Winged Lizard

Extinction: Good Guy or Bad?

2008-02-02T16:33:00.000-08:00

My "random question" on my profile reads: "Is species extinction always a bad thing?"

Now, in the rhetoric of today that question seems easily answered. You might well say "Of course it is a bad thing. Why else would we have the Endangered Species Act?" After all, would we not suffer a loss if the Spotted Owl vanished like the Dodo or the Passenger Pigeon? The simple answer, is that we would, indeed, suffer a loss and that it would be even worse because we caused it to happen.

I will present a different view point for your enjoyment.

Do you realize that you are a mammal? Most of us can feel the hair on our head and verify this simple statement. Mammals have hair so we are not birds or fish. Your dog, the mighty lion asleep in the jungle and the Shamu are all mammals. Do you also realize that the great diversity and dominance of mammals on earth would not have been possible if the world had always been ruled by the dinosaurs? So what happened to promote us to such an exalted state? Obviously, the dinoaurs went away. In fact, they went extinct. Why this happened is irrelivent to this discussion; it is sufficent only to recognize that it happened and that, when those great reptiles disappeared, mammals were given an open field to exploit and here we are. Just think of what you owe to extinction. The point is this: new species cannot succeed without the extinction of others in a competitive environment. Brontosaurus and Giraffes cannot both eat the same treetops. Yes, it is true that extinction marks the demise of a species. But it is also true that it provides opportunities for new species to become successful.

So, is extinction bad or good? My position is that is neither; it is simply a natural and necessary part of change.

If you are still with me, I will express another thought that seems just as evil. If a species is very rare and lives in a fragile environment, it will vanish with or without our help. Thus, one wonders if the very rare Willow Flycatcher in the Southwest is being eliminated by natural means anyway. As civilization encroaches upon its habitat, its rate of extinction will increase drastically and unnaturally and that is a bad thing. It would seem that a socially responsible action would be to simply leave it alone. But, then, if we were a socially responsible bunch of folks, things like the Endangered Species Act would not be needed.

All I am suggesting is that we might want to remove our emotions from the issue of biodiversity and adopt a more scientific attitude. We ought to accept extinction as a natural process and find ways to avoid interfering with it.

Early Spring?

2008-01-25T08:15:00.000-08:00

This is most definitely NOT science:

As I walk around my Central Arizona home area this year I am getting the impression that Spring is coming early. Too early. Three weeks ago I saw leaf buds on Cottonwood trees. That doesn't seem right. I am seeing Ravens apparently courting way up in the sky. Maybe they are just practicing, but it sure looks for real.

And there is one more odd thing. It has to with the Mourning Doves around here. On any given day - but not always - I will see a small tree that is loaded with Doves just sitting there. Doves tend to hang out in pairs but these seem to think that they are gangs of vultures. It's a an odd sight.

Maybe it's because it's an election year?

Surprised

2008-01-17T04:37:00.000-08:00

Have you ever gone looking for one thing and found quite another? I had that experience just last weekend when I hiked down to my favorite - well the only - marsh here in Central Arizona. It is a great place to watch birds or simply hike and get outside. But this time I went for the birding of it. I sat on the observation deck that the National Park Service maintains and practiced being quiet.Several species of birds were there including Ring-necked Ducks which I had not seen in Tavasi Marsh before. But then, to my surprise, four River Otters cruised into view. I thought they were great but the ducks were not particularly amused. For a moment the otters resembled one long sea monster as they swam head to tail and undulated through the water. They swam toward me and settled in at the base of a large wall of dead reeds so that I could not see them. But they were anything but quiet and I could see reeds thrashing as I heard the otters grunting. A Coot was also interested and sat above the reeds looking down at the playing mammals.

It was great fun to watch the otters and it was a wonderful surprise.

The Name

2007-12-29T21:17:00.000-08:00

Oh, yeah. I ought to explain the name and URL of this fine piece of blogsmanship.

Educationally, I am a herpetologist. That means that I became one of those guys who studies and works with reptiles and amphibians. More to the point, I worked with lizards in Arizona. However, I became something of a birder in my dotage. But I have always been an evolutionary biologist at heart and thus the name grew.

ProtoWing: Birds have evolved from lizard-like reptiles way back in the old days.

The Winged Lizard: kinda obvious at this point, don't you think?

My picture? Of course - here I am:

In The Beginning

2007-12-29T21:13:00.000-08:00

Well, yes, this is the beginning. Doesn't any blog have a first entry? You certainly don't expect anything too very profound right away, I hope.