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Featured Creature

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COMMON NAME:
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Crotalus atrox

An aggressive and easily excitable rattlesnake, the western diamondback is responsible for more snakebite deaths than any other in the country. It is also the largest rattlesnake in California, measuring 34-83 inches in length. It has a plump body, a short tail and a broad, triangular head.

Read more about the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake.


Kids Free Day

Kids Free Day:

CALM 25 Years

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Meet Bam-Bam: CALM's Newest resident

by Lana Fain, Program Supervisor

bambam: The late 80’s was the last time CALM was home to a North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum). We recently acquired a one-year-old male named Bam-Bam.

The porcupine is a quill-bearing rodent. They are 25-40 inches long and they weigh 10-40 pounds. They have a small head, a large, chunky body with high arching back and short legs.

The porcupine is probably most misunderstood about their only protection against predators—it’s quills. Long, yellowish guard hairs cover the front half of the body and up to 30,000 barbed quills are interspersed among the dark, course guard hairs of the back and tail. When threatened, the porcupine places its head between its forelegs and spins around presenting its quills to the predator. Contrary to popular belief, the porcupine cannot throw its quills; instead it drives its tail against its foe and dozens of quills easily detach to remain embedded in the attacker. Body heat makes the barbs expand and they become even more deeply embedded in the animal’s skin. Although this sounds rather frightening, porcupine are not an aggressive animal (they are actually very passive) and will only attack if it is threatened.

They are usually solitary, nocturnal, herbivorous and spend much of their time in trees. In spring they eat leaves, twigs and green plants and in the winter they chew on the bark of fir, hemlock, aspen and pine trees to eat the tender tissue below.

North American porcupines are found throughout all North American desert regions and the entire west, north to Canada.

Currently, Bam-Bam is being housed in an enclosure in the Riparian Community at CALM. Plans are being made to build his new home in the front round at the entrance at CALM which used to house our badger.

Please visit Bam-Bam soon.

Source: Desert USA


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