Video: "Otter Chaos" Reigns in Biologist's Home

Tearing through laundry, messing up the bathroom—river otters aren't all that different from human toddlers, as one Missouri biologist and his wife learned when they raised orphaned pups.

Watch as Glenn and Jeannie Chambers endure "otter chaos" to teach Paddles and Babyface how to swim, to eat fish Popsicles, and generally to be themselves—all leading up to an emotional farewell.

Bug-eyed

Extreme close-ups of insects.

Owner says dog saved her with 'Heimlich'

Debbie Parkhurst poses with her dog, Toby, in Calvert, Md., Monday, March 26, 2007. Parker claims the 2-year-old golden retriever saved her life Friday by performing a doggy version of the Heimlich maneuver, knocking her to the ground and jumping on her chest to dislodge a piece of apple stuck in her windpipe.

(AP Photo/Cecil Whig, Adelma Gregory-Bunnell)

"Strange Owl" Seen in Wild for First Time

A tiny bird so rare and unusual that its scientific name means "strange owl" has been spotted for the first time in the wild, scientists announced yesterday.

Conservationists working in Peru got their first natural glimpse of the long-whiskered owlet last month while working in a private mountain reserve.

The species wasn't even known to exist until 1976, and since then the only known living specimens have been those caught in nets at night.

"Seeing the long-whiskered owlet is a huge thrill," said David Geale of Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos, who was part of the research team, in a press statement.

The American Bird Conservancy, which partnered in the research, described the sighting as "a holy grail" of bird biology.

As few as 250 of the owlets are thought to exist, scientists said, and the birds are as distinctive as they are rare.

Culture vs. Cruelty

Controversy over the treatment of live animals in urban Asian markets rages on. Asian-American leaders have accused animal-welfare activists of racism, and the activists call the merchants callous animal torturers. A new bill in California aims to end the battle once and for all.

Deadly jellyfish halt Hollywood production

A deadly species of jellyfish, translucent and the size of a thumbnail, is spreading along Australia’s coastline as a result of global warming, scientists warned today.

Irukandji jellyfish are among the world’s most toxic creatures – all but impossible to detect in the water but packing a potentially lethal punch belying their tiny size.

Until recently it was thought that they were confined to Australia’s northern tropical waters, but marine biologists have now found them off Queensland’s Fraser Island — a popular tourist spot about 400 miles south of their previously assumed range.

Their discovery has halted production of a Hollywood film, Fool’s Gold, starring Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, who were originally due to be filmed swimming in the sea. Dr Jamie Seymour, from James Cook University, said she had found five of the animals off the island.

“You can’t now say the waters around Fraser Island are jellyfish safe. I mean, these animals have the potential to kill you,” he told ABC radio.

“The ones we were catching weren’t any bigger than your thumbnail. They’ve got tentacles that are probably a half to three quarters of a metre long, and pretty much transparent. So unless you really know what you’re looking for, you’re not going to see them in the water.”

If they migrate south in sufficient numbers, irukandji would threaten the safety of swimmers, surfers and snorkellers along southern Queensland’s Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast holiday destinations.

Little is known about their biology but their toxicity is legendary. One of the tiny jellyfish was blamed for killing a 58-year-old British tourist, Richard Jordan, in the Whitsunday Islands of Queensland in 2002. A few months later, a 44-year-old American tourist was stung and also died.

Cruel beyond belief - China's live animal markets

The newly opened Three Birds Market is the biggest collection and distribution centre for cats, dogs and all kinds of birds in Southern China, and officially operates as a poultry market.

Cat and dogs crammed inside cages with no room to move, many of them diseased, all destined to be sold as food. These are the shocking pictures from a live animal market in Nanhai, China.

Small metal baskets no more than 4ft long and 2ft wide house anything up to eight cats at a time.

Trucks arrive containing cages packed with dogs that have not been fed or watered for days ahead of their slaughter.

Disease is rife. They will soon be dead and sold as meat.

Tiger Temple - Thailand

Deep in the heart of the Kanchanaburi province in Western Thailand there lies a Buddhist temple with a difference. For not only is this temple home to monks who spend their time in prayer and meditation, over the last 7 years it has become a sanctuary for tigers.



When villagers found an orphaned tiger cub, they went from place to place seeking help. Upon arrival at the monastery, the cub was welcomed out of compassion and saved from certain death. Since then many more orphaned tigers have found refuge under the abbots loving care.

Woman stopped wearing girdle of live crocodiles

Sorry, no pictures!

A woman was caught with three crocodiles strapped to her waist at the Gaza-Egypt border crossing after guards noticed that she looked "strangely fat," officials said.

The woman's odd shape raised suspicions at the Rafah terminal in southern Gaza, and a body search by a female border guard turned up the animals, each about 50 centimeters (20 inches) long, concealed underneath her loose robe, according to Maria Telleria, spokeswoman for the European observers who run the crossing.

"The woman looked strangely fat. Even though she was veiled and covered, even with so many clothes on there was something strange," Telleria said.

In her defense, the woman said she "was asked" to carry the crocodiles, said Wael Dahab, a spokesman for the Palestinian guards at the crossing.

The woman was not the first to try to illegally smuggle exotic wildlife through the Rafah crossing, Dahab said: another woman tried to bring in a monkey tied to her chest, and other travelers tried to smuggle in exotic birds and a tiger cub. Border guards more frequently confiscate cigarettes, prescription drugs and car parts.

White lioness

"Ashanti", the first white lioness to be born in Italy. Along with its parents, Ashanti is one of the three white lions living in Italy, all in captivity.

(Photo: AP Photo/Safari Park-Pombia)

"Monster" Toad Caught Down Under

An environmental group said Tuesday it had captured a "monster" toad the size of a small dog.

With a body the size of a football and weighing nearly 2 pounds, the toad is among the largest specimens ever captured in Australia, according to Frogwatch coordinator Graeme Sawyer.

"It's huge, to put it mildly," he said. "The biggest toads are usually females but this one was a rampant male ... I would hate to meet his big sister."

Frogwatch, which is dedicated to wiping out a toxic toad species that has killed countless Australian animals, picked up the 15-inch-long cane toad during a raid on a pond outside the northern city of Darwin late Monday.

What Happens When You Tickle a Lab Rat?

