Animals
S


Heart

Four killer whales saved in rescue operation in Russia's Far East


RT
Wed, 20 Apr 2016 03:58 UTC
Russians rescue whales
A challenging rescue operation in Russia's Far East was declared a success after four orcas, including a pup, were freed from an ice trap in the Sea of Okhotsk off Sakhalin Island.

The killer whales' plight triggered a unique eight-hour rescue mission, which was carried out by the Russian Emergencies Ministry with the help of a local fishing company. As the bay where the orcas got stuck was shallow and filled with ice and rocks, a traditional fishing boat was enlisted for the job, in place of a rescue vessel.

Rescuers used hooks to move pieces of ice out of the way of the animals, but they turned out to be no match for the largest chunks. Undeterred by the obstacle, however, they used some ingenuity and attached a thick rope to a vehicle on the shore that towed the bigger slabs of ice out of the path of the whales.

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Black Cat

Mountain lion empties Los Angeles schoolyard at lunch break [video]


Sputnik
Sun, 17 Apr 2016 18:14 UTC
A mountain lion roamed several miles from his natural habitat to an urban area of Los Angeles, where he ended up in the yard of a high school
Californian Mountain Lion
© unknownCalifornian mountain lion
Students at John F. Kennedy High School in Los Angeles got an unusual visitor on Friday when a mountain lion began prowling around the premises during lunch break, causing teachers and students to secure themselves inside the building.


Comment: We're reporting more and more strange and uncharacteristic behaviour by animals each month. For just a few reports so far this month, see:

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Fish

Fishermen in Thailand catch bizarre deep sea fish

Amie Gordon
Daily Mail
Sun, 17 Apr 2016 12:16 UTC
Fishermen were left stunned when they caught this bizarre creature of the deep during a fishing trip in Thailand
Fishermen were left stunned when they caught this bizarre creature of the deep during a fishing trip in Thailand
Fishermen were left stunned when they caught this bizarre creature of the deep during a fishing trip in Thailand.

Video captured aboard the boat shows the large fish writhing around after it was captured in the fishermen's net.

With razor-sharp teeth and a pale, eel-like body, footage of the animal has now gone viral, leaving viewers baffled as they attempt to guess what species it could be.

In the clip, the fish can be seen squirming and even clamping its gasping jaws around the stick.

Despite being pulled from the sea, the fish survives the ordeal, opening its mouth each time it is poked by the crew aboard the boat.

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Fish

Thousands of swordfish found dead on Lopes Mendes beach, Brazil


Strange Sounds
Sat, 16 Apr 2016 11:14 UTC
Dead swordfish
© Plantao NoticiasDead swordfish
The Lopes Mendes Beach is considered the 8th most beautiful of the world, and 2nd most beautiful in Brazil.

But on Monday, April 11, 2016, this idyllic place turned into a horror scenario as thousands of swordfish were found dead on the beach sands.

The killing was first attributed to water pollution.

As many of the swordfish had a broken neck, officials however say that the probable cause of this dead fish appearing on this paradisiac beach is overfishing.

swordfish
© Boa Informacao
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Bad Guys

Sixth Extinction continues: Mass deaths of Saiga antelope in Kazakhstan caused by bacteria

Henry Nicholls
The Guardian
Thu, 14 Apr 2016 13:09 UTC
Saiga antelope deaths
© Anatoly Ustinenko/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesSaiga antelope in 2011, before the mass deaths of 2015.
Almost total decimation of Betpak-Dala's population of 200,000 saiga antelopes in 2015 caused by pathogen that led to hemorrhagic septicemia, say scientists

The mysterious mass deaths of about 200,000 saiga antelopes in Kazakhstan last year was caused by a bacterial infection.

As news emerged in May last year of the near-total decimation of the Betpak-Dala population of saiga antelope, there was plenty of speculation but few concrete answers as to what might have been responsible.

Kazakhstan's mass antelope deaths mystify conservationists

One idea was that rainfall had resulted in widespread, mortal bloat. Perhaps there had been some infectious disease that had wiped out herd after herd. Some even blamed poisoning by toxic rocket fuel spread around Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Comment: Mass die-offs of species large and small are becoming increasing common, does it speak to a fundamental shift in the environment?

