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Attention

Dead Minke whale marked with graffiti discovered beneath Central Pier, Atlantic City

Steve Hughes
Press of Atlantic City
Thu, 01 May 2014 08:20 UTC
Image

The belly of a dead minke whale appeared to be covered in purple graffiti. The whale washed up Thursday morning beneath Central Pier.
A minke whale, its underbelly tagged with purple spray paint, was found Thursday morning under Central Pier, where it had washed up.

Besides the graffiti-marred whale, a dead common dolphin was also found at the beach on Indiana Avenue, about a half dozen blocks away.

Atlantic City police said the graffiti marks were not gang-related. The discernible markings appeared to be Greek letters.

The whale, roughly 12 to 15 feet long, was dragged from beneath the pier down the beach to a site near Martin Luther King Boulevard using an excavator and chains.

The dolphin was about 5 feet long and weighed less than 200 pounds.

A state pathologist will take samples to determine the cause of death and then they will be buried on the beach, said Robert Schoelkopf, director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center.

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Eye 2

Symbolic? Albino snake swallows own tail


The Telegraph, UK
Thu, 01 May 2014 08:00 UTC
Image

Bizarre footage has emerged of a snake eating its own tail after mistaking it for lunch
Onlookers marvel as a snake thrashes around while devouring its own tail, lending literal truth to the saying "you are what you eat"

A female albino western hognose snake astonished onlookers when they found it lying writhing in a hoop in a water dish.

The snake, whose diet usually includes small rodents, appeared to be eating itself from the tail, and even drew blood.

Snake experts believe this behaviour occurs in sick animals that are unaware of what they are doing.

The western hognose is found throughout the Great Plains states of North America from Canada to Mexico.

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Fish

Thousands of dead fish along Wisconsin shorelines after harsh winter


Star Tribune
Tue, 29 Apr 2014 07:01 UTC
Image
© AP Photo/Daily Tribune Media
In this photo taken April 28, 2014, a pair of dead fish lies in the sand along the East shoreline of Lake Petenwell in Rome, Wis. Thousands of dead fish are washing up on the shores of some central Wisconsin lakes.
Thousands of dead fish are washing up on the shores of some central Wisconsin lakes.

Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources says the phenomenon is likely the result of thick ice that trapped fish in waters with low oxygen, Daily Tribune Media reported (http://bit.ly/1rB4iJ6 ) Monday.

"They're all over the lake, probably thousands and thousands," said Rome bar owner Tom Koren.

Residents near Lake Petenwell are seeing a second unusual sight - pelicans have come to scoop up the dead carp, walleye and other fish.

"We don't normally have pelicans here," resident Jim Kiehl said. "Then, I saw dead fish lying on the bank."

DNR Fish Team supervisor Justine Hasz says it's likely the pelicans are turning up because their normal staging grounds on Lake Michigan are still frozen.

The DNR expects the cold winter will result in more dead fish in lakes throughout the state. The department expects winter kill to be worst in shallower, backwater areas. Castle Rock Lake also may have been hit hard, Hasz said.

Hasz said the DNR planned to investigate the issue further on Tuesday.

Source: Associated Press
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Attention

Viral disease? More than 20 peacocks die in Tharparkar, Pakistan


The Express Tribune
Tue, 29 Apr 2014 06:50 UTC
Image

Peacocks, such as the one pictured above, are native to Tharparkar. Several of them have died in the past week as the authorities struggle to find out the cause behind these sudden deaths.
More than 20 peacocks have died in different parts of the drought-hit district of Tharparkar while several others are infected with a viral disease

Nasrullah Samoon, a resident of Malsirio village, said that at least 18 birds have died in the last five days and many more have fallen sick. "The wildlife officials are not giving any attention towards the issue," he complained. "We are taking our own measures and giving them medicine tablets so our birds can survive."

In the adjacent Nangarparkar taluka, the situation is no different. "The birds can survive if the government starts vaccinating the birds right away," he said.

Meanwhile, the officials denied that so many birds have died. An assistant conservator of Tharparkar, Lajpat Sharma, admitted that a few cases have surfaced but, he insisted, the deaths have not been this many. "These birds are very sensitive to the weather and they are dying from the rise in mercury," he claimed.

Sharma said that his department has conducted tests recently and they found no traces of the Rani Khet disease among the peacocks in the desert. "Different diseases have been reported in recent days, such as eye infections."
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Info

Seabed survey reveals human litter in Europe's deepest ocean depths

Jessica Aldred
The Guardian
Wed, 30 Apr 2014 06:25 UTC
Image
© : Hermione Project/Plymouth University
A Heineken beer can found by a remote-operated vehicle in the upper Whittard canyon at 950m water depth.
Seabed survey reveals depth of marine litter problem by mapping waste in Atlantic and Arctic oceans and Mediterranean

Bottles, plastic bags, fishing nets and other human litter have been found in Europe's deepest ocean depths, according one of the largest scientific surveys of the seafloor to date.

