This video shows a wild bear with three legs. Presumably it was born without a front leg or lost it later in life. The bear gets up on his hind legs and walks like a human. Is it real or fake?
via Urlesque
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It’s not unusual to have a pet rodent, but Melanie Typaldos’ pet Caplin Rous is no ordinary rodent. See, Caplin is a Capybara, the world’s largest rodent:
The second part of his name, which Typaldos pronounces like "rose," stands for "Rodent of Unusual Size" (a reference to the movie "The Princess Bride"). He’s also a rodent of unusual abilities. He can walk on a leash and even do some tricks, but Typaldos says it’s important not to exaggerate any similarity to a dog doing tricks.
"Dogs have thousands of years of being trained to be subservient to people," she says. "A capybara will not do a trick just to make me happy. The quality of the trick is very dependent on the quality of the treat."
Link | More at Caplin’s blog Capybara Madness
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The Moa was the only wingless bird that ever existed.
The moa were hunted to extinction by 1500 by the Maori in New Zealand. They were the only species of birds with no wings. But wait, you say, what about kiwis, emus, and ostriches? Well, these flightless birds, a group of birds called ratites, actually do have wings (some of them vestigials).
Oh, and one more thing. I mentioned New Zealand – have you ever asked yourself where is Old Zealand? New Zealand is actually named after Zeeland, a major seafaring province of the Netherlands, by Dutch navigator Abel Tasman in 1642 (yup, the island of Tasmania is named after him). Captain James Cook misspelled it New Zealand and the name stuck ever since.
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A variety of birds may use their crests and protruberant feathers to feel their surroundings. Studies were conducted on auklets, who breed in dark, rocky crevices.
The researchers placed individual auklets into a dark experimental maze, designed to resemble a natural crevice, and recorded how often they bumped into things. Both crested and whiskered auklets bumped their heads 2.5 times more often if their feathers on their heads had been artificially flattened.
When the ornithologists then compared the lifestyles of birds with their feather patterns, they found that “Birds that live in complex, cluttered habitats and are active at night tend to have a greater probability to express such facial feathers.”
Cat owners will not be surprised by this news, since whiskers serve an equivalent purpose.
Coincidentally, this week National Geographic is reporting the existence of a tentacled snake whose head appendages are used to find prey in murky lakes at night.
Link.
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Read about four different sightings of wild kangaroos in the United States. Not surprisingly, some people believe that the mystery animals of North America are paranormal manifestations of some kind. But that might be jumping to conclusions.
Various theories have been put forward in an attempt to explain the bizarre phenomenon, but to date no satisfactory answers have been found. Some commentators suggest that kangaroos in the United States are the shy descendants of animals that, on some unknown occasion in the past, escaped from a circus or zoo. One rational explanation is that they are native marsupials not yet officially discovered or classified; however, the only evolutionary ancestors come from South, not North, America.
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Check the ingredients of your food. How many times have you seen the coloring agent "carmine red"? That famous red dye that the British Red Coats used actually comes from a small aphid-like insect called the Cochineal. They live on cactus pad, drinking the sap and growing fatter until ready to harvest. It takes over 70-thousands of these little insects to produce one pound of the red dye.
The insect as a defense against predation produces carminic acid which is the substance extracted and mixed with either aluminum or calcium salts to produce “cochineal” (carmine dye.) Carmine is still used today for food coloring and in some cosmetics although other sources have replaced its use. Because of sensitive skin and allergic reaction concerns to some modern and synthetic ingredients in cosmetics and food coloring, research is reexamining the use of insect-derived carmine as a potential non-allergic non-irritant colorant again. In the past, other uses of the crimson dye were for coloring fibers (yucca, woolen and other animal fibre, etc.) that would later be woven into rugs, made into other textiles, and for painting and decoration of household items like pottery.
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Here’s a study that will surely pour more gasoline into the debate of dog vs cat: turns out that cat owners are more likely to have college degrees than dog owners.
A poll of 2,524 households found that 47.2% of those with a cat had at least one person educated to degree level, compared with 38.4% of homes with dogs.
The study said longer hours, possibly associated with better qualified jobs, may make owning a dog impractical.
Believe what you will, but the study authors made one big error: cats don’t have owners. They have staff 
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If you think that dinosaurs looked like giant lizards, you’d be forgiven as that has been the depiction in stories, movies, and even in school textbooks. Scientists, however, have recently reached a different conclusion: dinos actually looked like giant chickens!
The subject of the new study—the 155-million-year-old Anchiornis huxleyi—turns out to have looked something like a woodpecker the size of a chicken, with black-and-white spangled wings and a rusty red crown [...]
