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Attention

4 whales strand at New Taipei,Taiwan after Typhoon Soudelor


Asiaone
Thu, 13 Aug 2015 13:52 UTC
Image
© Wikimedia Commons Dwarf sperm whale
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday it found four whales stranded on the beaches of New Taipei City after Typhoon Soudelor, only one of which survived.

The four whales ranged in size and included a dwarf sperm whale and a three-foot-long Bryde's whale, the CGA reported last night.

The sole survivor was a 250-kilogram sperm whale that was spotted around 1 p.m. yesterday on Kuo-sheng-ts'un Beach in New Taipei City. Three Coast Guard officers and one civilian fishing boat lifted the whale and were able to lead it back to deeper waters for release.

A Bryde's whale and a second sperm whale were found later yesterday in Wanli District in northeastern New Taipei City. Both died onshore shortly after discovery.

The Bryde's whale was found at around 4 p.m. in Xialiao Beach and died an hour later despite rescue efforts, according to the CGA. The Taiwan Cetacean Society said it will conduct an autopsy Wednesday to determine the cause of death.
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Attention

Elephant rams tourist car in South Africa

Zainul Dawood and Kamcilla Pillay
iol.co.za
Wed, 12 Aug 2015 18:30 UTC
Image
© Daily NewsA hole in the driver side door caused by the elephant.
Two French tourists had a close encounter with an elephant bull at the Hluhluwe Game Reserve when it rammed into their car, leaving a gaping hole in the driver's door and buckling the dashboard.

The tourists were unharmed but in shock on Tuesday.

There was an unconfirmed report of a second car being pushed off the road in the reserve.

Jeff Asher-Wood, of EuroZulu Guided Tours and Safaris, posted on his Facebook page that an elephant bull in musth pushed a Toyota Corolla to the side of the road.

Wood said when he got there, the young French couple were still in the car, shaken but unhurt. He arranged another car for them and informed the park authorities of the incident.
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Attention

Unusual animal behaviour: Whale with plastic bags caught in mouth swims up to fishing boat and seems to ask for help, Sydney, Australia

Andrew Hewitt
Daily Mirror, UK
Thu, 13 Aug 2015 17:52 UTC
Image
Filmed: Ron Kovacs catches on camera the moment the group comes to the aid of the whale
Stunned fishermen take photos as friendly mammal nudges their boat until they free it of any litter

This is the amazing moment a troubled whale approached a fishing boat and asked its crew for help.

Fishermen were stunned as the giant mammal swam up to them, nudged their boat and appeared to show plastic bags caught in its mouth.

The group came to the assistance of the whale, pulling plastic bags and fishing rods from its mouth.

Michael Riggio, 17, decided to get a keepsake, taking selfie snaps while his friend Ivan Iskenderian, stretched out to help the animal.

"It was surreal, we couldn't believe our eyes," said Ivan.

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Attention

4 dead humpback whales found off British Columbia coast in a week

Andrew Weichel
bc.ctvnews.ca
Wed, 12 Aug 2015 17:38 UTC
Image
© FacebookFour dead humpback whales have been found off the B.C. coast over the last week, including this one found near Klemtu.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is investigating whether there's any link between four humpback whales found dead off B.C.'s central coast over the last week.

Marine mammal coordinator Paul Cottrell said necropsies were performed on two of the whales, but it could take weeks to determine the causes of death.

Though details are sparse, Cottrell said the number of recent discoveries is troubling.

"It's definitely a pulse and it's something we are concerned about," he said. "We're hoping we don't get any more."

One of the whales, a young female, was reported a few days ago near the community of Klemtu, north of Bella Bella. Someone from the local First Nation secured the whale to the shore, allowing Cottrell and a provincial veterinarian to perform a necropsy on Saturday.

Philip Charles, a guide with Spirit Bear Adventures, shared breathtaking photos of the animal online along with an emotional farewell.
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Fish

Carcasses of fish, pelicans and dolphin wash up for miles along shoreline of La Brea, Trinidad

Kevon Felmine
Trinidad and Tobago Guardian
Tue, 11 Aug 2015 13:54 UTC
Image
Dead fish at La Brea, Trinidad
As the carcasses of fish, pelicans and even a dolphin washed up on the beaches of La Brea last weekend, president of the La Brea Fisherfolk Association Alvin La Borde is pleading with the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) to conduct comprehensive studies on toxicity levels of the Gulf of Paria.

Speaking by telephone yesterday, La Borde said although many people blame Petrotrin's oil spill in December 2013, the washing up of dead fish in La Brea has been going on long before that incident.

However, he said it had been increasing in recent times and it was becoming extremely worrying as they feared the gulf may be contaminated.

Yesterday, Point Sable, Carat Shed Beach and Coffee Beach were feasting grounds for corbeaux as carcasses littered the shoreline for miles. A few beachgoers who gathered at Carat Shed Beach said they dared not enter the water as they were not sure if the beach was safe.
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Eye 2

Signs and Portents: Two-headed snake born in Chinese zoo

Jon Dean
Daily Mirror, UK
Tue, 11 Aug 2015 16:15 UTC
Image
A two-headed snake
This incredibly rare and slightly terrifying two-headed snake has turned up at a Chinese zoo.

The triple-ended serpent was born ten days ago on a snake farm in Yulin southern China, run by a breeder known only as Mr Huang.

