Critters - (Articles pertaining to animals)

Palomar · 2005-03-17 18:50:41

*Guess it's time to start a thread devoted to our winged- and four-footed fellow creatures. A handful of articles pertaining to animals have been posted elsewhere; may as well centralize them.

http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/ … n.html]Bad news for cows

Vampire bats can run

--Cindy

Shaun Barrett · 2005-03-18 01:42:53

Cindy:-

Vampire bats can run

Well, at least we can outrun the bloodthirsty bas****s, or hit 'em with a piece of wood.
But did you notice that a grizzly bear is much faster on foot than the average human?! And I've heard you shouldn't shoot 'em, either ... it just makes 'em mad!!

Palomar · 2005-03-29 06:42:18

*Hi Shaun: Yes, I knew that about grizzly bears (speed). A few years ago a bear enthusiast -- who'd frequently approached bears in the wild for years, without harm -- was suddenly attacked and mauled to death. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was a supporter of this man's work. Unfortunately there was no way of escape for this man nor his girlfriend. They'd been dropped off in a remote part of the Alaskan (?) wilderness and weren't due to be picked up until a designated time. It was just them, their humble camp and tents. When the bear attacked him, she tried to help...and when the bear was finished with him, of course it next attacked her. Very sad. The helicopter crew came on the appointed day and time to pick them up, and found two terribly mutilated corpses barely resembling human beings. ::shudder::

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.htm … 1]Mountain lion warnings for NASA Ames Research Center

On the east side of ARC, near a golf course. Hmmmm...you're more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a mountain lion. Says most mtn lions will try to *avoid* contact/confrontation (didn't know that).

DO NOT APPROACH A LION

"Here kitty, kitty, kitty..." Not.

DO ALL YOU CAN TO APPEAR LARGER: Raise your arms. Open your jacket if you are wearing one. Throw stones and branches or other objects. Wave your arms slowly and speak firmly in a loud voice.

Interesting. Hopefully no one will be harmed.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-03-29 11:03:40

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/life-05t.html]Secrets of whales' long-distance sounds unveiled

*Terrific article. Am pressed for time, so will copy and paste:

They can utter different sounds to express anger, surprise and sadness with the changes of environments and their physical conditions.

Research led by Christopher Clark who, for 9 years, has listened to whale songs and calls via the Navy's "antisubmarine listening system."

There is a time delay in the water, and the response time for whales' communications is different from the time of human beings. Sounds are transmitted in the water at a speed of 1,450 meters per second.
This is four times faster than the transmission speed in the air. As a result, when whales communicate via songs, the responses come much quicker.

Says whales communicate with each other over thousands of miles, and singing is part of their community/social system.

Scientists have also discovered that whales sing new songs each year. New syllables appear constantly to replace old ones and the new syllables soon spread worldwide.

Amazing.

They also found that when a horde of whales return to their original territory after long-distance trips, they first sing old songs of the previous year and then new songs.

Also discusses increased ocean (shipping) traffic creating increasing problems with breeding, communication and etc.

I've had a cassette tape of whale calls. Always a pleasure to listen to; it's been a while.

--Cindy

Grypd · 2005-03-29 17:29:54

Though often reported by fisherman in the past Great White sharks have become more and more commenly reported off British waters.

We have proof of there feeding I have actually seen the carcass of a dolphin which had been half devoured on a beach near Nairn but they have never been caught on film yet though witnessed by a lot of people. They even have been reported as far north as Wick and it is likely the seal population that is attracting them and the warmer water too.

