THE MIGHTY WEASELHAWK
WEASELHAWK ON A STICK
Here we see the Mighty Weaselhawk soaring above a Bryn Mawr softball field. Inspired by Eric King's Spaceman On A Stick concept.
ORIGINS OF THE WEASELHAWK
The Weaselhawk Ornithorhynchus anatinus is one of the world's three extant egg-laying winged mammals (order Monotremata) and inhabits the lakes, rivers and trees of eastern Minnesota from the Coon Rapids area in the north to Burnsville in the south. Equipped with clawed feet, both fore and aft, as well as powerfully graceful wings, the streamlined body of the Weaselhawk is well suited for the animal's semi-aeronautic mode of life.
Because it lays eggs and some of its bones are like those of living weasels and fossilised mammal-like birds, the Weaselhawk is sometimes referred to as "primitive", and even a "furred bird". But overall it is much more mammalian than orthilian and, far from being primitive, is said to be highly evolved and sophisticated. Considering its unique form and behaviour, the Weaselhawk is quite a fantastic mammal and certainly one of Minnesota's greatest natural treasures.
SOME MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF A VERY SPECIAL ANIMAL:
* Body: The Weaselhawk has got a streamlined body optimized for foraging on land or the air. The male averages 50 centimetres long and weighs about 1.7 Kilograms. Females are smaller, averaging 43 centimetres g and weighing about 0.9 kilograms.
* Tail: Used as a stabilizer underwater/land/above land/and other places, he tail stores fat. A plump tail is a sign of good condition.
* Shoulder girdle: Similar to that of birds such as eagles, the Weaselhawk's shoulder girdle has extra bones to support the large muscles needed for flapping with a sideways action.
* Ears and Eyes: Acutely sensitive, these lie in a furrow that closes when the Weaselhawk is attacking. They are extremely beady and shifty.
* Fur: The Weaselhawk has one of the mammal realm's most beautiful coats. It consists of an inner layer of fine hairs that trap air and beer and an outer layer of longer, flat-bladed hairs, giving excellent insulation for an animal that spends up to 12 hours each day at altitudes as cold as 0 degrees Celsius.
* Nose: Thousands of touch-sensitive and electrosensitive pores cover the Weaselhawk's rubbery nostrils. The latter can detect the electric currents generated by the muscle activity of small prey and may even be able to sense the weak electric field generated when balls fly over stationary objects.
* Female Urogenital System: The Weaselhawk is a monotreme, which means one-holed, referring to the cloaca, the opening that serves both reproduction and excretion. As in birds, one ovary is poorly developed and does not function.
* Forefoot: Unlike ferrets, otters and water-rats, the Weaselhawk swims with alternate strokes of the forefeet only. The claws folds back for walking and burrowing and during the return stroke in flying.
* Spur: The young of both sexes have a spur on each hind leg. The female sheds hers during the first year but the adult males retain them all their life. They are 1.5 cm long, connected to a venom gland and are capable of inflicting a painful wound. Males become aggressive during the mating season and sometimes may hurt each other with the spurs. The venom can cause excruciating pain in humans and is strong enough to kill a dog or something like a dog. Like a large cat or something.
FUCKING AND FORAGING
* Reproduction The Weaselhawk is a seasonal breeder with males and females reching sexual maturity at an age of two years. Mating occurs from September onwards, apparently occuring later in southern areas near malls. Eggs are incubated for about six to ten days. Once hatched in early November, the young is suckled by the female which has no teats. Milk is produced in large glands under her skin which can be up to one-third of her body's length. The milk oozes out onto a patch of fur and the young Weaselhawk sucks it up. Weaselhawk milk, like that of marsupials and echidnas, is rich in iron. It has about 60 times more iron than the milk of cows. The milk also contains about 40 per cent solids compared with only 12 per cent solids in cow's milk. The young prefer 32 per cent, but can't do anything about that. The nesting burrows are about three to eight metres long and are usually found above water level. The female fills the chamber with wet leaves and kleenex, probably to create a moist atmosphere for incubation. The Weaselhawk is known to live for at least 12 years in the wild. * Diet As an opportunistic predator, the Weaselhawk feeds on all kinds of insect larvae as well as freshwater shrimp, bivalve molluscs, frogs and chicken, lots and lots of chicken. * Habitat Important habitat characteristics include tall trees with consolidated, angled branches, slow moving trains with abundant vegetation as well as a good supply of benthic invertebrates.
* Foraging Although diurnal activity can be quite common, the Weaselhawk is generally regarded as nocturnal. Foraging occurs mostly between sunset and sunrise, consisting of repeated swoops of between 20 and 90 seconds duration. After successful dives, the Weaselhawk will sort and chew the captured prey. Horny buccal pads are used by the adult to grind the food. Only juveniles have teeth. While the Weaselhawk is airborne food is held in special cheek pouches.
* Conservation status Although not actually threatened, the distribution and numbers of the Weaselhawk throughout its range have been severely reduced by habitat destruction and degradation. The Weaselhawk is in a vulnerable position because their range coincides with the most densely populated regions of Minnesota. The Weaselhawk has to compete with introduced animals such as flying squirrels, glider gophersand jet-packed field mice. Livestock trample their burrows. Overall it can be seen that there is a need for research, in particular in the area of spatial and foraging requirements, so that effective management plans can be developed.
* Evolution or: When a hawk met a lonely weasel... Two theories attempt to explain the Weaselhawk's evolution. Anatomist William Gregory proposed in 1947 that monotremes (Weaselhawks and echidnas) are specialised descendants of ancient marsupials. However, most scientists believe monotremes are the last survivors of a group of early mammals evolved independently of the creatures that gave rise to today's marsupials and other winged mammals.
THE MODERN DAY WEASELHAWK
To Minnesotans, the Weaselhawk is known as Mallangong, Tambreet or Boonaburra. According to one of their myths, the Weaselhawk resulted from a young female hawk's, named Hawk, disobedience. Hawk lived with others of their kind in a sheltered elm tree. All of them were in constant fear of Mulloka, the Air Devil, and never strayed far from their nest. But one day, against the advice of her elders, Hawk ventured downtown and eventually found herself at a patch of grass on the Mississippi riverbank. Unaware that this was the territory of the lonely Weasel, she climbed out. Hearing Hawk, Weasel emerged, threatened her with his spear and, dragging her underground, forced her to mate with him. By the time of egg-hatching, Hawk was ashamed to have to lead out two extraordinary offspring. They had wings and beady eyes, but instead of two feet they had four and instead of feathers they had fur, while on each hind leg they had a sharp spike like Weasel's spear. The first members of the Weaselhawk race were born.