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AMNH Digital Library '<«•.•»** -%*•' >M >^ • Tracking the #• Elusive Jaguar f ' ; V ^ "V . ^ <L- • luxurious playground. -- ^^S 3 3K C ^; ffHQ «^L £te ^"-^b. -^~ ^- . "One minute we're in a gorgeous resort, Belizean hardwood everywhere you look, tucked away on a secluded beach in Hopkins The next minute we're in a tropi- cal rainforest where nothing has f* changed in maybe a couple of million years. Our first day in Belize we hiked a trail through the rain- forest, then set out on a serious climb that ended at a water- fall that was cold, pure, refreshing heaven. That night we dined at Innie's, a local restaurant where the whole Innie family served as hosts. We bantered back and forth with the family (we later found out the whole country pretty much speaks English), and at the same i time managed to demolish a dinner of exquisite beef and fresh seafood. So much for roughing it! Next it was on to Shark Ray Alley where we swam with the stingrays and nurse sharks. My two teenaged boys had a ball! We love the feeling we get being close to s ' te nature. Belize lets you do this in a very civilized way." — Nora Campisi — !IK«99IU tiAtr§}iBv9 iifi You can tell us about your Belize adventure at www.belizeadventure.org Call 1-800-624-0686 or visit our website: www.travelbelize.org Tilri MAY 2007 VOLUME 116 NUMBER 4 FEATURES COVER STORY 30 TRACKING THE ELUSIVE JAGUAR Wlien you'refollowing one of the Western Hemisphere's biggest cats, be aware that one might be following yon. EDUARDO CARRILLO 36 PREGNANCY RECONCEIVED II7/i7f keeps a mother's immune system 42 HIDDEN TOMBS from treating her baby asforeign tissue? OF ANCIENT SYRIA A new theory resolves the paradox. GIL MOR Evidence of animal and possibly human sacrifice suggests that burials at Tell Umm cl-Marra were those of Bronze Age royalty. GLENN M. SCHWARTZ HtfP M3hu m DEPARTMENTS 4 THE NATURAL MOMENT Beanie Baby Photograph by Dennis Kunkel 6 UP FRONT Editor's Notebook 48 THIS LAND 8 CONTRIBUTORS Uncommon Property 10 LETTERS Robert H. Mohlenbrock 12 SAMPLINGS 50 BOOKSHELF News from Nature Laurence A. Marschall 22 LIFE ZONE 56 nature.net A Terrible Scrooge Life's Patterns Olivia Judson Robert Anderson 28 BIOMECHANICS 56 THE SKY IN MAY A Spring in Its Step Joe Rao Adam Summers 58 AT THE MUSEUM 62 ENDPAPER Where Eagles Swim Annie Prevost PICTURE CREDITS: Page 8 Visit our Web site at 62 www.naturalhistorymag.com IF THERE WASN'T AN OFFICIAL POLAR GRAND SLAM THERE IS NOW. On February 3rd, 2006, Rune Gjeldnes arrived in Victoria Land, finishing his conquest of skiing solo across Antarctica, from Queen Maud Land via the South Pole. After traversing 4,804 kilometers of the Earth's most inhospitable landscapes, he became the world's first explorer to cross Greenland lengthways, the North Pole ice cap and Antarctica on skis unaided. Congratulations, Rune. The world is yours,y from top to bottom, ROLEX.COM ROLEX IAL ROLEX JEWELER CALL I-800-367-6S39. ROLEX '«' OYSTER PERPETUAL AND EXPLORER ARE TRADEMARKS NEW YORK MiiUfcva my THE NATURAL MOMENT Beanie Baby Photograph by Dennis Kunkel . 4 NATURAL HISTORY May 2007 — THE NATURAL MOMENT UP FRONT Sec preceding two pages Muzzling Scientists a big fan of natural history, I follow the science of nature the Asway a baseball fan follows baseball. I'm thrilled to learn that jaguars, in some places, are making a comeback ("Tracking the Elusive Jaguar," by Eduardo Carrillo, page 30). I'm fascinated by the new findings about how a mother's immune system reacts to the "challenge" Ready to plant his spring posed by her newly implanted embryo ("Pregnancy Reconceived," by vegetable garden, Dennis Gil Mor, page 36). And I'm riveted by the creepy signs of human sacri- Kunkel rooted out a packet of fice in a complex of tombs, sealed for more than 4,000 years, that archae- bean seeds, half-used from the ologists have recently unearthed ("Hidden Tombs ofAncient Syria," by year before. On pouring out the Glenn M. Schwartz, page 42). remaining seeds, though, Kunkel In other words, I'm a happy fan whenever I can watch the exception- noticed they in were covered ally gifted players—the scientists—who play my favorite game. But I bristle powder and pocked with round when someone tries to play politics with the players. Here is what's going holes. Weevils—he was sure of on inside an agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), that deals it! A magnifying lens confirmed with some of the topics closest to the hearts of readers of Natural History. that a few straggling adults According to Tlie New York Times, and confirmed by FWS officials, an each about four millimeters internal memorandum circulated to its Alaska division in early March long—were