Animals

[CaaC (John)+]

Pollution: Birds 'ingesting hundreds of bits of plastic a day'

Birds living on river banks are ingesting plastic at the rate of hundreds of tiny fragments a day, according to a new study.

Scientists say this is the first clear evidence that plastic pollutants in rivers are finding their way into wildlife and moving up the food chain.

Pieces of plastic 5mm or smaller (microplastics), including polyester, polypropylene and nylon, are known to pollute rivers.

The impacts on wildlife are unclear.

Researchers at Cardiff University looked at plastic pollutants found in a bird known as a dipper, which wades or dives into rivers in search of underwater insects.

"These iconic birds, the dippers, are ingesting hundreds of pieces of plastic every day," said Prof Steve Ormerod of Cardiff University's Water Research Institute. "They're also feeding this material to their chicks."

Previous research has shown that half of the insects in the rivers of South Wales contain microplastic fragments.

"The fact that so many river insects are contaminated makes it inevitable that fish, birds and other predators will pick up these polluted prey - but this is the first time that this type of transfer through food webs has been shown clearly in free-living river animals," said co-researcher Dr Joseph D'Souza.

The research team examined droppings and regurgitated pellets from dippers living near rivers running from the Brecon Beacons down to the Severn Estuary.

They found microplastic fragments in roughly half of 166 samples taken from adults and nestlings, at 14 of 15 sites studied, with the greatest concentrations in urban locations. Most were fibres from textiles or building materials.

Calculations suggest dippers are ingesting around 200 tiny fragments of plastic a day from the insects they consume.

Previous studies have shown that microplastics are present even in the depths of the ocean and are ending up in the bodies of living organisms, from seals to crabs to seabirds.

Rivers are a major route between land and sea for microplastics such as synthetic clothing fibres, tyre dust and other fragmenting plastic waste.

The research, published in the journal Global Change Biology, was carried out in collaboration with the Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52762120

 

Edited May 22, 2020 by CaaC (John)
Link corrections.

[CaaC (John)+]

Canada v US: Loon stabs eagle through the heart

As with global affairs, nature has its pecking order.

And in a contest between the bald eagle, America's national bird, and a common loon, which is featured on Canada's dollar coin, few would bet on the latter to come out the victor.

But sometimes the underdog comes out on top, as was revealed when an eagle was found dead in the water near a dead loon chick in a Maine lake.

A necropsy revealed he was killed by a stab to the heart from a loon's beak.

Baby loons are common prey for eagles, which are fearsome hunters.

Bald eagles are protected in the US, and typically their remains are sent to them directly to the National Eagle Repository in Colorado.

It is a crime in the US to kill an eagle, possess one or disturb its remains, except for special exemptions, such as in the use of Native American ceremonies.

But after seeing a dead baby loon chick so near the carcass, scientists began to wonder if the eagle could have been killed by an enraged mother loon in an avian equivalent of David and Goliath.

So they sent the eagle not to the eagle repository, but to the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin where it could be examined by a loon specialist.

There, a pathologist found that the eagle died by a quick stab to the heart from what appeared to be a loon beak, and the chick had eagle talon marks, indicating it had been captured by an eagle.

A nearby neighbour also told wildlife investigators she heard a "hullabaloo" the night before.

Wildlife biologist Danielle D'Auria, who works for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, shared the news on the department's blog, noting it is the first confirmed case of a loon slaying an eagle.

"Who would think a loon would stand a chance against such a powerful predator?" she wrote.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-52779727

[CaaC (John)+]

Berlin WW2 bombing survivor Saturn the alligator dies in Moscow Zoo

"Yesterday morning, our Mississippi alligator Saturn died of old age. He was about 84 years old - and an extremely respectable age," the zoo said.

Saturn was gifted to Berlin Zoo in 1936 soon after he was born in the US. He escaped the zoo being bombed in 1943.

British soldiers found him three years later and gave him to the Soviet Union.

How he spent the intervening years always remained a mystery, but since July 1946 the alligator has been a hit with visitors in Moscow.

"Moscow Zoo has had the honour of keeping Saturn for 74 years," the zoo said in a statement.

