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

Dew drops on a spider web

Photo by Flickr member cchoc
See more of cchoc’s photos on Flickr >>

Your Photo Could Be Here

We want one of your nature photos to be the next Photo of the Day! Share your images with our Flickr group and tag them with PhotoOfTheDay-NWF12.

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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).

Crows and Ravens

Raven U.S. FWS

• They remember your face. Once a crow is mad at you and it will remember it doesn’t like you for ages and will raise a real fuss when it sees you.
• They conspire. Crows communicate at a high level with one another using dozens of different “caws.” This helps them organize to pursue certain food sources (Farmer Brown’s corn), post lookouts and chase off predators.
• They use tools and can plan ahead. Crows have been seen using twigs to pry open food or to check on whether a snake is alive but their most unbelievable feat is to lay hard-to-open nuts on a road and wait for a vehicle to come by and break it open. Now THAT is scary!

Spiders

They are so frightening to so many people that their images have become a constant for Halloween. They even have their own psychiatric condition: Arachnophobia

Giant Spider Web Texas FWP

• You can’t get away from them. There are about 70,000 species in the world.
• Black widow spiders may be the scariest because they often cannibalize they mates.
• Some species of tarantulas can fight off predators by shooting irritating hairs at them.
• What might be the largest spider web ever was found in a Texas Park a few years back and covered several trees.  It was so big it drew thousands of visitors.
• The true spiders of the order Araneae comprise the largest group of carnivorous animals on Earth.

Bats

Bats have become associated with blood sucking vampires. They are mostly nocturnal and certain species (vampire bats) do indeed draw blood in small amounts from animals for food. This make them seem scary but they do not harm humans. There are other things about bats you should know.

• They are the only flying mammal. A flying squirrel does not actually fly, it glides.
• The largest bat (the Malaysian flying fox) has a six foot wingspan
• One bat will eat 2,000 to 6,000 insects per night.
• The Honduran white bat, a colorful snow-white, cuts leaves to make “tents” to protect its small colonies from drenching jungle rains.
  

  Flyin Fox Bat Cns. Intnl.

• Sadly, North America’s bat colonies are besieged by a life-threatening fungus that is wiping out entire colonies. Scientists are working hard to find cures and solutions.

Black Cats

They are associated with bad luck.  If one crosses your path, legend has it you are in for hard times or a mishap. Black domestic cats are fairly common in the U.S. but you have to go pretty far to find a true American black cat. The Jaguar may be the best candidate.

• It is the largest cat in the Americas at 200 to 250 pounds and six to eight feet in length.  It roams the forests of Central and South America but a few of them live in the Southwest U.S.
• There are black jaguars in the wild whose darker color is due to a variation known as melanism.  The basic spots are still there but are just harder to see.
• Jaguars are terrific swimmers and (like bats) they mostly hunt at night.
• The jaguar’s name means “a beast that kills its prey with a single bound.”  That is pretty scary too.
• The North American Jaguar is extremely rare and highly endangered and will require more territory to survive.

Halloween is surely a time for family fun and maybe even a little outdoor (spooky) time with the kids.  But it is also a time to appreciate the fascinating and complex creatures that we love to make us scared.  These “scary” creatures pose no real threat to humans and many are suffering from the effects of habitat loss, pollution and more.  National Wildlife Federation is working every day to protect our most endangered species for many Halloweens to come. Here is how to support and contribute to NWF.

This entry from the annual National Wildlife Photo Contest, submitted by Lakshmi Vadlamani, shows a dancing lady spider in Namibia. When this spider wants to flee danger, it can flip on its side and cartwheel at a speed of 44 turns a second. Though only 0.8 inches long, it can dig burrows up to 19.6 inches deep, moving 80,000 times its weight in sand. Can Spiderman do better?

With that background, we get to today’s question: How do Spiderman’s abilities stack up against those of a real spider?

Read on.

 Strength and Agility

Spiderman is famed for his web-suspended swings from building to building over city streets. You can find examples of equally amazing leaps and bounds among real arachnids if you take a look at jumping spiders. In a single leap a jumping spider can cover as much as 50 times its own length. It does so by using a powerful internal muscle that blasts fluids from the body into the legs, flinging the spider through the air. If the current holder of the world record for the long jump, Norwegian Arne Tvervaag, could make a comparable leap, he’d cover about 300 feet from a standing start; instead his record, set in 1968, is 12 feet 2 inches.

