Home/Articles in: Animals
Articles in: Animals
Animals, Videos & Documentaries, Weird Stuff, May 17th, 2013,
Since I discovered that YouTube has gone HD, I’ve been devouring animal documentaries. The BBC’s Natural World is my favorite. Unusual and uplifting stories about gorillas, koalas, jaguars and other intelligent or beautiful animals are generally what I’m looking for, but I try to keep an open mind. What are especially appealing are stories about unlikely friendships or adoptions between not only humans and animals, but also between different species of wild animals. “Kangaroo Dundee”, about a guy who lives in the Australian outback and acts as a surrogate mother to orphaned kangaroos, ticks all the boxes. Another episode was…
Tags: interspecies adoption, unlikely animal friendships
Animals, Climate Change, Conservation, Pollution, May 9th, 2013,
The European Union recently voted to ban (or at least limit) three pesticides, which have been linked to large-scale bee die-offs. The three neonicotinoids damage the bees’ neurotransmitters so that they become lost and cannot find their way back to their hives. Neonicotinoids are used directly on seeds rather than sprayed onto foliage or fruit. A recent study by the American Bird Conservancy found that neonicotinoids have a negative impact on “birds, terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates, and other wildlife.” Birds can die from consuming the seeds directly and agricultural runoff from farms using neonicotinoids can poison groundwater and contaminate lakes,…
Tags: CCD, Colony Collapse Disorder, honeybee die-off, neonicotinoids
Animals, Nature, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, May 8th, 2013,
Species: North Island brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli) Status: Endangered (EN) Interesting Fact: The North Island brown kiwi is more like a mammal than a bird, with fur-like feathers, muscular legs and even cat-like whiskers on its face. Kiwis are the national bird of New Zealand, and are some of the most unusual of all birds. One of five kiwi species, the North Island brown kiwi is flightless and lives on the ground, where it shelters in a burrow during the day. Its long, thin bill has sensory pits at the end which can detect prey moving underground, while, uniquely among birds, the nostrils are…
Tags: endangered species of the week
Animals, Nature, Wildlife & Flora, May 5th, 2013,
Wildlife enthusiasts love to flaunt their knowledge about different species. If you are from the same group or wish to be a part of it, then have a look at the top interesting facts about the one-horned rhinoceros and sharpen your knowledge base. Rhino horn is not a bone but a compacted mass of hairs Keratin is the substance that makes the horn of rhinos. It is the same material that is used in making of human hairs and fingernails. So there is no bone in the rhino horn; rather, it is just a trampled bunch of fibers or hairs….
Animals, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, May 3rd, 2013,
Status:Critically Endangered (CR) Interesting Fact: The kakapo is the largest parrot in the world, and is also the only flightless parrot species. An extremely rare, nocturnal parrot, the kakapo was once widespread across New Zealand, but is now confined to two predator-free offshore islands. This unusual bird feeds on a variety of fruits, seeds and other plant material and generally lives alone, coming together only to breed. During the breeding season, male kakapos produce a loud ‘boom’ call to attract a mate, which can be heard up to five kilometres away. The kakapo is long-lived but breeds slowly, usually only once every two…
Tags: endangered species of the week
Animals, Videos & Documentaries, Apr 29th, 2013,
People love cats. Much more so than dogs, they’re an intriguing mix of a wild animal and a house pet. A dog adopts its human family as its pack, or looked at another way, dogs remain as “children” for the duration of their lives. Cats can act like kids too. Like dogs, they know where they’re next meal is coming from. Yet in terms of hunting small game, keeping hidden and multiplying, cats win. They’re just more adaptable and better overall at surviving. In Alan Weisman’s fascinating book “The World Without Us”, scientists propose that if humanity were simply to…
Tags: african wild cat, domestic cats, feral cats
Animals, Nature, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 24th, 2013,
Species: Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) Status: Critically Endangered (CR) Interesting Fact: The large proboscis-like nose of the saiga antelope is thought to help with body temperature control. The strange looking saiga antelope has an extremely distinctive appearance, with an enlarged nose that hangs down over the mouth. This impressive nose is thought to warm and moisten inhaled air during the winter, and act as a filter against dust during the dry summer. Saiga antelope feed by grazing on various plants, and are usually active during the day. They are nomadic, and undertake long seasonal migrations of up to 1,000 kilometers. During the mating season, male…
Animal Rights, Animals, Videos & Documentaries, Apr 8th, 2013,
Sex, food, recreational drugs and videos of cats. What do these four vices have in common? They are all connected to the release of the dopamine, a neurotransmitter and hormone associated with “reward-driven learning”. Recent research shows that looking at live webcam feeds of cute animals affects the brain’s pleasure centers by releasing dopamine. So that’s why people (me included) can spend inordinate amounts of time looking at videos of cats, puppies, gibbons, etc., on Youtube. It’s like a drug. So is cuteoverload.com the new crystal meth or crack? Not really. Maybe the new nicotine is a more appropriate comparison….
