Texas Wildlife Association presents.... June 2013 Kid’s Quarterly Mini-Mag! Vol. 7 No. 2 Postcards from Nancy....By Cara Bierschwale Howdy, Partners! “AHH!” he exclaimed. “Bigfoot track!” Grant pointed to Only three miles west of crossing the border into Louisiana, the muddy ground at a large, deep print. It was almost a Grant the Gopher and I are in deep East Texas spending some foot long! My heartbeat raced as I tried to make sense of the time at Caddo Lake State Park in Karnack, Texas. This area is situation. Just then, Grant and I turned around 25,400 acres of lake, wetlands, and beautiful cypress forests towards the sound of something large sliding located right on the border between Texas and Louisiana. and swooshing along the mud behind us. Our Caddo Lake is named for the Caddoans, Native Americans that eyes focused in the dark on some movement lived in the area, and until the early 1900’s this was the only by the reedy bank, and the last thing we saw natural lake in Texas. before sprinting back to camp was something Grant and I came here on a mission: to find evidence of slipping into the dark, rippling water. the legendary Bigfoot. Grant said that there are When we stopped at the same actual reports of Bigfoot sightings around this little store on our way home, Grant Footprints in the mud by Grady Allen lake, and since he believes everything he sees gave the cashier an elaborative on television, he begged me to join him in hopes account of our amateur sighting experience. “Ah of catching a glimpse of his own. On our way well, little ‘dillo,” replied the cashier. “I’ll bet what to the lake, we stopped at a small, local store you saw there was a good ol’ gator. They’re to buy some Cajun-seasoned grub snacks. With common around these parts. It’s a good thing a lively accent and smile, even the store cashier he didn’t see you though… He might have tried said, “Y’all be sure not to run into any monsters Photo by Steve Hillebrand, USFWS to eat ya’!” out here!” I was pretty skeptical of the existence of any fabled “It was an alligator?” Grant and I answered together. I creature, until one night… added, “The entire time we were at the lake, Grant was so On the second evening of our camp, Grant and I were focused on spotting Bigfoot and I was too busy laughing at him. lured onto a forest trail by the loud sounds of singing cicadas We came very close to meeting a real alligator and missed it! and marsh birds. A warm breeze was slowly moving around Grant, let’s go back to the lake and try to spot one… from a the muddy banks, causing the long strands of moss clinging to distance.” the cypress trees sway like a floating green curtain. We paid for our snacks and headed back to Caddo Lake. As As we trekked along the trail, Grant just kept saying, “I bet Grant put away his Bigfoot’s Favorite Hangouts book, I handed we’ll see Bigfoot here. Yes ma’am, this is the PERFECT place him my Eastern Texas Wildlife travel guide for Bigfoot to live.” Because I was walking behind Grant, he so that we could learn more about couldn’t see that I was quietly laughing at him for being so alligators and be prepared for a REAL gullible. As the sun started making its way down behind the sighting. trees, the dense forest quickly became darker and the breeze Later, y’all! stilled. In an instant, Grant stopped abruptly, causing me to run Nancy Nine-band into him. Critter Connections is made Attention Teachers: possible by a grant from the Free class sets available while they last! San Antonio Livestock Exposition. Send your name, school name, grade taught, and mailing address to [email protected] Join TWA Today! S ! Last year, we provided programming for over 62,000 youth across the state through Distance Learning, Discovery Trunks, Enrichment Modules, Wildlife by Design¸ Learning Across New Dimensions in Science (L.A.N.D.S.), and Texas Brigades. Contact us to find out how we may help you incorporate wildlife and natural resources into your classroom! Most programs are free for teachers. For information on our educational programs, please contact us at 800-TEX-WILD (800-839-9453). Joining TWA is optional. Each membership helps support TWA programs but it is not required to participate in our programs. Membership Levels: ____ Life Member $2,400 ____ President’s Council $1,000 ____ Corporate $635 ____ Patron $375 ____ Family $230 ____ Active $145 ____ Associate $50 ____ Student $20 ____ Youth $12 ____ Online $35 (ages 17-22) (ages 16 & under) All members receive a one year subscription to our monthly magazine, Texas Wildlife. Clothespin Alligator What You Need: # # # # " # # Procedure: 1. Hold one clothespin open. Pinch a second clothespin over the top half of the other and glue it in place. The first clothespin will be the body and the second clothespin will be the head. 2. To make the tail, attach the third clothespin to the back top half of the first clothespin and glue it in place. 3. To make the front legs, start by cutting the pipe cleaner into two equal pieces. Slide one piece through the body clothespin toward the front end near the head. Bend the legs down and bend the ends to shape feet. 4. To make the back legs, slide the second piece of pipe cleaner through the hole between the top half of the body clothespin and the tail. Shape the legs and feet as you did with the front legs. 5. With either paint or markers, color the inside of the alligator’s mouth pale yellow. Color the rest of the body a mixture of black and green. 6. Glue an eye to each side of the alligator’s head. Photo by Cara Bierschwale 2 puzzles.....mazes.....oh my! go ahead.....give it a try! Scaly Search Created by Puzzlemaker at DiscoveryEducation.com A D H P B R Y C G C A I H Y D E L I T P E R P P A G L T D H WORDS: ALLIGATOR SCALES E B L L L B L M W R O E E X U REPTILE HIBERNATE Z I B I L A A T H N W C E Q P CARNIVORE SWAMP J V E D G W K I V I S B T I B RIVER LAKE Y W L B S A B E B V M C W M V ECTOTHERMIC TEETH N O P B G E T M X O A T V M W U S H Q R W M O G R Z R B W L P O E N R I V E R E S Y I C L Y S A L Y A L D G P E P Y L D word searches...... P T Q L A C Y B F V U Q J B G E F A A U C J N F J J N H I F E G Z Z T X S E I H P C O T F E C T O T H E R M I C Q F D E O B B F G A P U N O C D X F T Photo by Grady Allen Test Your Gator Sense IQ! Adapted from TPWD’s “If You See an Alligator” (http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/alligator/safety/index.phtml) Directions: It is rare for an alligator to show aggression towards humans. However, it is good to know the DOs and DON’Ts of alligator encounters. Answer each statement “True” or “False” and tally your score at the end. 1. If you see an alligator swimming in your pool, DO swim with it. __________ 2. If you hear an alligator hiss, DON’T move any closer to it. __________ 3. If you see an alligator while walking your pet, DO make sure your pet is on a leash and under your control. __________ 4. If you see an alligator in the roadway, DO try to pick it up and move it out of the way of cars. __________ 5. If you see an alligator, DON’T feed it. __________ 6. DON’T swim at dark when alligators like to hunt and feed. __________ 7. DO try to remove a baby alligator from its habitat and make it a pet. __________ 8. DO enjoy viewing and photographing alligators from a safe distance. __________ How does your Gator Sense IQ measure up? Number of Correct Answers 0-1 = Still Evolving 2-3 = Thinking Like a Reptile’s Brain 4-5 = Average Advanced Vertebrate 6-8 = Gator Genius! (See the answer key on page 6.) Photo by Rusty Ray 3 corner the Texas Gulf Coast. Although they are freshwater reptiles, alligators can tolerate some saltwater habitats. It is Robust Reptiles considered to be the least aggressive of all Crocodilians, but the American alligator is a very powerful reptile and can reach lengths of up to 18 feet from c head to tail. It is mostly black in color and has a large head with prominent eyes, rounded snout, and up to 80 conical teeth at a time. Compared with a crocodile’s, the alligator’s snout is shorter, broader, and has a characteristic large fourth tooth that fits r into a socket in the upper jaw rather than stick out.