Humpback Whales: Why They May Not Be So ‘Humanitarian’ When Fighting Killer Whales

Humpback whales are generally thought of as the “humanitarians of the sea.” But a new study suggests that their seemingly selfless behavior, which may include chasing off groups of vicious killer whales, might not be as selfless as people think they are.

A report from the San Jose Mercury News explained why humpback whales have gotten their “humanitarian” designation from animal lovers and whale watchers. Like those television and film characters who tell bullies to pick on someone their own size, they have been known to charge at killer whales, seemingly defending their smaller prey and saving them from orca attacks. This was observed twice in the spring of 2015 by marine biologist Nancy Black, who told the Mercury News about her experience watching three separate groups of “humanitarian” humpbacks saving sea lions from the killer whales.

“The killer whales just gave up after that. There were so many humpbacks around, they were not going to get anything in that area.”

Behold majestic #HumpbackWhales & their babies as they breach #BanderasBay, w/ guaranteed sightings thru March 23rd. https://t.co/z6Rtk3sk5P pic.twitter.com/8RGMyOZxGA

— Casa Velas Hotel (@HotelCasaVelas) December 8, 2016

Humpback whales may come about as creatures who exist to save smaller sea animals from the bullies of the marine animal kingdom. But new research suggests that the humpbacks’ humanitarian tendencies may have been exaggerated, and that they may be mainly looking out for their own families, and not necessarily trying to save sea lions and smaller creatures from killer whales and other predators.

According to study lead author Robert Pitman, a marine ecologist at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, Calif., humpbacks aren’t exactly “altruistic” animals or “gentle giants” who make “moral decisions.” Instead, they are animals that “don’t deliberately do bad things or good things,” contrary to what many people believe.

Pitman, Black, and their co-researchers analyzed a number of earlier studies on humpback whales to understand why the animals tend to believe in a humanitarian or altruistic fashion by fending off killer whales. They also reviewed accounts from whale watchers, and combined with the observations on the papers, that made for 115 interactions over more than six decades, with the accounts grouped based on the orcas’ targets and which animal had made the first move.

According to Pitman, humpbacks tend to respond any time they hear orcas letting out war whoops and signaling an attack, regardless of what animal the whales are attacking. And, on some occasions, the killer whales are targeting baby humpback whales, meaning that adult humpbacks may be more concerned about their siblings or offspring than anything else.

“They don’t even think it out (as to whether) a sea lion is worth their time (or not). It’s the net effect that counts. Sometimes they save a calf.”

"@CBSNews: A pod of #orcas gets their shark snack on in a fascinating VIDEO captured by a #drone https://t.co/nxTID3xY9a" #Whales pic.twitter.com/Mj5vbOXLP0

— Haida Princess (@HaidaPrincess) December 17, 2016

The researchers’ observations were also noticed by another marine biologist, Doris Welch, who had told the Mercury News that she had seen humpbacks chasing after orcas, once when they were targeting a young gray whale, once when they were picking on sea lions. Either way, the humpbacks “seemed agitated” as they “assertively” went after the killer whales.

“It’s like your own National Geographic experience out there to observe orcas on the prowl and actively hunting. (Seeing) a large whale coming in and interacting with the orcas — it’s phenomenal.”

Personal history may be another reason why humpback whales may go after orcas so frequently. A National Geographic report from August cited another Pitman study, where his co-author Alisa Schulman-Janiger, a California Killer Whale Project researcher, said that many humpbacks have orca scars from earlier points in their lives.

Pitman and colleagues believe more research may be needed to determine whether humpback whales are really as altruistic as they’re claimed to be. But University of Colorado ecologist Michael Breed, who wasn’t involved in the study, believes that the humpbacks’ behavior may be similar to birds’ “mobbing” behaviors, where small birds attack crows and other larger birds of prey to protect their eggs.

“I don’t know that they’re thinking ‘We’re all going to help each other,’ ” said Breed, comparing the humpback whale observations with the birds’ behavior. “Because the crows are such a big threat, they’ll mob the crow even if it’s not directly after their nest.”

[Featured Image by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images]

An Australian Woman Found A Venomous Snake In Her Christmas Tree

An Australian woman found a rather unwanted surprise in her Christmas tree last weekend: a 3-foot long venomous snake. The professional snake wrangler called in to handle the problem says it’s not an uncommon occurrence.

As the Independent reports, the homeowner, identified only by her first name, “Cheryl,” had left the door open in her suburban Melbourne home (it’s summer in Australia), but apparently later wished she hadn’t. When she took a look at her Christmas tree, she noticed something slithering about among the ornaments.

Soooo a lady found a tiger snake in her Christmas tree in Frankston. #straya Photo: Snake Catcher Victoria. #Australia #christmas pic.twitter.com/RfZnHTN7Ta

— Tim Doutré (@Timdoutre) December 18, 2016

The woman did exactly what you’re supposed to do in this situation: she took a picture of it. OK, maybe taking a picture of a venomous snake slithering about in your Christmas tree isn’t exactly what you’re supposed to do in this situation. But after getting a couple of shots, she did the right thing – she closed the door to her living room so the snake wouldn’t get into other places he wasn’t supposed to be.

Good job, Cheryl. I’d have run away screaming, and then, I guess, just moved. To a new house. A new house not in Australia.

She then called in profession snake wrangler, and all-around pest guy, Barry Goldsmith, according to ABC News Australia. Goldsmith was actually pretty impressed by Cheryl’s chillness at the whole situation.

“Usually I get people screaming and hysterical and shaking and having seizures just at the thought of having a snake in the house. But she was pretty cool.”

About half an hour later, Goldsmith had worked his magic, corralled the snake, and let it loose safely into the wild. And just to make sure Cheryl knew what she was dealing with, he identified the slithering beast. It was a tiger snake (or Notechis scutatus, if you care about this sort of thing) — a venomous, deadly serpent native to Australia.

A tiger snake in the wild. [Image by Teneche | Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and Resized | CC BY-SA 3.0]

According to the Australian Museum, the bite of a tiger snake can kill a human.

“The snake’s large size, often aggressive defence and toxic venom make it extremely dangerous to humans. Although generally shy and preferring escape over conflict, a cornered tiger snake will put on an impressive threat display by holding its forebody in a tense, loose curve with the head slightly raised and pointed at the offender. It will hiss loudly as it inflates and deflates its body, and if provoked further will lash out and bite forcefully. The venom of the tiger snake is strongly neurotoxic and coagulant, and anyone suspected of being bitten should seek medical attention immediately.”

According to the University of Sydney Discipline of Anaesthesia, snake bites — tiger snake and otherwise — are a horrifyingly common occurrence in the Land Down Under. About 3,000 Aussies get bitten by snakes each year, and between 200 and 500 of them, on average, require antivenom. Fortunately, only about one or two, per year on average, die from snake bites. The brown snake is the biggest killer, accounting for about half of all snakebite fatalities in Australia. The other half are divided among the tiger snake, the taipan, and other species.

Fortunately, the tiger snake is a shy and reclusive critter and, as you dad used to tell you, is more afraid of you than you are of him. However, if he thinks he’s cornered or threatened, he’ll strike. You don’t want that.

Back at Cheryl’s now-snake-free house, Goldsmith says that he’s wrangled snakes from Christmas presents before, but never from the Christmas tree itself.

“This is a one-off thing. It’s like lightning striking. It’s not going to happen again for sure. Not this year anyway.”

[Featured Image by Africa Studio/Shutterstock]

The ‘Ghost Shark’: Rare Chimaera Sighting In California Intrigues Scientists

The so-called “ghost shark” isn’t a shark, despite its informal name. Rather, it’s a chimaera, a rare species of fish that split off from sharks some 300 million years ago. And sightings of this fish are unusually rare, which is why a new sighting off the California coast has researchers’ interests piqued.

According to the Christian Science Monitor, chimaeras can usually be found near New Zealand and Australia, and the recent video sighting of the fish suggests that the range of one particular species may not be as limited as once thought. In the words of Pacific Shark Research Center at Moss Marine Laboratories program director Dave Ebert, it was mostly “dumb luck” when the sighting took place in 2009.

The video was taken that year when the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in California had sent a remotely operated vehicle to depths of up to 6,700 feet in the waters of California and Hawaii. At that time, the ROV was not specifically helping researchers look out for ghost sharks, which makes the sighting completely accidental.

After spotting the fish, the MBARI contacted Ebert and other experts, having noted that the ghost shark they had seen looked different from other known species. Based on the video, Ebert’s team deduced that the fish was a pointy-nosed blue chimaera, an extremely rare variant that has only been spotted in Australia and New Zealand.

