Ta much, dear Edosan
... Call them wild hogs, feral swine, razorbacks or Russian boar, they've become a serious nuisance across Michigan.
The hogs are thought to be escapees from game ranches, where hunters pay $300 to $2,000 to shoot them. Prolific parents, they produce as many as 18 offspring a year. As many as 5,000 are in the wild in Michigan.
The state is fighting back, considering declaring them an invasive species as at least six other states have done. The director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment could add wild hogs to the list of invasives as early as September, as the state's wildlife division recommends, making it illegal to possess them. The hogs meet the definition, since they're not native and destructive.
The proposal was presented publicly for the first time Thursday at a joint meeting of the Natural Resources Commission and Agricultural Commission in Escanaba.
DNRE Director Becky Humphries said Thursday that past efforts at legislation to control boars has failed, so she asked her staff to see what more could be done. "We don't want them running around in the wild," she said. ...
The hogs are thought to be escapees from game ranches, where hunters pay $300 to $2,000 to shoot them. Prolific parents, they produce as many as 18 offspring a year. As many as 5,000 are in the wild in Michigan.
The state is fighting back, considering declaring them an invasive species as at least six other states have done. The director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment could add wild hogs to the list of invasives as early as September, as the state's wildlife division recommends, making it illegal to possess them. The hogs meet the definition, since they're not native and destructive.
The proposal was presented publicly for the first time Thursday at a joint meeting of the Natural Resources Commission and Agricultural Commission in Escanaba.
DNRE Director Becky Humphries said Thursday that past efforts at legislation to control boars has failed, so she asked her staff to see what more could be done. "We don't want them running around in the wild," she said. ...
Ta much, dear Edosan
That's a porkly Kookaburra, allright!
Athlete’s foot therapy tapped to treat bat-killing fungus
Hibernating bats treated in several New York mines.
By Janet Raloff
Web edition : Monday, March 22nd, 2010
SAN FRANCISCO — Over the past four years, a mysterious white-nose fungus has struck hibernating North American bats. Populations in affected caves and mines can experience death rates of more than 80 percent over a winter. In desperation, an informal interagency task force of scientists from state and federal agencies has just launched an experimental program to fight the plague. Their weapon: a drug ordinarily used to treat athlete’s foot.
John Eisemann of the Agriculture Department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, better known as APHIS, in Fort Collins, Colo., mentioned the new program during his talk, here, at the American Chemical Society’s spring national meeting. He was describing legal tactics by which wildlife officials can thwart invasive vertebrate species with off-the-shelf chemicals.
He noted, for instance, how scientists have used a contraceptive vaccine — one designed to control white-tail deer populations — on rodents. It offered a nonlethal approach to reining in the population explosion of non-native fox squirrels on a University of California campus. In another instance, wildlife managers employed a cholesterol inhibiting drug to reduce sex hormone levels — and the urge to reproduce — among invasive monk parakeets. And on Guam, Eisemann’s team designed special traps baited with neonatal mouse carcasses. Each bait had been implanted with a child’s dose of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol. It proved amazingly effective in strategically poisoning a major scourge, invasive brown treesnakes — and only that species.
The bat task force enlisted Eisemann’s help to make sure that whatever they tried would be legal. He’s the go-to guy for identifying what permissions, waivers or requests are required before wildlife managers can apply poisons or anti-fertility drugs. The Food and Drug Administration allows for some off-label use of an existing drug as a veterinary prescription. And that's the tactic he arranged for the task force to use with the athlete’s foot drug. ...
Hibernating bats treated in several New York mines.
By Janet Raloff
Web edition : Monday, March 22nd, 2010
SAN FRANCISCO — Over the past four years, a mysterious white-nose fungus has struck hibernating North American bats. Populations in affected caves and mines can experience death rates of more than 80 percent over a winter. In desperation, an informal interagency task force of scientists from state and federal agencies has just launched an experimental program to fight the plague. Their weapon: a drug ordinarily used to treat athlete’s foot.
John Eisemann of the Agriculture Department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, better known as APHIS, in Fort Collins, Colo., mentioned the new program during his talk, here, at the American Chemical Society’s spring national meeting. He was describing legal tactics by which wildlife officials can thwart invasive vertebrate species with off-the-shelf chemicals.
He noted, for instance, how scientists have used a contraceptive vaccine — one designed to control white-tail deer populations — on rodents. It offered a nonlethal approach to reining in the population explosion of non-native fox squirrels on a University of California campus. In another instance, wildlife managers employed a cholesterol inhibiting drug to reduce sex hormone levels — and the urge to reproduce — among invasive monk parakeets. And on Guam, Eisemann’s team designed special traps baited with neonatal mouse carcasses. Each bait had been implanted with a child’s dose of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol. It proved amazingly effective in strategically poisoning a major scourge, invasive brown treesnakes — and only that species.
The bat task force enlisted Eisemann’s help to make sure that whatever they tried would be legal. He’s the go-to guy for identifying what permissions, waivers or requests are required before wildlife managers can apply poisons or anti-fertility drugs. The Food and Drug Administration allows for some off-label use of an existing drug as a veterinary prescription. And that's the tactic he arranged for the task force to use with the athlete’s foot drug. ...
