Jamaica Plain News (https://www.jamaicaplainnews.com/category/animals/page/5)
Many of us have seen wild turkeys roam around Jamaica Plain. But how many of us have seen a smoky grey turkey? Recently, Rosetta Martini has seen a flock of turkeys by her home in the Forest Hills area, and one poult (a baby turkey) has a distinctive look to it -- smoky grey. According to Audubon.org, turkeys come in five different colors. The commonly seen color is chestnut.
Turtles, toads, frogs, and catfish were all relocated this spring as part of the Arnold Arboretum's dredging project of two of its ponds. If you've been by the trio of the Arboretum's ponds recently you probably noticed there was roping and fencing around Rehder and Faxon ponds. There were also floating and bucket traps set generously provided by Zoo New England, which caught turtles more than 80 times since April 20, said Arnold Arboretum Horticulturist Brendan Keegan to Jamaica Plain News. Keegan stressed that visitors not go around the roping and fencing, as it can stress out the Arboretum's wildlife. The number of individual turtles caught are probably in the 50 to 60 range, said Keegan.
Recently Kim Ribeiro took a walk around Jamaica Pond and look who she saw swimming -- a muskrat. Muskrats are native to North America, but aren't commonly seen. Their tails are actually covered in scales, not fur, and they can swim underwater up to 17 minutes, according to wikipedia. Muskrats probably get their name comes from a word of Algonquian (possibly Powhatan) origin, literally means "it is red", or from the Abenaki native word mòskwas, which is in the archaic English name for the animal, musquash, according to wikipedia. The name stuck because of its musky odor, which the muskrat uses to mark its territory.
In 2018, the state's Department of Conservation and Recreation announced that a site by Oakdale Street on the Southwest Corridor Park was selected to become a dog park. That proposal never came to fruition, and it doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon. The Oakdale Street site was chosen after public meetings and the discussion of three proposed sites. At the time there seemed to be overwhelming support for a dog park in Jamaica Plain. Fast forward to 2020 and DCR got a new commissioner with Jim Montgomery, who performed a review and evaluation of many projects.
Come warm weather Franklin Park Zoo goers will get to see the troop of gorillas outside thanks to a new outdoor habitat. The new habitat 360,000 cubic feet habitat cost $8.1 million, and was made possible by generous donors who wish to remain anonymous. The funding for the new gorilla habitat, with restricted capital donations, was made prior to the start of the pandemic, according to a press release. Six gorillas currently call Franklin Park Zoo home. Little Joe, Kitombe (Kit), his mate Kiki and their three offspring – Kambiri, Azize and Pablo, a male gorilla born in October 2020.
All dogs in Boston require a new license every year from the city, and the deadline to get one for this year is March 31. There's been a significant increase in dog adoptions during the COVID pandemic, and the city wants to inform all dog owners that it's required to get a dog license every year. All dogs six months or older need to be licensed. The fine for unlicensed dogs is $50. “A license is your dog’s fastest ticket home if they become lost, and it’s the law,” said Animal Care and Control Director Alexis Trzcinski.
Coyotes exist throughout the Greater Boston area, and right here in Jamaica Plain, especially in greenspaces like the Arnold Arboretum. In early February, local resident Grace Holley tweeted photos and video of a coyote she saw eating an animal, right before it approached her and her dog. Seemingly in response the Arnold Arboretum posted an article about living with coyotes. The following article was originally posted on the Arnold Arboretum's website and is being republished on Jamaica Plain News with permission from the arboretum. Eastern coyote sightings in Boston parks and neighborhoods often make news headlines during the winter.
It's not every day that you see a praying mantis in Jamaica Plain. Yet alone on the porch of a third floor apartment. "I went out on the porch because I saw that my plants had blown over and when I picked one of them up, I noticed a huge praying mantis hangin out on one of the flowers. I probably spent a good 20 minutes watching it (and taking pictures!)," said Rebecca Glucklich. It's almost as if Glucklich had a personal photo shoot with the praying mantis as it let itself be seen amongst her flowers.
Despite not having any experience with snakes, a Jamaica Plain man and his 7-year-old daughter were able to locate a small ball python snake that they captured with another local. On Sept. 4 Madison Sargeant and Jeffrey Kimball both tweeted photos of a ball python in Jamaica Plain. The two strangers seemingly came across the snake at the same time. Hey Madison, we're that couple!
Wildlife photographer Chris Lang captured this spectacular scene of a great blue heron grabbing a frog for breakfast at the Arnold Arboretum. "The frog was doing all it could to make itself as big as possible in hopes that the heron would decide it was too big to swallow. It wasn't," said Lang. Click here to see more photos by Chris Lang Photography.