Animals
S


Attention

Tens of thousands of black sea hares found on Treasure Coast, Florida

Michael Allen
tcpalm.com
Thu, 23 Jul 2015 16:50 UTC
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© Laurie Blandford/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERSHundreds of sea hares were found on Waveland Beach in St. Lucie County.
Beach goers noticed hundreds of black sea creatures washed ashore Thursday at Waveland Beach.

Those creatures spotted along beaches in Martin and St. Lucie counties the past several days are, according to experts, black sea hares — and they pose no threat at all to beach goers.

"Think of them as a snail without any shell," said Zack Jud, Ph.D., director of education at the Florida Oceanographic Society. "They are absolutely harmless."

Jud said the sea hares are a part of the mollusk family and grow up to 15 inches long. Cold water upwelling is likely pushing them closer to shore.

"The water is getting so cold that they're not swimming very well," Jud said.

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Attention

Decomposed body of whale found on Ullala beach, India


seeandsaynews.in
Fri, 24 Jul 2015 14:26 UTC
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Dead whale
A giant dead whale was found at Mogaveerapatna sea shore on Friday morning July 24.

The 15 feet body of the fish was in completely decomposes state. As the stray dogs started barking, Praveen Kotian a local resident and member of life guards association reached the place and found the dead whale.

He then informed the matter to the police and Ullala purasabha members. Police and purasabha officers rushed to the spot and a huge crowd of enthusiast people gathered at the spot.
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Info

Diver killed in shark attack in Tasmania


ITAR-TASS
Sat, 25 Jul 2015 13:26 UTC
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© wikimedia.org
A diver has died in the shark attack Saturday near Maria Island 8 kilometers to the east of Tasmania's coast.

This is the first case of a deadly shark attack in Tasmania over last 17 years.
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Stop

GRAPHIC: Activists film horrific slaughter of 250 whales in Faroe Islands


RT
Sat, 25 Jul 2015 12:46 UTC
Image
© RT / Ruptly
Shocking footage has emerged showing the slaughter of 250 pilot whales in the Faroe Islands. The annual event, known as the grindadráp, sees locals luring the animals to the shore before attacking them with lances and knives.

The brutal scenes were filmed by Sea Shepherd, a non-profit marine conservation society. Five members of the group were arrested while attempting to disrupt the bloody event that has been practiced for centuries.

Comment: What possible justification can we have to kill so many whales? And in such a disgraceful manner with lack of respect for the animals. Nature's wrath is long overdue.

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Attention

Dead Pygmy sperm whale found on Maui shores, Hawaii

Melanie Yamaguchi
hawaiinewsnow.com
Thu, 23 Jul 2015 18:18 UTC
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© Peg Alm via Ocean Defender HawaiiDead pygmy sperm whale
An adult pygmy sperm whale was found dead Wednesday morning on the shores of on Maui.

According to David Schofield of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA's Marine Mammal Response Network responded to reports of the beached whale at around 6:30 a.m. By the time crews arrived, the 985-pound whale was confirmed dead.

A Hawaiian cultural practitioner was called to perform a blessing over the whale, Schofield said, before crews transported the carcass to Oahu via Aloha Air Cargo, where it was then taken to Hawaii Pacific University.

At approximately 10:30 p.m. that night, a necropsy was performed and officials determined the animal appeared healthy, meaning there were no clear signs of disease. However, there was a fracture near the whale's jaw area.
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Bug

Rampant locust swarms appear across Inner Mongolia

Guo Jing
english.cri.cn
Wed, 22 Jul 2015 17:11 UTC
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© CFPLocusts are seen on grassland in Chifeng, North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, July 22, 2015. An area of approximately 27,200 hectares in Chifeng’s Baarin Left Banner is under attack, with an average concentration of 42 locusts per square meter. In some areas, the density rises to 123. Both chemical and biological means are being used to fight the locusts.
Local governments across Inner Mongolia are taking steps to try to battle a massive locust infestation said to be taking over large parts of the region.