Mammoths had more than woolly coats to protect them from the frigid conditions of their sub-zero stomping grounds, scientists have discovered.
The extinct beasts had a form of antifreeze blood that kept their bodies supplied with oxygen in the sub-zero temperatures, according to a study of DNA extracted from 43,000-year-old mammoth remains.
A genetic adaptation in the woolly mammoths' haemoglobin – the molecular cage that carries oxygen in the blood – allowed them to thrive at high latitudes without losing much heat.
Ancestors of the woolly mammoth originated in equatorial Africa about seven million years ago, but populations migrated north more than one million years ago, in a period of Earth's history when climate change caused temperatures to plummet.
Unlike modern elephants, which have evolved large ears and other characteristics to keep cool in excessive heat, ancestral mammoths survived by evolving ways of saving heat, such as small ears and tails.
In the latest study, a team led by Kevin Campbell at the University of Manitoba in Canada found another physiological trick that mammoths used to endure the ice age. Campbell's team isolated haemoglobin DNA from a woolly mammoth recovered from the Siberian permafrost and compared it with genetic code extracted from modern African and Asian elephants.
The mammoth's DNA differed in a small but significant way. Changes in one percent of the proteins studied showed that it took less energy for mammoth haemoglobin to release its oxygen into the body as it coursed through the blood vessels. "It literally allows their blood to run cold," Campbell said. ...
The extinct beasts had a form of antifreeze blood that kept their bodies supplied with oxygen in the sub-zero temperatures, according to a study of DNA extracted from 43,000-year-old mammoth remains.
A genetic adaptation in the woolly mammoths' haemoglobin – the molecular cage that carries oxygen in the blood – allowed them to thrive at high latitudes without losing much heat.
Ancestors of the woolly mammoth originated in equatorial Africa about seven million years ago, but populations migrated north more than one million years ago, in a period of Earth's history when climate change caused temperatures to plummet.
Unlike modern elephants, which have evolved large ears and other characteristics to keep cool in excessive heat, ancestral mammoths survived by evolving ways of saving heat, such as small ears and tails.
In the latest study, a team led by Kevin Campbell at the University of Manitoba in Canada found another physiological trick that mammoths used to endure the ice age. Campbell's team isolated haemoglobin DNA from a woolly mammoth recovered from the Siberian permafrost and compared it with genetic code extracted from modern African and Asian elephants.
The mammoth's DNA differed in a small but significant way. Changes in one percent of the proteins studied showed that it took less energy for mammoth haemoglobin to release its oxygen into the body as it coursed through the blood vessels. "It literally allows their blood to run cold," Campbell said. ...
MSiegel says this is already 404. It still shows up on my machine: I blamed my cache.
Here's the whole article:
Bear confirmed as a 'grolar'
Canwest News Service May 2, 2010
An odd-looking bear shot a few weeks ago by an Inuit hunter in the High Arctic is a rare grizzly-polar bear cross, scientists have confirmed.
Moreover, the animal -- with the creamy white fur of a polar bear, but with the big head, long claws and ring of brown hair around its hind common to the grizzly -- may be the first recorded second-generation "grolar bear" found in the wild, the Northwest Territories Environment and Natural Resources Department said in a news release.
"A wildlife genetics laboratory has since conducted DNA testing on the samples, and the results of the testing point to the animal being a second-generation hybrid bear which resulted from the mating of a polar/grizzly bear female with a male grizzly bear," said the release.
Hunter David Kuptana shot the bear on April 8 while it roamed the sea ice just west of Ulukhaktok, on Victoria Island.
"The animal appeared unusual to the hunter and he provided samples from the bear to Environment and Natural Resources officials for testing to determine the species," said the environment department. Polar bear-grizzly hybrids -- known as either "pizzly" or "grolar" bears -- are very rare.
Although several suspected sightings have been made in that past few years, only one hybrid -- shot by a U.S. hunter in 2006 -- had been confirmed in the wild.
Here's the whole article:
Bear confirmed as a 'grolar'
Canwest News Service May 2, 2010
An odd-looking bear shot a few weeks ago by an Inuit hunter in the High Arctic is a rare grizzly-polar bear cross, scientists have confirmed.
Moreover, the animal -- with the creamy white fur of a polar bear, but with the big head, long claws and ring of brown hair around its hind common to the grizzly -- may be the first recorded second-generation "grolar bear" found in the wild, the Northwest Territories Environment and Natural Resources Department said in a news release.
"A wildlife genetics laboratory has since conducted DNA testing on the samples, and the results of the testing point to the animal being a second-generation hybrid bear which resulted from the mating of a polar/grizzly bear female with a male grizzly bear," said the release.
Hunter David Kuptana shot the bear on April 8 while it roamed the sea ice just west of Ulukhaktok, on Victoria Island.
"The animal appeared unusual to the hunter and he provided samples from the bear to Environment and Natural Resources officials for testing to determine the species," said the environment department. Polar bear-grizzly hybrids -- known as either "pizzly" or "grolar" bears -- are very rare.
Although several suspected sightings have been made in that past few years, only one hybrid -- shot by a U.S. hunter in 2006 -- had been confirmed in the wild.
