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MARCH 2009 VOLUME 118 NUMBER 2 www.naturalhistorymag.com

FEATURES COVER STORY 24 TO KILL A CORMORANT

Are double-crested cormorants over- running their niche—or simply recovering from centuries of suppression?

/ BY RICHARD J. KING

30 BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HYRAX

Two closely related species find safety

in numbers, except in the presence of people.

BY RONALD E. BARRY

DEPARTMENTS

2 THE NATURAL MOMENT 36 BOOKSHELF Bait Ball Season Laurence A. Marschall Photograph by Doug Penine 42 SKYLOG 6 WORD EXCHANGE Joe Rao

6 nature.net 44 AT THE MUSEUM Khan-quest Robert Anderson 48 ENDPAPER A Taste of the Wild 10 SAMPLINGS Aaron French News from Nature

22 BIOMECHANICS The Living Gomboc Adam Summers

ON THE cover: Double-crested cormorant sports breeding plumage

feather tufts on its head that give the species its common name. Martin B. Withers / FLPA ^f^' 0i^^¥^ \-af^l,ia^..^

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"* See preceding two pages

THE NATURAL EXPLANATION BY ERIN ESPELIE

When sardines squirmed down Doug Perrine's wet-suit collar for refuge, he began to question the

safety of his vantage point. It wasn't the tickling baitfish that concerned

him, it was the chance ot being ac- cidentally speared by striped marlin

in a feeding frenzy. Dozens of the high-speed predators {Tetraptimis aiidax) encroached upon Perrine as he was free diving off the tip ot the Baja Peninsula late last November. With the help of sea lions and even a few dolphins, the marlin had corralled a "bait ball" up and away from a massive shoal offish, mil- lions strong, that lay down below. Near the surface the predatory bunch HERE'S TO EVERY competed in picking apart the swirl- ing ball. Frigates and other seabirds TOUGH GUY WHO'S joined the action from above; the sea NOT AFRAID TO SHOW lions barked and blew bubbles as they worked the crowd below. Most fear- HIS SOFTER YET some, though, were the dexterous EQUALLY TOUGH SIDE. marlin, juveniles that on average mea- sured six feet long and weighed nine- ty pounds. They slashed, snatched, stunned, and impaled their prey by satellite, though easier in prac- even torpedo-chased individual fish tice, had proved inadequate.) out of the water to body-slam them Other major unknowns persist on the surface with their bills. in marlin biology—including the purpose of the creatures' rapid color According to fishermen, 2008 holds changes, made possible by special skin the record for the most "strip- cells called iridophores that are con- ies" around Baja in the last quar- trolled by the nervous system. Per- ter century. Michael L. Domeier, rine reports that marlin "light up in a director of the Offield Center for bright neon blue as they herd the bait- Billfish Studies in Fallbrook, Cali- fish, maneuver, and communicate." fornia, suggests -that withdrawal As for the danger, Perrine said, "It

of a Japanese longline fleet may be was like I was in a fencing match with responsible. Yet accurate population a dozen expert swordsmen at once." estimates are elusive. That's one rea- And when one marlin swam by with

son why Domeier is spearheading an another marlin's broken bill impaled arduous archival-tagging program, in its side, he realized with a sinking

launched in the fall. (Data collection feeling that even experts miss.

Doug Perrine holds B.S. and M.A. degrees in marine biol- ^ SeaPics.com, ogy from the University of Miami. He founded which he operated for eighteen years before moving on and winning the top prize in the 2004 BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. In 2007 two of his photographs were declared by Sciibd Diving magazine to be among the twenty-five best dive photos ever taken. He lives in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

fPR the toughest jobs on planet earth.® ;:'j7800-966-3458 gorillatough.com Made in U.S.A.

4 NATURAL HISTORY March 2009 ''*.fi

-. ^^K~~ i-„-«,-™i.earth, you 11 feel an intimate and authentic connection r to a treasury of life^lra^ing experiences in Belize. Be one with extraordinary wildlife, the Hemisphere's largesy^Bj^pf ^ntfThe warm people of this Caribbean gateway to the mystical BELizd Maya world. And ju^H^HPlbur flight from the U.S., Belize is the only English-speaking MOTHER NATURES BEST KEPT SECRET country in Central Ame^Kj^t t)i£|ifiei}i2e. Call 800-624-0686 or visit TravelBelize.org. WORD EXCHANGE Enature.net by robert anderson \N-QUEST Out of Print rr:r—^-T ,.= V"- , . . ,. Olivia Judson's "Life Zone" column on fingerprints ["Sticky Fingers," ^l^^^'^"^ mm ~ ViTTORio Maestro Editor m Chief 12/08-1/09] was a great story but ._ |^_| ===•=.-====.•===.=7 [jy didn't address the effects of aging. Steven R. Black Art Director After 9/11, needing security clear- ™ Erin Espelie Executive Editor

ance, I had a full set of fingerprints Senior Editors HIZ_ W^M filed Rebecca Kessler, Dolly Setton taken and with the FBI. But "^TiTiTTiTimimr— -JHP Melisa Beveridge Assistant Art Director now, at the age of seventy-three and a AFTER READING anthropologist Jack Annie Gottlieb Copy Chief half, my fingerprints are all but gone. Weatherford's Genghis Khan and the Graciela Flores Editor-at-Large Florence Brauner Volunteer My right thumb appears to have a Making of the Modem World (Crown, 2004),

full print, but the other digits on both I turned to the Internet to learn more. A site hands are now virtually smooth. A called TimeMap (http://www.timemap.net) Contributing Editors features an applet that assists in visualizing Robert Anderson, Olivia Judson, Avis Lang, senior-citizen friend of mine was such things as environmental change, Charles Liu, Laurence A. Marschall, Richard Milner. Stephan Reebs, denied clearance for a job, because weather patterns, traffic flow, urban Robert H. Mohlenbrock, Joe Rao, Judy A. Rice, Adam Summers, Neil deOrasse Tyson of a lack of fingerprints. Can digital growth—and, yes, the spread of empires. includes equipment still read the prints even if Their Animations page a sample map that shows how the Great Khan's Charles E. Harris Publisher an ink pad doesn't register any? realm rapidly expanded to link most of Edgar L. Harrison Advertising Director Don Cook Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe Maria Volpe Promotion Director Skokie, Illinois for the first time. For my guide to Web sites Sonia W Paratore National Advertising Manager Adam Cohen Advertising Manager exploring the archaeology of the Mongol Meredith Miller Production Manager Empire and its legacy—by no means all Olivia JuDSON replies: Don Cook Joe Sharkey Manager, Publishing Services bad—please visit the magazine online raises an important point that has (www.naturalhistorymag.com). For advertising information been generally overlooked in the call 646-356-6508 ROBERT ANDERSON is a freelance science writer scientific literature. However, a wlio lives in Los Angeles. Advertising Sales Representatives

recent report on biometrics com- Detroit—Bzrron Media Sales, LLC, 313-268-3996 missioned by the British govern- C/iiM^t>—Robert Purdy & Associates, 312-726-7800 West Coast—On Course Media Sales,310-710-7414 ment did note the difficulty in century artist Benjamin Waterhouse Toronto—American Publishers Representatives Ltd., 416-363-1388 obtaining high-quality fingerprints Hawkins ["The Art of Bones," Atlanta and Miami—PJckles and Co., 770-664-4567 SoHf/i/lHimra—NeCcorp Media, Ltd., 51-1-222-8038 from the elderly—and suggested 12/08-1/09]. It is intriguing that National Direct Response—Smyth Media Group, 914-693-8700 that identification schemes should Hawkins brought to life the fos- Market Classijied-Mediz Options, 800-442-6441 take that into account. Three fac- sil evidence of evolution without

tors appear to contribute to making embracing Darwinian theory. Todd Hapi'er Vice President, Science Education fingerprints more difficult to read However, there were important Educational Advisory Board as ages. first is that areas conceptual overlap one The the skin of among David Chesebrough COSI Columbus smoothes-—because skin cells are no competing schools of natural histo- Stephanie Ratcliffe Natural Histor)' Museum of the Adirondack Ronen Mir MadaTech—Israel National Museum Science longer replaced quickly enough to ry. The belief in human superiority, of Carol Valenta Saint Louis Scieiue Center keep up with wear—decreasing an interest in the fitness of creatures

the contrast between ridges and to their environments, an acknowl- Natural History Magazine, Inc.

valleys. The second is that wrinkles edgment of extinction: those were Charles E. Harris President, Chief Executive Officer Judy BuUer General Manager in the skin add noise to the print all points on which Hawkins, who Cecile Washington General Manager that is obtained. A third factor is believed in the fixity of species, Charles Rodin Publishing Advisor a drop in fingerprint moisture. To could agree with various sorts of To contact us regarding your subscription, to order a new my knowledge, digital readers can't evolutionists including, to a large subscription, or to change your address, please visit our resurrect ridges and valleys. Various degree, Darwin himself. "Web site www.naturalhistorymag.conn or write to us at Natural History computer algorithms, though, have Jessica Riskin P.O. Box 5000, Harlan, lA 51593-0257. been developed to try to filter out Stanford University Nalumi htistory (ISSN 0028-0712) is published monthly, except for combined the noise from wrinkles, and also to Stanford, California iisues in July/Augu5t and Dtccmber/January. by Natural Hiitory Magazine, Inc.. in affdiation with the American Museum of Natural History', Central enhance any remaining attributes of Park West at 79(h Street. New York, NY 10024. E-mail: nhmag@natural Natural History welcomes correspon- hisiorymag.com. Natural History Magazine, Inc.. is iolcly responsible for a fingerprint. editorial content and publishing praciicet, Subscriptions: S30.00 a year; for dencefrom readers. Letters should be sent via Canada and all other countries: S41.00 a year. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices. Canada Publications Mail No.

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You Can't Hide, Glycolaldehyde

To the great delight of earthlings who yearn for extraterrestrial companionship, glycolaldehyde (C^H^O^) has just been detected in a star-forming region of our galaxy. The substance, you see,

can easily react with other molecules to form ribose (C H^gO ), the backbone of RNA. Experts believe RNA fulfilled the repro- ^> ductive role of DNA in the early stages of life on Earth—and perhaps elsewhere. Molecules in outer space betray their presence by emitting radio waves at specific frequencies. An international team of as- tronomers led by Maite T. Beltran, of the University of Barcelona,

Grow Your Colors show spaces in a T. rex skull (computer rendering). Own Oasis Most desert plants have small Feeling Liglit-headed leaves to prevent desiccation, but the desert rhubarb takes a Was T. rex an airhead? That's what wags might say following contrarian approach. Rheum a study by Lawrence M. Witmer and Ryan C. Ridgely of Ohio palaestinum, a rare plant from University In Athens. The two paleontologists used CT scans the Negev desert in Israel and 3-D computer imaging to measure, for the first time, the and Jordan, grows leaves up spaces inside the fossilized skulls of four dinosaur species. to two feet wide. Together, In the skulls of T. rex and another predator, Majungasau- the leaves— only a few per rus, sinuses, the hollow spaces that connect to the nasal plant—make up a large rosette cavity or the middle ear, take up a lot of space—more total covering the ground. Why defy volume, in fact, than the brain. Witmer and Ridgely think the desert convention with such an point may have been to lighten the head, which the sinuses extravagant carpet? did by as much as 8 percent. That's no trivial savings in an Up close, the leaves look like animal whose noggin, the scientists calculated for T. rex, miniature mountain ranges weighed more than 1,100 pounds, four times the heft of a with steep drainage systems. male rhino's. The advantages would have included ease Taking topography as a clue, of movement and the energetic savings from growing and Simcha Lev-Yadun and two maintaining less bone. colleagues at the University of Desert rhubarb leaf The skulls of two armored vegetarian dinosaurs, Pano- Haifa surmised that the leaves

plosaurus and Euoplocephalus, held a different surprise. might collect raindrops— ever leaves—as if the desert rhubarb

Their sinuses were relatively small, but the nasal airways so rare in the desert—and lived in a Mediterranean cli- made uniquely complex loops inside the snout. The air- channel them toward the mate instead of the Negev. ways probably helped regulate temperature, Witmer and plant's main root at the center To avoid dehydration, the Ridgely say, and may have affected the sound of the dinos' of the rosette. leaves have a thick, waxy coat- vocalizations. To test their hypothesis, ing that seems to prevent water

Dinosaurs might even have experienced the misery of the team measured the soil's loss even as it speeds rain- sinus coldS; After all, birds (their living relatives) can get water absorption, both near water's way to the root. sinus-cloggirig respiratory infections. Had all T. rex's na- and away from the root, un- (Naturwissenschafteri) sally connected sinuses been plugged at once, a sneeze der natural and simulated -S.R. to clear them would have yielded no less than seven gal- rainfall. The root, they calcu- lons of snot—thi^ how big they were. Gesundheit! {The lated, receives sixteen times

