CALIFORNIA SPINY LOBSTER

This lobster lives along the coast of California, from Monterey Bay to Mexico (west coast). Interestingly, this lobster lacks claws. It lives among rocks, in depths up to 213 feet. These lobsters annually migrate (fall and winter) from shallow into deeper water.

They prefer to live among rocky bottoms in relatively deep water (e.g., as much as 213 feet deep). They feed on sea urchins, clams, worms, etc. These lobsters are nocturnal and migratory. They use acoustic sounds as a defense mechanism. They can live up to 50 years. 

Its name “spiny” is derived from the forward pointing spines on its body, which is reddish-brown in color. This lobster, which lives among rocks and can weigh up to 16 pounds (i.e., about 12 inches long), has an enlarged pair of antennae. The California “sheephead fish” is a major predator of this lobster. Other predators are the horn shark, leopard shark, octopus, and sea otters.

   Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Arthropoda

Clade (1 of them)

Class Malacostraca

Order Decapoda

Family Palinuridae

Genus Panulirus

Type Species P. interruptus

Figure 1. A spiny lobster, via the “Aquarium of the Pacific” in southern California. 

BOBCAT IN Southern California

The bobcat (scientific name Lynx rugus) pictured here is one of four extant species of wildcats. Lynx is native to North America (southern Canada, all of the USA, Baja California Mexico, Mexico, and northern Central America. These cats become smaller in size southward. Georgia, Texas, and California have high numbers of these cats. In total, there are about 35 species of bobcats.

These cats, which live in chaparral, brush, swamps, and forest areas. They are solitary and usually nocturnal. They are opportunistic feeders, but their main prey is rabbits, mice, rats, squirrels, and ground-dwelling birds. They can climb trees. They are mostly active at night (= i.e., they are crepuscular). 

They are very efficient hunters with long, sharp, completely retractable claws, very powerful jaws, and dagger-like canines. Males and females look alike. Both have a short tail. Bobcats are usually to 30 pounds or so in weight. Definitely do not “mess” with them. Just leave them alone and have control of your dog or dogs.

Figure 1. A mature bobcat recently spotted in the city of Santa Clarita, Southern California  Note: This species has black bars on the forelegs. These bobcats can weigh up to 40 pounds and be up 50 inches long, including the tail). Also, its hind prints usually fall directly on top of its fore prints.

Many years ago, while doing geologic mapping, I came across a bobcat in open country in the hills along the north side of Simi Valley, southern California. The animal was as scared as I was and took off in a hurry. 

The on-going construction of vast housing tracts (with closely spaced homes, in previously beautiful hilly “open country”) has undoubtedly severely displaced native mammals, such as the bobcat.

Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Mammalia

Order Carnivora

Family Felidae

Genus Lynx

Type Species L. rufus

Bobcats hunt rabbits but will also eat chickens, geese, and birds, as well as rodents and deer. 

Bobcats evolved from the Eurasian lynx, which crossed into North America via the Bering Land Bridge during Pleistocene (about 2.6 million years ago).

References

Macmillan Illustrated Animal Encyclopedia, 1984. Macmillan Publishing Company, New York. 600 pp. 

Wikipedia, 2026.

FREMONT COTTONWOOD TREE

Cottonwood trees are fast-growing, tall, and can be massive. Older ones have a thick, stout trunk that is grayish-brown or pale gray and marked by deep furrows, coarse ridges, and horizontal splits. These trees provide shade and windbreaks, and they help stabilize stream banks. 

These trees can live up to100 years or more (even 400 years!). Their native range is the eastern half of the USA. Today, they can found in the western half of the USA, Canada,  and Mexico.

The image shown below is a Fremont cottonwood tree growing in a public park near where I live in southern California, north of Los Angeles.

Figure 1. A Fremont cottonwood tree in Southern California.

Figure 2. A leaf from a Fremont cottonwood tree.

Figure 3. “Cotton” fluff  (with a seed visible) from a Fremont cottonwood tree.

  Classification

Kingdom Plantae

Phylum

Clades (4 of them)

Order Malpighiales

Familly Salicaceae = the Willow family

Genus Populus

Type Species P. detoides

 Female cottonwood trees produce the “cotton” (= a white fluffy material), which contains seed capsules. In late spring, these capsules split open and lease millions of tiny seeds, each attached to a tuff of “cotton.” Thus, they are contained in “parachutes” that float around in the air, until they land and sprout.

Cottonwood trees have relatively low commercial value because their wood is not that hard. It is relatively “soft” and thus used for paper making and for some furniture. It is good for wildlife habitation but a poor choice for residential landscaping. It has low heat output when burned. It is also good for wildlife habitats and for woodworking. 

Their geologic time range is early Eocene (about 50 million years ago) to the present. 

