Thursday, July 30, 2009

Multi-generational Whitetailed Doe Home Range

Recently, I queried a question to my blog readers to see if they may have seen a behavior that I have observed here . That of the returning year after year of a whitetailed doe to the same place to birth and raise her fawns. It took a little phrase manipulation in my GOOGLE searches to find exactly what I needed. Using the phrase "Whitetailed Doe Matriarchal Home Range" brought me to the pages that seemed to read my mind and provide the answers I sought. One site in particular that I came across gave a twenty year time-line. Researchers Michael E. Nelson and L. David Mech of the Biological Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, 8711 - 37th St. SE, Jamestown, ND 58401-7317, U.S.A., provided in-depth generational dispersions. Table of Contents Introduction Methods Results Capture and Demography Home-range Dynamics Matriarch (M112) Daughter (D106) Granddaughters (G6381 and G6996) Great-Granddaughters (GG6974 and GG7000) Summer Range Relationships Table 1 -- Location data for six deer from the Gabbro Lake matriline. Discussion Acknowledgments References Figures Fig. 1 -- Genetic relationships, ages and years of first capture and end of radio-tracking interval for a 20-year white-tailed deer matriline. Fig. 2 -- Locations of M112 during March-November 1977 and D106 during April-June 1976. Fig. 3 -- Locations of M112 and D106 during April-November 1979. Fig. 4 -- Locations of D106, G6381, and GG6974 during (A) April-May; and (B) June-August 1988. Fig. 5 -- Locations of G6996 and GG7000 in April-August 1988. Fig. 6 -- Locations of G6996 and GG7000 in April-October 1990. If you happen to be interested in knowing the home-range tendencies of the whitetail doe, clicking on the whitetailed doe link will open up the documented findings of Researchers Michael E. Nelson and L. David Mech at the United States Geological Survey website. I found at that point going down to the links in the lower left corner right under the discussion article would get you back to the research. Another link I tried to provide has not been recently updated so it isn't available to get you directly to each segement. In my opinion to use a coined phrase "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree" would absolutely fit the behaviors of the does. They may move a little further out with each generation. However, matriarchal bloodlines are still found within a defined area. As I reflect on the information it supports my own observations. Certainly I won't be going out and putting tracking collars on the does, or getting blood samples to verify relationships but I could get some pictures from year to year. The question has been adequately answered in my estimation and will go on from now into eternity...;)

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Where to Live After Retirement

Yesterday, I received these little comical observations about the best places to live after you retire in an e-mail. Take a look and see what you think...do they fit? You can live in Phoenix , Arizona where..... 1. You are willing to park 3 blocks away because you found shade. 2. You've experienced condensation on your butt from the hot water in the toilet bowl. 3. You can drive for 4 hours in one direction and never leave town. 4. You have over 100 recipes for Mexican food. 5. You know that 'dry heat' is comparable to what hits you in the face when you open your oven door. 6. The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??! You can Live in California where... 1. You make over $250,000 and you still can't afford to buy a house. 2. The fastest part of your commute is going down your driveway. 3. You know how to eat an artichoke. 4. You drive your rented Mercedes to your neighborhood block party. 5. When someone asks you how far something is, you tell them how long it will take to get there rather than how many miles away it is. 6. The 4 seasons are: Fire, Flood, Mud, and Drought. You can Live in New York City where... 1. You say 'the city' and expect everyone to know you mean Manhattan 2. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park, but can't find Wisconsin on a map. 3. You think Central Park is 'nature,' 4. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multi-lingual. 5. You've worn out a car horn. 6. You think eye contact is an act of aggression. You can Live in Maine where... 1. You only have four spices: salt, pepper, ketchup, and Tabasco 2. Halloween costumes fit over parkas. 3. You have more than one recipe for moose. 4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons. 5. The four seasons are: winter, still winter, almost winter, and construction. You can Live in the Deep South where... 1. You can rent a movie and buy bait in the same store. 2. 'y'all' is singular and 'all y'all' is plural. 3. 'He needed killin'' is a valid defense. 4. Everyone has 2 first names: Billy Bob, Jimmy Bob, Mary Sue, Betty Jean, etc. You can live in Colorado where... 1. You carry your $3,000 mountain bike atop your $500 car. 2. You tell your husband to pick up Granola on his way home and he stops at the day care center. 3. A pass does not involve a football or dating. 4. The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail. You can live in the Midwest where... 1. You've never met any celebrities, but the mayor knows your name. 2. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor. 3. You have had to switch from 'heat' to 'A/C' on the same day. 4. You end sentences with a preposition: 'Where's my coat at?' 5. When asked how your trip was to any exotic place, you say, 'It was different!' ( Goodness when I read this I thought, "They got it right!" ;) ) OR You can live in Florida where.. 1. You eat dinner at 3:15 in the afternoon. 2. All purchases include a coupon of some kind -- even houses and cars. 3. Everyone can recommend an excellent dermatologist. 4. Road construction never ends anywhere in the state. 5. Cars in front of you are often driven by headless people Have some fun already! Good day all!!! ;)