Nice hairnet, deer

This is the staggering sight of a buck mule deer who has got his antlers in a twist.

The impressive creature took it all in his stride after getting caught up in a bright purple volleyball net.

He is so taken with the unusual headgear a Colorado Division Wildlife officer decided to leave it on until his antlers naturally shed in February.

In the meantime, wardens in Durango are keeping a close eye on him to make sure he doesn't get himself in a knot.
(http://arbroath.blogspot.com/2006/11/nice-hairnet-deer.html)

Old Dogs: A book in progress

For this book of photos, the editors are in search of perfectly imperfect dogs: Past their physical prime but stately in their age. Docile or feisty, feeble or hale, goofy or regal - it's all potentially good. So if your dog is at least ten years old, send them a snapshot. If he or she seems right for the book, they'll come to you.
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Study Links Dangerous Dogs To Owners' Crimes

The meaner the dog, the meaner the dog owner, or rather, the more likely the dog owner is a criminal. That conclusion comes from a new study with nationwide implications.

According to researchers, owners of high risk dogs who have been cited for not registering that dog, or other similar infractions... are 3 times more likely to have been convicted for domestic violence, 8 times more likely to have a drug conviction, 9 times more likely to have a crime involving children, and 14 times more likely to have an alcohol related conviction.
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Teeny Frog Saved From Extinction In Zoos

The Denver Zoo is part of an effort to save a disappearing frog species that has become Panama's national symbol of nature.

Scientists fear that sometime next year, the last wild Panamanian golden frogs will die. The species is being destroyed by a fungus that is also wiping out other amphibian species. But about two dozen zoos including the Denver Zoo have several hundred of the frogs in captivity.

The fungus was only the final blow for a species whose numbers have long been dwindling because of deforestation, overcollection and water pollution.

Chilean Sea Bass: Back in Stores But Still in Trouble

A trendy fish nearly loved to death by diners has received a limited green stamp of approval.

But conservationists warn that the Patagonian toothfish, known commercially as the Chilean sea bass, remains in serious trouble.

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)—a London-based nonprofit that certifies fish from sustainable, monitored fisheries—has given its OK to Patagonian toothfish caught in one fishery.

Feds Collect Giant Rats in Florida

As the rising sun danced across Florida's coastal waters, government workers in shorts and T-shirts knelt in a grassy island field and plucked wriggling rats from traps laid the night before. These weren't just any rats. They were 3-pound, 35-inch-long African behemoths. They squirmed as the workers, wearing protective gloves, removed green radio collars that had been tracking the rodents' movements.

All 18 of the animals were carted away for research.

Millions of exotic pets being smuggled into the country

A zoo official holds a seven-day-old Stump-Tailed Macaque at the state zoological park in Gauhati, India. Though the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has prohibited importation of most monkeys as pets since 1975, some macaques imported for research are now being sold on the open market.

Giant Carnivorous Centipedes

The world has many moist, warm, and dark cavities where phobia-inspiring organisms quietly lurk. The tropical climate of South America's Amazon jungle has an unnaturally large number of such pockets, and consequently that region is home to unnaturally large specimens.

One such example is the Scolopendra gigantea, a venomous, red-maroon centipede with forty-six yellow-tinted legs. These centipedes are the largest in the world, and they are more commonly known as Amazonian giant centipedes due to their massive size. Adults commonly reach lengths of over thirty-five centimeters– the length of a man's forearm. Not only are these creatures very swift runners, but they are also highly adept climbers, a skill which allows them to scale walls to enjoy some surprisingly ambitious prey.

Horniman Museum looking for Great White Bear

The Horniman Museum is currently appealing to anyone who can help locate the Horniman polar bear (pictured). The polar bear was part of the original 1901 display (aquired at the 1886 Colonial and Indian Exhibition in South Kensington).

Recently uncovered documents confirmed the polar bear was sold in 1948 to a Mr T Allen, a dealer in New Cross. Museum staff are keen to hear from descendants or friends who may know of the fate or current whereabouts of the polar bear.

If you have any information, please contact 020 8699 1872.

Scientists say trained bees can sniff bombs

Scientists at a U.S. weapons laboratory say they have trained bees to sniff out explosives in a project they say could have far-reaching applications for U.S. homeland security and the Iraq war.

Researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico said they trained honeybees to stick out their proboscis -- the tube they use to feed on nectar -- when they smell explosives in anything from cars and roadside bombs to belts similar to those used by suicide bombers.

Ziggy the cat's 17-day journey

Ziggy the cat used up at least one of his nine lives after surviving for 17 days without food on a 2,300 mile voyage that took him from northern Israel to England.

The skinny white cat named after Ziggy Stardust -- the character created by David Bowie in the 1970s, because like the rock star he has one green and one blue eye -- made his epic trip as a stowaway in a 40-foot container.

His journey began when he wandered into a consignment of plastic goods which were then sealed in Afula in Israel and shipped from Haifa on October 31.

It ended when he emerged, exhausted, starving and dehydrated, at a warehouse in Whitworth in Lancashire on Friday.

Conservation Group Seeks Protection From Effects of Global Warming

The Center for Biological Diversity, (Center), a non profit conservation organization, filed a formal petition today requesting that 12 species of penguins worldwide, including the well known Emperor Penguin, be added to the list of threatened and endangered species under the United States Endangered Species Act. Reasons cited are a number of threats including global warming.

Abnormally warm ocean temperatures along with diminished sea ice have wrecked havoc on penguin food availability in recent decades. Less food has led to population declines in penguin species ranging from the Southern Rockhopper and Humboldt penguins of the islands off South America, and the African Penguin in southern Africa, to the Emperor Penguin in Antarctica. The ocean conditions causing these declines have been linked by scientists to global warming and are projected to intensify in the coming decades.
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Photography by Henri Silberman

Wild Pigs in U.S. Spreading Disease, Ruining Property, Experts Say

Wild pigs currently roam 39 states in the U.S., growing upward of 500 pounds (227 kilograms) as they eat just about anything they can find, from farmers' crops to endangered turtles' eggs.

he porkers damage property, threaten domestic pig farms, and may be creating human health risks, critics say.

Exotic Pets in U.S. May Pose Health Risk

Exotic animals captured in the wild are streaming across the U.S. border by the millions with little or no screening for disease, leaving Americans vulnerable to a virulent outbreak that could rival a terrorist act.

Demand for such wildlife is booming as parents try to get their kids the latest pets fancied by Hollywood stars and zoos and research scientists seek to fill their cages.

More than 650 million critters _ from kangaroos and kinkajous to iguanas and tropical fish _ were imported legally into the United States in the past three years, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service documents obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act.

Troops Take Time Out for Horseplay

Wounded servicemembers from Brooke Army Medical Center and their families got the chance to horse around during a recent “Horses for Heroes” event at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas.

A joint effort between Team Bank of America and the Fort Sam Houston Equestrian Center, the Nov. 18 event provided a day of relaxation and fun for about 60 servicemembers and their family members, Kirk Frady, vice president of military affairs for Bank of America Military Bank, said.

“It was a combination of fun, relaxation and therapy and I think we accomplished all three,” he said. “For some, it was their first time ever being on a horse. For others, it brought back fond memories of their riding days prior to sustaining injuries.”
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‘World Cup 2010’ development threatens Barn Swallows

A proposed airport development in South Africa is threatening the winter roosting sites of three million Barn Swallows that journey there after spending breeding months in countries across Europe and other parts of the world.

The development is being proposed by the South African government, apparently to meet the demands of hosting World Cup 2010.

Pittsburgh Zoo unveils polar bear home

Two polar bears at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium should be resting easier these days. The zoo has unveiled a $14 million exhibit for the animals that includes a waterfall, a freshwater stream and a 150,000-gallon pool chilled to between 50 and 55 degrees. It also features a yard where they can play or nap.

The bears even have an air-conditioned cave, with a viewing window for visitors to peer inside. "The colder, the better," said Amos Morris, curator of mammals at the zoo.

Remarkable close-up pictures of animals in the womb

Dog in the womb: at 52 days a full coat of light cream hair is visible with whiskers forming. At 39 days, the eyelids are fused to protect from contamination.





A two-hour documentary called “Animals in the Womb” will air on the National Geographic Channel next month.

Using a combination of three-dimensional ultrasound scans, computer graphics and tiny cameras, the team were able to show the entire process from conception to birth.

