Unnusal Pets and Where They are From

I was reading a magazine article about exotic pets and how some Americans own tigers, primates, and kangaroos! The article brought up the ethics of owning such pets and could the owners give them as good of a life in captivity as in the wild, I wondered about less exotic pets that many people own. After some research I came up with small list of popular "unusual" pets, where they come from how they live in the wild.

1) Hedgehogs
I was particularly interested in hedgehogs because I have thought about owning one before. They are undoubtable cute and after all who could resist owning your very own Sonic the Hedgehog?

Origin/ Natural Environment 

Most domestic hedgehogs are a Sub-saharian African breed and like dry grassy areas. They cannot live with temperatures below 72 degrees. Also, they like to live in burrows but do not create their own holes. They take on the abandoned holes of other critters. Hedgehogs can travel up to 5 miles a night, are nocturnal, and hibernate. 

Source: National Geographic Kids

This map shows all hedgehog breeds including the African breed. 

2) Macaws

Source: National Geographic

These gorgeous birds are very popular to own due to their brilliant colors, however they are an endangered species and some variations are even extinct. It is important, therefore, that pets are bred and not captured from the wild. Sidenote: I think the new kid's movie Rio is about a macaw. 

Origin/Natural Environment

Macaws are mostly found in South America and Central America in a rainforest habitat. Their bright colors fit in with the brightly colored fruit and vegetation. Macaws live in the higher levels of the forest canopy and are used to temperatures no lower than 64 degrees. The birds eat mostly fruit and nuts. Fun fact, they lick clay walls in the wild to increase their sodium intake. 

Source: National Geographic

Side Note: I went to Honduras, which is in Central America, a few years ago and I could not help but include this picture. I was at the Mayan ruins and there were a few Macaws there.

Source: Jane Goodall Institute

3) Chimpanzees

Our closest animal relative is also a popular pet. Their intelligence, use of tools, and dexterity is so fascinating that people keep them as pets and treat them like human children. Currently, I don't want any kind of child especially a hairy one. To each is own I guess. 

Origin/Natural Environment

The jungles of Africa is where chimps make their home in the wild. These jungles have thick vegetation and warm temperatures (no lower than 64 degrees). They spend most of their day foraging for food (insects, berries, and nuts). Sometimes they do eat smaller primates. 

Source: Lincoln Park Zoo

4) Ball Python

As Indiana Jones once said, "Snakes. I hate Snakes". The Ball Python is a popular pet because it is apparently docile compared to other snake species. I think you can even get these guys at Petsmart but considering they belong in the african jungle I think they can be classified as "unusual."

Source: Reptile Expert

Origin/ Natural Environment

This Python likes the savanna and grasslands of Africa which the climate only varies from 68-86 degrees. They eat small mammals like mice and squirrels (gross). They are non-venomous and do not pose a serious threat to humans. 

Sorry, I still think of this...

Source: Disney

If you are looking for something other than a typical dog or cat you may consider some of these unusual pets. Yes the "cool" factor is undeniable but keep in mind though that these are specialty pets and require a lot of care and special habitats to accommodate their needs. Owning an exotic pet is a commitment and a responsibility that is not to be taken lightly. People need to take into consideration the time and money that goes into taking care of these awesome animals that come from amazing places. Another way geography relates to everyday life, even pet ownership!

Sources:

hedgehogmanual.com

animals.nationalgeographic.com

lincolnparkzoo.com

reptileexpert.org

blueplanetbioms.org

Spatial Analysis of Baseball Fans

Link for the interactive map: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/04/24/upshot/facebook-baseball-map.html#6,35.214,-97.337
To view county percentage you have to zoom in a lot.

I don't typically read the NY Times but this post caught my attention. Combining two of my loves: maps and baseball this interactive map allows viewers to zero in on specific U.S. counties and find out who is loyal to what MLB team. Keep in mind the map was based on Facebook "likes" and may not represent every fan also it only includes U.S. teams so the Toronto Bluejays are not represented. I played around with it for a while, and this map was able to answer questions I would not have been able to answer without personally visiting the location and surveying hundreds of people! Here are some cool things I found:

1) The Yankees are America's Team.
What about the states that do not have MLB teams? Who do they follow? Well it seems that the Yankees are the default team. For states such as New Mexico, Montana South Carolina, Alaska, and Hawaii the overwhelming majority of fans are Yankee fans. Of course, the Yankees happen to be the most well known team and they are able to snag favorite players with their millions upon millions of dollars, so this makes perfect sense!

2) Illinois is losing their fans to St. Louis.
For having two teams (the White Sox and the Cubs) a lot of southern.. Illinoisians? Illinoisites? Illinois Residents are surprisingly Cardinal Fans. The Cardinals are doing relatively well this year, better than the Sox and Cubs this may be a possible explanation. Oh it could also be the fact that the Cardinals won the World Series in 2011, went to the league championship in 2012 and the 2013 World Series. Yeah that's probably it.

3) Texas is a Ranger state.

Had this map been made almost 10 years ago, Texas would have mostly been Houston Astros fans, but since the 2005 loss at the World Series the Astros haven't taken a pennant. The Rangers however, went to the World Series in 2011 and have been holding their own since, resulting in the domination of Texas baseball fans and the leaking of their fandom into the surrounding states. Now it seems only the Houston area bleeds vintage orange. 

4) State Lines don't matter.

I think it's super neat that the fans are not effected by state lines at all! The team colors have a radial pattern which means the biggest factor is not what city or state the team belongs to but distance from the home field. Your geography has a huge effect on what team you root for, we may not agree on what team to support but there is one thing I know: Baseball games are infinity better in person than on TV. So, whichever ballpark is the shortest drive is the one I'm going to go to.