Walking Up Walls

Thanks to a stick-to-almost-anything skin, Spiderman can walk up walls. So can most spiders (if you’re a tarantula, do not try this at home—you’re too big and meant for burrowing). Each leg of a spider capable of climbing walls ends in a brushy covering of hair, and the end of each hair is in turn covered with microscopic organs that can take hold of small bumps in most surfaces, allowing the spider to go up walls and even across ceilings. This ability may be defeated (no pun intended; okay, it was intended) by very smooth surfaces, such as that of a bathroom sink.

Spider Sense

Spiderman is able to sense danger lurking near, the warning signal coming as a pain in his head that varies with the intensity of the threat. Spiders can detect danger coming their way with an early-warning system called eyes. You probably expected that. But that’s not all: their most important source of information about the world and its hazards comes from highly sensitive hairs that cover the bodies of most spiders. These hairs perceive even low-level vibrations coming through whatever surface a spider is standing on. Many species also bear hairs that sense vibrations in the air, including sound.

Webs

Spiderman can fire strands of web from his wrists.  Early in his career, he invented devices for doing this, but in later incarnations he developed biological adaptations that allowed him to make webs naturally. He can capture villains with the sticky stuff and use it like ropes for swinging from building to building. Real spiders produce several types of webs—some that are not sticky but serve as a superstructure for webs, some that are sticky and capture prey, some used for wrapping up prey in neat little packages (which, in some species, are given as gifts by males to females while courting; whether Spiderman has super gift-giving powers remains unrecorded). Some smaller spiders producer gossamer web, used as a sort of sail that catches the wind and can carry a spider far and wide, which probably explains in part why spiders are found almost everywhere in the world.

Spider silk comes from glands on the arachnid’s posterior, with different silks produced by different types of glands. Some silks are comparable in strength to high-grade alloy steel and can stretch up to four times their relaxed length without breaking. Made basically of protein and water, the silk is extremely lightweight once it dries. A single strand long enough to encircle the globe would weigh about 1 pound 2 ounces.

We’re Not Done Yet

Do you think spiders aren’t beautiful?  Check a spectacular photo of a jumping spider and another of a famously venomous species.

Spiders and Kid Stuff

A spidery activity for children and a way to make candy spiders.

Help Wildlife in Your Home and Theirs

Spiders abound in nature and fit into the larger scheme of most ecosystems.  Find out how you can help wildlife in your neighborhood.

National Wildlife Photo Contest

If taking wildlife photos is an enthusiasm of yours, whether in the far reaches of distant wilderness or in your own backyard, then submit your favorite images to National Wildlife’s 42nd Annual Photo Contest. The deadline is July 16, so there’s still plenty of time to enter. This year’s competition features some great prizes, including a $5,000 grand prize, and you can submit photos in seven categories, including one devoted just to backyard wildlife and natural gardening.

Black Widow Spider, Photo Credit: NIH.gov

You Look Good Enough to Eat

For males, the red hour glass marking on black widow spiders should be an indicator that their time is up. Ordinary gifts won’t do for the females of this species; these venomous femme fatales require the ultimate sacrifice. Black widows are notorious mate eaters, and they’re hardly alone. Female praying mantises, scorpions, midges and other spiders are also known to decapitate and gobble up their significant others.

Love Hurts

Scientists have several theories about the motivation of mate eaters and their victims. Experts speculate that self-sacrifice may increase reproductive success for males by providing extra nutrition to the mother of their offspring. Other researchers suggest mate munching is just a case of mistaken identity. Also, killing members of the opposite sex may be a way of eliminating competition for food.

Chinese Praying Mantis on the sidewalk at NWF headquarters, Photo Credit: MABlevins

Some males in the mate-eating world, however, are quick enough and lucky enough to escape. However, ladies in the animal kingdom aren’t the only ones who take love bites too far. Male paddle crabs can flip the script and devour their mates, too.

A dozen roses doesn’t seem like too much to ask, especially in comparison to what some six and eight-legged females require. Sacrificing a little time this Valentine’s Day is much better than sacrificing your life.

More for Valentine’s Day

• Valentine’s Day: A Holiday for Real Animals
• Best Photos and Videos of Wildlife L’Amour
• 10 Animal Heart Facts for Valentine’s Day
• Read how seabirds send “love letters” to their potential mates

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 >>

My Certified Wildlife Habitat^® Halloween costume from 2001

Every year at National Wildlife Federation’s Headquarters office, we hold a Halloween party with prizes for costumes. I like making costumes from recycled materials because of the intellectual challenge and inexpensive supplies.

A few years ago, they even made a special prize for costumes from recycled items (other than secondhand clothing) to encourage this behavior. The prize is a carbon offset from Carbonfund.