Lawrence Bates was all set to call for assistance when his jeep at West Midland Safari Park broke down, until Five the elephant decided to give him a helping hand.
The 18-year-old African Elephant got behind and pushed the car out of trouble and out of the enclosure.
She even cleaned the car in the process.
Five reached into a bucket of water with her trunk, sprayed the vehicle with water to remove any dust, then gathered up a sponge with her trunk and cleaned the windows and paintwork with the style of a true professional.
Director of Wildlife, Bob Lawrence, said: "The jeep broke down one morning and the lads jumped out to have a look at it, popped the bonnet and had a look at the oil.
"We still couldn't get it to start so gave it a push start, eventually got it going - at this time though its covered with dirty hand marks so Five gave it a quick wash and a hose down.
"But the jeep broke down again and to our astonishment Five came over and decided to give us a hand.
"She lifted the bonnet up, got the dipstick, and gave it to Lawrence. When we still couldn't get it to start, she went round the back and gave us a push.
"I've never seen anything like this in my life - it was absolutely incredible.
"Five and her Keeper are a real team.
"It is said that an Elephant never forgets, thankfully we don't experience many vehicle breakdowns, but next time Five will know exactly what to do". ...
Goddess-Elephant!
The 18-year-old African Elephant got behind and pushed the car out of trouble and out of the enclosure.
She even cleaned the car in the process.
Five reached into a bucket of water with her trunk, sprayed the vehicle with water to remove any dust, then gathered up a sponge with her trunk and cleaned the windows and paintwork with the style of a true professional.
Director of Wildlife, Bob Lawrence, said: "The jeep broke down one morning and the lads jumped out to have a look at it, popped the bonnet and had a look at the oil.
"We still couldn't get it to start so gave it a push start, eventually got it going - at this time though its covered with dirty hand marks so Five gave it a quick wash and a hose down.
"But the jeep broke down again and to our astonishment Five came over and decided to give us a hand.
"She lifted the bonnet up, got the dipstick, and gave it to Lawrence. When we still couldn't get it to start, she went round the back and gave us a push.
"I've never seen anything like this in my life - it was absolutely incredible.
"Five and her Keeper are a real team.
"It is said that an Elephant never forgets, thankfully we don't experience many vehicle breakdowns, but next time Five will know exactly what to do". ...
Goddess-Elephant!
We saw several Mata Matas - big uns - and man, are they ever weird.
The zoo's had 'em as long as I can remember, and I've always loved 'em.
It saddens me, Gentle Categorian, but none of the sites I found were worth the pixels of which they are composed.
Some of these images link to larger pics, not to the informative websites which I'd prefer.
That bright underside is a real shock, innit.
World's biggest rabbit weighs three-and-a-half stone
This Easter Bunny weighs a whopping three-and-a-half stone and is four foot three inches long - making him the biggest rabbit ever recorded.
04 Apr 2010
Darius, a Continental Giant who is only 13 months old, eats 12 carrots a day to keep up his strength as well as two daily meals of a pair of bowls of rabbit mix, three apples and a cabbage.
And he still has not reached his full size, with owner Annette Edwards, 59, preparing herself for another six months of growth before he hits full size.
Darius gorges himself on hay throughout the day which seems to have helped give him an unusual chilled temperament around other animals and humans.
Ms Edwards, from Worcester, has bred big bunnies before but Darius has been recognised as the largest rabbit ever recorded.
She said: "I only measured him this weekend and that was when I realised he was much bigger than Alice, who is the current record holder. ...
This Easter Bunny weighs a whopping three-and-a-half stone and is four foot three inches long - making him the biggest rabbit ever recorded.
04 Apr 2010
Darius, a Continental Giant who is only 13 months old, eats 12 carrots a day to keep up his strength as well as two daily meals of a pair of bowls of rabbit mix, three apples and a cabbage.
And he still has not reached his full size, with owner Annette Edwards, 59, preparing herself for another six months of growth before he hits full size.
Darius gorges himself on hay throughout the day which seems to have helped give him an unusual chilled temperament around other animals and humans.
Ms Edwards, from Worcester, has bred big bunnies before but Darius has been recognised as the largest rabbit ever recorded.
She said: "I only measured him this weekend and that was when I realised he was much bigger than Alice, who is the current record holder. ...
Poor lions prolly got tummyaches.
According to a report aired by TV station Frecuencia Latina, Domingo Pianezzi, a Peruvian surfer and pet trainer has taught not only a dog, but also a cat, and now an alpaca, to surf.
“Pisco” is the name of this alpaca, the only andean camelid in the world that can surf.
Pianezzi told the reporters that when he was in Australia, where surf is very popular, he witnesses how local surfers practiced this sport accompanied by their pets; thus he tried to do the same here in Peru. ...
“Pisco” is the name of this alpaca, the only andean camelid in the world that can surf.
Pianezzi told the reporters that when he was in Australia, where surf is very popular, he witnesses how local surfers practiced this sport accompanied by their pets; thus he tried to do the same here in Peru. ...
