Animals
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Snowflake

Same old Groundhog Day; Phil predicts more winter

Elizabeth Daley
Reuters
Sun, 02 Feb 2014 13:46 UTC
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Punxsutawney Phil, a famed U.S. groundhog with an even more famous shadow, emerged from his burrow on Sunday and predicted six more weeks of winter, much to the chagrin of those hoping for an early spring.

The rotund rodent exited his subterranean residence at Gobblers Knob in the western Pennsylvania town of Punxsutawney around 7:30 a.m. on Groundhog Day.

The fuzzy forecaster made his appearance to the shouts of "groundhog," as eager spectators waited to see whether the groundhog - as the legend goes - would see his shadow and predict six more weeks of snow and freezing temperatures. If not, North Americans can expect an early spring.

This year, Phil predicted that winter will stretch on.

The annual Groundhog Day event, made more popular by the 1993 film comedy "Groundhog Day" starring Bill Murray, draws thousands of faithful followers from as far away as Australia and Russia.

Phil's forecast of six more weeks of winter was bittersweet for some in attendance.

"I happen to be a positive person, so I do embrace the here and now and I will enjoy the next six weeks of winter with the best attitude and be happy to be alive and healthy with my good friends," said Lori Weber, 54, a real estate broker from Sewickley, Pennsylvania.

Others came out early, braving drizzle and low-light, just to experience the event.

Carrie Juvan, 37, of Cleveland, Ohio came with her father.

"We are here having a blast because dad put it on his bucket list. I like snow but I am ready for the spring. He asked me about it months ago and I instantly said yes," she said.
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Attention

Gray Whale washes up dead near Salmon Creek Beach, California

Jackie Sones
bodegahead.blogspot.co.uk
Sat, 01 Feb 2014 10:41 UTC
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This is a dorsal view (the upper surface) of the whale. It was ~18 feet long.
On Friday we heard that a young Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus) had washed up dead just north of Salmon Creek Beach. I decided to drive up during my lunch break to take a quick look. I learned that this whale had been around for a while (further north), so its condition had been deteriorating for at least 10 or more days. But it still seemed like a record worth documenting.

I learned that the average length of Gray Whale calves is ~4.6-5 meters (15-16.5 feet) and that they weigh ~1/2 ton. [Compare that with adults which reach 12-15 meters (39-49 feet) and 15-35 tons.]

The next picture shows a head-on view where you can see the arched mouth (upper jaw on left, lower jaw on right):

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Info

Rare Atlantic turtle discovered on Devon beach in UK

Antonia Molloy
The Independent, UK
Sat, 01 Feb 2014 12:53 UTC
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The warm water reptile was found dead on the sand
A rare warm water turtle washed up on a beach in Devon this week - but the reptile had already died.

The Kemp's ridley turtle, measuring just 30cm in length, was found on Woolacombe Beach.

Experts said it is not the first Kemp's ridley to be cast ashore along the UK coastline this winter.

The species was on the brink of extinction in the 1980s, as a result of hunting and egg collection in the nesting beaches in Mexico and accidental capture and drowning in trawling nets in the Gulf.

But the species is now recovering after special measures were put in place to safeguard their numbers.

Dr Peter Richardson, biodiversity programme manager for the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), said the turtles would not survive in British waters.
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Question

Authorities stumped over mystery disease killing hundreds of cattle in Australia

Chloe Hart and Laurissa Smith
abc.net.au
Thu, 30 Jan 2014 09:14 UTC
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© Stephen StockwellA mystery disease is killing cattle in the west of New South Wales
A mystery disease is killing cattle in western New South Wales, with losses so far in the hundreds.

Hay district veterinarian, Colin Peake, says the illness was first detected in October last year.

A similar disease hit the Western Division in 2006 and again in 2009.

Two farms near Hay and one at Mossgiel have been affected.

Mr Peake says he is perplexed by the deaths with tests returning inconclusive results.

"There's a lot of diseases that have been ruled out, even lead poisoning has been ruled out," he said.
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Binoculars

Rare Arctic bird turns up in Darwin, Australia

Mark Di Stefano
au.news.yahoo.com
Thu, 23 Jan 2014 07:26 UTC
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© ABCRare Arctic bird, the Grey Phalarope, has been spotted in a Darwin sewerage pond years after it was last sighted in Australia
Bird watchers are furious at being blocked from a Darwin sewerage facility where a lost Arctic bird has been spotted, because a crocodile is lurking in the ponds.

The grey phalarope, with its dirty white feathers, has been floating around the Leanyer sewage facility for the last few days.

Local bird watchers do not know how it got to Darwin, as it usually breeds in the Arctic tundra and there have been no sightings of it in Australia for years.

Experts speculate it broke away from pack of the migrating birds and got lost.

Twitchers from around the country are flying into the Territory today to get a rare glimpse of the bird.

But the owner of the site, Power and Water, has ruffled feathers with news it is barricading the sewerage ponds because of heavy rain and the arrival of a crocodile.

Comment: For the last couple of months, across the northern hemisphere, extremely cold weather conditions have been driving many wintering Arctic and boreal bird species much further south than is usual. These include Snowy Owls recorded in Hawaii and Bermuda!! Additionally, many are turning up in unprecedented numbers. This all points to a probable return of the Ice Age. See also this selection: UK storms bring in rare Arctic gulls to Pembrokeshire

Storm blows Canadian bird 3,000 miles on to Tyrone lough, Northern Ireland

Bird watchers flock to Portland, UK after a rare Arctic Brunnich's Guillemot spotted

Ice Age Cometh: Snowy Owl invasion coming in North America?

Maine experiencing a Canadian owl invasion

Incredible Hawk Owl invasion in Estonia!

