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Posted: 25-03-2011 13:22 Post subject:

Oh no he didn't!

Posted: 20-04-2011 08:28 Post subject:

Whales' navigational skills cannot be explained by any known theories, claim scientists
Humpback whales possess navigational skills which cannot be explained by any known theories, a study has found.
7:30AM BST 20 Apr 2011

Scientists used satellite technology to track 16 tagged whales as they migrated thousands of miles northwards from the South Atlantic and South Pacific.
For several days at a time they swam legs of their journey - often covering more than 600 miles - with unswerving accuracy.
Most of the whales maintained an almost dead-straight course, deviating by less than one degree, despite the effects of weather and ocean currents.

''Such remarkable directional precision is difficult to explain by established models of directional orientation,'' the researchers led by Dr Travis Horton from the University of Canterbury wrote in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.

Most long-distance travelling animals are believed to navigate using a compass based either on the Earth's magnetic field, or the position of the sun.
But neither method can account for the extraordinary navigational ability of humpback whales, said the scientists.
They wrote: ''It seems unlikely that individual magnetic and solar orientation cues can, in isolation, explain the extreme navigational precision achieved by humpback whales.
''The relatively slow movements of humpback whales, combined with their clear ability to navigate with extreme precision over long distances, present outstanding opportunities to explore alternative mechanisms of migratory orientation based on empirical analysis of track data.''

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8462153/Whales-navigational-skills-cannot-be-explained-by-any-known-theories-claim-scientists.html

Posted: 05-06-2011 11:35 Post subject:

Meet Buster, the lost dog that made an incredible 1,200 mile journey from Colorado to California
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 6:41 PM on 4th June 2011

When Buster the dog disappeared from his home in Colorado, his owner spent hours agonising over his fate.
But despite thinking about all different possibilities, including that the beloved Labrador had been stolen or eaten by a lion, Samantha Squires could never have imagined what really happened to him.

Six months after Buster Brown vanished from his home in Boulder he was found – an astonishing 1,200 miles away in Salinas, California.
‘I have no idea how he would have made it to Salinas,’ said Mrs Squires. ‘I’ve never even heard of it before.’

Mrs Squires had given up hope of ever seeing her doggy best friend, when she received a letter in the post from an animal shelter.
A member of the public had found the intrepid pooch wondering the streets and taken him to the shelter where staff scanned for a microchip.
The animal lovers had called all the phone numbers listed for the dog, but they were all disconnected.

In a final bid to find his owner, they had written the letter to his last known address to say that they had until May 31 to contact the shelter or the dog would be placed up for adoption.
Late in the afternoon on May 31, a tearful Samantha Squires rang the centre to say that she was his owner.

Buster and Mrs Squires were reunited after he was flown back from San Francisco to Denver.
No one knows how the adventurous dog made his way 1,200 across the country.
Cindy Burnham at the animal shelter said they had, ‘no idea how he got here’.
'He’s the only one who knows. We’re asking him but he’s not telling us.’

A delighted Mrs Squires said that Buster ‘looks quite a lot older and quite a lot fatter’.
She said she is overjoyed to be reunited with her canine companion.
‘He was with me 24/7,’ she told local station KION 46. ‘He slept with me, ate with me, we ran together, everything.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1394207/Meet-Buster-lost-dog-1-200-mile-journey-Colorado-California.html#ixzz1OOdWzKoG

Posted: 20-06-2011 08:53 Post subject:

Gyrfalcons are 'secret seabirds'
By Matt Walker, Editor, BBC Nature

The world's largest falcon, the fast, taloned gyrfalcon, is a secret seabird, scientists have discovered.
Gyrfalcons living in the high Arctic overwinter out at sea, spending long periods living and hunting on pack ice.
It is the first time any falcon species has been found regularly living at sea.

The birds likely rest on the ice and hunt other seabirds such as gulls and guillemots, over what appears to be one of the largest winter ranges yet documented for any raptor.

"I was very surprised by this finding," said ornithologist Kurt Burnham who made the discovery. "These birds are not moving between land masses, but actually using the ice floes or pack ice as winter habitat for extended periods of time."
"Previously, all species of falcon were considered to be land-based birds."

