Clipmarks | zizzy's Animal Kingdom collection

Secret Revealed:Grazing animals align north-south

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:24:35 GMT

clipped by: zizzy

Have you ever noticed that herds of grazing animals all face the same way?

Images from Google Earth have confirmed that cattle tend to align their bodies in a north-south direction.

Wild deer also display this behaviour - a phenomenon that has apparently gone unnoticed by herdsmen and hunters for thousands of years.

In the Proceedings for the National Academy of Sciences, scientists say the Earth's magnetic fields may influence the behaviour of these animals.

The Earth can be viewed as a huge magnet, with magnetic north and south situated close to the geographical poles.

Many species - including birds and salmon - are known to use the Earth's magnetic fields in migration, rather like a natural GPS.

A few studies have shown that some mammals - including bats - also use a "magnetic compass" to help their sense of direction.

Kangaroos in the News

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:51:55 GMT

clipped by: zizzy

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Dog rescues woman from kangaroo

The marsupial assaulted Rosemary Neal, 65, at her farm near Mudgee in New South Wales, 265km (160 miles) north-west of Sydney

The kangaroo just jumped up and launched straight at her

My dog heard her screaming and bolted down and chased him off.

Mrs Neal was taken to hospital with concussion and cuts to her face, hands and back

Kangaroos can stand more than 6ft tall (1.8m) and weigh 100kg (220lbs)

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Shark 'kills swimming kangaroo'

Daniel Hurst, who says he saw the incident

was accused of being drunk or on drugs after he told the story to friends

he was walking along Torquay beach in Victoria when he saw the marsupial behind scrubland next to the dunes

It just headed down towards the water and in it went

I could still see its head, and that's when the shark leapt out of the water on its side.

The kangaroo disappeared after that

Kangaroos are not known for their love of the sea

Crow Befriends a Kitten

Fri, 16 May 2008 00:24:03 GMT

clipped by: zizzy

Clip Source: www.jimmyr.com

[Video]

Diagram: Empirical System for Separating the Different Proteins from Tissue

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:28:08 GMT

clipped by: zizzy

Clip Source: www.webdelsol.com

George D. McLaughlin and Edwin R. Theis, "Notes on Animal Skin Composition," Journal of the American Leather Chemists Association, August 1924

Our experimental methods for protein separation (graphically illustrated [above]) were not greatly unlike Rosenthal's, except that we did not dry the skin out before examination. These methods are empirical; they are, however, the best available in the light of our meager knowledge of protein composition. Since experimental methods are the same throughout, the comparisons, at least, are accurate.

The fresh corium of steer hide contains 61 per cent H20, cow 63.11 per cent and calf 63.35 per cent. If we divide whole fresh steer hide into three sections, so that the top section represents 20 per cent of the total skin weight, the middle section 50 per cent and the bottom section 30 per cent, and determine the moisture content of each section, it is found that the top contains 74.35 per cent H20, middle 61.00 per cent and bottom 29.78 per cent.

A Few Photos from Tales from Kulafumbi: Diary of a Nature Lover

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:23:40 GMT

clipped by: zizzy

Clip Source: www.wildernessdiary.com

triumfetta flavescens

Clip Source: www.wildernessdiary.com

the day before we went to Nairobi recently, we came across a perfect set of lion tracks on our road. Ian put his hand next to one of the pug marks to give you an idea of the size of those paws…

Clip Source: www.wildernessdiary.com

Pale Chanting Goshawk

Black-faced Sandgrouse

And to end on something completely different: Who's this looking in my office window?!

Bunnies and Other Small Creatures

Tue, 06 May 2008 17:44:32 GMT

clipped by: zizzy
clipper's remarks: The welfare of all rabbits, rodents and ferrets is our primary consideration. We believe that all are equally valuable regardless of breed purity, temperament, state of health, or relationship to humans.

Clip Source: www.rabbitrodentferret.org

Best Little Rabbit, Rodent and Ferret House is a non-profit 501(c)(3) no-kill animal shelter supported by money from sales and services offered at our shelter, and by public donations.

All of our animals are rescued, primarily from city and county shelters and humane societies.

BUNNIES OF THE MONTH

Are We Cute or What?

These 8-12 week old lionhead mix babies were left at the Seattle Animal Shelter. Public animal shelters are forced to accept any animal the public doesn't want, which means that they often get too full. We accept our animals from these shelters, helping as often as we can to save the lives of adorable and deserving creatures like this.

Rabbits, rodents, and ferrets are intelligent and social animals who require mental stimulation, toys, exercise, and social interaction from humans and other animals.

rabbits, rodents and ferrets to be neutered/spayed, to live in human housing where supervision and protection are provided, and to be treated for illnesses by veterinarians

Elephant Paints Self-Portrait

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 21:38:27 GMT

clipped by: zizzy

Clip Source: www.goodnewsnetwork.org

[Video]

Bornean orang-utan (Pongo pygmaeus)

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 01:50:14 GMT

clipped by: zizzy

Clip Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Life span
In the wild, orang-utan may live for 45 years or more.