Rare #ghostshark caught on film off #California coast. https://t.co/daNpen5eD6

— KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO (@KNX1070) December 18, 2016

While the “ghost shark” nickname is most commonly used when referring to the chimaera, the animal is also known unofficially as the ratfish or rabbitfish. Their appearance is more similar to that of fish from the time of marine dinosaurs and earlier, than it is to modern fish. They primarily favor the deep ocean, preferring its cold waters and mainly getting spotted in Southern Hemisphere waters. But this time around, the sighting took place in the Northern Hemisphere; if the fish in the video is confirmed as a pointy-nosed blue chimaera, that will mark the first time it has been seen in the area.

Speaking to National Geographic, Millersville University marine biologist Dominique Didier explained how hard it can be to collect chimaera specimens.

“The only way we can collect these species is by trawling. So, it’s like a snapshot. Imagine trying to understand species distribution in Lake Michigan and you sample the lake using a Dixie cup. Trawling the ocean is like that. I suspect many species are wide-ranging—we just don’t have the data.”

The only way one can determine whether the ghost shark does actually exist in the Northern Hemisphere would be to get DNA from an actual fish, the National Geographic wrote. According to the publication, Ebert hopes to find new specimens at local fish markets, but as Didier had suggested, using a trawling boat would likely be far more effective in the search for specimens; chimaeras are usually dead once they are spotted at the surface.

Ghost shark may swim through video from over 6000' below the sea! #ghostshark #deepwater #chimaera https://t.co/GqpITBYlel pic.twitter.com/E2CmQmEbAd

— ekschmitt (@Radiant_Body) December 18, 2016

Even without physical evidence, the researchers were able to glean a lot of information on the fish they had sighted. According to Ebert, the chimaera on the video was quite the “ham” when the remotely operated vehicle tried to get a close-up of it. The video also suggests that pointy-nosed blue chimaeras prefer rocky habitats to the flat terrain that ghost sharks usually favor.

The National Geographic report added some information on the chimaera’s peculiarities. The creatures tend to “munch up” mollusks, worms, and other bottom-dwelling prey with mineralized tooth plates, in the absence of teeth. The lateral line canals on their faces allow them to sense movement while in the water, helping them find their prey. And, in an especially interesting note, male chimaeras have retractable sex organs, located on their foreheads.

With all those peculiarities and the fish’s general rarity in mind, ghost sharks are, as Didier says, “just one of the many beautiful and poorly studied species” in the animal kingdom.

[Featured Image by Mandy Lindeberg, NOAA/Wikimedia Commons/Cropped and Resized/Public Domain]

Study: Stress Is Making American Dogs Go Prematurely Gray

A surprising new study suggests that it’s not just Americans who are under extreme stress these days but our dogs too — and the stress is making our canine companions go prematurely gray, according to CNN.

The study, which was suggested and co-authored by famous animal behavior expert and autism advocate Temple Grandin and published in this month’s edition of the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science, looked at 400 dogs who were under four years old to see if there was a correlation between their anxiety levels and going prematurely gray.

People aren't the only ones to gray due to stress; now…#dogs turn gray from anxiety, too: https://t.co/2GgOj4Sjor pic.twitter.com/o4N4ntHGwc

— Pets for Patriots (@PetsforPatriots) December 20, 2016

“Normally, dogs wouldn’t be gray at age 4,” Grandin said.

Animal behaviorist and fellow author Camille King, who owns the Canine Education Center in Denver, says she noticed a few years ago that many impulsive and anxious dogs seemed to be turning prematurely gray. She says she told Grandin her observations and Grandin encouraged her to design a study to look into a possible correlation.

“The first thing I thought of when she told me that were the presidents, and how they age and get prematurely gray,” said Grandin, who is currently a professor of animal science at Colorado State University.

King and Grandin enlisted the aid of fellow animal behavioralists Peter Borchelt and Thomas Smith to visit dog parks, dog shows, veterinary clinics, and other locations frequented by dog owners in order to study 400 dogs in Colorado and administer dog behavior questionnaires to their owners, according to Northern Illinois University Today.

In the journal article, “Anxiety and impulsivity: Factors associated with premature graying in young dogs,” the researchers said that the dog owners were told that the purpose of the study involved dog lifestyle, in order to prevent response bias. They said that “distractor items” were also added to the survey to prevent the owner from guessing the purpose of the survey.

Measures of anxiety in the dogs included answers such as destruction when dogs were left alone, loss of hair during vet exams or being in a new place, and cringing or cowering in response to groups of people. Examples of behaviors that indicated impulsive behaviors included jumping on people, not being able to get calm, loss of focus, and hyperactivity after exercise.

Even dogs can get gray hair from stress. Or from paint in trashcans. #DoggieDepression pic.twitter.com/xDLTOfiILd

— Joe Paradis (@joe_paradis) August 9, 2013

The researchers had independent raters examine photos taken of the dogs at the sites and rate the extent of the dogs’ muzzle grayness. Only non-white dogs were used for the study, in order to show graying.

The researchers found that dogs between one and four years of age whose owners reported higher signs of anxiety tended to show a greater extent of premature muzzle graying than the less anxious dogs. Dogs whose owners rated them as more impulsive also tended to have more prematurely gray muzzles.

The study showed that dogs that had more anxious and impulsive behaviors did tend to show premature graying.

“In our sample of young dogs, latent variable regression showed that the extent of muzzle grayness was significantly and positively predicted by anxiety (p = 0.005) and impulsivity (p < 0.001).”

In addition, female dogs tended to have more premature gray hairs than male dogs. Dog size, whether the dogs were spayed or neutered, and the presence of medical problems did not significantly predict the extent of muzzle grayness, however.

Smith, who provided methodological and statistical expertise, said that he was surprised by the results of the study.

“At first, I was somewhat skeptical of the hypothesis,” he said. “However, when we analyzed the data, the results actually were quite striking.”

Grandin said the results provide important information for dog owners.

“This is an original, unique study that has implications for dog welfare,” she said.

[Featured Image by Puzzle/Shutterstock]

Rudolph and Friends Help Mitigate Warming Effect of Climate Change, Here's How

A new study revealed that reindeer could help mitigate climate change by simply reducing the height and abundance of shrubs on the Arctic Tundra through grazing.

The study, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, showed that areas in the Arctic Tundra heavily grazed by reindeer experience increased levels of surface albedo, or the amount of shortwave radiation reflected by the Earth back into the space.

"Our results show that reindeer have a potential cooling effect on climate, by changing the summer albedo," said lead author Dr Mariska te Beest, from Umeå University in Sweden, in a press release. "Although the estimated differences might appear small, they are large enough to have consequences for the regional energy balance."

For the study, the researchers measured the abundance of vegetation, leaf area index, soil moistures, temperature levels and albedo levels of an area with four topographically-defined vegetation types that varied in shrub height and abundance. These measurements of albedo and vegetation characteristics taken in the field located in Reisadalen, Troms, Norway were then combined with land surface computer modeling.

Using vegetation trampling indicators and leftover dung, the researchers estimated the reindeer activities in the study area through the summer season.

The researchers found that grazing reindeer increases summer albedo by reducing shrub height, abundance and leaf area index. However, the beneficial effects of grazing reindeers vary according to their densities and how they affect the vegetation levels throughout the whole Tundra.

High densities of grazing reindeer were able change the vegetation across the Tundra by decreasing shrub abundance, resulting to corresponding shifts in leaf area index, canopy height and the amount of live green vegetation.

As the reduced height and abundance of shrub increases the summer albedo, the researchers observed a corresponding decrease in net radiation and latent and sensible heat fluxes. These decreases indicate that areas heavily grazed by reindeers absorbed less radiation from the sun.

ALERT: Cheetahs Racing Toward Global Extinction

A new study revealed that the global population of the world's fastest land animal is sprinting its way to extinction, with only 7,100 individuals globally.

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that the dramatic decline of global cheetah population could soon lead to its extinction, unless urgent, landscape-wide conservation action is taken.

"This study represents the most comprehensive analysis of cheetah status to date. Given the secretive nature of this elusive cat, it has been difficult to gather hard information on the species, leading to its plight being overlooked," explained Dr. Sarah Durant, ZSL/WCS, Project Leader for the Rangewide Conservation Program for Cheetah and African Wild Dog and lead author of the study, in a press release.

"Our findings show that the large space requirements for cheetah, coupled with the complex range of threats faced by the species in the wild, mean that it is likely to be much more vulnerable to extinction than was previously thought."

Dr. Durant, together with her colleagues at Zoological Society of London, Panthera and __wildlife Conservation Society, found that the best available estimate of Cheetah's global population would be around 7,100. Furthermore, the researchers discovered that cheetahs have been driven out of 91 percent of their historic range.

The population of Asiatic cheetahs has been hit the hardest, with fewer than 50 individuals remaining in one isolate area in Iran. On the other hand, cheetahs living in Zimbabwe experienced a sharp decline in its population, from 1,200 to a maximum of 170 animals in 16 years. About 77 percent of cheetah's habitat falls outside the protected areas, making it moiré difficult to protect and conserve the species. Major vulnerabilities of cheetah include prey loss due to overhunting, habitat loss due to human land use and illegal trafficking of cheetah parts and trade as pets.