Dr Burnham of the High Arctic Institute, Illinois US and the University of Oxford, UK, together with colleague Professor Ian Newton of Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Oxford, studied the seasonal movements of gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus) by tagging 48 birds with radio transmitters.
This allowed them to track the movements of the birds living in three areas of Greenland: Thule in the northwest, Kangerlussuaq in the west, and Scoresbysund in the east.

They found a huge amount of variation between individual birds.
Birds living on the west coast had winter home-range sizes of between 400-6,600km square kilometres.

Those on the east coast ranged far more widely, covering between 27,000-64,000 square kilometres. Some of these had no obvious winter home ranges and travelled continuously during the non-breeding period, spending up to 40 consecutive days at sea.

During the winter one juvenile female travelled more than 4,500km over 200 days, spending over half that time over the ocean between Greenland and Iceland.

"Others had observed gyrfalcons sitting on icebergs and over the ocean but it was always assumed they were only over the ocean for a short period to hunt and then flew back to land," explained Dr Burnham.
"We show that some gyrfalcons actually spend large amounts of time living and hunting over the ocean and pack ice, and that sea ice is actually an important and previously unknown winter habitat for [them]."

Gyrfalcons in Iceland and the low Arctic are thought to be residents, staying in the same location all year. In the high Arctic, gyrfalcons are known to be migratory, but little was known about where they overwintered.

A few other falcons also cross the ocean when migrating, such as peregrine falcons crossing the Gulf of Mexico. But the gyrfalcons are doing more than just moving between land masses in this way.
"These individuals are likely resting on icebergs and ice floes and hunting the seabirds, such as black guillemots, dovekies, and species of gull, that are using the same habitat," said Dr Burnham.

The size of the bird's home range over the ocean also surprised the scientists.
Dr Burnham told the BBC: "The other main finding is the huge area that some of these individuals are using.
"In the big picture this shows how adaptable and mobile gyrfalcons have to be in order to survive and reproduce in the harsh arctic environment they live in.
"Food or prey can be scarce during the winter, and having the ability to travel somewhat long distances on a daily basis and spend long periods of time away from land increases their chance of survival.

The research, he added, emphasises how specialised many Arctic species are, in order to survive in an extremely difficult and inhospitable environment.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/13791688

Posted: 21-06-2011 13:53 Post subject:

Emperor penguin from Antarctic visits New Zealand beach

A young emperor penguin, normally found in the Antarctic, has turned up on a New Zealand beach.
It is a rare event, the first confirmed sighting of an Emperor penguin in New Zealand in 44 years.
"I saw this glistening white thing standing up and I thought I was seeing things," said Christine Wilton, who found it while walking her dog.

The department of conservation is baffled by how it arrived, saying it may have taken a wrong turn.
"It's amazing to see one of these penguins on the Kapiti coast," says the department's Peter Simpson.

The visitor has attracted crowds of onlookers, who are being advised not to disturb the penguin and keep their dogs on leads.
Conservation experts say the bird is a juvenile, about 10 months old and 32in (80cm) tall.
Emperor penguins are the tallest and largest of all penguin species, growing up to 4ft (122cm) high and weighing more than 75lb (34kg).

Colin Miskelly, a penguin expert at Te Papa, New Zealand's national museum, said the bird was likely born during the last Antarctic winter.
It may have been searching for squid and krill when it took a wrong turn and arrived on New Zealand's North Island.

"Usually they stay among the pack ice," said Mr Miskelly.
"This one just kept going north and it's a very long way from its usual range."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13856024

Posted: 25-06-2011 09:34 Post subject:

'Loneliest penguin in the world' falls ill after eating sand it thought was snow
Lost Emperor hospitalised in New Zealand
By Richard Shears
Last updated at 8:34 PM on 24th June 2011

It's just one calamity after another for this Emperor penguin.
After making a wrong turn in Antarctic waters and ending up in New Zealand, the ten-month-old bird has now been taken to hospital for eating sand that it confused with snow.
The penguin had been showing signs of distress as it waddled up and down Peka Peka Beach on the North Island of New Zealand.

Experts agreed that because it had never seen sand before, the penguin thought it was snow and began to eat it.
The theory was confirmed after the bird was X-rayed at Wellington Zoo.