Anatomical flecoM|fc|j. as much water annually as it

i^^HB —Stephen Reebs would without runoff from its

10 NATURAL HISTORY March 2009 I The Blobs

On a submersiljle dive off the Bahamas, Mikhail V. Mat?, of the University of Texas at Austin and several Plateau de Bure Inter- colleagues were seeking ferometer in the Frenctt .*, big-eyed, glowing animals glycoalde- Alps detected adapted to darkness. hyde in outer space. Yet as they cruised above the seafloor, the team was aimed a French radio telescope at a coalescing disk of gas and distracted by hundreds of Gromia sphaerica: making tracks on dust called G31.41+0.31, which lies 26,000 light years away in bizarre, sediment-coated the seafloor (above) and life size (top) the constellation Serpens, the Serpent. There they detected the balls the size of grapes. telltale emissions of glycolaldehyde. Each sat at the end of a sinuous the only evidence that multicel- The molecule had already been espied in the center of our track in the seafloor ooze. In- lular, bilaterally symmetrical galaxy, where there is too much radiation for life to develop. deed, the balls appeared to have animals, such as worms, might G31. 41+0.31, by contrast, has lower radiation; there, amid an made the tracks; some even have evolved so early in Earth's abundance of glycolaldehyde, stars are forming and planets could seemed to have rolled upslope. history. Matz's discovery sug- one day develop. And the same may be true of other planet-form- The team collected specimens gests that protozoans could ing regions. But whether complex molecules such as C.,H .O^ can and identified the creatures have made those fossil traces actually survive the chaotic process of planet formation remains as giant protozoans, Gromia rather than more advanced ani- unknown. (AstrophysicalJournal Letters] —S.R. sphaerica, each one a single mals, which probably appeared large cell with an organic shell, much later. The next earliest or "test." When cleaned of sedi- evidence of multicellularity and ment, the test feels like grape bilateralism in animals occurs The Spark of Love skin, but squishier, Matz says. in fossils 580 million and 542 What's not to love about elephantflshes? Not only do they have Surprisingly, the tracks million years old, respectively. extended jaws resembling their namesakes' trunks—they're on the Bahamian seafloor G. sphaerica are rhizopods, electric! Modified muscle cells near their tails discharge pulses resemble grooves found in an ancient protozoan group. of electricity into the water. The fish use the resulting electric sedimentary rocks formed as Matz is planning further studies field to detect nearby objects, a useful trick in the murky long as 1.8 billion years ago. of the species, about which little African rivers they inhabit. They also use the pulses—which The ancient grooves, bisected is known. [Current Biology) can vary in strength, frequency, and duration—to communicate by a low ridge, had constituted —Sarah Hoffman with one another and, as a recent study shows, to recognize mates of their own species.

In a laboratory at the University of Potsdam in Germany, Phil- Buzzing Bodyguards ine G.D. Feulner and colleagues exposed ready-to-spawn female Even a novice naturalist can tell a bee from a wasp. So shouldn't Campylomormyrus compressirostris elephantfish to different caterpillars, which are unharmed by the former but destroyed by computer-simulated pulses. At one end of the tank, the pulses the latter, be able to do so too? Apparently not. mimicked a male of the same species; at the other end, they Researchers at the University of Wiirzburg in Germany dis- mimicked a closely related species that occupies the same habi- covered that the beet armyworm, an infamous crop pest, dis-

tat. The pulses of the related species last a hundred times longer plays the same defensive behavior toward bees as it does toward than those of any self-respecting C. compressirostris—and sure wasps. In fact, the mere presence of bees deters armyworms enough, the females shunned them. from munching leaves. Feulner and her team say that female preference for certain Armyworms, like many caterpillars, have sensory hairs near electric signals may be what led the two elephantfish species their heads that detect air vibrations stirred b>- wasps' wings. to separate. Alternatively, other factors may have caused the When a wasp approaches, an alerted caterpillar freezes and drops

original rift, with a discriminating taste in sparks evolving later, off the plant. Thus, depending on the wasp species, it a^'oids being perhaps owing to the high costs of mating with the wrong spe- eaten or receiving an injection of wasp eggs into its body. cies. (Biology Letters) —S.R. Aware that bees' wingbeat frequency is similar to wasps', Jiir- gen Tautz and Michael Rostas studied the behavior of beet army- worms inside tents containing crop plants as well as bee feeders filled with sugar water. Bees could access only half the tents, and the researchers found that the caterpillars there ate 60 to 70 percent less leaf area than in the "silent" tents. Energy wasted by dropping in response to a harmless bee is apparently well spent to avoid the possibility of becoming a wasp lunch or nursery. As for the plants, they were the unmistakable winners. Con- ceivably, interspersing insect-pollinated plants with crops could in pest control. (Current Biology] Elephantfish generate some positive buzz —Graciela Flores (false color)

March 2009 NATURAL history 11 SAMPLINGS

Bonnie's abilities. By comparing record- Zippety Zoo Dah ings, they confirmed that the sounds she When the mood strikes her, Bonnie makes are nothing like normal orangutan whistles. She's not very good at it—she sounds or vocalizations, and that her utters only single notes and can't carry a whistling tends to be imitative. For ex- tune. But don't judge her too harshly; as ample, she usually replicates the duration an orangutan, she's the first nonhuman and number of whistles (one or two) that primate ever documented to whistle, or caretakers produce in front of her. to spontaneously mimic the sound of an- Other orangutans and chimpanzees other species. known to produce unusual sounds Now thirty years old, Bonnie lives at have typically received extensive train- the Smithsonian's National Zoological ing—yet Bonnie isn't alone in her spon- Park in Washington, D.C. In the 1980s, taneous whistling. Another National Zoo she probably heard a happy caretaker orangutan named Indah also took up the whistling, and she soon made whistles of habit, but died before she was recorded. her own, seemingly just for the fun of it. And Wich says that since publishing, Recently, a team of primatologists, led he's heard from workers at other zoos by Serge A. Wich of the Great Ape Trust of with whistling orangutans in their care. Iowa in Des Moines, took a closer look at (Primates) -S.R. Bonnie

(D THE WARMING EARTH

temperatures of the Arctic is already Broken A.C. three times bigger than that of the as whole, In the Arctic, rising greenhouse-gas Northern Hemisphere a concentrations are producing a she later elaborated. variety of unprecedented climate As sea ice melts and the ocean east- effects, which scientists around warms along the Arctic coast of the world have been scrutinizing as ern Siberia, methane long trapped in seafloor permafrost is escaping to part of the International Polar Year Satellite view of Siberian coast ending this month. Here are a couple the atmosphere. The phenomenon of highlights, presented at the December meeting of the American has been known for a while, but not its extent. From a research

Geophysical Union (AGU) in San Francisco. vessel, Igor Semiletov, of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and of The Arctic is warming faster than the Northern Hemisphere as a several colleagues recently documented large clouds methane whole, said Julienne 0. Stroeve of the National Snow and Ice Data bubbles rising through the water. The methane effervescence Is

Center in Boulder, Colorado. For years, computer models have so voluminous, Semiletov said, that it affects global atmospheric predicted that such "Arctic amplification" would unfold during cold methane levels, thereby contributing to further warming. seasons toward the end of this century, as retreating summer sea "The Arctic is the Northern Hemisphere's air conditioner," Stro- ice changes regional heat dynamics. By examining recent tem- eve said; as summer sea ice vanishes, the hemisphere's climatic perature data, however, Stroeve and colleagues showed that Arctic system must respond. Exactly how will be the subject of much

amplification is happening right now. The increase in the autumn future research. {AGU Fall Meeting) —Harvey Leifert

Peak Oil—Then What?

Burning all the world's remaining con- decline, probably well before midcentury. releases by far the most carbon dioxide fuel ventional oil and natural gas reserves According to Kharecha, 450 ppm is too per energy unit. And unconventional would not raise atmospheric carbon- high and might trigger irreversible global sources, such as tar sands, probably hold dioxide levels above the widely accepted warming. Instead, he advocated a new even more carbon than all the conven- "safe" level of 450 parts per million (ppm), goal of 350 ppm— below the current level, tional ones combined. according to Pushker A. Kharecha of 385 ppm—that he, James E. Hansen, Kharecha said society could stay under NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Stud- also at Goddard, and several colleagues 450 ppm and even achieve 350 ppm by or ies in New York City. But that isn't neces- had calculated from evidence of past and late century— but only by capturing sarily good news. present climate. ending all coal emissions by 2030, avoid- Kharecha spoke at a session on "peak But the important question for the cli- ing substantial unconventional fossil-fuel reforestation oil" at the AGU meeting in December. mate is not when oil will peak, but what will emissions, and undertaking measures. Peak oil is defined as the point at which replace it, said Kharecha. Coal is the most and other active mitigation

conventional oil production will begin to abundant conventional fossil fuel—and it {AGU Fall Meeting) —H.L.

12! NATURAL HISTORY Ivt arch 2009 JVlaryland Special -Adverthino Section

ft i I l^) L r

arylan^d^^piit on the shores of the Chesapea ^ ariaS^f Assateague, in the cool heights^of the AUeghemes or amid the cultural(iiahlights of Baltimore and Annapolis. J\'lar)iland Special

Maryland has been called ''America in Miniature/' and this small state contains a country's worth of diverse landscape and attractions from the Chesapeake to the Alleghenies. You'll find seashore, mountains, historic towns, battlegrounds, vibrant cities and serene countryside within easy driving distance.

WESTERN MARYLAND Its colonial buildings hold lively art galleries, fashionable Western Maryland stretches out to the Allegheny shops and restaurants. Baltimore has its history, too,

Mountains like a long arm beckoning those seeking dating back to 1729, and maritime history is on display historic places to contemplate and outdoor adven- around the city's Waterfront Peninsula and celebrated tures to pursue. Washington County, the gateway to Inner Harbor. western Maryland, points the way to historic battle- SOUTHERN MARYLAND grounds. Next, explore the Eastern Continental Di- Although European settlers first reached what is now vide to discover transportation history and captivating Southern Maryland in 1634, many have only recently mountain communities. Deep Creek Lake, the state's begun to discover its bounties, and there are lots of open largest, offers boating, swimming and fishing in a state spaces in this still rural area for nature lovers to enjoy. park where wildlife and native fauna are flourishing in You'll find great fishing and boating opportunities and a protected setting. charming waterside towns nestied between the Chesa- CAPITAL REGION peake Bay and the Patuxent and Potomac rivers. The The Capital Region, which includes the three Mary- state's original capital, St. Mary's City, has been pre- land counties in the vicinity of Washington, D.C., is served as a living history museum on the banks of the St. not just a great base for exploring D.C.'s museums Mary's River and is celebrating its 375th anniversary. and monuments. You'll find historical sites, state and EASTERN SHORE national parks, and first-rate restaurants, theaters and Maritime heritage is alive and well on Maryland's culmral attractions to keep you in Maryland. And Eastern Shore. You'll find well preserved waterfronts, you'll also find some great places to enjoy the out- majestic lighthouses dotting the seashore, and water- doors, like the C&O Canal National Historical Park men still plying the waters and supplying fresh seafood, in Montgomery County, with walking trails and superb including Maryland's famed steamed crabs. Maryland's educational exhibits. portion of the Delmarva Peninsula has thousands of CENTRAL REGION miles of shoreline, hundreds of rivers, and acres and

Central Maryland takes in the stately state capital, acres of salt marshes, including Assateague Island Na-

Aimapolis, and the vibrant city of Baltimore, as well tional Seashore and State Park, with its wild ponies, as charming small towns and the pleasures of Hfe and two major wildlife refuges harboring bald eagles along Chesapeake Bay. Annapolis has the highest and all manner of waterfowl. concentration of Georgian-style buildings in the U.S., Click VisitMaryland.org or call 1-800-984-9502 but its attractions go beyond Federal-era authenticity. to start planningyour trip to Maryland. Pretty. Close.

You live so close to so many incredible things in Maryland, For information go to Maryland

so why haven't you visited? Get your free Maryland Travel Kit, visitmaryland.org/mag Martin O'Malley. Governor ^^^^ Governor including a Passport worth more than $2,500 in travel savings. or call 800.984.9502 Anthony G. Bnmn. LL cOViaryland Special (^Advertising Section

where the East divides divinely.

THE MOUNTAIN SIDE OF MARYLAND

Allegany County offers access to over

1 20,000 acres of public lands straddling the

Eastern Continental Divide and three full centuries of preserved history as America's

first gateway through the Allegheny Front.

Visit www.mdmountainside.com for

year-round getaway adventures.

Cumherland's arts and entertainment district provides R&R for outdoor enthusiasts as the mid-point of the 300 mile Great Allegheny Passage trail.

ALLEGANY COUNTY is the C&O Canal and departure route for historic hub of the Mountain Side of scenic trips through the Alleghenies. Maryland, the long arm of the state A portion of the Allegheny High- that stretches west into the Potomac lands Trail of Maryland, part of the

highlands, populated by charming Great Allegheny Passage bike trail towns and vast stretches of public from Cumberland to Pittsburgh, wildlands. Green Ridge State Forest Pennsylvania, runs along the route of encompasses more than 40,000 acres the Western Maryland Scenic Rail- with numerous opportunities for road. Cyclists can put their bikes on outdoor adventure. A great way to board for the climb up the mountain

see the county is to ride the Western to Frostburg. Maryland Scenic Railroad, the heri- tage railroad based in Cumberland CAROLINE COUNTY has that connects to Frostburg, on the stunning landscapes that are steeped county's farthest boundary, traveling in history. The Museum of Rural

through a gorge called the Narrows. Life in Denton and the Linchester

The Western Maryland Railway Sta- Mill in Preston tell stories of early

tion, in Cumberland's charming Ca- American rural life and highlight the

nal Place, is a beautifully restored, County's agricultural history. Under- working landmark. A walk through ground Railroad pathways traversed the nearby Allegany County Muse- by Harriet Tubman weave through

um is a passage through the region's the county. A self-guided driving past, including the eras of thriving tour, "Finding a Way to Freedom", coal and glass industries. Cumber- takes visitors through the landscape

land is also the terminus point of the that helped shape the nation. Maryiand Special -Advertising Section

Though l;iiulli)(.kL'(l, the \l;irshy- hopc, Tuckahoc and (Ihopiank riv- ers flow througli the counl)', creating- a haven For those seeking adventures on the water. Newcomers can get a \i\rd\ e\e view h-oni the sk\ hang gliding in Ridgely. People looking for recreation can take a swing at the golf courses; clay shooting courses, hunting preserves antl retreats with more than 25, ()()() acres of prime hunting availahle. Caroline Count}' has more than 5,000 acres of parkland and wildlife preserves and miles ot trails tor hik- ing and cycling. Rich in heritage and natural resources, Caroline is ideal for the lovers of the outdoors and early American history.