The color patterns on Anchiornis’s limbs are "quite similar to the silver-spangled Hamburg chicken, a domestic breed of ornamental chicken," said ornithologist Richard Prum of Yale University.
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The secret is out! The internet’s favorite Japanese Scottish Fold, Maru, carries a security blanket. I’ve had several cats that did the same. -via Arbroath
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Mei Lan the panda is on her way to Chengdu, China. She was born at Zoo Atlanta in 2006 under an agreement that all pandas in American zoos belong to China. Today she is being shipped to Washington DC, where she will join Tai Shan, the panda born at the National Zoo. The two will be the only cargo aboard a FedEx 14-hour non-stop flight to China.
After a caravan to the airport and a ride past dozens of waiting photographers, Mei Lan was lifted into the 777 Freighter emblazoned with panda logos. Shortly after 8 a.m., the door was closed, the plane taxied and the flight took off.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed agreed it was fine to be “reflective, or even wistful” about Mei Lan’s departure, but important, too, to remember that she’s a healthy member of an endangered species, and by moving to China, she can help her kind survive. (Reeds advice to her: “be fruitful and multiply.”) Scientists estimate there are about 1,600 Giant Pandas in the wild. About 300 live in captivity, mostly in China.
Three giant pandas remain at the Atlanta Zoo, Mei Lan’s parents and an infant. Link -via Metafilter
More on Mei Lan.
More on Tai Shan.
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The Conservation Fund recently featured this video on their Web site in a piece about their work saving land for the Greater Prairie-Chicken. Who knew this bird was so beloved in American culture? And so quirky!
“Many Native American tribes perform prairie chicken dances, Laura Ingalls Wilder mentions them more than once in her Little House on the Prairie series and then there’s the world’s largest prairie chicken—a 13-foot tall statue—in the town of Rothsay, the self-proclaimed prairie chicken capital of Minnesota. There’s a prairie chicken capital of the world, too: Cassoday, Kansas. Prairie chicken festivals are held throughout the Midwest, perhaps the biggest is the annual Central Wisconsin Prairie Chicken Festival.”
There’s also a video of a Native American prairie chicken dance and information about why the prairie chicken’s numbers have fallen to near extinction. And if you fall in love with this bird, as apparently many people have, you can even get a desktop wallpaper! Link
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Giant squid have appeared in massive numbers off the coast of California in the past few days devouring swimmers leading to bountiful catches by fishermen:
“Most of the fish we catch are better to eat, but they don’t give you much of a fight.”
He said the squid were “trying to crawl around and blow ink all over everybody.”
Mr Woodbury said that 400 of the creatures had been caught since Friday night.
The animals weigh between 20 and 40 pounds, but a few fishermen have reeled in 60-pound squid.
The Humboldt squid is also called the jumbo squid or jumbo flying squid and squirts ink to protect itself.
They can grow up to 100 pounds in weight and six feet long and follow food sources.
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In 2007, Miss Cellania covered the story of Oscar, the cat who lives in Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Rhode Island, and who curls up next to patients mere hours before they die.
Since then, Oscar has doubled his predictions to 50. But the staff of the hospice, particularly Dr. David Dosa, want the world to know it’s not as ominous as it may sound. The experience shared between them, patients, and family members is nothing short of remarkable, although Oscar’s methods are surely more natural than supernatural.
Dosa said there is no scientific evidence to explain Oscar’s abilities, but he thinks the cat might be responding to a pheromone or smell that humans simply don’t recognize.
(He) recounts one instance when staff were convinced of the imminent death of one patient but Oscar refused to sit with that person, choosing instead to be on the bed of another patient down the hallway. Oscar proved to be right. The person he sat with died first, taking staff on the ward by surprise.
Dr. Dosa hopes to educate people about terminal illness, with a little help from Oscar’s story. ”I wanted to write a book that would go beyond Oscar’s peculiarities, to tell why he is important to family members and caregivers who have been with him at the end of a life.”
Link Photo credit: Dina Rudick/Globe Staff
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Sisso the swift was found with a damaged wing seven months ago. The little bird has healed, but must learn to fly all over again with some inventive physical therapy. Sisso takes flying lessons suspended from a custom-made sling!
The swift is being treated at an Israeli animal hospital and it is thanks to this ingenious device – which resembles a mobile in a child’s bedroom – that he can practise flying.
Fitting snugly into a red tube-like vest made of bandages and gauze pads, Sisso has holes for his head, wings, feet and tail.
