Wikipedia Trail: From Coyotes to Cougars

Coyotes

Since I wrote a story about Coyote's this week, I thought I would start my trail here. I learned that the Coyote is native to North America and I found that neat being there are so many canines around the world. I also found that they are typically smaller than wolves. The diet of coyotes was pretty much what I expected expect I learned that they enjoy eating porcupines as well.

North American Porcupine

Seeing that coyotes ate porcupines and being that I pretty much know nothing about Porcupines I decided this to be the next stop on my trail. I learned that it is considered a rodent which I wouldn't have thought and that the only bigger rodent in North America is the beaver. I also learned that it is the only Native American mammal with antibiotics in its skin. I learned that an adult Porcupine has about 30,000 quills that cover its body.

North American Beaver

Being that I read about one mammal why not read about another one. I learned that the American Beaver is the same species as the Canadian Beaver which seems wrong as I would like our beaver t choose it's patriotism (that was a terrible joke). I found out that they can be submerged in water for over 15 minutes which I found pretty interesting. Known for making dams in their beaver ponds, this makes the habitat safe for not only beavers but also for waterfowls, fish, and other aquatic animals I learned. I also found it interesting that Beavers are considered monogamous.

Cougar

Being that I saw that beavers predators included coyotes and mountain lions I was lead here. I learned that a mountain lion and cougar are the same thing. Which as a kid my school had to be cancelled a couple days because there was a mountain lion nearby which is ironic now being that the mascot was the Cougars. These are the fourth largest cats which I still wouldn't mess with one. I learned that the hybrid of crossing a mountain lion (cougar) with a leopard is a Pumapard. I also learned that BYU is the mascot of a cougar which I didn't know before.

I found this on Pixabay.

Wikipedia Trail: From Ottoman Empire to Augustus Caesar

Ottoman Empire

So I started here because I had no idea where I wanted to start my trail off this week so I looked at the Twitter feed and saw that #ottoman was on one of the posts. I thought why not start off my trail with something I have absolutely zero knowledge about so here we are. Although I have heard of this empire I truly don't know anything about it so to start off with the first thing I learned was that it started in 1299 which is such a long time ago. I learned that the main sports that were played in this empire were Turkish wrestling, hunting, arm wrestling, and more. I also learned that carpet weaving is a main form of decorative art that is cherished in this empire. I also learned that slavery was a big deal but not as much agriculture slavery as America had.

Hunting

I have never been hunting other than for frogs in the creek behind my house so I thought why not try to learn about the subject since the ottoman's loved it so much. One thing that I learned was the fishing is a separate thing from hunting which I guess makes sense but I figured it would be grouped together since they both involve capturing an animal. One thing that I found quite interesting on this page was that people will use ferrets to help them hunt. I also learned on this page that a Safari was actually a hunt as I thought it just meant it was an adventure through a wild area in Africa.

Ferrets

So one time my neighbors paid me to watch their ferrets while they were gone for vacation and one of them was not very nice and bit me very hard.... ever since then we have not had the best relationship which is why I decided to make this the next part of my trail. I learned that the typical ferret lifespan is 7 to 10 years which means that the one that bit me is probably resting in peace. I learned that most ferrets sleep 14-18 hours a day which sounds amazing right now as I'm exhausted and could use that much sleep. The most interesting thing I learned about ferrets is that a group of them is called a business which I find quite comical. I also found it interesting that Caesar Augustus sent ferrets to a place in order to maintain a rabbit plague.

This is an image of a Ferret which I found on Wikimedia Commons.

Caesar Augustus

I have decided to end my trail with Augustus for I have always found great rulers to be interesting. I learned that he reigned from 27 BC to 14 AD which is 40 years. I also learned that he was born in September, like me, which is confusing because I would imagine him to be born in August. Later on it actually talks about the month of August and says that the month was called Sextilis before but Augustus changed that and made it 31 days to be as long as Julius Caesar's month (July). I also learned that he lived 75 years which is pretty long for this day and age he was living in.

Wikipedia Trail: From Horses to Peter Pan

Horse

Since I made my reading notes about a horse sacrifice this week, I decided to start my trail here. One thing that I learned was that humans began to domesticate them around 4000 BC. I learned that he Przewalski's horse is the only kind of horse that is truly wild and has never been domesticated. I also learned that depending on the breed of horse, the average life span is 25-30 years which is much longer than I thought. I also learned that horses can suffer from Narcolepsy.

Narcolepsy

This is the condition that causes one to have excessive daytime sleepiness. I learned that there is no true cure to this condition but there are medicines and practices that help with the condition. I also learned that it can induce sleep paralysis. I'm low key starting to believe I have this condition as I'm reading this article. The effects of alcohol are similar to some of the symptoms of Narcolepsy which I found interesting.

