Q: Is there such a thing as water cactus?

Colby Youngs, Cameron

A: I checked with three botanists who said they had never heard of water cactus, and thought it may be a nickname or made-up. For example, sometimes in old westerns on TV, you'll see a cowboy in the desert cut open a cactus, supposedly to get a drink of water from it. A "water cactus" trick that only works in the movies! Surprisingly, we have wild cacti in Missouri: three species of the prickly pear cactus. They grow in glade habitats, which are hot, dry, rocky areas with little shade and plenty of sun.

Q: What is the difference between mourning doves and turtle doves?

Amanda Cunefare, age 13, Nixa

A: Mourning doves and turtle doves are two different species in the pigeon family. Mourning doves are a gray, dusty purple color, and they nest in all states except Alaska and Hawaii. A mourning dove's call is easy to identify because it sounds sad and lonesome, ooWOO-woo-woo-woo, and they sing at dawn and dusk.

Ringed turtle doves have been domesticated and kept as pets in cages by people all over the world. In fact, no one is certain of the birds' native origins. Some turtle doves have escaped over time and, in one or two city parks in the U.S., they have become free-living. Turtle doves are a whitish-tan color with a distinctive black ring around the neck. Their call sounds like a cooing, coo-hrrrooo.

Q: Why do snakes lose their skin? And why don't they have taste buds like people do?

Melanie Stulce, Steelville

A: Snakes lose-or shed-their skins because like all animals, they grow. As they get bigger and older, they need new skin to protect them. At times, you might say they literally grow out of their skins. Most snakes lose their skin in spring and summer. It varies among species, but young snakes generally shed every four or five weeks. Adults shed about once every six to eight weeks. They move against grass, rocks or logs to help slide out of it.

As for taste buds, according to the Conservation Department's snake expert, snakes (and lizards) have combined the senses of taste and smell into one. They use their tongues to pick up odors from their surroundings and bring them back into their mouths. Instead of taste buds, snakes have a set of small openings on the roofs of their mouths that have olfactory nerve endings-where a snake can smell-taste a prey animal or another snake or lizard.

Q: Are rabbits nocturnal? I have seen them day and night.

Abigail Whitehead, Independence

A: Missouri's most common rabbit, the cottontail, is active mostly at night and early in the morning. They tend to feed at sunrise, late afternoon or early evenings. During the day, a cottontail spends most of its time resting in its "form"-a rabbit-sized, well-worn spot in a dense clump of grass, under brush or in a thicket. They occasionally crawl out to take sunbaths and, in summer, will stretch out in a cool spot in the shade.

Outside In
Missouri Conservationist
P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City
MO 65102-0180

Kids: have a question?

Professor Oakley Q. Nutkins
Outside In, Missouri Conservationist
P.O. Box 180
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180