Natures Talk Show

On Monday July 13th at 8pm est, 7pm cst, and 5pm pst, join New Mexico Museum of Natural History field paleontologist Ken McKeighen and Ken Boorman as the take a look at the eurypterids, an extinct class of arthropods that live during the Paleozoic Era. Some of these animals grew to a large size and were one of the top predators in their ecosystem. 

While the smallest were only about 10 centimeters, some reached more than two meters (six feet) in length, making them the largest arthropods that ever lived. They arose in the Ordovician and the last ones went extinct in the Permian. Most have been found in rocks that were laid down in brackish water or freshwater; the earliest groups may have lived in the sea, and some eurypterids may have spent at least short intervals on land.

 Eurypterids fossils are known from all continents, and have such amazingly good preservation that their external structure is the best known of all extinct animals. Because of their long tails and the spine-like appendage at the tip, the eurypterids have been called sea-scorpions. And in fact they are closely related to scorpions and other arachnids.

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http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropoda/chelicerata/eurypterida.html

On Sunday July 12th at 8pm est, 7pm cst, and 5pm pst, Albert and Joe will be taking Algae Scrubbers with a special guest Brian (Santamonica) from Santa Monica Filtration.  Nutrient reduction is a major concern for all types of aquarium keepers.  Installing devices like these can make a big difference in keeping nitrate and phosphate under control.

 SantaMonica is in Santa Monica, California USA (Los Angeles area), and started his first reef aquarium in January 2006 when an intern at his office suggested an aquarium to fill an open space in the hallway. He hired an aquarium service person ("fish guy") to set up and maintain the aquarium, and with six months everything was dead. Then he hired a second fish guy to fix it, and within another year everything was dead again. So he started reading up on filtration in the discussion forums, and since he needed a username for them, just chose the name of his town because it was not fancy. This was in 2007.

Read Brian's full bio at www.naturestalkshow.com

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http://www.santa-monica.cc/

On Monday July 6th at 8pm est, 7pm cst and 5pm pst, New Mexico Museum of Natural History field paleontologist Ken McKeighen and Ken Boorman will discuss insect fossils and where to find them in Part 2 of this two part show. Insects are one of the largest groups of animals on the planet and they can be found almost everywhere today. From amber to shale, insect fossils are an interesting look into the past and a well preserved history of how insects have adaped and evolved.

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On Monday June 9th at 8pm est, 7pm cst and 5pm pst, New Mexico Museum of Natural History field paleontologist Ken McKeighen and Ken Boorman will discuss insect fossils and where to find them. Insects are one of the largest groups of animals on the planet and they can be found almost everywhere today. From amber to shale, insect fossils are an interesting look into the past. Tune in fo another fascinating topic. Everywhere on this planet has or had insects !

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On Sunday June 28th at 8pm est, 7pm cst and 5pm pst,   Albert and Joe will be discussing collecting specimens for your home aquariums.  

They will discuss:

Legal issues

Permitting

Collection

Acclimation and transport

Quarantine

Tune in to learn more from Albert and Joe about things you will need to be aware of before going to collect things you might be interested in.

http://www.naturestalkshow.com/

http://www.seascapestudio.net/

On Saturday June 27th at 8pm est, 7pm cst and 5pm pst, join hosts Ken McKeighen and Chris Weatherford as they talk about the care and keeping of the milk and king snakes. This beautiful reptiles are very popular in the reptile hobby. Common, or Eastern, king snakes are medium-sized snakes reaching three to six feet (.9 to 1.8 m) in length. Often called 'chain snakes' or 'chain kings' because of the white chain-like markings on their body, this snake is easily recognized. The snake is a shiny black with a criss-cross pattern of white or yellow lines. The stomach is checkered in black and yellow. They have smooth scales and a single anal plate. 

Milk snakes can be from 35 to 175 cm long, with the longest snakes being found in Mexico and Central America. In the United States lengths are usually 60 to 130 cm. They are very colorful snakes and their colors vary throughout their range. All milk snakes have a blotchy or striped appearance, with darker blotches separated by lighter stripes. The color of those darker blotches can be very light to very dark, from tan to rust colored to dark brown. The ligher areas can be orange, yellow, or white. The darker areas are always outlined in black. Milk snakes have 19 to 23 rows of smooth scales and a single anal plate.

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On Friday June 26th at 8pm est, 7pm cst and 5pm pst, hosts Ken McKeighen and Ken Boorman will discuss the saprophytic orchids and their unique way of life. They reveal themselves only when they bloom. In the astonishing world of the botany,the saprophytic orchids are different from others due to the fact that they donot carry chlorophyll. Therefore,they need to find food from the organic matters on the forest floor and through the help of the mycorrhizal fungi. The saprophytic orchids will allow mycorrhizal fungi to live inside the tubers or the roots. Those fungi will emit the enzyme to digest the organic matters and will in turn bring about the mutrition needed for the orchids. Water and sugar from the orchids would be the elements given to the fungi in return. This is an example of how they survive by helping each other, amazingly.

 

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On June 23rd at 8pm est, 7pm cst and 5pm pst, join Ray Owczarzak and Ken McKeighen as they discuss the insects that are nature's cleanup crew Carrion Beetles.These beetles help remove dead animals from the landscape by eating the carcasses. Also included in this discussion will be the dung beetles. These interesting beetles are also part of nature's cleanup crew by removing and burying dung. Members of this group eat dead animals or scavenge dung or decaying plant material. Adults and larvae often eat the same thing. The particular dining habits vary with species. Some simply eat the carcass. Others eat fly maggots that eat the carcass. Burying beetles (genus Nicrophorus) dig soil from beneath a fallen animal, causing the corpse eventually to sink beneath the dirt piling up around it. Then the burying beetles remove fur or feathers and prepare the meat for their larvae.

 

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On Monday June 22nd at 8pm est, 7pm cst and 5pm pst, join New Mexico Museum of Natural History's field Paleontologist Ken McKeighen and Ken Boorman as they take on the crocodilians. These interesting archosaurs have a fossil record beginning in the Triassic and their evolution is well demonstrated. Today's modern examples are perfectly adapted to their watery habitats. Are they Monsters of Nature or have they also adapted to habitat change ?

http://www.naturestalkshow.com/

http://www.crocodilian.com/

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Saturday June 20th at 8pm est, 7pm cst and 5pm pst, join American Killifish Association members Ken McKeighen and Chris Weatherford for an in depth review of Cyprinodon nevadensis on the Killifish Hour. Ken and Chris will discuss the biology and habitat of this species and it's captive care.How endangered are these beautiful fish and how hard is it to find them ? Let's hear from Ken and Chris on Saturday June 20th at 8:00 pm eastern, 7:00 pm central and 5:00 pm Pacific on Natures Talk Show. 

 http://www.naturestalkshow.com/

https://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyprinodon_nevadensis