Lejl: Kayaking along one uj Caroline County's unspoiled \i'att'ni'a\'.s; right: sunset at Turkey Point Liehthouse, Cecil CountA' CECIL COUNTY In Cecil Count)', located along up- per Chesapeake Bay, the connection between land and water is deep and historic. Some of its most memorable natural and historical sites are set on the waterfront, including Elk Neck State Park and Turkey Point Light- house, where the Northeast and Elk rivers flow into the Chesapeake Bay. '-^•^i On your way to Chesapeake City, "^"^"' iit«»r, tf you'll cross the gracefid Chesapeake

«Sc Delaware Bridge that spans the Majestic Chesapeake country landscapes, mouth of the C&D Canal, still in op- outdoor and heritage adventures, quaint small towns,' eration. The C&D Canal Museum is

set in the canal's original pumphouse located along the banks of the canal witli a view of the niajestic bridge and #f ^ historic South Chesapeake City. The beautifully restored Mount Harmon

Plantation has a spectacular water- Cf/ie j/ienf/uti'd iin-e/cciif/lotV/t front setting. And don't miss die Fair Hill Natural Resource Management Area, an ethereal setting for eques- —2: 410-479-0655 trian, hike and bike trails that even c:..,..f» tourcaroline.com

includes a covered bridge. JWary'land Special -^Advertising Section DORCHESTER COUNTY History and natural landscape are entwined in Dorchester Comity,

which has retained much of the traditional way of life along the Chesapeake Bay. The county, which curves out into the Chesapeake from Delmarva Peninsula, has preserved much of the unspoiled Eastern

Shore landscape associated with the history of this region. With its pristine rivers, marshlands, working farms, fishing boats and historic

waterfront towns, this heart-shaped coimty is known, appropriately, as the Heart of Chesapeake Country.

Every March, Dorchester commemorates its link to two beloved

symbols of freedom and American history. On March 14, the historic town of Cambridge celebrates Harriet Tubman Day with an event

commemorating the life of this former slave who became an early human

rights activist and brave conductor of the Underground Railroad. The

Harriet Tubman Museum and Education Center is an excellent starting

point for a tour of the Undergroimd Railroad Trail, a Maryland Scenic Byway. On that same day in March, you can join the Blackwater Eagle Festival for exhibitions and special events at the nearby Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, home to a large population of bald eagles. The refuge, located south of Frederick's 44-acre Baker Park provides a Cambridge, encompasses more than 250,000 acres of great vantage point to enjoy the "clustered woodland, rich tidal marsh, freshwater ponds and managed cropland, spires." where the landscape is little changed from Harriet Tubman's day.

Coml^ihnt

Maryland's Upper Eastern Shore on the Chesapeake Bay

Enjoy this Scenic Peninsula with fishing, boating, kayaking, small Bay beaches with awesome sunsets, nine museums, two theaters,

art galleries, farmers ' market, brick sidewalk shopping, terrific restaurants and local seafood.

For a free visitor information pacl

\B\achwaler National Wildlife Re/uge

is ti luiv't'n jor llu' hald t'dglc

FREDERICK COUNTY KENT COUNTY occupies a pastoral peninsula hounded 1)\ ihe Chester

Shop, tline, and experience the beaii- and Sassafras rivers on the upper Chesapeake Bay. Its scenic roadways and tit'ulK prescncd 5()-block historic waterways wind through rolling farmlands, historic towns and important disfficl ot Downtown Frederick, wildlife refuges. Alany of the two-lane roads in this tidewater count} ha\e

Maryland, recognized in the past few been included in Maryland's first National Scenic Byway, Chesapeake Coun- years by the National Trust for His- try. Kent County's portion of the byway includes the routes from the Chester toric Preservation as both a "Great River Bridge to Georgetown and the Sassafras River, from Chestertown to American Main Street" and one ot Rock Hall, and from Rock Hall to the Eastern Neck Xadonal Wildlife Refuge. Americas "Dozen Distinctive Desti- In Chestertown, where the Chester River curls past grand 18th-cenmr\' build- nations." Scenic byways lead to or- ings, histor)' buffs can celebrate the annual Memorial Day reenactment of the chards, antiques and specialty shops, Chestertown Tea Party. The town's Main Street is lined with quaint shops and parks, and other great downtowns, restaurants. And, don't miss Rock Hall's Waterman's Museum, its liveh' marina including more Main Street com- and the great sunsets from its boardwalk. munities tlian anywhere else in the state. The award-winning Frederick 1 r f~^C ^r\ Wine Trail connects half a dozen win- /^S] NATION if^

borders Washington, D.C., and it's an ideal base for exploring D.C.'s monu-

ments and museums. But it has its own special historic and cultural attractions, and the western section of the county

along the Potomac River is downright

rural, with green farmlands dotted with

charming little towns and villages.

A longtime favorite with visitors is magical Glen Echo Park, on the Po- tomac palisades near Bethesda. Origi-

nally a Chautaqua retreat, and then an

amusement park, this National Park

now hosts arts, environmental and his- tory programs. Near Glen Echo, you can tour the Clara Barton National

Towpath alon^ the Chesapeake & Ohio National Historical Park Historic site, home to the founder of the American Red Cross.

In Potomac, visit the Chesapeake & Ohio National Historical Park, where you can see an original lock house, hike or bike on the historic tow path, or take in the spectacular view of the Great Falls of the Potomac River from the Olmstead

Bridges. For more outdoor adventures, visit Black Hill Regional Park, near Germantown, and follow the trail to Litde Seneca Lake, a popular area for birds and birders.

200 Miles of Trails & Paths. 33,602 Acres of Parkland. 60 Galleries. 22 Theaters. 50 Historic Venues. 33 Department Stores. 743 Boutiques & Specialty Stores. U.S. NAVAL Over 900 Restaurants. ACADEMY 1 More Reason to Indulge!

Undergraduate college of the U.S. Navy. Guided walking tours include the Naval Academy Chapel, Crypt of John Paul Jones, Statue of Tecumseh and the history and traditions of the Naval Academy. So Historical & Educational Tours "USNA Tour & Tea" Military Reunion Tour, Corporate Tour, Free Film, Naval Academy Gift Shop, Restrooms, Exhibits, Snacks

-So

Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center 410-293-8687; 410-293-3365 fax wTvw.navyonline.com

Visitor Center Hours Mar.-Dec, 9am-5pm; Jan.-Feb., 9ain-4pm

Group Tours: Fri.-Sat., 9am-3pm & Sun. noon-3pm

PHOTO ID REQUIRED

WORCESTER COUNTY, h.cat eel on Maryliiiul's lower Eastern Shore, is iltc state's only coastal county. As- satcague Island State Park and Na- tional Seashore is home to the states tamous wild pony herti, and Ocean

Cap,', just to the north of Assateague, is kjiown For its sandy beaches antl steamed crabs.

But there is Far more to Worces- ter tlian its in\iting shores. With the beautiful black-water Pokomoke River and its forests and cvpress swamps as well, the count\'s varied habitats pla)- host to more than 300 species of birds, the most in the state. The Delmarva Discovery Center on the Pocomoke

River in downtown Pocomoke City is a great introduction to the history of the Pocomoke River, including ship- building, trading, fishing and local

Native American historical culture.

For exploring the river, the Nature Wetlands near Ocean C'ily

Conservancy maintains a mile-long

trail through the Pocomoke Forest and over the Nassawango Cypress Swamp, along Nassawango Creek, shaded by ancient bald cypress and

black gum trees. The swamp is well

known as a bald eagle roost. In spring,

Ocean Cit\' and Pokomoke Cit\' be- coine birder central for the Delmarva Birding Weekend, with guided trips

to coastal bays, islands, forests and to some private farms not usually open to the public.

Make siu-e to allow time to explore

towns like Berlin, a very hip, historic

town widi lots of galleries, boutiques

and eateries. Snow Hill, just south of

Berlin, on the banks of the Pocomoke

River is home to the river's only outfitter

for kayak and canoe rentals and trips.

800-852-0335 www.visitworcester.org BIOMECHANICS BY ADAM SUMMERS

The Living Gomboc Some turtle shells evolved the ideal shape for staying upright.

illustrations by Joe Sharloy

There is something about a turtle on carapace—is less a liability than an sheet of plywood that will only sit its back that twists your heart. asset, surprisingly well-suited to the one way when balanced on edge?

With neck craning toward the turtle's goal of righting itself The se- By "convex," I mean that there are

ground and legs waving to no effect, cret is in the mathematics of its shape. no dents in the outline: a straight

it is the image of helplessness. But, Many a truly difficult math- line drawn between any two points malicious kids aside, turtles almost ematical problem can be stated in along the edge will stay inside the

never end up upended. And it turns an approachable and deceptively shape. A plywood square, for ex-

out that the apparent risk factor for simple way. Can you, for example, ample, has four edges on which it that predicament—the turtle's rigid cut a convex shape from a uniform will happily balance (if you ignore the third dimension and forget that Left. Illustrating the difference it could flop over sideways). In addi- between an unstable and a stable tion, it has an unstable balance point equilibriun), a plywood triangle (top), regarded as a two-dimensional on each corner—a point on which it \A object, may balance precariously on can balance, but so precariously that A one of its three points or come to even the smallest perturbation will rest on one of its three long sides. send it tumbling. A triangle comes Similarly, a rod with both ends sliced one step closer in the quest for a off at oblique angles (middle) teeters shape. with only one balance point: on its short side—as it would if stood — it has three stable positions and three v£^ ^--^ on either pointed end but finds stability on its long side. Designed unstable ones [see figures at left]. An by mathematicians, the Gomboc ellipse has two of each. It turns out (bottom) never rests for long on that this is the very best you can do. any point except its one and only No amount of trimming or trickery stable surface. Below: Resembling will get you a single stable equilib- the Gomboc, the shape of its shell ^0 gives an Indian star tortoise only one rium point in this essentially two- f) stable configuration: on its feetl dimensional case.

22 NATURAL HISTORY March 2009 You iini;lit come to that conclusion riie trial-and-error answer is determining the curves that captured based on trial and error; proving it "no," but that seldom impresses a the 3-D shape of each turtle shell, mathematically, however, was not a mathematician. Domokos, joined by they translated the animals into the trivial exercise. Ci.ibor Uomokos, ot his graduate student lY-ter Varkt)nyi same mathematical language as the the Uiiclapest University of Technolo- (now also a professor at the Buda- Gomboc. It quickly became clear gy and Eci^nomics, successfully tack- pest University of Technology and that tortoises are indeed quite close led that challenge. He then sought to Economics), began to work seriously to being monostable: when placed on extend the proof into three dimen- on the problem. Using a spherical its back, a tortoise will roll right side sions. It is tempting to believe that, as coordinate system, they constructed up with just a little perturbation. But in the 2-1") case, the best you can do is formulas that slightly sciuashed a pond turtles are quite stable when two stable cquililiiia anil two unst.ible sphere, added a pair of extra flattened placed on their backs and must use ones, but 1 )omokos came up with planes on the surface (which they call their necks and ninja-turtle footwork a counterexample. Consider a rod "raceways"), and pressed one side to lever themselves over. (In reality, with both ends cut off oblic]uely [see into a sharp edge. For reasons that that rarely becomes necessary, since fifiiins oil ii/'/iiViVc /Mijc] . It rolls around are clear only to native speakers of they stay in or near water, where sud- on the table and stops with the long Hungarian, they called this sensuous den inversion is not common.) side down every time. It has just one shape a Gomboc (pronounced some- Of course, tortoises have an advan- stable configuration. On the other thing like "gumboots"). Though it tage over the Gomboc in that they hand, it has three unstable ec]uilibria: existed as a mathematical construct, have four legs to flail around, which balanced on either pointy end or with Varkonyi and Domokos did not truly moves their center of gra\ity enough the shorter side down. Is that the best appreciate how interesting the shape so that they will wobble right side up we can do? What about a shape that was until they had a model made without an outside influence. They has just one stable equilibrium and with a 3-D printer. With the Gom- are also not really ot uniform density, a single unstable one—a mono- boc in hand, they were struck by the and the placement of the lungs high monostable object, in mathemati- similarity of its shape to the highly in the dome certainly makes them cians' parlance? In the 3-D world domed shell of the Indian star tor- more like a Weeble than a Gomboc. we are all fimiliar with Weebles™, toise {Cccchcloiic clegdiis). The similarities are striking enough, those cute plastic toys that wobble but however, both for tortoises and for don't fill down. They fit the bill, but Domokos and Varkonyi turned their at- certain species of beetles, that it seems they \'iolate a key condition ot the tention to the possibility that the natural selection has been hard at plywood problem: they have a little Gomboc shape was a naturally occur- w ork smoothing their form into a