THE INSIDE OF A METEORITE

A meteorite is a piece of rock that came from outer space. It had to survive its journey through the Earth’s atmosphere and not completely “burn up.” Then it has to be found (a very rare rock to find) after hitting the Earth’s surface. 

Meteorites are between 4.50 and 4.56 billion years old (i.e., as old as the Solar System itself!).

The meteorite shown is one that survived. It was given to me by a friend (and former student), who is now deceased.

This meteorite is heavy, as many meteorites are because they consist of iron and nickel. This meteorite was sliced open (using an especially hard and sharp saw blade). 

Figure 1. Exterior of a slice (8 cm long, 6 ½ cm wide and 18 mm thick) of an iron and stony-iron meteorite that shows the exterior and interior (see Figure 2) of this meteorite.

Figure 2. Interior of the same meteorite slice shown above. The interior shows a characteristic pattern found in the interior of some meteorites; namely a geometric interlocking crystal pattern called a “Widmanstatten pattern.”

CROCODILE-MONITOR LIZARD

It is aboreal (lives in trees) and is one of the world’s longest lizards (up to 8 to 10 feet in length). That puts it near the length of its “cousin,” the monitor lizard, but the latter is more massive. 

                                                                            Figure 1. An adult crocodile-monitor lizard.

The crocodile-monitor lizard is known for its sharp fangs and hooked claws. It has a very long and powerful tail that is prehensile, thus it can hang onto branches with its rear legs and its tail. The crocodile-monitor lizard is an excellent climber and swimmer. It is an effective hunter on land and in the water. It is aggressive and unpredictable, thus not a good pet! Their bite is not venomous.

This lizard, which is endemic to New Guinea, South America, lives in swamps and forests mangrove in South America.

 Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

 Class Reptilia

Order Squamata

Family Varanidae

Genus Varanus

Type Species: V. salvadorii

Based on DNA sequences, the crocodile-moniter lizard is part of a “lizard species cluster group” that reached Australia (via Asia) about 32 million years ago (middle Oligocene time), when Australia and southeast Asia were connected (via the Indonesian archipelago). About 17 million years ago (middle Miocene time), the crocodile-monitor lizard evolved) (Wikipedia, 2026). 

Note: Supposedly, you can see the crocodile lizard alive at the Smithsonian Institution. Also, there are some good videos online about this lizard.

REFERENCE

Wikipedia, 2026.

SOME OXYMORONS and PLEONASMS

OXYMORONS

An oxymoron is a combination of contradictory terms.

__________________________________________

Act naturally

Almost exactly

Alone together

Awfully good

Bittersweet

Clearly misunderstood

Clearly confused

Deafening silence

Definite maybe

Diet ice cream

Exact estimate

Extinct life

Found missing

Good grief

Genuine imitation

Growing smaller

Jumbo shrimp

Known unknown

Living dead

Living fossil

New Classic

Old news

Organized chaos

Original copy

Passive aggressive

Plastic glasses

Platic silverware

Pretty ugly

Same difference

Serious joke

Silent scream

Small crowd

Soft rock

Taped live

Temporary tax increase

Terribly pleased

Tragic comedy

Twelve-once, pound cake

Virtual reality

Working vacation

PLEONASMS

 

A pleonasm is the use of more words than necessary. In pleonasms, the extra word is redundant. 

___________________________

ATM machine: [the “M” already stands for machine.]

Burning fire 

Tuna fish

True fact

AN EARLY HAY BALER?

This post concerns a presumed antique hay bailer that was abandoned long ago on a ranch on the north side of Simi Valley in southern California. In the late 1970's, I was doing some field work in this area and came across this piece of ranch machinery. That was about the time that this former ranch was also being considered to become a country club “development.” That never happened, and the ranch continued for a short time (at a much reduced scale) to do agriculture work, cattle raising, and oil drilling. Eventually, the owners “pulled up stakes,” and the land fortunately became an official part of the “Marr Ranch Open Space,” which can now be used (for free!) by hikers. 

Figure 1. A hay baler?, on the old Marr Ranch, north side of Simi Valley, Southern California. This photograph was taken by me in the late 1970's. Note:  you can see another image (taken by someone else in recent years) of this exact same baler (with fewer weeds around it) online on Youtube: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?=9AGzSURu_W      

This presumed baler is still in the same exact location as when I photographed it. 

I became curious as to the vintage of this small, presumed hay baler. Hay balers were invented about 1850 or so, when farmers started bailing hay. Horses were used to pull the portable hay balers. In the 1930’s, balers became attached to tractors. By 1971 or so, the first large-sized hay baler (used for large-scale work) became available to ranchers/farmers.

In summary, in my opinion, it is likely that the presumed small, hay baler that I came across was probably a model used in the 1940s, or shortly thereafter.