Both chemical and biological means are being used to fight the locusts.

Around 200-thousand hectares of farmland has come under attack since Friday.

Bateer, a local grassland management official in the city of Chifeng, says this is something they have to cope with on an annual basis.
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Camera

An increase in animal aggression or human stupidity? Fifth recent bison attack at Yellowstone after woman attempts selfie


news.yahoo.com
Wed, 22 Jul 2015 13:31 UTC
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© Mark Ralston, AFP/Getty ImagesAmerican Bison pass by tourists at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Yellowstone National Park officials are warning tourists to keep their distance after a bison flipped a woman into the air as she posed for a selfie with the massive beast.

The dangerous encounter was the fifth run-in between park-goers and buffalo this year.

Park officials said the 43-year-old Mississippi woman turned her back on the animal to get a photo with it near the Fairy Falls trailhead just outside Old Faithful.

Someone nearby saw the woman and her daughter about 6 yards from the animal and warned they were too close just before it came at them.

They tried to run, but the bison caught the woman and tossed her with its head.
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Red Flag

Another shark attack off Reunion Island

Justin Housman
Surfer
Wed, 22 Jul 2015 13:03 UTC
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© JoliSt. Leu, one of the most beautiful—and, because of sharks, deadly—places to surf in the world.
Details are still a bit vague, but there's been another shark attack on Reunion Island, this time at the fabled lefthander St. Leu.

South African expat Davy Stolk, who runs a surf shop in Reunion, told Zig Zag Magazine that it was the first time anybody had surfed St. Leu in a month. The attacked surfer was paddling in through the channel when he was bit on the forearm. The wounds don't appear to have been life threatening. Local surfer Alain Courtois told us that a group of surfers were able to tie a leash around the victim's arm and get him safely to shore. No word yet on the severity of the injury.

It's the 18th attack in the last four years. Seven of those attacks were deadly.

Comment: See also: Third shark attack off Reunion Island this year

Shark kills 15-year-old girl off Reunion island, Indian Ocean

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Fish

Giant squid tries to steal lunch from Russian fishermen


RT
Fri, 24 Jul 2015 06:51 UTC
Giant squid
© AFP Photo
Footage of an impressive giant squid filmed by Russian sailors has emerged online, with the animal attempting to steal the fishermen's catch.

In the video, the squid is trying to eat a large fish, while the sailors prod the animal with a pole to drive it off.


The squid is about five times as big as the huge fish it tries to snatch. The massive creature makes a valiant attempt, but is eventually pushed away by the sailors.

It remains unclear which species of squid this one is. There are two: the giant squid which is long, and the colossal squid which is broader and even larger than its cousin.

Not much is known about the species because only a few specimens have ever been caught or captured on video. Giant and colossal squids are about 12 meters in length.

"Its eyes are supposedly the largest in the animal kingdom, as big as a basketball perhaps. I mean bigger than my head, which is amazing to think about. And that's so they can see in the dark," Leslie Schwerin, who produced a documentary about giant squids, told the Discovery Channel.

Comment: See also:

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Attention

Dolphin refuses to abandon dead calf off the coast of Ostia, Italy


thelocal.it
Thu, 23 Jul 2015 21:26 UTC
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© Oceanomare Delphis/YouTubeResearchers said the dolphin was most likely the dead calf's mother.
A video showing a dolphin trying to bring a dead calf back to life off the coast of Ostia, near Rome, has melted hearts in Italy.

In the clip, which was filmed two miles off the coast of Ostia by researchers for the dolphin charity Oceanomare Delphis, a dolphin is seen pushing a lifeless calf across the ocean, apparently unable to come to terms with its death.

"In the absence of specific information we presume that the adult individual is the mother," the researchers said.

The researchers said that there was also another dolphin in the vicinity which appeared to be accompanying and supporting the pair.

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