not often seen, but may be found damp wooded areas, camouflaged by its olive-green or red to brown skin.

Keep up to date on all our work at the Pacific Regional Center office in Seattle: follow us on Twitter (@nwfpacific) and like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/nwfpacific).

And as sometimes happens when working with animals, the unpredictable happened.

VIDEO: Watch this video clip of the segment to see what one of the animals did to me.

Kathie Lee and Hoda’s facial expressions during my animal segments are always priceless.

For now, I’d like to accentuate the positive. NWF has been working hard to make sure wildlife is represented  - read our 2012 Farm Bill priorities to learn more. We were pleased that one of our priorities – protection for native grasslands through a Sodsaver provision – was included in the Senate Agriculture Committee’s bill. I have written before about Sodsaver, a provision that will limit federal subsidies on native grassland converted into cropland.

Native grassland is an extremely valuable and under-appreciated biome in the US. I grew up a stone’s throw away from the Appalachians, and I remember clearly the first time I drove across the plains states. I had never seen the horizon so far away before, and the land stretching out flat, or slightly rolling until it met the sky. I have only recently started to learn how many amazing plants and animals live in the grasslands – like prairie chickens and Sandhill cranes.

5 Grassland Species

Here are 5 species that can thank the Senate Agriculture Committee for protecting their homes by including a Sodsaver provision – how many of these species did you already know? How many more can you name?

Black-footed ferret. Photo by Ryan Hagerty for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Prairie kingsnake. Photo: Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Snakes are key predators and an important part of prairie ecosystems. Prairie kingsnakes are common grassland snakes that come in a variety of shades of grey to brown. They are non-venomous and they don’t usually bite, but they shake their tales if they feel threatened.

Pronghorn antelopes. Photo: US Fish and Wildlife Service

Regal fritillary butterfly. Photo: flickr, Bill Bouton

Butterflies that depend on prairie habitat are in decline, in Europe as well as the US. Many insects, including important pollinators, depend on grasslands to survive.

Burrowing owl family. Photo: flickr, Annette’s photography

 Burrowing owls, like prairie dogs and ferrets, live in underground burrows (hence the name). Burrowing owls are also unique because they are often active during the day.

Did you already know these animals?  Can you think of any more?  If so, send us a comment through the feature below!

Not all the wildlife that can benefit from a wildlife-friendly garden are songbirds, butterflies and cute, furry mammals. Some of them are slimy, slithery and nocturnal too, and they are no less important or cool to see (although hosts Jenna Wolf and Lester Holt still might not be convinced based on their funny facial expressions).

Watch the segment below and meet some of these non-traditional species, and then submit your garden to become a Certified Wildlife Habitat!

Special thanks to partner American Beauties Native Plants for providing the gorgeous plants for the segment.

Which might lead kids to wonder what snakes REALLY eat. Take our quiz below to test what you already know, then read the fun facts below to wow the children in your life with your snake smarts.

And download What Did Snakey Eat?, which is available for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch — and is coming soon on other devices.

7 Amazing Facts About Snakes

Garter Snake by Paul Marsh

Here’s some more info on snakes and their diets for those who are extra curious about the quiz answers:

1. The heaviest snake is the green anaconda. It can weigh more than 500 pounds—as much as a black bear or a lion!
2. The longest captured snake on record was almost as long as a school bus. The 32-foot python was discovered in Indonesia in 1912.
3. All snakes eat meat, including animals like lizards, other snakes, small mammals, birds, eggs, fish, snails, or insects.
4. The size of a snake’s prey depends on how big it is. The smallest snake in the world, the Barbados thread snake, eats ant and termite eggs.
5. The menu for bigger snakes, like pythons and anacondas, includes animals like deer, pigs, goats, and even jaguars and crocodiles.
6. Snakes must swallow their prey whole because they can’t use their teeth to chew or tear their food. They have very flexible lower jaws that allow them to do this, even if the meal is bigger than their own head!
7. How often a snake eats depends on how big it is, what kind of food it eats, how old it is, and when food is available. The emerald tree boa only eats once every few months. Other snakes eat once or twice a week.

Wolf spider by Adam Fleishman

1. Spiders

There a ton of myths about spiders out there – including the urban legend that you’ll swallow a few of them in your sleep over the course of your life (which has no factual basis at all). But one of the top fears is spider bites.

