Penn Dixie Fossil Park & Nature Reserve
Unearth the Unexpected!
Executive Director Phil Stokes wrote a letter to the editor about how cultural organizations — including Penn Dixie — can inspire youth to pursue careers in science. Follow this link to the July 27, 2016 letter in the Buffalo News.
We’re raffling two (2) tickets to the Buffalo Bills preseason home opener against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday August 13 at 7 pm in Ralph Wilson Stadium.
The tickets were donated to us by Phil Stokes, Sr., who has been an avid Bills fan since the 1960s. The seats are located on the visitor side of the field in section 110, row 25, behind the visiting team bench. The tickets will be delivered electronically to the winner following our drawing on August 3. Tickets can also be purchase in person at the Penn Dixie Site beginning Saturday July 23.
Purchase your raffle tickets here — and thank you for your support!
Text and photos by Ernie Jacobs, Head astronomer
On May 9th 2016 about 120 people took advantage of the opportunity and the fantastic weather to view the Transit of Mercury. During this event, the solar system’s smallest planet crossed the face of the Sun from our point of view here on Earth. Mercury made a crisp, perfectly round, and completely black image against the bright surface of the Sun, in markd contrast to the irregular and fuzzy sunspots also visible on the surface of the Sun at the same time. The site was open for the event from 7 AM thru 3 PM. We had 3 astronomers available with 6 scopes set up viewing of the event. About 32 guests and 60 3rd graders along with 30 Teachers/Chaperones from Buffalo Public School # 81 were on hand to witness the event.
So exactly what is a Transit? An astronomical transit is when one celestial body like a planet or a moon appears to move across the face of another celestial body, like a star for example, as seen from observer on a particular vantage point (in our case, on Earth). So from our perspective here on Earth, only the planets Mercury & Venus and the Moon can transit the Sun. When the moon passes across the face of Sun we call that a Solar Eclipse. In this case Mercury, the solar system’s smallest planet and the closest planet to the Sun, passed in front of the Sun from 7:12 AM EST to 2:42 PM EST and was visible to observers in the eastern United States and Western Europe. Mercury appeared as tiny black dot 10 arcseconds wide moving across the face of the Sun (about 1/200th the width of the Sun). If Mercury was the same size as the Earth, the tiny dot would only appear 2.6 times larger as it traveled across the face of the Sun.
How rare are Transits of Mercury? Transits of Mercury occur about 13 or 14 times per century, so they are rare, but nearly as rare as Transits of Venus. The last transit of Mercury was in 2006 and the next one will occur on November 11, 2019. By contrast the next Transit of Venus, which last occurred in 2012, won’t happen until 2117. The 2019 Transit of Mercury will again be visible in the Americas and Europe.
Were any pictures taken? In addition to viewing the event visually thru telescopes with special solar filters. (Never look at the Sun without following the proper precautions!!!) Images of the event were captured. Photos and videos were captured via smartphones thru the eyepiece of on of the telescopes and Jim Maroney (Penn Dixie’s resident astrophotographer) had multiple telescopes setup to capture the event. We even managed to broadcast the transit live on our Facebook page for a few minutes until the battery in my iPhone was completely drained.
Did I mention the weather was fantastic? We couldn’t have asked for a better day, hardly a cloud in the sky. Clearly as an astronomer, I am better suited for observing at night. Yes, I spent the whole day outside observing the Sun without putting on any sunscreen, Ouch!
All in all it was a spectacular day. Thanks to my fellow astronomers Rich Switzer and Jim Maroney for sharing their time and expertise and thanks to the volunteers and staff that helped organize and run the event. Clear Skies!
Ernie Jacobs
Additional images of the transit from Jim Maroney, Astrophotographer
Imagine trying to fit a whole watermelon into your mouth without chewing it or cutting it into smaller pieces. Sounds impossible, right? Well snakes have to do something similar to this each time they eat their prey, however they have adapted their skull structure in order to accomplish such an impossible feat.
Unlike a human jawbone (mandible), a snake’s jawbone is connected together with elastic ligaments that allow for stretching, however, the jawbones never detach! The two bones are moving independently.