A string is fixed to the harness and attached to the ceiling which allows him to whizz around a room at the Ramat Gan Safari Park Animal Hospital without falling to the floor.
However, until the muscles in his weakened right wing become strong enough, he will be kept indoors and in the sling.
Sisso will be freed when he can fly normally again. Link -via mental_floss
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On February 2nd of every year, people wait to see if their local groundhog comes out of its winter nest. The superstition says that if the groundhog sees its shadow, it will be scared and run back into hiding, and we will have six more weeks of bad weather. If the groundhog stays out, better weather is on the way. The most famous groundhog in the US is Punxsutawney Phil, who is escorted out of his pen with pomp and ceremony every year. However, PETA doesn’t think this is a good idea.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says it’s unfair to keep the animal in captivity and subject him to the huge crowds and bright lights that accompany tens of thousands of revelers each Feb. 2 in Punxsutawney, a tiny borough about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. PETA is suggesting the use of an animatronic model.
But William Deeley, president of the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, says the animal is “being treated better than the average child in Pennsylvania.” The groundhog is kept in a climate-controlled environment and is inspected annually by the state Department of Agriculture.
Deeley considers this a publicity stunt. Link
(image credit: Flickr user faz the persian)
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‘Purple Forest’ from MORPHOLOGIC on Vimeo.
In this video titled Purple Forest, you can see how the decorator crab makes its way in the world. By adding predictable detritus to its wardrobe, and after waiting for the currents to land an appropriate morsel of tasty goodness onto its shell, the unseen crab hooks his prey.
The unsuspecting isopod has no idea that it has landed upon an algae covered beast. Furthermore, it appears that the crab is not aware of the unexpected visitor until the isopod begins to explore its decorated exoskeleton. 50 seconds into the clip the isopod meets its fate with a few swift snatches of the crab’s claws. Without missing a beat, the crab continues scavenging amongst the rocks and algae. And life on the reef goes on…
Decorator Crab {Dive Gallery}
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Hayley is a Golden Retriever who lives in Mankato, Minnesota. Her master is Max DeMars of DeMars Construction. Hayley likes to be with Max and his crew, so much that she will climb a ladder to join them on upper floors and roofs under construction!
Since she was a pup, Hayley, now 10 years old, follows the crew wherever they go.
“One day we were up on the roof and there she was,” explained DeMars. “Saying what about me.”
After hundreds of jobs over the years, she’s got a pretty good handle on climbing up the ladder, even when nobody else is up on the roof.
Hayley’s fame has spread since a neighbor called police about a dog on a roof. Link -via Arbroath
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I don’t know what’s really going on in this picture, but “turtle wax” was my first reaction. Link -via Buzzfeed
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Authorities responded to reports of a bear seen near the village of Chorzow in Poland. A ranger shot the animal with a tranquilizer gun, but it either didn’t work or the bear was immune.
Unfortunately for the rangers tasked with capturing the animal, it woke up from its apparent slumber as they came near and gave chase to the man who had shot it.
Thanks to the efforts of both men, the bear was eventually brought under control. Reports said authorities plan to take it to a local zoo.
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What happens when the bison at the Museum of Natural History get dusty? Photographer Richard Barnes has traveled the U.S. photographing museum dioramas undergoing repair and maintenance, and his photos have been made into a book, Animal Logic, that was published last fall.
Do his photos, which emphasize the distinction between nature and artifice, increase or diminish your appreciation for museum dioramas, many of which were constructed in the 1920s and ’30s? In a recent issue of The Smart Set, Jesse Smith notes this detached perspective towards dioramas isn’t new– The American Museum of Natural History In New York has a section of its website devoted to their “renowned” and “beloved” dioramas, and the Museum’s chairman describes them as “amazing technical feats of illusion.” But once you admit they’re illusions, Smith argues, the dioramas are no longer viable as scientific learning tools. And perhaps we lose something as a result.
Smith admits that he prefers the approach of Philadelphia’s Academy of Natural Sciences. “It’s not willing to throw in the towel, as the American Museum of Natural History has done. On its site, the Academy budges very little: ‘Although their magic has diminished somewhat with the advent of television and the internet, dioramas still provide an opportunity to experience these magnificent animals up close.’ I don’t know if the Academy really believes this, or it just wants me to. It honestly doesn’t matter. I prefer to be the one stepping back to judge these on their own terms, and the Academy lets me do that.”
(image credit: Richard Barnes)
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First, all you see is a dog. A nice dog. But watch what happens when his master gets near -and be prepared to laugh!