metal weight in the bottom. Is it pos- ring example of a mono-monostatic Hungarian tongue twister. sible to construct a Weeble that isn't object. They looked at seventeen spe-

weighted, one that rights itselfjust by cies of turtles, including high-domed Adam Slmmers is an associate professor at the

virtue of its rotund little shape? tortoises and flatter pond turtles. By i'liit'crsity of IVashinglon's Friday Harbor Labs. riu;l[llillll[^H<^KilI;j(BN(ltfBtl(lsKillKvti1i;4lfiilliUlUl}fiU(;jlfil

or simply recovering from centuries of suppression

^^^^ I'VE BEEN OBSESSED with cor- in eastern Long Island Sound. About 500 cor- J^l^^^^ morants for several years now, ever since I morants live there now, having only moved in »^ wrote my interdisciplinary master's thesis on (or perhaps back) less than ten years ago. Mem- the seabirds. My studies took me all over North America, bers of the Avalonia Land Conservancy, v^^hich owns to four other continents, and almost to bankruptcy court South Dumpling, observe that the birds' feces are slowly

trying to fund all the travel and research. Now, aside from killing the trees and ground cover, and they fear that soil the occasional boat trip to observe a local rookery, my erosion will soon follow. They're also worried that the

involvement is limited to a Google news alert set to the cormorants are pushing other birds, such as the snowy

keyword "cormorant." Nearly every morning I get a link egret, off the island. Anne H. Nalwalk, who recently to a newspaper or magazine article by or regarding some- stepped down as president after leading the Conservancy one, somewhere in North America, arguing bitterly about for twenty-two years, once said: "We'd rather see egrets what to do with the bird. than a bird that's destroying all the vegetation." In case the hubbub has escaped your notice, let me The conservancy works with a local marine-science

sum it up for you. For the last thirty years or so, popula- educational group called Project Oceanology, which for tions of double-crested cormorants {Phalacrocomx auritus) the last four years or so has landed instructors and stu- have been blossoming in many parts of North America. dents on South Dumpling to test various cormorant deter- Although many people herald the cormorant boom as rents. They've tried anti-erosion mats, snow fences, and a success—an indicator of improving environmental nets draped over the trees. Their actions are backed, in- health — all sorts of other folks are in a tizzy about it. For formally, by at least one local commercial fisherman, who example, near of Mystic, Connecticut, other- my town Ready, aim ... a double-crested cormorant prepares to dive. wise nature-loving people want to kick cormorants off Propelled by their large webbed feet, the birds are powerful South Dumpling Island, a three-acre, uninhabited bump and swift underwater swimmers.

-. ' March 2009

^>^--- approves ot.iiiy mo.isurc to iccIikc tin- iiuiiiIht oi loniio- public resources, such as wild fish, plants, and other birds' rants in Lotiv; Island Soinid lu'causc he blames tlu- birds tor nesting areas. a drop in bkictish and rioinn.lcr stocks. Under the new rules, individuals and states are permit- Thronghoiit the United States and Canada, pockets ted to kill a total of 160,000 cormorants each year. An of citizens want to reduce cormorant populations they average of about 40,000 cormorants are reported killed deem overabimdant, for the same reasons: destruction of each year—perhaps 2 percent of North America's popu- vegetation, unfiir competition with more-valued spe- lation. That figure does not include tens of thousands of cies, and overindulgence in fish. Occasionally, there are eggs oiled annually. Biologists cannot agree on the long- claims that cormorants negatively affect water quality or term ecological effect of the culling. Some have pointed public health, or just that their guano smells nasty. But out that managers who enter nesting grounds to cull or the most vehement complaints are about fish—primar- oil eggs often end up doing more damage to other bird ily from freshwater charter fishermen and fish farmers. species than the nesting cormorants do in the first place. In 1998, a bunch of charter fishermen turned vigilantes Linda R. Wires, a conservation biologist and cormorant stormed onto Little Galloo Island in eastern Lake On- expert at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, who tario, trampling and shooting about 2,000 cormorants has been deeply involved in the USFWS's investigations, in violation of federal law. (It's a crime to kill migratory told me: "At the heart of this issue is nearly a zero toler- birds without a permit.) They were eventually brought ance for cormorants. It's a witch hunt." to justice, but another group that killed more than 500 cormorants two years later on Little C'harity Island in DEPENDING ON YOUR chosen taxono- Saginaw Bay, Michigan, never was. my, there are between twenty-seven and thirty- So great was the public outcry against the birds that the / eight extant species of cormorants, all closely U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) felt compelled to related to pelicans, frigate birds, and anhingas. draft a new cormorant management plan. During the gru- They live around the globe in colonies bordering salt- eling, multiyear analysis and public-comment period that and freshwater. followed, many voices pushed for stringent management There is the flightless cormorant of the Galapagos Is- to reduce cormorant numbers. Some wanted to establish lands and the pygmy cormorant ot eastern Europe. The hunting seasons—even though nobody eats cormorants. large and nearly flightless spectacled cormorant ot the Others, including the National Audubon Society and the western Aleutian Islands w^as driven extinct in the mid- Humane Society of the United States, rallied to the cor- nineteenth century by nati\'es and explorers, who ate the morants" defense, citing a lack of scientific evidence that seabird's meat and harvested its eggs. A few cormorant cormorants actually damage fish or wildlife populations. species are called shags, lending themseh'cs to all sorts

In 2003, the USFWS settled on expanding the rights of of sexual puns. Then there is the great cormorant. Like citizens and managers to deal with cormorants, handing the double-crested cormorant in North America, it has over most of the decision making to selected local agen- made a huge comeback in w-estern Europe, spurring fa- cies. (The service took a miliar outcries from fisher- similar route in 21)06 to men and property owners tighten management ot who have nicknamed it burgeoning Canada geese, "the black plague." the only birds that provoke As a group, cormorants anywhere near as much ir- primarily eat fish, but will ritation as cormorants for also eat crustaceans, mol- their fouling of lawns and lusks. and small amphib- parks.) Today, in thir- ians. Most species prefer teen states, aquaculture to hunt in coastal shallows, producers may shoot cor- but many can dive more morants feeding on their than 100 feet underwater. private ponds, and they (The Crozet shag of the may call on government Southern Ocean has been wdldlife managers to shoot recorded at the impressive birds on nearby roosts. depth of 47.T feet.) Using Local managers in twen- their beaks to gather sticks, Sign, photographed in 2001, was posted in Henderson Harbor, New ty-four states can suffocate seaweed, fishing line, rib- York, on Lake Ontario, where anti-cormorant sentiment runs high. cormorant eggs with oil; bons, and other random Many anglers biame the birds for declining smallmouth bass numbers. destroy their nests; or kill In 1998, local charter fishermen illegally killed some 2,000 cormorants items, cormorants build cormorants that threaten on nearby Little Galloo Island. their nests in trees, or on

March 2009 natural history 25 rocks, dirt, or sand. The adults have no song or call, north as Alaska and Labrador and as far south as the only a hiss or a piggy grunt, something like the creak of Yucatan Peninsula. an old door hinge. The young in the nest issue a shrill, high-pitched cry tor tood. V SO WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR a species Today, six species of cormorants live in North Amer- ^A as cosmopolitan as the double-crested cormorant ica. By far the most prevalent in the U.S., and the only Jp to be "overabundant"? How many cormorants are

one found appreciably inland, is the double-crested cor- ^ "too many"? Much of the debate about managing

morant, which gets its name from two tufts of feathers the bird swirls around whether it's native to a particular that appear on the heads of both sexes during breeding region and how many once lived there—facts that have season. Double-crested cormorants nest in forty-three been difficult to pin down. Wires and FrancescaJ. Cuth- states, every Canadian province, Cuba, and the Baha- bert, an avian biologist also at the University of Minne- mas. During migrations or winter roosting they spend sota, made a recent attempt, examining archaeological re- time in every state except Hawaii. They travel as far cords and naturalists' accounts, among other sources. Be- fore Europeans became a major presence, Wires and Cuthbert conclude, double-crested cormorants lived throughout much of their current North American range, usually in populations far greater than today. For example, after birdwatching near Natchez, Missis- sippi, in December of 1820, John James Audubon re-

ported: "We saw to day probably Millions of those . . . Cormorants, flying Southwest—they flew in Single Lines for several Hours extremely high." Numbers like that simply don't exist today.

To be sure, it is often impossible to tell whether a specific area was historically home to the birds. Cormorants might well have nested on South Dumpling Island at the time of European contact: explorers' accounts and archaeological records show nests within a hundred miles, and an 1847 nautical chart identifies a Cormorant Reef and a Cormo- rant Rock within five miles. Cormorant Cove lies twenty miles away. None of that proves they nested at South Dumpling—or at the other locations—but clearly cormorants are regional natives. As with most animal species, the population his- tory of double-crested cormorants in North America has been shaped by human activity. Native Ameri- cans on both coasts ate cormorants and their eggs. Early European settlers didn't seem to eat much cor- morant, but they did use the bird's meat for fish bait. By the nineteenth century, most seabird populations in New England and Nova Scotia had plummeted. Settlement and industry had encroached on island nesting areas. People gathered eggs for food, and

shot all kinds of seabirds for meat, hat feathers, sport, and to keep them from eating marketable fish. Men pegged cormorants, specifically, as fish stealers. Har- rison Flint Lewis, author of the first North Ameri- can doctoral thesis on cormorants, wrote in 1929: "The history of the Double-crested Cormorant dur- ing the latter part of the nineteenth century and the

first quarter of the twentieth is largely a history of persecution and of the gradual abandonment of one Double-crested cormorants have an inaccurate reputation as unusually after another." that time, cormo- voracious piscivores, perhaps because their fishing is conspicuous: they breeding-place By typically fish near shore and can eat large prey for their size. rants no longer bred anywhere in New England.

26 Nf^TURAL March 2009 I HISTORY n Colony of double-crested cormorants nests on Washington's East Sand Island, in the mouth of the Columbia River. A recent study showed that the cormorants rely on migrating juvenile salmon and steelhead for just 9 percent of their diet, but they and the island's Caspian terns are numerous enough to dent several endangered salmonid stocks.

Cormorant populations made a brief recovery during fallen to just 5,000 pairs. (It eventually hit zero and now the first half of the twentieth century as people moved probably numbers fewer than a thousand pairs.) ott islands to seek better opportunities and built new sea- Then came 1972, one of the few good years in recent bird habitat—in the torm ot reservoirs, dock pilings, and cormorant history. The National Audubon Society listed bridges. But as cormorant numbers increased, so, again, the double-crested cormorant as a species of special con- did their persecution. John Steinbeck and Edward F. cern. The state of Wisconsin declared cormorants en- Ricketts, recounting a visit to the Baja Peninsula, face- dangered and began building nesting structures to help tiously summed up the prevailing attitude in their 1941 them return. Lawmakers banned the use ot DDT. and book. The Scii cfCortcz: Congress signed a revised Migratory Bird Treaty Act that put cormorants under federal protection. |T|hcre had been light gunfire on the cliffs, where several Cormorant populations have since rebounded, thanks men were shooting at black cormorants; and it developed in part to conservation measures and to people's inadver- that everyone in Cape San Lucas hates cormorants. They tent creation of ideal cormorant habitat near ample food are the flies in a perfect ecological ointment. . . . They supplies. For example, at the mouth of the Columbia dive and catch fish, but also they drive the schools away River, the Corps of Engineers enlarged and stabi- from the pier out of easy reach of the baitmen. They are Army spoil in the early considered interlopers, radicals, subversive forces against lized an island with dredge 1980s. Today the perfect and God-set balance on Cape San Lucas. And East Sand Island in Washington State hosts the continent's

they are rightly slaughtered, as all radicals should be. largest cormorant colony (albeit with fewer than 14,000

breeding pairs), surely because it is a protected, mammal- DDT ami other egg-thinning pesticides, introduced free nesting habitat near migrations of wild and farmed after World War II, intensified the devastation, and over salmon and steelhead. The cormorants, along with Cas- the next two decades cormorant populations sharply de- pian terns, feed heavily on thirteen endangered salmonid clined again continent-wide. By 1969, the largest colony stocks—a legitimate cause for concern, though it must be ever recorded m North America—perhaps a quarter mil- remembered that people both caused the salmon's prob- lion breeding pairs on an island off Baja California—had lems and built the cormorants" base of operations. Now

March 2009 natural history 27 '*'; Vl

managers are trying to lure the terns to artificial islands rants, thanks to the everlasting food supply at landfills being built for them on distant lakes, and may attempt the and littered beaches. They eat trash and plenty of people

same for the cormorants. still love them. Meanwhile, catfish and baitfish aquaculture has been Cormorants are black. The effect of color associations

rapidly growing since the 1960s, particularly in the on an animal's popularity among Americans is debatable, southeastern U.S., directly on the cormorants' migration but in Louisiana I've heard cormorants called "n— birds." route. Open aquaculture ponds Cormorants have no pret- provide winter or year-round ty song, no graceful step. homes with food aplenty. There has been no movie Many of the same cormorants or television show to an- breed and summer up north thropomorphize the bird, in the Great Lakes. That's the no cormorant Bambi or area with the greatest growth Flipper. There are a couple in cormorant populations, and of positive small-press chil- the center of a good deal of the dren's books, but the only

controversy. It's also the area major story featuring the

where Wires and Cuthbert's bird is an award-winning evidence for cormorants' for- novel by Stephen Gregory,

mer abundance is the most an- called The Cormorant, in

ecdotal and inconclusive. The which the titular bird is

population growth in the Great literally satanic. It ruins a Lakes—from approximately 90 man's life, tearing off the breeding pairs in 1970 to nearly face of his pet cat and caus- 115,000 in fueled, ing the fiery death of his 2000—was Nest building on East Sand Island ironically enough, by govern- son. In fact, the bird has ment managers stocking the region's waters for recre- had a poor reputation in literature beginning with the

ational angling, often using fish raised in the southeast- Bible, where it is described as unclean and connected ern aquaculture ponds. with death. In Paradise Lost, Milton portrays Satan him- Great Lakes cormorant numbers seem to be holding self breaking into Paradise and sitting on the Tree of Life steady today; indeed, recent nest counts suggest that cor- "like a cormorant." morant populations nationwide are beginning to plateau, The adjective "cormorous" used to mean greedy, in- even to decrease in a few areas. If so, they've likely stopped satiable, ravenous. (Notice the raven here.) In four plays, far short of achieving numbers that existed throughout Shakespeare used the word "cormorant" as a synonym much of North America before European settlement. for "voracious." Yet the charge that cormorants have an

unusually large appetite is misplaced. Despite the no- yIT IS RELEVANT that the National Audubon torious difficulty of determining exactly what seabirds Society did not choose the double-crested cormo- eat, most studies show that on average, a double-crested

rant for its logo: Anne Nalwalk is not alone in her cormorant eats at inost one pound offish per day. That's preference for egrets. In my town you can buy a little much less in absolute terms than a pelican eats and a wood sculpture of a gull, but not a tchotchke cormorant. similar percentage of body weight. Pelicans, though, Gulls have made a huge resurgence alongside cormo- remain generally beloved despite growing populations.