"For us, Saturn was an entire era, and that's without the slightest exaggeration... He saw many of us when we were children. We hope that we did not disappoint him."

The zoo reported that Saturn knew his keepers, loved being massaged with a brush - and was able to crack steel feeding tongs and bits of concrete with his teeth if irritated.

Mississippi alligators usually live to 30-50 years in the wild, it added.

Saturn may even have been the world's oldest alligator - it's impossible to say. Another male alligator, Muja who is at Belgrade Zoo in Serbia, is also in his 80s and still alive.

But it's doubtful any alligator could compete with Saturn if it came to selling their memoirs.

The most headline-grabbing detail is the rumour that Saturn had belonged in Hitler's personal collection, which is untrue.

"Almost immediately after the arrival of the animal, the myth appeared that it was supposedly in Hitler's collection, and not in the Berlin Zoo," Interfax news agency reports.

It is unclear how the rumour started.

Moscow Zoo dismissed such reports, noting that animals "do not belong to politics and mustn't be held responsible for human sins".

• 'It is surprisingly rare for an alligator to kill a person'
• 'Oldest known elephant in captivity' dies at 88 in India
• One of the last four known Yangtze giant softshells dies

Saturn's death-defying escape in 1943 is unlikely ever to be explained.

Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany, was subjected to intense Allied bombing before the war ended in 1945.

The so-called Battle of Berlin began in November 1943 and the night of 22-23 November saw extensive damage to areas west of the centre, including the Tiergarten district where the city's zoo is located.

Thousands of people were killed or injured and many of the zoo's animals perished too.

The zoo's aquarium building took a direct hit. One report said passers-by had seen the corpses of four crocodiles in the street outside, tossed there by the force of the blast.

Saturn somehow survived and then lived for three years in a city ravaged by war, and a climate unsuited to alligators.

It's reported he will now be stuffed and exhibited in Moscow's popular museum of biology named after Charles Darwin.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-52784240

 

 

[CaaC (John)+]

One of the world's smallest cats chirps like a wee bird, the first-ever audio recording reveals

The güiña is the 10,000th species in the National Geographic Photo Ark. (Image credit: © Photo by Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark)

The smallest wild cat in the Western Hemisphere is about the size of a domestic house cat, with tiny, rounded ears, a face resembling a cheetah cub's, and a bushy, striped tail. It also sounds remarkably like a chirping bird; you can hear its burbling chirrups in a new recording, thought to be the first published audio of these endearing vocalizations.

Known as a güiña (Leopardus guigna), a kodkod and a Chilean cat, this pint-size feline is native to temperate forests in southern and central Chile, and in western Argentina. And it recently became the 10,000th species to be photographed for the National Geographic Photo Ark, a database of animal portraits celebrating global biodiversity, by photographer Joel Sartore.

Sartore's thousands of animal portraits, collected over more than a decade, call attention to the beauty of a wide range of species from across the animal kingdom. His images of the graceful güiña are no exception, and his session with the photogenic feline produced the first known recording of the little cat's voice, National Geographic representatives said in a statement.

Güiñas weigh between 3 and 7 pounds (2 and 3 kilograms); their bodies are up to about 1.7 feet (52 centimetres) long and their tails are up to 0.8 feet (25 cm) in length, according to Animal Diversity Web (ADW), a natural history and classification database maintained by the University of Michigan's Museum of Zoology. These small cats have large feet and claws, which help them climb trees in their temperate forest habitats, ADW says.

Because the cats are "rare and secretive," little is known about how they communicate, according to ADW. 

Sartore took the Photo Ark's first photo — a naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) — in 2006; the 1,000th was a California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) and the 5,000th was a Persian leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolous). Ultimately, the Photo Ark will document 15,000 species, representing mammals, fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates, according to the project website.

With these portraits, Sartore hopes not only to create a visual record of biodiversity, but also to connect people with endangered and vulnerable species that are threatened by human activity, and to engage people in protecting wild places and species before they disappear forever. 