Oh and there has not been a shark attack reported in historical times in the UK.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news … e.html]Old National Geographic article

One of these days we will actually film one but it gives a bit of an air of excitement to the seas does it not. :laugh:

Palomar · 2005-03-29 19:13:36

Though often reported by fisherman in the past Great White sharks have become more and more commenly reported off British waters.
We have proof of there feeding I have actually seen the carcass of a dolphin which had been half devoured on a beach near Nairn but they have never been caught on film yet though witnessed by a lot of people. They even have been reported as far north as Wick and it is likely the seal population that is attracting them and the warmer water too.
Oh and there has not been a shark attack reported in historical times in the UK.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news … e.html]Old National Geographic article
One of these days we will actually film one but it gives a bit of an air of excitement to the seas does it not. :laugh:

*Hi Grypd. I saw an article similar to this one at Yahoo! news a week or two ago.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has recently backed this view, having changed its distribution map for the species. This suggests its range could extend as far north as Scotland.

Then this means great white sharks could swim into the huge lochs you have in Scotland? Isn't the upper portion of Scotland nearly cleaved from the remainder by a huge expanse of water connected immediately to the ocean? I've seen maps of Scotland, but not sure how precisely detailed those maps were.

Just wondering. Maybe "Nessie" will eat the sharks...LOL.

:;):

--Cindy

Dook · 2005-03-29 19:34:00

All this talk about food is making me hungry.

Grypd · 2005-03-30 06:00:47

*Hi Grypd. I saw an article similar to this one at Yahoo! news a week or two ago.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has recently backed this view, having changed its distribution map for the species. This suggests its range could extend as far north as Scotland.
Then this means great white sharks could swim into the huge lochs you have in Scotland? Isn't the upper portion of Scotland nearly cleaved from the remainder by a huge expanse of water connected immediately to the ocean? I've seen maps of Scotland, but not sure how precisely detailed those maps were.
Just wondering. Maybe "Nessie" will eat the sharks...LOL.
:;):
--Cindy

Hmmm would not surprise me then again I have been on a submarine at the bottom of Loch ness and frankly could not see a thing. The bottom is covered with trees that have been there since just after the last ice age and with the Loch never really changing tempature and the water peat laden and deep we could really loose a whole family of Nessies. Add the cave systems that are thought to exist and well.....

But for the great Whites it seems they find the warmer waters of the North sea to be preferable and these great whites come from the Mediterranean and travel up through the straights of Gibraltar up the coast of Spain and France and enter the North Sea by way of the English channel. And with the large seal and bird populations there is plenty for them to eat. They seem to be attracted to the Moray Firth which has good conditions for meat eaters there is a permanent colony of Dolphins there.

Palomar · 2005-03-31 14:46:25

http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/ … l]Laughter and joy in animals

*Interesting bit about rats. They like being tickled?

Development of humor in the human brain also briefly discussed.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-04-08 11:43:59

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u … e_duck]U.S. Secret Service gives mother duck special protection

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-04-12 09:06:31

http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/ … ml]Mystery of the water strider solved

*Discovery of this insect's ability could lead to development of new water-resistant textiles as well.

The water strider's legs are covered with microscopic hairs which trap tiny air bubbles, enabling it to float. It can also "pack on" 15 times its body weight and still not sink. It does have to take care, though, not to get its legs wet.

--Cindy

Grypd · 2005-04-12 16:48:13

They say one of the toughest materials is spider silk as an example a pencil thin strand stretched across the flightpath of a 747 and secured tightly would stop the plane in flight without breaking.

Needless to say many people want to make more and see if we can use it in body armor clothing spacecraft hulls etc.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news … tml]Spider silk, artificial making

Its the structure of spider silk and its makeup that actually show its strength.

http://www.xs4all.nl/~ednieuw/Spiders/I … htm]Spider Silk an Article

Still a very unique and potentially very useful material.

Palomar · 2005-04-12 20:15:38

They say one of the toughest materials is spider silk as an example a pencil thin strand stretched across the flightpath of a 747 and secured tightly would stop the plane in flight without breaking.
Needless to say many people want to make more and see if we can use it in body armor clothing spacecraft hulls etc.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news … tml]Spider silk, artificial making
Its the structure of spider silk and its makeup that actually show its strength.
http://www.xs4all.nl/~ednieuw/Spiders/I … htm]Spider Silk an Article
Still a very unique and potentially very useful material.

