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Articles in: Nature
Animals, Weird & Wonderful, May 21st, 2012,
People love to gawk at exotic animals in zoos, aquariums and wildlife parks. Some self-important individuals even like to collect tigers, pythons and monkeys so they can show them off to friends or impress strangers. Remember the private animal collector in Ohio who released his collection of 56 exotic animals – including tigers, bears, lions and a baboon – and then killed himself? The police ended up killing nearly all the animals. That was an extreme example of what can go wrong, but honest mistakes also happen with results ranging from tragic to amusing. An escaped penguin swimming in Tokyo…
Tags: animals, escaped, exotic, penguin, Tokyo
Natural disasters, Nature, Videos & Documentaries, May 20th, 2012,
4 people have been reported dead and around 50 injured due to an earthquake that struck northern Italy in the early hours of the morning. The quake struck just 4am, just 35km (22mi) north of Bologna, at the relatively shallow depth of about 10km below the surface. Several historical sites were damaged, including churches and a medieval castle. From BBC News: It was felt across a large swathe of northern Italy, including the cities of Bologna, Ferrara, Verona and Mantua and as far away as Milan and Venice. See the following Al Jazeera English video report for more: Meanwhile…
Tags: earthquake, Guatemala, Italy, video, volcano
Animals, Nature, Pollution, May 15th, 2012,
Fishermen in Germany are blaming swimmers for peeing in a lake near Hamburg, resulting in the deaths of some 500 fish. The fishermen contend that the large amount of phosphates contained in urine have caused large amounts of algae to grow, suffocating many fish. Though there may be a scientific basis to the fishermen’s anti-bathers claims, Hamburg’s Urban Development and Environment Authority (BSU) contends that it’s ice skaters who are at fault. From The Local: The ice-skaters make a noise that wakes the fish out of hibernation. Then they can’t breathe and freeze. That’s a very common phenomenon. –BSU spokeswoman…
Tags: deaths, fish, Hamburg, lake, pee
Animals, Nature, Wildlife & Flora, May 14th, 2012,
A couple of months ago California’s only wild wolf went back to Oregon, leaving the Golden State effectively wolfless. But now he’s back in Cali and the paparazzi have caught him on film. Actually, OR7′s – or as he is sometimes referred to, Journey’s – photo was snapped by an employee of the California Department of Fish and Game From the Los Angeles Times: For the last couple of months he has wandered back and forth across the state border, most recently spending time in Modoc County. Tuesday, state fish and game staff were visiting ranchers, advising them that the…
Tags: California, coyote, journey, OR7, Oregon, wolf
Conservation, Nature, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, ,
Species: Greater adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius) Status: Endangered (EN) Interesting fact: The greater adjutant is named after an adjutant (military officer) because of its stately manner and habit of standing motionless for long periods of time. With its naked pink head, very thick yellow bill and low-hanging neck pouch, the greater adjutant is a rather eye-catching stork. Colonies of greater adjutants can be seen gathering in India and Cambodia at the start of the dry season in October. Large nests are constructed on tall trees, and eggs are laid between November and January. These hatch after about a month of incubation….
Tags: ARKive.org, endangered birds, endangered species, Greater adjutant, Leptoptilos dubius
Animals, Wildlife & Flora, May 7th, 2012,
The northern coast of Peru has seen the deaths of huge numbers of pelicans and dolphins in the last few weeks, prompting government warnings to stay away from certain beaches. The Peruvian government’s health alert follows discoveries of some 1,200 dead birds (mostly pelicans) and over 800 dead dolphins. What is causing the deaths of these animals is unknown. One possibility is that warming ocean temperatures have forced anchovies into other waters where the young birds can’t find them, meaning that the birds are dying due to starvation. Some 15 years ago El Niño was blamed for a mass pelican…
Tags: beaches, deaths, dolphins, pelicans, Peru
Animals, Conservation, Nature, Videos & Documentaries, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, ,
White-tailed Eagle is one of the largest birds of prey in the world. It weighs up to 6 kilograms, with a 2.5 metre wingspan. “During the period 1800-1970, White-tailed Eagles in most of Europe, underwent dramatic declines, and became extinct in many regions of Western, central, and Southern Europe. While Norway, Germany, Poland, and Iceland harboured the largest surviving populations, pockets of reproducing pairs remained in several other countries” – according to Wikipedia. The White-Tailed Eagle (Polish: Bielik, plural Bieliki) is considered Poland’s national symbol and it is believed that it’s this noble bird that appears on the Coat of…
Tags: babies, chick, eggs, live transmission, nest, nestling, Poland, while-tail eagle