Physical description
Bornean orang-utans have a long-haired, red/brown coat. The molar teeth have thickened enamel - like human teeth. Males have a large throat patch and large cheek pads. Orang-utans are the largest arboreal (tree-living) mammals.

Reproduction
In captivity, female orang-utans have given birth as young as seven years old. Gestation is 244 days. Female orang-utans will have usually one baby every 8 years which equates to 3-4 young in their lifetime.

Conservation status
Orang-utans are classed as Endangered, due to deforestation of their habitat and through land conversion to palm oil plantations. Young orang-utans are still being captured for the pet trade. The estimated population of Bornean orang-utans is only about 50,000. Having such long birthing intervals means it is very diffcult for the orang-utan to naturally absorb even small population losses.

Borneo orang-utan could be extinct in 10 years

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 01:43:19 GMT

clipped by: zizzy
clipper's remarks: Go to site to view video diary

Clip Source: www.bbc.co.uk

What genuinely surprised me in Borneo was how emotional it was to see the devastation and destruction of huge areas of rainforest.

I'm not much of a tree hugger, but it seems almost sacrilegious to rip that extraordinary biodiversity up and leave what will eventually become desert. The forests are being cut down and replaced by palm trees – whose lucrative oil is used in everything from toothpaste to biscuits.

Nearly all of the 631 orang-utans I met at the Borneo Orang-utan Survival Foundation in Kalimantan are victims of this growing market for palm oil.

The orang-utans are extraordinarily human. They need as much love and care as we do. Only with that do they stand a chance of making it back to the wild.

We are a matter of ten years away from losing orang-utans in the wild. A terrible thought. If we don’t stop the decimation of their habitat, then the Foundation is the last hope of reintroducing them back into the wild.

Egypt records 19th bird flu death

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:54:42 GMT

clipped by: monizle
clipper's remarks: gotta have that chicken !

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Egypt records 19th bird flu death

Many Egyptians keep poultry in their homes

A second woman from Egypt's Nile Delta region died of bird flu on Monday, the health ministry said, bringing the week's toll from the virus to four.

The deaths are thought to have resulted from exposure to poultry infected with the H5N1 strain. Two other women tested positive for the virus on Friday.

Nineteen people have now died of bird flu in Egypt in the past two years.

The government says the large number of people who keep poultry at home makes it difficult to eradicate the disease.

Tags: bird flu

Fungus threatens mass extinction of frogs and other amphibians

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 01:04:14 GMT

clipped by: zizzy
clipper's remarks:

In addition to their intrinsic value, they offer many benefits and are a critical part of a healthy world. They play an important role in the food web as both predator and prey, eating insects which benefits agriculture and minimizes disease spread. Their skin also has substances that protect them from some microbes and viruses, offering promising medical cures for a variety of human diseases.

The outcome of the Amphibian Ark project will be that we will have saved hundreds if not thousands of species from extinction. We also will have developed a capacity both within our institutions and globally to continue to provide amphibian species with care and protection when needed, formed a true partnership between offsite and onsite components of conservation, and demonstrated to the world that zoos and aquariums are essential conservation organizations.”

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

An international campaign has been launched to help save the world’s amphibians from extinction.

Scientists fear the largest mass extinction since the disappearance of the dinosaurs because of a deadly virus which is sweeping through populations of frogs, toads, newts, salamanders and caecilians across the globe.

Amphibians have thrived for hundreds of millions of years but as many as half of all species could perish unless a solution is found. The spread of the parasitic fungus amphibian chytrid, which has proved deadly for hundreds of amphibian species, may have been made worse by the effects of global warming. The disease has so far proved unstoppable in the wild and can kill 80 per cent of native amphibians within months once it has taken hold.

Amphibians are important as an 'indicator species’ - similar to canaries in a coal mine - who serve as a warning when there is something wrong with the environment.

Widespread extinction of amphibians would be catastrophic

Cloned Cats Glows in the Dark

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 00:01:29 GMT

clipped by: zizzy

Clip Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Cat's eyes are no longer the only things about them that glow in the dark, after scientists cloned a fluorescent feline.

South Korean Kong Il-Keun's team cloned cats after modifying a gene to change their skin colour.

The two Turkish Angora cats now glow red when exposed to ultraviolet light. The scientists believe the process could be used to develop treatments for human genetic diseases and could help reproduce rare animals.

To clone the cats, Kong's team used skin cells of the mother cat. They modified its genes to make them fluorescent by using a virus, which was transplanted into the ova. The ova were then implanted into the womb of the donor cat. Four kittens were born but two died during the caesarean section.

"This technology can be applied to clone animals suffering from the same diseases as humans," the leading scientist, Kong said.

"It will also help develop stemcell treatments," he said, noting that cats have 250 kinds of genetic diseases that affect humans as well.