Aristotle declared that humans are the only animal to laugh, but then, he never saw this video of Jaak Panksepp tickling rats.

When you play it, you’ll hear the tickled rats chirping — an ultrasonic noise that’s audible thanks to the special equipment that enabled Dr. Panksepp and his colleagues to discover this phenomenon. Young rats make the same chirp when they chase and play with one another, and they like to hang out with other rats who chirp at this frequency (50 kHz). It seems to be a happy sound: rats will run mazes and press levers in order to be tickled, and they’ll emit the same chirp when the dopamine reward circuits in the brain are stimulated.

Some researchers still aren’t sure these sounds qualify as animal laughter, but Dr. Panksepp, a neuroscientist at Washington State University, has been systematically gathering evidence of the parallels to human laughter.

Pavlov's Dog

Pavlov's Dog

In this game, you will find out if you can train a dog to drool on command! Ivan Pavlov's description on how animals (and humans) can be trained to respond in a certain way to a particular stimulus, has drawn a tremendous amount of interest ever since he first presented his findings. His work paved the way for a new and objective method of studying animal and human behavior.

Play the Pavlov's Dog Game

See also:
How to play »
Read More: Ivan Petrovich Pavlov
(1849-1936) »

Animal Amour

A gallery featuring some of the elaborate courtship rituals engaged in by animals.

Barking Not Part Of Free Speech, Court Rules

Freedom of speech is guaranteed by the Constitution, but what about the freedom to bark?

The North Dakota Supreme Court has rejected a claim that an anti-barking ordinance is unconstitutional.

Fred Kilkenny got a ticket for his barking dogs in Belfield, N.D., even though he was in Mississippi at the time helping Hurricane Katrina victims. His lawyer argued that Belfield's anti-barking law is too vague to be fairly enforced.

But the judges on the state's high court saw no reason to muzzle local officials. The ruling noted that similar dog-barking ordinances have constitutional teeth.

Kilkenny may take his case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Mouse Taunts Man, Steals Dentures

Bill Exner, 68, has his dentures back, but his wife said the mouse that stole them is now taunting him.

The resident of Waterville, Maine, said he's caught the mouse three times, but each time it escaped.

Exner told the Morning Sentinel he trapped the field mouse and placed in a gallon-sized pickle jar three times. He said each time the mouse escaped.

"The first time, I left the top off the pickle jar -- I figured there's no way this guy can get out," Exner told the paper. "But he escaped, so the next time I caught him, I put the cover on loosely so he could breathe, and he got out again."

After the third time, Exner discovered his lower dentures were missing.

In the subsequent search, he and his wife found a small opening in a wall. With the help of their daughter's fiance, they tore a larger hole and retrieved the dentures.

"The dentures were inside the wall, lying right there. They were not damaged. The mouse didn't bite them or anything. It's like he was saying, 'I'm going to get even with you for putting me in that jar,'" Exner said.

Truffle Retriever dog

Truffle Golden Retriever

Jellycat truffles are so nifty: they can sit up and pose, or lay completely flat for a portable and oh-so-soft blanket and, of course, be cuddled in any number of ways. Cute and cleverly functional! We think this pooch is particularly irresistable.

Fairy Princess Costume

Highly-detailed, high-quality Fairy Princess Costumes are perfect for trick-or-treating, Halloween parties, or photos.

All costumes feature Velcro® closures for easy-on/easy-off dressing, and are available in an array of sizes to suit any dog. Coordinating headwear features an elastic band for a comfortable fit. Wipe Clean with a damp cloth.

Video: Bugzibitz II

See how Jeb, a Madagascar hissing cockroach made his way to the Toronto Zoo.

Visitor waddles in and makes itself at home

A fairy penguin popped into the Clark family's Tasmanian home for a visit on Wednesday and spent the day in the bathtub.

Sometime before Wednesday morning, the little penguin had waddled about 100 metres up the beach, crossing a railway track and a road in the process and wandered into the Clark's front yard in West Ulverstone about three hours northwest of Hobart in Tasmania.

Garry Clark said when the front door was opened to let the dog out to the toilet, the penguin entered.

"The dog went out and a penguin came in," Mr Clark said.

"I was in getting ready for work and my son came in and said `Dad, there's a penguin in the lounge room'.

"I thought, `that can't be right'."

But a penguin in the lounge room there was, and a friendly one at that.

Mr Clark said the animal appeared quite comfortable and made no problem when it was picked up.

The penguin was popped in the bathtub with a little water for the day.

"We sat him in there and he splashed about in the water every now and again."

A bit of thawed salmon from the freezer did not tempt the penguin.

On advice from the Parks and Wildlife Service, the penguin remained in the tub until Wednesday evening.

Then the Clark family gathered it up and took it across to the beach to let it go.

(via)

Video: Twirl a Squirrel

Squirrel's weight on feeder activates a motor which gently twirls him off.
(via)

Hippity Hoppity (bunny parade)

Here comes Peter Cottontail

Hoppin' down the bunny trail,

Hippity hoppity,

Easter's on its way

Got your bunny ears on?

Let's start the bunny hop ...


found here

from flickr, by basykes

found here

from flickr, by Doxieone

found here

from flickr, by msmaria

found here

found here

found here

from flickr, by Cynr

found here

from flickr, by Happy.Phantom

found here

found here

found here

found here

from flickr, by kentkb

from flickr, by Tigole Bitties

found here

found here

fround here

"Toygers" Breed Conservation Awareness, Animal-Rescue Concerns

Jenifer Santee always dreamed of owning a tiger.

But knowing that wild creatures should not be kept as house pets, she did the next best thing: She joined a small group of cat breeders working to create a fully domesticated look-a-like of the largest member of the feline family.

"It's a designer cat that was bred specifically to preserve the beauty of an exotic animal," said Santee, of the SanteePride Cattery in Manteno, Illinois.

Dubbed toygers, for toy tigers, these playful, black-striped felines have been registered as a breed with the International Cat Association (TICA) since 1993. (see photos of toygers vs. tigers)


Santee is among 25 breeders worldwide working on perfecting the pedigreed cat. So far, 360 toygers—each valued at upward of $3,000 (U.S.)—have been registered with TICA.

