| The Magazine of the CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES |
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Life on the Edge The Brevity of Behemoths Some extraordinary examples of nature’s imagination grace this issue of California Wild. There’s the effusive Rafflesia flower on the cover, reduced to one-thirtieth of its actual size just to fit the page. It’s hard to believe, but the flower is a parasite, one that grows out of the thin stem of a hapless liana. Rafflesia bloom rarely and sporadically, so that photographer-cum-author Edward S. Ross needed patience and diligence to arrive at the right spot at the right time. His perseverance paid off, as you can see in “Rafflesias: The Super Flowers.” Some species of Rafflesia are already endangered, and the whole genus is in some danger of being logged—or loved—to death. Another exceptionally large species featured in this issue was much less fortunate. Today, we have a hard time imagining how Steller’s sea cow looked to the whalers and sea otter hunters that visited the small islands in the Bering Sea where it grazed. The sea cow weighed seven tons, as much as an elephant, but, as Robert McNally explains in “Death of a Sirenian,” its size, slow movements, trusting nature, and delicious flesh combined to bring about its demise within 27 years of its discovery by Europeans. Nature’s creative genius is also exemplified in the mimic octopus—so difficult to catch that it still doesn’t have a scientific name or official description. It would be hard to describe this quick-change artist anyway. Many octopuses can change their shape and coloration, but this one deserves an Oscar. Just look at the photographs of the shape-shifter and observe this animal’s extraordinary ability to impersonate its neighbors. And, according to writer Dave Butvill, the octopus chooses the specific guise most likely to deter whatever predator is in the vicinity making unwelcome advances. While some parrot species are barely hanging on in their native rainforests, they appear to be thriving in the cities of the United States, particularly in the artificially irrigated landscapes of urban California. Flocks of escaped birds have taken up residence in towns from Los Angeles to San Francisco, feeding well in garden fruit trees, and multiplying. As yet, there is no movement to rid us of these particular exotics, which are now regarded as naturalized species, honorary natives which even appear in bird books of the region. Don Dale and Janet Aird accompany Los Angeles’ parrot researchers on their trips to understand this phenomenon and write about their experiences in “Parrots Once Removed.” I doubt many readers of California Wild will take issue with the threats to California’s environment as outlined by Gordy Slack in his “Habitats” column, and the efforts of the Bush administration to erode the state’s standards. It is a sad chronicle and in danger of becoming worse, particularly if attempts by the state of California to defend its hard won rights to protect the water, air and forests are further jeopardized by lack of funds. But this issue of the magazine is in danger of ruffling feathers elsewhere. In “Counterpoints In Science,” Jerold Lowenstein pulls no punches in his description of the negative environmental impacts of what are euphemistically called “sport utility vehicles.” They’re fine for people who use them the way they were originally intended—to drive on snowy and icy roads or off-road in areas where the land is unlikely to be damaged. Others can decide whether the statistics apply to them. Keith K. Howell is Editor of California Wild. |