With their findings, the researchers recommended uplisting the IUCN Red List status of cheetahs from "vulnerable" to "endangered". When listed as endangered species, cheetahs will receive greater international conservation support, prioritization and attention. The researchers noted that global conservation efforts are necessary to prevent this fast and spotted big cat from being wiped out.

Meet Rambo: Potty-Trained, Costume-Wearing Alligator is Florida's Latest Pet

Florida is home to many out-of-this world species, and the latest is an outfit-wearing alligator named Rambo who is currently residing in Lakeland.

As per United Press International, the nearly six-foot animal has been under the care of a woman named Mary Thorn, 55 for 12 years.

Because the alligator had been kept in a dark closet prior to his rescue, he had developed skin condition which made him sensitive to light. Thus, in order to prevent sunburn, Thorn had made the gator wear costumes.

Since then, Rambo had become sort of a celebrity in the area. He would often be seen in charity events, taking photos with people and doing antics to entertain people such as riding in an ATV.

However, last year, the Florida Fish and __wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) held an investigation because supposedly all alligators longer than four feet are required to have 2.5 acres of land available to them. Thorn's home is only about a third of an acre.

Fortunately, Thorn's lawyer, Spencer Sheehan, told ABC News on December 21 that after months of negotiating with the FWC, Thorn was finally allowed to keep Rambo. Except, Rambo is not allowed to go to exhibits and other social events anymore and that he is required to have his mouth taped whenever going out.

"It's a little unfortunate because Rambo has brought a lot of joy to the community, but [Thorn] is of course very happy she isn't losing him," Sheehan told ABC News.

Rambo will have a passive integrated transponder tag, which is used by veterinarians for identifying household pets.

Thorn meanwhile told the Sentinel she has no plans to replace him to save her business.

"I don't want people thinking they can have alligators for pets," Thorn told The Ledger in a separate interview.

"Rambo is special, he isn't like other alligators," she added.

Dead Orca Found in Canada Most Likely Died Due to Blunt Trauma to the Head

Initial necropsy from the Fisheries and Oceans Canada revealed that the cause of dead of the killer whale found off the Sunshine Coast, north of Vancouver, was a blunt-force trauma to its head and dorsal side.

According to the report from CBS Seattle, the 18-year old male orca was seen floating last December 20, 2016 near the shore of Sechelt. Nicknamed J-34, the 22-feet long killer whale was part of the endangered southern resident killer whale population living in the waters off southern British Colombia and Washington State.

"There's a big effort going on and of course, when we get a fresh carcass where we can get more information on cause of death and the details around that, we want to know what happened and why, and if it's a human-caused issue, how we can mitigate that going forward is really important," explained Paul Cottrell, Pacific marine mammal coordinator with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, in a report from Peninsula Daily News.

Officials were careful to say the cause of the blunt-force trauma. The trauma can be caused by another whale or a shipping vessel. However, the absence of bite marks and scratch marks in the carcass strongly suggests that the animal was struck by a shipping vessel.

Overall, the necropsy report showed that the whale was in good condition before its demise. Additionally, the presence of hematoma in the whale's carcass indicates that J-34 was still alive for a time after the injury.

After the necropsy, the whale carcass will be left outside for about a year to be eaten and cleaned by various organisms. These organisms will strip all the organic matter of the carcass, living the bones. The bones will then be reassembled and displayed by the Sechelt First Nation, which helped in the retrieval of the dead whale's body from the shore.

Cow Facial Recognition Becoming a Reality, Set to Revolutionize Farming

If you think facial recognition is amazing, think of what happens if cows could do it too. Scientists are making the technology to identify cows, which also have their own unique set of facial features.

According to Dairy Global, Cainthus is the "only" company in the world that can facilitate visual recognition on cows. 

Cainthus, based in Dublin, Ottawa and Francisco, is a budding machine vision company that has the technology to turn visual information into actionable data.

Their current focus is on improving agriculture, regardless if their technology's end-use has great potential.

According to Tech Republic, David Hunt is the co-founder of Cainthus along with his brother Ross. They aim to digitise agricultural practices with one of their goals is to develop facial recognition technology for cows.

Hunt said they're the only company in the world that can ID a cow using facial recognition, with a 97 percent accuracy in ID on an individual image.

They have also done their first commercial sale and installation, and they are prioritising larger dairies of "over 1,000 cows," as this is where their system makes the best impact.

Hunt said their mission to create an effective cow recognition system stemmed from the realization that one of the big problems in the industry is a lack of scale measurement.

They added that this can make things difficult to improve within the industry, as not being able to accurately measure something makes it hard to improve them. They then saw that imaging sensors turned out to be the cheapest way to provide commercial scale measurement for agricultural fields.

Hunt added that robotics in this scale and be a solution to a decreasing labour force, adding that the combination of advanced sensor data and analytics can make a platform capable of making constant "small" interventions to ensure productivity.

Hunt also said it's perfectly natural for farmers to feel both excited and skeptical on the new technology. According to SMH, Hunt said farmers may be skeptical about the new technology because of the amount of risks present, but he said their technology can contribute more than just letting know when cows "stop feeding."

Regardless, Hunt thinks this technology could make farms more of a mixed enterprise in the future. By 2050, Hunt thinks farms will be mixed and use agro-ecology style systems with many different crops and livestock.  

Orb-weaver Spider Baffles Scientists with Pulsating Disco Moves

Scientists and spider experts are baffled with the pulsating membrane of the orb-weaver spider, which resembles blobs of ink dancing to a certain tempo.

Scientifically known as Cyrtarachne inaequalis, National Geographic released a video of the arthropod filmed by photographer Nicky Bay. The video shows what seems to be a smiling snake head with blotches pulsating below its eyes. However, further into the video, the camera shifts and reveals an orb-weaver spider.

Scientists reveal that the swirling blob is part of the spider's abdomen which may be a defense mechanism or a mating scheme for their species.

Linda Rayor, a spider biologist at Cornell University sees it as "bizarre and interesting." Being a world specialist on spider behavior, Rayor admits that she hasn't "seen anything like it."

The author of the book Biology of Spiders Rainer Foelix says that "people love to jump to conclusions what such a behavior is good for." But scientists are yet to tell what the puzzling behavior is for.

In 2015, this spider also caught the attention of people in India at an Entomology Facebook page describing the amazing display of the spider.

Experts say that spiders do some pretty crazy things, like disguising themselves as leaves or ladybugs, tap-dancing for love, and sculpting fake spiders to hang as decoys in their webs. However, little is known about the abilities of spiders to change their appearance.

"Rather than to speculate, it would be better to study this phenomenon scientifically," Foelix added.

The Cyrtarachne species are also known as bird-dropping spiders due to its color resemblance to bird droppings.

Professor at the Department of Biological Sciences in the University of Pittsburgh Nathan Morehouse agrees that further studies need to be concluded to fully understand the arthropod.  

"Without a better handle on how variable this is within the population, it's difficult to make any headway with hypotheses about [what it could be mimicking]," Morehouse says.

Morehouse added that he'd "start with trying to understand what the membrane is that's moving, and why it might be moveable. And why it might be colored." 

Nearly 22 Million Pounds of Plastic Pollution Enter the Great Lakes Every Year

A new study from the Rochester University revealed that almost 22 million pounds, or 10,000 metric tons, of plastic waste from the United States and Canada enter the Great Lakes every year.

The study, published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, showed that the plastic debris moves between the Great Lakes and across interstate and international borders. Unlike the floating "garbage patches" found in the ocean, plastics in the Great Lakes are carried by persistent winds and lake currents to the shore, washing it up in another state or country.

For the study, the researchers used data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Great Lakes Coastal Forecast System. By applying mathematical models to these data, the researchers were able to simulate the distribution and transportation of plastic debris throughout and across the Great Lakes system from 2009 to 2014.

The researchers estimate that nearly 10,000 metric tons of plastic debris enter the Great Lakes every year. About half of this plastic debris, or 5,000 metric tons, goes to Lake Michigan. On the other hand, Lake Eerie and Lake Ontario receive 2,500 metric tons and 1,400 metric tons of plastic debris, respectively. Lake Huron and Lake Superior follows with 600 metric tons and 32 metric tons per year, respectively.

According to a press release, the researchers commented that the plastic pollution in Lake Michigan is approximately equivalent to 100 Olympic-sized pools full of plastic bottles dumped into the lake every year, while Lake Ontario equates to 28 Olympic-sized pools full of plastic bottles.

About 80 percent of the shoreline litters of the Great Lakes are plastic debris. Major population centers remain the primary source of plastic pollution in the Great Lake system. On the other hand, more plastic particles are being released in Chicago, Toronto, Cleveland and Detroit than being accumulated in their shorelines.

