Hundreds of species never before seen in a Peruvian national park have been found during an inventory of the Amazonian forests there, according to a conservation group.
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced the discovery of 365 species previously undocumented in Bahuaja Sonene National Park in southeastern Peru. More than a dozen researchers inventoried the park's plant life, insects, birds, mammals and reptiles. The species found are known to exist elsewhere, but have never been seen inside Bahuaja Sonene.
The discovery included 30 undocumented bird species, including the black-and-white hawk eagle, Wilson's phalarope and ash-colored cuckoo. The survey also found two undocumented mammals — Niceforo's big-eared bat and the Tricolored Bat — as well as 233 undocumented species of butterflies and moths. This expedition was the first time that research of this scale has been carried out in Bahuaja Sonene National Park since it was created in 1996, according to the WCS.
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Tuesday, February 7, 2012
365 New Species Spotted in Peru
Monkey faces
Monday, February 6, 2012
6 Extremely Rare National Animals
You’d think the distinction of National Animal would bring with it some sort of benefit – protection from extinction, for instance. Not so. Take the Bald Eagle, symbol of these United States, which has been on and off the endangered species list for over 40 years. Sadly, this sort of thing is far from unusual. Mental Floss lists six of the coolest, strangest, and most endangered animals repping countries today.
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The biggest bunny in the world
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Sunday, February 5, 2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Photography: The Biodiversity Project
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Bootylicious Fly
Beyoncé may be one of the biggest pop divas out there, but she isn't the only diva with that name. A previously un-named species of horse fly with a glamorous golden rear end has been named Beyoncé because it is "all time diva of flies." Beyoncé was a member of the group Destiny’s Child, which recorded the 2001 hit single, Bootylicious. The fly got its booty-ful name from its extreme diva feature: a big gold butt.
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Friday, February 3, 2012
Can hunting endangered animals save the species?
Texas now has more exotic wildlife than any other place on earth. There are over 5,000 exotic ranches in the US. Years ago, ranchers got animals from zoos that no longer wanted them and they have helped many endangered animals thrive, even though they are dwindling in the wild.
The US government allows hunting these animals because it is regulated heavily and the animals are not allowed to be over hunted. One rancher says that hunting these animals are the best way to make sure they thrive in the future. The high cost of the hunting license for each animal is what is supporting the cost of operating the ranches. The money that hunting brings in pays for the preservation of the species.
Animal activists say that if the animals exist only to be hunted then they should just be extinct. Activists have gotten the US government to make it harder, almost impossible, to obtain hunting permits. Ranchers say that in 10 years there will be no more of these animals in Texas, or anywhere in the wild.
What do you think - is is right to be able to hunt endangered animals in order to save them from extinction?
Photo: Scimitar-horned Oryx
Thursday, February 2, 2012
inbread cats - really?
The Daily Mail reports that there is a new, hot, Internet trend ... BREADING ... stick a slice of bread on your cat's head and take a photo.
Supposedly started by a Facebook page, picked up by Gawker, over, and over, and over again. Of course, it was Tweeted, Buzzed, tumblred, and buzzed again.
I have 3 cats.
I have bread.
I volunteered my cat Rusty to be my model.
The results?
Photo: Julie Corsi
10 Diseases Kids Can Catch from their Pets
Kids tend to be more hands-on with pets than the adult members of the family, and to also have poorer hygiene habits. As a result, they’re more likely to end up on the receiving end of an illness that can be passed from animals to humans.
Babysitting Jobs lists ten diseases which can originate with the household pet, but affect the entire household.
While some of these diseases are quite rare, others are relatively common. Making sure that children wash their hands after handling a pet or its waste is absolutely the most effective method for preventing these illnesses.
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In the eye
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Warhorse Royale
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and King George V of England riding together on a London street
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Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Tylenol-loaded mice dropped from air to control snakes
The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week began dropping the expired rodents packed with 80 mg of the generic equivalent of Tylenol on the forests of Naval Base Guam.
Since scientists discovered that the household pain reliever was deadly to the brown tree snakes, they’ve been trying to figure out how to get it to where many of the serpents live in the canopies of the island’s forests.
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Love stinks!
A few hundred more skunks than normal have invaded the city looking to mate. The annual migration will culminate in May when the skunks' offspring are born.
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Custom Bronze Pet Nose
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The Way of the Wolverine
After all but disappearing, the mammals are again being sighted in Washington's Cascade Range.
Wolverine are one of the most elusive and least understood mammals in North America. Up to four feet long and 40 pounds, wolverines are the largest terrestrial members of the mustelid, or weasel, family. Wolverines thrive in the cold, and can sniff out carcasses through six feet of snow. They raise their kits in caves dug into snow, with chambers and tunnels leading dozens of feet away from the den. Their feet are outsize, like snowshoes, and they can walk 50 miles or more per day across steep, snowy terrain.
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