Ask a Naturalist.com

What is this Oily Sheen on the Marsh

Tom — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:58:48 +0000

The Question: For years I have noticed an oily substance on a stretch of Lake Huron shoreline that leads into a wetland/marsh area. The oily substance has the rainbow pattern that you see when there is a film of oil on water. Is it possible that this is a natural occurrence of some oil deposits, [...]

What are these Mosquitoes?

Tom — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:49:47 +0000

The Question: Our backyard in Ohio, like everyone else’s, is currently dry as dust with no standing water. Yet we are infested with mosquitoes! They are black, with a white pattern on the wings (or at least that’s what they seem to look like before they’re smashed). What are these little suckers, and WHY are [...]

What is this Eel-Like Fish From India?

Tom — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 03:48:40 +0000

The Question: I live in Kolkata (Calcutta), India. We have a few natural ponds here and I found this eel-like species. I’ve seen people here keep it in aquariums. But the people here don’t know it’s scientific name or English name. The reason I think it’s not an eel is because it has no fins [...]

Cooper’s Hawk or Sharp-Shinned?

Tom — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 04:01:46 +0000

The Question: I am sending a picture of what I believe is a Coopers Hawk. We live in Caning, Nova Scotia and I do know it is very rare to have one around here, so if there is any way of letting us know if this is a Cooper’s Hawk or a Sharped-shinned Hawk. Submitted [...]

Do We Replace Our Cells Every 7 or 10 years?

Tom — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:01:40 +0000

The Question: I’ve read various internet articles that say that human beings replace “every cell in your body” every X years (usually 7, but sometimes 10). What’s the real deal? Submitted by: Rick, NY The Short Answer: Recent research has confirmed that different tissues in the body replace cells at different rates, and some tissues [...]