And starting this May toygers will join more familiar breeds—including Abyssinians, Persians, and Russian blues—that can be judged as championship cats at TICA-sponsored cat shows.

Public demand for the tiny tiger replica is "overwhelming," Santee said, and has likely been fueled by recent national media attention on the breed's progress.

Savannah Cats & Safari Cats

Savannah Cats

A cross resulting from the breeding of an African Serval and a domestic cat has recently resulted in the replication of the striking coat pattern and body structure of the Serval.

Savannahs are smaller (up to 32 pounds) and more manageable than Servals, but are the largest hybrid feline available today. Savannahs are the newest breed of cat available.

Prices for pets are as follows:

• F1 (75% Serval) $6,000 - $7,000
• F1 (50% Serval) $6,000 - $7,000
• F2 (25% Serval) $2,500 - $4,000
• F3 (12.5% Serval) $1,500 - $3,000
• F4 & F5 $2,000 - $5,000

Safari Cats

The Safari cat is a hybrid of the South American Geoffroys cat. The Safari is an unusual animal that provides the look of the wild with the affection rarely found in the sweetest domestic.

Some of the first Safaris were bred in the early 1970’s. A limited number were produced for pets and a few were produced for use in Leukemia research by Washington State University.

Average prices for Safaris are as follows:

• F1 (50%) $6,000 - $8,500
• Males are sold as pets only due to sterility

Twenty Of World's 162 Grouper Species Threatened With Extinction

The first comprehensive assessment of the world’s 162 species of grouper, a culinary favorite and important commercial fish, found that 20 are threatened with extinction unless proper management or conservation measures are introduced. Eight species previously were listed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as under extinction threat, and the new assessment proposes adding 12 more.

A panel of 20 experts from 10 nations determined the extinction threat facing groupers, which are the basis of the multimillion-dollar live reef food fish trade based in Hong Kong and comprise one of the most valuable groups of commercial fishes in chilled fish markets of the tropics and sub-tropics. Around the world, consumers pay up to $50 per kilogram for grouper.

“This shows that over-fishing could decimate another major food and economic resource for humans, similar to the loss of the cod stocks off New England and Canada that has put thousands of people out of work,” said Roger McManus, a senior director of Conservation International’s Marine Program.

White lion kits

Two 45-day-old white lion cubs play inside a zoo in China's
Heilongjiang Province March 8, 2007.

The cubs will be released back into the wild.

Hundreds Line Up For Mountain Oysters

They're called oysters, but these fried delicacies don't come from the sea.

Hundreds of people stood on line for up to an hour for a chance to taste mountain oysters over the weekend.

About 130 of the sheep testicles were served at the 16th annual Mountain Oyster Fry in the old mining town of Virginia City.

They weren't just fried, either. The mountain oysters were barbecued, stuffed and even served in tacos.

American croc no longer listed as endangered

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has declassified the American crocodile as an endangered species, saying the animal has rebounded from the edge of extinction. The species has rebounded in the United States from just 300 in 1976 to an estimated 2,000 today.

The reptile remains protected under the federal Endangered Species Act even though it was downgraded to a "threatened" species, making it illegal to harass, poach or kill the reptiles.

"It's just one step closer to recovery, but it still has many, many threats," Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Tom MacKenzie said in announcing the move Tuesday. "It's still protected with the full force of federal law."

Art by YaYa Chou

"Gummibear Rug"
"Simon," 2006, 7"X32"X30", gummi bears, faux nailtops on wire armature and canvas
(via)

Why Ants Rule the World

Scientists estimate modern-day ants first evolved about 120 million years ago. But the fossil record suggests that ants at this time weren't the prevalent insect that they are today. Not until 60 million years later, when some ants adapted to the new world of flowering plants and diversified their diets, did the critters achieve ecological dominance.

Since then they've had a successful run of the planet.

Scientists estimate that about 20,000 ant species crawl the Earth. Taxonomists have classified more than 11,000 species, which account for at least one-third of all insect biomass. The combined heft of ants in the Brazilian Amazon is about four times greater than the combined mass of all of the mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians, according to one survey.

Nuthatches Seem to Understand Chickadee

Nuthatches appear to have learned to understand a foreign language _ chickadee.

It's not unusual for one animal to react to the alarm call of another, but nuthatches seem to go beyond that _ interpreting the type of alarm and what sort of predator poses a threat. When a chickadee sees a predator, it issues warning call _ a soft "seet" for a flying hawk, owl or falcon, or a loud "chick-a-dee-dee-dee" for a perched predator.

The "chick-a-dee" call can have 10 to 15 "dees" at the end and varies in sound to encode information on the type of predator. It also calls in other small birds to mob the predator, Christopher Templeton of the University of Washington said in a telephone interview.

"In this case the nuthatch is able to discriminate the information in this call," said Templeton, a doctoral candidate.

The findings by Templeton and Erick Green, an associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Montana, are reported in this week's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

What's in a Can of Dog Food?

A pet-food manufacturer recalled 60 million units over the weekend after at least nine cats and a dog died of kidney failure. No one has identified the source of the contamination, but the company said the recalled products included a suspect batch of wheat gluten.

What else goes into pet food?

Thanks to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration—which oversees the pet-food industry with the advice of the Association of American Feed Control Officials—the list of ingredients on a tin of dog chow gives you a general sense of what's inside. But pet-food companies manipulate the order of the list such that meat (and meat byproducts) appear first, even when other ingredients are used in larger quantities.

Ancient lizard glided on stretched skin

An ancient arboreal lizard coasted through the air using a winglike membrane stretched across elongated ribs, a new fossil reveals.

Dubbed Xianglong zhaoi, the gliding lizard lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 150 million years ago. The specimen, detailed Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is about 6 inches (15.5 centimeters) long, and its immature features suggest it died at a young age.

The fossil, described by Xing Xu of Shenyang Normal University in China and his colleagues, was discovered in northeastern China's Liaoning Province, a site that has yielded a treasure trove of feathered dinosaurs and early bird remains in recent years.

Symptoms To Look Out For In Pets Following Food Recall

There is still plenty of concern for pet owners following the dog and cat food recall by Menu Foods.

The company says a number of cats and dogs have suffered kidney failure after eating its products. And about ten of them have died. So, how do you know if your pet is sick? Pitt County veterinarian Dennis Johnson says dogs or cats that have eaten the tainted food will show symptoms like tiredness, weakness, vomiting and diarrhea.