Little bigger than a pea, the smallest known sea horse, Hippocampus satomiae, was discovered at a depth of about 15 metres on reefs in Indonesia, from Derawan island to northern Sulawesi and Borneo. Like other pygmy sea horses, its size and camouflage make it difficult to spot. This species resembles, in texture and colour, the sea fans with which it lives. It has a pouch in which it carries its young, which are only 3mm in length. Animal names ending in -ae honour women, in this case Satomi Onishi, a diving guide who collected the first specimen.
... Beyond awesome. This is Darwinian evolution mixed with, like, Burning Man.
Being scientists of biomimicry, the authors surmise that if it were possible to reverse-engineer the entire shell — it’s not just the outer iron layer that’s cool; there are also two inner layers with gooey nougat that are equally important in defending the snail — they could produce superstrong materials for military defense and “load-bearing”.
Fair enough. But personally I’m satisfied just to have more pure science that proves, yet again, the inexhaustible Weirdness Of The Briny Deep.
Iron snails, people! Iron snails.
Ta much, dear MSiegel
Being scientists of biomimicry, the authors surmise that if it were possible to reverse-engineer the entire shell — it’s not just the outer iron layer that’s cool; there are also two inner layers with gooey nougat that are equally important in defending the snail — they could produce superstrong materials for military defense and “load-bearing”.
Fair enough. But personally I’m satisfied just to have more pure science that proves, yet again, the inexhaustible Weirdness Of The Briny Deep.
Iron snails, people! Iron snails.
Ta much, dear MSiegel
Experts shocked by 'bizarre' swan divorce
Experts at a wildlife sanctuary in Gloucestershire have witnessed a rare ''divorce'' between two Bewick's swans - with both parties bringing their new partners to winter at the site.
24 Jan 2010
It is only the second time in more than 4,000 pairs of Bewick's swans studied over 40 years at Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust centre at Slimbridge that a separation has been recorded.
It is not unheard of for the birds, which usually mate for life, to find a new mate but it tends to be because one of the pair has died.
So when male swan Sarindi turned up in the annual migration from Arctic Russia without his partner of two years Saruni and with a new female - newly-named Sarind - in tow, conservationists feared the worst for Saruni.
But shortly afterwards Saruni arrived at the wetlands site - also with a new mate, Surune.
And after observing them, the experts are confident the old relationship had ended and new ones had begun.
Julia Newth, wildlife health research officer at Slimbridge, said the "bizarre" situation had taken staff by surprise. ...
Experts at a wildlife sanctuary in Gloucestershire have witnessed a rare ''divorce'' between two Bewick's swans - with both parties bringing their new partners to winter at the site.
24 Jan 2010
It is only the second time in more than 4,000 pairs of Bewick's swans studied over 40 years at Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust centre at Slimbridge that a separation has been recorded.
It is not unheard of for the birds, which usually mate for life, to find a new mate but it tends to be because one of the pair has died.
So when male swan Sarindi turned up in the annual migration from Arctic Russia without his partner of two years Saruni and with a new female - newly-named Sarind - in tow, conservationists feared the worst for Saruni.
But shortly afterwards Saruni arrived at the wetlands site - also with a new mate, Surune.
And after observing them, the experts are confident the old relationship had ended and new ones had begun.
Julia Newth, wildlife health research officer at Slimbridge, said the "bizarre" situation had taken staff by surprise. ...
25-Jan-2010
Simon Levey
Queen Mary, University of London
Dolphin and bat DNA on the same wavelength
A new study has shown that echolocation evolved separately, but through the same genetic changes, in both dolphins and bats.
Scientists at Queen Mary, University of London have shown that the remarkable ability is shared by these very different animals at a much deeper level than anyone previously realised – all the way down to the molecular level.
Writing in the journal Current Biology, they describe how dolphins and bats have both evolved the same specialised form of inner-ear hair cells that allow them to use sophisticated echolocation: detecting unseen obstacles or tracking down prey by making a high frequency noise and listening for the echo that bounces back.
"The natural world is full of examples of species that have evolved similar characteristics independently, such as the tusks of elephants and walruses," said Stephen Rossiter of Queen Mary's School of Biological and Chemical Sciences. "However, it is generally assumed that most of these so-called 'convergent traits' have arisen by different changes in the animal's DNA. Our study shows that this very complex ability - echolocation - has in fact evolved by identical genetic changes in bats and dolphins." ...
Simon Levey
Queen Mary, University of London
Dolphin and bat DNA on the same wavelength
A new study has shown that echolocation evolved separately, but through the same genetic changes, in both dolphins and bats.
Scientists at Queen Mary, University of London have shown that the remarkable ability is shared by these very different animals at a much deeper level than anyone previously realised – all the way down to the molecular level.
Writing in the journal Current Biology, they describe how dolphins and bats have both evolved the same specialised form of inner-ear hair cells that allow them to use sophisticated echolocation: detecting unseen obstacles or tracking down prey by making a high frequency noise and listening for the echo that bounces back.
"The natural world is full of examples of species that have evolved similar characteristics independently, such as the tusks of elephants and walruses," said Stephen Rossiter of Queen Mary's School of Biological and Chemical Sciences. "However, it is generally assumed that most of these so-called 'convergent traits' have arisen by different changes in the animal's DNA. Our study shows that this very complex ability - echolocation - has in fact evolved by identical genetic changes in bats and dolphins." ...