*Hi Grypd. You might be interested in http://www.newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3054]this old thread.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-04-13 13:52:47

http://www.livescience.com/othernews/be … mes.html]A. vaderi

*..and its friends A. bushi, A. cheneyi and A. rumsfeldi.

(Yep -- the 1st name is in honor of Darth Vader...or is that Darth Tater? Hmmmmmm).

--Cindy

Grypd · 2005-04-15 16:57:16

Seems the Great White Shark has competition and its called the Mako. Especially from a shark supposedly from Africa,

http://animal.discovery.com/news/afp/20 … tml]Recent Shark attacks on Porpoises

Can the water be warming that much or is it lost.

Palomar · 2005-04-16 06:55:58

http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/ … le-dolphin hybrid has baby "Wolphin"

The only whale-dolphin mix in captivity has given birth to a playful female calf, officials at Sea Life Park Hawaii said Thursday.
The calf was born on Dec. 23 to Kekaimalu, a mix of a false killer whale and an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin. Park officials said they waited to announce the birth until now because of recent changes in ownership and operations at the park.
The young as-yet unnamed wholphin is one-fourth false killer whale and three-fourths Atlantic bottlenose dolphin. Her slick skin is an even blend of a dolphin's light gray and the black coloring of a false killer whale.
The calf still depends fully on her mother's milk, but sometimes snatches frozen capelin from the hands of trainers, then toys with the sardine-like fish.
She is jumbo-sized compared to purebred dolphins, and is already the size of a one-year-old bottlenose.
``Mother and calf are doing very well,'' said Dr. Renato Lenzi, general manager of Sea Life Park by Dolphin Discovery. ``We are monitoring them very closely to ensure the best care for them.''

*Still undecided as to a name. They're hoping to have the baby in a display tank in a few months' time. I wasn't aware that such interbreeding could occur and the term false killer whale is new to me as well. :-\

Wish they would have included a photo of the baby; she must be so cute.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-04-22 05:13:37

*This item just in from space.com's Astronotes:

Beamed Into Space: Whale Songs
From the deep ocean into the depths of space, the first live whale songs are to be broadcast into the cosmos on April 22 - Earth Day.
Providing the service is the Deep Space Communications Network, a private organization located near the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Making use of a large dish antenna, the group will blast the whale songs out to some 3.5 light years into deep space covering an estimated distance of 18 trillion miles.
The distance the whale songs signal could go into the universe beyond the 18 trillion miles -- and still be detectable by other non-terrestrial systems -- “is an ongoing matter of speculation,” said Jim Lewis of Deep Space Communications Network.
The Sirius Institute, located in Puna, Hawaii, contracted the Deep Space Communications Network to perform the duty.
Members of the whale chorus whose songs will be sent live into space are from pods of Humpback whales off the coast of Maui. Whalesong.com will provide the live feed of whale music making use of an underwater microphone in the Pacific Ocean near Maui, Hawai'i.
Michael Hyson, research director for the Sirius Institute, said that dolphins and whales are the oldest sentient race on the planet, and it’s about time they shared their songs with the universe.
Humpback whale songs are included in the gold records that are attached to the still-outbound Voyager spacecraft. But this is the first time that live whale songs will be transmitted into space.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-04-27 12:59:41

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s … ]Exploding toads puzzle German scientists

*Poor things. Says they suffer for several minutes before they die. Weird. Hopefully they'll soon discover what might be in that pond.

--Cindy

Trebuchet · 2005-04-27 18:04:43

I'm sure the UN will be opening dialogues with the frogs to discover their "legitimate political grievances". After all, there are issues, such as high-school dissections, over which the frogs are so angry that they can't help but blow themselves up. The UN will be interested in treating the root causes of frog terrorism, after all.

