Animals

[Bluewolf]

This picture of two mice brawling on the London Underground won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award...  funny stuff 

[CaaC (John)+]

On 12/02/2020 at 10:15, Bluewolf said:

This picture of two mice brawling on the London Underground won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award...  funny stuff 

Aye, they were having a mouse punch up over a crumb.  

[CaaC (John)+]

The oldest evidence of modern bees found in Argentina

A new fossil find has set paleontologists abuzz: Ancient nests confirm that bees were alive and well in Patagonia 100 million years ago, marking the oldest fossil evidence for modern bees.

The nests described recently in the journal PLOS ONE, consist of tunnels studded with grape-shaped alcoves, where the ancient bees’ larvae could mature undisturbed. The only group of living insects that builds nests in this particular way is the family Halictidae, a global and highly diverse bee group also known as the sweat bees. Some modern halictid bees build underground nests that look almost exactly like the newfound fossil burrows.

FULL REPORT

 

[CaaC (John)+]

 

 

[CaaC (John)+]

'Astonishing' blue whale numbers at South Georgia

Scientists say they have seen a remarkable collection of blue whales in the coastal waters around the UK sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia.

Their 23-day survey counted 55 animals - a total that is unprecedented in the decades since commercial whaling ended.

South Georgia was the epicentre for hunting in the early 20th Century.

The territory's boats with their steam-powered harpoons were pivotal in reducing Antarctic blues to just a few hundred individuals.

To witness 55 of them now return to what was once a pre-eminent feeding ground for the population has been described as "truly, truly amazing" by cetacean specialist Dr Trevor Branch from the University of Washington, Seattle.

"To think that in a period of 40 or 50 years, I only had records for two sightings of blue whales around South Georgia. Since 2007, there have been maybe a couple more isolated sightings. So to go from basically nothing to 55 in one year is astonishing," he told BBC News.

"It's such good news to see that they might be further rebounding and coming back to places where they were formerly extremely abundant."

Dr Branch was commenting on the survey which was led by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) with the support of the University of Auckland.

FULL REPORT

[CaaC (John)+]

One-of-a-kind pink manta ray spotted swimming off Great Barrier Reef

A photographer has captured remarkable images of what is believed to be the only pink manta ray on Earth.

Photographer Kristian Laine took the pictures while diving off Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Nicknamed Inspector Clouseau after the inspector in "The Pink Panther" media franchise, the ray measures 11 feet and was first discovered in 2015.

In an interview with ScienceAlert, Laine said he had "never even heard of a pink manta" and initially believed it was his camera malfunctioning. "Only later that night I saw a photo of a pink manta on the restaurant's notice board and thought it was a joke until I rushed to check the belly patterns in my camera," Laine told the news outlet.

It's unclear at this point why the flattened fish has its pink hue, but experts have theorized it could be linked to its diet.

"There has not been a thorough investigation into a diet or stable isotope analysis, but given the stability of the white 'birthmark' (clearly seen in the second image) and pink colour over time we think diet can be ruled out," Asia Armstrong of Project Manta said in a Facebook post. "The working theory is that it is just a different and very unique expression of the melanin, but that is still to be confirmed."

National Geographic reported that the ray has only been seen 10 times since it was first spotted in 2015.

Manta rays, which can weigh as much as 5,300 pounds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), are found “worldwide in tropical, subtropical, and temperate bodies of water and is commonly found offshore, in oceanic waters, and near productive coastlines,” according to NOAA.

They are also closely related to sharks and, like their relatives, are solitary animals and graceful swimmers.

In June 2018, scientists discovered a site off the Texas coast that they believe is the world’s first known manta ray nursery. Two months later, a photographer in Maryland captured a remarkable image of a manta ray breaching the water.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/one-of-a-kind-pink-manta-ray-spotted-swimming-off-great-barrier-reef/ar-BB10a2yH

[CaaC (John)+]

A California man found a 70-pound beehive in his shed housing up to 150,000 bees

When one California homeowner noticed a few bees flitting in and out of a small hole at the bottom of his shed two years ago, he didn't think much of it.

Herb Herbert told the local ABC affiliate KGTV that the bees even seemed to go away last winter, but returned with a vengeance in the summer. He said he'd often see between 20 and 30 bees buzzing outside his home at any given time.

But when he finally hired a bee-removal company last week to come and tear up the flooring in his shed, he was shocked at what they found.

The experts revealed a sprawling 70-pound beehive, stretching roughly 30 inches long and housing up to 150,000 honeybees.

Videos published by media outlets showed an enormous hive, some of it attached to the floorboards themselves and other parts entrenched in the soil below. All of it was covered by thousands upon thousands of buzzing bees.

"I had no idea the scope of what was under there. I mean, it was massive," Herbert told KGTV. "The bee guy said we were lucky - the bees were getting set to expand the hive."