It was given a flushing treatment to clean out the handfuls of sand that had built up in its body.
Emperor penguins, the largest of the species, normally feed on fish, krill, and squid.

Peter Simpson of New Zealand's Department of Conservation said the penguin probably started eating the sand to cool itself down - as the creatures normally do with snow if they get too hot.
Despite it being winter in New Zealand, the country is enjoying temperatures of up to 18C - too warm for a bird who is around 4,000 miles from its frozen Antarctic home.
Mr Simpson said: 'Temperature is a major issue for it. We need to monitor its well-being in these sorts of climates.'

Emperor penguins typically spend their entire lives in Antarctica. It has been 44 years since one was last spotted in New Zealand.
The penguin has also become lethargic and there are fears it might have picked up an infection.

Mr Simpson said: 'If we can nurse it back to health we might be able to reintroduce it to the sea in the hope it will swim back to Antarctica.'
Flying the penguin back home was not possible he said, because it is winter in Antarctica which means 24-hour darkness.
He added: 'We don't have facilities in New Zealand capable of providing the penguin with long-term accommodation, so we can only hope it will make its own way back if we are able to release it.'

A decision was expected to be made on whether an operation would be needed to clear the bird's throat, which appears to have a blockage.
Experts also believed that a large number of visitors going to Peka Peka Beach to look at the bird might have added to its distress.
Officials have now moved the penguin to Wellington Zoo so it can be better looked after.

Christine Wilton discovered the penguin while walking her dog and had nicknamed it Happy Feet.
She said: 'I'm so pleased it's going to be looked after. He needed to get off the beach. He did stand up this morning, but you could tell that he wasn't happy.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2007647/Antarctic-penguin-hospitalised-eating-sand-thought-snow.html#ixzz1QH5vWhIX

Posted: 27-06-2011 16:32 Post subject:

I don't feel confident about this poor bird's long term chances... Sad

Posted: 22-07-2011 11:31 Post subject:

Atlantic puffins 'scout out' their own migration routes rather than relying on genetic 'programming'
By Lee Moran
Last updated at 9:05 AM on 22nd July 2011

Birds of a feather are famed for sticking together.
But that may not exactly be the case for the independent Atlantic puffin - who is now believed to work out its migration routes without any help from its parents or genetic instincts.
Scientists tracking 18 birds found they followed a wide range of different flight paths, suggesting their movements were not genetically pre-determined.

They also discovered that young puffins leave their colonies at night, alone, long before their parents - rendering unlikely the theory they may learn a route directly from their elders.

Oxford University and Microsoft Research Cambridge teamed up for the study, published this week in PLoS ONE, in which they used BAS geolocater tags to track the migration movements of 18 birds.
Eight of the animals, belonging to a sub-colony at The Isthmus on Skomer Island, Wales, were tracked for two consecutive years.

Professor Tim Guilford, of Oxford University's Department of Zoology, co-led the project and believes the type of 'scouting' for good migration routes could also be used by other species of birds.
He said: 'We think it's likely that, before they start breeding, young puffins explore the resources the ocean has to offer and come up with their own individual, often radically different, migration routes.
'This tendency to explore may enable them to develop a route which exploits all the best food sources in a particular area wherever these might happen to be.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2017402/Atlantic-puffins-scout-migration-routes-relying-genetic-programming.html#ixzz1SpRUh1w5

Posted: 25-07-2011 11:21 Post subject:

Pigs can't fly... but they can swim: Homesick Scottish boars paddle a mile across the sea
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:23 AM on 25th July 2011

Pigs can't fly - but this pair of homesick Tamworth boar crosses can certainly swim.
They took to the water like pigs to mud after they were put out to pasture on the uninhabited island of Longa off the North West Scottish coast.
Named Mary and Truffle by their owner, James Cameron was startled to discover they had returned home the day after he left them and their swim across the sea was caught on camera.

Holidaymaker Jay Goss, 31, watched in amazement from his parents' seaside cottage at Big Sands in Wester Ros.
At first he thought they were otters but soon realised they had snouts. He said: 'The sea was a mill pond and the two wee chaps swam 1.5km to the mainland. It was incredible. They reached the shore and were shivering and nervous.'
He called Mr Cameron to tell him he had the two pigs but he thought it was a joke at first.