25-Jan-2010
Nancy Ross-Flanigan
University of Michigan
Echolocating bats and whales share molecular mechanism
ANN ARBOR, Mich.---With high-pitched squeaks, clicks and chirps and ultra-sensitive hearing, toothed whales and some bats zero in on prey by emitting pulses of sound and interpreting the echoes that bounce back.
Over the course of evolution, the two groups acquired this remarkable ability independently, for use in very different environments, so you'd expect the means by which each accomplishes the feat to differ. Surprisingly, that's not the case, a new study by researchers at the University of Michigan suggests.
"The seemingly different echolocation abilities that evolved independently in whales and bats have a similar underlying molecular mechanism," said Jianzhi (George) Zhang, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. The finding overturns conventional thinking that the evolutionary phenomenon known as convergence is rare at the molecular level. The research is reported in the Jan. 26 issue of the journal Current Biology. A separate paper by another research group, published in the same issue of the journal, reports similar results.
In traits such as appearance and behavior, convergence---the acquisition of similar structures or abilities in different lineages---is a well-known biological curiosity. Birds and bats separately developed wings and the ability to fly, for example; elephants and walruses each ended up with tusks. But because similar structures can be built from different blueprints, it's unusual for these superficial similarities to share molecular underpinnings. ...
Nancy Ross-Flanigan
University of Michigan
Echolocating bats and whales share molecular mechanism
ANN ARBOR, Mich.---With high-pitched squeaks, clicks and chirps and ultra-sensitive hearing, toothed whales and some bats zero in on prey by emitting pulses of sound and interpreting the echoes that bounce back.
Over the course of evolution, the two groups acquired this remarkable ability independently, for use in very different environments, so you'd expect the means by which each accomplishes the feat to differ. Surprisingly, that's not the case, a new study by researchers at the University of Michigan suggests.
"The seemingly different echolocation abilities that evolved independently in whales and bats have a similar underlying molecular mechanism," said Jianzhi (George) Zhang, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. The finding overturns conventional thinking that the evolutionary phenomenon known as convergence is rare at the molecular level. The research is reported in the Jan. 26 issue of the journal Current Biology. A separate paper by another research group, published in the same issue of the journal, reports similar results.
In traits such as appearance and behavior, convergence---the acquisition of similar structures or abilities in different lineages---is a well-known biological curiosity. Birds and bats separately developed wings and the ability to fly, for example; elephants and walruses each ended up with tusks. But because similar structures can be built from different blueprints, it's unusual for these superficial similarities to share molecular underpinnings. ...
Leaf-like sea slug feeds on light
Last Updated: Friday, January 22, 2010
A green sea slug found off North America's east coast not only looks like a leaf, but can also make food out of sunlight, just like a plant.
U.S. researchers have found that the sea slug Elysia chlorotica can photosynthesize, using energy from light to convert carbon dioxide into sugars.
"If you shine light on these slugs, they fix carbon dioxide and make oxygen just like a plant," Sidney Pierce of the University of South Florida told CBC Radio's Quirks & Quarks.
Pierce reported his findings Jan. 7 at the annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, and has submitted his research to the journal Symbiosis. ...
Ta much, dear Zaxy
Last Updated: Friday, January 22, 2010
A green sea slug found off North America's east coast not only looks like a leaf, but can also make food out of sunlight, just like a plant.
U.S. researchers have found that the sea slug Elysia chlorotica can photosynthesize, using energy from light to convert carbon dioxide into sugars.
"If you shine light on these slugs, they fix carbon dioxide and make oxygen just like a plant," Sidney Pierce of the University of South Florida told CBC Radio's Quirks & Quarks.
Pierce reported his findings Jan. 7 at the annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, and has submitted his research to the journal Symbiosis. ...
Ta much, dear Zaxy
Monarch butterflies reveal a novel way in which animals sense the Earth's magnetic field
January 25, 2010
Building on prior investigation into the biological mechanisms through which monarch butterflies are able to migrate up to 2,000 miles from eastern North America to a particular forest in Mexico each year, neurobiologists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) have linked two related photoreceptor proteins found in butterflies to animal navigation using the Earth's magnetic field.
The work by Steven Reppert, MD, professor and chair of neurobiology at UMMS; Robert Gegear, PhD, research assistant professor of neurobiology; Lauren Foley, BS; and Amy Casselman, PhD, is described in the paper, "Animal cryptochromes mediate magnetoreception by an unconventional photochemical mechanism," to be posted on-line in the journal Nature January 24. ...
Ta much, dear Anneliese
January 25, 2010
Building on prior investigation into the biological mechanisms through which monarch butterflies are able to migrate up to 2,000 miles from eastern North America to a particular forest in Mexico each year, neurobiologists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) have linked two related photoreceptor proteins found in butterflies to animal navigation using the Earth's magnetic field.
The work by Steven Reppert, MD, professor and chair of neurobiology at UMMS; Robert Gegear, PhD, research assistant professor of neurobiology; Lauren Foley, BS; and Amy Casselman, PhD, is described in the paper, "Animal cryptochromes mediate magnetoreception by an unconventional photochemical mechanism," to be posted on-line in the journal Nature January 24. ...