The bees were unharmed by the removal, and KGTV reported that the Bee Nice Wildlife Management managed to safely relocate the entire hive and all of the bees inside it. 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/a-california-man-found-a-70-pound-beehive-in-his-shed-housing-up-to-150000-bees/ar-BB10g1QP

[Azeem]

Bees Work Together To Open Container Of Stolen Honey

https://www.thedodo.com/in-the-wild/bees-work-together-to-open-container-of-honey

It's over the revolution has started, never thought the Bee movie would become real

[Mel81x+]

https://edition.cnn.com/videos/us/2020/02/24/cheetah-cubs-born-columbus-zoo-in-vitro-fertilization-mh-orig.cnn/video/playlists/atv-trending-videos/

They managed to use invitro fert to help aid in the birth of two cheetah cubs. This will certainly help their dwindling numbers in Africa.

[CaaC (John)+]

 

[Mel81x+]

The way it smashes that shell. Brutal.

[CaaC (John)+]

18 minutes ago, Mel81x said:

The way it smashes that shell. Brutal.

Bloody unreal that.

[Mel81x+]

Just now, CaaC (John) said:

Bloody unreal that.

If you liked that and want to read something even more fascinating read this. Same animal, different environments totally different punch outcome.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/03/when-the-medium-matters-the-mighty-mantis-shrimp-pulls-its-punch-in-air/

[CaaC (John)+]

9 Science-Backed Reasons Pets Make You Healthier and Happier

In the U.S. alone, 68 per cent of households include a pet. And although you may pride yourself on giving your beloved pooch or kitty a safe, happy home, it's not just the animal who's reaping benefits. Pet owners, particularly those who have dogs and cats (but fish and guinea pigs are great, too!), stand to gain quite a bit from the relationship, not to mention years on their life. In fact, over the past decade alone, countless scientists have worked to discover just how our pets can boost our physical and mental health. Of course, Fido can't cure heart disease or reverse the effects of diabetes or stand in for a certified therapist, but studies have shown that caring for an animal still does some serious good.

Read on to better understand the science-backed reasons pets make people healthier and happier.

SLIDES - 1/10

[CaaC (John)+]

Why plastic is a deadly attraction for sea turtles

Scientists have new evidence to explain why plastic is dangerous to sea turtles: the animals mistake the scent of plastic for food.

Thus, a plastic bag floating in the sea not only looks like a jellyfish snack, but it gives off a similar odour.

This "olfactory trap" might help explain why sea turtles are prone to eating and getting entangled in plastic, say US researchers.

Plastic debris is rapidly accumulating in the oceans.

The likes of plastics bags, netting and bottles pose a threat to hundreds of marine species, including endangered turtles, birds and whales.

Odours were given off by floating or submerged plastics were an "olfactory trap" for sea turtles, said Dr Joseph Pfaller of the University of Florida, Gainesville.

"Plastics that have spent time in the ocean develop smells that turtles are attracted to and this is an evolutionary adaptation for finding food, but it has now become a problem for turtles because they're attracted to the smells from the plastics," he said.

Garbage patches

Once the plastic has been released into the ocean, microbes, algae, plants and tiny animals start to colonise it and make it their home. This creates food-like odours, which have been shown to be a magnet for fish and possibly sea birds. The new research suggests sea turtles are attracted to plastic for the same reason.

Marine predators like sea turtles, whales and sea birds forage over a vast area to find food and it makes sense that they would use chemicals in the air or water to do so, said Dr Pfaller.

"It's not just a visual thing - they're being attracted from probably long distances away to these garbage patches out in the open ocean."

The danger of items like straws and plastic bags to sea turtles is well known. A video of a plastic straw stuck up a turtle's nose went viral on social media in 2015.

Dr Pfaller said all types of plastic were a threat.

"The errant plastic straw in a turtle's nose or the random plastic bag - sure those are absolute problems - but anything out there can grow bacteria and animals on it that turtles want to eat and so it smells to them like something they should go check out and possibly consume, which can lead to their death."

• Seeking the 'plastic score' of the food on our plates
• Plastic in the Pacific 'growing rapidly'
• Seven charts that explain the plastic pollution problem.

he findings, published in Current Biology are based on an experiment involving 15 young loggerhead sea turtles that had been raised in captivity.

The researchers piped airborne odours into the air above a water tank and recorded the turtles' reactions with cameras.

The animals responded in the same way to odours from conditioned plastics released into the air as they did to food such as fish and shrimp meal.

When they came up to breathe, they kept their noses out of the water more than three times longer than normal to get a good smell of the weathered plastics.

The findings open up new avenues for research to protect the marine animals that are threatened by plastic debris in the sea, mostly through entanglement and ingestion.