– via japanprobe
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The video documents a seagull “dancing” to bring earthworms to the surface. When humans do this, it’s called “worm-charming” or “worm-grunting.” Wood turtles also use this technique, by repeatedly bumping their carapace against the ground.
Via Reddit.
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A British cat that was run over by a car has received the first complete feline knee replacement surgery. After twelve weeks of hospitalization and unprecedented veterinary procedures, Missy the cat is back at home with her family:
The new total knee replacement implant for the other leg was designed by Dr Fitzpatrick, Professor Gordon Blunn and Mr Jay Meswania of OrthoFitz Implants.
It is made of two parts which are linked together with a hinged mechanism so that the knee ligaments – which had all been shredded – would no longer be required and the knee could no longer dislocate.[...]
The three-inch long implant is made out of stainless steel and is bonded to the thigh bone and the shin bone using cement
The design phase was particularly challenging for the prosthetist because human knee replacements need only accommodate walking, but a joint for a cat must assume that the user will try to run and jump.
Link via The Presurfer | Photo: Bancroft Media
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The Dolphin Research Center in Marathon, Florida is where people can swim with the well cared-for marine mammals, but it’s much more than that. It’s a rescue operation for not only dolphins, but sea turtles, manatees and other Florida Keys species. When the dolphins aren’t busy with that, or doing their research, they maintain an informative blog, where they post videos of themselves like this one. Amazingly smart creatures.
Seriously though, the DRC is top tier when it comes to places like this. Here’s a snip from Hannah’s five star review on Yelp:
After an afternoon at this terrific research center, I learned more about dolphins than I ever thought I’d know. We came here as a group, with the BF and his parents. For $20 a person, you get admission, which allows you to walk through the center and watch the public shows. The place is very low key – it’s obvious that all their money goes towards taking care of the dolphins,and not on frills.
Link (Photo: DRC)
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In the movie Avatar, there is a plant that disappears into the ground the instant it’s touched. The good news for those afflicted with Pandora Depression it that we have a similar plant organism, right here on Earth! The Sea Pen (a soft coral) expels water from its body when touched, so as to avoid being eaten.
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Scientists keep discovering extinct species that hardly seem possible outside of cartoons. If they were still around, we might not be! Web Urbanist shows us some of the biggest, fiercest, and weirdest of animals that are no more. For instance, the whorl shark had its own “jaw saw”!
Whorl Sharks
were similar to their modern cousins despite jetting along almost 300 million years ago. While modern sharks have rows of serrated teeth ready to replace any that fall out, the whorl shark has an interesting lower jaw that looked like a circular saw, where newer teeth would push older teeth further along the line. There’s some debate about the placement of the tooth structure, but regardless of its location in the mouth or deeper in the throat, it had a startlingly unique appearance.
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This week’s Caption Monkey photo comes from the previously mentioned flickr pool, which you can join here. I’ll be sending Kevin a surprise since I’m using his photo.
You can win something too! Submit your caption in the comments below (enter as often as you’d like), and if you are the funniest (as judged by me), I’ll send you an original drawing of a monkey of your choice.
Good luck, I’ll post the winner in approximately 24 hours.
UPDATE
We have a winner! It’s Pitacoatl with “This summer blockbuster: ‘The Kids who stare at men, who stare at goats, who stare at grass.’”
I would totally see that movie. Thanks for playing everyone! See you next week!
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Winston in southern Oregon is where many tourists stop on their journeys north and south along Interstate 5; it’s where Wildlife Safari is. Recently the park acquired some help in the form of Wylie Malek, an autistic young boy people are calling a “natural elephant man.” It seems he’s bonded with the gentle giants, and has had breakthroughs of his own.
The young man’s communication skills have improved through the interactions, his father said, both with the adults at Wildlife Safari and with kids in his classes at Green Elementary. Sometimes it is hard to get the otherwise reserved boy to stop talking about the elephants, his father said. When he recites for the fifth time how much an elephant can eat, his family has to change the subject, Kris Malek joked.
Link | via The Obscure Store and Reading Room | Photo Credit: Robin Loznak
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The National Wildlife Federation has an annual photography competition. The image above was the Grand Prize winner in the “Professional” category in 2009.
While watching a group of bald eagles that had congregated at a local cattle feed lot, Palmer noticed the raptors were climbing into the air to catch starlings and blackbirds—not necessarily typical prey for the large birds.
At the link are the winning photographs in about a dozen other categories.
Link.
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I’ve never actually tried to pet a toad, but I certainly didn’t think they would react to it like this.
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