Plastic particles and microbeads could be consumed by fishes and other marine animals, potentially entering food chains.

Saving Salmon From Becoming Sea Lion Share: Early Conservation Effort Is Key!

California sea lions have begun to feed on Columbia River salmon at Bonneville Dam and scientists have discovered a model to explain this new behavior since this is a major __wildlife challenge since the Marine Mammal Protection Act protects the sea lions while the Endangered Species Act protects the salmon they are eating.

Since 2008, NOAA Fisheries have authorized Oregon, Washington, and Idaho __wildlife authorities to remove sea lions that preyed on salmon at the dam in hopes of protecting the salmon. Implementation of the policy is expected to continue for the next five years and but the effectiveness of the removal program is currently being reviewed.

By employing epidemiological models to evaluate how the behavior of eating salmon at the dam spread among the sea lions, researchers concluded that the removal program has effectively slowed the transmission of the behavior among sea lions. They also noted that the program would have been more effective had it been implemented earlier.

In their study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Biological Sciences, the researchers emphasized that there was a definite need to act early "from both a conservation and management perspective to prevent the spread of a detrimental behavior and to minimize the total number of animals removed."

"The earlier you start, the more effective you are at slowing the spread, and the fewer animals you have to remove to make a difference," said Zachary Schakner, one of the authors of the study and the Recreational Fisheries Coordinator in NOAA Fisheries' West Coast Region.

Since the program's implementation in 2008, the states had removed 166 California sea lions. Raising protests among animal rights groups was the stipulation that the states were allowed to euthanize sea lions if no permanent holding facility, be it a zoo or aquarium, could be found.

"What was really new was the combination of behavioral ecology with disease ecology to come up with management recommendations that could make the program more effective," said Michael Buhnerkempe, another author of the research and an assistant project scientist at Lloyd-Smith Laboratory at UCLA. It was vital for the researchers to highlight strategies for reducing the number of sea lions to determine which were most effective and which required the removal of the fewest sea lions.

In the same way diseases are easiest to stamp out when they have only affected a few individuals, undesirable wildlife behaviors such as the predation on salmon at Bonneville Dam needed to be addressed at the soonest possible opportunity. "If you can do that, you're beating it before it has a chance to explode into more of an epidemic," Buhnerkempe said. "Otherwise it quickly gets out of control."

Silkworms Programmed to Produce Super-Strong, Conductive Silk via Graphene

Silk is a widely used naturally sourced fiber that is popular in textile applications not just for its beauty but also for its mechanical strength. However, it appears they can also be stronger and tougher when silkworms are fed carbon nanotubes and graphene.

According to Futurism, it can be remembered that graphene is a carbon nanoparticle that is considered a "miracle" material. It has shown potential in fields such as energy, electronics, and medicine. Silkworms, the larvae form of silk moths, spin threads from silk proteins in their salivary glands.

A study led by Yingying Zhang from Tsinghua University examines the effects of adding graphene to the worms' diet of mulberry leaves. 

Results have shown that not only did the carbon-enhanced silk conduct electricity, it's also twice as tough as regular silk and can withstand at least 50-percent higher stress before breaking.

This "smart" textile can be used in medicine, athletics, wearable electronics and more.

According to their study, the researchers sprayed mulberry leaves with an aqueous solution that has 0.2 percent by weight of either carbon nanotubes or graphene and then collected the silk after the worms spun their cocoons.

Collecting the as-spun silk fibers is standard in silk production, so feeding the silkworms the carbon nanotubes and graphene was simpler than treating regular silk with the nanomaterials dissolved in chemical solvents.

The study said the carbon-enhanced silk was twice as tough as regular silk. Zhang's team tested conductivity and structure after heating the silk fibers at 1,050 degrees Celsius to "carbonize" the silk protein and even resulted in conduction.

Additionally, the silk fibers had a more ordered crystal structure.

Garments that are made from these "smart textiles" have so many practical and potential uses than those created using traditional materials. A conductive fabric with this carbon-enhanced silk could have applications in biomechanics, as these could show athletes where the tension and pressure is applied on areas of the body while exercising.

They could also be used for electronic clothing that can "talk to phones" and can make biodegradable medical implants. 

This Russian Fisherman Catches the Weirdest Fish that Will Make Your Skin Crawl

Have you ever dreamed of swimming with the creatures in the deep blue sea? You might want to think again after seeing these alien-looking fish caught by a Russian fisherman.

Meet Roman Fedortsov, a deep sea fisherman in Murmansk, Russian, who had taken over social media because of his weird-looking creatures. Fedorstov began posting photos of these rare oddities on Twitter early this year.

My Modern Met notes that the most terrifying feature of the creatures that Fedorstov caught was their teeth. The one below shows what looks like a frilled shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus), a bizzare species discovered in the 19th century and was popularly called "sea serpent" at that time.

Всем удачного дня! pic.twitter.com/ScrNHdDM9c

— Роман Федорцов (@rfedortsov) November 1, 2016

READ: Top 5 Scariest Fish that Would Give You Nightmares

Despite their strange appearance, Fedorstov handles each creature with braveness and care. A local site RUposters first reported about Fedorstov's unique photographs. Here are some of the weirdest creatures that the Russian fisherman has captured, but there's more posted on his Twitter page. This one has its duck face game on point.

Есть такая #рыба, свистулька называется pic.twitter.com/O9WhS7SRjJ — Роман Федорцов (@rfedortsov) June 25, 2016

This one even has nostrils.

A photo posted by roman_fedortsov (@roman_fedortsov) on Dec 12, 2016 at 8:08am PST

Besides fish, Fedorstov also catches pic.twitter.com/ScrNHdDM9c0. This little guy, for example, would fit well in an alien invasion movie.

(Photo : @rfedortsov/Twitter)

And finally, this weirdly cute creature who just can't keep on smiling!

(Photo : @rfedortsov/Twitter)

Equatorial Undercurrent Could Explain Galápagos Islands' Unique Biodiversity

The Galápagos Islands are well known for their biodiversity, housing plants, and animals that aren't found anywhere else on earth. For years, scientists have been trying to figure out the origin and time frame of this phenomenon and at last, a study published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters has the answer.

Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences Fellow Kris Karnauskas, the lead author of the study, proposed that the geologic formation of one particular part of the archipelago that formed around 1.6 million years ago could be responsible for the Galápagos Islands' unique biodiversity. Despite authoring six peer-reviewed scientific papers on the Galápagos Islands, Karnauskas still hadn't found the answer to when biodiversity flourished in the Galápagos.

"I asked around and couldn't get a straightforward answer," said Karnauskas, an assistant professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. "My geology friends said anywhere between half a million to twenty million years ago, depending on what feature we're talking about."

To determine exactly when the Galápagos turned into one of the most biologically diverse places on earth, Karnauskas looked beyond the age of the Galápagos islands. "I wasn't really interested in when the very first island breached the surface, but when this ecosystem developed," Karnauskas recounted. "That's not the customary way to ask questions in geology, nor does it lend itself to the usual toolbox."

Karnauskas proposed that the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) colliding with the archipelago caused the biological explosion in the Galápagos. Due to the shape of Earth and the way it spins, the EUC remains at the equator. In the case of the Galápagos, islands emerged from the seafloor and blocked the current. The island of Isabela in particular interested Karnauskas. "It's a pure accident of geography that Isla Isabela is so large and stands right on the equator, right where the EUC is trying to pass through. This is enough to drive cold, nutrient-rich water up to the surface where it can fuel marine productivity. We can easily see it today from space; the water is very cold and productive just west of the Galápagos along the shores of Isabela. It's no surprise that you'll find all the penguins jumping in the water there."

Karnauskas and his colleagues used previously collected data from sediment cores pulled up from sample sites near the Galápagos Islands. They noticed that around 1.6 million years ago, changes in the chemical composition of the fossil bugs in the sediment suggested a marked change in temperature.

Since the EUC could no longer flow to the mainland, this resulted in diversifying the species of fish, plants and penguins in the Galápagos. "Typically, we use known geologic constraints to help explain past changes in the environment such as ocean circulation," says Karnauskas. "It contributes a unique data point not only for geology but also for ecology and biogeography -- where and when life is distributed."

Bacteria Diet Controls Mercury Levels in Seabirds

Declining fish stocks near the surface of the British Columbia coast have shown the scientific community an unexpected advantage: levels of mercury in seabirds located in the area have remained relatively stable for the past 50 years because they have had to feed in areas with more sulfate-reducing bacteria that could control mercury levels in organisms.

Researchers from McGill University and Environment and Climate Change Canada have published a paper in Environmental Science and Technology where they detailed how collected seabird eggs along the Pacific coast of Canada for the past 47 years documented a decline in mercury levels for several seabird species. They were able to trace the decline to a switch in diet from high-sulfate, mercury-rich fish to low-sulfate, mercury-poor fish.

