The Animal Blog

This article on CNN.com outlines research conducted at the University of Cambridge in England. According to their observations, there is some evidence of adults actively teaching their young. It is still unknown whether the teaching is a result of the adults realizing to correct the need for ignorance, or if it is just an inherent or instinctual trait.

If only we knew what these animals thought processes were like!

Here is a link to the full article:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/07/13/meerkat.young.ap/index.html

Here is another article from the BBC in regards to the meerkat studies.

The article outlines the process by which adult meerkats will initially introduce their infants to dead prey. As the cubs mature, the adults will gradually transition towards live prey. As soon as three months old, the meerkats have become acclimated enough to be independent hunters.

(Image: Andrew Radford)

Article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5177594.stm

Here's a story from NBC10 in Philadephia about a kitten born with two faces:

"A kitten has been born with two faces and veterinarians don't understand why...It has two mouths that meow in unison, two noses and four eyes that have not opened yet."

Click on the picture about to go to the article and watch the video.

Though this is an extremely rare occurance, this is definitely not the first time this has happened. Some of you may remember this story last year about another two-faced kitten born in Oregon.

A baby penguin chick was born at the Detroit Zoo last week, but here's the good part...

You a chance to name it (if you couldn't already tell be the title of this post)!

My personal choices would be:

• Tux
• Puffy
• Winston
• Domino
• Fuzz

Here's a link to the KUTV article and video:
http://kutv.com/topstories/local_story_194124008.html

And here's a link to the Detroit Zoo "Name the Penguin Chick" Contest:
http://www.detroitzoo.org/News%10Events/In_the_News/Name_the_Penguin_Chick_Contest/

You have until July 31st to enter, go get those name in quick!

Coincidence or prophetic symbology?

In a small village in Kazahkstan, a chicken reportedly has laid an egg with the word "Allah" inscribed in Arabic on the inside of the shell.

Sadly, there is no picture of this mysterious egg to be found anywhere within the article. Far be it for me to question the integrity of farmer Amantayeva, but I'd like to see some photographic evidence of the egg in question. And how did they know that this was inscribed inside of the egg if they haven't yet broken the egg... hmm???

Anyway, where this to happen in the U.S., I have no doubt that this egg would be commanding bids of $10 grand and up in an eBay auction by now.

Here's the full article at Reuters:
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2006-07-13T120627Z_01_L13421474_RTRUKOC_0_US-KAZAKHSTAN-EGG.xml

Here's an article from Indepenent Online that gorilla. Like many other endangered species, you see the typical culprits of poaching and habitat destruction having a negative impact on the gorilla species.

But there's an underlying root cause that is behind the plight of the gorilla: political strife.

From the article:

"One side effect of the conflict has been the devastating impact on the region's gorillas. Refugees unable to grow enough crops to feed themselves have been forced to kill gorillas and other large mammals in order to survive. Conservationists have not only been powerless to protect the animals, with surveys of the remaining gorilla population and other preservation work proving impossible, but several workers have been killed after they were caught up in militia fighting."

The article suggest within the next few decades, the entire gorilla population will be extinct. The number of gorillas across all species worldwide is currently only in the thousands.

Here's a link to the article:
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article1180234.ece

There's some strange pelican activity going on in Laguna Beach, California.

According to the article on CNN, tests were performed on an erratic flying pelican after it crashed into the windshield of a sober driver.

The strange behavior of these birds is reportedly attributed to domoic acid poisoning -- most likely the result of consumption of algae tainted by the acid.

From the article:

"The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center has received 16 calls of strange bird behavior in the past week, and was holding three other birds found disoriented and wandering through yards and in streets, the newspaper reported.

Those birds flew into buildings and pecked several humans."

Pecked several humans??? Stay out of Laguna Beach!

Here's the article from CNN.com:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/06/24/bird.poison.ap/index.html

Here's an article that I bookmarked a couple of years, but it's still one of my favorites.

It's about a rabit from from Holland named Roberto...

Roberto is almost four feet long and weighs 27 pounds!

Here's a link to the article on local6.com:
http://www.local6.com/news/3547722/detail.html

Sadly the video no longer works, but you can still browse the slideshow of this magnificent marvel or rabbit-kind

The chances of finding a two-toned lobster are extraodinarily small, and the chances of such a lobster popping up on the animal blog... even smaller.

But this guy caught my interest enough to want to share it here with you.

