Creepy when you think about one giant eye roaming the sea floor. I love when science discovers something new about something old and familiar.
Red sea urchins line the seafloor in British Columbia, Canada (file picture). Photograph by Paul Nicklen, National Geographic
Sea Urchin Body Is One Big Eye
Prickly critters may use their feet as retinas, study says.
Charles Q. Choi for National Geographic News | May 2, 2011
Sea urchins may use the entire surfaces of their bodies—from the ends of their “feet” to the tips of their spines—as huge eyes.
Scientists had already known the marine invertebrates react to light without any obvious eye-like structures—raising the question of how the animals see.
Previous genetic analysis of the California purple sea urchin had revealed that the animals possess a large number of genes linked with the development of the retina—the light-sensitive tissue lining the inner eyeball in people and other vertebrates.
This and other research suggested that sea urchin vision might rely on light-receptor cells randomly scattered across their skin, which collectively function like retinas.
Smokey shown during Guinness World Record Attempt 1. Image Smokey's website.
Noisy Northampton cat is world’s loudest purrer
5 May 2011 | www.bbc.co.uk
A cat from Northamptonshire has been officially recognised for having the loudest purr in the world.
Guinness World Records announced Smokey, 12, who is a British short-hair cat, achieved the loudest purr by a domestic cat, peaking at 67.7dB.
Her owner Ruth Adams, from Pitsford, Northampton, said she was delighted.
Guinness World Records’ editor-in-chief, Craig Glenday said: “It’s incredible to think that a cat’s purr can be as loud as a vacuum cleaner.”
Ms Adams said: “Smokey and I are very excited at being awarded the Guinness World Records title for the loudest purring domestic cat.
“We originally started a purring competition in our home town of Northampton to promote the cats charity Cats Protection.”
Witnesses to the cat’s world record attempt were Daventry MP Chris Heaton-Harris, veterinary nurse Kaye James, Diana Johnson from Cats Protection, and British Airways captain Alisdair Tait.
Mr Glenday added: “Guinness World Records is a veritable cat-alogue of fantastic felines, and Smokey is a welcome addition to the family.”
Smokey still has a way to go to compete with blue whales and fin whales.
Their low-frequency pulses, the loudest sounds emitted by any living source, reach 188dB on the decibel scale.
A lawnmower reaches 90dB, a car horn 110dB and a rock concert 120dB.
Wow, that’s a big shark. Now why are they doing this again? Even after reading the story I’m not sure if it’s for the TV show or if it’s for science and the TV show helps them raise awarene$$ of the science.
The Shark Men crew work to keep the great white shark nicknamed Apache alive on board their boat. Photograph courtesy National Geographic Channel
Biggest Great White Shark Caught, Released
18-foot fish may help crack migration mysteries, team says.
Christine Dell’Amore | National Geographic News | May 6, 2011
ON TV: Shark Men—Biggest and Baddest premieres at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Sunday, May 8, on the National Geographic Channel.
Talk about a big fish—an expedition crew has hauled up—and released—what the team says is the biggest great white shark yet caught.
The 17.9-foot-long (5.5-meter-long) male behemoth was found off Mexico’s Guadalupe Island in fall 2009.
The animal breaks the team’s previous record of 16.8 feet (5.1 meters), set when they caught a female great white named Kimel. (Both records are unofficial and not maintained by a formal organization.)
Manure Used To Free Horse From Drain
Visiting cowboys save Downtown carriage horse
Stephanie Scurlock | www.wreg.com | February 22, 2011
FAST FACTS:
* Visiting Cowboys conduct wild rescue on Beale
* Carriage horse slips in drain
* Manure used to slide out horse from drain
(Memphis 02/20/2011) A group of cowboys, in Memphis for a roping competition, are being applauded for helping save a horse in distress and they used horse manure to get the job done.
John Johnson and his buddies are cowboys at heart and now Memphis knows their hearts are in the right place.
“We come to Memphis about four or five times a year. We go down to Beale Street and enjoy the music and food,” said Johnson, East Tennessee.
Johnson’s company is putting on the team calf roping competition at the Agri-Center.
This weekend he also found himself in the middle of a wild rescue while eating at Rum Boogie Cafe.
Man (and dog's) best friend: Graham Waspe cuddles up with guide dog Opal (left) and Edward at his home
Walkies! Graham Waspe, who is registered blind, with his blind guide dog Edward (left) and his new guide dog Opal (right) who now guides both of them on walks.
Best buddies: The Waspes say the two dogs have got on fine since they came together, with Opal taking Edward to all his old haunts
Blind man keeps his old guide dog after it loses its sight… and then gets a new one who now leads them both around
By Daily Mail Reporter | 11th March 2011
After six years of loyal service, Graham Waspe was devastated when his guide dog Edward was left blind after developing cataracts.
But his devastation turned to joy when his replacement Opal turned out to be a real gem.
Mr Waspe’s new dog is not just aiding his owner to carry out everyday tasks, but also helping Edward to get around.
Mr Waspe, of Stowmarket, Suffolk, received his new dog last November after Edward developed the inoperable problem which resulted in him needing both eyes removed.
Don’t ya love when this happens and no one gets hurt?