The researchers also used isotopic tracers called stable isotopes that revealed seabirds feeding in areas rich in sulfate had high levels of mercury. The seabirds in the Salish Sea of British Columbia switched from fish that live near the surface, to bottom fish since the population of forage fish living close to the surface had dwindled.

"Wildlife are impacted by many different stresses," explained Dr. Kyle Elliott, the lead author of the study who is an Assistant Professor from the Department of Natural Resource Sciences at McGill University. "More predators, dwindling fish stocks and mercury pollution are just some of the variables impacting seabird populations. Fortunately, we found that the level of sulfate-reducing bacteria explained much of the variation in mercury, suggesting that bacteria provided a sort of buffer to variation in mercury within the environment."

Monitoring different seabird species such as cormorants and petrels and their role in the mercury and sulfur cycle would allow scientists to also monitor changes in various parts of the ocean, specifically keeping a close eye on the way mercury moves from human industry into the food chain that leads to seabirds.

"We are becoming increasingly aware that bacteria play an important role in the health of marine ecosystems," concluded Elliott. "Recent studies have shown that __wildlife need healthy microbiomes to power long-distance migration. What we discovered was that sulfate-reducing bacteria also control mercury levels. Clearly, what is happening at the base of the food web reverberates up to the top of the food web."

Elephant Back Rides Banned in Botswana

Elephant back safaris will no longer be operational in Botswana.

Abu Camp, the only facility which allows elephant back rides in the country, has been given orders to terminate its elephant back safari. Reports from IOL.com stated that the move was linked to a new government policy in accordance with the Minister of Environment TK Khama, to improve the welfare of elephants in captivity.

In support of the campaign Abu Camp declared in a press release, "Following an extensive review of its program and in compliance with recent government directives . . . as of 31 December 2016, Abu Camp will no longer allow guests to ride elephants."

Botswana is known in Africa to have the highest number of elephant population due to the given military protection against poachers. However, in late August of this year, the Great Elephant Census showed that around 144,000 animals were lost between 2007 and 2014 in 15 African countries, declining at a rate of 8% a year.

Elephant back rides have been famous to tourists who love the animals but according to the NGO World Animal Protection, the animals suffer intense physical and psychological pain.

In the late 1990s, the first commercial elephant rides in Africa began in Zimbabwe and soon spread throughout Southern Africa. In the region, there are now 39 commercial elephant venues, holding around 215 captive elephants. At least 25 of these offer elephant rides. Seven of them force elephants to do tricks for tourists. 

In a statement published by the Conservation Action Trust, the NGO-WAP noted that "the cruelty elephants endure during breaking stays with them throughout their lives and can leave them suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. And after breaking there is no end to their suffering. This includes chaining and close confinement, loneliness, tight restraint with ropes or chains and isolation from other elephants and deprivation of food and water. Severe pain is often inflicted with pointed metal bull hooks, wooden battens, and whips."

We May Be on the Verge of Earth’s Sixth Mass Extinction, Humans Included

In the past four decades, half of the world's species are either going endangered or going extinct. Even familiar animals like giraffes are now endangered, and certain species of rhinos in Africa are about to be extinct. The world, in its entirety, is going ballistic. The worst part of it all is that humans are among those that are in danger.

According to a report from CNN, the world is on the verge of what is known as the sixth mass extinction. This is a phenomenon in which the world's animal species are starting to vanish at terrifying rates. To give a perspective of how bad the sixth mass extinction is, it is close to saying that about 75 percent of all common species will be gone.

The Guardian reported that more than half of the Earth's __wildlife has been lost in the past four decades. With all the natural and manmade phenomenon affecting the Earth's health, we may be expecting worse in the coming years.

What are the evidence for this? The largest coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef was reported this year. Giraffes are now endangered. Orangutan populations have been decreasing. More than one species has gone extinct in the past half-decade alone. Poaching and hunting continuously decrease populations of animals in the wild. Bees are on the brink of extinction. More epidemics have occurred in the past three decades than ever before, avian flu and the Zika virus to name a few.

One of the biggest factors causing this harm to __wildlife could possibly be climate change and global warming. There had been records of extreme climate pattern changes, from the driest drought to one of the coldest winters in history. A report from the National Geographic implied that if there will be a sixth mass extinction in our lifetime, and it is no one else's fault but humans, as we may hold the key to ultimately end climate change.

Baleen Whale May Be Behind Mysterious Mariana Trench Call

A previously unidentified call heard in the Mariana Trench could be a new baleen whale call as reported by the Oregon State University researchers who recorded and analyzed the sound. The scientists at Oregon State University's Marine Science Center have dubbed the sound the "Western Pacific Biotwang."

"It's very distinct, with all these crazy parts," shared Sharon Nieukirk, senior faculty research assistant in marine bioacoustics at Oregon State whose study was published in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. "The low-frequency moaning part is typical of baleen whales, and it's that kind of twangy sound that makes it really unique. We don't find many new baleen whale calls."

The sound was recorded by passive acoustic ocean gliders. These instruments could travel independently for months at a time with the ability to dive up to 1,000 meters. Researchers have observed that the Western Pacific Biotwang is very similar to the sound produced by dwarf minke whales on the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast of Australia. Minke whales produce a collection of regionally specific calls that include "boings" in the North Pacific and low-frequency pulse trains in the Atlantic.

"We don't really know that much about minke whale distribution at low latitudes," said Nieukirk. "The species is the smallest of the baleen whales, doesn't spend much time at the surface, has an inconspicuous blow, and often lives in areas where high seas make sighting difficult. But they call frequently, making them good candidates for acoustic studies."

Scientists, however, are not certain if the calls are indeed made by mating minke whales since baleen whale calls are mainly heard during the winter while the Western Pacific Biotwang was recorded throughout the year.

"If it's a mating call, why are we getting it year round? That's a mystery," said Nieukirk. Further research will be done by the team at the Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies, along with Oregon State University and the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. "We need to determine how often the call occurs in summer versus winter, and how widely this call is really distributed."

Due to its large frequency range, the Western Pacific Biotwang is difficult to detect. "More data are needed, including genetic, acoustic and visual identification of the source, to confirm the species and gain insight into how this sound is being used," said Nieukirk. "Our hope is to mount an expedition to go out and do acoustic localization, find the animals, get biopsy samples and find out exactly what's making the sound. It really is an amazing, weird sound, and good science will explain it."

Bloodbath! Rare Video Shows Killer Whales Eating Baby Live Sharks in Monterey Bay

In an extremely rare footage, a drone video has captured two adult female killer whales feasting on two young sharks in Monterey Bay, Califonia.

The footage was captured by drone pilot Slater Moore, who was with a whale watch tour group under the company Monterey Bay Whale Watch.

"Offshore Killer Whales today! We encountered these infrequently sighted Killer Whales on the 9am trip aboard the SeaWolf II. This ecotype of Killer Whales often travels in large groups and were seen about this time last December,: Monterey Bay Whale Watch said on their Facebook page.

Moore was aboard the SeaWolfe II on Tuesday when he saw the two killer whales. Moore and the crew saw that the two whales were eating something, so he took the opportunity to fly his drone and capture the one-of-a-kind event.

“And all of a sudden one of them brought it up, brought up the whole shark — and it was still alive, it was squirming around,” said marine biologist Katlyn Taylor via The Verge.

Taylor identified the shark calves as sevengill sharks. These species, according to Shark Sider, is the only common known member of the cowshark family as other members prefer to thrive in deep waters. It can grow as long as 3 meters and 107 kilograms with a lifespan of up to 50 years.

“They’re kinda tricky animals to study. They hold their breath a long time, they swim really fast, they travel way offshore. That’s part of the fun though, you never know what’s going to happen," Taylor said. She added via Monterey County Weekly that what makes the video unique is its perspective, giving us a glimpse on how offshore killers eat.

READ:
WATCH: Shark Breaks Through 'Safe Cage' With Diver Inside -- But Whose Fault Is It?
5 Terrifying Animals Straight Out of Your Worst Nightmare
 Unbelievable! Australian Teen Survives Great White Shark Attack

Rare Discovery: Elusive Omura Whale Spotted on Great Barrier Reef for the First Time [Video]

One of the world's most elusive whale surfaced for the first time on the great barrier reef. Passengers aboard a dive boat spotted the omura whale two weeks ago, but the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority just confirmed its identity yesterday.

The omura whale sighting happened at Mission Beach and adds to a previous confirmed sighting of the animal in Madagascar last year, Herald Sun reports.

The divers from Reef Express, a snorkeling tour company in Queensland, recorded a video of the encounter but had no idea that the creature was, in fact, a rare omura whale. This is the first confirmed sighting of the said species in the Great Barrier Reef.