There are about 3,000 spider species are found in North America and only 2%  have bites that cause illness in humans. The National Safety Council estimates that the odds of dying from a spider bite are 1 in 38 million. The black widow, brown recluse, and hobo spider are three types of venomous spiders that can be harmful, but knowing how to identify them and what to do if bitten will minimize the risk of serious effects.

The truth is, most spiders are not dangerous and they do us a huge favor by keeping insect populations under control. Also, scientists studying spider venom think it could lead to new advances in treating heart conditions.

2. Snakes

Garter snake by Paul Marsh

Two big fears people have when it comes to snakes are getting bitten and contracting a disease from them. About 8,000 venomous snake bites happen each year, but only 1.5% of those are fatal (source: American Academy of Family Physicians). Knowing the venomous snakes that live in your area and places you might find them outdoors can help you avoid surprising one.

Snakes and other reptiles can carry salmonella, even reptiles like turtles and lizards that people keep as pets. But prevention is easy — always wash your hands with running water and soap after coming into contact with a reptile.

Both an important predator and food source in their ecosystem snakes help us by limiting pest populations. Like spider venom, snake venom is also being studied for possible use in medicine.

3. Scorpions

Are scorpions aggressive animals waiting in the shadows for the opportunity to deliver a life-threatening sting to humans? Not really.

Striped-back scorpion with jumping spider prey by Howard Cheek

Scorpions are actually shy and only sting humans if they feel threatened. They’re nocturnal and during the day will rest in burrows, under woodpiles, rocks or other small, dark spaces. In areas where they are common, like the southwestern United States, people can prevent scorpions from wandering into their homes by sealing cracks, moving woodpiles and yard trash away from the house, and using screens on doors and windows.

Scorpion venom is meant to paralyze or kill their prey, which usually consists of insects, though larger scorpions can eat small lizards, snakes, and mice. Roughly 70 species of scorpions live in the United States but only one, the bark scorpion, is potentially fatal to humans. Even in the case of the bark scorpion, death from a scorpion sting is very rare and there are anti-venoms available for serious cases.

Some neat facts about scorpions:

• They “glow in the dark” under a black (UV) light
• Scorpions have been around for more than 400 million years
• By eating insects, they help with pest control. And scorpions eat one of the things that creeps me out the most – cockroaches!

While there’s no need to fear these critters, we should always treat wildlife with caution and keep a respectful distance.

More Halloween Fun:

• Crows, ravens, owls and vultures: Nature’s creepiest birds?
• Get your “scary” animal fix, from vampires to zombie ants.
• Take a peek at a “spooky” animal photo gallery … if you dare!
• A truly scary Halloween story: Bats Are In Trouble
• Scary how beneficial these are! 5 Spook-tacular Animals to Welcome to Your Garden this Halloween
• Halloween roundup: Get fun outdoor kids’ activities and more.

Great horned owl by Larry Hitchens

Owls

Owls have been traditionally viewed as bad omens, representing death in many cultures, and their hoots can make any nighttime walk a little spookier. By welcoming these silent, stealthy hunters to your yard, they’ll provide superior rodent control and protect your yard with their watchful gaze. Old trees are a favorite habitat of owls, but an owl nesting box can work just as well. (To get up close and personal to a real owl, check out this amazing owl cam.)

Toads

These helpful hoppers are often associated with witchcraft in folklore. Provide a home in your yard for your friendly neighborhood toad (warts and all) and he’ll thank you by eating up to 10,000 insect pests over the course of an average summer. You can purchase a “toad abode” or simply half-bury a ceramic pot in your yard to attract these beneficial amphibians.

Spider and full moon by Jackie K. Darbyshire

Spiders

Arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, is one of the most common phobias, and while these creepy crawlies strike fear in the hearts of many, the ones who should be scared of them are your pesky garden pests. Spiders will protect your beautiful yard from plant-eating insects and protect you from annoying bugs like mosquitoes. Thank them by putting down thick mulch so they can hide and protect themselves from the cold winter temperatures.

Snakes

Another common phobia is ophidiophobia, the fear of snakes. They may never live down their scary reputation, but many snakes can be a big help in the garden. Harmless species like garter snakes prefer cool, dark places to hide and prey on insects, slugs and even rodents, which can carry dangerous diseases into your home.

Bats

Did you know all 40 species of bats in the United States are beneficial to people? Most feed on insect pests and some even help in pollination. A bat house placed 12-15 feet off the ground can entice these flying friends to take up residence in your yard.