A recent study found that given current trends, 99% of seabirds will have ingested plastic waste by 2050.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51804884

 

Edited March 10, 2020 by CaaC (John)

[CaaC (John)+]

Coronavirus has caused rival gangs of monkeys to invade a Thai city

Just when it seemed like the world couldn’t resemble the opening scenes of an apocalyptic horror film any more, it appears the coronavirus has sparked gang warfare between monkeys on the streets of Thailand.

For understandable reasons, the pandemic has led to a decline in tourism around the globe. The Lopburi monkey population is usually split in two with one group residing in the city while the other patrols the area around the temple. Many of the monkeys rely on food from tourists but these are desperate times and tourists are few and far between. Because lots of people have isolated themselves and are working from home, there are also very few cars on the streets, so the monkeys are more free than ever to roam the streets.

Eyewitness Sasaluk Rattanachai, who captured the footage, said:

They looked more like wild dogs than monkeys. They went crazy for a single piece of food. I’ve never seen them so aggressive.

Humans share about 98 per cent of our DNA with chimpanzees, which probably explains the toilet paper riots of recent weeks...

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/coronavirus/coronavirus-has-caused-rival-gangs-of-monkeys-to-invade-a-thai-city/ar-BB118L6C?li=AAnZ9Ug

 

[Honey Honey]

Shame about the shoddy camera work

[Stan]

Well trained! 

 

[Azeem]

The Argentinian lake duck has a long spiral like penis which is as long as some birds

Male adult Hyenas are at lowest on the tribe hierarchy, only way an adult male can come up the ladder is when another one dies or some new male adult joins. They are treated as bottom of the barrel by females

Some birds hibernate in lakes

In birds male chromosome is more dominant than in mammals that why so many birds have males with distinct traits. 

The longest period a great white shark survived in an aquarium is five months.

 

[Stan]

 

[CaaC (John)+]

Vampire bats 'French kiss with blood' to form lasting bonds

Vampire bats establish friendships by sharing regurgitated blood with their neighbours in a "kind of horrifying French kiss", a new study says.

Researchers observing the mammals said their sharing behaviours appeared to be an important aspect of their bonding.

If bats go three days without eating, they can die of starvation, so sharing the blood can be a life-saving act.

The study, published in the journal Current Biology, aimed to determine how the species developed relationships.

It found that when the vampire bats became isolated in a roost, pairs unfamiliar with one another - but in close proximity - would begin grooming, then "mouth-licking" before swapping food.

• Secrets of how vampire bats became bloodthirsty
• Five things you might not know about bats

"We go from bats starting as strangers from different colonies to groupmates that act to save each other's life," said Prof Gerald Carter, author of the study and behavioural ecologist at Ohio State University.

"They have this 'boom and bust' foraging experience, so they either hit it big and get a large blood meal or they're starved for that night.

"Food sharing in vampire bats is like how a lot of birds regurgitate food for their offspring. But what's special with vampire bats is they do this for other adults," Prof Carter said.

He added that the bats would groom even after their fur had been cleansed, suggesting that the behaviour was not just an issue of maintaining hygiene.

Vampire bats are the only mammals to feed entirely on blood, which they get by biting larger animals such as cattle.

The flying creatures can drink up to half their weight in blood a day, unlike their other bat relatives, which generally dine on fruit, nectar or insects.

In November, a scientific study discovered that bats that form bonds while in captivity often continue their relationships when released back into the wild.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51969938

[nudge]

 

 

[CaaC (John)+]

Meet the highest mouse on Earth

© Marcial Quiroga-Carmona The yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse might only be a tiny critter, but it can live in some dire conditions.

The peak of Llullaillaco, the world’s highest active volcano, stretches some 22,000 feet above sea level and is almost like another planet. The peak straddling Chile and Argentina is one of the driest places on earth, making it the perfect place for mummies to remain intact for thousands of years and not much else. Temperatures regularly drop below freezing, and vegetation is scarce. Very little can live up here, including humans—the highest people live at permanently is 16,700 feet, a good thousand feet below the elevation of the main Everest basecamp in Nepal.

These elevations are not what you’d call a livable situation for pretty much anyone. That is unless you are a teensy weensy Phyllotis xanthopygus, the yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse.

In February, researchers discovered one of these tiny mountaineers scampering around the peak of the volcano at nearly 22,110 feet above sea level, breaking a world record for the highest altitude a mammal can live at, which was set by the same species last year. Researchers published their findings on bioRxiv, but the study has yet to be peer-reviewed.

The yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse isn’t your typical house mouse, but they aren’t exactly rare. Jay Storz, the author of the study and a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Nebraska, says these little fellas are generally found around sea level. Now we know they also venture as high as any mammal has ever been. “These are clearly very adaptable little creatures,” he says.