He said: 'We have six piglets, or weaners, at the moment and we decided to put two of them out to Longa.
'We normally put sheep over to the island and we thought the pigs would like it. There is plenty of rooting material and fresh water.
'We put them out at 6pm on the Thursday evening and on Friday about 8pm I got a call to say "Your piglets have just swam back home".

'I thought it was a joke at first and that somebody was pulling my leg because people had been thinking it was quite a story that the pigs were going to Longa. My initial reaction was 'Aye, right'. But it was true.'
'I went down to check for myself and they were just wandering about on the shore, quite happy and none the worse for their swim across the loch. I put them in the trailer and reunited them with the others.'
He added: 'I've been talking to people about it and nobody has ever seen pigs swim.'

His wife, Marie said: 'Holidaymakers at the campsite make a great fuss of the pigs and I think they just missed the company - and feeding time. People are always giving them food.
'Mary and Truffle won't be going back to Longa. They told us in no uncertain terms that they didn't fancy island life so they'll be staying here.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2018352/Pigs-fly--swim-Homesick-Scottish-boars-paddle-mile-sea.html#ixzz1T6w1uAvg

'I've been talking to people about it and nobody has ever seen pigs swim.'
IIRC, the famous Tamworth Two swam across a river in their escape from the abbattoir.

Posted: 27-07-2011 07:41 Post subject:

Connecticut mountain lion 'crossed US' before death

A mountain lion killed on a road in the US state of Connecticut had walked halfway across the US before it died in June, scientists have said.
DNA tests showed the cat was native to the Black Hills of South Dakota, 1,800 miles (2,896km) away, scientists said.
And its DNA matched that of an animal collected by chance in 2009 and 2010 in the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The evidence suggests the cat had made the the longest-ever recorded journey of a land mammal, scientists say.

The mountain lion, also known as a cougar or a puma, is a type of big cat native to the western hemisphere.
The species once ranged widely, from British Columbia in Canada to Argentina and Chile, and from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic, but its habitat in North America is now mostly limited to the western US, according to the Sierra Club, a conservation organisation.

When it was struck by a car and killed in June in Milford, Connecticut, about 50 miles north-east of New York City, the young, lean, 140lb male became the first mountain lion seen in that state in more than a century, said Daniel Esty, commissioner of the state's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
"The journey of this mountain lion is a testament to the wonders of nature and the tenacity and adaptability of this species," Mr Esty said

The continental crossing from South Dakota to Connecticut put the cat on a path south around Lake Michigan, passed Chicago, the old industrial "rust belt" cities of Ohio and western Pennsylvania and north of New York City.

According to scientists with the US Department of Agriculture, DNA taken from the mountain lion showed its genetic structure matched a population of cats native to the sparsely populated Black Hills region of South Dakota.
The DNA also matched samples taken from scat, hair and blood in Minnesota, directly east of South Dakota, and Wisconsin, which neighbours that state to the east, in late 2009 to early 2010.

On 5 June, the lion was seen at a school in Greenwich, Connecticut. It was struck and killed on 11 June about 01:00 local time.
In addition, scientists said the cat was neither declawed nor neutered, suggesting it was not an escaped or released captive.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14303496

Posted: 29-07-2011 08:16 Post subject:

New Zealand: Emperor penguin 'recovered' after surgery

A young emperor penguin found washed up on a New Zealand beach is recovering well and could swim home next month.
Staff at Wellington zoo said results of an X-ray and blood test showed "Happy Feet", as it has been named, is fine after endoscopic surgery.

The penguin was found on Peka Peka beach, about 60km (37 miles) north of Wellington - some 3,000km from its home in Antarctica.
Experts had been reluctant to intervene as the bird appeared to be healthy.
However, it later grew lethargic and was operated on to remove sand from its stomach.

A Zoo spokeswoman, Kate Baker, said the penguin has gained about 4 kg (9 lbs).
It was given a first swim at the zoo earlier this week, in waters which needed to be several degrees below freezing for the purpose.
Crowds have been flocking to the zoo to see the bird - the first such arrival of an Emperor penguin in New Zealand in at least 44 years.

The bird's plight has attracted worldwide attention.
Hundreds of people had gathered to watch a leading gastroenterologist from Wellington Hospital perform the endoscopy on the bird at the zoo in late June.