For more information on product codes, descriptions and production dates, click here.

Iditarod musher disqualified for whipping his dogs

A three member panel disqualified Ramy Brooks from the 2007 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race for abusing his dogs along the race trail.

Witnesses in Golovin provided information to race officials detailing abusive actions by Brooks to his dog team. Brooks acknowledged "spanking" the dogs in his team with trail marking lathe. The judges voted unanimously to disqualify Brooks from the 2007 Iditarod.

Xylitol sweetener is toxic for dogs

A sugar substitute found in a variety of sugar-free and dietetic cookies, mints and chewing gum is proving highly toxic, even fatal, to snack-snatching dogs.

Xylitol, popular in Europe for decades but a relative newcomer to the U.S. alternative-sweeteners market, can be "very, very serious" to dogs when ingested, says Dana Farbman, spokeswoman for the Animal Poison Control Center of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

"It doesn't take a whole lot (of xylitol), and the effects are so rapid that the window of opportunity to treat the dog is extremely small," Farbman says.

The ASPCA sent an advisory to veterinarians last August warning them about the potential for serious harm or death. Veterinarians have used a variety of means to get the word out, including posting signs in their offices and making copies of the bulletin for clients to augment the caution the ASPCA has posted on its website.

The killer frogs of Lily Pond

It's like something out of an animal horror movie -- killer frogs take over peaceful pond, then after terrorizing and eating everything alive, start eating each other.

Only it's no movie. It's really happening in Golden Gate Park's Lily Pond, near the California Academy of Sciences. And after watching the frogs chew through everything in sight over the past several years, the city finally wants to do something about it.

No one knows for sure when the African clawed frogs got into the pond or who put them there. But there they are, and the Toad Warriors have pretty much taken care of the native turtles, frogs and fish.

"They've eaten everything they can get their mouths around, and now they're eating each other," said Eric Mills of the animal rights group Action for Animals.

Mills worries that the fiendish amphibians -- which grow to 5 inches in length and have claws on the toes of their oversize hind feet -- may jump the pond and spread their reign of terror across other Bay Area waterways, although so far, none has popped up elsewhere.

"The fear is they will get out,'' said Richard Schulke, president of the city's Animal Control and Welfare Commission.

Moths Mimic Spiders

Brenthia hexaselena, a species of metalmark moth, flares its hind wings (HW) and spreads its forewings (FW) to mimic a jumping spider.

For most moths, the sight of a jumping spider makes them panic as they try to escape its lethal pounce. But not so for metalmark moths in the genus Brenthia. These moths stand their ground with hind wings flared and forewings held above the body at a slight angle.

These moths are relying on mimicry to save their lives.

In that pose, the moth looks like a jumping spider
Photo Credit

Easter Eggs Dog Sweater

Your Poochy will be the Best in Show this Easter wearing this confection. Hand-knitted yellow sweater with green fluffy fringe. Pastel Easter Eggs are separately hand-crocheted, then beaded with small pearl beads. An amazing work of art, sure to please!

PuppyPurse Pet Carrier

Lightweight Gingham "Country Boy" flexible PuppyPurse Pet Carrier

Swing your partner, do-si-dog! This lovely, lightweight gingham PuppyPurse puts the "country" back in the puppy. An added layer of ruffles will keep heads turning till the cows come home! So, git along, little doggies!

Unlike other carriers, PuppyPurse has flexibility all figured out. With its easily adjustable swivel straps PuppyPurse is designed to let you find the most comfortable way to carry your pup. This unique carrier allows you to interact with your pet in his or her carrier the way other carriers can't. Not only that, it is particularly suited to small breed dogs who crave the attention and work so well with this flexible design.

Bird Foot Jewelry

Jewelry cast from birds' feet. Chickens and partridges: belts and pendants.

Top Ten reasons to get a puppy

1. Thought the house was too orderly.
2. Never did like having a full night’s sleep.
3. Enjoy stepping in chocolate pudding.
4. Thought the furniture and carpet looked too new.
5. Love the sounds of barking and whining in the morning, noon, afternoon, evening, midnight, predawn, etc.
6. Garden and backyard needed renovations and didn't want to pay a gardener.
7. Neighbors didn't complain enough.
8. Tired of all your shoes.
9. Wanted my Vet to get a new BMW.
10. Wanted to see if spouse really meant those vows.

Island leopard deemed new species

Clouded leopards found on Sumatra and Borneo represent a new species, research by genetic scientists and the conservation group WWF indicates.

Until now it had been thought they belonged to the species that is found on mainland southeast Asia.

Scientists now believe the two species diverged more than one million years ago, and have evolved separately since.

With bodies up to 1.1m long, clouded leopards are the biggest predators on Borneo and one of Asia's largest cats.

The separation of the species was discovered by scientists at the US National Cancer Institute near Washington DC.

"Genetic research results clearly indicate that the clouded leopards of Borneo should be considered a separate species," said Dr Stephen O'Brien, head of the Institute's Laboratory of Genomic Diversity.

Ashes and Snow

Photography by Gregory Colbert



“In exploring the shared language and poetic sensibilities of all animals, I am working towards rediscovering the common ground that once existed when people lived in harmony with animals. The images depict a world that is without beginning or end, here or there, past or present.”

—Gregory Colbert, Creator of Ashes and Snow

Pet deaths prompt recall of pet food

A major manufacturer of dog and cat food sold under Wal-Mart, Safeway, Kroger and other store brands recalled 60 million containers of wet pet food Friday after reports of kidney failure and deaths.

An unknown number of cats and dogs suffered kidney failure and about 10 died after eating the affected pet food, Menu Foods said in announcing the North American recall. Product testing has not revealed a link explaining the reported cases of illness and death, the company said.

"At this juncture, we're not 100 percent sure what's happened," said Paul Henderson, the company's president and chief executive officer. However, the recalled products were made using wheat gluten purchased from a new supplier, since dropped for another source, spokeswoman Sarah Tuite said. Wheat gluten is a source of protein.

The recall covers the company's "cuts and gravy" style food, which consists of chunks of meat in gravy, sold in cans and small foil pouches between Dec. 3 and March 6 throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

The pet food was sold by stores operated by the Kroger Company, Safeway Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and PetSmart Inc., among others, Henderson said.

