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Wed, 29 Sep 2021
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Butterfly

The bird's-eye view: How birds see the world compared to humans

Hamza Naseem
Sciencephile
Fri, 28 Feb 2020 18:38 UTC
Rockhopper Penguin
© Ian Glover/Flickr
Rockhopper Penguin
How is it that an eagle can snatch a rabbit off the ground from hundreds of feet in the air and we can not even grab a glass off a table without knocking it over? It's because they see the world differently from us.

Thankfully, a recent scientific research has revealed an astonishing world of vision diversity across the animal kingdom.

The dragonfly brain works so fast that it sees movements in slow motion, snakes pick up infrared thermal signals from hot objects, thus detecting their prey, while horses and zebras have their eyes pointed to the side, which allowing them to have a peripheral vision and to avoid the dangers when necessary.
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Arrow Down

Two super-rare white giraffes, including world's only known female, killed by poachers in Kenya

Elias Marat
The Mind Unleashed
Wed, 11 Mar 2020 12:47 UTC
Giraffes

HIROLA CONSERVANCY: The giraffes lived in an unfenced conservancy
In the latest senseless crime against wildlife, two extremely rare white giraffes in Kenya have reportedly been killed by poachers.

Rangers at the Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy discovered the carcasses of a female white giraffe and her calf in a village in Garissa County.

Conservancy manager Mohammed Ahmednoor on Tuesday said that after a long search, they were only able to recover the super-rare animals' skeletal remains. In a statement, he said:

"This is a very sad day for the community of Ijara and Kenya as a whole. We are the only community in the world who are custodians of the white giraffe.

It's killing is a blow to the tremendous steps taken by the community to conserve rare and unique species and a wake-up call for continued support to conservation efforts.

This is a long-term loss given that genetics studies and research which were significant investment into the area by researchers, has now gone to the drain. Also, the white giraffe was a big boost to tourism in the area."
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Attention

86 dusky dolphins found dead on remote Namibian beach

Nyasha Nyaungwa
MSN
Tue, 10 Mar 2020 12:02 UTC
Probe launched after 86 dolphins die on beach

Probe launched after 86 dolphins die on beach
Namibia said on Monday that 86 dusky dolphins, including two calves just days old, had been found dead on a remote beach and it had launched an investigation into what happened.

Marine biologist Kolette Grobler estimated that the mammals had been dead for about a week before they were found on Friday by commercial lobster fishermen at Hottentot Bay, some 40 km (25 miles) north of the southwestern coastal town of Luderitz.

"We suspect that one of them was injured or got sick and called on the others for help, and this might have caused them to accidentally beach themselves," Grobler said.
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Attention

Three whales dead in Northland, New Zealand after second stranding in one day

Ryan Anderson
Stuff
Tue, 10 Mar 2020 19:41 UTC
The two whales still stranded were euthanised around 11am on Tuesday
© ABI MONTEITH/DOC
The two whales still stranded were euthanised around 11am on Tuesday
Three pygmy killer whales have died after a small pod was stranded onshore at a Northland beach overnight, less than a day after another stranded whale died.

Four whales were found on Waipu beach about 6pm Monday and reported to Project Jonah and the Department of Conservation. One of the pygmy whales had to be euthanised on Monday night, with two more following close to eleven on Tuesday morning as they were too ill to be saved. The fourth whale is still believed to have been successfully re-floated and in the ocean.

DoC spokeswoman Abi Monteith said local iwi will now decide what to do with the whales. They will either be cleansed, buried or passed on for scientific research.

Comment: Also recently a dead Gray whale washed up in San Clemente, California and a lifeless Humpback appeared at Nags Head, North Carolina (both on March 6th).

A dead whale washed up on shore in San Clemente
© Matt Larmand
A dead whale washed up on shore in San Clemente on Friday, March 6, before being hauled off to be examined for cause of death.

Humpback whale was washed ashore in Nags Head, NC.
© Charlotte Observer
Humpback whale was washed ashore in Nags Head, NC.


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Cow

Signs and Portents: Two-headed calf dies on Fiji

Anish Chand
The Fiji Times
Mon, 09 Mar 2020 12:00 UTC
2 headed
© Facebook/I Love Animals Group
A small farming community in Rakiraki marvelled at the birth of a stillborn two-headed calf last Friday.