"It's the eye contact that moves people," Sartore said in the statement. "It engages their feelings of compassion and a desire to help." 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/techandscience/one-of-the-worlds-smallest-cats-chirps-like-a-wee-bird-first-ever-audio-recording-reveals/ar-BB14o28O

Edited May 25, 2020 by CaaC (John)

[CaaC (John)+]

First white storks born in England in 600 years shock onlookers

This is definitely something you don't see every day.

The first white storks born in England in more than 600 years have shocked bird watchers, as they've come out of their nest for the first time, British news agency SWNS reports.

The baby chicks, who live in a nest at Knee Castle near Horsham, West Sussex, were spotted poking their heads out when one of their parents returned. The birds were born as a part of the White Stork Project, which is a group of "private landowners and nature conservation organizations" working to bring the birds to South East England for the first time in several hundred years.

The organization is working to restore a population of 50 breeding pairs by 2030, which will be aided by the new chicks. There were five eggs in the nest as late as April, SWNS added.

A spokesman for the project told the news outlet the female is a ringed bird from the project. The male, however, does not have an identifying ring, so it's possible it could be one of approximately 20 storks that visit the country every year.

It's unclear why the storks, which are "symbolic of rebirth" according to the project, did not survive in Britain.

A number of theories suggest habitat loss, overhunting and "targeted persecution" all contributed to the decline, given it was associated with rebellion during the English Civil War.

Species that have gone extinct in our lifetime

SLIDES - 1/24

[CaaC (John)+]

New iguana species is found 'hiding in plain sight' in the Caribbean - having been known to inhabitants for years but thought to be a South American 'invader'

SLIDES - 1/6

A new species of iguana has been identified in the Caribbean after scientists analysed the DNA of individuals thought to be an introduced South American variety.

The Southern Antilles iguana, which lives on St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, was shown to form a distinct genetic group.

Known to humans for centuries, it was also found to have unique bodily features including horns on its nose, a high crest and dark brown eyes. 

It is the fourth iguana type to be identified in the region in two years, as zoologists tear up the rule-book from previous research, which had classified each as the common green iguana.

Fauna & Flora International (FFI), which announced the discovery, said work was already underway to protect the 'new' reptiles.

Two types identified last year, the very rare Saint Lucia iguana and Grenadines pink rhino iguana, have been named as variations of this species - or subspecies.

The former is identified by broad black bands across its body while the latter turns pinkish-white in old age. 

Zoologists think they may have overlooked the species previously as their juveniles are bright green, just like those of the invasive species, making them 'virtually indistinguishable' until they reach adulthood.

FFI senior conservation biologist Dr Jenny Daltry heralded the find as a breakthrough but said more action must be taken to protect the reptiles.

'Caribbean iguanas are in grave danger because of invasive alien species, habitat loss and over-hunting for bushmeat and the pet trade,' she said. 'We know what needs to be done.' 

What is the Southern Antilles iguana? 

The Southern Antilles iguana is a new species identified by scientists at Fauna and Flora International (FFI).

It was separated due to a unique genetic profile and distinguishing features, which include horns on the nose, a high crest and dark brown eyes.

The St Lucia iguana, identified by black bands on its body, and Grenadines pink rhino iguana, which turns a pinkish-white in old age, have been named as subspecies.

The find was made possible with the help of the  Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, the Saint Lucia Forestry Department, and the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Forestry Department. 

Initially, only two species of six-and-a-half-foot iguanas were known in the Caribbean - the critically endangered Lesser Antillean iguana and the introduced common green iguana.

But that changed last year when scientists identified the Saint Lucia iguana, which has broad black bands on its body, and the pink rhino iguana, which turns pinkish-white in old age.

In April this year, a fifth was added when the very dark reptiles living on Montserrat and Saba were identified as the melanistic or Saban black iguana. 

The Southern Antilles iguana emerged after experts at FFI, the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, the Saint Lucia Forestry Department and the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Forestry department ordered an analysis of the genetics of several iguanas living in the Southern Antilles, which confirmed suspicions they weren't invasive.

All the species are threatened by the introduced common green and Central American horned iguanas, which can cross-breed with them and out-compete them for resources.

Both arrived on the islands after they were discarded as pets, swept ashore by hurricanes and through stowing away on cargo boats.