Menu Foods did not immediately provide a full list of brand names and lot numbers covered by the recall, saying they would be posted on its Web site — http://www.menufoods.com/recall — early Saturday. Consumers with questions can call (866) 463-6738.

Art by Briton Riviere

"Una and the Lion"

Mystery toxin devastates penguins

An unidentified toxin in gravel that attacks the brain, kidney and liver has been blamed for the deaths of 25 fairy penguins at Sea World on the Gold Coast.

Trevor Long, marine sciences director at Sea World, described the deaths of the fairy, or little, penguins at the popular theme park as a "sad day for all".

"There is a toxin involved and it's injured the brain, the kidney and the liver (of the penguins)," Mr Long explained today after receiving a preliminary report from Brisbane laboratory INDEXX.

"We don't know what it is and we don't know how it's got there.

"We're assuming it's come in with some ... gravel that's been changed, but until we get more information it's very hard to say."

Sea World's manager of marine sciences Steve McCourt said he suspected the deaths were caused by a load of contaminated gravel placed in the birds' enclosure as part of three-monthly maintenance.
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Ruby Pachs It In

Ruby, the 46-year-old African elephant who has been a mainstay at the LA Zoo for years, is retiring. In an announcement today, LA Zoo officials and Mayor Villaraigosa said that while the decision was a difficult one, it is the right one for Ruby.

She will be transferred to PAWS (Performing Animal Welfare Society), a non-profit 2,300 acre sanctuary for captive wildlife located in San Andreas. Though zoo visitors are saddened to see Ruby go, many wildlife activists have been pressing the zoo to make a decision about Ruby's future amid concerns that the zoo can't provide enough space or enrichment activities for the beloved pachyderm.

The growing concern about space in the current elephant habitat has prompted the LA Zoo to begin building the new Pachyderm Forest which is scheduled to open in late 2009. Villaraigosa supported this expansion in his remarks this morning: "I continue to remain committed to the state-of-the-art new elephant habitat currently under development at the Zoo. This is a great city, we deserve a world class zoo and this exhibit will be a step in that direction."

Ruby's departure means that Billy, a male Asian elephant, will be the only elephant at the Zoo who will remain on display until the new habitat is ready. It is likely that activists will soon begin to rally support for Billy's transfer to PAWS so that he can live out his life with the enrichment and acreage he needs.

The world's most explosive tongue

The salamander Bolitoglossa dofleini can flick out its tongue more than half its body length in about 7 milliseconds, or about 50 times faster than an average eye blink.

Stephen Deban of the University of South Florida and his colleagues used high-speed video cameras and electrodes implanted in the salamanders’ tongue muscles to monitor the animals as they launched at live crickets.

The findings revealed the tongues were propelled outward much faster than could be achieved by muscle contraction alone.

The researchers think that still unidentified elastic tissue attached to the salamander’s tongue stores up energy in preparation for an explosive action.

Deban likens the process to stretching and shooting a rubber band: the recoil occurs faster than the act of releasing a rubber band pulled taut.

“The amount of energy doesn’t change; it’s just released faster,” Deban told LiveScience.

How the salamander achieves its record power output is still unclear.

Jumbo Squid, Sperm Whale Study Reveals How the Giant Creatures Feed, Hunt

For the first time ever, researchers have electronically tagged sperm whales and jumbo squid swimming together off Mexico's Pacific Coast to learn more about how the giant creatures hunt and feed.

It's probably the only time tracking devices have been applied simultaneously in the same waters to deep-diving predators and their prey.

Piggy Cute Food

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This Little Piggy And Me

Karen and Steve Oehlerts are a husband and wife team who absolutely adore Guinea Pigs as pets and who have become dedicated to the rescue and adoption of these adorable little guys (and girls)!

THIS LITTLE PIGGY & ME is the name of their center which is a not-for-profit effort run completely out of their home. They have rescued hundreds of the animals and shipped them to new homes around the country. Right now, about 30 live at their house, including eight that are full-time family members.

Cincinnati Enquirer article

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Poisons, Poisons, Everywhere!

The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center recently released a list of the ten most common poisons that dogs ingest. What is immediately striking about the list is how ordinary each of the poisons is—most of us have these compounds in our homes or garages. The list is a reminder that it is important to keep medications and potentially toxic items locked up or stored safely away from our pets.

Here is a list of the toxins that you need to keep out of your pet’s reach:

Ibuprofen
Chocolate
Ant and Roach Baits
Rodenticides
Acetaminophen
Pseudoephedrine Containing Cold Medications
Thyroid Hormones
Bleach
Fertilizer, Including Plant “Foods”
Hydrocarbons Including Paints, Polishes, and Fuel Oils

Unseen oceans: Revelations from the abyss

These five stunning images of a host of bizarre beasts were among those unveiled at the 11^th International Deep-Sea Biology Symposium, held in 2006 in Southampton, UK.

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Annelid Worm (Photo: Daniel Desbruyeres)

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Piglet Squid (Photo: Alan Kinnear)

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Dumbo Octopus (Photo: David Shale)

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Cirrate Octopod (Photo: Michael Randall)

Deep Sea Physonect (Photo: Kevin Raskoff)

A worm like no other

This is a worm? This photograph of the newly named worm shows its mouth, which typically faces downward as the animal drifts about 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) below the ocean surface.

It sounds like a junior high school riddle—"What lives 3,000 feet below the ocean surface, is about the size of a marble, and looks like the back side of a pig?"

MBARI marine biologists have pondering this riddle for years, having seen a number of these strange, round organisms during deep dives in Monterey Canyon. MBARI biologist Karen Osborn and her co-workers recently came up with an answer to this riddle by combining modern DNA analysis with traditional methods of scientific observation. What they discovered was a new species of deep-sea worm, but a worm like no other. In a recent scientific paper, they gave this little creature a Latin name: Chaetopterus pugaporcinus.

Image: Karen Osborn (c) 2006 MBARI

Louis Vuitton Monogram Sac Chien Dog Carrier

Louis Vuitton
Monogram Sac Chien (Dog Carrier)

$1,620.00

For over 150 years, Louis Vuitton has been synonymous with luxury travel. Carry your dog in the grandest manner.

