Monthly Archives: January 2023

We have met the manul (Pallas’ Cat) already in these pages. The unusual cat with its distinctive appearance and unfriendly nature is sometimes called the original “Grumpy Cat.” In fact it is highly adapted to a life in a frightfully cold part of the world. Those adaptations, specifically luxurious fur, have threatened it with extinctionContinue reading “Animals In Unexpected Places: Traces Of Mountaineering Manuls Found High On Slopes Of Mount Everest For First Time, Surprising Experts”

An aardvark owes its life to a true 911 response between two Ohio zoos, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. (Note: link to article broke. ) Aaardvarks (Orycteropus afer) are medium-sized burrowing mammals native to Africa. The name means “ground pig” in Afrikaans, a dialect of Dutch. They burrow for ants and termites at night andContinue reading “Aardvark Receives Life-Saving Blood Transfusion In Example of 911 Cooperation Between American Zoos”

Tens of thousands of giant South American river turtles have hatched along the rivers bordering Brazil and Bolivia. The nesting and hatching began in mid-December and is reaching its peak. Monitoring the situation is the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) a conservation organization based out of New York. The society leverages clout from the zoos andContinue reading “Scientists Elated By Discovery of Giant Freshwater Turtle Hatchery; But Future Of World’s Largest Freshwater Turtle Very Much In Doubt”

One of the subtexts of this blog is animals in unexpected places. Often it has been sharks departing deep cold water for warmer surface water in the tropics. Recently. it was the revelation that vampire bats may be moving in to Texas. Today, it is the recent sighting and eventual departure of an Arctic snowyContinue reading “Animals Out Of Place: Rare Snowy Owl Leaves Arctic, Arrives in Southern California – Departs Again”

Police in Albuquerque New Mexico recently found a very young tiger cub in a crate. The cat was found after officers received reports of shots fired. The discovery and the steps needed to be taken for the cub highlight the evils of the exotic animal trade. Albuquerque police responded to shots fired recently and followedContinue reading “Fate Of Albuquerque Tiger Cub Highlights Evils Of Exotic Animal Trade”

The late P-22 was the most famous of the mountain lions in the National Park Service (NPS) study. That study began in 2002 and chronicles the difficult life of cougars in the Santa Monica Mountains. The number of cats collared is well above 100 today. But quite a few have died or been killed inContinue reading “National Park Service Profiles Cougars In Landmark Study, Number Of Collared Cats Passes 100”

Readers of this blog know that maintaining corridors for wild animal crossing is essential to the survival of wildlife here and abroad. Highways take a frightful toll and blocking routes leads to inbreeding and local extinction. We have frequently reported on Liberty Canyon, a freeway overcrossing that is designed to allow mountain lions and otherContinue reading “United States Geological Survey And Partners Release Latest Conservation Map Aimed At Aiding Wildlife Migration”

Last week we talked about a new study that showed orangutans use more consonant sounds than other great apes. That study hinted at some of the reasons human speech may have developed. Today we write about a chimpanzee study that shows our close relatives have gesture dialects that differ among groups of chimpanzees. According toContinue reading “More Primate Language: Chimpanzees Have “Gesture Dialects” That Provide Communication, Differ Among Groups”

Human speech is a challenging subject, one approached from many academic angles. Recent studies of orangutans may shed light on why human speech developed in the first place. According to Popular Science the answer may lie in part with differences in communication. Orangutans and ground dwelling chimpanzees and bonobos communicate differently. Orangutans are the mostContinue reading “Study Of Tree-Dwelling Orangutans May Provide Some Answers About Why Humans Started Talking”

I am probably not alone in associating brown and grizzly bears with forests, rivers, berries, honey and spawning salmon. Not with rock, sand and arid desert. But animals are extremely adaptable. One of the amazing examples is the Gobi Bear. A close relative of America’s Grizzly and Alaska’s Brown Bear this bear has managed toContinue reading “Bears In The Desert? Mongolia’s Endangered Gobi Bears Struggle For Survival – With Some Human Help”