Rutgers Day is a university-wide open house event that offers fun, family activities across all campuses in New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden. The 2018 Rutgers Day will be held on Saturday, April 28th from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Each campus offers a variety of hands-on activities and events for the public. One major event you don’t […]
We live in bear country; so how do you keep your alpacas, llamas, farm property, and yourself safe? The black bear population in New Jersey has been on the rise over the last 50 years. The majority of the black bear population inhabits the northwestern part of the state; however, they have been documented in […]
In our first blog post, we began the process of planning to find just the right lamb for your 4-H market project. I hope you have been studying up on the parts of the lamb, good conformation traits and determining what size lamb you will need. Now, let’s take a look at your next big […]
Buttercups are a common flower in New Jersey pastures. Did you know they are poisonous to horses when consumed? Above is a picture of what they look like in early spring. Photo from Rutgers Fact Sheet # 938; Poisonous Weeds in Horse Pastures. April showers bring spring flowers! Flowers may be pretty, but not in […]
Dr. Sara Ruane B.S. (Bachelor of Science) in Biology; M.S. (Master of Science) in Biology; Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) in Biology: Ecology, Evolution, Behavior Assistant Professor, Herpetology and Evolutionary Biology Rutgers University-Newark email address: sara.ruane@rutgers.edu News from Dr. Ruane’s Lab What does a typical work day look like for you? A typical work day for […]
For many youth and adult leaders, 4-H delivers a club-based experience. This means we attend regular 4-H Club Meetings, perhaps once a month. We spend the entire year learning more about our project area, whether that means learning how our chickens lay eggs or grooming our horses for a regional show. We record what […]
Samuel McDowell, the late herpetologist and professor at Rutgers-Newark, spent a good part of his life studying ground snakes in New Guinea. Forty years later, Sara Ruane – who joined the Department of Biological Sciences faculty last semester – was able to find evidence that the snakes McDowell studied were, in fact, a new species of […]
Public speaking is one of the most useful skills developed in 4-H. Public presentations are also a great way to learn about a topic of interest and share it with others in your club and county. One of the most important decisions members make each year is the topic for their presentation. For goat clubs, […]
Domestication of the chicken dates back to at least 2000 B.C. and their ancestry can be traced back to four species of wild jungle fowl from Southeast Asia. However, the Red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus or Gallus bankiva) is the most commonly found wild species in the world today and is considered the main ancestor […]
Cavy lice, sometimes referred to as running lice, are host specific and need a guinea pig to survive. These lice are considered chewing lice, not sucking lice, and actually abrade the skin to obtain fluid. The most common type of louse is Gliricola porcelli. This is a slender, flattened, light colored (white to pale) insect about […]