• One side fitted with breathable mesh
• Zippered top fully opens for easy entry and removal
• Washable lining
• Natural leather handles and trim
• 16" x 12" x 9"

Wonderful Shot: a camera for your dog

Taking photos of your pet simply isn’t enough.

What people really need is a way for their pets to take photos themselves. As a result, the Takara Tomy Co. of Japan has come up come up with the Wonderful Shot Dog Camera.

The 3.5 megapixel camera attaches to the dog’s collar. The owner can then press a button on the accompanying remote control to take a snap of what they imagine would make an interesting photo.

Cats Den outdoor cat enclosure

Did you know indoor cats live up to 5 times longer than their outdoor counterparts?
That’s because indoor cats:
Don’t get hit by cars, trucks or buses—hundreds of thousands of cats die this way each year.
Don’t get into fights with other cats—fights leading to torn ears, scratched eyes, internal injuries and infection.
Are safe from neighbors who don’t like stray animals—in many places it’s legal to trap an unwanted animal.
Are safe from attack by wild animals—like coyotes, raccoons and owls.

But many indoor cats suffer from obesity and mental stress.
They too want to experience the benefits of the great outdoors.


Now your cat can enjoy the best of both worlds with an outdoor cat enclosure from The Cat’s Den.

Video: Bulldog Surprise

Bulldog fast as lightning. Don't blink!
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Get your own bone!

Video: The Panda Thief

A recent visitor to a Chinese zoo had a narrow escape when his jacket was torn off his back by a giant panda.

Later in the video, see a newborn panda in an incubator.

Video: World's Worst Mouse Invasion

From the Guinness book comes the world's worst and most destrutive mouse invasion. Literally millions and millions of mice invaded just one farm alone in southern Australia and was captured on home video in 1993.

This is taken from the American TV show Guinnes World Records:Primetime and aired 10 August 1998.

Video: Jail Bird

Cockatoo opens locked cage from the inside then goes on to help his incarcerated friends.

Art by Michael Parkes

"The Letter"

Hounded out: Fur and loathing in the dog world

What do you get if you cross a cocker spaniel with a poodle? Or a pug with a beagle? Or a poodle with a labrador? This is not the start of a joke - anything but. Designer crossbreed dogs - of whom the puggle and the labradoodle are the most famous examples - are at the centre of a vicious barking match among Britain's canine classes.

Ranked on the one side of this row are pedigree breeders, whose champion, the Kennel Club, tomorrow welcomes owners to its annual purebred jamboree, Crufts. On the other are the crossbreeders: owners of pedigree dogs who have seen the British market for designer crosses inflamed in the past three years, and have decided to supply the demand. In fact, the stampede to acquire one has become so furious that puppies now sell for as much as £2,000.

"The crossbreed phenomenon seems to be fashion-motivated," says a Kennel Club spokesman. "So we can't condone it. We wouldn't want unscrupulous crossbreeders, who are out to make a fast buck, to compromise the welfare of dogs for purely commercial reasons."

The Secret Language of Whales Revealed

Deep below the ocean's surface, blue whales are singing, and for the first time, scientists think they know why. Researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography recorded the sounds and say they offer new insight into the behavior of the passenger jet-sized animals.

Using tags suctioned to the whales' bodies, researchers tracked the whales and found that as they feed, they send out calls to let each other know where they are, each group employing a different sound.

The noises play a similarly important role during mating season when males sing long, low-pitched songs to indicate their reproductive fitness to females. Females select mates based on size and estimate that by evaluating males' songs: Larger males can take in more air and hold notes longer.

The research appears in the January 25 issue of the Marine Ecology Progress Series journal.

150 hedgehogs in my bedroom

ANIMAL lover Barbara Roberts has saved 150 hedgehogs from starvation - by putting them all up in her spare bedroom.

Volunteers at the Withington Hedgehog Hospital had run out of space for the creatures after the mild winter tricked hundreds of them into coming out of hibernation early.

Miss Roberts, 55, who runs the hospital, offered to take some home - and now has 150 animals in pet containers piled 12-high, filling her 10x8 ft spare room from floor to ceiling.

She also has nine younger hedgehogs housed in three incubators, several older ones in pens in the garden, and 23 waifs and strays living in the lounge of her house in Parsonage Road, Withington.

"I really can't see a problem with it," said Miss Roberts. "When people come round they can't believe it doesn't smell.

Rare vulture to be flown to Mongolia

The next time you take a Thai Airways flight to China, a passenger with a wingspan of 9.2 feet and a taste for rotting carcasses may also be on board. The country's national carrier announced Wednesday that it will transport a juvenile cinereous vulture to Beijing on March 21 to help return the rare bird to its natural environment in Mongolia.

The vulture — normally not found in Thailand — has been nursed back to health by veterinarians at Kasetsart University in Bangkok, after apparently getting lost in late December and ending up dehydrated and near death in Chanthaburi province.

"We understand that it is the first time in Thailand that this type of vulture has been located and it is important that they are returned to their natural habitat," Thai Airways President Apinan Sumanaseni said in a statement. He said the airline also has transported other rare animals in the past, including pandas and white tigers.

Thai Airways will not charge for the flight. There will be a staff of five traveling with the vulture, including two veterinarians, it said.

The cute and the shocking at Meerkat Manor

For the past 13 years, Tim Clutton-Brock has conducted a field study of meerkats in the Kalahari Desert.

Clutton-Brock and his colleagues have published reports on meerkat behaviors ranging from altruism to infanticide. This article is an overview of the research being done by the behavioural ecologist Tim Clutton-Brock and his colleagues - and gives quite a good summary of the science behind the Soap.
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Human Pubic Lice Acquired From Gorillas Gives Evolutionary Clues

Humans acquired pubic lice from gorillas several million years ago, but this seemingly seedy connection does not mean that monkey business went on with the great apes, a new University of Florida study finds.

Rather than close encounters of the intimate kind, humans most likely got the gorilla's lice from sleeping in their nests or eating the giant apes, said David Reed, assistant curator of mammals at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the UF campus, one of the study's authors. The research is published in the current edition of the BMC Biology journal.