Huge Snowy Owl invasion becomes official in Canada and U.S.

Thousands of Hawk Owls descend on Finland as food in northern Russia runs out

Ice Age Cometh: Unprecedented influx of Arctic Ivory Gulls into UK

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Binoculars

UK storms bring in rare Arctic gulls to Pembrokeshire


Western Telegraph. UK
Mon, 27 Jan 2014 04:29 UTC
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© Richard StonierRARE FIND: A Kumlien’s gull, which comes from Arctic Canada, has been spotted in Pembrokeshire
The storms that have battered Pembrokeshire in recent weeks have brought with them a number of Arctic visitors.

One of the worst affected areas, Newgale, has been the focal point for local and visiting bird watchers.

Rare gulls, such as Glaucous and Iceland gulls, have been spotted on the beach and on the nearby flooded marshes.

Hundreds of Kittiwakes have also been seen. These small gulls normally stay further out to sea and only come inshore when storms hit.

At Newgale they have been feasting on wrecked shellfish.

The rarest visitor found so far is the Kumlien's gull, which comes from Arctic Canada. It can be found close to the Brandy Brook outflow.

To learn more visit www.birdsonline.co.uk
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Attention

Something amiss in the ocean depths? Rare Oarfish washes up on beach in Japan


muldersworld.com
Mon, 27 Jan 2014 04:00 UTC
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What the heck kind of fish is this?

Don't recognize this fish? Well, it was the subject of a big rhubarb a couple months ago, so you should remember the species. Not easy when you get a new view of it, huh?

OK, enough of the anticipation; it's an Oarfish. Although this one isn't extremely long, we are treated to a close up of an extremely strange head.

So, what's the story with this 13'-7" Oarfish? Well, it was washed up on a Japanese beach. It was then promptly taken and put to culinary use.

So, are there more Oarfish washing up on beaches or are they just getting more press? Further, I wonder if this guy check the radioactivity level in the fish before making fillets? Further still, does this mean another tsunami is going to hit Japan?

Credit: blog.livedoor.jp

Comment: See also:

Second rare oarfish washes up in Southern California

18-foot oarfish caught by Catalina marine science instructor in California

Something amiss deep down? Bizarre-looking oarfish washes ashore on Cabo San Lucas beach

Appearance of "Earthquake fish" spook Japanese

Rare "King of Herrings" Found off Swedish Coast

England: Monster of deep washes up on beach

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Arrow Down

Hundreds of dead animals found at South African airport

Karen Graham
Digital Journal
Fri, 31 Jan 2014 15:24 UTC
Dead Reptiles and Amphibians
© Miona Jeneke/NSPCAThis photo released by National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. (NSPCA), shows dead reptiles and amphibians on top of a metal table at the Johannesburg Zoo, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014.
Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island and is considered a "biological hotspot." Over 90 percent of its wildlife are found nowhere else on the planet. Man's threat to the island's diverse ecosystems, and unusual wildlife is a real concern.

South Africa's National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) was called to the O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Friday, Jan. 29. Inspectors, doing a routine cargo inspection had noticed a "bad smell," and found two crates containing 1,600 reptiles and amphibians, most of them endangered, and not all of them alive.

According to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), many of the animals were either endangered, threatened or vulnerable. These included a number of chameleons, lizards, geckos, toads and 30 species of frogs. The animals were supposed to be on the Cites appendix II protocol, meaning they could be traded with a special permit.

At least one-fourth, or 400 of the animals were dead, and many more were packed into containers so tightly they could not move or turn around. The animals were in two crates, about half a meter in size, stacked on top of one another. The geckos were tied in small muslin bags, and the other animals were jammed into small plastic tubs.
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Eye 2

UK pensioner kept almost 200 snakes in her semi-detached house


Evening Standard
Thu, 30 Jan 2014 10:17 UTC
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Snakes alive: Pauline Wallace and part of the reptile collection found in her home
Snake woman banned from keeping reptiles and fined £310 in case which cost RSPCA £150k

A pensioner who kept almost 200 snakes in her semi-detached house has been banned from keeping reptiles for a year following a prosecution which has cost the RSPCA more than £150,000.

Pauline Wallace, 64, admitted keeping the animals in poor conditions at her home in York, including 114 in her bedroom.

Today, at York Magistrates' Court, Wallace was given a 12-month community order with supervision as well as the reptile-keeping ban.

She had pleaded guilty to nine counts of animal cruelty at a previous hearing.

Phil Browne, prosecuting for the RSPCA, told the bench the charity has incurred costs of £156,000 since they discovered Wallace's huge colony of at least 186 snakes.

Mr Browne said that it was costing the society between £7,000 and £16,000 a month to house 60 of the reptiles that were seized and did not have to be put down.
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Bizarro Earth

Decapitated silver sea blob washes up in the Philippines

Rie Takumi/VC
GMA News
Sat, 25 Jan 2014 19:08 UTC
Like the unholy offspring of a giant squid and a mollusk without its shell, a mysterious creature washed up the shore of a village in Aparri, Cagayan Thursday, prompting residents to seek help - and take pictures.

24 Oras showed pictures of the silver creature on the beach decomposing, fraying at the ends, and absolutely headless.


At five to six meters long, the creature was never weighed; it is now buried under the sand it was found in, after two days of residents enduring its rotten stench.

In a phone interview with GMA News Online, Leonarda Labugen of Region II's Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said the creature had been stewing in the ocean for a week before washing up on Aparri's shores. Its prolonged decomposition, she said, made it necessary for the local government and BFAR to bury its corpse.

She said there was no time to take samples from the corpse, though a technical report is due to be issued within the week.
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