Animals
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Researchers capture rare beautiful kingfisher in the Solomon Islands - then KILL it for 'study purposes'

Tom Parfitt
Daily Express, UK
Wed, 07 Oct 2015 18:32 UTC
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© UNIVERSITY OF KANSASUS researchers discovered the moustached kingfisher last month
The male moustached kingfisher was caught on camera for the first time ever by US scientists two weeks ago.

But they decided to slaughter the elusive blue bird - which was apparently in good health - to research it further.

Paul Sweet from the American Museum of Natural History said its population was substantial enough to withstand the loss.

But it is thought there are as few as 250 of the birds left, according to experts.
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Attention

Signs and Portents: Lizard with 3 tails found in Kosovo

Faye Marcos Jimenea
Food World News
Thu, 01 Oct 2015 14:24 UTC
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© Daniel JablonskLizard with 3 tails
An odd discovery happened in nature last July 2015, when a group of researchers from Slovakia captured an unusual Dalmatian Algyroides lizard, scientific name Algyroides nigropunctatus in Dedaj village, Metohija, Kosovo. It is commonly found in the Mediterranean areas and areas in the Balkans. The lizard seemed to display an exotic trait when the researchers discovered the cold blooded animal because it has trifurcated tail, or in layman's term, it grew three tails instead of one.

Lizards have been long known to have the capability to regrow their severed tails. It is a unique trait that they manifest. Finding a two tailed lizard is rare in itself, but to have found a lizard with tree tails is quite out of this world. "I have been studying reptiles for a long time and examined hundreds or maybe thousands of specimens, but this was my very first three-tailed lizard," Daniel Jablonski, a biologist at Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia, co-discoverer of the lizard, said.
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Wolf

Wild boar attacks and injures beach-goers in China

Helen Whitehouse
Daily Mirror, UK
Mon, 05 Oct 2015 19:51 UTC
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The boar charges through the tourist area during the scary footage
This terrifying footage, captured on CCTV, shows the moment a massive oar wandered into a heavily populated area

You've probably heard the expression 'bull in a china shop' but what about boar on a beach?

That's exactly what happened in this clip, when a 12 stone (176lb) boar invaded a tourist beach in China.

People were enjoying a relaxing meal outside when the massive animal appeared from nowhere.

The incident took place in Da Peng area of Shenzhen at around 9pm on September 19.

The footage, captured by a CCTV camera, shows the moment that the wild boar appeared and started to charge.

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Attention

Teenage surfer bitten by shark off New Smyrna Beach, Florida; 10th attack in the area this year

Steven Lemongello
Orlando Sentinel
Tue, 06 Oct 2015 19:06 UTC
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Jaws 10
A teenage surfer was bitten by a shark off of New Smyrna Beach Sunday morning, a Volusia County Beach Patrol spokesman said.

The 14-year-old boy from Vero Beach was with four other surfers in the water about 100 yards out in the water near Beachway Avenue, Capt. Aaron Jenkins said.

Just before 8:30 a.m., the boy was paddling out when he was bitten on the left hand by what was described as a 4- to 5-foot-long blacktip shark.

The boy "punched it away," Jenkins said, and returned to shore, where he flagged down a beach-safety ocean-rescue officer who treated his injuries.

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Binoculars

Experiment using magnets proves that reed warblers use a geomagnetic map

Sarah Griffiths
Daily Mail, UK
Mon, 05 Oct 2015 18:41 UTC
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Researchers have used a magnet to deliberately send Eurasian reed warblers (shown) off course
Long-distance songbirds perform incredible feats of navigation during their spring migration.

While scientists know the birds use the sun or stars as a 'map,' the idea that birds use magnetic compasses has been difficult to prove.

Now a group of researchers have used a magnet to deliberately send Eurasian reed warblers off course, to show they rely on a geomagnetic map cues to point them in the right direction.

In the experiment, the birds were captured at Rybachy, Russia, during their spring migration.
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Question

Strange animal behaviour: Wild boar found swimming 6km off Italy coast


thelocal.it
Tue, 29 Sep 2015 18:28 UTC
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© Julien NakosThe wild boar was caught on camera 6km off the Puglian coast by amateur fishermen.
It was probably the last thing a group of Italian fishermen expected to see - an exhausted wild boar swimming in circles, 6km off the coast of Taranto in Italy's southern Puglia region.

The amateur fishermen had taken their recreational boat out for a spin when and were stunned to see the creature on the high seas.

They captured the moment in the video below.

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Attention

Fisherman finds whale carcass on a reef near Nukulau Island, Fiji

Tevita Vuibau
The Fiji Times
Tue, 06 Oct 2015 18:15 UTC
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© Rakesh KumarBaswa Sunny Nand, a fisherman of Vatuwaqa, was caught by surprise when he stumbled upon a whale carcass near Nukulau Island yesterday.
Baswa Sunny Nand has been a fisherman for more than 30 years and in that time he has seen a lot of things at sea.

But yesterday he was surprised when he stumbled upon the carcass of a whale on a reef near Nukulau Island.

Mr Nand said he was on his way back from a fishing trip when he saw the stranded carcass.

"At first I thought that it was a capsized fibreglass boat. I came close to investigate thinking that I may be able to tow it in to shore. But when I got closer I saw that it was a whale," Mr Nand said.
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Attention

Montana hunter survives grizzly bear attack after sticking his arm down the animal's throat

Christopher Brennan
Daily Mail, UK
Mon, 05 Oct 2015 15:07 UTC
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Chase Dewoll, 26, survived a bear attack while hunting near Choteau, Montana, after he remembered that large animals have poor gag reflexes and he stuck his arm down the bear's throat
A bow hunter looking for elk in Montana escaped death when he thwarted a grizzly bear attack by sticking his arm down the animal's gullet.

Chase Dellwo, 26, was with his brother Shane near the town of Choteau when he went off by himself and tried to scare a herd possible targets towards his hunting partner.

However, he soon found himself three feet away from a 400-pound grizzly.

Dellwo was bitten on the head and leg, but survived and made it back to his brother after remembering a curious fact about the bear's anatomy.
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Attention

Signs and Portents: Weird mutant buffalo born in Thailand

Kirstie McCrum
Daily Mirror, UK
Mon, 05 Oct 2015 18:00 UTC
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The creature by local villagers is thought to bring good luck
Confusing genetic creations happen all the time, but this is one of the most unusual animals seen in a long time

Images have been shared of a most unusual creature spotted in a remote village - and it's the stuff of sci-fi movies.

The strange animal appears to have the scaly, rough head and skin of a reptile such as a crocodile.

However, on closer inspection, it's also got the body, limbs and hooves of a mammal such as a calf.

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Attention

Dead whale washes up at Portstewart Strand, Northern Ireland

Ricky Thompson
u.tv
Mon, 05 Oct 2015 17:48 UTC
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© Beth JohnstonThe whale had been spotted drifting towards shore on Monday morning.
Beach-goers at Portstewart Strand had a nasty surprise on Monday as the washed-up carcass of a 30ft whale interrupted the normally picturesque view of the sea.

The animal, which was floating in the surf, seemed to have been injured before its death and a part of its body appeared to be bloated.

Hundreds have flocked to the beach to catch a glimpse of the unusual sight.

Initial reports suggested it may be a minke whale but Suzanne Beck, a scientist with the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute in Northern Ireland, has cast doubt over the species.

The minke is the smallest of the baleen whales found in UK waters, measuring 22 to 32 feet when fully grown, with females usually growing to be slightly bigger than males.

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