Sleep Paralysis

Reading about how sleep paralysis was sometimes a part of Narcolepsy lead me here in my trail. This is when a person is aware but unable to move during sleep. I have had this happen to me multiple times and it is terrifying. One thing that is interesting with the condition is that people tend to see things or hear things that aren't there during it. I learned that there is really no medication for the symptom other than those that raise serotonin levels. This condition has been used to explain alien and ghost sitings for different people which I find very interesting. I also learned that many people credit Ebenezer Scrooge's ghost seeing to sleep paralysis in a Christmas Carol. It is also believe that the author of Peter Pan had sleep paralysis.

Peter Pan

As a kid I remember watching the animated movie about Peter Pan so I thought why not finish my trail here. One thing I learned was that the character was first mentioned in a different story called The Little White Bird. One thing I learned was that the original author never described his appearance and left it up to the reader which I find funny since everyone knows what Peter Pan looks like now. I also learned that the Disney movie to which I was referring was released in 1953 which seems crazy to me.

This is an image of Peter Pan found on Wikimedia Commons.

WIkipedia Trail: From Dog Fighting to Hugh Jackman

Dog Fighting

Even though it is a gruesome activity, I decided to start my trail here this week since I wrote a story about two dogs fighting this week. The story I wrote wasn't about the sport of having people fight dogs, but it came to mind when thinking about a topic for this. One thing I found terrible to read was that even if the dog doesn't die in its fight, most owners especially in gangs kill the dog through different means. One thing I enjoyed learning was that this is a felony in all states and it is also illegal to provide for this sport in anyway so that means you don't have to fight the dogs just to get penalized. I almost think that it should be more than a Felony but that is my opinion. I learned that the sport can be traced back to the 1750's in America but became most popular after the Civil War. I'm proud of the ASPCA for trying to contain this terrible event.

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

The ASPCA is a non-profit organization that try to protect animals from harm. It has been working since 1866 and its headquarters is located in New York City. I found it interesting that the ASPCA had false allegations against the Ringling Bros. which lead to a lawsuit in which they had to pay the circus. Overall I think this is a good organization and I think that they do great work.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

When I was a kid I remember going to this circus and having a blast. I learned that the circus has been going for 146 years which I found pretty interesting.  Although I haven't seen the movie yet, I had heard of The Greatest Showman which due to this reading I learned is about P.T Barnum and just came out this last year. One fun fact I learned on reading about the Circus was that in 2017 a Siberian Tiger named suzy had escaped in Florida. I can't imagine what I would do if I saw a wild tiger! 

Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman is one of my favorite actors but I learned that he plays P.T. Barnum in The Greatest Showman. I really enjoy the Wolverine character that he plays for it was a movie series that I started watching as a kid. I learned that he is 49 years old which is crazy for all of the action roles he plays in. I also learned that he is from Australia. I also learned that he is involved in charity work and even uses Twitter for it to see from fans where he should donate. I also learned that he was given the opportunity to be James Bond at one point. 

This is an image of Hugh Jackman from Wikimedia Commons.

Wikipedia Trails: From Peanuts to Nintendo 64

Peanuts

I decided to pick this to start my trail because it was on the announcements page. Although it has been a long time I remember watching my fair amount of the Peanut gang as I was a child. I didn't know that the show started as a comic strip, which apparently the most famous part about it. I just assumed it was always just the tv show. I also didn't know there was a peanuts movie released in 2015 so I guess I'm just a little behind on my knowledge about the group. I would say my favorite character is snoopy, which I learned he has been the face of amusement parks, companies, and even had a video game made after him.

Game boy

As I saw that snoopy had a Game Boy game, I couldn't help but resist choosing this as my next topic since this was the first gaming device I had as a child. I learned that the first one ever was released in 1989 which I didn't have, but the one I did have was the Game Boy Color which sold over 118 million units world wide. I also learned that the Gameboy Advance, which I have the best memory of came out in 2001 in which I began to play my favorite Pokemon Games.

Pokémon (video game series)

I remember that I had the original games Pokemon Red and Blue which I learned came out in 1998. I learned that in the first games there were only 151 different species of Pokemon. I also learned that in the game Super Smash Bros. that only 9 pokemon have been playable characters which is interesting. I also remember playing Pokemon Stadium on the Nintendo 64 at my daycare when I was kid which apparently came out when I was only 3 years old!

Nintendo 64

Although I never had the console, mainly because my parents wouldn't buy it for me, I remember loving to play this at my daycare. Apparently the console was released in 1996 and I would say that it most have been successful if I was still playing it and remember it a few years later. I learned that it launched with the game Mario 64 which I specifically playing and getting frustrated because I couldn't figure things out yet. The Nintendo 64 had great success in America selling 3.6 million units after just one year. I feel like this machine was a part of me growing up in a little way haha. 

This is an image of a Nintendo 64 and controller. I found it on Wikimedia Commons.

Wikipedia Trail: From Icarus to Jack Nicholson

Icarus

So my story this week was based loosely off the story of Icarus flying too close to the sun yet I wanted to know more about the famous character so I decided to start my trail off with him. I learned that his dad, Daedalus, was known for creating a Labyrinth in order to hold a minotaur. I also learned that Icarus fell into the sea which now is known as the Icarian Sea. I also learned that it became a famous story of English literature and even inspired some work of Shakespeare.