Tags: asmr, cat videos, cuteoverload, dopamine, justin bieber
Animals, Wildlife & Flora, Mar 21st, 2013,
The elephant seal, massive, fleshy and sometimes violent, is something to behold. Their pups are as cute as any other seal pups, but dwarf even adult harbor, harp or monk seals. Of course it’s the adult males that really live up to their namesake, with bulls reaching weights of 3,000 kilos (6,600 lbs) and a lengths of up to 6 meters (20 feet). When these blubbery bulls fight it’s like sumo wrestling with teeth. Conservation If there are any doubts as to whether species conservation works, the history of the elephant seal should dispel them. According to the Wildlife Conservation…
Tags: elephant seal brazil, elephant seal pups, elephant seal video
Animals, Nature, Mar 18th, 2013,
“St. Patrick: Come back. All is forgiven,” read the personals announcement. We’re sorry we’ve turned a religious holiday into an excuse to get drunk, have a fight and wear green jumpers. The snakes are back and we need you. Ireland, along with New Zealand, Greenland, Iceland and Antarctica, in fact never had a native snake population. Don’t you go believing that St. Patrick legend. Next thing you’ll be telling me the Pied Piper is real too. He isn’t, is he? Anyway, whether the Piper is real or not, since Ireland has plunged into economic recession and then crisis, many people…
Tags: ireland's abandoned horses, snakes in ireland, st. patrick
Animal Rights, Animals, Mar 14th, 2013,
What with all the hoopla about CITES and endangered species these last couple of weeks, you may have forgotten about all the non-endangered animals that we, as humans, routinely endanger. Fear not, I’ve compiled a summary of shocking stories for your perusal. On Monday 65 tons of dead fish were found floating on top of the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil after storms brought huge amounts of rotting plant matter into Lagoon. The dead plants caused oxygen levels in the water to drop, suffocating the fish. A similar incident in 2009 killed around 100 tons of…
Tags: animal cruelty, animal hoarding, dead fish rio, Dead pigs china
Animal Rights, Animals, Weird Stuff, Mar 4th, 2013,
It’s a bit like Karl Pilkington’s Monkey News, except it’s “more truer”. Apparently – that is, according to some science people – chimpanzees have better memories than people, enjoy solving puzzles and the female ones are nastier than the male ones. First off, researchers at Kyoto University have found that chimpanzees have a stronger short-term visual memory than people do. One brainy chimp named Ayumu displays an almost photographic memory of numbers. From Voice of America: Sitting in front of a computer monitor that briefly displays the numbers one through nine in a random pattern, the chimp touches the number…
Animals, Conservation, Wildlife & Flora, Feb 28th, 2013,
Shooting giant snakes in the Florida Everglades may sound like an exciting and exotic opportunity for many hunters. In fact, the state’s recent Python Challenge attracted over 1,500 participants, though it only resulted in the killing or capture of 68 of the massive constrictors. 68 isn’t really a dent in the number of Burmese pythons purported to be thriving in the wilds of Florida. No one really knows how many of the invasive snake species actually live in the Everglades, but estimates range from the “tens of thousands” to 150,000. The snakes start out as pets for the childish adult…
Tags: Everglades, florida pythons, mercury poisoning
Animals, Health, Feb 11th, 2013,
(Never has a story invited so many bad puns) Hi and welcome back to The Fudge. I was just finishing up a delicious horseburger I purchased at Aldi. Don’t get me wrong, I like Tesco, but they just aren’t “horsey” enough for my equine-discerning palate. I need as close to 100% as possible and so far my best bet for that is Aldi and Findus. Imagine my delight when reading all about it in the Guardian. I felt like those Japanese school kids must have when they were served whale meat for lunch. Truth be told, there’s not much else…
Tags: aldi, findus, horse meat, Tesco
Animals, Conservation, Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Aug 26th, 2012,
