Otto, an octopus living in Germany, has been wrecking havoc in his aquarium. His keepers believe his is bored while the aquarium is closed for the winter and causing trouble to amuse himself. Otto has figured out how to climb on the rim of his aquarium and shoot a jet of water into an overhead light shorting it out. He’s also been observed juggling hermit craps and rearranging the tank to fit his needs, causing distress to his tank-mates.

For more information visit: The Telegraph.

In northern Brazil, 1600 Magellanic penguins were found wandering around in an emaciated state. Usually, Magellanic penguins breed in Argentina and Chile, and the juveniles migrate north between March and September in pursuit of anchovy. However, these penguins ventured hundreds of miles north of their intended feeding grounds, leaving many in a weakened physical state.  While it is normal for a few penguins to stray off track every year, the overwhelming influx of penguins this year raised enough concern that the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and other wildlife rescue groups decided to intervene.

After rehabilitating the emaciated birds, rescue workers loaded 373 healthy penguins into crates and transported them to Pelotas, in southern Brazil, via a C-130 Hercules military plane.  The juvenile penguins were then released at Cassino Beach along with a small group of adult penguins who had been rescued from an oil spill.  It is expected that the adults will help guide the younger birds back to the feeding grounds.

According to Dr. Valeria Ruoppolo of the IFAW, “We are overjoyed to see these penguins waddle back to the ocean and have a second chance at life.”

For more information, see CNN.com: Flight of the penguins

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), an environmental network of government agencies, non-government organizations, and volunteer scientists, released their latest findings on the status of the world’s mammals.  Their results paint a bleak picture of the future for many animals.

The IUCN estimates that 1 in 4 mammals are at risk for extinction and that 1 in 2 mammal populations is declining.

According to Julia Marton-Lefevre, the director general of the IUCN,

Within our lifetime, hundreds of species could be lost as a result of our own actions, a frightening sign of what is happening to the ecosystems where they live. We must now set clear targets for the future to reverse this trend to ensure that our enduring legacy is not to wipe out many of our closest relatives.

On the bright side, IUCN’s research also shows that many species can recover from the brink of extinction when focused conservation efforts take place.

For more information:

CNN.com: “1 in 4 mammals at risk of extinction, scientists say”
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Database
IUCN Website

On September 17, Melbourne, Florida’s Brevard Zoo welcomed a new arrival: a female Visayan warty piglet. In the wild, Visayan warty pigs are critically endangered forest dwellers living in the Philippines. While they once roamed all six islands, Visayan warty pigs have become extinct on four of them. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) had appealed to zoos to participate in an emergency breeding program to help stabilize the Visayan warty pig population.

For more information:
Florida Today, ‘It’s a piglet!’
Brevard Zoo’s Visayan Pig Page

The US Fish and Wildlife Service plan on adding 48 species, including the akikiki (shown above), to the endangered species list.

On Kauai, Hawaii’s northernmost island, there are 48 species of animal and plant life that the US Fish and Wildlife Service would like to place on the endangered species list.  Up until now, the standard practice would be to protect each species separately, but a new plan consists of protecting an ecosystem as a whole.

Under the new plan, 27,674 acres of habitat will be protected and studied.  The habitat, which includes a range of ecosystems such as rain forest, moist lowlands and dry cliffs, currently faces destruction or modification by feral goats and pigs, nonnative plants, and hurricanes.

For more information: Honolulu Star Bulletin, “New protection for habitats”

Adam Tofilski, a behavioral ecologist from the Agricultural University of Krakow, Poland, and his colleagues have been studying the actions of Brazilian ants (Forelius pusillus) in São Simão, Brazil.  What they have discovered is shocking.

Every night, several ants sacrifice themselves for the survival of the colony.  When most of the ants have retreated inside the nest at sunset, up to eight ants will stay outside to fill in the entrances with sand. Tofilski’s team found chances of survival were less than 25% for the stragglers, thereby making this nightly task suicidal.

Brazilian ants seal their nest from the outside every night. Photo: Tofilski et al., American Naturalist (November 2008)

Many questions arise as a result of this study.  For example, how is it determined which ants remain outside the nest?  Do the older, sicker ants sacrifice themselves for the greater good?  The researchers are also unsure who or what the Brazilian ants are protecting their nest from each night. Are they protecting the colony from army ants?

This fascinating study will be featured in the November issue of the journal American Naturalist.

For more information, see ScienceNOW Daily News: “Last Ant Standing” by Charles Choi

Steven Kazlowski is a wildlife photographer who has spent 9 years capturing images of polar bears in their native Arctic environment. His book, The Last Polar Bear: Facing the Truth of a Warming World, features 200 full-color photographs of polar bears and their diminishing habitat as well a collection of essays by biologists and Alaska-based writers.

For more information on the book, visit:
CBC News: Will we see The Last Polar Bear in our lifetime?
Left Eye Productions
Amazon.com

For more information about polar bears, visit Animal Fact Guide’s polar bear article.