"That morning we'd seen it in the distance, about half a kilometre away, so we knew there was a whale of some sort in the area. We stopped the vessel and turned the motors off - we were fairly determined we were going to wait and see if it popped up somewhere else - and low and behold it popped up 15 metres away from the boat, which was pretty surprising," said Reef Express owner Kerryn Bell.

"It was quite a shock for all of us because none of us had actually seen a whale like that. The last thing we expected was to see any sort of whale, let alone one of the rarest whales in the word," she added.

Meanwhile, Chris Jones, the Great Barrier Marine Park Authority sightings network manager, said the species was so rare that they needed help from an expert to confirm its identity.

An expert studying the omura in Madagascar confirmed the sighting on the Great Barrier Reef. Jones said that the animal was about 16 meters, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

According to Earth Touch News Network, Omura's whales (Balaenoptera omurai) is a baleen whale that has a unique two-toned jaw, which is white on the right side and black on the other side. Growing between 33 and 38 feet, the Omura's whales existence was only confirmed by Japanese researchers in 2003.

Scientists Discover 6 Unique Marine Life Species at the Indian Ocean

New animal species have been found from the ocean floor of the southwest Indian Ocean. The amazing marine discovery was made by scientists from the University of Southampton in an undersea hot springs roughly 2.8 kilometres deep, at Longqi, also known as "Dragon's Breath," 2000 kilometres southeast of Madagascar.

Headed by Dr. Jon Copley, the team of researchers explored the massive ocean floor as big as a football stadium. The team identified at least a dozen mineral spires or "vent chimneys," which rise more than two storeys above the seabed and are notably rich in copper and gold that is reportedly sparking an interest for future seafloor mining. These ocean spires are filled with underwater creatures that feed on the minerals and nutrients from hot fluids gushing out of the vent chimneys.

Their paper entitled "Ecology and biogeography of megafauna and macrofauna at the first known deep-sea hydrothermal vents on the ultraslow-spreading Southwest Indian Ridge," found deep-sea animals only known to be from Longqi. These include: a species of hairy-chested 'Hoff' crab, closely related to 'Hoff' crabs at Antarctic vents; two species of snail and a species of limpet; a species of scaleworm; and another species of deep-sea worm. Aside from a single species of snail, given the scientific name Gigantopelta aegis, most of the mentioned species have not yet been officially described, Phys.Org wrote.

"We can be certain that the new species we've found also live elsewhere in the southwest Indian Ocean, as they will have migrated here from other sites, but at the moment no-one really knows where, or how well-connected their populations are with those at Longqi," said Dr Copley. "Our results highlight the need to explore other hydrothermal vents in the southwest Indian Ocean and investigate the connectivity of their populations, before any impacts from mineral exploration activities and future deep-sea mining can be assessed."

"Finding these two species at Longqi shows that some vent animals may be more widely distributed across the oceans than we realised," added Dr Copley, Eureka Alert reported.

Animal Abuse Probe: Socialite NYC Hotel Owner Allegedly On Tape Attempting To Burn Woman’s Dogs

Residents in an exclusive Manhattan community are still floundering in the wake of a prominent business founder’s alleged attempt to set two dogs on fire days ago.

According to New York’s Page Six, law enforcement investigators are probing hotel kingpin, Vikram Chatwal, for his involvement in a disturbing animal abuse incident. The accused man is famously known for outbidding Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs for a Picasso piece (valued at $1.2 million) at a Miami art event. Police are seeking a motive for Chatwal’s erratic behavior.

Chatwal, 44, the founder of Dream, Night and Time, a line of boutique hotels, supposedly attacked a woman’s dogs without provocation as she walked them on a public sidewalk. Resident, Isabell Suquilanda, 29, said she observed a woman walking her two canines along Wooster Street when Chatwal accosted them and began complaining loudly about dogs and flea infestation.

An unnamed New York City Police Department spokesperson reported that Chatwal told the woman that dogs should be euthanized for harboring the disease-carrying insects. Chatwal then produced an aerosol can and lighter before aiming flames at the hapless dogs.

@ithebasedette Vikram Chatwal Net Worth @blakelively @Latifahh3Saff @hollyrpeete https://t.co/1LpobQFkcE

— Celebrity Net Worth (@RichestNews) March 6, 2016

Witnesses said the hotelier yelled, “They must die!” and then proceeded to attack the dogs with fire. Thankfully, several bystanders intervened and separated the man from the woman and her pooches. Police officers say there were “minor injuries,” but it’s unclear who sustained burns as sources reported.

Roxanne Robles says she witnessed the moment Chatwal tried torching the dogs in broad daylight. The horrific incident caught her by surprise.

“I was walking down the street, and I saw this guy crouching and aggressively circling this woman and the dogs screaming at them, with a lighter and aerosol can spraying fire on the dogs.”

“I was screaming my head off, ‘What the f**k are you doing?!’ I interrupted it.”

Robles said the bizarre animal attack left her with difficulty coping with the lingering images of flames aimed at dogs.

“It was like a fire-breathing dragon, shooting out flames 2 to 3 feet long. This isn’t OK. You can’t walk the streets lighting dogs on fire and think your __life can go on as usual.”

One witness on the scene reported seeing a personal assistant who works for Chatwal pulling him away from the scene and into his nearby home. Another passerby used their smartphone to record the arrival of at least four police vehicles arriving on the scene.

Officers approached Chatwal, who became belligerent while boasting of his entitled and privileged standing in the community. The Post claimed to have viewed the footage and said the angry man warned cops, “You guys don’t have me, I have you.”

A short time later, a calmer Chatwal apologized to the dogs’ owners for his “despicable acts.”

Sources on the scene talked to another man who spoke to Chatwal after the incident. The unnamed man didn’t witness the attack. Instead, he described his neighbor’s perceived mental state and unkempt appearance.

“The guy was muttering, he was telling me he was on anti-depressants. He said he has ticks and fleas in his apartment and he blames the dogs.”

Police are still investigating the incident and have not yet reported on the man’s mental state at the time of the alleged burning attempt.

Chatwal, who has past romantic connections to supermodels Kate Moss and Gisele Bundchen, was arrested in 2013 on charges of drug trafficking and possession, according to People. He reportedly “beat” the felony charges after serving one year in rehabilitation for substance abuse.

Arrested in drugs case, hotelier Vikram Chatwal released on bond – http://t.co/Cb6fcZ1OtB pic.twitter.com/5BK9EelbkU

— The Muslims News (@Themuslimsnews) April 5, 2013

Police did not make any arrests in connection with Chatwal’s burning attempt on the dogs, and it’s unclear if any are forthcoming.

[Featured Image by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images]

Gourmet Dog Bakery Helps Homeless Teens, Vet Delivers First Set Of Canine Identical Twins

Recently, Lindy’s Bakery, a gourmet pet food bakery, announced five new gourmet pet treats, including grain-free, gluten-free, and vegan products. However, while food is obviously a large part of the business, the baker’s primary goal is to help others.

One hundred percent of the proceeds are going directly to a program that will teach valuable work skills to homeless teenagers and young adults.

According to the Lindy and Company website, Daybreak, a non-profit organization, helped form a partnership for its creation. It is a program that helps move homeless young adults and teens out of poverty and under-education so they can live better lives.

Lindy and Company: Making a difference through pet treats https://t.co/b5J8fxyyR6 #petfood #dogood pic.twitter.com/EVxJh9kK18

— Petfood Industry (@petfoodindustry) October 10, 2016

Daybreak was formed in 1975. The Ohio-based company also aims to teach financial independence and self-sufficiency to its youths. The Daybreak employment program helps those in need develop the skills they need to obtain jobs. The bakery is a part of this all-important program and teaches homeless teens and young adults the work skills they need to get them off the street forever.

Thanks to this level of support, Daybreak has been able to house 500 homeless people each year!

The new line of flavors from Lindy and Company includes novel flavors, like Sweet Pea, Carrot Cake, Pumpkin Pie, Cranberry Supreme, and Peanutty Puppers. In a press conference, the company’s CEO, Linda Kramer, stated, “We are responding to consumer demand for healthier treats for their dogs. As they make better choices for themselves, they want to make better choices for their pets. We understand the direction the market is taking.”

This next helping of dog news will have you feeling all fuzzy inside.

Today, when a human gives birth to identical twins, it’s not generally newsworthy. However, the birth of identical twins is incredibly rare in other lower creatures in the animal kingdom.

Recently, while delivering a dog’s litter, Dr. Kurt de Cramer helped give birth to the first pair of identical dog twins, according to CBS News.

Dr. de Cramer works at Rant en Dal Animal Hospital in Mogale City, South Africa. There, he performs an estimated 900 Caesarean or C-sections per year. Therefore, the delivery was a routine procedure in the early stages.

