CAUGHT ON TAPE: Dozens of baby turtles hatch and head home

Key West, FL - You likely have seen the bumper stickers "sea turtles dig the dark". You can truth in action thanks to the Florida Keys Turtle Cam that captured quite a site Friday night, using infrared lighting and a live-streaming, high-definition "turtle webcam".

The feed recorded the hatch of about 100 baby loggerhead sea turtles that bolted from the hole and headed straight to the Atlantic Ocean under dim moonlight.

The camera uses infrared lighting so hatchlings won't be confused by artificial light and will go to sea. The moonlight actually guides them by reflecting off the water

The webcam has been focused on the nest in the Lower Keys for almost two weeks, as part of ongoing efforts in the Florida Keys to raise awareness of protecting sea turtles.

Loggerhead, green, leatherback, hawksbill and Kemp's ridley sea turtles are all considered either threatened or endangered, and are protected by the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission approved the web cam.

Source: Here

Abandoned Mall Turns to Koi Pond

Koiponds add a beautiful detail to any outdoor space. Some people invest a lot of money to have a giant koi pond build for their garden, but in the busy city of Bangkok, you can find a not so average pond that’s drawing a lot of attention to tourist and even locals.

About a two decade or so ago, the New World mall was built and is said to be one of the biggest malls during that time. However, the mall’s top floors didn’t get the approval from the original building permit so it was forced to shut down in 1997. After the 11 story building was abandoned, someone set fire to it leaving the structure roofless. The floor of the building ended up collecting rain water and flooded the space with water that’s a few feet deep. It seemed like there was no real use for it anymore and since there was water, the area became a breeding ground for mosquitos.

Locals from the nearby areas are said to have introduced the fishes to the pond to get rid of the mosquitos. They first added a few koi fishes and some large carp species, and to their surprise, the fishes actually strived and started breeding, turning the water-filled abandoned mall into a giant aquarium.

The area is actually closed off, but some people do manage to get into the building and take pictures of the magnificent hidden aquarium. The locals also help the fishes survive by feeding them.

Meet Peanut - the World's Ugliest Dog 2014

California - 29 ugly-on the-outside-adorable-on-the-inside homely dogs simply show their looks for the World's Ugliest Dog 2014 competition. 

This year's winner is a shelter-rescued mutt from Greenville, N.C...Peanut!

Source here.

Asians eating pangolins to extinction

The scaly anteater, which looks like an artichoke with legs and a tail, is being eaten out of existence as its tasty meat is served up at banquets across Asia, conservationists said on Tuesday.

The pangolin, resembling a pine cone on legs, is the world’s only scaly mammal. It uses the scales as armour and uses its long, sticky tongue to catch prey.

The mysterious mammal is the prey of poachers with more than one million believed to have been snatched from the wild in the past decade.

In an update to the authoritative red list of endangered animals, all eight species of the anteater were upgraded to threatened status by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

According to experts at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the demand for pangolins native to Asia has been so great that poachers are now turning to Africa, where four of the species are found. Conservationists say there is already evidence of an underground, intercontinental trade in pangolins between Africa and Asia.

More than a million are believed to have been illegally caught over the last decade.

In fact, this scaly anteater has become the world's most illegally traded mammal, which has led the IUCN to step up conservation efforts in Asia and also Africa where traders are turning to meet the growing demand.

Why does it matter?

Conservationists want to save the pangolin from the dinner table and the annals of extinction as they are highly evolutionarily distinct. Extinction would wipe out 80 million years of evolutionary history.

Source: Here

On Sunday, July 13, the 2014 Unleashed by Petco Surf Dog competition took place at San Diego, Calif.'s Imperial Beach. With events held for large, medium, and small dogs, as well as a tandem event, there was more than enough action for spectators and four-legged-participants alike.

In its ninth year, the event raises money for the Humane Society, and this year's competition saw 50 dogs take to the water.

Following are some of the gritty (and wet) canine surfers in search of that perfect wave. 

Cute Child with Animal Photos

All photos shown below are captured by a passionate photographer and a mother - Elena Shumilove. Subjects include her two sons and how their innocence are connected into the magical world with cute animals.