Conservation, Nature, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, ,
Species: Coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) Status: Critically Endangered (CR) Interesting Fact: The coelacanth is a member of an ancient lineage that has been around for over 360 million years. It may be the closest living relative to the first creature to walk on land! The enigmatic coelacanth was believed to have gone extinct with the dinosaurs until its remarkable rediscovery in 1938. Fossils have been found all over the world except for Antarctica. Living coelacanths have been found in deep submarine caverns, reefs and slopes in a number of locations off the coast of Africa. Unlike any other living animal, coelacanths…
Tags: archive.org, Coelacanth, critically endangered, Latimeria chalumnae, oceans
Nature, Science & Technology, Videos & Documentaries, Weird & Wonderful, May 6th, 2012,
Around the globe people have been marveling at the appearance of a perigree moon, also known as a supermoon. The supermoon phenomenon occurs when a full Moon coincides with the closest distance the Moon comes to the Earth during its orbit. During this phenomenon the Moon can appear 14% larger and 30% brighter than normal. Saturday night photographers around the world captured striking images of the supermoon, many with the moon behind iconic backdrops, such as the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the Temple of Poseidon in Athens, Greece. From the Guardian: Amateur photographers were…
Tags: moon, perigree moon, supermoon
Animals, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, May 4th, 2012,
Most of us associate wildlife with the countryside rather than with cities, unless you count cockroaches, rats and pigeons as wildlife (and why not, they are alive and not domesticated). However, urban environments can be unlikely havens for certain species that thrive or at least hang on to tiny remnants of their original habitats. Larger animals can pose complications, such as the exploding deer population in Washington, DC. And by exploding, I was referring to their numbers, not the actual deer. That would really be a problem. Then there are the UK’s urban foxes – loved, hated or even feared…
Tags: foxes, urban wildlife
Animals, Videos & Documentaries, Wildlife & Flora, May 1st, 2012,
A dolphin has spent several days apparently hiding out in Orange County, California’s Bolsa Chica wetlands reserve. When rescue workers on paddleboards attempted to persuade the dolphin to return to the open sea on Saturday, it was driven back into the wetlands by a group of dolphin bullies. On Friday, it was human spectators who scared the dolphin back into the reserve. Marine experts are now recommending that the dolphin be left alone rather than encouraged to leave and be exposed to the intimidating dolphin group. It can feed on fish in the wetlands and is able to find its…
Tags: bullied, California, dolphin, Reserve, wetlands
Conservation, green living, Nature, Sustainable living, sustainable living, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 28th, 2012,
Species: Southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) Status: Critically Endangered (CR) Interesting fact: The southern bluefin tuna is one of the largest bony fish in the world, growing up to 4.3 metres long! The southern bluefin tuna is an incredibly streamlined and powerful fish capable of reaching speeds of up to 70 km per hour through the water. Swimming together in shoals, the southern bluefin tuna migrates vast distances from the spawning grounds in the Indian Ocean to the feeding grounds in colder, southern waters. During the spawning period, a mature female will produce several million eggs. Southern bluefin tuna are opportunistic…
Tags: ARKive.org, Conservation, critically endangered species, endangered species, fish, oceans, Southern bluefin tuna, Thunnus maccoyii
Animals, Videos & Documentaries, Weird & Wonderful, Apr 25th, 2012,
Well, we can’t always post serious news. Here are a couple of cute videos demonstrating how pets help their owners in unusual ways. We’ve all heard of the dog that fetches the morning paper and the cat that catches mice or keeps your feet warm (if you can’t bear the thought of a dead mouse). And now for something completely different. How about a Newfoundland Labrador in Norfolk, UK who helps his owner thatch roofs? He’s a thatcher and his name is Axel, not Margaret. OK, so he doesn’t actually do any work, but he sits on the roof and…
Tags: cat, dog, pets, video
Conservation, Nature, Sustainable living, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 24th, 2012,
Species: Goliath frog (Conraua goliath) Status: Endangered (EN) Interesting Fact: The goliath frog is the largest frog in the world, weighing in at over 3 kilograms. The goliath frog can be found in flowing rainforest rivers in Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. Goliath frogs lack vocal sacs, and so their courtship displays do not involve the characteristic calls of most other frogs and toads. Females lay several hundred eggs onto vegetation on the river bottom, and once hatched, the tadpoles feed on the plant Dicraea warmingii. Complete metamorphosis takes around 85-95 days, and once mature the adults feed on insects, crustaceans…