Two cute!! Meet Cullen & Romulus, who may be the world’s 1st identical twin puppies https://t.co/DTWVQBSSbM pic.twitter.com/GspKNVAKAi

— i Still Love Dogs (@iStillLoveDogs) November 16, 2016

When Dr. de Cramer was first introduced to the Irish wolfhound, the canine was having difficulty giving birth. Dr. de Cramer reported that he knew something was going to be “different” about this one, as the dog had a strange bulge by her uterus.

Dr. de Cramer began to extract the puppy, thinking the bulge was merely an accumulation of excess fluids. However, when he made the incision, he discovered that there were two puppies attached to the same placenta. Miraculously, twin puppies had been born!

“When I realized that the puppies were of the same gender and that they had very similar markings, I also immediately suspected that they might be identical twins having originated from the splitting of an embryo,” said de Cramer.

According to Dr. de Cramer, he has not seen anything this unique in 26 years of being a veterinarian. After delivering the other puppies, he contacted other specialists to see if the two puppies were actually twins. The vets took blood samples from the puppies when they were about 2-weeks-old. It was confirmed that the two were, indeed, identical twins.

Nature is complex and scientists are discovery new breakthroughs almost daily. Still, the birth of a set of identical twins in nature with any creature other than a human is priceless.

[Featured Image by iStock by appleping/Getty Images]

Great White Shark Bites Divers’ Air Hose, Gets Caught In Cage

A frightening video captured off the Mexican coast has made its way online, depicting a group of divers unexpectedly cornered by a great white shark when the massive predator bit through their air supply before finding itself stuck in the cage with them.

The clip was filmed in September, according to the Huffington Post, but only posted to YouTube this week. Taken off the coast of Guadalupe Island, one of the world’s most notorious hotspots for great white sharks, it was recorded by Peter Maguire, a diver who was situated in a separate cage.

Diver Katie Yonker, writing for Bluewater Travel, noted that the excursion started off just like any other, but things quickly took a turn when a 13- to 15-foot-long female white shark approached the submerged cage. Swimming above the enclosure, the shark bit into a hose that supplied the divers with air, severing it. As a divemaster adjusted the equipment to prevent the group from completely losing their air supply, the white shark returned, striking the top part of the cage and finding itself unexpectedly trapped, as Yonker recalled.

“The shark swam vertically down into the balcony of the cage, made a sharp turn, and swam right through the bars of the cage. She thrashed around for several seconds and in the process got further lodged into the bars of the cage.”

Yonker managed to film the experience from within her cage and noted that she feared the enclosure would break apart, leaving her and the other divers vulnerable. Eventually, the group was able to make their way past the white shark, escaping the cage to the safety of the boat above. Once they were safely away from the trapped animal, the boat’s crew were able to tie a rope around the shark’s tail before lowering the enclosure, essentially holding the predator in place while removing it. Largely unharmed, the white shark was able to swim away under its own power, as Mashable notes.

Harrowing ordeal for divers as great white shark gets stuck inside their cage https://t.co/iYCqaiG7o7 pic.twitter.com/GXEDsUVwnT

— GrindTV (@GrindTV) October 12, 2016

While frightening, the video isn’t the first of its kind to be released recently. Last week, another video of a similar encounter off Guadalupe Island spread online, depicting a white shark as it rammed the side of a diving cage. As the Inquisitr noted, the shark was likely unaware of the enclosure as it lunged for a piece of bait, temporarily blinded by its natural defense mechanisms. The shark burst through the side of the cage and found itself trapped, however, as white sharks cannot swim backwards. After several moments, the animal was able to escape the cage through an open hatch, though it had clearly been injured by the experience.

Great White Shark Diving #News pic.twitter.com/2IwHD4BgvG

— Better Games For You (@BetterGames4You) October 11, 2016

Guadalupe Island is one of the world’s most well-known aggregation sites for the species, alongside Cape Cod and South Africa. Regularly featured on Shark Week, it is also home to some of the most imposing sharks ever observed by researchers. Last year, video of a notoriously large white shark named Deep Blue spread online after it was filmed at Guadalupe.

‘Is anyone inside?’ Horrifying moment Great White Shark BREAKS INTO diver’s cage https://t.co/s8Tp5Ckw8K pic.twitter.com/m8YRNwY1Jc

— Jason Sentell (@jasonsentell) October 14, 2016

Maguire and the other divers noted that while they felt fear during their experience, they were also sad to see the shark in such distress. Looking for a silver lining, he acknowledged that he “can only hope that we can learn from this video and improve on great white shark diving best practices and improve on cage construction,” thereby offering better protection not only to divers but also to the sharks that so command their attention.

[Featured Image by Elias Levy/ Flickr | Cropped and Resized | CC BY 2.0]

Snow Leopards Still Fair Game To Poachers: Is Revenge A Motive?

Snow leopards are already an endangered species as it is. And a new report suggests their situation isn’t getting any better on a broad-based level, with hundreds of the rare animals falling victim to poachers.

According to a report from the BBC, only 4,000 snow leopards remain in the wild, mostly found in the Himalayan and Tibetan regions. But even with their numbers already low, about four of these leopards are poached per week, and a majority are killed as an act of “revenge” for livestock losses. Adding to all of that, a detailed study from Traffic cited by BBC notes that snow leopard skins are now being traded online in an attempt to avoid law enforcement.

Snow leopards are considered nomadic creatures, living between 1,000 and 5,400 meters (between 3,280 and 17,720 feet) above sea level. And while they usually target blue sheep, mountain ibex, and other animals smaller than they are, these leopards are capable of killing prey three times as heavy as they are. They are also considered a clear threat to farmers who live within their range, as they tend to hunt domestic sheep and cattle.

The Traffic study suggests that about 221 to 450 snow leopards have been killed by poachers each year since 2008. That may be just a conservative estimate, but regardless of how many of these animals are killed, the study does stress that revenge is used as motivation for a lot of hunters.

Support @snowleopards on #SnowLeopardDay! https://t.co/tjOa1UIYvB pic.twitter.com/LT4FNIrKLP

— Nancy Whelan (@WildlifeAllies) October 23, 2016

“We think that what most observations, seizure records, and expert opinion shows is that the majority is still happening because of retaliatory killing,” said Traffic‘s James Compton. “One of the major interventions to stop that is better protection for livestock, in some of these very remote areas where you have nomad communities and herds of livestock, because that’s where the friction takes place.”

According to Traffic‘s study, a good part of the poaching – more than 90 percent – took place in China, India Mongolia, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. The numbers also back up Compton’s statement that retaliatory reasons are now the main motives poachers have for killing snow leopards; slightly more than a fifth of the poaching cases were done for illegal trade purposes.

Still, the fact that illegal trade only accounted for 21 percent of the cases didn’t disguise the finding that poachers are now finding workarounds to get the best value possible when trying to sell the animals’ skins and bones. There’s also the increased use of social media and e-commerce, which allow for lower-profile transactions and a better chance of avoiding the long arm of the law.

“The snow leopard doesn’t turn up that often in markets, (but) what the report authors have concluded is that it’s a bit opportunistic,” said Compton. “If a snow leopard is killed and the parts or the pelt is saleable, it’s almost like getting your own back for the livestock you’ve lost.”

[Image by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images]

Fortunately for these endangered animals, there may be some hope in Kyrgyzstan, where the Snow Leopard Trust and Snow Leopard Foundation are working closely with the country’s government to help in their conservation. A former hunting ground in Shamshy has been converted into a wildlife sanctuary, and conservationists are optimistic that snow leopards would gravitate toward the sanctuary and avoid gutting livestock populations, due to the high populations of ibex and mountain goats in the area.

Things may continue improving for the snow leopards in the country, according to Snow Leopard Foundation Kyrgyzstan director Kuban Jumabai uulu, who was quoted by the Christian Science Monitor as saying population counts have indeed been going up.

“Earlier this year, we had found snow leopard tracks and scratch marks on several ridgelines in Shamshy. Now, (new camera-trap) pictures prove the cat’s presence in the sanctuary.”

The proof of snow leopards in the Shamshy sanctuary in Kyrgyzstan only amounts to baby steps thus far. Still, a little progress in this endangered species’ survival is better than none at all.

[Featured Image by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images]

Killer Whales Attack And Eat Rare Shark In Unusual Drone Footage

A rare subspecies of killer whale was captured on film earlier this week, as a pod of the massive predators toyed with an unfortunate sevengill shark, passing the animal back and forth before eventually dispatching and devouring their helpless prey.

The unusual footage was captured on Tuesday by Slater Moore of Monterey Bay Whale Watch, according to Grind TV. Taken with a drone, the three-and-a-half minute long clip reveals a pod of offshore killer whales, a rarely seen smaller subspecies, as they passed around, and eventually finished off, the unfortunate shark. Held upside down in the larger animals’ jaws, the sevengill shark was likely in a state known as tonic immobility, which would have rendered it paralyzed and helpless in its final moments.