Palomar · 2005-04-27 20:02:23

I'm sure the UN will be opening dialogues with the frogs to discover their "legitimate political grievances". After all, there are issues, such as high-school dissections, over which the frogs are so angry that they can't help but blow themselves up. The UN will be interested in treating the root causes of frog terrorism, after all.

*Funny.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-04-28 14:19:23

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s … oads]Crows to blame for exploding toads?

*One scientist is wondering if crows are pecking out the toads' livers. :-\ This situation has apparently spread across the border and is occurring in Denmark too.

"The crows are clever," said Frank Mutschmann, a Berlin veterinarian who collected and tested specimens at the Hamburg pond. "They learn quickly from watching other crows how to get the livers."

Just speculation at this point. Other theories in the article too.

Over 1,000 toads dead to date.

--Cindy

Shaun Barrett · 2005-04-28 23:24:57

Completely off-topic and probably only of passing interest to me - Cindy reminded me of something when she said, about the hybrid cetacean:-

Wish they would have included a photo of the baby ..

It's the American use of 'would have' instead of 'had' in this context. I've noticed it frequently on U.S. television shows and I've never been able to get used to it. Not that it bothers me at all; it's just a small grammatical curiosity. But Brits and Aussies would say: "I wish they'd included a photo of the baby .." or, conversely, "I wish they hadn't .."
Sorry. Had to mention it. No big deal. All over. I'll go away now.

DonPanic · 2005-04-29 04:09:14

LO

It's the American use of 'would have' instead of 'had' in this context. I've noticed it frequently on U.S. television shows and I've never been able to get used to it.

On french TV, lots of speakers have incorrect expressions.
Should be fined, as professionnal faults.

Palomar · 2005-04-29 04:35:17

Completely off-topic and probably only of passing interest to me - Cindy reminded me of something when she said, about the hybrid cetacean:-
Wish they would have included a photo of the baby ..
It's the American use of 'would have' instead of 'had' in this context. I've noticed it frequently on U.S. television shows and I've never been able to get used to it. Not that it bothers me at all; it's just a small grammatical curiosity. But Brits and Aussies would say: "I wish they'd included a photo of the baby .." or, conversely, "I wish they hadn't .."
Sorry. Had to mention it. No big deal. All over. I'll go away now.

*The Brit/Aussie way sounds as though a word is missing. "I wish they'd included..." Seems awkward.

Of course it's all about what we're accustomed to hearing.

"I wish they would have/I wish they could have..."

What about the latter, Shaun? "I wish they could have..."

A no-no to Brits and Aussies?

--Cindy

Shaun Barrett · 2005-04-29 18:46:33

Hmmm.
Either "could have" or "would have" sounds like too many words in our neck of the woods, when "had" seems to suffice ... at least to our way of thinking.
It's all purely academic, of course, and there's obviously no absolute right or wrong involved. It's in the same category as "colour" versus "color", I suppose, and various other subtle differences between American and English versions of things.

And, although I'm used to it now, for a long time the phrase "I did that already" sounded wrong to my ears. In English classes at school, that kind of sentence construction would have been rejected by our teacher. We would have been required to write "I've done that already".

Another difference, which has more or less disintegrated these days as Aussies take up more and more of the American way of saying things, is in the sentence "She has a different way of speaking, doesn't she?". When I was a schoolboy, that sounded really odd. The Aussie/Brit way of saying that was "She has a different way of speaking, hasn't she?"
The "doesn't she" version is not incorrect, of course, and I'm not trying to suggest it is. It's actually an abbreviation of the phrase "does she not?" - just as legitimate as the Aussie/Brit abbreviation of "has she not?". Just different, that's all.

In a way, I wish I hadn't started all this!! :;): :laugh:

[Thanks people for your kind indulgence as I veered off-topic there. Just a few passing comments on linguistic idiosyncrasies that interest me. Nothing important. ]

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