Digging up the Curator's Yard

Been a long time since the last blog, but we're back!

The Future Scientists teamed up with the Student Naturalists to visit Dr. Joe Keiper, CMNH's Curator of Invertebrate Zoology, at his house. Why? To dig up a white-tailed deer and pygmy hippo buried in his yard. This was a truly unique experience - if nothing else to work with the pygmy hippo's remains, a truly endangered animal. Read more about the pygmy hippo at the animal diversity web.

Dr. Keiper had the brainchild to bury these animals in his yard two years ago when the Zoo's pygmy hippo passed away, figuring he could let nature clean up the bones for him, and adding a memorable experience for students who get to excavate the bones for the museum's collections. Such is the thinking of a man who studies how maggots decompose dead bodies. Those fortunate enough to know Dr. Keiper can ask for a thrilling recount of how he brought the dripping, bloody 400 pound animal back to his house with unknowing Sheriff in tow.

Anyway, after two years, the animal bodies should have been adequately decomposed, and Dr. Linda Spurlock, CMNH's Director of Human Health and Anatomy graciously offered to show the students careful archaeological technique in excavating the bones.

Dr. Spurlock gets down and dirty.
The Future Scientists use the shake screen to make sure small bones (and missing jewelery) are not missed.
As layers of earth are removed, the students come across a skull! The skull looks happy.
Skull successfully extracted. White-tailed deer.
Wheel-barrel of deer bones.

Well, after two years, the bodies likely would have all decomposed. That is, unless you left them in a plastic bag. Like Dr. Keiper did. But hey, if you were digging a hole all by yourself to bury 500 pounds of stinky dead animal, what would you have done?!

Meat still clinging to the bones. We'll save that for next year.
Hippo skull successfully extracted. Nice and clean - good job, Nature!
The hole was reburied and concrete blocks were piled on top to prevent coyotes or other scavengers from dragging away the precious bones. Students will check out the scene again next year to hopefully extract the bones for the museum's collections.

First Ever!

The Future Scientists discovered this skink at the Grand River Terraces (museum property) in Ashtabula County. Upon reviewing its identification with the museum's Vertebrate Zoology department, it was discovered that this was the first ever five-lined skink documented on the property! The pictures below can be used as photo vouchers to confirm the identity of this species at that location.
Maggie takes one for the team.
This skink had recently lost its tail and is regenerating a new one.

At first, this superficially appeared to be a broad-headed skink given its robust body and head, however its species range is more towards the Southern part of Ohio. Outside of species ranges, other more meticulous identifying characteristics could be used to confirm this to be a five-line skink, such as counting superior labial scales (number of scales above the lip) - five-lined skinks have four superior labial scales and broad-headed skinks have five labial scales. So if you are a herpetologist, you could be wrangling a venomous viper one minute, and counting lip scales the next. The excitement never stops!

Random pictures

Summer Mudpuppies

CMNH Curator of Vertebrate Zoology Dr. Tim Matson and his interns spent a morning with the Future Scientists showing how they did their mudpuppy studies. One factor that they are tracking is the effect of lampricides (to get rid of non-native lampreys) on these aquatic salamanders.
Seining for salamanders.
Checking the haul.
Dr. Matson shows off a large crayfish.
Mudpuppy! The Future Scientists were extremely fortunate to witness the only adult that was found the whole day.
Mudpuppy in a tube. A science tube.
Injecting a tracking marker into the mudpuppy. Hence the science tube.
One nest of mudpuppy larvae was also found. Here you can see the yolk sac on the ventral side of one of the salamander babies.

Fossil Fish!

This summer the CMNH Paleontology team made some nice discoveries of fossil armored fish that Cleveland is famous for. The Future Scientists had brilliant luck and good timing to be able to check out the finds and even help chip out some of the pieces.
The Future Scientists march across river with gear (rock hammers, goggles, and sandwiches).
Scopin' out the cliff
Can you find the fossil?
How about here?
CMNH Paleontologist and team leader David Chapman explains the difference between hard dusty things that are rocks and hard dusty things that are bone.
Cutting stuff out of the cliff! Jad eats a sandwich.
Here is a large piece of what turned out to be a Dunkleosteus, one of Cleveland's famous armored fish. Field marks have been placed on the bone for orientation. These pieces will take several weeks to clean. More bone is still in the rock waiting to be harvested.

Click here to learn more about Dunkleosteus on the Cleveland Museum of Natural History website!

Follow the leader

The Future Scientists did more water quality sampling near the Grand River Terraces in Ashtabula County. This is a site that has not been surveyed in years due to difficulty of terrain. However, FS courageously braved the challenging landscape, reaching the designated testing location to do a fine job of collecting data. On the way back, some of the students chose to take the low road rather than the high road.
Note to future Future Scientists: follow the path that Jeff takes if you'd like to keep your underwear dry.

Water Q

The Future Scientists do some macroinvertebrate water quality surveys for the Ohio Scenic Rivers Program:
First we catch some stuff.
Then we look at it.
Then we get a lil' fanclub.

Archaeology article

Check out this great Cleveland Plain Dealer article explaining more history and theories about the Archaeology field site that the Future Scientists got to help out with!

Summer snake survey

The Future Scientists examined tins set out by the Geauga Park District at Observatory Park in an effort to document what species are in the area before the park is developed.
Marching out to find tins. Eli (in front) points to the right. Accordingly, Shaun (in back) tries to look in completely the opposite direction.
Checking a tin.
Many garter snakes were found. Frank makes his typical "I got musked" face.
Northern brown snake!
Milk snake!

Things to come

Many toadlets were found during the summer session of Future Scientists, this one still with tail. This tiny toad is just a small preview of pictures to come - keep checking back for more!

7-7-09 Sifting for Stardome

Here are some of the flint tool pieces that the Future Scientists found. More good stuff has been found at the archaeology site - check the Archaeology Field School blog for more!

7-7-09 The Art of the Dig

Today the Future Scientists attended CMNH's Archaeology Field School, where they learned the art digging the perfect hole. Specimens as old as 3000 years old could be found at the site (pictures in following post), but hey, you gotta dig a hole first! Follow along for a dramatic reconstruction of Future Scientists deconstructing the ground:

Looks pretty professional!

Follow along with Curator of Archaeology Dr. Brian Redmond's blog to see what they eventually find from this magnificent hole, as well as other great pictures, specimens and insights from the Heckleman site!

05-09-09 Jackson Field

The Future Scientists also visited Jackson Field today, checking out newly placed coverboards as part of a Metroparks study for snakes. The Future Scientists did not discover any snakes under the boards this day, but they did discover a particular type of caterpillar that really seemed to like the boards. Interestingly, only one caterpillar was found under each wooden board.
This peculiar caterpillar is still unidentified! Please comment below if you have a suggestion. ID will be posted when a good guess is made.

While the above caterpillar remains a mystery lepidopteran, the Future Scientists were able to get a good shot of another one whose identity is less mysterious. This is a question mark butterfly? Or, maybe, it is, a comma, if you can tell the difference, please enlighten us! The punctuation mark underneath the wing was not observed.
While no snakes were found underneath the coverboards, the Future Scientists did find two garter snakes and one water snake along the trails. This garter snake has just eaten, and you can even see limbs popping out the sides.
Glamorous.