They don’t call them #killerwhales for nothin’…check out this #video of an #orca nabbing a #sevengill #shark https://t.co/xXknPzo2R2 pic.twitter.com/fx6D7p1swm

— Leisure Pro (@leisurepro) December 15, 2016

In keeping with their name, offshore orcas are usually spotted no closer than nine miles from shore, as NOAA fisheries noted. Usually sighted in groups of 25 or more, offshore killer whales are among the least observed, and consequently the least understood, of all cetaceans. As Whale and Dolphin Conservation, a charity focused on protecting the animals, highlighted, it is highly unusual for the species to be encountered by humans, especially so close to shallow water.

“Little is known about the elusive Offshore orcas, as they live far from land ― mainly over the outer continental shelf ― and are rarely encountered.”

Worldwide Shark Mission – Sevengill tagging https://t.co/8JATIbzHT5 pic.twitter.com/p7amB9vpkp

— The Scuba News NZ (@TheScubaNewsNZ) November 19, 2016

The footage in question was taken during a cruise with Monterey Bay Whale Watch, according to the Huffington Post. Over the course of the clip, the killer whales toy with the sevengill shark, dragging it around the waters of Monterey Bay. Two females and two calves were involved in the incident, which was thought to be a teaching experience for the younger whales.

Though offshore killer whales are rarely encountered, this footage hardly represents the first time that the species has been observed preying upon sharks. In 2014, a whale watching charter observed a group of orcas in the Neptune Islands harassing, and eventually devouring a great white shark, as they apparently taught their calves to hunt the apex predator. Cage diving charters reported that the white shark’s death frightened away other members of its species for months thereafter, decimating a major part of the region’s tourism industry.

Reduction of #Arctic ice caused by #GlobalWarming is increasing #Orca in the #Arctic. This is reducing Beluga #Whales. Orcas eat them pic.twitter.com/FLi228QKML

— Daniel Schneider (@BiologistDan) December 12, 2016

Offshore killer whales tend to travel in medium sized groups, ranging from 25 to 75 individuals. The species has been spotted moving in pods of up to 200 members, however. Their teeth are often worn smooth, an indication to researchers that they prey upon fish with rough skin, like the sevengill shark pictured in Moore’s footage.

According to Katlyn Taylor, a naturalist with Monterey Bay Whale Watch, offshore killer whales are observed in the region roughly once every year.

“They’re kinda tricky animals to study. They hold their breath a long time, they swim really fast, they travel way offshore. That’s part of the fun though, you never know what’s going to happen.”

Sevengill sharks are also an unusual and rarely observed species, as the Inquisitr has previously noted. Identified by their distinctive namesake set of seven gill slits, the species prefers to spend its time near the sea floor, only infrequently venturing to the surface. Inhabiting the Pacific and the Southern Atlantic, sevengill sharks are notably common in the San Francisco Bay area, particularly around Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge. Older members of the species tend to live in deeper offshore habitats, while younger sevengills are found in shallower estuaries or deep channels within bays.

Both sevengill sharks and offshore killer whale are equally infrequently sighted, making Moore’s footage one of the more unusual clips to come out of the region in recent years.

[Featured Image by Mike Aguilera/SeaWorld San Diego via Getty Images]

Looks Count: 'Ugly Animals' Don't Get Much Donations as Cute Ones Do, Study Shows

It seems people are subconsciously subjective when it comes to saving animals, and this can significantly affect these animals' lives and future.

According to studies, cute and adorable animals have better chances of survival than "ugly animals," and this is because it is easier to get funding and donations when the animals in danger are just too cute to go extinct. This unusual phenomenon is what scientists call as that "charity beauty premium". It is an incident for which donors favor much attractive species of animals like polar bears and giraffes than those less attractive ones like snakes.

According to a study, the time it takes for a person to think about the recipient affects their decision making in donating. A poll has been given to survey attendees where they are asked to select one from a set of pictures of endangered species if they are given the chance to donate.

It has been found that when given less than ten seconds to think, it is in the intuition of any person to choose the most attractive animal. However, when they are given a longer time to think they make much better decisions and provide help for other animals which are in more need.

The popular science website has featured a global campaign to save the world's 'ugliest' endangered animals known as the 'Ugly Animals Conservation Society'. This group has been formed in the hopes of providing support and financial aid to fund the conservation of the lesser loved animals in the world.

The organization features creepy crawlies, amphibians, and reptiles that many people did not even know were endangered. There are also features of animals that are unfamiliar to many. This is a good platform for the conservation of any kind of organism on Earth as each provides a role to play in the balance of nature. 

Ancient Rats May Have Eaten Dinosaurs, Scientists Say

One recent interesting find by scientists and archaeologists is the possibility that ancient rats, or marsupials, have lived at the same time as dinosaurs. What makes it more interesting is that the rats, creatures significantly smaller than dinosaurs, may have eaten the said reptiles.

Bite markings have been recently found on dinosaur bones. And these are not just any types of dinosaur bones, but bones of Triceratops and other large dinosaurs. According to the  Christian Science Monitor, the death and downfall of dinosaurs have paved the way for larger mammals to thrive. However, it is incredible to find tiny teeth marks on the bones of large dinosaurs, one of the oldest indications of mammal life.

However, these may not be the normal, small-sized rats that we know of today. According to a report from the International Business Times, evidence and remains of marsupials as large as dogs were discovered in East Timor. This may be an indication that there was a time when the tiny rats we see today are more than a tenth of their original size thousands of years ago.

Although the time of existence of these giant rats cannot be clearly pointed out yet, several scientists noted that early humans may have eaten them for survival. This means the giant rats were not responsible for the bite markings on dinosaur bones.

Instead, Live Science reported that these ancient mammals that ate dinosaurs were as tiny as badgers. Their gigantic teeth may have been powerful enough to eat dinosaur flesh and crush their bones. One of the scientists involved in the research has indicated that this may fully change humans' understanding of tiny mammals during the time of dinosaurs. That instead of being the prey, they could have been ferocious predators as well. 

Reindeer Shrinking in Size, Starving Due to Climate Change

Reindeer may not be able to carry Santa Clause for much longer as the specie is getting smaller and smaller. A new study presented at the British Ecological Society (BES) in Liverpool revealed that this noticeable shrinkage is due to climate change drastically limiting the food supply of the animal, according to a report from Phys.org.

The researchers revealed that the weight of adult reindeer in Svalbard in the Norwegian Arctic has dropped by about 12 percent over the past 16 years. Adult reindeer born in 2010 weigh about 106 pounds or 48 kilograms, while those born in 1994 were able to hit about 121 pounds or 55 kilograms.

Study leader Steve Albon of the James Hutton Institute in Scotland stressed the importance of this weight loss saying, "Twelve percent may not sound very much, but given how important body weight is to reproduction and survival, it's potentially huge."

The BES made a statement that pointed to climate change as a factor of the shrinking reindeer, explaining that the land surface temperature in the Arctic were higher by around 2.8 degrees Celsius than it was a hundred years ago. The higher temperature during winter leads to more rain, which "falls on snow and freezes."

The frozen water acts as a barricade between the reindeer and the lichen that the animal forages for in snow during long winter months. Because they have a more difficult time getting to their food, they tend to eat less and their weight suffers.

In the winter of 2013 to 2014, 61,000 reindeer died of starvation on the Yamal Peninsula, Siberia because of this rain-on-snow phenomenon.

Also, a factor is the rising number of reindeer population, which means the animals have more competition when it comes to food.

"So far  we have more but smaller reindeer," Albon described the reindeer situation in Svalbard, according to a report from The Guardian.

Chimpanzees Recognize Each Other Through Their Butts

Scientists have discovered that chimpanzees have an interesting ability to recognize not only faces but also each other's butts. The talents and abilities of many primate species have been measured by how well they are able to perform human skills. However, this new finding is a skill that not many humans can and will do. Though face recognition has been recorded, tested, and studied in animals for a very long time, this is one of the first major breakthroughs about it.

Discover Magazine reported about the abilities of many primates to recognize their own faces in mirrors. Not only that, they are very curious animals to the point that they usually examine parts of their body they don't normally have sight of, like their backs, buttocks, the back of their heads, and many more. This is an indication that primates are very intelligent beings compared with other animals.

According to a report from Live Science, chimpanzees have the ability to recognize butts just how well they could recall human faces. They have found that they use the same method of familiarizing a human face, with how they familiarize their neighbor's bottoms. As discussed by the study, the experiment involved photos of faces, buttocks and other parts of the body not only of chimpanzees but also of humans. To test their recognition, the chimpanzees are shown a certain image and is tasked to tap from the list its original image.  

A report from Washington Post has indicated that this particular skill is very important for animals to find out if another is of their kin or not. It is discussed from a study from Michigan State University that for many primates, the father do not mate with their female children and female children don't mate with their male siblings. This is a characteristic similar to humans and chimpanzees use not only the face but also the buttocks for them to definitively know that a male or female counterpart is not an immediate relative.