Stacy Tornio - The Secret Lives of Animals: 1,001 Tidbits, Oddities, and Amazing Facts about North Americas Coolest Animals

Stacy Tornio is a master gardener, master naturalist, and the author of six books, all dedicated to getting kids and families outside. Though shes a native Oklahoman, she now resides in Milwaukee, where she enjoys watching her two children explore nature in their own backyard and beyond. Stacy loves gardening and even had her own veggie stand at the farmers market when she was a kid. Today, shes still growing veggies, along with lots of other plants and flowers. She enjoys trying unique varieties like purple carrots, orange coneflowers, and any type of daisy. Stacy also worked on the national birding and gardening magazine, Birds & Blooms, for ten years.

Ken Keffer was born and raised in Wyoming. A naturalist and environmental educator, he has worked in Alaska, Maryland, New Mexico, Ohio, Wisconsin, and the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. During this time, hes studied flying squirrels, camels, prairie dogs, and lots and lots of birds. Ken is a freelance writeryou can see his articles regularly in Birds & Blooms, Outdoors Unlimited, and Parks and Recreation magazines. When hes not traveling or educating others about nature, he enjoys birding, snowshoeing, fly fishing, and walking his dog, Willow the Wonder Mutt.

Visit Stacy and Kens website, destinationnature.net, to learn more about them and their books.

An imprint of Rowman & Littlefield

Falcon, FalconGuides, and Outfit Your Mind are registered trademarks of Rowman & Littlefield.

Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK

Copyright 2016 by Stacy Tornio and Ken Keffer

Illustrations 2016 by Rachel Riordan

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Information available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available

ISBN 978-1-4930-1191-9 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-4930-1453-8 (e-book)

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

The authors and Rowman & Littlefield assume no liability for accidents happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities described in this book.

This book has been a labor of love. It might be the hardest, yet most rewarding and educational, project weve ever worked on. We want to acknowledge all of our family and friends who have been patient with us as we poured hours of time and research into this book. Thank you so much to Linda Lancaster, Roland Lancaster, Janice Keffer, Rohy Keffer, Steve Tornio, Jack Tornio, Annabelle Tornio, and Scott Schaffer for letting us bounce ideas off of you. (And an extra thanks to our curling team who had to listen to us talk and whine about deadlines during curling season.) Finally, we want to acknowledge some important naturalists and professionals who helped look at content, offer reviews, and give their feedback. Thanks to Kenn Kaufman, Rich Reading, Ben Klasky, and Janice Swainsgood.

Wild animals! When I was 5 or 6 years old, those two words summed up my interests in life. I talked about animals incessantly, or so Im told, peppering my parents and my brothers with random amazing facts about this one or that one. No doubt, I was obsessed.

Oddly enough, this interest didnt rise out of my own direct experience. I had been to the zoo only a couple of times. Our suburban neighborhood wasnt wild enough to support even squirrels or chipmunks, let alone the moose or bears or mountain lions that I hoped to see. So after spending yet another afternoon prowling hopefully around the block, I would come home and explore the world of animals through books: library books, gift books from kind relatives. These were my windows to the wilderness.

At some point it crossed my mind that birds are animals too! So I decided to take a day or two to figure out the local birdlife. These hitherto-ignored creatures turned out to be fascinating in their own right. And they were so readily available, right outside the door. Who needs gazelles or gorillas when youve got grackles? The more I watched the common birds, the more I was captivated.

Half a century later, Im still as fascinated as ever. Birds and other animals have given me inspiration, education, adventure, and ultimately a career. I have been fortunate to travel all over the world leading nature tours, teaching courses, writing books and articles, making drawings, taking photos. Ive had a chance to meet people from many different cultures and all walks of life, wonderful people who have become treasured friends. This interest in nature has opened doors for learning about everything else.

Of course for most people, a childhood interest in animals wont lead to a career path. But what it can do for everyone is to make life more exciting and more meaningful. The beauty and endless variety of nature can turn every day into a day of discovery. Besides, wild animals go about their lives on their own terms, attuned to the weather and seasons but independent of humans. Paying attention to them helps keep us grounded, connected to the larger world outside ourselves. Its hard to imagine a more wholesome or healthy interest to pursue. If you love a child, one of the best things you can do is to give that child an introduction to the wonders of nature.

I have two good friends who totally understand thatand have been actively doing something about it. Stacy Tornio, an experienced naturalist and gardener, is the recent editor of the tremendously popular Birds & Blooms magazine. Communicating about nature comes naturally to her. Ken Keffer has worked as both an educator and a field biologist, doing wildlife research in farflung places from Wyoming to Mongolia. Certainly these two are well qualified to write about wild animals.

But with all their other qualifications, the most important one is attitude. Whether theyre writing, teaching, or just heading outdoors, Stacy and Ken approach nature with excitement and a boundless sense of fun. Thats part of the reason I love and admire them so much. The greatest naturalists have retained a childlike sense of wonder, a belief that nature is endlessly amazing. That sense of wonder shines through everything written by Stacy and Ken.

If you want proof, just start reading this book. Youll quickly discover a realm of fun and excitement in the secret lives of animals. For any young person, or anyone who is young at heart, this book is a perfect invitation to the wonderful world of nature.