#henry-laurita

• Other animals

  Henry Laurita: Spring, when bats, racoons and other Maine creatures emerge from torpor, hibernation

  Mon, 04/22/2019 - 11:45am

  

  The time of year has come to shuffle off the carapace of winter and greet the spring. Our part of the world is tilting towards the sun and the days are lengthening; snow has melted, and temperatures are rising — all in all it’s a good time and place to be an organism. As usual, I’d like to step past what people are experiencing from the spring air and look in on the other animals around us. For the most part, I think the feelings are the same. Winter is long. The nights are cold and food is...
• The wildlife around us

  Henry Laurita: Coyotes, turkeys and gulls

  Wed, 02/20/2019 - 2:15pm

  

  Since writing my last article I’ve gotten several interesting questions about wildlife, so I figured I’d answer them together and all at once. Do coyotes always howl when they are in a pack and chasing wildlife? Coyote howling is a form of communication for the pack. Unlike the larger packs of wolves, a coyote pack consists of the breeding pair (who mate for life), a few younger offspring, and the occasional transient. Howling probably has many meanings, but right now...