March 2009

  • The World's Most Weird and Wonderful Animals

    By sparklyscotty on 3/30/09 9:45am
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    A newspaper in the UK recently released their top ten list of weird and wonderful animals. The top of the list?

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  • Dangers in Disguise: The Vampire Fish!

    By sparklyscotty on 3/30/09 1:42am
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    God, in his or her infinite wisdom, definitely showed some creativity when it came to populating the world with various inhabitants. Humans are certainly in the minority when it comes down to the number of creatures who share the planet with us, and not all of them are friendly, cuddly or cute.
     
    Over the next few weeks, this Dangers In Disguise series will be looking at some of these scary animals that you won't even see coming. Candiru Fish
    The Candiru Fish, a type of parasitic catfish.


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  • Tigers Vs Humans

    By sparklyscotty on 3/29/09 8:48am
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    It's not a fight you really want to be in, although the winner would largely depend on how well armed the human was. In a chance encounter, the tiger has the advance - massive claws, fearsome teeth, powerful legs  and jaws, and a speed and weight which far outmatches our own - yet in a battle between the two species, humans are clearly winning.

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  • Fishing Cats

    By sparklyscotty on 3/28/09 7:48am
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    All cats love to eat fish, right? Well, there is one species of cat which loves it more than most...
    The Fishing Cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) are medium sized wild cat native to many regions of Southeast Asia including India, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Thailand.


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  • The Disappearing Birds of Oz

    By sparklyscotty on 3/27/09 7:16am
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    Most people take the sweet sound of birds singing for granted, but if things don’t change soon in Australia birdsong may be scarce as many of the country’s native bird species are declining.


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  • Animal Roundup

    By sparklyscotty on 3/27/09 6:24am
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    Killer Komodo Dragons, life saving parrots and the circle of life.  A look at some animal antics that made the news this week.

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    A lifesaving parrot in Denver, Colorado was given the Animal Lifesaver Award by the local Red Cross as the bird alerted his owner when a young girl was choking on her breakfast.
    The hero is a Quaker parrot named Willie, who came to the rescue in November when his owner Megan Howard was babysitting the little girl. Megan left the room and the toddler began to choke on her breakfast.

  • Leopard Cubs Survive Killer Mom

    By sparklyscotty on 3/26/09 12:11pm
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    Two newborn Clouded Leopard cubs beat all the odds this week as they were found alive and healthy at the National Zoo's Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia, USA.

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  • Rabbit, rabbits, rabbits. A thing of the past?

    By sparklyscotty on 3/26/09 6:52am
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    There are so many rabbits in some areas of the world that is is hard to imagine them being considered endangered.  In some areas of Europe and America they are so prevalent that they are considered to be pests.

    However, in the Iberian Peninsula , where Sp

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  • Polar Bear Twin Dies

    By sparklyscotty on 3/25/09 5:28am
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    Last December there was a double celebration at Ouwehands animal park in the Netherlands when Huggies, the polar bear rescued from an ice floe in Sibera in 1994 gave birth to twins.   Polar bears often have two cubs.

    The twins were named Walker and Swimmer and had been hibernating over the cold winter months since their birth.  Only last week videos appeared of the baby bears up and about and could be seen playing happily with their mother in their enclosure.

    This week sadly one of the cubs was found dead.  The cub has be

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  • The Legacy of Exxon Valdez Still Haunts Alaskan Wildlife

    By sparklyscotty on 3/24/09 4:20pm
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    It was 20 years ago today when one of the world’s worst environmental disasters took place in Prince William Sound, Alaska. This was the day the Exxon Valdez oil tanker spilled 10.8 million gallons of it load of 53 million of crude oil into sea, eventually covering 11,000 square miles of ocean.

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  • Black-Footed Ferrets in Trouble

    By sparklyscotty on 3/24/09 8:48am
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    Over the past ten years ferrets have become popular pets , and it is now thought that more Americans own a ferret than a cat.  However in the wild, one species of the animals numbers are dangerously low.
    The

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  • Endangered Alert: Antelopes

    By sparklyscotty on 3/24/09 5:28am
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    There are 91 species of antelopes in the world, and according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, over a quarter of these beautiful animals are currently on the verge of extinction.

    Most antelopes are found in Africa, although there are some species living in the south-ea

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  • Owls: Not Just for Message-Sending

    By lisala on 3/10/09 8:52am
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    Recently, cross-country skiers enjoying trails in the Rolland F. Perry City Forest in Image of an Great Horned owl.Bangor, Maine have been coping with a territorial and surprisingly aggressive Great Horned Owl.

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  • Endangered Alert: The Wild Bactrian Camel

    By sparklyscotty on 3/2/09 6:35am
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    When you think of endangered species,  camels may not be one of the first animals you think of.  After all,  they are abundant in Egypt,  with most tourists getting their photo taken on (or at least near) a camel during their vacation.  Camels are also still widely used as work animals in many countries in Africa.  However, count the humps on all of those camels, and you will find that each one has only one.

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  • Endangered Alert: The Solenodon

    By sparklyscotty on 3/1/09 6:31am
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    Experts quote alarming figures of up to 150 species going extinct in the sub tropical areas of the world each day.  Many of these species will never even be known to man, and most will only be familiar to a few specialized scientists and scholars.  Unfortunately, the less well known an animal, the less publicity and support it receives for conservation efforts.

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  • Octopus

    By lisala on 3/1/09 1:46am
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    A recent news story about an almost-escaped octopus in Santa Monica caught my eye.

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