Animals
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Radar

Thousands of dolphins spotted near San Diego

Sarah Grieco
NBC Bay Area
Sat, 16 Feb 2013 07:05 UTC
Image
© Antonio RamirezCapt. Joe Dutra of Hornblower Cruises said he'd never seen anything like it
Antonio Ramirez who was aboard a Hornblower Cruise on Thursday snapped this photo of the dolphins swimming in a "super mega-pod." Thousands of dolphins spanning across 7 miles of ocean were sighted off the coast of San Diego on Thursday, a boat captain told NBC 7 San Diego.

Capt. Joe Dutra of Hornblower Cruises said he saw a "super mega-pod" of common dolphins Thursday around noon while he was on his daily tour. He said the pod was more than 7 miles long and 5 miles wide. Dutra said the boat tour followed the pod for more than an hour and said he's never seen anything like it. "When you see something that is honestly truly beyond belief," the captain said.

Comment: Amazing seven mile long super mega-pod of thousand dolphins spotted off the coast of San Diego
Mystery over Thousands of Dolphins Spotted off the Coast of San Diego

A group of over 100,000 dolphins spotted off the coast of San Diego caused a spectacle for nature watchers as they traveled together in an enormous pack.


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Info

Denver International Airport parking lots consider measures to stop bunnies from attacking cars


CBS4
Thu, 14 Feb 2013 21:40 UTC
RAbbit
© CBSBunnies are causing thousands of dollars in damage to cars parked at DIA.
Denver - It's a problem that plagues passengers who park at Denver International Airport- bunnies are causing hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars in damage to cars.

The rabbits eat the wires under the hood.

The USDA Wildlife Service is removing at least 100 bunnies every month but the problem persists.

"I see at least dozens every morning. They go hide under the cars and the cars are warm," said airport shuttle driver Michelle Anderson.

"They like to chew on the insulator portion of the ignition cables. That's what we see," said Arapahoe Autotek spokesman Wiley Faris.

Faris said rabbit damage is a common problem. The suspects are easily identified by the fur and pellets left behind.

"That wiring harness has all the wiring for the car so it can run from the hundreds into the thousands depending on where the harness is damaged," said Faris.
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Arrow Down

What's killing Minnesota's moose?

Maddie Oatman
Mother Jones
Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:31 UTC
Image
© tipkodi/Flickr
Minnesota's iconic moose are in such bad shape that the state called off the 2013 hunting season on Wednesday. The heartiest herd, located in the northeastern region of the state, is down to around 2,700 animals, a 35 percent drop from last year and a startling 65 percent drop since 2008. Though the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources canceled hunting season, it stressed that hunters are not to blame for this worrisome news. "The state's moose population has been in decline for years but never at the precipitous rate documented this winter," said MDNR commissioner Tom Landwehr. "It reaffirms the conservation community's need to better understand why this iconic species of the north is disappearing."

Though the sharp decline has state officials somewhat baffled, many members of the conservation community feel climate change is at fault. Doug Inkley, senior scientist at the National Wildlife Federation, put it this way: "With the high temperatures in the summer, moose seek out shelter rather than feeding. Nutritional status declines, and they become more vulnerable to disease and parasites. It's like a person who smokes is much more vulnerable to other diseases, and that can be associated with mortality."
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Bug

Think Nemo's bad? In Brazil it's raining spiders

Neetzan Zimmerman
Gawker
Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:30 UTC
Raining Spiders
© YouTube/Gawker
What's that? You're worried about a little snow falling on your head? How adorable.

Meanwhile, in Brazil, it's raining spiders.

Footage posted online yesterday shows thousands of spiders "falling from the sky" in the southern Brazilian town of Santo Antônio da Platina.

"Still do not know what causes such behavior," writes the video's uploader. "We are researching and will post the answer to the question here."

I know exactly what causes such behavior. A little something called the end of the world.
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Fish

The herring apocalypse: Fish worth millions in exports die in Icelandic lake

Sam Webb
Daily Mail
Tue, 05 Feb 2013 18:10 UTC
Image
© APThe Dead Sea: Millions of pounds of herring lie dead, believed to have been killed by building work
Stretching as far as the eye can see, dead herring blanket the ground in these chilling pictures taken today.