That means the bones can move apart as a snake eats a large prey item. As the jaws unhinge, the curved teeth hook the prey item and they wiggle it down their body.
Even though snakes have amazing adaptations, such as their feeding method and ability to travel without legs, many people are afraid of them. These creatures like other wildlife are harmless to humans unless provoked. Even if they are provoked, they try to escape first and bites occur from people harassing the snake.
Snakes are incredibly important organisms in the ecosystem, acting as both predators (rodents, invertebrates, birds) and prey (hawks, turtles, large mammals). Snakes are ectotherms; they behaviorally regulate their body temperature by moving in and out of areas with heat. This ties them closely to their environment and they can be used to monitor ecosystem health. If local snake populations begin to decline, then their habitat may be degrading, which affects humans as well.
In the state of New York, there are 17 snake species, of which three are venomous. At Penn Dixie, we have four snake species: Northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon), Eastern garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis), Eastern milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum), and Dekay’s brown snake (Storeria dekayi).
Northern Water Snake
This is a large-bodied snake that primarily lives in the water. It ranges from 24 to 55 inches in size. They may be brown, tan or grayish in coloration with a white belly and have square blotches on their back. They spend most of their time in lakes, ponds, marshes, rivers, and streams, but will bask on river banks or on overhanging branches. They are carnivorous and eat amphibians, fish, crayfish, large insects, other reptiles, birds and small mammals. They do not constrict their prey, but consume them alive.
Water snakes have to avoid getting eaten themselves by other large snakes, raccoons, skunks, and foxes. They escape predation by swimming across a body of water or diving underneath the surface and anchoring their bodies to vegetation or logs. They typically remain submerged for five minutes, but can stay below for an hour and a half. They are quite beneficial to humans because they will eat diseased or dying fish and help control overpopulated areas. Many water snakes are often misidentified as venomous cottonmouths or water moccasins (Agkistrodon piscivorous), and are killed, but cottonmouths have bands instead of blotches and have a northern limit of southern Virginia.
Garter Snake
This is a common medium-sized snake that can be found throughout the United States. It ranges from 18 to 26 inches in size. They have three yellow longitudinal stripes running down their dark body; two on the sides and one down the middle. However, some have checkered patterns in between the stripes. They have a white or light yellow belly. They live in a variety of habitats such as meadows, marshes, woodlands, and hillsides. They can commonly be found in moist, grassy areas and enjoy basking on or under rocks or debris. If you are ever in an area with a lot of small rocks, please do not step on the rocks, which could crush a hidden snake. They eat a variety of invertebrates (earthworms, crayfish, leeches, snails, slugs, insects), fish, baby birds, small mammals, amphibians, and other snakes. They appear to be immune to toxins released by toads and the consumption of this toxin may make their saliva slightly toxic which helps subdue prey. They immobilize their prey by biting down with their sharp teeth and swallow it whole.
Garter snakes are preyed upon by hawks and herons, large fish, bullfrogs, other reptiles, raccoons, foxes, squirrels, and shrews. They primarily avoid predators with their camouflage or they will flee into the water to avoid terrestrial predators. If you have ever tried to pick one up, they have a defensive mechanism where they release a foul odor called musk which usually deters the predator or you from handling them further. Like the Northern water snake, garter snakes are important low-level predators which act as both predator and prey within the ecosystem. They also are one of the few animals that can eat amphibians with toxic defensive mechanisms like toads and newts. Garter snakes also have a look-alike, the ribbon snake (Thamnophis sauritus). Ribbon snakes tend to be more slender, have a longer tail, and do not have a scale between the eye and nose, which is white in appearance, however they have not been found at Penn Dixie.
Eastern Milk Snake
Like many snakes, this species has a slender, smooth scaled body with reddish or brown blotches on top of their gray or tan scales. The belly tends to have a black checkerboard pattern and adults can grow 19 to 40 inches in length. A Y- or V- shaped mark can be found on their neck, just under their head. They can be found in the woods, fields, marshes, farmlands, and suburbs. Many can be found living under logs, rocks, or old boards. They will eat small mammals, small birds, and smaller snakes. They constrict their prey by squeezing tightly until the animal suffocates and then proceed to eat their prey whole. Milk snakes have to avoid larger mammals such as raccoons, coyotes, foxes, and skunks. They will try to flee first, but they will sometimes vibrate their tail against the ground which mimics the sound of a rattlesnake.
