GEOFF CARPENTIER

by Geoffrey Carpentier Throughout history, people offered the unsuspecting public snake oil – a cure-all for everything from childbirth to hemorrhoids to cancer. These elixirs contained no snake byproducts and certainly no snake oil - whatever that is? The concept arose in the 18th and 19th centuries, when travelling salesmen mixed up ‘secret’ blends of unspecified products and claimed they were proven to cure myriad ailments. Hogwash! Many stories persist about traditional m

by Geoffrey Carpentier In the last few columns, we explored the lives of some of the amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals and how they catch and consume their prey. So now let’s focus on some smaller critters and see what techniques they utilize to capture and subdue prey. In higher animals, mandibles refer to both the upper and lower jaw, but in insects, these structures refer to the lower part of the mouth only. Mandibles in insects are pairs of hardened structures that

by Geoffrey Carpentier Let’s move on to an easy one, mammals. Wait, not so easy, as some mammals are herbivores, others carnivores, and still others are omnivores! All animals have a mouth which opens wide and has teeth, right? Nope, baleen whales and some other marine mammals do not have teeth but rather have baleen plates. These act like a huge comb which filters food out of a column of water, trapping the prey behind the jaws, so it can be swallowed whole, while water is d

by Geoffrey Carpentier Last time, I explored the reptiles and amphibians, to determine how they use their jaws and teeth (or non-teeth) to capture or harvest food. Today, we’ll look more closely at birds and how they use their beaks to hunt and eat. All birds have beaks – this is indisputable, but the size, structure, shape and use of them varies considerably between groups of birds. Beaks come in many forms: hooked or curved, cone-shaped, needle-like, spatulate and even cros

by Geoffrey Carpentier In the last column, we explored the lives of some amphibians and discovered they use a variety of techniques to...

by Geoffrey Carpentier The observant, amongst you, will notice, as I continue the discussion of animals’ mouths and jaws, I cleverly...

by Geoffrey Carpentier People sometimes ask me how I decide what topics to write about, when I tackle my column. The simple answer is, my...

by Geoffrey Carpentier From time to time I stumble onto an opportunity which is so incredible, I want to share it with others. Usually...

by Geoffrey Carpentier Ah, late summer is upon us, and the first late summer blooms are brightening our roadsides and wild places. Rising...