Ta much, dear Anneliese
DIF, more of you damn japanese whale murderers.
¡Viva Cataluña! Las corridas de toros Fin!
I managed to find this one myself.
Fox takes tube station escalator
An urban fox stunned London Underground passengers by calmly taking an escalator to navigate a tube station.
By Murray Wardrop
Published: 7:30AM GMT 08 Dec 2009
An urban Fox in London: The fox was spotted in Walthamstow Station Photo: BARCROFT MEDIA
The animal was spotted by Kate Arkless Gray, 29, on Saturday night as she made her way home from a friend's wedding.
She watched in amazement as the fox boarded the escalator at Walthamstow Central just after midnight to leave the station.
Miss Arkless Gray said: "As I got off the train and headed towards the up escalator I saw this daring creature dashing full speed down the down escalator, which was taped off for maintenance workers at the bottom.
"I was wishing I'd been able to film it and then the workers at the bottom of the escalator shooed him back up again."
She then managed to capture the surreal scene as the fox casually made his ascent on the escalator back towards the exit. ...
An urban fox stunned London Underground passengers by calmly taking an escalator to navigate a tube station.
By Murray Wardrop
Published: 7:30AM GMT 08 Dec 2009
An urban Fox in London: The fox was spotted in Walthamstow Station Photo: BARCROFT MEDIA
The animal was spotted by Kate Arkless Gray, 29, on Saturday night as she made her way home from a friend's wedding.
She watched in amazement as the fox boarded the escalator at Walthamstow Central just after midnight to leave the station.
Miss Arkless Gray said: "As I got off the train and headed towards the up escalator I saw this daring creature dashing full speed down the down escalator, which was taped off for maintenance workers at the bottom.
"I was wishing I'd been able to film it and then the workers at the bottom of the escalator shooed him back up again."
She then managed to capture the surreal scene as the fox casually made his ascent on the escalator back towards the exit. ...
Need a pack of foxhounds!
WARNING: I was born terrified by spiders although little jumping spiders don't scare me. Skip this post if you're worse off spider-wise, Gentle Categorian.
If you like or love 'em, you'll think these are even cuter and cooler than any silly spider-phreaked philistine like Your Humble Narrator possibly could.
Itsy-bitsy indeed.
Phancy abdominable phlaps at rest
Phancy phlaps deployed during courtship ritual dance, and so explaining their common name
If you like or love 'em, you'll think these are even cuter and cooler than any silly spider-phreaked philistine like Your Humble Narrator possibly could.
Itsy-bitsy indeed.
Phancy abdominable phlaps at rest
Phancy phlaps deployed during courtship ritual dance, and so explaining their common name
Dog given medal after 'canine CPR'
CHRISTINE KELLETT
October 28, 2009
Jim Touzeau with his dog Teka and RSPCA Queensland's Bundaberg Inspector Patrick Yeates. Photo: RSPCA Queensland
A central Queensland dog which jumped up and down on its owner's chest after the man suffered a massive heart attack may have saved his life.
Teka the three-year-old Australian cattle dog has been given the RSPCA's animal achievement award following the 2007 feat at a glass factory near Bundaberg.
Owner Jim Touzeau's heart stopped and he collapsed unconscious on the factory floor when Teka climbed onto his chest and began to jump repeatedly with all four paws.
The dog also barked in his face, rousing him enough to raise the alarm with his son.
She also ran outside and barked to attract attention.
Medical experts have been unable to say whether the canine CPR had any medical impact but say Mr Touzeau would not be alive today if not for Teka's efforts.
"I don't know if she actually kick-started my heart. But the doctors said that if I hadn't come to and called for help the chances are I would be dead," Mr Touzeau said.
"My heart had definitely stopped."
The 79-year-old glass craftsman also suffered deep cuts when he fell and sliced himself open on plate glass at the his Tinana factory.
He has since been fitted with a defibrillator implant.
"I lost my wife six years ago this Christmas and it's a pretty lonely life on your own,'' he told brisbanetimes.com.au.
"I got Teka three years ago and she's a terrific companion. She just never leaves my side. Because it's just the two of us, I rely on her and she relies on me."
Mr Touzeau said he remembered nothing of the heart attack, but recalled waking up to Teka on his chest.
"She was really thumping my chest with her two front feet,'' he said.
"It was out of the blue [behaviour] for her.
"She must have been thinking 'I better wake this fella up or I won't get any dinner'.''
The RSPCA will present the state-based commendation to Teka today and will also nominate her for a Purple Cross - the charity's highest bravery medal.
RSPCA spokesman Michael Beatty said Teka had shown incredible intuition.
"This award isn't given away lightly. If she hadn't been there he probably would not have woken up."
Ta much, dear Edosan
CHRISTINE KELLETT
October 28, 2009
Jim Touzeau with his dog Teka and RSPCA Queensland's Bundaberg Inspector Patrick Yeates. Photo: RSPCA Queensland
A central Queensland dog which jumped up and down on its owner's chest after the man suffered a massive heart attack may have saved his life.
