New Born Baby Penguin

Source: kidszoo.org via Kathryn on Pinterest

This cute little creature is a new born baby African Black Footed Penguin that was born on June 26th at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo.

You might be rubbing you eyes an think it is a mistake, African?  No, it is true.  They are the only penguin species in Africa and live on islands along the western southern coast..   They are also known as the "Jackass Penguin" because they sound like a jackass braying.  They do well in the Indiana climate as it is similar to where they come from, but they are an endangered species .

For more information visit Fort Wayne Children's Zoo website and if you ever get a chance to visit the zoo, I highly recommend it as it is a fun adventure for children and adults alike.

Disclaimer:  I have no affiliation with the zoo and have received nothing for this post.  My son enjoyed this zoo so much that when his grandmother passed away I purchased a brick near the giant frog splash pond in memorial with the donations made in lieu of flowers.

FACT OR URBAN LEGEND - IT IS ILLEGAL TO KILL A PRAYING MANTIS?

This was outside out house and my son made me come out an look at it as he said they were an endangered species and rare and he took a picture of it and told me not to kill it as I could go to jail.  I am not a fearless bug hunter...live and let live unless it enters the house, then 

While this is the first time I had seen them since I moved into the city many years ago, I recalled seeing them all the time when I was young and was told they are beneficial because they would eat the "bad" bugs but they were very plentiful.   I checked on Snopes and several other sites and it is not illegal - it is an urban legend that has been circulating since the 50's and may started because they do prey on other undesirable bugs and they do appear to be praying, which could be how the rumor started.  Also Therprayingmantis.org indicated that some of the mantids are restricted int eh U.S. under the Non Invasive Species Act of 1992, which could cause a misinterpretation to fuel the rumor.

In researching, I did come across some interesting facts about this creature at Therprayingmantis.org

• "It is believed that the female mantis will eat the male after mating since the protein helps in egg development. "   and they say "cougars" are "maneaters"!
• " The praying mantis is the only insect that can rotate its alien-like head almost completely around! "
• "The praying mantis is actually more closely related to the cockroach than to grasshoppers! " This makes me want to get the broom and go Wicked Witch of the West on our outdoor visitor..gross!
• In 1977, it became the state insect of Connecticut.  I didn't know there were such a thing as "state insects".
• "In most mantids there is one ear in a form of a small slit near the legs and has two eardrums and tuned to25-60 kHz, which allows them to hear the ultrasonic sounds of bats as they near so they can dodge them quickly."
• "In China, roasted praying mantis eggs were eaten to treat bedwetting!"  The gross out factor was likely a high motivator.