(AP Photo/The Daily News, Abigail Curtis)

Why do I consider this half-cooked wonder of a crustacean terrible you ask? Need I remind you of this character?

Brace yourself world for the havoc this creature has not yet wrought.

Here's a link to the AP article at Yahoo News:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060715/ap_on_fe_st/rare_lobster_5;_ylt=Avn.YCxpIFZEcmCsfleEtOpsaMYA;_ylu=X3oDMTA5bGVna3NhBHNlYwNzc3JlbA--

There's a new resident at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

According to the article in the Chicago Sun-times, the not yet named Beluga calf was born on Monday, July 21st at 5:59 PM. Zoo employees are carefully monitoring the development of this calf as the mother of this calf had already lost one its newborns about seven years ago.

Click on the link below for the full article:
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-beluga19.html

Beluga whales are also known as white whales or "sea canarys" on account of their underwater squeaks and squeals. The Belugas have an approximate population of 100,000 worldwide.

Ark City? Oh...! Arkansas City.

Wait... Arkansas City?

Anyway, there was a photographer in the right place at the right time in Arkansas City.

The picture above was taken by Donita Clausen, a photographer for The Arkansas City Traveler.

The white furred, pink eyed, and yet unnamed squirrel has claimed residence in a local resident's back yard.

For the complete article on the Ark City Albino, click on the link below:
http://www.arkcity.net/stories/071806/com_0001.shtml

Albino animals are very unusual not only for their skin discoloration, but because of their short life expectancy. Squirrels in general are susceptible to a variety of prey: cats, dogs, hawks, eagles, owls, snakes, racoons, etc... The contrast of their white fur between any environment makes them even more prone to attack.

Normally this post would just be in celebration of the newborn anteater at the Denver Zoo, but it got me to thinking...

The picture above was taken by the Denver Zoo. This newborn anteater baby named Camilo was born approximately six weeks ago and was recently unveiled to the public.

From the article:

"Baby anteaters typically ride on their mother's back for most of their first year of life, aligning their markings with their mother's, in order to fool predators."

After looking from the picture, I thought to myself, "We do this exact same thing. It must have come from the anteaters!"

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

And case in point:

• "Baby anteaters typically ride on their mother's back for most of their first year of life" ... Check
  
• "aligning their markings with their mother's, in order to fool predators."...
  Example:
  Person 1: I want to take my baby outside, but I don't want anyone stopping to ask to hold him or touch him.
  Person 2: Put him in this baby backpack, people we'll think he's some books.

  ... Check.

Click on the link below for the Baby Anteater article from the Denver Post:
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4075614#

What in the world is going on in London?

For the second time in two months, a rare monkey has been stolen from a zoo near London.

This time, it was a Brazilian Squirrel Monkey named Spongebob. Spongebob was stolen during a night time raid of the Chessington World of Adventures near London.

The article from the Telegraph also makes reference to an incident last month where two other endangered monkeys were snatched during another night time raid. It also refers to an incident in December of 2005 in which a baby penguin was stolen.

Click on the link below for the entire article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/07/18/umonkey.xml

If you're an electric blanket, stay out of Ketchum, Idaho.

According the the article, the electric blanket was placed in the 12-foot Burmese Python's (named Houdini) cage in order to keep it warm. At some point, the blanket became entangled with Houdini's rabbit dinner. Luckily, the blanket was not plugged in and Houdini escaped a potentially severe electrical shock. The snake did however endergo hours of surgery in order to remove the blanket.

Click in the link below for the entire article from CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/07/19/python.blanket.ap/index.html

The snake trade is taking off with the excitement of the upcoming movie: Snakes on a Plane.

One woman in Germany recently benefited from the influx in snake demand, selling her 1.5 meter python over the internet. Rather than paying the expensive animal shipping fees, the woman decided to play a little game of deception -- putting the snake in the box and labeling it "attention-- glass".

And the commotion ensued...

Click on the link below to read the entire article from Scotsman.com:
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1081482006

Before all of you Australians get all high and mighty and say, "pff... there are kangaroos on the loose everywhere over here", this isn't just any kangaroo.

It's a circus kangaroo...

A trained circus kangaroo!!!!

The Kangaroo, cleverly named "Hoppy" by the locals, broke loose while being transported during a show. The four hour search for Hoppy failed by leaps and bounds.