The invaders also breed faster than the natives, meaning there is a risk they will be outcompeted for access to resources.

Saint Lucia used to be called 'Iyanola'. meaning land of the iguanas, revealed the head of wildlife at the Saint Lucia forestry department, Pius Haynes.

But the reptiles have been in decline as their natural habitat is removed by humans and they are hunted for meat and as pets.

The new designation gives them better protection under CITES, making it harder to export the native iguanas. 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/new-iguana-species-is-found-hiding-in-plain-sight-in-the-caribbean-having-been-known-to-inhabitants-for-years-but-thought-to-be-a-south-american-invader/ar-BB14MCFZ#image=1

Edited May 31, 2020 by CaaC (John)

[CaaC (John)+]

Conservation: Glimmer of hope for world's rarest primate

The discovery of a new breeding pair raises hope for the survival of the world's rarest primate, the Hainan Gibbon.

Ravaged by deforestation and poaching, the ape now lives only in a patch of forest on China's Hainan island.

In the 1950s, there were an estimated 2,000 left in the world, but numbers fell to fewer than 10 in the 1970s.

The latest census shows numbers have tripled to more than 30 gibbons, living in five separate family groups.

The fragile recovery follows decades of work by the Hainan Gibbon Conservation Project, run by the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden in Hong Kong.

"I can't imagine how sad it would be if Hainan rainforest lost this beautiful animal and its wonderful song," said Philip Lo, senior conservation officer.

Gibbons are known for their ability to swing gracefully through the forest canopy, making loud, haunting calls to mark their territory. Breeding adults sing duets at dawn to enhance bonding.

Villagers heard the calls of two gibbons living in a part of the forest away from the main population late last year.

A male and a female were later spotted and heard singing together, showing they had formed a stable bond.

The gibbon forms family groups consisting of one male, two females and their young offspring. The discovery of a fifth breeding pair in a separate fragment of the forest is seen as highly significant.

Philip Lo said the species remained the rarest primate in the world, but there is hope it could overcome the risk of extinction and recover steadily. He described the success as "a piece of good news that could cheer up other dedicated conservation colleagues".

Conservation efforts have been underway at Hainan Bawangling National Nature Reserve since 2003 when the first full census found only 13 individuals living in two groups.

A comprehensive rescue programme was put in place, including patrols and monitoring, research into the apes' ecology and behaviour, and the planting of thousands of trees to provide food and shelter.

Nearly 20 gibbon species exist throughout the world, from northeastern India to Borneo. Most are under threat from the destruction of forests, hunting and illegal trade.

Mystery extinct ape found in ancient Chinese tomb

Two species of gibbon have recently disappeared in China and all surviving Chinese species, including the Hainan Gibbon (Nomascus hainanus), are classified as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52842550

[Bluewolf]

Every year I get into it with the missus over the Bramble Bush at the back of the pond, she is always telling me to cut it back and I.. well, resist and I have just been out there with my coffee and there must 30 or 40 bees coming and going on the flowers and it's always the best time of year for me... I got hit in the back of the head twice by Bumble Bees flying in low..  got a right mixture on there, wish I was good with the close up's and all that with the camera or I would have taken some shots to put up for you.. 

In other news I thought this was pretty cool... 

 

[CaaC (John)+]

North Atlantic gannet found on Norfolk trampoline

A seabird native to the North Atlantic has been rescued by the RSPCA after it took up residence in a Norfolk garden.

Dawn Austin discovered the gannet resting on a trampoline in her North Wootton garden on Tuesday and contacted vets when it did not fly away.

The animal welfare charity suspects the bird "was blown off course".

A spokeswoman for the RSPCA said there were no "obvious injuries" but the gannet was "very weak" and vets were doing all they could to help him.

Gannets are a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and can dive at speeds of 60mph (96.5kmh) to catch fish.

Ms Austin said: "I had gone to let my dog out in the morning and when I looked out in the garden I saw this huge bird sitting on the trampoline just staring at me.

"The bird didn't look injured or distressed so I presumed it would just fly off. But when I came home he was still there - but this time sitting in the sunshine at the bottom of the garden."