28 NATURAL HISTORY March 2009 r

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Cormorants may be easy scapegoats (another animal Dead trees on a Lake Champlain island testify to double-crested with an image problem) simply because their hunting cormorants' effect on vegetation. The birds strip off foliage for nesting material, and plants are killed by the accumulation of is so visible to people. The birds often forage by docks guano, which is acidic. The cormorants moved onto the island in and in bays, and they can eat memorably large fish for 1983, after managers chased them off a different, treeless island. their size, slurping down eels and other species longer than two feet. Yes, cormorants eat fish, but their popula- derives primarily from cultural factors: learned aesthetics, tions would crash naturally in a region that didn't have negative portrayals m the media, and a nostalgia for the enough fish to eat. way things used to look within her memory. And there's Cormorants' effect on wild commercial stocks remains the rub with cormorants. Sure, their numbers are way up unclear. Admittedly, they could be eating fish that mar- compared with what they were during the mid-twenti- ketable species depend upon; and a very large population eth-century DDT spree. But if their estimated popula- could conceivably put a dent in a commercial or sport fish tions before Europeans arrived are the baseline, they've stock. But most research shows that cormorants don't focus simply paused partway on the long road to recovery. on the wild species that people like to eat. Instead, they People, not seabirds, have done the real damage to the opportunistically feed on small schooling fish, "trash fish," fisheries and ecosystems ot the coasts and the Great Lakes, whatever is available. Cormorants' effect on the acjuacul- through overfishing, introduced species, and pollution. ture industry, however, is painfully obvious: a dense flock The monev spent trying to manage cormorants—which can destroy a harvest, and cormorants are estimated to taxpayers will need to cough up indefinitely, unless we cost the catfish industry in Mississippi alone between $10 wipe the birds out forever—could be much better spent million and $25 million dollars annually. to reduce coastal pollution; to secure conservation land and marine preserves; and to help aquaculture producers j^^^ THE CORMORANT SITUATION develop new bird-smart practices and fishermen develop 1^^^^^^ on my local South Dumpling Island is mi- sustainable fisheries. Let's take the bird off the guano list. •^ nor compared with that of the Great Lakes, Maybe Disney could come out with a new film, some- the Mississippi Delta, and the mouth of the Columbia thing between Tlie Little Mermaid and Tlic Ugly Duckling.

River, but it is representative of the issue's complexity. I'll be watching for it in a Google alert. The popular view of how cormorants affect Long Island

Sound's commercial fish is well put by Brae Rafferty, a senior instructor at Project Oceanology and a veteran Litem of nearly three decades on the sound. He says: "When Richard J. King is Lecturer in cure of the Sea at Williams-Mystic. you're out on the water all the time and seeing the birds, the Maritime Studies Program ot you think, 'They've got to be feeding on something.' Williams College (Williamstown. The winter flounder aren't coming back. I've seen cor- Massachusetts) and Mystic Seaport morants eating flounder, so between them and the seals (Mystic. Connecticut). He holds a doctorate from the University ot St. there's got to be some impact." Andrews in Scotland. He completed _^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Nalwalk isn't as the fish; it's the Anne concerned about his master's thesis, an interdisciplinary study ot cormorants, in 2003 look ot South Dumpling that bothers her. She's also aware at Wesleyan University. He has since published several articles on the

titled Curiosity iiitif the Coniioraiii. that her objection to the cormorants is, as she says, "in the birds and is working on a book King writes a colunm about animals in maritime history for 5c.i Hisicry. eye of the beholder." Her concern is not based on the local environment's true carrying capacity, but rather on what Web links related to this article can be found at www.naturalhistorymag.com scientists call "\\-ildlite acceptance capacity. " Her opinion

March 2009 n,\tur.^l history 29 Yellow-spotted rock hyraxes (Heterohyrax bruceij in Tanzania share a crevice that protects them from the sun and lurking predators.

«h..'\A

_ V « :

I— ZIMBABWE - Bulawayo l^lfttilliMMB r»isfiaiMitateK^#ia#ta«;ies find (10 miles) SOUTH Af=RICA safety in numbers—except in the Matobos« presence of people. CecllRhodes'sgtaj Matobo National Park Gnmp ."r'7i Tciqhivana Dam =

Malenie Dam" Mpopoma Darn N Mtshelele 0am.

2 'I =Wllderness Area - miles

From my perch overlooking a rocky outcrop m

Matobo National Park, in southwestern Zimbabwe, I keep watch over certain creatures that emerge from the cracks and crevices in the early morning and again in the late afternoon to recharge. Both times, they bask in the warming rays of the Sun, sometimes for several hours at a stretch, then forage briefly. In between these out- ings, they avoid the midday heat by retreating into the cavernous refuges of their craggy fortress. At nightfall they withdraw again to rest. Cold-blooded reptiles, you might guess? No, they are mammals—African hyraxes —whose low metabolic rate and varying body tempera- ture belie their mammalian heritage. What especially

fascinates me, however, is that they belong to two spe- cies of two different genera, the rock hyrax and the yel- low-spotted rock hyrax. Their coexistence here, and in many regions of southern and eastern Africa, seems to challenge a long-standing principle, that similar species cannot occupy identical niches.

1991 I was first introduced to the local hyrax populations in with Zimbabwe's Department of by Peter J. Mundy, then an ornithologist National Parks and Wildlife Management, and the late George Banfieid. orga-

nizer of the Black Eagle Survey in Zimbabwe. I quickly began to collaborate with the parks department, initiating a study of the population biology of hyraxes in Matobo. In addition to Mundy, my primary colleagues were Moses Masiyandima, at the Natural History Museum in Bulawayo, and Ngoni Chi- weshe and Edward Chabikwa, then with National Parks. In spite of ongoing political strife in the area, we were able to monitor the hyraxes over a period of fourteen years in the park, which covers approximately 170 square miles. Ultimately, the political and economic turmoil—which resulted in a lack ot fuel, vehicles, and access to the park—forced us to close down the study.

I had never seen a hyrax in the wild before setting foot on the ko^\\cs. or rocky outcrops, of southern Africa; zoos had been my only immediate source ot ret-

March 2009 natural history 31 —

Outcroppings of rock, above, known as kopjes, offer prime real estate for rock hyraxes

(Procavia capensisj and yellow-spotted rock hyraxes living together in Matobo National Park in Zimbabwe. There are plenty of crevices to spare, yet the hyraxes choose to stick

together, possibly for protection. Right: Hyraxes even share nursery duties, as in the case of the two adult rock hyraxes watching over two juveniles.

erence for learning what the creatures actually looked sources—food, space, and time (for example, when they like and how they behaved. My specialty was the spatial sleep or eat). How, then, could two very similar hyrax and temporal relationships among small mammals, such species maintain such a cozy association? Could there as the white-footed mouse {Penvuysctis leucoptis), North be some hidden advantage to sharing the same area?

American deer mouse (P. inaiiiciilatits) , and southern red- backed vole {Myodes gapperi), which coexist in eastern Known as "dassies" to the peoples of

deciduous forests of the United States. But when I read southern Africa, hyraxes are primarily herbivores, feed- about and saw pictures of two species of hyrax living ing on grass, bark, buds, leaves, flowers, and fruit. In

side by side, I wondered if fieldwork on those African general appearance they resemble marmots, but they are mammals might help me better understand my North not closely related to such rodents. Instead, they are the American subjects. Cause's hypothesis, also known as only living representatives of the ancient mammalian the principle of competitive exclusion, insists that one order Hyracoidea. of three fates awaits any two such overlapping species: Four hyrax species exist, and they fall within three one species can outcompete and displace the other; the genera Procavia, Hetewhyrax, and Deiidrohyrax. The two species can diverge biologically, with changes in rock hyrax, P. capensis, ranges from southern and cen- one or both that permit a less competitive coexistence; tral sub-Saharan Africa to northeastern Africa, even or they can coexist by partitioning the available re- into the Middle East. The yellow-spotted rock (or

32 NATURAL HrsTOR.Y I March 2009 a

simply yellow-spotted, or lationship, such as digits with

bush) liyrax, H. hriicci, has Hyrax tracks short nails; lack of a clavicle

.1 more restricted distribution, especially iii the (collarbone); absence of a scrotum in males (the testes

iiortii. Those arc the two species that mingle in reside in the abdominal cavity); and absence of a bacu- our study area. One can readily tell them apart, lum, or penis bone, in males. even at considerable distances: the yellow-spotted An increase in body mass over evolutionary time— liyrax has a grayish coat with a white underside trend known as Cope's Rule— is typical for mamma- ,ind bushv, brilliant white eyebrows, whereas the lian lineages. Presumably a larger size confers such ad- rock liyrax has a brown coat with a tawny un- vantages as increased ability to capture prey or escape derside. On average, too, an adult rock hyrax is predation; etTiciency in conserving body heat; and re- .ibout two feet long and weighs about seven and a productive success. However, the lineage leading to

half pounds, whereas the yellow-spotted hyrax is hyraxes became smaller in body size. That may have slightly smaller, reaching an adult weight ot about been in response to competition from newly evolved six pounds and a length ot just over a toot. antelopes, coupled (in the case of hyraxes) with the

As it turns out, rock hyraxes preter to graze at safety atTorded by the narrow cracks and crevices of ground level—except m the dry season (May to their rocky habitat. The earliest known member of the September), when the grasses die out—while yel- modern hyrax family. Procaviidae, is the late-Miocene low-spotted hyraxes browse in shrubs and trees. Hclcivhyiax amiciviipciisis, which lived in what is now

That could be a way to lessen their competition. Namibia. In size, and probably in many other ways, it Hut both are diurnal rock-dwellers. Their agile was highly similar to the rock hyrax. movements m their rocky habitat suggest their other nickname, "rock rabbit." Rock hyraxes, in- The rock hyrax and the yellow-spotted hy- rax are critical players in the ecosystem of the Ma- tobo Hills (encompassing Matobo National Park and surrounding communal lands), making them what are known as keystone species. They occur in great num- bers (tens of thousands) and, as grazers and browsers of a variety of plants, mold the vegetative structure of their habitat. They are the principal prey of both the black eagle (also known as Verreaux's eagle) and the leop- ard, and important prey for a host of other vertebrate predators, including the crowned eagle, martial eagle, African hawk eagle, tawmy eagle, rock python, black mamba. and chacnia baboon. Rock and yellow-spotted hyraxes possess a number of special adaptations to the kopjes. In addition to fa- cial whiskers— a typical mammalian trait—they sprout stitY, sparsely distributed sensory hairs that protrude cidentally, are thought to be the "coneys" of the Bible an inch or more above coat hairs on their back and that "make their houses in the rocks." sides, as well as along the abdomen and the tore- and The other two species—the southern tree hyrax, D. hindlimbs. Those long hairs provide tactile teedback iirhoiviis, and the western tree hyrax, D. (iorsalis—are to help hyraxes navigate within their rocky retuges. nocturnal and li\'e mostly in trees. The)' generally do not Thick, rubbery pads on the soles of their teet, kept share habitats with the rock hyraxes, and in tact neither moist by secretions from numerous skin glands, en- is tound in Zimbabwe. The two nocturnal species are hance their grip tor climbing among the rocks and renowned tor their colorful vocal repertoires: the rock even up and down tree trunks. hyraxes, while less virtuosic. do emit a variety ot sounds An unusual gland, located on the back ot the hyrax. that include a twittering chirp, guttural growl, raspy is surrounded by long, erectile hairs that torm a black bark, and high-pitched alarm squeal. patch on the rock hyrax and an ivory or yellow patch Molecular studies have shown that hyraxes, ele- on the yellow-spotted hyrax. My colleagues and I no- phants, and sirenians (manatees and dugongs) are de- ticed that the hairs that make up those patches, par- rived tVom a common ancestor. Those three groups, ticularlv in the rock hyrax, are erected in the presence together with members of the extinct tamily Pliohyra- of other individuals. Apparently those hairs facilitate cidae, constitute the Paenungulata—"near ungulates." the wafting of an odor from the gland, an odor that Some morphological similarities also reveal their re- appears to be important for mating, recognition of the

March 2009 natural history 33 scribed the two species as having a similar social unit: a single adult male, highly territorial, associating with as many as seventeen females—along with juveniles and subordinate males—on a single, isolated kopje. What struck me as most interesting, however, was his obser- vation that the two species appear to live in the same rock crevices: they emerge from and retreat to the same spots between bouts of basking and foraging, and even occasionally lie next to each other during basking. Yet

they do not interbreed. I found the same association in the Matobo Hills populations. Although members of the two species are more likely to associate with their own kind as they bask, they can frequently be found side by side, even in physical contact. In searching for an explanation of why two poten- tially competing species would share the same habitat

so intimately, my colleagues and I focused on the role of predation. Stowed away in the recesses of their ko- pjes, hyraxes are relatively safe—snakes may be the only predators that can make it inside. Out on basking rocks, though, the hyraxes are easy targets. Valerie Gargett, an avid birdwatcher who studied the black eagle in Matobo for more than twenty years, wrote in her 1990 book, The Black Eagle, that approximately 98 percent of that raptor's diet consisted of hyraxes, based on skeletal remains of prey at eagle nests.

