December 2009

  • Adopt a Loon

    By lisala on 12/28/09 6:01pm
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    The Common Loon is quite lovely to look at; one of the most geographically dispersed water birds. The loon's black and white markings, especially the black head and checker-board back, makes it easy to spot on lakes or coastal estuaries from the width of Canada to the northern United States. But, lovely as they are to watch, loons are best known for the eerie cry of the male. Loons are, however, declining rapidly. They have ceased to appear at all at lakes where they have been breeding for hundreds of years; we are not sure, exactly what has caused this decline.

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  • The Strange Evolution of Poison and Venom

    By erika on 12/23/09 5:21pm
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    I recently read an interesting New York Times article about how evolutionary biologists have finally cracked the "tetrodotoxin mystery."  Tetrodotoxin is a wildly effective neurotoxin which is found in puffer fish (although hopefully not in the famous fugu dish made from their flesh), as well as in some newts, a few species of frog, a poisonous octopus, and a species of crab.  But how does the same, relatively exotic, neurotoxin evolve in the bloodstream of so many divergent animals?


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  • Dolphins Playing with Bubbles

    By lisala on 12/23/09 1:20am
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    I don't see how anyone could watch this video, and not see this as intelligent play by dolphins.

  • Is Global Warming or Sound Pollution Affecting the Songs of Blue Whales?

    By Niki Fears on 12/18/09 5:56pm
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    Blue WhaleBlue WhaleOne of the most eerily enchanting sounds in nature is undoubtedly the mesmerizing song of the blue whale. The song of the blue whale, the largest animal on Earth, can travel several miles away and while the exact nature, content, and purpose of these calls are not yet completely understood by the scientists that study them, researchers have recently discovered a trend in the pitch emitted by the singing whales.

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  • Badger in the City

    By lisala on 12/18/09 2:25pm
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  • Octopus Uses Coconut Shell as a Tool

    By lisala on 12/14/09 9:45pm
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    A recent article in the journal Current Biology by Dr Julian Finn from Australia's Museum Victoria and a group of researchers describes individual veined octopuses (Amphioctopus marginatus) using halved coconuts as shelter. This is being cited as an example of tool use. There's a fair amount of video coverage of the behavior from footage filmed between 1999 and 2008 off the coasts of Northern Sulawesi and Bali in Indonesia. I've linked to two below, and there's an ever better example embedded in this BBC article about the phenomenon.

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  • Be Wary of Christmas Pet-Giving

    By sarajean on 12/14/09 7:50pm
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    If The Lady and the Tramp is misleading in any way (as adorable as it is), it’s definitely in the scene where Jim Dear provides Darling with a new Christmas puppy. Granted, J. and D. are a married couple who may or may not share in taking care of little Lady; and perhaps Darling had been wanting a dog her whole life, was ready to care for one, and was a perfect model dog owner.

    However, that’s simply not the case for many recipients of Christmas pets. In fact, many of them are so unfit to care for an animal that bestowing such a gift on them in the first place could qualify for animal endangerment. I’m not suggesting that people who give animals be fined for doing so; it’s a very thoughtful gesture that shows love and kindness for both the gift recipient and the animal. After all, if the new pet owner is a good one, the animal is getting a gift, too. But if he or she is not, nobody wins.

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  • Life In the Sea: Three Meter Worms and Sea Stars Devour a Dead Seal [Not for the Squeamish]

    By lisala on 12/12/09 3:50pm
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    BBC Timelapse photography of swarming monster worms and sea stars eating a dead seal.