After managing to safely catch the bird with a towel, Ms Austin took the gannet to the RSPCA East Winch wildlife centre.

While the RSPCA were grateful for Ms Austin's help they have advised people not to try and catch large wild birds themselves.

Centre manager Alison Charles said: "As with lots of wildlife we never know why they sometimes get into difficulty and end up needing our help.

"We suspect that he was blown off course - but we do not know why."

Ms Charles said staff at the centre were feeding him three times a day as he was unable to feed himself, but they hoped that "having a chance to rest and recover" would help him "find the strength to pull through".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-52938253

[CaaC (John)+]

These animals build palaces out of their own snot

A close-up view of the giant larvacean, the blue tad-pole-like swoosh in the centre, and its snot palace.

Every animal has its own idea of the perfect home. For the giant larvacean, that home is pretty darn weird—and new research shows that their slimy homes are even wackier than we thought. With their bulbous heads and flat tails, these gelatinous invertebrates look like big, ghostly tadpoles. Though they grow to reach the size of a breakfast muffin, they are usually surrounded by self-constructed “snot palaces” as big as 1 meter in length.

Now, new insight published Wednesday in Nature shows new structural details hidden in all the goop. Scientists mounted laser technology to remotely-operated submersible vehicles, launching them into the ocean 400 meters down to scan those delicate homes. By digitally reconstructing what they observed, the scientists found giant larvacean snot palaces have two nested structures: an inner house and an outer house.

“One way to think about it is like the brain and then the skull surrounding the brain,” says Kakani Katija, a principal engineer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) who led the research. The outer house protects them from predators—making them harder to spot while providing a squishy, protective barrier—but also as a primary water filter, she says. It surrounds the inner house, which collects all the food away from the water, and they are separated by a small inlet channel. Katija says the whole thing is an elaborate feeding apparatus.

 Here's a close-up view of a "giant larvacean" (blue tadpole-like animal) and its "inner house."

What’s particularly awe-inducing is how these larvaceans construct such intricate structures. Before they build their homes, larvaceans have cells lining their heads that only exist to secrete mucus. Then, all in one go, they release that mucus and inflate it like “a bouncy castle,” Katija says.

“Think of a balloon that hasn't been blown up,” she continues. The whole mucus house is secreted at once, flat and formless, and then blown up in less than an hour to be fully inflated and operational. “It's pretty incredible to watch,” she says, especially since larvaceans have no appendages to work with. “A spider has eight legs to build and lay down material for its web. This animal really just has a head and a tail.”

As intricate as these jelly castles are, they aren’t built to last. Within just one or two days, the filters eventually clog and the larvaceans abandon ship, promptly setting off to make a new palace. The discarded house, stuffed-up with nutrients sinks down to the ocean floor, where it nourishes the ocean’s bottom-feeders.

While larvacean mucus houses have been observed as early as the 1960s, scientists have had a hard time getting a critical look. These gelatinous structures are so delicate that you can’t capture them and drag them up to the surface the same way you would with other creatures. The only way to get an accurate look at these animals is to watch them where they live—a logistical and technological challenge.

MBARI overcame this barrier with the DeepPIV, a scanning instrument that uses laser technology developed by Katija and her team. DeepPIV emits a laser “sheet”—gelatinous material lights up when hit by the laser, allowing the scientists to note how the larvacean and its house are positioned. Every time the instrument was repositioned, the team saw a new two-dimensional “slice” of a larvacean house. By scanning the laser back and forth and compiling each slice of information, the team was able to non-invasively visualize the animals while digitally reconstructing a three-dimensional model.

How exactly these strange ocean animals manage to build their mucus houses in their small, simple bodies is still a mystery, but Katija knows there is a lot to learn. “Larvaceans can filter a wide range of particle sizes… and they can do this at very high efficiency, like 95-99%. How well do our own engineering systems do in that regard?” Katija says. “Is there some feature or some mechanism that these mucus structures are using?”

Katija hopes that as they continue their discoveries, these structures will inspire future filtration technology or medical applications. There are so many captivating animals from the ocean’s midwaters that are understudied, she says. Now that there’s a way for them to reconstruct their body shapes, it opens up so many more opportunities for understanding them. ”That’s really what we’re hoping for when we illuminate something novel in the deep sea.”