"Followed" - May 2013

Kindergarten

Three spiders proven to be not so toxic as what internet circulations claimed

Many information about toxic spiders have gone viral on the internet, published to be so fatal that could cause necrosis. The good thing is, this is written to warn people and to guarantee safety in case real venomous spiders are encountered. The bad thing is, some people who really did encounter these spiders and had been bitten, were so scared to death of what will happen to them after browsing the internet for information.

Australian white-tailed spider

At least it’s good news because one case claimed to have no sign of necrosis after being bitten by an Australian white-tailed spider, a known toxic spider which had a reputation for being so toxic it could kill a human who’s bitten. While the victim was anxious for his own safety, his doctor, Dr. Scott Weinstein, a toxinologist at Women's and Children's Hospital in North Adelaide, Australia has given him treatments and wrote the study after a month of observation in the absence of toxic effects. This new study is now published in the journal Toxicon for updates. 

Hobo spider

 It is also important that people should know so it won't lead to misdiagnosis and other negative effects and complications caused by fear to the victim.

Wolf spider

The three spiders that were wrongly accused are: The white-tailed spider, the hobo spider, and the wolf spider.

Source here.

Reef Stonefish – Poison that Kills

Swimming around rocks and corals is probably one of the most amazing things to do when you’re out in the water. It’s like taking a walk in an underwater garden since you get to enjoy the wonderful colors of the reef and aquatic life that swims by. However, you should always be cautious when swimming in these areas. Some of the most poisonous creatures are masters of camouflage and you won’t even notice them, even if they’re right in front of you.

Reef Stonefishes are one of the best when it comes to camouflage. They look exactly like a part of a coral formation or a rock and it’s really easy to pass by them. They’re commonly found all throughout the tropical waters in the Indo-Pacific. If you’re lucky enough to actually spot one of these fishes, you might want to keep your hands away since it has short dorsal spines that can inject very poisonous venom. In fact, the poison can easily take a grown man down in a matter of minutes.

There are two species of stonefish, the Estuary Stonefish and the Reef Stonefish. The easiest way to tell them both apart is by looking at their eyes. There is a deep depression between the Reef Stonefish eyes while the Estuary Stonefish has a bony ridge between its eyes. They grow to about 35 cm but some 50 cm specimens have been seen. Since they’re very well camouflaged and fast, prey like crustaceans and smaller fishes don’t see what’s coming.  

Pesticides - bee and bird killer!

A new study led by researchers at Radboud University in the Netherlands, has suggested that areas with high concentrations of crop pesticides or neonicotinoids have killed bee colonies and birds.

A study from 2003 to 2010 has observed that areas with great concentration of the said pesticides have reduced the number of barn swallows, tree sparrow, and common starlings of up to 3.5 percent yearly. This will result in harmful effects to our ecosystem which could lead to chain reactions that will indirectly affect us humans in the near future.

The pesticide is now banned for use in Europe, but is still used widely in the US and around the world. As of now, chemists are trying to find a better option to prevent future crisis.

Have you thought of ways to solve this problem? What better alternatives do you think farmers should use for their crops?

Source here.

The summer night fairies - the fireflies

Fireflies are actually beetles, not flies as its name imply. They are nocturnal beetles which are under the family Lampyridae.

Fireflies make up to more or less 2,000 number of species. In some countries, the number of their presence in the evenings are signs of approaching or ending summers, where they are most abundant in warm summer nights. These bugs love moisture and are mainly found in humid regions of America and Asia. However, they can also be found on drier countries where damp areas are present.

Photo by Tsuneaki Hiramatsu of Okayama City, shot using long exposure, time lapse, and digital imagery

An average firefly in the wild can survive for up to 2 months and grow up to 1 inch or 2.5 centimeters, almost the size of a common paper clip.

Photo credit : Jessica Lucia

What makes them glow

Fireflies have light organs under their abdomens. They take in oxygen which is processed by their cells inside that make up the combination of a substance called luciferin – a compound that triggers a bioluminescent reaction. However, how they are turned on and off by the fireflies remain unknown by scientists. Each subspecies also flicker its light in a unique pattern that plays a role in the mating process.