Tags: ARKive.org, Conraua goliath, Conservation, endangered frog, endangered species, Goliath frog
Natural disasters, Nature, Videos & Documentaries, Apr 23rd, 2012,
Popocatépetl, meaning Smoking Mountain in the indigenous Nahuatl language of central Mexico, is at it again. Only 70 km (43 mi) southeast of the capital, the volcano is visible from Mexico City on a clear day – and by ‘clear’ I mean a lesser variety of extreme smogginess than normal. Popocatépetl started spewing lava rocks and columns of ash almost 10 days ago. The world-famous active volcano has also been roaring loudly, causing concern among local residents. Though so far no evacuations have taken place, the government of Puebla state issued warnings for locals including to not leave animals outdoors, cover water…
Tags: ash, lava, Mexico, Popocatépetl, video, volcano
Climate & Change, climate change, Natural disasters, Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 19th, 2012,
By Michael D. Lemonick For years, we who communicate about climate change have been wringing our hands over how to make people understand the problem at a gut level. Endangered polar bears? Too far removed. Island nations like the Maldives sinking beneath the waves? Too far away. Hot temperatures by 2100? Too far in the future. But like the first, outlying squalls from an oncoming hurricane, the first effects of climate change are already here, in the form of heat waves, droughts, intense rainstorms and more, and people are evidently noticing. Not just the extremes themselves: you couldn’t have missed…
Tags: climate change, climatecentral.org, extreme weather, global warming, natural disasters
Conservation, Nature, Sustainable living, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 16th, 2012,
Species: Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) Status:Critically Endangered (CR) Interesting fact: The gharial is one of the largest crocodilians and has the narrowest snout! Named after the bulbous nasal appendage of the male (which resembles an Indian pot called a ‘ghara’), the gharial is a unique species of crocodilian found in India and Nepal. A true piscivore, the extremely narrow snout of the gharial is superbly adapted to whip through the water quickly to snatch fish with its small, razor-sharp teeth. The gharial has relatively weak legs, and when fully grown is unable to raise its body off the ground. This may…
Tags: ARKive.org, conservation nature, endangered species, Gavialis gangeticus, Gharial
Climate & Change, Natural disasters, Nature, Science & Technology, Apr 12th, 2012,
By Andrew Freedman Severe thunderstorm season is upon us, with the array of threats it brings, from tornadoes to flash flooding. On Tuesday, tornadoes grabbed most of the headlines, as several strong tornadoes struck the Dallas-Ft. Worth metro area, tossing tracker trailer trucks into the air, and damaging dozens of homes. But the large hail the same supercell thunderstorms dropped caused major impacts as well, largely because they fell on top of one of the world’s busiest airports. A passenger aboard a flight preparing to depart DFW International Airport when the storm hit described the sounds of the hail hitting…
Tags: big hail, changes due to climate change, climate change, climatecentral.org, global warming, hail, hailstone climate change, supercell thunderstorms, tornadoes
Climate & Change, Nature, Sustainable living, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 7th, 2012,
Species: Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) Status: Critically Endangered (CR) Interesting Fact: The Philippine eagle is the world’s largest species of eagle. With a wingspan of up to two metres and sharp talons, the Philippine eagle is a formidable predator. Swooping from branch to branch in the canopy of its forest habitat, it uses its excellent eyesight to spot its prey of flying lemurs, palm civets and monkeys. This habit of hunting monkeys has earned the Philippine eagle the alternative common name of ‘monkey-eating eagle’. Philippine eagles are also known to hunt in pairs with one individual acting as a decoy…
Tags: ARKive.org, endangered birds, endangered species of the week, Philippine eagle, Pithecophaga jefferyi, wildlife
Climate & Change, climate change, Conservation, Nature, Science & Technology, Sustainable living, Apr 5th, 2012,
One of the most striking changes that has taken place in the Arctic since the start of satellite monitoring in 1979 is the rapid decline of the perennial sea ice cover. This ice is the sea ice that survives the summer melt season, and is typically the thickest part of the sea ice cover, sometimes spanning several years. Sea ice extent has declined as the globe has warmed, but the ice cover has thinned as well. Thinner sea ice melts more easily, and as multiyear sea ice is lost, Arctic sea ice has declined more rapidly. This NASA visualization shows…
Tags: arctic ice, climate change, climatecentral.org, melting arctic ice, melting ice caps, NASA
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