Posted by kittymowmow in Uncategorized on 04 30th, 2008 | No Comments

Legless Lizard And Tiny Woodpecker Among New Species Discovered In Brazil

Researchers discovered a legless lizard and a tiny woodpecker along with 12 other suspected new species in Brazil's Cerrado, one of the world's 34 biodiversity conservation hotspots. The Cerrado's wooded grassland once covered an area half the size of Europe, but is now being converted to cropland and...
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Posted by kittymowmow in Uncategorized on 04 30th, 2008 | No Comments

Dead as a dodo? Why scientists fear for the future of of the Asian vulture

You have to feel sorry for vultures. For animal campaigners they are a difficult case. Other, more photogenic, slightly less sinister creatures may gain the world's sympathy at the drop of a hat, but raising money to save the world's most proficient scavenger is a different matter. As far as the Asian...
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Posted by kittymowmow in Uncategorized on 04 30th, 2008 | No Comments

Animals Use “Chemical Compasses,” Study Says

The idea that some animals navigate by "seeing" Earth's magnetic field has been shown to be feasible in laboratory tests, a new study says. First proposed about 30 years ago, the theory suggests that sunlight absorbed by molecules in the eyes of animals such as birds and bats triggers a chemical reaction. ...
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Posted by kittymowmow in Uncategorized on 04 30th, 2008 | 3 Comments

Why Are Kids So Crazy About Animals?

Yeah, zoos are fun. So are cartoons. And I certainly see the appeal of a teddy bear. But why are kids so over-the-top crazy about animals? I am especially struck by the fact that some of the most popular cartoon and children’s-book animals are among the least appealing animals in real life. Mice,...
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Posted by kittymowmow in Uncategorized on 04 30th, 2008 | 4 Comments

Debate: Do Pets Make Us Happier?

Growing up, my family had a much-beloved dog, Paddy-Wack ("Knick knack paddy wack, give your dog a bone..."), but we don't have a pet now. I'm very thankful that our building doesn't allow them, because the Big Girl would constantly be pestering me about it, if not. I definitely wouldn't want the responsibility...
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Posted by kittymowmow in Uncategorized on 04 30th, 2008 | No Comments

Rampant overfishing endangers Baltic fish stocks

A storm is brewing, which means that coastal fisherman Zbignew Struck, 46, is taking in his salmon nets in the Bay of Puck in Poland. "The storm could tangle the nets", he says from the cabin of his boat. There is another reason for the haste: Struck has cast his nets into the sea without permission. "I...
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Posted by kittymowmow in Uncategorized on 04 30th, 2008 | No Comments

New York bans grisly electrocution of animals for fur

New York has become the first state in the nation to ban the electrocution of animals in a particularly gruesome way to harvest their fur. The law bans the practice of anal and genital electrocution of fur-bearing animals, including mink, foxes, chinchillas and rabbits. The misdemeanor is punishable...
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Posted by kittymowmow in Animals, Dogs, Mammals, Pets, Science & Tech, Veterinary Medicine on 04 30th, 2008 | No Comments

Custom wheelchairs recover mobility for pets

photo credit: sarah m scott When Gary Mikus learned that an incurable nerve disease was starting to paralyze the hind legs of his German shepherd, he immediately dismissed the idea of putting the dog to sleep. Then he spotted an ad in a pet food store: “Eddie’s Wheels For Pets. Help for Handicapped...
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Posted by kittymowmow in Uncategorized on 04 30th, 2008 | No Comments

Tropical Reforestation Aided By Bats

German scientists are engaging bats to kick-start natural reforestation in the tropics by installing artificial bat roosts in deforested areas. This novel method for tropical restoration is presented in a new study published online in the science journal Conservation Biology this week. Detlev Kelm from...
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Posted by kittymowmow in Uncategorized on 04 30th, 2008 | No Comments

Giant squid may decimate British Columbia fish population, scientists fear

Nightmarish packs of rapacious giant devil squid are hunting off the B.C. coast -- and as their numbers increase, scientists are worrying about an attack on fish stocks. Humboldt squid, called diablos rojos or red devils in Mexico, have been known to attack scuba divers, and were once a rarity in B.C....
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