Wonders of Nature

Be sure to check back each week as this page will have a new
Featured Creature weekly, with new photos, fun and information to get you
all involved in the wonders of nature.

The answer to each week's Critter Quiz becomes the Featured Creature the following week.

Click HERE - the answer is there waiting for you!

If you have photos that you would like to submit for consideration as the Featured Creature
please email Wonders of Nature

I am a reptile. I have a domed shell that is hinged at the bottom, allowing
me to hide inside and close my shell almost completely to escape
predators. My sharp eyes and keen sense of smell help me find food. I am
an omnivore and eat many different things such as snails, insects, berries,
fungi, worms, roots, flowers, fish, frogs, salamanders, snakes, eggs and
carrion. I am usually most active in the mornings or after the rain, hiding
under decaying logs and leaves when it gets too hot. Members of my genus
can be found throughout the US and Mexico living in woodlands, marshy
meadows, deserts and grasslands. Who am I?

Matt took these pictures in
his own neighborhood.

Red-shouldered Hawks are
only found in California and
the eastern parts of the USA,
and we are lucky to this
beautiful hawk here in
Florida. They are generally
very shy, but if left in peace
they have been known to nest
in suburban areas, so you
might be lucky enough to see

dropping down to capture
prey. If you do see a hawk
and want to know if it is a
Red-shouldered Hawk, one
telltale feature is their tail,
which is much longer than
other hawks in their family.
It is hard to see their "red
shoulders" from a distance,
but you should be able to
spot that tail! The scientific
name for the Red-shouldered
hawk is Buteo lineatus.

one in your neighborhood. If you really want a good chance of seeing this bird,
head to their favorite habitat - swampy woods and bogs - and scan the low
branches of trees. These hawks hunt by perching in low places, watching and

· Hawks catch their prey with their feet, and squeeze to kill it. They do not
use their beak. The Cooper's Hawk has been known to drown its prey,
holding a bird under water until it stops moving.

· In many animal species the males are larger
and stronger, but in hawks the difference in size
is reversed, and females are larger. In some
species, such as Sharp-shinned Hawks,
females can weigh twice as much as males.

· Next time you see a movie and hear
the sound effect of a hawk or
eagle calling, you have heard the
Red-tailed Hawk whose raspy call
is used in movies to represent any hawk or eagle worldwide.

· Hawks hunt and nest in the same territory every year. They may have a
number of nest locations that they rotate between each year.

· The Red-shouldered Hawk has the reputation of being the most vocal of
the hawks native to America.