Click on the link below for the article from Reuters:
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2006-07-20T195828Z_01_L19567920_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRELAND-KANGAROO.xml&archived=False

There's a new king of the waves in town, and his name is Buddy the Surfing dog:

Buddy is from Southern California, the surfing capitol of the world. His versatility on the water allows him to ride the short board, the long board, and the body board.

This pup is clearly serious about surfing, and has ridden this wave of success onto sponsorships and even representation by an agent (athough who in So Cal doesn't have an agent?).

Click on the link below from CBS 3 in Philadelphia for a news story featuring Buddy:
http://cbs3.com/video/?id=28711@kyw.dayport.com

And don't forget to visit Buddy's official website.

Researchers in Borneo found a snake with the chameleon-like trait of color changing deep in one of the islands late last month.

AP Photo

The discoverers of the snake believe that its ability to hide itself is the reason this species had remained undiscovered until now.

Click on the link below for the entire article from cnn.com:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/06/28/chameleon.snake.ap/index.html

There's an ambitious research project underway in Northern Kenya.

Some 5400 elephants were tagged with GPS locators and their movements tracked. The findings?

1. Elephants avoid hills
2. Why? Elephants are big

Earth Shattering!

I completely know how they feel though. After a really big meal and feeling a bit elephantesque, the last thing I want to do is go up an incline.

Click on the link below for the full article from Live Science:
http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060724_elephant_climbing.html

This will go down as one of the greatest innovations in Australian History.

(AFP/File/Torsten Blackwood)

Aqua Dog (which sells for over $2 per bottle) comes in beef, chicken and of course...

BACONNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!! flavors. Packed with electrolytes and vitamins, the water is like a sports drink for dogs. With pet spending reaching almost $40 billion in the U.S. alone, it's hard to believe that it took this long for meat-flavored water to hit the shelves.

Click on the link below for the complete article on Yahoo News:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060713/lf_afp/afplifestyleaustralia_060713142715;_ylt=Alekuc4CzP7Xvi_D4aS401kmWccF;_ylu=X3oDMTA5bGVna3NhBHNlYwNzc3JlbA--

Beagles are known for their sharp sense of smell. Abnormalities in blood sugar levels in humans will cause a distinct odor (detectable by dogs such as beagles).

This particular beagle named Belle was trained to dial 911 in the event of a collapse of her owner.

When the situation arose, Belle did that very thing. Now she's a hero among beagles.

Click on the link below of the article from MSNBC:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13439261/

Image you're in a small room, hands tied to your side, and several chainsaws are blasting all around you.

That's what it can be like for many dogs in animal shelters. According to the Livescience article below, the compounding noise from dog barking can lead to sound levels well in excess of 110 decibels.

Having been around heavy industry and construction, I know what the headache inducing effects of noises in this range are like. I don't know, however, what it's like not to be able to do anything about it. Dogs cannot cover their ears nor do they have access to hearing protection.

The article points to the need for redesign of animal shelters -- allowing individual rooms for individual dogs to mitigate the exposure of barking noise as well as shared playrooms to allow for the much needed socialization of the dogs.

While this is a very lofty goal, it may be something we should consider in the future for the well-being of these animals.

Click below for the Livescience article on Yahoo News:
Constant Barking Drives Dogs Nuts, Too

A few days ago, I posted about a Bolivian Squirrel Monkey that was stolen during a night time raid at the Chessington World of Adventures near London.

Not more than a few weeks later, another Bolivian Squirrel Monkey (this time from the London Zoo) went missing after escaping from her enclosure.

Not to worry though, the monkey returned voluntarily when it came time to eat the next day.

Apparently she just wanted to hang out somewhere else!

Click below for the full article from Life Style Extra:
Missing Bolivian Squirrel Monkey

When your side rejects you, go over to the enemy's side.

That's the case with this little pug, who's mother rejected him being the runt of the litter. Luckily, he was able to go next door and was warmly accepted by his cat counterparts. In fact, the mother cat splits time between her this pup and her own three kittens.

Could this be turning over a new leaf? The end of dog and cat conflict?

Nope. Probably not. It's a nice story though.

Click below for the story on MSNBC:
Rejected puppy welcomed into feline family

Wars is raging on in several parts of the world. But the Brazilian military is using their forces for good.

Every year, penguins in the the Antarctic get stranded on a portion of ice that breaks apart from the continent. And every year, some of those penguins end up on the coast of Brazil.

Where does the Brazilian military come into play? Their task is to return these penguins to the Antarctic every year. This is no small task either as it requires both air and naval forces.