Jason Kresse holds his 375-pound catch at a dock in Freeport, Texas. The mako shark leapt aboard the man's boat in the early hours of Monday morning in the Gulf of Mexico
Catch of the day: Fisherman lands eight-foot shark after it leaps into back of his boat
By Daily Mail Reporter | 30th March 2011
It’s the catch of a lifetime, but it’s not clear whether a U.S. fisherman landed an eight-foot shark or it landed him.
Twenty-nine-year-old Jason Kresse of Freeport, Texas, says he and two crew members were dumping fish guts in the Gulf of Mexico at about 3.45am on Monday when they heard splashes in the distance and then something hit the side of their 25-foot boot.
A mako shark in an apparent rush to feed had jumped into the back and was thrashing around.
Poor little guy. His plight echoes the shrinking, warming habitat of his wild companions. It so infrequently works out well for child stars.
Click to view an image larger.
Knut the Polar Bear Dies at Berlin Zoo of Brain Problems
Berlin Zoo Still Investigating Exact Causes of Young Bear’s Death
By SENI TIENABESO | March 22, 2011 | abcnews.go.com
As with most moments in the short life of the world’s most famous polar bear, Knut’s final seconds were captured on camera.
In new disturbing video posted on YouTube you can hear spectators in the Berlin Zoo last weekend watch in curiosity and then horror as the young bear first starts going in circles around his own shadow, then convulses and falls to his death in a pool of water.
The Berlin Zoo says a test performed on the famous polar bear shows that “significant changes” in the animal’s brain led to his death. A necropsy, according to the zoo, did not show changes in any other organs. The zoo is trying to pinpoint the exact cause of death.
Polar bears usually live at least 15 to 20 years in wild, and even longer when removed from the harsh Arctic elements. This is leaving many to question how Knut’s life in captivity may have contributed to the death of the just 4-year old bear.
The German branch of PETA repeatedly raised concerns with the Berlin Zoo about Knut’s captivity and fame during his short life. “We have been after this zoo ever since they made Knut a tourist attraction to his detriment,” said PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “When he was small cuddly and fuzzy he was cute and everybody loved him. But then he grew and became boring and everyone lost attention. He was not hand fed anymore or babied and loved. He was put in an enclosure about 1 millionth of the space he would be in nature.”
The video clip showing a similar battle is from the old, but well known Clyde Beatty film The Big Cage.
A Real Lion vs Tiger Fight – Tigress kills lion.
Tiger kills lion with one swipe at Turkish zoo
Bengal tiger reportedly stuck paw through gap, severed lion’s jugular vein
3/8/2011 | www.msnbc.msn.com
ANKARA, Turkey — A Turkish zoo says a tiger severed a lion’s jugular vein when it stuck its paw through a narrow gap in a door dividing their cages.
The zoo in the Turkish capital of Ankara issued a statement Monday to deny media reports that the tiger bent iron bars to attack the lion and tear it into pieces in the attack on Sept. 4.
It said the tiger had squeezed its front leg through the door, and in a single stroke left the lion dying in a pool of blood.
It was not clear why the death of one of the three lions in the zoo was publicized so late.
Six tigers remain in an enclosure at the zoo, which insists that it is safe for visitors.
Leave food in your car in bear country and this is what happens.
Sorry the video has a commercial in the start, but its worth it.
Bear Toots Horn, Takes Car On Short Joyride
DAN ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer | Jul 23, 2010
A bear got into an empty car, honked the horn and then sent it rolling 125 feet into a thicket, with the bear still inside, a Colorado family said.
Seventeen-year-old Ben Story said he and his family were asleep in their Larkspur home, 30 miles south of Denver, when the bear managed to open the unlocked door of his 2008 Toyota Corolla early Friday and climbed inside.
A peanut butter sandwich left on the back seat is probably what attracted the bear, Story said.
It’s not unusual for bears to open unlocked doors to cars and houses in search of food, said Tyler Baskfield, a spokesman for the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
“It happens all the time,” he said. “They’re very smart.”
Once inside, the bear must have knocked the shifter on the automatic transmission into neutral, sending the car rolling backward down the inclined driveway and into the thicket, Story said.
Surprise? Maybe stereotype “crazy Cat Lady” has a genetic weakness to feline manipulations?
Completely random “crazy Cat Lady” images. Click to view larger.
Cats Adore, Manipulate Women
Cats attach to humans, and particularly women, as social partners, and it’s not just for the sake of obtaining food.
By Jennifer Viegas | news.discovery.com | Thu Feb 24, 2011 10:15 AM ET
The bond between cats and their owners turns out to be far more intense than imagined, especially for cat aficionado women and their affection reciprocating felines, suggests a new study.
Cats attach to humans, and particularly women, as social partners, and it’s not just for the sake of obtaining food, according to the new research, which has been accepted for publication in the journal Behavioural Processes.
The study is the first to show in detail that the dynamics underlying cat-human relationships are nearly identical to human-only bonds, with cats sometimes even becoming a furry “child” in nurturing homes.
Aquarium unveils heir to Paul the psychic octopus
3 Nov 10 | www.thelocal.de
Paul II, octopus successor to the tentacle tipster that wowed the world with his uncanny knack of correctly predicting World Cup football games, was unveiled amid great fanfare at an Oberhausen aquarium on Wednesday.
The new cephalopod, also named Paul in honour of his world-famous predecessor who passed away last week, was lowered gently into his tank in a ceremony carried live on national television.
Paul the younger initially appeared more publicity-shy than his media-hungry forerunner, sticking closely to the side walls of the tank as the TV cameras rolled.