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Attention

Rare 'megamouth' shark caught off Japan

Tom Evans
Daily Star (UK)
Sat, 16 Apr 2016 13:43 UTC
Fishermen were stunned to when they saw the massive beast
Fishermen were stunned to when they saw the massive beast
An incredibly rare deepwater shark has been caught by terrified fishermen.

The massive 16ft beast was snared in fishing nets as stunned sailors were forced to pull up the monstrous fish - reportedly weighing over a tonne.

The enormous deep sea dweller has been identified as a megamouth shark and was caught five kilometres off the coast of central Japan.

They have only been spotted 60 times since they were first discovered in 1976 - when a deep-sea anchor caught one off the coast of Hawaii.

The sharks dive as deep as 160 metres underwater during the day before rising as high as 12 metres during the night to feed.


The shark was 16ft long
The shark was 16ft long
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Cow

Signs and Portents: Two-headed calf discovered at slaughterhouse in Obidos, Brazil

Janet Tappin Coelho , James Day
Daily Mirror
Fri, 15 Apr 2016 13:34 UTC
Two headed calf
© Liliane VianaTwo headed calf
Gruesome remains of a malformed two-headed calf have stunned slaughterhouse staff in Brazil.

The freak creature was discovered in the womb of a slaughtered cow thought to have been too old to produce anymore offspring.

Each fully formed head had a pair of eyes, ears, nostrils and a muzzle, and each sat on separate necks attached to a single body with four legs and a shared tail.

The still born calf, weighing around 5kg and aged around seven months old, was also completely hairless .
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Megaphone

The cicadas are coming! New brood will descend on the northeastern US

Travis M. Andrews
Washington Post
Fri, 15 Apr 2016 19:14 UTC
cicada
© Kevin AmbroseCicadas
The eighth biblical plague that tortured Egypt was a plague of locusts.

As described in Exodus 10:5, "And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field."

Flip the aforementioned "they" from locusts to cicadas, and that's actually a pretty apt description of what residents in some parts of Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia will experience next month when the soil warms to 64 degrees and billions of cicadas rise from the ground to mate. Fortunately, cicadas can't chew so they don't devour our plants and trees. If they manage to avoid predators long enough they suck up plant sap but not enough to any real damage.
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Attention

7-foot bull shark bites diver off Singer Island, Florida


Sun Sentinel
Wed, 13 Apr 2016 14:47 UTC
Shark attacks
Officials say a diver was bitten by a 7-foot bull shark off South Florida's coast.

Local media outlets report that rescuers responded to the injured diver Wednesday at the Sailfish Marina. The bite had occurred about 2 miles offshore as three people were spearfishing in 60 feet of water.

Riviera Beach Fire Rescue says in a Twitter post that the diver was bitten several times on the arm and was taken to a nearby hospital with significant wounds.

The International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida says bull sharks average between 200 and 290 pounds and can grow up to 8 feet long.

The diver's name and condition weren't immediately released.


Source: The Associated Press.
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Fish

Toxic PCB contamination effectively sterilizing marine animals, populations at risk of extinction

Christina Sarich
Natural Society
Thu, 14 Apr 2016 00:00 UTC
stranded whale
It has been highly reported that biotechnology company Monsanto made attempts to hide the true impact thattoxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have on the environment, which has led numerous cities to file lawsuits against the company. Now, new research has surfaced on the true effects behind Monsanto's PCBs and their impact on wildlife.

The PCBs have been putting European killer whales and bottlenose striped dolphins at risk.

A recently-released study says that the PCB-contamination of the dolphin and whale's habitats have caused entire populations to suffer. The exposure to PCBs is causing them to become reproductively-stagnate. In other words, the chemicals are causing reproductive impairment. Some scientists warn that some of these animals could experience serious damage if something isn't done. A pod of killer whales off the coast of the UK has dwindled to just 8 individuals and has reportedly not given birth to a calf since 1992.

Comment: See also: Whales and dolphins in danger of highly toxic waste still lingering in UK waters

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