"It certainly wouldn't have to be what many people are going to immediately assume it might have been, and that is sexual intercourse occurring between humans and gorillas," he said. "Instead of something sordid, it could easily have stemmed from an activity that was considerably more tame."

About 3.3 million years ago, lice found on gorillas began to infest humans, Reed said. That they took up residence in the pubic region may have coincided with humans' loss of hair on the rest of their bodies and the lack of any other suitable niche, he said.

What are crab or pubic lice (Pthirus pubis)?

How to Get Rid of Lice

Unfortunately funny headline

Yahoo News reports a story about animal research centre in northern China which has appealed to the world for help to fashion an artificial leg for a panda that lost a limb -- along with its sex life -- in a fight.

The headline?

Legless panda needs a hand to improve sex life

Well, it caught my attention . . .

Cat Ladders of the World

You might see constructions like these from time to time and not realize what they are for:


Katt-Trappa is the swedish word for Cat-Ladder. katt-trappa.blogspot.com is a tribute to all the fantastic cat-ladders of the world.

"Mafia Birds" Make Others Raise Their Young ... Or Else

Birds can act like gangsters who threaten shopkeepers who fail to pay "protection money," a new study says.

The study focused on the brown-headed cowbird. Females of the species lay eggs in the nests of other bird species, leaving the strangers to incubate and raise the cowbird chicks—or have their nests attacked.

Brown-headed cowbirds "can lay their eggs within ten seconds," said avian ecologist Jeffrey Hoover of the Illinois Natural History Survey, who led the new study. "It's quite amazing how fast they are" compared with other birds.

This cowbird, the main "parasitic" bird species in North America, depends completely on other birds to raise its young—or else.

Cowbird mothers keep watch on the nests where they've laid their eggs.

If the birds find that their eggs have been destroyed or removed from the nest, the cowbirds retaliate, the study says.

The birds reportedly destroy the host birds' eggs, pecking holes in them or carrying them out of the nest and dropping them on the ground.

New Weapon Against Warming: "Flatulence Cards" Offset Dog, Human Emissions

While global warming is nothing to laugh at, an Australian company is providing some comic relief, selling carbon credits for flatulent pets and people.

So-called carbon emissions, such as carbon dioxide and methane, are greenhouse gases that are thought to be key factors in climate change. These emissions can be offset by purchasing carbon credits, which may be used to fund environmental programs.

For 35 Australian dollars (about 27 U.S. dollars), customers of Sydney-based Easy Being Green can offset a year's worth of carbon emissions linked to their dogs, from trips to the vet to, yes, breaking wind.

Making your cat carbon neutral for a year costs U.S.$6, while U.S.$16 offsets two years of flatulence from that special someone.

The company says it offsets the climate-warming effects of emissions from cars, planes, humans, and pets by installing energy-saving fluorescent light bulbs and water-saving shower heads in houses in New South Wales, Australia.

Two-snouted piglet born in China

• Two-snouted piglet
March 7 - A double-snouted, three-eyed piglet born was in Northern China.

Mourners terrified by rampaging ostrich

Its natural reaction would be to stick its head in the sand. But Edgar the ostrich is apparently oblivious to the fact that he is causing quite a flap - by terrorising a rural cemetery.

The rhea bird - a member of the ostrich family - is believed to escape from the animal rescue centre where he lives by squeezing through a gap in the fence or an open gate.

He then bounds half-a-mile along busy country roads to the cemetery in Lostwithiel, Cornwall.

One 77-year-old resident said she had stopped visiting her husband's grave for fear of bumping into Edgar. "I'm simply too frightened - I wouldn't know what to do if I came face to face with it," she said.

"I wouldn't have a chance if it tried to clip me with its feet - they have sharp talons you know."

Rare Iranian cheetahs get tracking collars

Scientists said on Thursday they have for the first time collared a pair of Iran's rare cheetahs with tracking systems which they hope will provide invaluable insights into the movements and range of the highly endangered animals.

The Asiatic cheetah once roamed the whole continent but is now confined to the harsh edge of Iran's Kavir Desert. Information on their movements is crucial as there are believed to be only 60 to 100 of the big cats left in the wild.

The two male cheetahs were captured and tranquilized by an international team of scientists in Iran's Bafgh Protected Area, the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society said in a statement. They were then fitted with Global Positioning System collars.

"This is an amazing milestone in securing the long-term future for the Asiatic cheetah," said Wildlife Conservation Society biologist Dr. Luke Hunter, who led the team.

"We know very little about the important ecological needs of the species in Iran except that they require vast areas ... Understanding their movements as they travel between reserves is one of the first steps in establishing a plan to secure and connect the few remaining populations," he said.

Like its better-known African counterpart, the Asiatic cheetah is a sleek killing machine that can reach speeds of over 60 miles an hour in pursuit of its prey.

Charging moose brings down hovering helicopter

A helicopter is not necessarily a match for an angry moose.

Instead of slowing down after being shot with a tranquilizer dart, a moose charged a hovering helicopter used by a wildlife biologist, damaging the aircraft's tail rotor and forcing it to the ground.

Neither the pilot nor the biologist was injured, but the moose was maimed by the spinning rotor and had to be euthanized, wildlife officials said.

"It just had to be one of those quirky circumstance. Even dealing with bears and goats and moose and wolves, this is pretty unusual and truly a very unique situation," said Doug Larsen, regional supervisor for the Division of Wildlife Conservation.

Biologist Kevin White was aboard the chartered helicopter on Saturday for a study of moose near Gustavus, a community of 459 people about 50 miles northwest of Juneau in southeast Alaska. Moose outnumber humans there 2-to-1, White has written in an essay for the Department of Fish and Game Web site.

Art by Charles Wysocki

Frederick the Literate

Study: Pygmy Owl Numbers Down in Mexico

A university study shows the population of a tiny endangered owl in northern Mexico has declined by an estimated 26 percent over the last seven years, a finding that environmentalists said bolsters their arguments for greater protection for the bird in Arizona.

Annual surveys by a scientist show the birds are continuing to decline in numbers, although there have been some years with rebounds, according to the University of Arizona study.

"There's been some variation in there," Aaron Flesch, a senior research specialist in the university's School of Natural Resources, said Tuesday. The tiny bird's numbers increased in 2005 and were similar in 2006 in northern Sonora, but "overall the trend is negative."