The data that I collected with my colleagues suggest that half to three-quarters of all young hyraxes are lost to predators in their first year. Many of those deaths are Black eagle swoops down with its talons bared, top; at the talons of the black eagle. Adult hyraxes are also a leopard carries a hyrax, above. The two predators, vulnerable, particularly the yellow-spotted hyraxes, and increasingly people, pose the greatest threats to hyraxes in the Matobo National Park. whose lighter weight may make them the better choice for a nine-pound eagle. Not by coincidence, black eagles mother by the young, and perhaps recognition of the roost on or near the tops of kopjes occupied by hyrax- presence of other individuals of the same species. es, and a nesting pair hunts them together. Hyraxes, in In some ways hyraxes seem more reptihan than turn, spend much of their basking time transfixed—eyes mammaUan. Although the physiological ecology of trained on the sky for predators. In fact, hyraxes possess hyraxes has been little studied, more than thirty-five an umbraculum in the eye, a shield that extends from the years ago the late evolutionary biologist George A. iris into the pupil. That enables a basking individual to

Bartholomew observed a metabolic rate for the yel- stare into the Sun as it watches for raptors, which often low-spotted hyrax that was 20 percent lower than attack from that direction. "Basking," indeed, conveys

expected for a mammal of its size, and a body tem- a false sense of ease: our results show that adults spend perature that fluctuated by as much as 13 Fahrenheit about 90 percent of their time on guard. degrees daily in response to changes in air tempera- Because of the need for vigilance against predation, we ture. Hyraxes rely considerably on behavior to ther- weren't surprised to find that a hyrax usually basks in the moregulate. They bask on exposed rock in the early company of at least one other individual, with mixed- morning and late afternoon to raise their temperature, species groups averaging about five adults. At no time of and so increase their metabolic rate and activity level, the year did we observe more than about a fourth of the before they move a short distance to forage. adults basking alone. There are several ways in which being part of a larger group could be advantageous for Hendrik Hoeck, a zoologist at a hyrax. Their sheer numbers could confuse a predator, the Max Planck Institute in Seewiesen, Germany, has reducing its success rate. Moreover there is the "many- studied rock hyraxes for more than thirty years on the eyes effect": the more eyes, the more likely a predator Serengeti Plain of East Africa. Before undertaking my will be detected by one individual, whose reaction will

own fieldwork, I carefully read his publications. He de- warn others nearby. The yellow-spotted hyraxes in par-

34' ,:>iuRAL HISTORY March 2009

i ticiilar act as sentinels for tlic group, niakuig alarm calls We fear the pohtical stntl- and understood by both species. Freed to devote less time economic collapse in Zimbabwe will ^ and energy to vigilance, individuals can divert more at- have long-term ctTects on the hyraxes. In a JOO/ .iruclc tention to feeding, mating, and caring for young. in the journal Osiriiii, Ngoni Clhiweshe, now a conser- We were somewhat surprised to learn how the size vation officer for BirdLife Zimbabwe, discussed poach- and makeup of bask- ing for subsistence in ing groups changed and around Matobo around bii'thing sc.i- and described tiiid- son—a tune when ing a number of yel- protecting young is low-spotted hyrax critical. We found that carcasses in snares right befc>re the birth set in trees. He also season of mid- to late found hyrax skins for March, the size ot sale at curio shops single-species groups within the park and decreased as that ot in nearby Bulawayo, mixed-species groups Zimbabwe's second- increased. And once largest city. Such ex- born, the young were ploitation of natural collectively looked af- lesources may be ex- ter in mi.xeti-species pected to intensify as nurseries. Talk about economic conditions trusting— allowing deteriorate. And, your young to be with though I am in con- another species! Then, tact with those inside during the weaning Zimbab\\'e who have season, four to hve been in\-olved in the Juvenile hyraxes climb on an adult. months after birth, the project, data collec- mixed-species groups began to disband. tion has ceased and the current population cannot be There could be several reasons why they go their reliably monitored. separate ways—at least to a certain extent—when the Yet from video recordings of hyraxes collected in young are weaned. We suspect it might be because mat- the 1990s, we are hoping to learn more about the spe- ing takes place in August, five months after the previ- cies. Perhaps their somewhat different feeding strategies ous pulse of births, and males of both species become have led to complementary skills in detecting raptors, more territorial, aggressive, and vocal as the mating leopards, baboons, and snakes. If so, one or both species season approaches. The two species would only get in could benefit from an alliance, especially at a time ot each other's way at that time. A separation period could year when their young are most vulnerable. It may not also be needed because as the dry season progresses, take a mixed-species village to raise a hyrax. but having the rock hyrax increasingly competes with the yellow- a neighborhood watch program may just help. spotted hyrax in foraging. In any case, even in ternis of safety there can be drawbacks to large group size. A large group may be easier for a predator to detect than a solitary individual, and not just visually: hyra.xes also Mamnialogist Ronald E. Barry has stud- betray themselves with smelly communal latrines. ied various aspects of the population, eonimunity, and behavioral ecology Although we may not be able to state with certainty yet and the functional morphology ofsmall why the two species share their space so intimately, we can mammals, from mice and voles to rab- discount a couple of explanations. For one, a scarcity of real bits and hyraxes. Among his specific interests are the spatial and temporal estate is not the driving consideration. During a drought associations of syntopic, or coexisting. in the early 1990s, hyrax populations in Matobo sank dra- ^^^^^^^^ \ ^^^^H^^^^^^l .'^P'^cies in eastern deciduous torescs of matically to historical lows, and vast areas of kopje were '* VM^BO^^^^^ the United States and the Matobo Hills unoccupied. Yet the two species still associated. We can of southwestern Zimbabwe. Barry is a visiting professor ofbiology also be reasonably certain that the hyraxes are not gather- at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and a professor emeritus at Frostburg State Universitv in Maryland. ing for extra warmth, because it is in the coldest months ot

this article can be found atl the year June and several months after the birthing ,, V/eb links related «o July, j — * www.naturalhistorymag.coTn season—that the two species began to associate less. ^

March 2009 natural history 35 —

BOOKSHELF BY LAURENCE A. MARSCHALL

ing study of adolescence in Samoa so—she was as remarkable as any understandably struck a responsive mammoth bone, gemstone, or feath- chord. Even before she had published er cloak the museum has on display. anything on the subject, newspapers S«afcMy^V^ were reporting on the brave and bril- liant young woman who was going L^^^ia a tropical island to native on remote Margaret Mead: find out whether young girls far from r 7776 Making of an American Icon "civilization" grew up with the same problems and longings as the flappers by Nancy C. Lutkehaus Loot: of New York and Paris. The Battle over tlie Stoien Princeton University Press, 2008; Chance, however, was only part of Treasures of tfie Ancient world 374 pages, $29.95 the story. Mead possessed boundless by Sliaron Waxman energy, a sharp mind, and a talent Times Books, 2008; Margaret Mead, who remains for evocative writing. Though she 414 pages, $30,00 America's best-known anthro- published many solid monographs in pologist thirty years after her death, professional journals as an academic belonged to a new breed of public anthropologist, it was her popular They call it the British Museum. intellectual that blossomed in the writing, eloquent and accessible, that Why, then, does it count among twentieth century—the celebrity propelled her to superstardom. Her its treasures a sizable portion of the scientist. Like Carl Sagan and first book, Coming of Age in Samoa, frieze that adorned the Parthenon Benjamin Spock, she was as recog- published in 1928, was an immediate in Athens, Greece, for roughly two

nizable as this month's Hollywood best seller. Coming as it did at a time thousand years? And why does it hold sensation, an icon whose appeal when America's social niores were the Rosetta Stone, the code-key of

went far beyond her immediate pro- changing, its account of sexual free- hieroglyphics, unearthed by French fessional community. Millions lis- dom was received with delight by soldiers in the Nile Delta in 1799? tened to her on radio talk shows and many who agreed with the notion According to journalist Sharon watched her TV documentaries; in that societal taboos and habits were Waxman, we should regard all these her regular column in Redbook mag- conditioned by culture, not dictated treasures as plunder. Some were, azine, she voiced opinions on issues by nature. Over the next half cen- in fact, the direct spoils of war. ranging from feminisin to nuclear tury, Mead became a leading voice Napoleon's armies were accompanied energy. The image of Mead, gray- for progressive cultural reform. by a corps of savants who collected haired, caped, and carrying a forked She never shunned controversy, scientific and cultural artifacts—in- staff, became an archetype: she was and even after her death. Mead's cluding the Rosetta Stone—as part of a real-life Yoda, dispensing wisdom Samoan study came under question. the Little Corporal's imperial vision. with the feisty assurance of a cul- But by focusing on what made her The precious Stone passed in turn tural critic whose keen eye and long a celebrity, Lutkehaus shows that to the British when they crushed

experience could be counted on. Mead's work endures and that she Napoleon's army in 1801, and thus it

Nancy C. Lutkehaus, a professor was more than an empty tabloid made its way to London. of anthropology at the University phenomenon. The Mead of this Other museum showpieces were of Southern California, worked for book—by no means a puff piece spirited from their mother countries several years while in college and is thoughtful, enormously talented, in times of civil turmoil. But most graduate school as an assistant to and accomplished as both a writer ot the artifacts, especially small ones Mead. She's written an illuminating and a scientist, if also opinionated, like pottery and jewelry, were simply book—more a sociohistorical por- at times overbearing, and like most looted by local treasure hunters, usu- trait than a birth-to-death biogra- prodigious achievers, driven. Her ally after a serendipitous discovery, to phy—that examines how Margaret genius lay not so much in revolu- be sold through private middlemen, Mead became an American icon. tionizing academic anthropology as including prestigious dealers who

Part of it, of course, was being in in making her science come alive as were willing to ignore the niceties the right place at the right time. Born a transformative power in society. of provenance. As antiquities trader

in 1901, Mead came of age in the The American Museum of Natural Robert Olson told a reporter, "If it mid-1920s, the decade when women, History, where she worked for most wasn't for people illegally digging up

newly enfranchised, were celebrat- of her career, lists Mead among its stuff, there wouldn't be museums." ing new freedoms. Mead's pioneer- fifty greatest treasures, and rightly In the colonial world of the J 36 i-.ATURAL HrsTORY March 2009 I —

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nineteenth century, the distinc- some artifacts can be offered for entific research to this day: "Our tion between looting and collecting sale and loan, while others remain universe is not just described by was hardly recognized. Great pow- in their rightful homes. mathematics," says cosmologist ers, intent on spreading Western ^ It/ Max Tegmark of MIT, "it is math- civilization throughout the savage 45821 ematics." 1478 world, saw it as both a right and a There is much to commend this 6789 duty to collect, salvage, and display attitude, according to astrophysicist 12581 the finest art and architecture of the 9201 Mario Livio of the Space Telescope ancients. Clearly the poor Turks and 01451 Science Institute in Baltimore, Greeks and Egyptians hadn't done Maryland, whose latest book, de- much to preserve it over the ages. Is GodWWm spite the theological resonance of But as former colonies have Mathematician? its title, is actually a well-crafted economic popular history of mathematical gained independence and ;-»''- by Mario Livio power, they have begun to call for philosophy. Many theories that MlllUlltSIIIll the return of what they see as pil- were originally thought to be pure 308 pages, $26.00 laged patrimony. Greece has built abstractions, he notes, later turned a new museum at the foot of the out to describe aspects of the natu-