For many in Rarapatu, the event gave them the opportunity to witness the unique deformity for the first time.

"The cow was having difficulties in giving birth so we called a traditional masseur who managed to assist in the birth process,' said animal owner Karan Naidu.

He said the rare phenomenon was only marred by the death of the deformed calf.

"We buried it and the only consolation is that its mother is OK."
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Attention

Signs and Portents: Goat gives birth to kid with 2 heads, 3 eyes in Kerala, India


Mathrubhumi
Mon, 09 Mar 2020 13:21 UTC
Two-headed kid

Two-headed kid
In a bizarre incident, a goat gave birth to a two-headed kid here the other day. The goat kid has three eyes. The goat is owned by Kanjikkuzhi Churulippathal native Kuttiyachan.

The kid was taken out with the help of a veterinary doctor. Though the goat kid seems to be healthy at present, it is being fed milk with a feeding bottle.

Dr Gladis Vembally of Kanjikkuzhi veterinary hospital said that the double-headed kid is born due to genetic disorder and the kid is not likely to survive more than a month.
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Butterfly

Spring arriving earlier across the US throwing wildlife into disarray

Theresa Crimmins
The Conversation
Wed, 04 Mar 2020 12:59 UTC
trout lily
© Katja Schulz/Wikipedia, CC
Yellow trout lily flowers nearly a week earlier now than in previous decades in the Appalachian Mountains.
Across much of the United States, a warming climate has advanced the arrival of spring. This year is no exception. In parts of the Southeast, spring has arrived weeks earlier than normal and may turn out to be the warmest spring on record.


Comment: An early and warm spring does not equal a warming climate, because the US and much of the planet are also breaking numerous cold records.


Apple blossoms in March and an earlier start to picnic season may seem harmless and even welcome. But the early arrival of springtime warmth has many downsides for the natural world and for humans.

Rising temperatures in the springtime signal plants and animals to come alive. Across the United States and worldwide, climate change is steadily disrupting the arrival and interactions of leaf buds, cherry blossoms, insects and more.

Comment: See also: And check out SOTT radio's:

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Doberman

Woman killed by pack of dogs in Washington County, Florida


wtvy.com
Fri, 06 Mar 2020 11:14 UTC
dog attack
A resident of Home Sweet Home, an assisted living facility in Washington County, about 8 miles south of Chipley, Fla., died after being mauled by a pack of dogs earlier this week.

Washington County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call in reference to a dog attack just after 4 p.m., Tuesday afternoon. Upon arrival, deputies found the victim severely injured on the side yard of an adjoining property.

EMS responded to the scene and transported the victim to a local hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries.
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Doberman

Three dogs killed man in Crawford County, Georgia

Joe Kovac Jr.
The Telegraph (Macon)
Thu, 05 Mar 2020 12:48 UTC
dog attack
A 76-year-old Crawford County man found dead last month outside his house with bite marks on his body is now thought to have died in a dog attack, the sheriff said Thursday.

Lee Alvin Becham, whose body was discovered Feb. 23 outside his residence in the 1900 block of Marshall Mill Road south of Lizella, is believed to have been attacked by three dogs, Sheriff Lewis Walker said in a statement.

"The preliminary autopsy results for Lee Alvin Becham was traumatic injuries due to dog attack," the statement said. "Three dogs that are suspected in this case have been removed from their owners."

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Attention

Over 150 dead seagulls found on beach in New Zealand

Abbey Wakefield
tvnz.co.nz
Fri, 06 Mar 2020 12:30 UTC
Local Beverley Dowling watched a bird go from healthy looking, to paralysed and unable to move in 10 minutes.
© MURRAY WILSON/STUFF
Local Beverley Dowling watched a bird go from healthy looking, to paralysed and unable to move in 10 minutes.
The Department of Conservation is investigating the deaths of dozens of seagulls found today by a member of the public on Waikawa Beach, near Levin.

It comes after a Manukau resident says she saw over 150 dead seagulls on the beach this afternoon.

Beverly Dowling was walking on Waikawa Beach and Kuku Beach where she saw some birds struggling to fly and others that were dead.

"They were struggling to fly, trying to take off and failing," she said.

The seagull in the video in this story died about 10 minutes after she finished filming.

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