Aside from that, their light may also be a defense mechanism to convey its unappetizing taste to predators. The fact that even larvae are luminescent lends support to this theory.


Source here.

Shell Fascination – the Golden Cowrie

The golden cowrie (Cypraea aurantium) has fascinated people because of its shiny, attractive shells way back hundreds of years ago and has been part of trades in different countries.

It has been noted as a high-rank symbol worn by Fiji rulers and were used as a currency throughout the South Pacific years ago. Until now, the shell is valued by shell collectors who are willing to pay a price especially for the rarer genus.

Golden cowries are molluscs with an egg-shape exoskeletons and a narrow opening in its flat bases. You can tell that this mollusc pays very important attention to its shell by covering it almost entirely when they move, thus the shell has high maintenance when it comes to polishing.

It is seldom seen since it spends most of their time under reef crevices and under the rocks, not only that, they only come out at night for its meal – sponges and algae.

However, like other animals these days, their population is declining due to habitat loss and over-harvesting. 

A Killer Whale-looking Dolphin

The Southern Right Whale Dolphin (Lissodelphis peronii ) was described by Lacépède in 1804 as Delphinus peronii, possibly based on a specimen collected south of Tasmania. It has been postulated that the closely related northern species Lissodelphis borealis may belong to the same species as the Southern Right Whale Dolphin (L. peronii), however this has not been confirmed.

The common name for right whale dolphin is named after its lack of dorsal fin (a known-feature for dolphins) which gives it a look of the right portion of a whale. Aside from that, its elegant black and white color similar to a killer whale’s is also a striking characteristic. Weighing at 116 kg, this dolphin could grow at a maximum size of 2.97 meters for males and 2.3 meters for females.

They are known to be very sociable with other species as they are noted to swim in large groups together with Pilot Whales, Dusky Dolphins, Hourglass Dolphins, and other common dolphins and large whales.

Like other whales, they feed on fish, squid, and crustaceans. However, it is not known whether this type of dolphin is a deep-layer or surface feeder.

Iconic Grunion: Annual Spawning

Gretchen Parker in Cabrillo Beach, California

for National Geographic

PUBLISHED JULY 6, 2014

Just after nightfall in southern California, on sandy stretches of Pacific shoreline, a piece of marine folklore is coming to life.

It's that time of year again. The grunion are running.

Grunion (Leuresthes tennis) are skinny, silvery little fish only 5 to 6 inches (13 to 15 centimeters) long. They're not harvested commercially, and they'd probably go unnoticed if it weren't for the unusual way they spawn.

But the way they flop, en masse, out of the water and onto the shoreline, dig into the sand to lay eggs, and then scoot back into the surf has become the stuff of legend in southern California.

 Natives get a kick out of taking out-of-town guests to see the nighttime spectacle, which occurs each year between March and August on beaches from Point Conception, just north of Santa Barbara, down to Punta Abreojos in Baja California, Mexico. California grunion, members of the Atherinopsidae family, or New World silversides, are found nowhere else in the world.

But how much longer will they be found here? Anecdotal evidence suggests that as hunting has increased, and as development has reduced available spawning grounds, there have been fewer strong, healthy grunion runs in recent years.

"People ask me all the time, 'How are the grunion doing these days?' " says Karen Martin, a biology professor at Pepperdine University and the region's best-known expert on grunion. "I say, 'It's not their best year.' "

Source: Here

Get to know the Irrawaddy Dolphin before it becomes extinct

The Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostis) is distributed in small populations through Southeast Asia. It is now placed under Vulnerable category because of its reportedly small numbers.

Compared to other dolphins, the Irrawaddy is distinctive through its round face, short beak, and a bulging forehead that makes it look more similar to a whale. 

There is little to no evidence of exploitation for the species, but the threats still come from fisheries as a bycatch, and from habitat loss  due to deforestation, mining, and development of dams which alters the water distribution and composition.

The species eats crustaceans and fish found in tropical and subtropical estuaries. They are rarely seen alone and are always socially feeding and swimming in groups in semi-marine environment, usually near the shore or close to mangrove forests, but most populations are found in freshwater or brackish areas like rivers, deltas, lakes, and bays.