Teka the three-year-old Australian cattle dog has been given the RSPCA's animal achievement award following the 2007 feat at a glass factory near Bundaberg.
Owner Jim Touzeau's heart stopped and he collapsed unconscious on the factory floor when Teka climbed onto his chest and began to jump repeatedly with all four paws.
The dog also barked in his face, rousing him enough to raise the alarm with his son.
She also ran outside and barked to attract attention.
Medical experts have been unable to say whether the canine CPR had any medical impact but say Mr Touzeau would not be alive today if not for Teka's efforts.
"I don't know if she actually kick-started my heart. But the doctors said that if I hadn't come to and called for help the chances are I would be dead," Mr Touzeau said.
"My heart had definitely stopped."
The 79-year-old glass craftsman also suffered deep cuts when he fell and sliced himself open on plate glass at the his Tinana factory.
He has since been fitted with a defibrillator implant.
"I lost my wife six years ago this Christmas and it's a pretty lonely life on your own,'' he told brisbanetimes.com.au.
"I got Teka three years ago and she's a terrific companion. She just never leaves my side. Because it's just the two of us, I rely on her and she relies on me."
Mr Touzeau said he remembered nothing of the heart attack, but recalled waking up to Teka on his chest.
"She was really thumping my chest with her two front feet,'' he said.
"It was out of the blue [behaviour] for her.
"She must have been thinking 'I better wake this fella up or I won't get any dinner'.''
The RSPCA will present the state-based commendation to Teka today and will also nominate her for a Purple Cross - the charity's highest bravery medal.
RSPCA spokesman Michael Beatty said Teka had shown incredible intuition.
"This award isn't given away lightly. If she hadn't been there he probably would not have woken up."
Ta much, dear Edosan
All sorts of things hopped thru my head as I read this. I should point out I'm a major bunny fan and have owned two wonderful rabbits.
1. Rabbit overpopulation ain't easy to ahem fix
2. If they're that big a problem in the city center FFS, then the wildlife folks should shut the hell up and focus on the bunnies in the boonies
3. What kind of arsehole turns a pet rabbit free in fucking *Sweden*? It gets *cold* up thar!
4. Were they doing this with rats no one would object
5. You breed *pets* dude, and no one would ask you to sell your *pet* bunnies for biofuel
6. Get a grip, yo
1. Rabbit overpopulation ain't easy to ahem fix
2. If they're that big a problem in the city center FFS, then the wildlife folks should shut the hell up and focus on the bunnies in the boonies
3. What kind of arsehole turns a pet rabbit free in fucking *Sweden*? It gets *cold* up thar!
4. Were they doing this with rats no one would object
5. You breed *pets* dude, and no one would ask you to sell your *pet* bunnies for biofuel
6. Get a grip, yo
Ta much, dear Foxy
A five-week-old boar named Manni, plays with a Jack Russell terrier called Candy in Ehringhausen, Germany.
Candy has taught him to bark and fetch. :)
Bella the foxhound and Maggie the fox have become firm friends at an animal sanctuary in Essex
Remember, girls and boys:
Don't Fuck With A Hippo.
Don't Fuck With A Hippo.
Yup - that there's a bird dog allright.
Dear Edosan often sends me lolworthy/macro-ready images, ferinstance this one. Result below.
moar funny pictures
moar funny pictures
"Baboons are evil."
-- Graham Norton
-- Graham Norton
Badger badger badgers badger badgers badgers badger badgers badgers badger badger
Hic. Flim at elven. [snicker]
Hic. Flim at elven. [snicker]
Grrroink!
Piggie wif angry feet!
... Chris Bird, a zoologist at the University of Cambridge and the lead researcher, said: “Rooks are rivalling habitual tools users such as chimpanzees and New Caledonian crows [famed for their tool dexterity] when tested in captivity.
“When I saw them making hooks I had to rein in in my enthusiasm in case they saw it and reacted to that, but these are fantastic findings. Birds’ brains are so differently constructed from primates’ it’s amazing that they can carry out similar tasks.” The results of the study are published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ...
Cor blimey! Stone the crows!
“When I saw them making hooks I had to rein in in my enthusiasm in case they saw it and reacted to that, but these are fantastic findings. Birds’ brains are so differently constructed from primates’ it’s amazing that they can carry out similar tasks.” The results of the study are published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ...
Cor blimey! Stone the crows!
Sheer genius!
The United (?) Kingdom's royal family won't be using that method to scare off anyone, I'm afraid........
The United (?) Kingdom's royal family won't be using that method to scare off anyone, I'm afraid........
... "The exact cause of mortality of affected bats is not yet fully understood, but the newly identified fungus is considered a likely contributor," Marvin Moriarty, northeast regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, told the natural resource committee yesterday.
The fungus invades the skin, underlying tissue and particularly the wings, which help to balance complex physiological processes such as body temperature. All six bat species that hibernate in the Northeast have been impacted and scientists fear the syndrome will spread to large bat populations in the South and Southwest -- and that some species may never recover even if a solution is found.
"Bats differ from most other small mammals in that they have long lives and reproduce slowly," Moriarty said.
Bats are insect-eaters and help human agriculture. The 1 million killed would have consumed 8,000 pounds of insects in a single summer night, scientists said.