Minotaur

I knew that a a minotaur was a half man half bull monster but I wanted to learn more about the creature so this is where my next stop on the Wikipedia journey took me. I learned that the Minotaur was slain by Theseus. I also learned that the minotaur was created in order to help Poseidon get revenge on King Minos. I even learned that the minotaur is referenced in Dante's Inferno. I also learned that some people believe the shining is based on the story of the minotaur.

The Shining

Although I have never seen the movie personally, I feel that too many people have told me that I would like this movie. I learned that the movie was based on a Stephen King writing which I have read a couple of his things and seen other movies based off his writings. I also learned that the movie at first received some bad reviews but now is revered as one of the best horror films ever made. Last thing I learned was that the movie features Jack Nicholson which makes me very upset that I haven't seen this movie, because I really enjoy him as an actor.

Jack Nicholson

I learned that he has been acting for nearly 60 years and that he has been nominated for 12 academy awards. I also learned that he was apart of the military service for the Air National Guard. I also found it interesting that he was once accused of assault for beating a Mercedes Benz with a golf club yet he settled to get out of it.

I found this image on Wikimedia Commons.

Wikipedia Trail: From Fireworks to Saturday Night Live

Fireworks

As I read about the festival of Diwali this week, I felt that Fireworks would be a fitting topic to start with on this Wikipedia Trail. I learned that fireworks were invented in China... the ignorant American in me thought they were invented for the Fourth of July. One of the things I learned that people also have competitions with fireworks and that the biggest one is actually in Canada. I feel this would be a cool thing to attend one day. I also learned that the Walt Disney Company is the largest consumer of fireworks.

The Walt Disney Company

I never realized how much Disney is involved with different things.After reading this page, I learned that they owned ABC and ESPN. I also learned that the company was started 94 years ago. It seems crazy to me that this company has been around for so long. I also learned that one of my favorite shows growing up was bought by Disney which is the Muppets.

The Muppets

As a kid I remember watching many Muppet shows and especially the movies. I weirdly don't remember that much about them however. Like I didn't realize that they were tied in with Sesame Street. The page actually says the Sesame Street was geared more for children while The Muppets was supposed to entertain a more adult crowd which I found interesting. I also learned that the muppets appeared on the first season of Saturday night live which I also really enjoy even today. I knew that Muppets have been all throughout pop culture but I found it entertaining to learn that they were featured on a Weezer music video.

This is an image of Kermit from the Muppets. I found the picture on SketchPort.

Saturday Night Live

I don't think I know a single person who dislikes SNL. That is probably why there has been 43 seasons of the show which I learned thanks to this trail. I learned that the show has been nominated 231 times for the Emmys which is more than any show. I also learned that Alec Baldwin has hosted the show 17 times which is more than anyone else. I also learned that he show doesn't allow the musical guests to lip sync which I think is a really cool thing. I would say my favorite comedian to be on SNL would be Will Ferrell.

Wikipedia Trail: From Crocodiles to the Feral Cat

Crocodile

I chose to start with crocodiles due to it being involved in the story I read this week. I have been around alligators more than the normal person due to visiting Louisiana a couple times a year to see my family, so I was slightly curious to see the difference within the two. Crocodiles belong to a different family than alligators according to the Wikipedia page. The best way to tell them apart however is that crocodiles have longer and more narrow heads compared to the alligator. Crocodiles can also tolerate salt water better than alligators. Being that I am a pre-dental student I got to reading about their teeth and learned that they are polyphyodonts, meaning that they can replace all 80 of their teeth up to 50 times.

Polyphyodont

Although crocodiles are just an example of polyphyodonts, it is defined as any animal who's teeth are continually replaced according to Wikipedia. Most of the examples include fish and geckos, but there is a strange mammal who has this ability:the manatee. Although most mammals don't have this ability, most of their ancestors did. The only other two mammals are kangaroos and elephants.

Kangaroos

Seeing that kangaroos are polyphyodonts, I couldn't resist but to lead my Wikipedia trail here. I think it is cool how these creatures are so big and strong yet they are considered a marsupial. I used to own a marsupial, the sugar glider, so I always find it strange when animals have a pouch on their belly. While I read this Wikipedia page, I learned that this pouch is actually called a marsupium. I found it pretty interesting that in 2011 there was an estimated 34.2 million kangaroos living in Australia. I found it interesting that kangaroos can hop up to 43 mph for short distances. That just show how strong their legs are. I also learned that Kangaroos have the enemy of a feral cat as a predator.

I found this image of a kangaroo hopping on Wikipedia.

Feral Cat

I didn't know what type of cat this was before I started reading about it and that is because most of them avoid humans. From what I understand they are pretty much the same thing as a common alley or stray cat but apparently veterinarians and rescuers consider them different. I learned that some feral cats even live in groups together usually around a food source. I also learned that they can be socialized but the older they are, usually this makes the process very difficult. I tried to find why these cats show as a predator to the kangaroo but I had trouble finding anything about that. Either way I am now informed what the word "feral" means.