squeezing out of the instructed agency staff not to publicly discuss climate change, polar bears, tiny holes. On impulse, Kunkel or the status of sea ice, unless specifically authorized to do so. Let's be dunked the occupied seeds in fair: if you're an FWS scientist, the ruling applies to you only if you want preserving alcohol. to travel to an international meeting; then you'll have to sign a document The common bean weevil that you understand "the administration's position" on those three issues, (Acaiithoscelides obtectus) starts life and that you "will not be speaking on or responding to" them. The Times as an egg, strategically laid on a quoted H. Dale Hall, the director of FWS, as saying that the new policy bean seed or a bean pod. When was "consistent with staying with our commitment to the other coun- the weevil hatches, as a pale larva, tries to talk about only what's on the agenda." it instinctively worms its way Now when scientists do science—when they play their game—they inside the nearest bean. There the debate passionately and disagree openly, often with brutal honesty toward weevil eats for several days before party lines, sacred cows, or other people's feelings. In short, they express pupating. Unlike many other themselves. So if you were, say, an FWS biologist invited to an interna- weevils, A. obtectus doesn't require tional meeting, you might expect to be asked for, and should be prepared extra moisture and thrives on to give, a candid scientific assessment of issues within your expertise. You dry beans in storage. Eventually might even suppose there would be little point in spending taxpayers' it emerges from its tunnel with a money to send you to the meeting if you were barred from responding new body, all set to find a mate. to such requests. On both suppositions, you would be wrong. Kunkel was lucky, he said, Unfortunately, the Fish and Wildlife fiasco is no isolated instance. For a because one weevil—the one review of the recent history of political agendas running roughshod over pictured here—got stuck inside science, see the report on the Web (http://ncac.org/science/political_science. its home bean. Kunkel dried and pdf) by the National Coalition Against Censorship. The principle should mounted the entrapped weevil be clear: telling scientists—on the government payroll or not—that they for its portrait under the scan- can't express scientific findings in their own words, is not only a gag on free ning electron microscope. He speech, as NCAC argues; it's also a perversion of the scientific enterprise. then added color to a black and white image, here magnified about 90x.This weevil, trapped With this issue, I'm delighted to welcome Olivia Judson to Natural by gluttony in its escape hatch, History as the author of a new column about all things biologi- was the only one captured on cal, titled "Life Zone." Judson is a research fellow in biology at Imperial film—all its slimmer companions College London, and the author of a best-selling book, Dr. Tatiana's Sex came out in the alcohol wash. Advice to All Creation. Her inaugural voyage, "A Terrible Scrooge," begins —Erin .Espelie on page 22. —Peter Brown NATURAL HISTORY May 2007 BRING THE LARVAE. EXPLORE A WORLD OF INSECTS WITH YOUR KIDS AT THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM! 21ST ANNUAL H s ^ MAY 19 & 20 o«n butter stan your books variety oven- a , of visit on tmissone admission «i* P,d Fair, FREE ir^—His-yHuseun,The Bus iOAM-SPt. HOURS. 6UG FA>R / Natural I History Museum L of Los Angeles County 900 Exposition Blvd.. Los Angeles, CA 90007 213-763-DINO www.nhm.org WESTERNCOMPANY EXTERMINATOR , CONTRIBUTORS Formally a niicroscopist, DENNIS KUNKEL ("The Natural Mo- ment," page 4), specializes in photographing what can't be seen rWd with the naked eye. Neurons, spider silk, anthrax cells—all of them have become subjects of his images. Kunkel earned his Peter Brown Editor-in-Chief doctorate in botany from the University of Washington in Se- Mary Beth Aberlin Steven R. Black Executive Editor Art Director attle, then pursued an academic career at that university and at the University of Hawai'i in Honolulu. For more of Kunkel's Board of Editors Erin Espelie, Rebecca Kessler, images, visit www.education.denniskunkel.com. Mary Knight, Vittorio Maestro, Dolly Setton Geoffrey Wowk Assistant Art Director |''»V<;.'^| When EDUARDO CARRILLO ("Tracking the Elusive Jaguar," Graciela Flores Editor-at-Large •I page 30) was growing up in San Jose, Costa Rica, in the early Contributing Editors 1970s, he often visited the country's newly created national parks. Robert Anderson, Olivia Judson, Avis Lang, Charles Liu, Laurence A.
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