Acropolis, with exhibit space spe- I n The Assayer, an eloquent dis- ral world. For instance, group the-

cially built for the return of the I course on the scientific method ory, devised in the 1800s as a de- Parthenon frieze, and Turkey suc- published in 1623, Galileo Galilei scription of the relations between cessfully won the return of a large observed that God's design for various mathematical operations, collection of looted Lydian artifacts the universe "is written in the provided the key to understanding in 1993. Yet significant holdings of language of mathematics, and the subatomic structure a century later. the w^orld's major museums remain characters are triangles, circles, and Yet there are those who argue in question, and, though UNESCO other geometrical figures, without that the mathematical structure of

adopted a resolution in 1970 ban- which it is humanly impossible to the universe is mere appearance, ning the illegal transfer of national comprehend a single word of it." a human invention that results treasures, there seems no quick Those sentiments may have been from our brain's natural tendency practical resolution to the issue of controversial in an era when most to impose order on the raw ex- what to do with those already dis- learned men venerated Aristotle, perience of our senses. This point placed, or to the question of how to who had described the world quite of view gained credence in the regulate future collecting. cogently using neither formulas nor 1800s, when Euclid's geometry, Waxman has interviewed the equations. But from the perspec- long thought to be the only way principal figures on both sides of tive of the twenty-first century, to describe the world, was found the debate to present a richly tex- the unique explanatory power of to be only one among many axi- tured view of the problems facing mathematics seems self-evident. We omatic systems that did the job. the old imperial museums and the know that mathematics is essential Mathematics, to cognitive scientists aggrieved nations. Waxman avoids to the design of every device we George Lakoff and Rafael Nuiiez, the temptation to label bad guys use to augment our senses or con- tells us more about the organizing and good guys. Great museums trol our environment, from iPods principles of our minds than the do indeed provide safe haven for to self-defrosting refrigerators. underlying structure of nature. artifacts that might otherwise be Why should this be? The ef- So which is it? If you are impa- neglected or destroyed, and they fectiveness of mathematics in for- tient for answers, you might want

clearly have the wealth, expertise, mulating the laws of nature is as to skip the various historical dis- and location to display precious puzzling the laws are themselves. courses on statistics, knot theory,

artifacts to a wide audience. What If, as Galileo's comments imply, symbolic logic, etc., and head

is needed, Waxman concludes, is scientific laws exist independent of straight for the final chapter, where a new ethos of forthrightness and human consciousness, then scien- Livio sets forth his own views on collaboration on all sides. Museums tists are, like explorers skirting the the matter. Avoid such temptation, must be up-front in acknowledg- shores of an unknown continent, however; the merit of this book

ing publicly the sources of their gradually mapping the preexisting is, as with much of mathematics, holdings, while countries seeking contours of nature through obser- not so much with the "Q.E.D." at the restoration of treasures should vation, experiment, and reflection. the bottom line, but with the steps establish clear procedures by which It is a perspective that inspires sci- taken to get there. 4 38 lATURAL HISTORY March 2009 —

rimi flr"»*fr

compression like a powerful spring, In March 1951, Argentina's president keeping them too far apart to form Juan Pcron announced that his coun- any helium. Inside the Sun, enor- try had solved the energy crisis: a mous pressures and high tempera- scientist named Ronald Kichter had Sun in a Bottle: tures overcome that difficulty, but achieved fusion in what amounted the same conditions in to little more than a stone furnace. The Strange History of Fusion and leproducing the laboratory has frustrated scien- E.xperts, however, found a light-show ttie Science of Wishful Thinldng tists for the past half century. worthy of the Wizard ot Oz and by Charles Seife Science journalist Charles Seife de- Richter was ultimately arrested. Viking, 2008; tails these efforts to harness the Sun. Poor Richter was. as Seife notes. 294 pages; $25.95 -. trom the first donut-shaped magnetic "the first casualty of the quest to put device envisioned by Princeton as- the sun in a bottle," but hardly the

"The recipe is enticingly simple. Take trophysicist Lyman Spitzer in the last. Hopefully, when the ultimate

is I four hydrogen nuclei and push 195()s to the multibillion-dollar history ot fusion energy written,

tiiem together to form a single he- ITER (International Thermonuclear Seife 's tragicomic tales of folly will lium nucleus. Voila—energy! We Experimental Reactor), a mammoth appear as mere footnotes, rather than know this takes place in nature international collaboration that has as poignant testimony to the futility inside the Sun— so why not harness been proceeding in fits and starts of bottling the Sun. the same reaction to power our fur- since the Reagan years. But like the Laurence A. Marschall is IV.K.T. naces, generators, and automobiles? proverbial skeptic who sees the hole, Sahiii Professor of Physics at Gcllysburg Unfortunately, it is nearly impos- not the donut, Seife relishes writing CoUeg^c ill Pciuis)'h'aiiia. and coauthor, egregious failures fusion sible to get hydrogen to behave. about the of witli Stephen P. Maraii, (i/'Galileo's New Bring positively charged hycirogen research, not its hard-won successes. Universe: The Revolution in Our nuclei close to each other, and their These stories run the gamut of hu- Understanding of the Cosmos. puMished mutual electric repulsion resists man frailties, from hubris to fraud. by BciiBclh Books.

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Daylight saving time (DST) returns tion increased, probably because of on the second Sunday of March greater demand for heating and air for most of North America: clocks conditioning. "spring forward" one hour at 2:00 a.m. local Also notable in March is time. Daylight saving voir! Venus, which shines time trades a little sun- CONGRESS PaSSES as an evening "star" most DflYLIBHT SaVINC BILL shine in the morning of the month, but then

for more in the evening, switches its appearances allowing people to do to the morning. Only outdoor activities by once every eight years do natural light after of- viewers in the Northern fice hours. Based on Hemisphere get a brief U.S. Department of window to glimpse Transportation statistics Venus at both dawn and ADMIT I from the mid-1970s, dusk on the same day. ONE supporters claim DST That occurs when two saves energy that would "Get Your Hoe Ready!" events coincide. Venus GOOD FOR YOUR CHOICE OF ANY OR ALL OF otherwise go for artifi- must undergo inferior THE FOLLOWING LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCES World War l-era poster cial lighting. Indeed, the conjunction with the D FISHING D WATER SPORTS DART MUSEUMS celebrates the introduction O fl HIKING a WILDLIFEVIEWING DGOLf number of weeks of DST Sun (swing past the near n HISTORY n PERFORMING ARTS D DINING of daylight saving time. D BIKING D CAMPING a SAIUNG was increased not long side of the Sun), which is . a NATIONAL PARKS D BIRD WATCHING D FAMILY ACTIVITIES ago, in part based on that reasoning. when it shifts from evening to morn- D COLTURALACnvmES 9 o^'y3^~ But does that argument hold? ing stardom. And Venus must be near A JLlE\RN ro LIVE^ "^ Not according to recent findings the point in its orbit that is farthest

by Matthew J. Kotchen, a profes- north of the ecliptic, the plane of sor of economics, and Laura E. Earth's orbit around the Sun. (That Grant, a doctoral student in envi- provides enough separation between ronmental science and management, Venus and the Sun so we don't lose at the University of California, sight of the planet in the sunlight.) Santa Barbara. In a working pa- For several days this month around per for the National Bureau of the 25th, both conditions are met. Economic Research published this past October, they report data from Joe Rao is a broadcast meteorologist and Indiana, where most counties did an associate and lecturer at the Hayden not adopt DST until 2006. It turns Planetariiiiu in New York City out household energy consump- (www.haydenplanetarium.orgj.

MARCH NIGHTS OUT 22 An hour or so before sunrise, a thin crescent Moon sits in the southeast, 4 The Moon waxes to first quarter at about 5 degrees above and to the right 2:46 A.M. eastern standard time. of Jupiter. 8 Daylight saving time returns at 2:00 a.m. 23-27 Venus, a hairline orescent, may be local time (see story above). spotted in both the morning and evening

10 The Moon becomes full at 10:38 p.m. twilight (see story above). On the 25th it eastern daylight time (EDI). appears 5 degrees above the horizon at sunrise and again at sunset. 18 The Moon wanes to last quarter at

1:47 p.m. EDT 24 Mars, lost in the Sun's glare since October, may be visible as an orange- 20 Moving north, the Sun appears to Capture the spirit of yesterday. yellow apparition in the east-southeast, cross the celestial equator (Earth's thirty to forty minutes before sunrise. equator projected onto the heavens) Look for it about 3 degrees below and to at 7:44 a.m. EDT. Spring begins in the the right of a very thin crescent Moon. Northern Hemisphere and autumn

begins in the Southern Hemisphere. 26 The Moon is new at 12:06 p.m. EDT.

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changeably," Rutzky says, "make it If you've ever spent hours reorganizing a obvious which way the specimen sock drawer or search- must be put back." In other words, ing for the ideal spice proper replacement should be rack, you have just a intuitive. Storage solutions must hint of the work afoot also accommodate an astonishing on fossil storage floors range of sizes and weights, from of the Childs Frick huge skulls to the tiniest teeth. Building at the Ameri- Because of space constraints, the can Museum of Natural team's motto is, "As large as nec- History. There, under a essary, as small as possible." grant from the National While such general principles Science Foundation, a are applied to all fossils, however, team of staff and volun- each rehousing is approached teers painstakingly up- as a unique design problem. For dates the storage of one example, skulls should always be an of the Museum's most This tray containing the type specimen for Osbornodonfricki, stowed top side down, teeth up. extinct dog, displays several safety solutions: cushioning cradles prized possessions: "Teeth have some of the most teeth-up storage, and phalanges tied with tidy cotton bows. the fossil mammal type diagnostic characteristics in specimen collection. mammals," explains Rutzky. "So

made up of some 2,000 specimens in all. if researchers don't have to turn over the skull to see them

A "type" is the original specimen used to describe a new initially, we eliminate many sorry mishaps. Also, the weight genus or species, and having such a large collection in one of a skull can break the canines right off."

place is a fundamental part of what makes the Museum The materials used to rehouse fossils are of archival "a repository of learning," says Ivy Rutzky, a painter and quality, from the triangular polyethylene rods cut to create

Master of Fine Arts who is the senior scientific assistant custom bumpers to the fluted polypropylene sheets used for coordinating the project. Rutzky and volunteers Judy Kittay building boxes. Rutzky's team, through the creative process and Lori Francz are about halfway through a major project they pride themselves on, found that an ordinary nail file to rehouse the fossils of the mammal type collection. was perfect for sanding smooth the polypropylene's sharp One would think something that has already survived edges. Similarly, soft, cotton library tape was found to be of millions of years would be indestructible, but fossils are of- special value in securing the phalanges of articulated feet, ten extremely fragile, given their age, degree of mineraliza- which are left unglued for research purposes. tion, or general structure. The most common cause of dam- Once rehoused, lucid labeling of every specimen is cru- age to specimens? Humans. Mishandling, absent-minded cial. A clear envelope accompanies each specimen, contain- slip of paper ever even one opens a cabi- . . ing every misplacement,'^ the way' ....,,,_ _. ,.e ^ ^, „ii J^ AMNH Senior Scientific Assistant Ivy Rutzky net or moves a tray can put a fossil at risk. B associated with it, from The Museum's collection—one of the larg- i the latest computer print- ' est of its kind—draws researchers from around out to beautifully scrawled

the world. And it is those researchers whom - 1 notes on yellowed paper. Rutzky and her team keep in mind when * "We need to communicate designing proper storage. Rutzky tests each through the specimens, new housing by acting out the part of a weary not each other," Rutzky researcher, rushing to finish in time to catch a explains. "And we commu- flight and putting specimens willy-nilly into a nicate over time, perhaps

box. One of the hallmarks of a good design is 50 to 100 years, with re- interchangeability: wherever possible, a fossil searchers and collections

housing should accommodate its fossil back- staff in the past and for

wards or forwards. "If you can't design it inter- years to come." i man consumption. As the human i population continues to grow, we must protect this finite resource. Only careful stewardship —thought- ful, more efficient use of water and protection of its purity—will let us balance competing demands among

all species.

On Saturday, March 21. the American Museum of Natural His- tory hosts World Water Day, a fasci-

nating look at all things water. Part of the new Milstein Science Series, the all-day event will feature live animals, interactive displays, and activity stations on conservation, smart consumer choices related to fresh water, and more. Fami- lies will delight in a spectacular performance by the Arm-of-the-Sea Puppet Theater in which larger- Milstein Science Series: than-life puppets illuminate the relationship between man World Water Day and nature. Museum scientists will be on hand to answer questions about their water-related research. Special guests Water is essential to life as we know it. A seemingly include the NYC Department of Environmental Conserva- limitless resource, water sustains our bodies and tion, Riverkeeper, Scenic Hudson, and others. shapes our planet. Yet only a fraction of a percent of the World Water Day will be held in the Milstein Hall of Ocean world's supply supports all life on Earth. Though water cov- Life from 11 am to 4 pm. Free with Museum admission. Visit ers nearly three-quarters of Earth's surface, only 3 percent amnh.org /worldwaterday for additional information. of Earth's water is fresh—and less than one-third of that is in a form or a place that makes it readily available for hu- Proudly sponsored by the Paul and Irma Milstein family.

