Natural Surroundings

Rhino Beetles Found Only in Arizona

April 19, 2011 By Andrea Aker 1 Comment

Q: I have lived here all of my 32 years, and ever since I can remember, every summer at night, I see the biggest, ugliest and fiercest-looking brown beetle. The other night I saw one of these things and sprayed it with bug killer, which only seemed to disorient it. It took undiluted tick poison to kill it. What are these things?

A: You know, if I were rich, I would just buy you people bug books and let you figure these things out by yourselves. I usually just throw away the bug questions because they are usually pretty vague. Along the lines of “I saw a black bug. What was it?”

However, in this case, I’m just about 100 percent sure that this guy saw—and needlessly slaughtered—a rhinoceros beetle, Dynastes granti.

They are the largest North American beetles and are believed to be found only in Arizona.

Filed Under: Natural Surroundings, Only in Arizona, Valley of the Sun Tagged With: insects

Are There Opossums in Arizona?

April 11, 2011 By Andrea Aker 2 Comments

Q: My wife swears she saw an opossum the other night while walking the dog in our Mesa neighborhood. I think she was seeing things. Settle our bet. Are there opossums in Arizona?

A: Are there opossums in Arizona? Are you kidding?

Why do you think some parts of the state are uninhabited? There are opossums out there the size of St. Bernards, mutated by the drift from nuclear testing back in the ’50s. Their teeth are as long as car keys, and they are notoriously short-tempered. In 1973, a group of Boy Scouts camping near…

OK, I made that stuff up. I thought it might be more interesting than the real answer, which is: Sort of.

There are opossums in Arizona, although it is highly unlikely that the missus saw one in Mesa. Unlikely, but not impossible.

Arizona’s opossum population mostly confines itself to the area from Tucson south to the border.

Filed Under: Natural Surroundings, Odd Observations, Southern Arizona Tagged With: wildlife

What Causes “Pool of Water” Reflections on the Road?

March 25, 2011 By Andrea Aker Leave a Comment

Q: On a cross-country trip, my husband and I started wondering about those “pool of water” reflections on the road ahead. What causes that?

A: These travelers have seen, as we all have, a very common mirage. There are two kinds of mirages: inferior and superior. Inferior means the object is displaced downward. Superior is the other way around. The road thing is an inferior mirage.

On a sunny day the surface of the road and the air just above it get very hot. The air just above that is fairly cool in comparison. Now, light travels faster through warm air than it does through cold air because warm air is less dense. Hence, when light hits that hot air just above the road surface at a certain angle, it changes speed and is bent upward. As a result

Filed Under: Natural Surroundings, Weather Talk Tagged With: heat, summer, weather

What’s Lurking Around the Valley? Snakes, Gila Monsters and More

March 14, 2011 By Andrea Aker Leave a Comment

Q: Since we moved to Arizona, my daughter and I have become avid hikers. The other day we saw our first rattlesnake. How many kinds of rattlesnakes are there around here?

A: I hate to tell you this, but there are a lot of them. And not just rattlesnakes. There are coral snakes, and a lot of others, including Gila monsters and killer bees. We’re not supposed to call them killer bees anymore. Africanized bees is the term. Call ’em what you like, they’re not nice neighbors.

The good news is your chances of being bitten or stung or otherwise killed by any of these creatures are fairly small, unless you’re a dope or just naturally unlucky. A study a few years ago showed, as I recall, that the primary victims of rattlesnake bites are young, White males who had been drinking. Of course, the primary cause of a lot of problems is young, White males who have been drinking.

Filed Under: Natural Surroundings, Valley of the Sun Tagged With: wildlife

Are Horny Toads Disappearing from Phoenix?

March 3, 2011 By Andrea Aker Leave a Comment

Q: When I was a kid growing up in Phoenix there used to be horny toads everywhere. I even had a pet horny toad. Now I never see them. What happened to all the horny toads?

A: You had a pet horny toad? That’s sad. Couldn’t you get your parents to buy you a dog or a cat or a goldfish or something?

Now, for one thing, horny toads are not really toads. They are horned lizards. There are 14 species of these beasties in North and South America, eight in the United States. They are distinguished by 30 to 35 spines of varying lengths around the head and neck. They are about as Arizonan as you can get. Almost every ancient
Native American culture—Anasazi, Hohokam, Mogollon— recorded horny toads in pottery or petroglyphs.

I consulted with Glenn Walsberg, professor of biology at Arizona State University, on the matter of the scarcity of horny toads

Filed Under: Natural Surroundings, Odd Observations, Valley of the Sun Tagged With: desert, phoenix, wildlife