Scientists used video and trawl surveys to take nearly 600 samples from 32 sites in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans and the Mediterranean Sea, from depths of 35 metres to 4.5 kilometres. They found rubbish in every Mediterranean site surveyed, and all the way from the continental shelf of Europe to the mid-Atlantic ridge, around 2,000km from land.

Plastic was the most common type of litter found on the seafloor, accounting for 41%, while rubbish associated with fishing activities (discarded net and fishing lines) made up 34%. Glass, metal, wood, paper and cardboard, clothing, pottery and unidentified materials were also documented.
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Eagle

Symbolic? Bald eagle crashes into boat on Interstate in Wisconsin and ends up trapped under shrink wrap

Brett Hart
The Chippewa Herald
Sat, 26 Apr 2014 05:43 UTC
Image
© SCOTT KREGNESS, Lee Newspapers
Scott Kregness of Tower, Minn., found this bald eagle inside the shrink wrap between to motors of a fire boat he was transporting after the bird crashed into the boat on Interstate 94 near Menomonie Friday morning.
Scott and Marilyn Kregness of Tower, Minn., got the surprise of a lifetime just before 9 a.m. Friday when a bald eagle used interstate highway speeds to take up residence in a fire boat being taken from Florida to northern Minnesota.

As the couple crossed over the Red Cedar River on Interstate 94 near Menomonie, the eagle dove across the top of the pickup truck and crashed through the shrink-wrapped boat, near the pilot house.

"We do a lot of traveling, and I've never had anything like this," Scott Kregness said.

An initial look over the crash site revealed a hole in the shrink wrap, but no blood or feathers, so the couple kept going. But a gentleman following them on the interstate pulled up beside them with his lights flashing and signaled for them to pull over. After pulling into the Menomonie rest stop, the other driver told Scott and Marilyn the eagle was still inside the boat.
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Cloud Precipitation

Devastating floods in northern Afghanistan kill 127; thousands homeless


Reuters
Mon, 28 Apr 2014 10:46 UTC
Image
© Unknown
More than 100 people have been killed and thousands left homeless by flash floods in north and west Afghanistan, officials said on Friday, prompting desperate pleas for help from the impoverished provincial authorities.

Thousands of homes have been engulfed by flood waters in four provinces after three days of heavy rain in what is traditionally a wet period at the start of spring.

In the northern province of Jawzjan, police chief Faqer Mohammad Jawzjani said 55 bodies had been recovered, and that the number of dead would increase over the coming days.

"Providing aid or help from the ground is impossible," he told Reuters. "We have carried 1,500 people to safe areas of neighboring districts by helicopter. We need emergency assistance from the central government and aid agencies."
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Cloud Precipitation

Record rains cause flooding in mid-Atlantic region of U.S.


MyFoxDC.com
Thu, 01 May 2014 12:22 UTC
Image
© AP
Record-breaking rainfall overflowed creeks and streams, causing flooding throughout the mid-Atlantic region.

Heavy rains slowed overnight, but officials warned motorists on Thursday to keep watching for flooded roads. Downed trees on overhead lines interrupted MARC Penn line service.

The National Weather Service says Dulles International and Reagan National airports broke 2005 rainfall records on Wednesday. Dulles got 3.99 inches and Reagan received 2.7 inches. Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport tied a 1947 record of 3.06 inches.
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Bizarro Earth

Baltimore sinkhole that 'looked like a landslide' swallows cars, walls - and a street

Lizzie Dearden
The Independent, UK
Thu, 01 May 2014 15:45 UTC
Baltimore Sinkhole_1
© The Independent, UK
Area had been drenched by torrential rainfall in recent days.
A giant sinkhole has swallowed cars, walls, pavements and part of a street running along a whole block in Baltimore.

No one was injured when it appeared on Wednesday but homes were evacuated amid fears they would slide into the chasm.

The sinkhole was so large that many people mistook it for a landslide.

The Mayor of Baltimore, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, said emergency services cordoned off the area around 26th Street and train services were suspended because the railway was covered in debris.

"We're extremely blessed that we're talking about property damage and damage to the streets and not any loss of life," she added.

The Mayor said she would "take a look" at claims that residents had previously raised concerns about the street.
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Bizarro Earth

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 6.6 - 201km WNW of Ile Hunter, New Caledonia


US Geological Survey
Thu, 01 May 2014 14:25 UTC
Hunter Quake_010514
© USGS
Event Time
2014-05-01 06:36:35 UTC
2014-05-01 17:36:35 UTC+11:00 at epicenter

Location
21.502°S 170.352°E depth=105.3km (65.4mi)

Nearby Cities
201km (125mi) WNW of Ile Hunter, New Caledonia
327km (203mi) ESE of We, New Caledonia
398km (247mi) ENE of Mont-Dore, New Caledonia
409km (254mi) E of Dumbea, New Caledonia
411km (255mi) ENE of Noumea, New Caledonia

Technical Details
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