"Should this apparent decline continue, recovery strategies that rely on pygmy owls from northern Sonora and persistence of pygmy owls in the Sonoran Desert could be jeopardized," the report said.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service put the owl on the endangered species list in 1997 because of population declines in Arizona. But the agency withdrew it from the list last year after determining it was not a distinct subspecies and thus not worthy of protection.
(photo credit)

Dogs stolen at gunpoint returned to owners

Four purebred Yorkshire terriers stolen at gunpoint during a home invasion robbery more than a week ago were returned to their owners after a man turned himself in to police.

Three puppies, valued at $2,500 each, and a full-grown family pet named Tan-ja were reunited with their owners at the Wilshire Division police station Saturday night. One puppy remained missing, police said.
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Shark-Smuggling Bust Nets $1 Million for Habitat Protection

Leopard sharks in the San Francisco Bay Area will benefit from fines totaling nearly a million U.S. dollars—money resulting from the bust of a massive shark-smuggling ring that had been operating out of a local church.

Fines collected from six people convicted of the crimes will be used to create a habitat restoration fund for the sharks, federal prosecutors announced last week.

Over the span of more than a decade, the smugglers had pulled thousands of baby leopard sharks from the waters near San Francisco, California. The animals were sold alive to pet stores and private buyers throughout the United States and abroad.

"It's the largest investigation of shark poaching in U.S. history," said Roy Torres, a special agent with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service's Office of Law Enforcement in Pacific Grove, California.

Bye-Bye to the Aye-Aye

The aye-aye may be one of the most repellant animals in the world. It also happens to be on the verge of extinction.

Click here to read a slide-show essay about an effort to save the endangered species that got hit with the ugly stick.

Easter Baskets for dogs

Will you be buying an Easter Basket for your furry, four-legged companion this year?

Why not try i-pets.com 17-piece edible rawhide basket, filled with: 2 small rawhide rolls, 1 6" rawhide bone, 3 rawhide chips, 5 large munchie rawhide treats, 5 small munchie treats. - Bagged, with pink bow.

This is a great way to sample several of the great treat items i-pets.com offers for your pets, without buying the larger bulk-pack sizes.

Love Seat/Pink Dalmatian

Hand made Pink Dalmation love seat for your kitty.
Only $143.00
from JW Lionheart LTD

Pillowpillowpillow

Created by Aaron Stewart and Hornet Toys, this line of comfy, cozy pillows features our first edition designs of bow-wow-beautiful doggies and purrrfectly snuggle-worthy kitties.

PillowPillowPillows make a great gift for family, friends and you (why not give yourself a bone?). They appeal to pet lovers of every age, from cat-crazy kids to pooch-loving grandmas.

Video: Drunk Squirrel Climbs Tree

After eating too much fermented pumpkin this drunk squirrel is the definition of a party animal!

Video: Dancing Horse

We've seen dancing dogs - but this video is of a dancing horse: The WEG2006 Freestyle Dressage Final performance of Andreas Helgstrand on Blue Hors Matine.
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FDA Approves First Medication to Treat and Prevent Vomiting in Dogs

Pfizer Animal Health (PAH) announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Cerenia™ (maropitant citrate), the first medication to prevent and treat acute vomiting in dogs. This first-in-class drug has been proven to be a safe and effective medication that veterinarians can use to control emesis (vomiting), quickly and effectively, regardless of the cause, including motion sickness.

Vomiting is one of the most common reasons owners take their dogs to the veterinarian. According to Pfizer Animal Health market research, veterinarians see on average 30 cases of vomiting per month, with an estimated 2.8 million dogs experiencing vomiting each year in the U.S. In addition, another 1.2 million dogs suffer from vomiting caused by motion sickness.

Connection seen between animal abuse, human violence

More than 90 percent of serial killers in the U.S. admitted to having abused animals at some point in their lives.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has been compiling data on the connection between animal cruelty and human violence for the past 20 years.

Among the most infamous serial killers who admitted to abusing animals were the Son of Sam, Ted Bundy, the Boston Strangler and Jeffrey Dahmer, according to Arnold Baer, HSUS director of field services.

Baer told The Sun that the Animal Defenders of Yuma brought him to speak at Arizona Western College Tuesday night to reach audiences of different professionals to stress the importance of paying attention to animal abuse and pooling resources to ensure kids hurting animals are given counseling, so they do not grow up to commit criminal violence against people.

"A much higher percentage of violent criminals have had animal abuse in their backgrounds than those that don't," said Baer of studies done on incarcerated criminals.

Best Friends: Tiger, Orangutan Babies

A pair of month-old Sumatran tiger twins have become inseparable playmates with a set of young orangutans, an unthinkable match in their natural jungle habitat in Indonesia's tropical rainforests.

The friendship between 5-month-old female baby primates Nia and Irma, and cubs Dema and Manis, has blossomed at the Taman Safari zoo where they share a room in the nursery.

After being abandoned by their mothers shortly after birth, the four play fight, nipping and teasing each other, and cuddling up for a shared nap when they are worn out.

"This is unusual and would never happen in the wild," said zoo keeper Sri Suwarni, bottle-feeding a baby chimp on Wednesday. "Like human babies, they only want to play."

The four have lived side-by-side for a month without a single act of hostility, she said.

Antarctic ice melt reveals exotic creatures

Spindly orange sea stars, fan-finned ice fish and herds of roving sea cucumbers are among the exotic creatures spied off the Antarctic coast in an area formerly covered by ice, scientists reported Sunday.

This is the first time explorers have been able to catalog wildlife where two mammoth ice shelves used to extend for some 3,900 square miles over the Weddell Sea.

At least 5,000 years old, the ice shelves collapsed in two stages over the last dozen years. One crumbled 12 years ago and the other followed in 2002.

Global warming is seen as the culprit behind the ice shelves' demise, said Gauthier Chapelle of the Polar Foundation in Brussels.

"These kind of collapses are expected to happen more," he said. "What we're observing here is probably going to happen elsewhere around Antarctica."

Melting ice shelves are not expected to directly contribute much to global sea level rise, but glaciologists believe these vast swaths of ice act like dams to slow down glaciers as they move over the Antarctic land mass toward the coast. Without the ice shelves, glaciers may move over the water more quickly, and this would substantially add to rising seas.