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/these-animals-build-palaces-out-of-their-own-snot/ar-BB158QrO

[Carnivore Chris]

 

[CaaC (John)+]

Hope for pangolins as protection boosted in China

Conservation groups have welcomed China's move to remove pangolins from the official list of traditional Chinese medicine treatments, saying this could be a "game-changer".

The news, reported by China's Health Times newspaper, comes after China raised the animal's protected status to the highest level last week.

Pangolins have been pushed to the brink by illegal hunting for scales and meat.

They are implicated in coronavirus, but the evidence is unclear.

Conservation charities have welcomed the move to remove them from the official list of traditional Chinese medicines. Paul Thomson of Save Pangolins said it was a breakthrough moment.

"China's move to phase out pangolin scales from traditional medicines could be the game-changer we have been waiting for," he said.

"We hope China's next move will be to enforce the regulations and work to change consumer behaviour."

FULL REPORT

[CaaC (John)+]

'Baby dragons' go on display in Slovenia

Slithering through their subterranean aquarium, three "baby dragons" have gone on display in a Slovenian cave, where they hatched in 2016 in a rare successful breeding, officials said Thursday. 

Only 30 visitors per day will be allowed to visit the so-called baby dragons -- ancient underwater predators that can live up to 100 years and only breed once in a decade.

"We are proud to present three out of the 21 baby olms, the world-famous 'dragon's offspring', which we have kept a close eye on since 2016," the Postojna cave said in a statement.

The three are among 21 offspring that hatched in 2016 when one of the olms at the cave lay around 60 eggs in one of the observation tanks.

To ensure their survival and gather more information about the creatures, cave authorities kept them far from visitors in a cave laboratory as their "best kept and most carefully guarded secret" -- until now.

Reaching a maximum length of 35 centimetres (13.5 inches), the blind animal with its four tiny limbs is a far cry from the scary monsters conjured up in national folklore. 

Sometimes also referred to as "human fish", the slim vertebrate sports three feathery gills on each side of its elongated snout. The body's sheer pink skin makes it easy to spot the internal organs.

The protected eel-like species can go without food for up to a decade.

Found primarily in Balkan cave rivers, the olms have been living in the world-famous Postojna cave, 50 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of the capital Ljubljana, for what researchers say is millions of years.

The baby dragons' presentation comes only days after the cave -- one of Europe's largest that usually draws 700,000 visitors a year -- reopened its doors following three months of closure due to the coronavirus epidemic.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/baby-dragons-go-on-display-in-slovenia/ar-BB15opY9

Edited June 13, 2020 by CaaC (John)

[CaaC (John)+]

Australia's rare, elusive night parrot may not see that well in the dark

(CNN) - Australia's night parrot is nocturnal, but the rare and elusive bird may not actually be able to see very well in the dark, according to a new study.

In fact, the bird's vision is likely similar to that of daytime parrots.

The fact that this parrot isn't adapted to living in the dark, despite its nocturnal status, could be contributing to its critically endangered status.

The study published Tuesday in the journal Scientific Reports.

"Night Parrots must be able to find their way at night — to find food, avoid obstacles while flying, and escape predators," said Vera Weisbecker, study author and associate professor in evolutionary biology at the Flinders University's College of Science and Engineering, in a statement.

"We, therefore, expect their visual system to show adaptations for seeing in the dark, similar to other nocturnal birds — New Zealand's Kakapo parrot and owls with enlarged eyes, for example. However, we found that this wasn't the case."

This species is so rare that the researchers only had one intact skull to scan and study. They compared the CT scans with those from skulls of related parrots.

The researchers discovered that the night parrot had eyes similar in size to other parrots. It also had smaller optic nerves and lobes. This means that the night parrot has a sensitive vision, but it's not great for seeing in the dark. It also has poor resolution, so it can't distinguish between obstacles, like wire fencing in the Australian outback, or predators coming after it.

Fencing is used in the Australian outback to contain livestock and keep predators away.