One shocking thing about this discovery is that one of the few creatures that can live all the way up on this volcano is a small, warm-blooded one. Small animals have very high rates of metabolism, Storz says, which allows them to lose heat very rapidly. To survive at such a height, these mice need to be eating a lot and breathing a lot to maintain their body temperature and not succumb to the dire environment at such a high altitude.

The next step is discovering what makes this mouse different from other wildlife that lives at high elevations. Large herds of camel-type animals called vicunas and guanacos, as well as foxes, pumas, and funky types of birds still thrive at 14,000 to 15,000 feet above sea level—but only this wee mouse can scale the whole volcano and live to tell the tale.

“No one expected these animals to be living at such an extreme altitude. It may be that we’ve really underestimated elevational limits and physiological tolerances of many animals simply because the world’s highest summits, kind of like the deepest depths of the ocean, are still relatively unexplored by biologists,” Storz says.

So next time you scale a massive peak, keep an eye out for your littlest companions. They might know the best tricks to make it to the top.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/meet-the-highest-mouse-on-earth/ar-BB121Ksp

 

Edited April 2, 2020 by CaaC (John)

[CaaC (John)+]

10 years to save 'world’s most threatened sea turtle'

The largest turtle in the ocean, the leatherback gets its name from its tough, rubbery skin.

Migrating long distances a year, the turtle can cross the Pacific Ocean.

But with threats like getting tangled in fishing gear, the future for one distinct population looks "dire," say conservation groups.

At the current rate of decline, the critically endangered Eastern Pacific leatherback turtle will vanish within 60 years.

We have just 10 years left to put measures in place to save it, says a group of conservation scientists and organisations including Fauna & Flora International (FFI).

"We have it within our power to protect these animals and enable them to thrive, but all those who have a hand in shaping their future need to work together to do so," said Alison Gunn, programme manager for the Americas and the Caribbean at FFI.

Leatherback turtles are found across the world. While considered a single species, populations found in different oceans are reproductively distinct. The Pacific leatherbacks are most at risk of extinction, with both Eastern Pacific and Western Pacific leatherbacks continuing to decline.

Key nesting habitats in the Eastern Pacific are in Mexico and Costa Rica, with some isolated nesting in Panama and Nicaragua. Over the last three generations, there has been a greater than 90% decline in the female nesting population.

"If this particular population goes they're completely irreplaceable because they're unique to this particular part of the oceans," said Alison Gunn. "There's a lot of conservation action happening right now. We need to increase the collaboration that's already happening in order to ensure that this population is not lost."

Key interventions

If conservation efforts are targeted and scaled up at high-priority sites, and projects are quickly implemented and maintained, the Eastern Pacific leatherback population can eventually stabilise and increase, according to a population model.

Two things must be achieved in the next 10 years to save the Eastern Pacific leatherback:

• Avoiding the deaths of 200-260 leatherbacks a year caused by "bycatch" of turtles in fisheries

• Producing 7,000-8,000 more hatchlings a year through better nest protection and improved incubation conditions.

Leatherbacks are the largest of all sea turtles, weighing up to 2,000lb (900kg) and reaching over 6ft (2m) in length.

The population of leatherbacks in the Eastern Pacific has declined by more than 90% since the 1980s, which qualifies as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The study is published in the journal, Scientific Reports.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52158790

[CaaC (John)+]

Aquarium coronavirus lockdown gives dolphins the chance to meet a sloth

The Texas State Aquarium is currently closed to the public due to social distancing requirements, but that hasn't stopped the animals inside from hanging out with new friends.  

Texas State Aquarium staff have apparently been giving some animals a chance to explore parts of the aquarium and meet other creatures in different habitats. When a celebrity sloth named Chico got to meet some new dolphin buddies, the dolphins appeared to love the playdate. 

The 3-year-old sloth took a break from his usual enclosure when the staff took him on a tour around the Gulf of Mexico exhibit, which included meeting ducks, seahorses and jellyfish. Because roaming around on his own would have been difficult, staff carried him around hanging by a large branch. 

The highlight of the trip seemed to be when the dolphins met Chico. "Liko and Schooner were very curious, and Liko was even inspired to attempt an upside-down sloth impression," the aquarium posted on Facebook.

The aquarium frequently gives its animals a chance to "meet" each other as a form of enrichment "which helps keep them active in body and mind," a Texas State Aquarium spokesperson told the Bored Panda blog on Thursday. "As some of our most popular animals, it seemed an obvious choice for our sloths and dolphins to get a chance to see each other while we were temporarily closed."

Sloths and dolphins aren't the only animals having fun during aquarium lockdowns. In March, a group of curious penguins roamed Chicago's Shedd Aquarium to visit other animals and tour the exhibits.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/aquarium-coronavirus-lockdown-gives-dolphins-chance-to-meet-a-sloth/ar-BB12c1PE#image=1