Download pptx - Island myths & legends

Transcript
Page 1: Island myths & legends

{

Island Myths & Legends

…and ACTION!

Page 2: Island myths & legends

an explanation for something

a symbolic narrative Usually involves a moral

or lesson learned the events are symbolic

rather than just the way it happened

A myth…

Page 3: Island myths & legends

a story which is told as if it were a historical event

may or may not be an elaborated version of a historical event

Robin Hood, Johnny Appleseed, Zorro

A legend

Page 4: Island myths & legends

unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type

It’s so special it only exists in that one location!

More special if that one location is small (like Prisoner’s Harbor on Santa Cruz island.)

An endemic species

Page 5: Island myths & legends

DIET: summer holly, cholla cactus, rose, sumac, nightshade, native deer mice, ground-nesting birds and occasionally grasshoppers and crickets.HABITAT: Valley and foothill grasslands, coastal dunes, coastal bluffs, coastal sage scrub, woodland, and coastal marsh.INTERESTING FACTS:

Descendants of the larger mainland gray fox. Foxes pair-bond for life. The first foxes are believed to have come to the islands

more than 18,000 years ago by floating from the mainland on storm-generated debris.

Genetically distinct subspecies of foxes evolved on six of the Channels Islands-San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, San Nicholas, San Clemente and Catalina.

Island foxes are the smallest North American canidae and occur only on the Channel Islands.

The average weight for an adult male is 5-6 lbs, about the size of a house cat.

Island FoxUrocyon littoralis santacruzae

Why is it smaller than its mainland cousins?

Page 6: Island myths & legends

HABITAT: Open ocean, nests on rocky islands. Breeds in protected rock crevices and burrows in colonies on offshore islands. Does not travel far from colonies after breeding season.

DIET: The larvae of spiny lobsters, plankton, and algae.

VOICE: Twittering and squeaking notes given near nest burrow.

INTERESTING FACTS: Ejects a musky orange oil when disturbed Nest on only a few islands off the West Coast, usually

in colonies of several hundred or a few thousand pairs. Half of the world’s population of Ashy Storm-Petrels

occur in Channel Islands National Park. THREATS: Pollution in foraging areas, bright lights.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, researchers found evidence of thinning eggshells caused by pesticides. Due to its restricted range and very small population size, the status of the species requires continue monitoring.

Ashy Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma

homochroa)

Why does it eject an orange oil?

Page 7: Island myths & legends

DIET: Wide variety of spiders, insects, pillbugs, moth larvae, a ground beetle and ants. They also eat an unusually large amount of plant material for a small lizard.HABITAT: Boxthorn, prickly pear cactus, cracks and crevices in and around rock outcrops, surface boulders that provide protections from predators. Native to Santa Barbara Island, San Nicolas, and San Clemente Islands.BEHAVIOR: Very sedentary, and have small home ranges, averaging about 183 sq. ft (17sq meters). Most active midday.THREATS: Numbers reduced due to farming, grazing, fire and introduction of nonnative animals and plants. Listed as threatened in 1977, the night lizard population has rebounded since then. INTERESTING FACTS:

These lizards can live up to 20 years or more Once established in a territory they generally remain

within a 3-meter radius their entire lives. Much larger than their cousins in the genus, the desert

night lizards of southern CA.

Island Night Lizard(Xantusia riversiana)

Why are they night lizards if they are

most active midday with such a small

range?

Page 8: Island myths & legends

California Brown Pelican(Pelecanus occidentalis californicus)

DIET: Pacific mackerel, Pacific sardines, and northern anchovies. Anchovies are 90% of their diet during the breeding season. HABITAT: Sandy coastal beaches nesting on the ground or cliffs of islands.BEHAVIOR: Pelicans are social birds. They fly in a single file low over the water (or in a V called a “squadron”. They usev heir keen eyesight to spot fish which they catch by plunge-diving at a shallow angle as they skim over the water or by diving at steep angles from heights of 6-18 m (20-60 ft) in the air. The dives are forceful enough to stun fish 2 m (6 ft) underwater. Once prey is captured, pelicans point their bills downward to drain water, then tip them up to swallow the fish headfirst, repositioning the fish if necessary by tossing it in the air and catching it again.INTERESTING FACTS: • The brown pelican is a conservation success

story. Classified as endangered in 1970, after the banning of DDT in 1972 populations have recovered.

• Look for a light blue eye during breeding season.

Why does it have a light blue eye

during breeding season?

Page 9: Island myths & legends

DIET: Insects, spiders, snakes, lizards, mice, and other birds’ eggs. They also eat the thick-shelled acorns of the Island oaks, and will bury acorns to eat, sniffing them out months later.HABITAT: Endemic to Santa Cruz Island. Prefers coast live-oak woodland or chaparral dominated by scrub oak.INTERESTING FACTS:

Larger, more brightly colored, and has a larger bill compared to its mainland cousin, the California Scrub-Jay

Island Scrub-Jay(Aphelocoma insularis)

How did it come to be larger than the

CA Scrub-Jay?