"The level of nightly consumption by one little brown bat would be equivalent to a 150-pound teenage boy eating approximately 300 quarter-pounders. Translated to the number of insects that would not be eaten by one little brown bat in your backyard on a given night, it amounts to the equivalent of 60 medium-sized moths or over 1,000 mosquito-sized insects," said Thomas Kunz, director of the Center for Ecology and Conservation at Boston University.
The fungus invades the skin, underlying tissue and particularly the wings, which help to balance complex physiological processes such as body temperature. All six bat species that hibernate in the Northeast have been impacted and scientists fear the syndrome will spread to large bat populations in the South and Southwest -- and that some species may never recover even if a solution is found.
"Bats differ from most other small mammals in that they have long lives and reproduce slowly," Moriarty said.
Bats are insect-eaters and help human agriculture. The 1 million killed would have consumed 8,000 pounds of insects in a single summer night, scientists said.
"The level of nightly consumption by one little brown bat would be equivalent to a 150-pound teenage boy eating approximately 300 quarter-pounders. Translated to the number of insects that would not be eaten by one little brown bat in your backyard on a given night, it amounts to the equivalent of 60 medium-sized moths or over 1,000 mosquito-sized insects," said Thomas Kunz, director of the Center for Ecology and Conservation at Boston University.
Catch some and send 'em to me: we're running very low on greys.
Really? After you, Ms/Mr Scientist.
It's a wonderful image: hats off to th' photographer!
Sleeping on concrete isn't much fun unless you do it this way.
Ise hongry, futhamucka! Give with da blubber!
Ta much, dear Shell42970!
Well done the Lady!
Best of Friends: Family Raises Wild Boar Piglet with Pet Dog - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International
Ahh, wild boar. Dangerous, tasty, and a fab companion for your family dog.
Go figure.
Go figure.
Oh, the poor, dear girl.
I wonder if the Maasai have any myths and stories about a White Buffalo Calf..............
Snails are cool.
Tasty, too.
Tasty, too.
Deer shatters window, interrupts breakfast
Six-point buck leaves through front door after crashing into home.
Marisa Schultz
The Detroit News
February 9, 2009
WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP -- The Luke family was enjoying coffee Sunday morning when they heard a noise so loud they thought a car had driven straight through their West Bloomfield ranch.
Instead, Keith Luke found a 6-point buck in his study.
The deer had leaped through his double-pane picture window. He was bleeding severely and cowering behind the couch.
"When I saw he was injured, I ran to the front door and opened it so he had a way to escape," said Luke, at home with his wife and son. "I think he was as bewildered as everyone else was."
In a township where deer are common, a buck jumping through a picture window is "extremely rare" and perhaps unheard of until Sunday, said West Bloomfield Police Sgt. Erik Tilli.
Police and fire crews arrived at the Lukes' home in the 2300 block of Keylon Drive around 11:30 a.m. Sunday after the deer had exited. "It looked like a crime scene in here," Luke said. ...
Six-point buck leaves through front door after crashing into home.
Marisa Schultz
The Detroit News
February 9, 2009
WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP -- The Luke family was enjoying coffee Sunday morning when they heard a noise so loud they thought a car had driven straight through their West Bloomfield ranch.
Instead, Keith Luke found a 6-point buck in his study.
The deer had leaped through his double-pane picture window. He was bleeding severely and cowering behind the couch.
"When I saw he was injured, I ran to the front door and opened it so he had a way to escape," said Luke, at home with his wife and son. "I think he was as bewildered as everyone else was."
In a township where deer are common, a buck jumping through a picture window is "extremely rare" and perhaps unheard of until Sunday, said West Bloomfield Police Sgt. Erik Tilli.
Police and fire crews arrived at the Lukes' home in the 2300 block of Keylon Drive around 11:30 a.m. Sunday after the deer had exited. "It looked like a crime scene in here," Luke said. ...
Detroit Zoo welcomes newborn aardvark
FREE PRESS STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES
December 23, 2008
The Detroit Zoo welcomed a baby aardvark this month.
Zoo officials are awaiting DNA test results to determine the sex of its newborn aardvark, Amani (Swahili for “peace”), born at 1:05 a.m. Dec. 8 to mother Rachaael and father Mchimbaji.
The 23-inch infant arrived hairless, weighing 3 pounds, 10 ounces, with ears measuring 4 inches. “This baby can only be described as hideously cute,” said Director of Conservation and Animal Welfare Scott Carter. “Rachaael is a first-time mother and is showing great maternal instincts.” ...
FREE PRESS STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES
December 23, 2008
The Detroit Zoo welcomed a baby aardvark this month.
Zoo officials are awaiting DNA test results to determine the sex of its newborn aardvark, Amani (Swahili for “peace”), born at 1:05 a.m. Dec. 8 to mother Rachaael and father Mchimbaji.
The 23-inch infant arrived hairless, weighing 3 pounds, 10 ounces, with ears measuring 4 inches. “This baby can only be described as hideously cute,” said Director of Conservation and Animal Welfare Scott Carter. “Rachaael is a first-time mother and is showing great maternal instincts.” ...