So in the end the penguins get back home, but not before partying it up on the beaches of Brazil!

Click on the link below for the article from NCBuy:
Brazilian Military To Transport Stranded Penguins To Antarctica

Imagine you get up in the morning, go through your morning routine, and get ready for your day. You open your door to pick up the paper off of your welcome mat. Something's odd. You try to turn the page, but for some reason you can't.

But then it hits you...

You forgot to start the coffee pot!

...oh and there's an alligator on your porch.

A similar situation (not really) happened to a woman and her dog in Kentucky. According to the article on the Lexington-Herald Leader it is supposed that the alligator was smuggled into Lexington and left at this woman's apartment.

I offer two different theories:

1. The gator is a big fan of the Colonel, so it crawled up to meet him.
2. The gator got lost on his was to St. Loius to see the Cardinals play.

I can't really see any other situation being plausible.

Anyway, click below for the full article on Kentucky.com
Lexington woman, dog find baby gator hissing on front porch

Another alligator gone astray later today.

"'I thought it was a muskrat,' she said."

Umm... that's not a muskrat lady.

Montana. Also known as "the land with no alligators."

Well, not anymore. While fishing on a local pond, a mother and her two children were very suprised to find the newest resident of Kalispell, Montana. Once again authorities believe that this gator was once a pet, set loose by its owners after it grew too big.

And once again, I disagree and offer up my own hypotheses regarding the situation:

1. The gator had never seen a moose, but desperately wanted to
2. Um... or maybe a buffalo

Mystery solved.

Click on the link below from the Daily Inter Lake for the complete story:
The Gator Hole

Think back to 1989, when a young(er) Jim Belushi put police dogs on the map.

Things are much different now, and it's not just the big dogs that can help fight crime. There's a new member of the Geauga County, Ohio sherrif's department, and he just happens to be of the smallest breed there is.

Midge (short for Midget) is a 6-pound Chihuahua Mix and is part of a growing trend of small dogs used in law enforcement.

According to the article, it seems that Midge is also quite the hit among inmates. It seems strange that they wouldn't hold a grudge against the dog who helped put them away, but who could be mad at a little Chihuahua?

Click below for the entire article on MSNBC:
6-pound Chihuahua is tiny drug-finding dog

Click here for more dog news.

Baby let me be,
your lovin' Teddy Bear
Put a chain around my neck,
and lead me anywhere
Oh let me be
Your teddy bear.

...but keep that Doberman away from me.

In London a few days ago, a Doberman pinscher named Barney decided to have himself a little fun. Unfortunately, fun meant destroying a $900,000 collection of teddy bears, including one owned by Elvis Presley.

To the guy who hired a guard dog to look after the bears, DOGS TEAR APART STUFFED ANIMALS!!! Well, I'm sure he knows that now.

From the article:
"I've spoken to the bear's owner and he is not very pleased at all," Medley said. Noo... you're kidding!

Click below for the entire article on ABC News:
Dog Destroys Elvis' Teddy Bear at Museum

Click here for more dog news.

New York City is well known as one of the most diverse cities in the world. Of course, with a population of around 8 million people you would expect as such.

Over the past week, NYC residents have been spotting their newest neighbor: a manatee. Last week I showed you a couple of stories concerning out of place gators (1, 2) and not but one week later another native Floridian is spotted in a foreign land. What's the reason for this mass animal exodus from Florida? We shall see.

But the real question is not why did this manatee migrate from Florida, but is this newest NYC resident a Yankee fan or a Mets fan. How about we take a poll?

Yankee fan: He's a (explitive deleted) Yankee fan! Oh and A-rod (explitive deleted) sucks!
Mets fan: Go to (explitive deleted) you (explitive deleted) Yankee Fan! He's a (explitive deleted) Mets fan! Oh and A-rod (explitive deleted) sucks!

Hmm... Inconclusive. Perhaps I should have taken a more scientific approach to this polling.

Click below for the entire article on WNBC.com:
Manatee Spotted In NYC, Far From Home

"What's the stupidest thing you've ever done in your life?... a couple of fat, bald, hairy Slavic dudes, and the headliner, Ginger the Wrestling Bear... George Plimpton... Even my mild-mannered and very proper grandfather was standing along the boards of the arena pounding the glass... The trainer had been smashing watermelons... Ouch."

Yes, there's no need for my stupid commentary on this article.

Click below for the entire article on SLAM! Sports:
Bearing it all for Ginger - the stupidest thing I've ever done