Malaysia, along with Indonesia, is the only place in the world where one can witness orangutans in the wild. These solitary but social simians are the only great apes which are unique to Asia. Orangutans mostly feed on fruit, but also eat leaves, shoots and other vegetation and the occasional insect, egg or small vertebrate. The name “orangutan” comes from the Malay words “orang” meaning person and “hutan” meaning forest. The forest is the orangutan’s home and the best place to observe these gentle, highly intelligent primates. In order to see orangutans it is therefore recommended you visit Malaysia’s national…
Tags: Malaysia, wild orangutans
Animals, Videos & Documentaries, Aug 17th, 2012,
Two gorilla brothers were successfully reunited at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire, UK. Alf and big brother silverback Kesho – now 200lbs (90kg) heavier – met after being separated for two years. Their cheerful reunion was captured on video and in a series of photos, which can be viewed on the BBC News website. Mark Tye, head gorilla keeper at Longleat Safari Park, Wiltshire, is quoted in Metro: They were touching each other through the cage that temporarily separated them and there were no acts of aggression. We put them together 24 hours later and it was like they had…
Tags: alf, gorilla, kesho, Longleat Safari Park, reunion, video
Animals, Conservation, Videos & Documentaries, Aug 15th, 2012,
Seems some elephants are getting a bit of European style social welfare lately. Captive ones, that is. Oh, and only some captive elephants. Those in British circuses, many zoos and touristy theme parks in Thailand for instance, have it pretty rough indeed. Like I said, an elephant’s life can be pretty shit these days. Nonetheless, one African elephant at an Austrian zoo has received an artificial insemination treatment and is now 9 months into her 22 month pregnancy. 22 months – must be why Christian symbolism uses the elephant to represent patience. Though artificially inseminating elephants is nothing new, using…
Tags: artificial insemination, Austria, Burma, electro-ejaculator, elephants, zoo
Animals, Videos & Documentaries, Aug 14th, 2012,
After posting about sharks yesterday I stumbled upon a remarkable and tragic story containing humans and sharks, which occurred just last week. Three men left on a ill-fated fishing trip on the night of August 9th off the coast of Western Australia. Then tragedy struck. Two of the men were pulled from shark infested waters, one found naked after treading water for 20 hours. The other man was later pronounced dead. The third, the nephew of the (so far) lone survivor, is still missing. Read more about the situation in WA Today and watch the following video of the rescue.
Tags: australia, fishermen, sharks, video
Animals, Conservation, Wildlife & Flora, Aug 13th, 2012,
According to a piece in the New York Times, great white sharks are responsible for most overall shark attacks world wide as well as most fatal and unprovoked attacks. There have been 5 fatal shark attacks off the coast of Western Australia in the past 10 months, sparking speculation that the population of great whites is increasing and discussion about removing the shark’s protected status. Great whites have been protected in Australia since 1999. Despite the dangers that some varieties of sharks sometimes pose, experts recommend managing human behavior rather than reducing shark populations. A shark attack registry maintained by the University…
Tags: attack, endangered, great white, protected, shark, species
Animal Rights, Animals, Conservation, Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Aug 8th, 2012,
Across the globe it’s once again humans vs. wolves. This timeless battle has changed its face from hunters and farmers simply shooting wolves in order to protect their livestock and assuage their communities’ fears, whether real or imagined. It’s now a confusing mix of laws, politics and technology. Wiped out, endangered, protected species… it doesn’t matter. While humans can’t get enough of their domesticated off-shoots (dogs, incase you don’t catch my drift) many still hate and fear wolves. In the US, where local and national laws often collide confusingly, some wolves in some parts of the State of Washington are…
Tags: France, shepherds, Switzerland, USA, Washington State, wolves