Once you welcome these spook-tacular wildlife friends to your yard or garden, be sure to certify it as an official NWF Certified Wildlife Habitat® site to begin receiving all of your great benefits! Just provide wildlife with the four elements essential to their survival: food, water, shelter and places to raise young.

More Halloween Fun:

• Crows, ravens, owls and vultures: Nature’s creepiest birds?
• Get your “scary” animal fix, from vampires to zombie ants.
• Take a peek at a “spooky” animal photo gallery … if you dare!
• A truly scary Halloween story: Bats Are In Trouble
• Halloween roundup: Get fun outdoor kids’ activities and more.

Just Getting Around

On land, frogs and toads are constantly jumping.  Frogs are generally recognized as the best jumpers of all vertebrates. The Australian rocket frog, for example, can leap over 50 times its body length (two inches) resulting in jumps of close to seven feet.

Kangaroos are marsupial mammals and are the only large animals to use hopping as a principal means of locomotion. The comfortable hopping speed for red kangaroos, for example, is about 15 mph, but they can reach speeds of 40 mph over short distances.  Moreover, some kangaroos can leap more than 10 feet in the air when they have to.

Kangaroo rats are small rodents native to North America.  Their name comes from their bipedal mode of movement as they hop around in a manner that reminds one of kangaroos.

Lemurs are a form of primate unique to Madagascar.  In addition to their incredible looks, some species have an equally incredible way of jumping instead of running (this video shows how unusual and fascinating lemur leaping can be).

Other creatures known for hopping and jumping as they move about include rabbits and grasshoppers.

Gazelles are a species of antelope that mostly walk until they get excited (or threatened).  The tiny Thompson’s gazelle exhibits the very distinctive behavior of “stotting” (running slowly and jumping very high before fleeing).  Like kangaroos, gazelles can leap more than 10 feet into the air.

Jumping on Attack

A species of snake common to Mexico and Central America is known as the jumping viper.  This name comes from its ability to launch itself up to two feet at an attacker during a strike.  In essence, they strike at their assailants with such force that they leave the ground

Jumping spiders are also a species that leaps to attack.  There are 5,000 species of jumping spider in the world which makes up about 13% of all spider species. Interestingly when they leap, they spin a silky thread of web behind them just in case they miss their mark and need to climb back up.

Jumping In Migration

Many creatures use their ability to leap in migration.  Gazelles are one example, but fish can do the same.  As salmon make their way upstream they are able to shoot themselves 10 to 12 feet up a waterfall.   This assumes they are not snatched from mid air by a hungry bear as they make it to their spawning grounds.  The trip is hazardous and the jumping itself can be so draining the these fish can take hours to recover as this video shows.

Jumping Big Cats

Lions and tigers can jump almost equally high.  The vertical leap record for a tiger is more than 12 feet, and the lion is just a few inches less.

The puma is, however, the best jumper of all the mammals.  Pumas, or mountain lions, can leap more than 20 feet straight up without a running start

Jumping For Fun

Even masssive whales can jump straight up out of the water.  Humpbacked whales are famous for this behavior, which is referred to as breaching.  Their tails may still be in the water, but a whale’s head can be 30 feet or more in the air.

Orcas, often called killer whales, can jump close to 20 feet in the air and they actually leave the water (watch this amazing video showing an orca breach).

The mackerel shark holds the fish record for a highest jump from the water having soared more than 20 feet above the waves.

There are, of course, flying fish, but they use their fins to soar many yards but ususally stay low to the water.

Jumping to Come Ashore

Seals and penguins are land dwellers that spend much of their time in the water.  When they come to shore they are sometimes forced to make a huge water-powered leap such shown in this video of penguins springing up on to the Antarctic ice from the sea.  They often jump back into the water feet first.

Jumping from on High

Flying squirrels do not really fly.   They take huge leaps of faith and glide to their destination from on high.  The longest known glide is close to 100 yards. (Watch this video of flying squirrels.)

Jumping Beans

OK, you are saying to yourself that a Mexican jumping bean is not an animal.  That is true.  But inside the bean lurks a larval moth that puts the “jumping” into jumping bean. The moths jump when they get hot, trying to snap their body into a cooler place, as this “weird nature” video reveals.

So there you have it – a look at wild creatures that hop, jump and spring across the land, the water and into the air.  At the National Wildlife Federation we hope to see many great places for these amazing species, and all of the other “jumpers” of the world set aside and protected.

Hop on over to our website for more fun facts, posters, activities, lesson plans and games to help you celebrate National Wildlife Week >>