Attention Documentary Filmmakers: Mead Festival Seeks Submissions

African thumb-piano players, Laotian bomb technicians, primate scientists in Abkhazia, prostitutes in Phnom Penh, Manhattan pre-schoolers —these are just a few of the unusual subjects explored in the most recent annual Mar- garet Mead Film & Video Festival at the American Museum of Natural History. Submissions are now open for this year's festival, to be held November 12-15, 2009. The Mead was begun in 1976 as an exhibition of anthro- pologists' recordings and has evolved into a world-renowned exploration of the art of documentary, encompassing a broad range of styles: documentary feature films, indige- nous community media, animation, and experimental non- fiction. The 2008 festival opened with the New York pre- as part of the traveling program. miere of the newly restored In the Land of the Head Hunters, To become a part of this premiere showcase, visit a silent melodrama produced in 1914 by Edward S. Curtis amnh.org/mead to learn more about submitting a film. In- and accompanied by a live orchestra. Many of the innovative formation on the annual Festival and its year-round screen-

films featured in the Museum's three-day fall festival con- ing series is also available. The early deadline for 2009 sub-

tinue on to venues throughout the United States and abroad missions is April 13, and the final deadline is May 29.

The contents oe these °aCES are provided to fVA! At the Museum www.amnh.org American Museum S Natural History ^

EXHIBITIONS The support of the National Aeronautics Department of Environmental York City Mayor's Office of

and Space Administration is appreciated. Climate Change: The Threat to Conservation, Riverkeeper, Long-Term Planning and Special thanks to the Cassini imaging Scenic Hudson, and others. Sustainability. Life and A New Energy Future team, especially those scientists at

Cornell University's Department of " Proudly sponsored by Through August 16, loog Public programs are made possible, in Astronomy along with the staff of Paul and Irma Milstein. This timely exhibition explores part, by the Rita and Frits Markus Fund Cornell University photography The for Public Understanding of Science. the science, history, and Eastman Kodak Company of Rochester. LECTURES impact of climate change New York, printed the images. All in the Bones: A Biography on a global scale, providing of Benjamin Waterhouse FAMILY AND CHILDREN'S a context for today's On Feathered Wings Hawkins PROGRAMS most urgent headlines. Through May 2^, 20og Tuesday, 3/31, 6:]o pm Dr. Nebula's Super Cold The exhibition lays the This exhibition brings together Robert M. Peck, Senior Fellow, Adventure groundwork for potential the work of renowned wildlife Academy of Natural Sciences, Saturday, }/2S, 2-3 pm solutions, empowering and photographers whose artistry Philadelphia, will discuss Earth may be warming, but inspiring visitors of all ages. showcases the majesty of the legacy of artist Benjamin the big freeze is happening climate Change is organized by the birds in flight. Waterhouse Hawkins, in Dr. Nebula's Lab! Explore American Museum of Natural The presentation of both Saturn and On famous for his dinosaur the properties of cold and History, New York (www.amnh.org), Feathered Wings at the American Museum reconstructions. learn how temperature affects in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi of Natural History is made possible by the Authority for Culture &. Heritage, United different states of matter. generosity of the Arthur Ross Foundation. Arab Emirates: The Cleveland Museum of Natural History; I (Beginner) The Field Museum, Chicago: GLOBAL WEEKENDS I Robots in Space Instituto Sangari, Sao Paulo, Brazil: Spring Equinox Tuesday-Thursday, }/24-}/26, Junta de Castilla y Le6n, Spain: Sunday, Korea Green Foundation, Seoul; ]/2g, 2-5 pm 4-5-3° m Natural History Museum of Denmark, On tour in the United States In this class, you will design Copenhagen; Papalote Museo del Nino, for three months in 2009, and build robots using the Mexico City, Mexico; and Saint Louis Science Center the KODO drummers from Lego Mindstorms design Island, bring their system. {Ages 8-10) Climate Change is proudly presented by Sado Japan, Bank of America. performance to New York exclusively for the Horse Hollow Wind Farm Climate Change Sundays Major support has been provided by Museum. The Rockefeller Foundation. n am-i2:jo pm (4th and ^th Additional support for Climate Change SCIENCE & SOCIETY graders), 1:30-} pm (6th and and its related educational programming jth graders) has been provided by Our Energy Future Mary and David Solomon, Thursday, }/i2, 6:}opm the Betsy and Jesse Fink Foundation, Michael Oppenheimer, Albert What Is the Difference the Linden Trust for Conservation, and the Red Crane Foundation. C. Milbank Professor of between Climate and Ceosciences and International Weather?

The Butterfly Conservatory Affairs, Woodrow Wilson Sunday, 3/15

Through May 2^, 20og School and the Department

Mingle with up to 500 live, of Ceosciences, Princeton What Is Climate Change? free-flying tropical butterflies MILSTEIN SCIENCE University, and co-curator of Sunday, 3/22

in an enclosed habitat that SERIES Climate Change, moderates approximates their natural World Water Day a discussion with Joseph What Can We Do about environment. Saturday, }/2i, n am-4pm Romm, Senior Fellow, Center Climate Change? This family-friendly event for American Progress, Sunday, 3/2g Saturn: Imagesfrom the includes interactive displays, and executive director and In conjunction with the Cassini-Huygens Mission activities, talks, and a special founder of the Center for exhibition Climate Change, Through March ig, loog performance by Arm-of- Energy and Climate Solutions; these hands-on workshops

This stunning exhibition reveals the-Sea Puppet Theater, all Ashok Gupta, Air and introduce young audiences to

details of Saturn's rings, to inform visitors about Energy Program Director, the science of climate change moons, and atmosphere with water conservation and Natural Resources Defense and potential solutions. Take

images sent over half a billion smart consumer choices. Council (NRDC); and Rohit all three sessions and earn a miles by the Cassini spacecraft. Participants include the NYC Aggarwala, Director, New certificate. MEMBERS' PROGRAMS Visit the Wolf Conservation ISAAC ASIMOV of Nature & Science; GOTO. Inc.. Tokyo, Japan; and the Shanghai Science and Animal Drawing Center to meet wild wolves MEMORIAL DEBATE Technology Museum. Eight Thursciays. ]/^-4/2}, and discover why the From Planets to Plutoids: Made possible through the generous 7-9 pm preservation of these amazing The New Solar System support of CIT.

Learn about the gifted artists animals is essential. Tuesday. 3/10, yi^o pm Cosmic Collisions was created by the American Museum of Natural History of AMNH's world-class Moderator Neil deCrasse with the major support and partnership dioramas as you sketch WALKING TOURS Tyson, Director of the of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Science Mission subjects in their "natural" The Landscape of Old New Hayden Planetarium, and Directorate, Heliophysics Division. environments with Stephen Amsterdam an expert panel discuss our

C. Quinn, Department of Saturday. }/28. 10 am~i2 pm understanding of the solar IMAX MOVIES Exhibition, AMNH. and j-j pm system. Wild Ocean Join geologist Sid Horenstein Experience the massive

BEHIND THE SCENES for a walk through old New The late Dr. Isaac Asimov. one of the annual feeding frenzy off TOURS Amsterdam. most prolific and influential authors South Africa as billions offish of our time, was a dear friend and Behind the Scenes in the supporter of the American Museum migrate up the KwaZulu-Natal Archaeology Lab HAYDEN PLANETARIUM of Natural History. In his memory, the Wild Coast. Hayden Planetarium is honored to host Thursday. ^/ 12. 6:^0 pm. pm, PROGRAMS y the annual Isaac Asimov Memorial and y.jo pm Debate— generously endowed by Dinosaurs Alive! relatives, friends, and admirers of Isaac Join Curator David Hurst TUESDAYS IN THE DOME Great dinosaur finds by Asimov and his work— bringing the Thomas and Lab Director Virtual Universe scientists past and finest minds in the world to the Museum AMNH Lorann Pendleton for this rare Messier Tour each year to debate pressing questions present come to life with on the frontier of scientific discovery. look inside The Nels Nelson Tuesday. 3/3, 6:}0 pm archival and contemporary Proceeds from ticket sales of the Isaac Laboratory for North American Asimov Memorial Debates benefit the footage and scientifically scientific and educational programs of Archaeology at AMNH. Celestial Highlights accurate, computer-generated the Hayden Planetarium Planets in Springtime images. FIELD TRIPS Tuesday, }/^i. 6.30 pm. Cosmic Collisions A Day with the Wolves Journey into space to explore LATE NIGHT DANCE These programs are supported, in part, by Saturday. 3/14. 9 am-6 pm Val and Min-Myn Schaffner the impacts that formed our PARTY universe. Narrated by Robert One Step Beyond Friday. March INFORMATION Redford. 13 Visit amnh.org/onestepbeyond Call 212-769-5100 or visit www.amnh.org. Cosmic Collisions was developed in collaboration with the Denver Museum for details. TICKETS AND REGISTRATION Call 212-769-5200, Monday-Friday 9 am-5 pm, or visit

www.amnh.org. A service charge may apply All programs are subject to change. SIGNS OF SPRING

AMNH eNotes delivers the latest information on Museum Pussy willows take their programs and events monthly via email. Visit name from the furry www.amnh.org to sign up today! catkins that appear on the branches this time of year. these beautiful jewelry pieces are made of Become a Member of the oxidized bronze and American Museum of Natural History freshwater pearls.

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ENDPAPER

A Taste of the Wild

story and Photographs by Aaron French

WM nutmeg (left) and a raffia palm fruit (right)

there are tens of thousands bers and roots, search While for wild honey When I first started eating the wild of edible plants in the world, in the rainforest canopy, and capture forest fruits, I was amazed at people in the United States typically flying termites to roast over the how deeply they tasted. A small tree consume fewer than fifty. That held fire. Luckily for me, I had become a the Baka call iigoyo {Trichoscypha acu- true for me, too, until I moved to the professional cook to support myself minata) produces golf-ball-size red jungles of southern Cameroon for through my undergraduate educa- fruits that grow directly off the trunk my master's-degree research on how tion, and I was open to experimen- in what are known as cauliflorous birds, squirrels, and primates help to tation with new ingredients. For bunches. Those juicy fruits seem like disperse seeds. My investigation was cooking we used a two-burner pro- a vitamin-C bomb in the mouth, and part of a larger project on rainfor- pane stove and an "outback oven" their flavor lasts longer than anything est dynamics. For nearly two years that could be placed on top of the promised in a gum commercial. The I lived—in a camp with a number of stove to bake breads and cakes. fruit and nuts of the wild mango Baka "pygmy" hunter-gatherers I loved all the exotic fare, but the {hvingia gaboneiisis) have a complex- native to the central African rainfor- fruits quickly became my favorites. ity of flavor that leaves true mangoes est—whom I relied upon as guides. My research subjects, such as the {Mangifera sp.) flat by comparison.

The camp was a twenty-mile walk large hornbills, chimpanzees, and Wild mango is less sweet and more forest into the from the nearest vil- gray-cheeked mangabeys, sought nutty; the flesh is eaten raw, while lage, itself a full day's drive from the out some of the same bounty. the seeds are hulled, cooked, and capital city of Yaounde. Under the During the two rainy seasons, from used for a rich, creamy sauce. circumstances, my colleagues and I March through May and again Living with the Baka and learn- limited our infrequent shopping to in August through October, the ing to appreciate their foods forever staples like rice, pasta, flour, and some noise of feeding birds and monkeys changed my perception of how to canned goods. The surrounding for- echoed for miles around fruiting eat:. As one of the last surviving est compensated with an amazing trees of wild nutmeg Staudtia ka- hunter-gatherer groups in the world, treasure trove of things to eat. memnensis, Pycnanthus angolensis, and they are true seasonal eaters. They As I walked our nearly twenty- others. The Baka relish the waxy enjoy every bite, not knowing what mile network of forest trails, observ- seed covering (called an aril) as a might be gathered tomorrow. ing the frugivorous wildlife for my flavoring for sauces, and use the In addition, I saw how quickly research, my Baka guides would pungent oils from the seed itself as a indigenous knowledge could collect wild fruits, harvest wild tu- disinfectant and painkiller. be lost. With the influx of cash One of the most popular deli- from logging and bushmeat sales, Baka man eats a cacies in the Congo basin is the the Baka were obtaining foreign wild mango. large green fruit of the moabi tree goods—packaged candy, sodas, [Baillonella toxisperma). Its pulpy, and other processed foods. Those yellow flesh has a creamy taste. quickly became the sweets of choice The large, dark nuts inside the fruit among the younger Baka, as they can be pressed for ^%r0^t > high-quality oil. spent less time in the forest. I fear Unfortunately, moabi trees—with that in another generation much of

their ramrod-straight, towering what I was taught will become as trunks and dense wood—are a scarce as the majestic moabi. prized source of lumber in African Aaron French, wIic has a master's in forests. Even immature ones get cut ecology, is the chef at The Siiiiiiy Side P- Cafe down, a particular problem because in Albany, California, and is the EcoChef a moabi tree doesn't begin to repro- columnistfor ten Bay Area newspapers. See

duce until it is almost a century old. www.eco-chef.com for more information.

48; \'ATUR.AL HISTORY March 2009 i

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Archaeological Treasures From Ancient Latin America A.

^. y^-KTaSHEAJ' S^ »jr

Gold drinking vessels, jade ornaments and exquisitely- carved Warrior Gods are among the artifacts from the Aztec, Maya, Inca, anc their surrounding cultures on display in a behind-the- scenes exhibit.

'.»i]_-^:^' .i^;*>/v www.nhm.org/visiblevault

Free with general Museum admission

statural ^ AyrHistory 900 Exposition Blvd. Museum Los Angeles, CA 90007 of Los Anaclcs Counlv (213)763-01 NO J I

A billion fa lllon sites India. , to see. Incredible A billion reasons to visit. Incredj

www.iiicredibleiiidia.org 1-800-953-9399 [email protected]

f. ja>ts.-:' i^l