He brought the mutant Chinese Cobra to Nunning Zoo, where it is still alive despite refusing to eat or drink.

Both of the heads have their own brain and sometimes try and move in different directions, reports the People's Daily Online.

In the past two-headed snakes have been known to attack, kill and even eat each other.

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Bug

Thousands of spiders build giant webs in Rowlett, Texas

Gretel Kauffman
msn.com
Mon, 10 Aug 2015 13:30 UTC
Image
© (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service/ Mike Merchant)A large ‘communal’ spider web at the Lakeside Park South section of the Dallas suburb of Rowlett.
Thousands of spiders joining forces to build webs tall enough to cover trees may sound like something straight out of a horror movie, but that's exactly what's happening in Rowlett, Texas.

Visitors driving along CA Roan Drive, a tree-lined stretch of road in the Dallas suburb, will notice giant "glistening webs ... draping the trees like shrouds," as described by Mike Merchant, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist in Rowlett. These webs extend up to 40 feet and are inhabited by the thousands of spiders who came together to spin them in a communal effort.

This phenomenon, while rare, is not unprecedented. In 2007, more than 3,300 curious visitors flocked to see a giant spider web in Lake Tawakoni State Park, roughly 35 miles from Rowlett. Park Superintendent Donna Garde described the sight as "something out of a low-budget horror movie, but I was looking at something five times as big as what you'd see on a Hollywood set."

The monster webs on the shores of Lake Tawakoni set the international arachnology community abuzz, and caused many to wonder whether they were witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.


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Attention

'Unusual' bacteria may be responsible for Northern muskox population's decline


CBC News
Mon, 10 Aug 2015 05:28 UTC
decline in the muskox population
© Peter Klaunzer/Associated PressResearchers believe that erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, an 'unusual' bacteria, could be the culprit for a large decline in the muskox population on both Banks Island and Victoria Island.

Researchers figure bacteria, climate change among main factors causing decline in N.W.T., Nunavut population

A bacteria may be the culprit for the sharp decline of the muskox population in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, according to a team of researchers.

The bacteria, erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, has been observed in deceased muskoxen on Banks Island, in the Northwest Territories, as well as Nunavut's Victoria Island, since 2010. Researchers are now studying other animals in the northern ecosystem to observe the spread of the disease.

The bacteria is "normally found in pigs and poultry," said Susan Kutz, an associate professor at the University of Calgary. "This has never been found in the Arctic or in muskox before. It's very unusual to find such a thing."

The researchers believe lemmings have been transmitting the bacteria to the muskoxen. It's unclear whether it even affects the rodents; they may simply be a carrier.

"It's a hypothesis at this point," said Kutz.

Comment: See also:
  • Strange animal behaviour: Muskox repeatedly charged dog despite warning shots in Wales, Alaska - other similar incidents reported

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Bizarro Earth

Park rangers at Yellowstone catch suspected killer bear

Jennifer Calfas
USA Today
Mon, 10 Aug 2015 12:22 UTC
grizzly
© Jim Urquhart, AP

Rangers at Yellowstone National Park have captured a grizzly bear they believe may be the one that killed a hiker at the park on Friday.

On Monday, the park identified the victim as Lance Crosby, 68, of Billings, Mont. Park officials said Crosby was not carrying bear spray at the time of the attack.

Rangers believe a female grizzly bear killed Crosby, then fed on his remains. Autopsy results have not been released.

Yellowstone spokeswoman Julena Campbell told USA TODAY a female grizzly bear was caught early Saturday morning after rangers set up traps in the area hours after finding the victim's body Friday. Park officials will complete several tests to identify the grizzly bear as the one involved in the killing.

Tests include matching the shape and size of the bear tracks to ones found in the area and comparing the bear's DNA to that found on the victim's body. Campbell said park officials sent DNA evidence to a lab Monday morning for testing, and results will come in the next few days.

If officials identify the bear as the one involved in the attack, the bear will be euthanized. Campbell said this is due to the fact that the bear fed on the victim's body.

"We don't have any way of knowing the circumstances that led up to this one," Campbell said. "But we do know after she killed him, she was consuming him. She will be euthanized because of the facts that she was feeding on the person."
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Question

Painting of Ireland's Loch Ness monster resurfaces after 144 years

Michael Parsons
The Irish Times
Tue, 11 Aug 2015 02:16 UTC
Sea Monster
© Mary Evans Picture Library in London‘A large and frightening sea monster seen by several people off the coast of Kilkee, Ireland’. Image from The Days’ Doings, 1871.
An image of Co Clare's sea-serpent - Victorian Ireland's equivalent of the Loch Ness monster - has resurfaced after 144 years.

The artist's impression of the bizarre ocean creature, allegedly spotted off the coast of the resort village of Kilkee, has been found lurking in the depths of a London archive.

The "monster" was the subject of various reported sightings in the 19th-century, including one in 1850 when it was seen, improbably, "sunning itself near the Clare coast off Kilkee".

The most notable sighting was in September 1871, when the "large and frightening sea monster" was seen by several people, who "all had their nerves considerably upset by the dreadful appearance of this extraordinary creature" .

The story first appeared in the Limerick Chronicle and quickly caught the attention of Fleet Street, where even the London Times commented on the appearance of the "fabled sea serpent in Ireland".
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