“These kind of images from inside animals have never been seen before,” said Jeremy Dear of Pioneer Productions, who made the film.

“We worked with dozens of zoos and animal sanctuaries across the world. There were a lot of different challenges - recording a dolphin is very different from an elephant, for instance.

Polydactyl cats

Cats usually have 5 toes on each forepaw, and 4 on each hind paw. Poly- or hyperdactyl cats have more than the usual 18 digits on their paws, although it occurs more frequently on the front feet.
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High-Rise Syndrome

It takes a normal cat about a two and a half feet of free-fall to orient himself to feet-down, and it wasn't until the advent of high-speed cameras that the acrobatics were fully understood. Much like an ice skater controls her rate of spin by pulling in or extending her arms, the cat first tucks in his front legs and splays out his rear legs, allowing him to quickly situate his forequarters with the feet down. He then reverses the procedure, extending his front legs and tucking in the rear legs, allowing the hindquarters to rapidly twist into position while the forequarters turn only slightly. Rear legs re-extend when in place, and he's fully deployed.

This position is ready for landing, but it also lends the cat a limited aerodynamic–much like the flying squirrel. The ability to increase drag slows a cat's average terminal velocity from a person's 130mph to a much happier 60mph.

Ermine

The ermine is a small animal that weighs between 3 - 15 ounces. The head and body length can range from 7 - 13 inches and the tail can grow up to 5 inches. The males are much longer than the females. In the spring and summer the ermine's coat is chocolate brown with a white underbelly and a black tip on the tail. In the winter the coat turns entirely white except for the black end of its tail.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Cat and dog fur trade banned by EU

Trading in dog and cat fur is to be banned in Europe after mounting evidence that unscrupulous manufacturers are using cheap pelts from China to line coats and gloves and to make children’s toys.

US investigators estimate that about two million dogs and cats are slaughtered each year for their pelts, which are often disguised by dying and can even be labelled as artificial fur. A BBC documentary found that fur trimmings on sale at market stalls along Oxford Street in London were made from dog and cat pelts.
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Your Bi-Lingual Kitty

Adult cats, living apart from humans, have very clear communication with one another. It is spoken mostly through scent, then through facial expression, complex body language, and touch.

Vocal communication involves caterwauls for mating, chattering upon spotting prey, hissing to ward off an intruder, or shrieking when hurt or terrified. Meowing is not part of this language. Meow-ese, it would seem, is a language developed exclusively for humans.

The only meowing in the cat world is done between mom cat and her young kittens. A kitten’s tiny “mew” is a cute, endearing sound, used to solicit attention and care from mom cat.

So why do cats have two “languages?”

Video: Adelie Penguins' "Rocky" Parenting

They don't make an arduous 50-mile (80-kilometer) march like their "movie star" neighbors. But that doesn't mean Adélie penguins have it easy when to comes to breeding.

Boxing Orangutans Freed And Returned Home

Dozens of orangutans forced to box each other in a Thai amusement park returned home Wednesday to start a new life in a jungle reserve on their native island of Borneo, officials said.

The 48 orangutans were flown to the capital, Jakarta, on board an Indonesian military transport plane and welcomed at the airport by the wife of Indonesia's president.

"We are very happy to get the orangutans back," Kristiani Yudhoyono said at a ceremony. "They belong to our vast nation, therefore we have to take them back to their habitat in a proper way."

Ethiopian lions poisoned to save money

Rare Abyssinian lion cubs are being poisoned at a zoo because staff cannot afford to keep them, a wildlife official said Wednesday.

The dead cubs are sold to taxidermists for $170 each to be stuffed and sold as decorations, said Muhedin Abdulaziz, the administrator at the old imperial Lion Zoo in the capital, Addis Ababa.

"These animals are the pride of our country. We need to do something about this. But our only alternative right now is to send them to the taxidermist," Abdulaziz said.

Art by Leigh Karen Joyce

Painting, 'After Midnight'

Muttpuppet

The Muttpuppet is a 3-in-1 dog toy featuring a durable cotton dog rope, detachable squeaker head, and a hidden rawhide bone.

Chimps prefer the older woman

Chimpanzee males prefer to have sex with older females, according to US researchers, showing one of the biggest behavioural differences between humans and our closest biological relatives.

Male chimps will chase down and fight over the oldest females.