It is not yet known what is causing the mass fish deaths in Iceland, but today's grim find is the second such occurrence in two months.

The herring, weighing an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 tonnes and worth £18.9million, were found floating dead in in Kolgrafafjorour, a small fjord on the northern part of Snæfellsnes peninsula, west Iceland, according to the country's Morgunbladid newspaper.
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X

Seabird death toll rises in mystery oil spill


The Independent
Sun, 03 Feb 2013 15:06 UTC
Image
© Press AssociationThe pollution spill may affect thousands of seabirds
Investigators were today still trying to identify the source of a pollution spill that may yet kill thousands of seabirds along a stretch of the South Coast from West Sussex to Cornwall.

Hundreds of birds were washed ashore over the weekend covered with a sticky, oily substance. Experts say a change in the wind direction yesterday blew many birds out to sea and it is feared they will die of cold and exhaustion.
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Question

Dead fish a mystery

Tiffany Grange
Border Mail
Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:24 UTC
Image
© Photo: TIFFANY GRANGEThousands of dead fish line the banks of Lake Burrinjuck, with no proper explanation.
Thousands of fish have mysteriously washed up dead on the shores of Burrinjuck Dam in south-east NSW.

Liz Richardson from Good Hope Tourist Resort said the amount of dead fish was "unbelievable".

"Every type of fish," she said. "Lots of baby fish, lots of small cod."

Around eight kilometres of shoreline, downstream of Taemas Bridge and past Good Hope, was littered with fish carcasses.

The Department of Primary Industries said the cause of the fish kill was unclear.
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Bizarro Earth

Giant squid creates buzz in Kaikoura, New Zealand

Emma Dangerfield
Stuff.co.nz
Sat, 02 Feb 2013 20:55 UTC
Giant Squid
© Emma Dangerfield/Fairfax NZUnusual Find: Christchurch couple Jack and Sharon Osikai found the giant squid floating in the water in South Bay, Kaikoura.
A giant squid found floating at sea has created a huge amount of interest in Kaikoura this morning.

The squid, measuring about 8 metres in length, was found floating off the coast near Shark's Tooth point in South Bay about 8am by Jack and Sharon Osikai who were returning from a fishing trip.

The Christchurch couple, who have been holidaying in Kaikoura for about 20 years, said they had never seen anything like it.
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Bug

Vermin plague expected to follow floods in Australia

Ben Pike
Daily Telegraph, Australia
Sat, 02 Feb 2013 02:41 UTC
Image
© Nikki Short, The Australian The Clarence River at Grafton at its 8.1m peak this week.
Crippling bushfires followed by an epic flood have punished large swaths of Australia in recent weeks.

Now plagues of disease-infested vermin and insects are threatening a cruel end to a disastrous summer.

Authorities have warned of an explosion in disease, infections and bites because of the perfect storm of high rainfall, fauna dislocation and sewage overflow.

Mosquitoes, rodents, spiders and snakes are the main offenders, while black flies are poised to create a spike in bacterial skin infections and allergic reactions.

NSW Health public health physician Professor David Durrheim said the risks increased as flood waters receded: "On the coast the rain event coincided with high tide and that generally increases the water levels into salt marshes and that's where the salt marsh mosquito breeds."
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Attention

U.S. wildlife officials propose endangered status for wolverines


Guardian
Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:50 UTC
Image
© Photograph: Audrey Magoun/APThe 'mountain devil', in its natural habitat
Only 250 to 300 wolverines roam the US, but the species' habitats are threatened by climate change

The tenacious wolverine, a snow-loving carnivore sometimes called the "mountain devil," is being added to the list of species threatened by climate change, a dubious distinction that puts it in the ranks of the polar bear and several other animals that could see their habitats shrink drastically due to warming temperatures.

US wildlife officials on Friday will propose Endangered Species Act protections for the wolverine in the contiguous 48 states, a step denied under the Bush administration.

The Associated Press obtained details of the government's long-awaited ruling on the rare, elusive animal in advance of the announcement.
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