"These results suggest that removal of unused fences should be a priority in areas where night parrots are known to occur," said Nick Leseberg, study coauthor, night parrot specialist and doctoral student from the University of Queensland's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, in a statement.

"However, we probably can't go entirely without fences — stock needs to be managed with fences, and some forms of predator exclusion could be important for protecting the Night Parrot. We, therefore, need to be very careful with our fencing strategies, at least by increasing the visibility of wire fences, but alternatives such as low-tension electric fencing could be even better."

A rare breed

The specimen studied was actually found in 1990 by Australian Museum bird expert Walter Boles.

"He spotted its mummified body by accident, lying by the side of the road after apparently being hit by a truck — it is amazing that its skull stayed intact," Weisbecker said.

The bird species was first recorded in 1845, but after 1912, it seemed to disappear.

The bird is so rare that it was thought to be extinct for the majority of the 20th century.

Night parrots are one of only two nocturnal parrot species in the world. The other is the Kakapo in New Zealand. Night parrots keep themselves well hidden in the Australian outback.

After the mummified bird was found in 1990, it would be another 23 years before they were spotted living in the wild.

Now, scientists and conservationists work to protect the species.

"The species is so elusive that we do not even know how many individuals are left," said Andrew Iwaniuk, study co-author and biologist at the University of Lethbridge in Canada, in a statement. "To conserve the species, it is critical that we understand its behavioural needs and capabilities, but these are nearly impossible to observe."

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/09/world/australia-night-parrot-scn/index.html

Edited June 14, 2020 by CaaC (John)

[Beelzebub]

This bird with a deep resonating voice has been coming to my backyard every summer for about three years now, i looked it up in a bird app and it's called the Great Coucol or the Crow Pheasant. There are some myths and omens related to it's deep call in some Hindu traditions.

 

[Bluewolf]

Incredible... 

https://9gag.com/gag/aj9NjZg

 

[CaaC (John)+]

10 hours ago, Bluewolf said:

Incredible... 

https://9gag.com/gag/aj9NjZg

 

I wouldn't like to get near that beak or claws  

[CaaC (John)+]

And they say it's nothing to do with poachers?

Hundreds of elephants found dead in Botswana

Mystery surrounds the "completely unprecedented" deaths of hundreds of elephants in Botswana over the last two months.

Dr Niall McCann said colleagues in the southern African country had spotted more than 350 elephant carcasses in the Okavango Delta since the start of May.

No one knows why the animals are dying, with lab results on samples still weeks away, according to the government.

Botswana is home to a third of Africa's declining elephant population.

Warning: Some people may find the following images upsetting (link)

Dr McCann, of the UK-based charity National Park Rescue, told the BBC local conservationists first alerted the government in early May

after they undertook a flight over the delta.

"They spotted 169 in a three-hour flight," he said. "To be able to see and count that many in a three-hour flight were extraordinary.

"A month later, further investigations identified many more carcasses, bringing the total to over 350."

"This is totally unprecedented in terms of numbers of elephants dying in a single event unrelated to drought," he added.

Back in May, Botswana's government ruled out poaching as a reason - noting the tusks had not been removed, according to Phys.org.

There are other things which point to something other than poaching.

"It is only elephants that are dying and nothing else," Dr McCann said. "If it was cyanide used by poachers, you would expect to see other deaths."

Dr McCann has also tentatively ruled out natural anthrax poisoning, which killed at least 100 elephants in Bostwana last year.

But they have been unable to rule out either poisoning or disease. The way the animals appear to be dying - many dropping on their faces - and sightings of other elephants walking in circles point to something potentially attacking their neurological systems, Dr McCann said.

Either way, without knowing the source, it is impossible to rule out the possibility of a disease crossing into the human population - especially if the cause is in either the water sources or the soil. Dr McCann points to the Covid-19 pandemic, which is believed to have started in animals.

"Yes, it is a conservation disaster - but it also has the potential to be a public health crisis," he said.

Dr Cyril Taolo, acting director for Botswana's department of wildlife and national parks, told the Guardian they had so far confirmed at least 280 elephants had died and were in the process of confirming the rest.

However, they did not know what was causing the animals' deaths.