To help it feel more at home, the penguin is being kept in a room chilled to about 8C (46F). There is a bed of ice for it to sleep on.
Zoo staff said the bird would probably be released offshore from the south end of the country early next month.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14337401

Posted: 03-08-2011 22:35 Post subject:

Posted: 17-08-2011 11:03 Post subject:

Posted: 29-08-2011 08:27 Post subject:

New Zealand's farewell to lost penguin Happy Feet

Hundreds of people have visited Wellington Zoo to bid farewell to an emperor penguin who washed up on a New Zealand beach in June.
Nicknamed Happy Feet, he is being returned to Antarctica on Monday after recovering from surgery to remove 3kg (6.6lb) of sand from his stomach.
The bird is thought to have eaten the sand, having mistaken it for the snow penguins swallow to stay hydrated.
He is to be transported four days out to sea by a fisheries survey vessel.

Happy Feet, named after the popular animated film about a tap-dancing penguin chick, has been fitted with a tracking device so the zoo can monitor his progress.

His unexpected appearance on Peka Peka Beach - north of Wellington and 3,000km (1,860 miles) from his Antarctic colony - stunned wildlife experts who said he was only the second emperor ever recorded in New Zealand.

Hopes he would make his own way back were dashed when he became ill and his subsequent recovery, on a diet of "fish milkshakes", has captured the public's imagination.
The zoo's veterinary science manager Lisa Argilla said: "Everyone's been really curious to see what happens. It was touch-and-go there for a while but he's doing really well now."

A webcam set up in his small, ice-filled room at the zoo attracted an online following of more than 120,000 people.
A public campaign raised more than NZ$20,000 (£11,000) towards the costs of his recovery.
However, the total spent saving and returning him is estimated to be at least three times that. Some, like Wellington's Victoria University biologist Wayne Linklater, writing in Wellington's Dominion Post, have questioned the use of money on an animal whose species is not endangered.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14702100

Posted: 13-09-2011 08:46 Post subject:

Another Mystery of the Sea...

Happy Feet the penguin's tracker falls silent
Emperor penguin found in New Zealand and returned to the ocean may have been eaten – or his tracker may have fallen off
Maev Kennedy guardian.co.uk, Monday 12 September 2011 16.34 BST

Happy Feet, the emperor penguin who became an international celebrity after losing his way and ending up in New Zealand, is missing presumed eaten after being released into the ocean this month, scientists said. Sad

Concerns were raised over Happy Feet's fate when the tracker device attached to his body stopped sending signals on his trip home to Antarctica.
Kevin Lay, of Sirtrack, the specialist firm that fitted the tracker, said no signal had been received since Friday, when the penguin was about halfway home. He said it was possible Happy Feet had been eaten, but he remained hopeful.
"There are some species that will forage on emperor penguins. It's not likely that it has happened to Happy Feet because of the area he was in."

Lay said the tracker was meant to transmit a signal every time it broke the surface of the water, and had been working perfectly. It was intended to remain attached for months and be shed in the new year moult, but may have fallen off.
Sharks, seals and killer whales are among the creatures known to eat penguins.

The three-and-a-half-year-old Happy Feet was found emaciated and exhausted on a beach near Wellington in mid-June, only the second emperor ever recorded in New Zealand.

He was nursed back to health at Wellington zoo, undergoing surgery to remove several kilos of sand he had swallowed having apparently mistaken it for snow. The zoo's visitor numbers doubled as people tried to catch one of his rare public appearances.

Colin Miskelly, a wildlife expert who advised on the penguin's treatment, said the truth about his fate would probably never be known. "It is unlikely that we will ever know what caused the transmissions to cease, but it is time to harden up to the reality that the penguin has returned to the anonymity from which he emerged," he told AFP.
There are plans for a book and documentary of Happy Feet's story, but the ending may remain a mystery.

The tracker firm posted what may well be the last news of Happy Feet: "Finally, as we expect many people are, the team at Sirtrack are disappointed that we are unable to track Happy Feet's progress any further. We have enjoyed being part of this project and hope that Happy Feet is making his way home."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/sep/12/happy-feet-penguin-tracker-silent