Here are some of my award-winning costumes:

Certified Wildlife Habitat

The first time I participated in the Halloween costume contest was in 2001, and I had not figured out my passion for re-using garbage yet. But I did scour local secondhand stores for any little stuffed toys of wildlife, along with any small gardening knick knacks. I made a bird bath by attaching a large plastic lid to a hat.

My costume? A walking Certified Wildlife Habitat^®, one of National Wildlife Federation’s most successful programs. When I won the top prize, my new Halloween costume hobby was born.

My octopus Halloween costume from 2002

Octopus

In 2002, I collected the little plastic containers from the Keurig coffee machines. I cleaned out the coffee grounds and put them in my composter. I took four grey sweatshirts and stuffed the arms. Then I pinned the little coffee cups to the arms with safety pins. Finally, I put on all the sweatshirts at one time.

I loved this costume, although I wish now that I had chosen more colorful sweatshirts to make it more fun.

My armadillo Halloween costume from 2003

Armadillo

In 2003, I saved the metal discs from frozen juice containers all year long. My husband helped me punch holes in them and we threaded them together into something like a metal cape. Then I used medical supply bandages (the ones with the plaster embedded) on a recycled plastic milk jug to make the head. I painted it with beige paint and drew on the eyes. The nose was the jug handle turned around.

This was the year that my daughter Nora was born, and I was still on maternity leave during our Halloween party. So I carried her around during the Halloween party and I was “Nora’s pet armadillo.”

My Raiser's Edge Halloween costume from 2004, and my friend Kim, the Froot Loops Toucan

Raiser’s Edge Software

Raiser’s Edge is the software that National Wildlife Federation uses to keep track of our members and supporters.

In 2004, I noticed a box of old name tags that someone was throwing away because they were bent up and dusty from an outdoors event. It gave me the idea to be our Raiser’s Edge database. I wrote pretend descriptions of members on little cards and put them in the name tags. Then I pinned them all over my body.

My one-year-old daughter was a black poodle that year and was fascinated with all the name tags.

Spider Web

In 2005, I noticed a local cafe  purchased their drinks with those plastic rings to hold them together.

My spider's web Halloween costume from 2005

You probably have heard about how these rings can choke wildlife if they are littered on the ground, and generally it is a good idea to cut the rings into bits before disposing of them.

I asked the lady at the cafe to save the rings for me to make my costume. My husband and I spent many nights tying these rings together with small bits of string into a web. Then we used poles from my tent to make a large ring. I made a hat into a spider out of Lean Cuisine lunch containers. I also made my two-year-old daughter a spider costume from a black t-shirt with legs I sewed on my sewing machine. It was fun having a joint costume!

My renewable energy Halloween costume from 2007

Renewable Energy

I took a break from making costumes in 2006 because my son was born and he had colic, so I didn’t get much creative time. But in 2007, I made a renewable energy costume.

The wind turbine was made from a recycled oatmeal container attached to my bike helmet, with a plastic container on the front and cardboard turbine blades. The solar energy panel was my armadillo costume recycled onto a piece of cardboard wrapped in shiny wrapping paper. And the geo-thermal system running down my leg was my tent poles again.

Isn’t it cool to see how my daughter gets bigger every year in these photos?

My zebra Halloween costume from 2008

Zebra

In 2008, I undertook my most complicated costume ever. I cleaned out even more Keurig coffee dispenser cups and pinned them on my clothing with hundreds of safety pins. It took about six hours to pin all the cups.

I recycled the armadillo head and made it a zebra head. I added padding on the nose and painted it black and white, adding a mane of black and white pipe cleaners. While it was not the most slimming costume, it sure was fun to wear, making a clip-clop sound when the cups bumped into each other.

My snow flurry Halloween costume from 2009

Snow Flurry

In 2009, I could not have predicted that Virginia was going to get an unbelievable amount of snow, but my Halloween costume sure was on theme!

I saved plastic lids from yogurt containers. I cut snowflake designs out of paper, and then taped them to the lids. Using an exacto knife, I then cut the snowflake designs into the lids. I tried to be creative with this to make it more fun, so there were snowflakes with all sorts of wildlife, plants and other themes incorporated. I made the hat from a tube of cardboard painted blue, trimmed with cotton batting.

Unfortunately, I did not get to make as many snow flakes as I had hoped due to my crazy schedule, but it still was a fun costume.

Halloween 2010 – What Will I Be?

You might wonder – what’s the plan for this year? Well, it’s on my dining room table and I can’t wait until Thursday for our Halloween contest. I’ll give you a hint – it’s a colorful costume and it ”caps” off my Halloween costume story. See you later this week when I unveil this year’s creation!