Meanwhile, the youngest female chimps are forced to beg for masculine attention, say anthropologist Assistant Professor Martin Muller and colleagues at Boston University.

BowCow Puppy Purse

Watch the hordes mooove over, when you saunter down the street with this playful PuppyPurse.

Fluffy black-and-white spotted faux fur keeps your puppy comfy while you're out walking, shopping,... or just grazing.

5 er 7 Disturbing Dog Technologies

From the dog-powered scooter, to the Doggy Bag pet handbag, dogs are getting a pretty raw deal when it comes to technology and gadgets.

Art by Yuka Yamaguchi

Drawing: 'Inside of Me'

Art by Suzan Visser

Painting, 'Goedgemutste uilen'

Video: Shopping Penguin

Lala, a 14-year old King Penguin, goes shopping at the local fish store with his own little backpack.

Video: Two faced cat

An amazing cat - with two faces.

Video: Everyone Loves the Cat

Ponta the cat is dropped off at a "dog cafe" in Japan, where he's a surprise hit among the local canines.

Video: When cats attack

Run!!!!
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In my blue splayed shoes

Elvis and 16 other little blues who arrived at the International Antarctic Centre in September have been given specially designed shoes after several penguins developed sore feet in their new home.

Brought from Napier's Marineland to take centre stage at the Antarctic Centre's Penguin Encounter display, the penguins are "second-chance" birds. Many have disabilities due to injuries.

Antarctic Centre director Richard Benton said some of the penguins had developed sore feet, which had proved "tricky" to treat.

Veterinarian Pauline Howard had suggested rubber shoes.

What Jeff Killed

Your authoritative source for news and information about Jeff The Giant Orange Cat and his favorite pastime: killing things.

Clever Bonobo again triggers fire alarm

Panbanisha the bonobo is up to her tricks again. For the second time in two months, the 20-year-old animal triggered a fire alarm at the Great Ape Trust of Iowa research center.

The trouble started at about 8:15 a.m. Wednesday, when Panbanisha wanted to go outside but the staff was too busy to let her out, trust officials said. Panbanisha then apparently lost her temper and pulled the alarm, officials said.

It's a trick Panbanisha initially learned in October when she saw a welder start the alarm. It took her less than a day to learn how to duplicate the excitement.

When the alarm sounded again the next morning, "I went to check on Pan, and she was sitting there next to it with a smile on her face," said lead scientist Sue Savage-Rumbaugh last month.

Robot animal sculptures

Ann P Smith is an assemblage sculptor who makes extraordinary robot animals out of found electronics components and twisted wires.
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Rogue sea lion in S.F. menaces swimmers

A California sea lion lurking in San Francisco's Aquatic Park Lagoon is terrorizing swimmers, biting at least 14 on the legs and chasing 10 others out of the water this week.

Biologists are at a loss to explain the eccentric behavior that has forced the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park to close the lagoon to swimmers until the marauding mammal moves on. Experts say the animal could be protecting his harem of mates or might have brain damage from toxic algae.

Why Play Dead?

The list of animals that play possum includes not only the Virginia opossum, of course, but also some 21 snake species and plenty of other creatures as different as bison on the prairies and brittle stars in the oceans.

Many of these animals freeze when a predator appears, and standard wisdom maintains that predators lose interest in prey that doesn't move. Yet some biologists now question that truism and are looking for a fuller explanation for the roles that feigned death might play in animal interactions.

Art by Marrius

Painting, 'The Lady and the Cat'

Invasion of the giant Russian crabs

In the 1960s, Soviet scientists brought some red king crabs to the Arctic Ocean to farm them for meat (they’re as delicious as they are ugly). With classic Soviet efficiency, they lost a few. In 1976, one turned up in northern Norway. Now there are literally millions of them. They’re uninvited, unwelcome and seemingly unstoppable: some locals claim their voracious appetite for clams, fish eggs, seaweed and just about anything else is making a desert of the ocean floor.

Dolphins sing 'Batman' theme

The results of two scientific studies have shown that dolphins are capable of recognizing rhythms and pitch and are able to reproduce them. In order to best demonstrate this ability the scientists chose the epic, Batman theme song and were able to teach a shortened version to the dolphins who reproduced it in response to certain stimuli.