"We have sent [samples] off for testing and we are expecting the results over the next couple of weeks or so," he said.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-53257512

 

 

[Bluewolf]

Wow... 

https://9gag.com/gag/azm1n8K

[CaaC (John)+]

19 hours ago, Bluewolf said:

Wow... 

https://9gag.com/gag/azm1n8K

Bloody mental swimming next to that fucker, look at all the scars on its body, bloody hell. 

 

[CaaC (John)+]

Tequila bats’ ancestral origins revealed by conservationists

The bat lives in some of the hottest desert areas of Mexico and plays a vital role in pollinating the blue agave plant from which tequila is made.

Scientists have shed light on the ancestral origins of the famous tequila bat.

The critically endangered tequila bat is native to the Americas and lives in caves in some of the hottest desert areas of Mexico. The bat plays a vital role in pollinating the blue agave plant from which tequila is made.

Bat populations are threatened by habitat loss, their roosts are often disturbed, and people fear them both due to myths and as potential disease carriers.

• Bats ‘pose no greater viral threat’ to humans than other species
• Vampire bats form ‘long-term reciprocal relationships’

Scientists have long known that some tequila bats migrate in Mexico’s spring months to the Sonoran Desert to give birth to their pups and pollinate a variety of plants. Other populations inhabit southern Mexico year-round, forming large breeding colonies in the winter months.

As bats are highly mobile and mix constantly with other bat populations, it is hard for conservationists to know whether they are protecting the best sites for the tequila bats to roost.

Scientists led by the University of Bristol analysed DNA from the species to see whether the bats inhabiting southern Mexico year-round have a similar ancestral origin to those that migrate to the Sonoran Desert.

The tequila bat plays a vital role in pollinating the Blue Agave plant from which tequila is made © Angelica Menchaca/University of Bristol/PA

Researchers from the university, the Centro de Investigacion Cientifica y de Educacion Superior de Ensenada and the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico found the elusive creatures by travelling to remote caves in Mexico to collect DNA skin samples.

Bat expert Dr Angelica Menchaca, who led the study, said: “Tequila bats are beautiful, especially after they arrive back from feeding as they return covered in pollen, completely yellow, a sign of how important they are to this ecosystem.

“Once we located the bat colony, our aim was to collect DNA skin samples from the bat’s wing which heals quickly and doesn’t harm them.

“We would wait until the bats went out to forage at around midnight and then enter the caves that were filled with thousands of baby bats, all packed together in nurseries, waiting for their mums to return.

After analysing samples, the team was able to identify the bats’ mitochondrial DNA and use this to trace the maternal line of the different populations to understand the ancestral descent of the species.

Explaining the findings, Dr Menchaca, from the University of Bristol, said: “Contrary to current practice, our study demonstrates that the species must be managed as two conservation units in Mexico.” That is, the species is made of two separate groups in need of conservation.

A close-up of a tequila bat in the Sonoran Desert in Mexico © Angelica Menchaca/University of Bristol/PA

She added: “We have shown that tequila bat populations that establish maternity colonies in the Sonoran Desert in northern Mexico show a distinct migratory behaviour, breed during the summer, have specific habitat requirements and belong to a maternal line distinct to their southern counterparts.

“In the present context of an accelerated rate of habitat loss, increased fear of bats and decreased appreciation as ecosystem service providers, understanding how we can help support this important species survive these threats is even more relevant.

“We are studying other differences related to their behaviour and morphology that will also help us understand how these bats adapt to diverse habitats.”

Science Focus

[Stan]

Took this on my phone today. 

No special settings, just zoomed in... 

[CaaC (John)+]

A cracker that, just made that into a Jig-Saw called Stans Duck 

https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=0431d42ba048&pieces=100

Edited July 8, 2020 by CaaC (John)

[Stan]

2 hours ago, CaaC (John) said:

A cracker that, just made that into a Jig-Saw called Stans Duck

Lovely

 

[Carnivore Chris]

6 hours ago, CaaC (John) said:

A cracker that, just made that into a Jig-Saw called Stans Duck 

https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=0431d42ba048&pieces=100

You need to take up golf or fishing or something