Scientific name: Dendrocygna autumnalis autumnalis However, their bites are relatively harmless. They can reach as long as six feet, and can act aggressive towards humans. This non venomous rat snake can be found all over the state of Texas, and have been found as far as Louisiana and Arkansas. Scientific name: Elaphe obsoleta lindheimeri Texas rat snake Texas rat snake | image by Ed Utham via Flickr | CC BY 2.0 This makes for a diverse grouping of native wildlife. Because of Texas’s proximity to Mexico, many species that cannot be found in most North American states migrate to southern Texas. However, many native animals to Texas are unique and harder to spot in other states. This includes raccoons, coyotes, white-tailed deer, the Mexican free-tailed bat, and gray squirrels. Some of the native animals found in Texas are species that are seen across the entirety of the United States. Because of the wide diversity of species, this article will break down some of Texas’s wildlife into categories such as native vs. Texas not only has some very unique animals, but they also have rare and at-risk species. The fact remains that it had a problem, and one that eventually led to its destruction.Texas is an excellent place for wildlife lovers, with over 140 different mammals calling the state home. Instead of a population problem, one could argue that Universe 25 had a fair distribution problem. This allowed more aggressive territorial males to limit the number mice in that pen, overcrowding the rest of the world, while isolating the few "beautiful ones" who lived there from normal society. Pens, or "apartments" at the very end of each hallway had only one entrance and exit, making them easy to guard. A recent study pointed out that Universe 25 was not, if looked at as a whole, too overcrowded. Today, the experiment remains frightening, but the nature of the fear has changed. The best option was to flee to the country or the suburbs, where people had space and life was peaceful and natural. It even acquired its own catchy name, "The Behavioral Sink." If starvation didn't kill everyone, people would destroy themselves. In 1972, with the baby boomers coming of age in a ever-more-crowded world and reports of riots in the cities, Universe 25 looked like a Malthusian nightmare. When the population started declining the beautiful ones were spared from violence and death, but had completely lost touch with social behaviors, including having sex or caring for their young. The few secluded spaces housed a population Calhoun called, "the beautiful ones." Generally guarded by one male, the females- and few males - inside the space didn't breed or fight or do anything but eat and groom and sleep. Sometimes they'd drop and abandon a baby while they were carrying it. They'd move half their litter away from danger and forget the rest. Few females carried pregnancies to term, and the ones that did seemed to simply forget about their babies. They gathered in the main squares, waiting to be fed and occasionally attacking each other. At the peak population, most mice spent every living second in the company of hundreds of other mice. By day 560, the mouse population reached 2,200, and then steadily declined back down to unrecoverable extinction. Universe 25 started out with eight mice, four males and four females. Divided into "main squares" and then subdivided into levels, with ramps going up to "apartments," the place looked great, and was always kept stocked with food, but its inhabitants were doomed from the get-go. Calhoun had designed quite a few mouse environments before he got to the 25th one, and didn't expect to be watching a happy story. The trouble was, this utopia did not have a benevolent creator. Universe 25 was a giant box designed to be a rodent utopia. The God of The Rats is Observing in His Own Universe. Two years later, the mice had created their own apocalypse. trial, he created the most perfect universe for mice with beautiful buildings and limitless food and then he introduced eight mice to the population. Why 25? Because animal behaviorist John Calhoun applied the same experiment 25 times, changing some points. I wanted to share with you an experiment that was very interesting to me.
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