Today, the current population numbers in certain areas are:

Malampaya Sound, Philippines: 77

Mekong River: 78-91

Mahakam River, Indonesia: 87

Ayeyarwady River, Myanmar: 58-72

Coastal waters of Bangladesh: 5,383

Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh: 451

Save the World. Eat Bugs!

Business Insider -  Will Wei

The world's population is projected to grow from 7.2 billion to 9.6 billion people by 2050.  So, what needs to be done to feed an extra two billion mouths?

We need to eat more bugs.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations makes a compelling case that insects are key to our future food security. Insects are chock-full of protein, good fats, calcium, iron, and zinc — making them viable alternatives to chicken, pig, and cow meat. Bugs are also much easier on the environment.

toffee worm vanilla ice cream - Don Bugito

Much of the world has already discovered this. Eighty percent of nations, from Southeast Asia to Latin America, already consume more than 1,900 different insect species. Fried locusts and grasshoppers, for example, are extremely popular street foods in Thailand.  The Western world has been the only holdout, but  that is perhaps starting to change.

Restaurants in New York and other major cities are featuring items such as grasshopper tacos. Meanwhile, Tiny Farms, Bitty Foods, and Don Bugito are three startups in San Francisco betting on bugs. Tiny Farms offers open-source farm kits encouraging individuals and businesses to raise their own insects, Bitty Foods makes baked goods using flour made of ground-up crickets, and Don Bugito sells flavorful cooked insects in snack-size packages.

These startups are leading the way in putting insects on your plate.

Source: Here

Do Monkeys Believe in Luck?

Luck is probably one of the most universal beliefs that we humans have. People all over the world believe in luck and they even have items and rituals that they believe bring more of it to their lives. Even in the most random situations, people have a tendency to see a losing or a winning streak. Good or bad luck can govern our behaviors, but does the same also go to our more primitive and wild cousins?

Recent studies have shown that monkeys actually share our belief in good luck, specifically on a lucky streak. University of Rochester’s Benjamin Hayden studies the systematic error made in decision making among primates using a simple computer game which was designed to entertain monkeys. Fortunately for the researchers, the monkeys found the game rather fun. Rhesus monkeys were used for the experiment and they had the simple task of choosing left or right. When they made a correct guess, they were given a reward.

The researchers programmed the game in three patterns, two of which followed a clear pattern for the direction to go which the third one was totally set to random. When a clear pattern existed, they would quickly guess the right sequence. However when the patterns go random, they still persisted to make their choices like they anticipated a streak. In cases where the rewards were given in random, they still continued to favor one of the sides. 

This phenomenon, commonly known as the hot-hand bias, is one of the most studied concepts when it comes to gambling addiction. The results of the research could be used as a biological basis for the behavior.

Creepy New Wasp Specie Discovered

Insects have been programmed to make their homes from mud or soil. They’d line their nest with plant debris and resin to keep themselves and their larva protected. However, a new species of wasps take the idea of a “haunted house” to a new level. They actually use ant corpses to line their nest.

The new specie, called Deuteragenia ossarium or simply bone-house spider wasp, uses this strategy to protect their homes. Normally, spider wasps would dig holes in trees or wood or even occupy pre-existing holes and cavities. They would lay their eggs in different chambers and hunt living spiders for their growing larva. Mother wasps would paralyze spiders and drag them back to the nest to get fed on. Once she leaves food for the developing baby wasps, she seals the nest and flies of. The wasp larva, once fully developed, would then make their way out of the nest.

The bone-house spider wasp was discovered by a team from the University of Freiburg in Germany. They spent time collecting wasp species and their nest in Southeast China’s Gutianshan National Nature Reserve. Out of the 829 nests, 73 had an outer cell that had dead ants in them. This unique nesting behavior is one of a kind in the insect world and sounds like something that came straight out of a horror movie. The researchers then realized that the mature wasps which came out of these strange nest were an unknown specie, so they named it after the word "ossuary" or a graveyard bone-house.