Milk snakes get their name from a myth that they drink milk from nearby cows. Farmers kept finding this snake near their barns and fields, which they mistakenly thought the snakes were there for the cows instead of the rodents living in the barns. Milk snakes are actually quite beneficial especially to farmers because they eat pest species such as rodents. Although this is a common species, problems such as habitat loss and fragmentation, persecution (often mistaken for venomous snakes), predation by invasive species, and road mortality may lead to the disappearance of this beautiful species.
Dekay’s brown snake
This is a highly secretive, but a small dark brown or tan colored snake. There are two rows of dark spots running down its back, with a mid-back light colored band. The belly has a gray to pinkish coloration and sometimes has small black spots. In length, they usually range from nine to 15 inches. This is one of the few species that survives well in disturbed habitats such as urban areas. They prefer to stay under covered areas such as rocks or boards. Sometimes they will venture out during the day, but they will come out during the night when the weather is really warm. They will explore the area looking for prey such as insects, slugs, earthworms, and small tree frogs. They can also eat snails with their specialized teeth and jaws which helps them to pull the snails out of their shells.
When threatened, they will flatten their body to appear larger and may even release a foul smell called musk. Some predators are large frogs and toads, larger snakes, crows, hawks, blue jays, and weasels. These snakes are perfect friends for your garden since they prefer to eat a pest species such as snails. They control slug and earthworm populations, while serving as a valuable food source for their predators. During the winter, brown snakes will go into brumation (similar to hibernation in mammals) with other snakes in holes in the ground, old walls, and cracked foundations.
With thousands of visitors to Penn Dixie each year, really cool fossils are uncovered fairly often. With a trained eye and determined spirit, our visitors never cease to amaze the staff and volunteers with what they discover.
Dr. Edgar Kooijman, Director of the Biotechnology Program at Kent State University sent us these photos and descriptions of some uncommon fossils from a trip to the site a couple of years ago. His specimens — a trilobite, a snail, a crinoid, and an amminoid — showcase the diversity of marine life that existed in our region during the Late Devonian Period.
From Dr. Kooijman:
This rolled trilobite was identified as a Bellacartwrightia calliteles and was found during the field trip of the North Coast Fossil Club in May 2013. It came from the main trilobite layer [in the Windom Shale], and was prepped by Brian Dasno from Watertown NY. This was no small task as the specimen was essentially split in two. The eyes and some of the carapace were on one side, and the rest on another. While the specimen was crushed during or after fossilization it is complete and all the spines are visible. The “spikes” coming from the front of the head are the tail spines. The dorsal spines are also beautifully visible.
The following three specimens were all found during the May 2014 field trip of the North Coast Fossil Club, from Cleveland OH. They were prepped by Marc Behrendt.
From Dr. Kooijman:
The crinoid cup is from a species that is commonly found in the Sylica shale of Ohio, but which is rare (at least complete cups are) in the Windom shale at Penn Dixie. The name of this species is Arthroacantha carpenteri (Hinde). The “nob” at the top is where the stem would have been attached. Stem fragments are common fossils in the shale of Penn Dixie. Also note the numerous scars of the side of the crinoid cup. These scars used to hold spines that may have served to ward of snails that loved to feed on crinoids. The spines are not preserved in this specimen but the attachment points are easily visible.
From Dr. Kooijman:
The snail is from the genus Platyceras, and the species may be Bucculentum. And was identified from among the different species found in the Sylica shale of north west Ohio. It was found just above the main trilobite layer at the edge of the digging pit during the 2014 season. It is the largest snail I have ever found at Penn Dixie.
From Dr. Kooijman:
The ammonite was found in the main trilobite layer. Note that the original shell material is not preserved and only the cast of this mollusk is visible. No genus name for this specimen is known. These aminoids are occasionally found in the Windom shale.
Penn Dixie thanks Dr. Kooijman for sharing his wonderful photos with us!