In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists have created a scoring system to assess whether animals should be relocated to cooler areas to help animals survive on a rapidly heating planet.  Although this idea was balked at in the past because interfering with present ecosystems could spell disaster, scientists now warn that the situation has become so escalated that action needs to be taken.

Two arguments back their position. First, scientists believe that the climate is changing at such a rapid rate that animals cannot evolve quickly enough to adapt to their changing environment.  Second, because humans have altered the landscape so drastically with urban development, animals do not have the space to migrate north themselves.

For more information, see CBCNews.ca.

This amazing photo was taken by wildlife photographer Brian McFarlane in Strumpshaw, Norfolk, England.  The greylag goose was attempting to land on a freshwater lake on a very windy day. Turning its body upside is a move not uncommon for birds. It even has its own name, whiffling. Birds whiffle so that they may slow down and reduce their height quickly.

For more on the story, visit the Belfast Telegraph.

Phil Noble/Reuters

A new study by Dr. Bryan Fry of the University of Melbourne argues that the Komodo dragon uses venomlike proteins to assist in a kill.  The Komodo dragon, the world’s largest lizard, has intrigued scientists for years because of its uncanny ability to take down large prey.  In some cases, the prey would manage to flee the scene, only to die later.  The ongoing theory was that bacteria in the lizard’s serrated teeth infected its victims.

But Dr. Fry wasn’t convinced. After dissecting three lizards’ mouths, Fry and a team of researchers found a set of glands that  produced special proteins. One protein disabled clotting while the other relaxed artery walls. If injected into an animal, these proteins would cause the victim’s blood pressure to drop dramatically and the animal to lose consciousness.

For more info: NY Times

The Philadeplia Zoo recently welcomed an eaglet. While the eaglet’s parents are unable to live in the wild, their baby will not be raised in the confines of the zoo. The Philadelphia Zoo and the Pennsylvania Game Commission worked together to bring the eaglet out of the zoo and back into the wild. The baby was placed in a nest with two other eaglets in an undisclosed location north of Philadelphia. This is the second time the zoo and game commission have placed a captive born eaglet in the wild.

For more information visit Philly.com

The maleo is an endangered bird found only on the island of Sulawesi, in Indonesia. The maleo is about the size of a chicken, but it lays eggs up to five times as large as chicken eggs. The bird has yellow facial skin, a red-orange beak, a black ‘helmet’, and a black back and pink stomach.

Recently, the conservation of this strange bird has been helped by the purchase and protection of a stretch of beach used for breeding. The maleo buries its eggs in the warm sand of the beach to incubate. The eggs are then abandoned. Upon hatching, the chicks are able to fly and live on their own.

The stretch of beach was purchased for approximately $12,500. Funds were donated by the Lis Hudson Memorial Fund and the company Quvat Management. The 36 acre beach is now owned by Pelestari Alam Liar dan Satwa, known as PALS, a local conservation group.

For more information visit Science Daily.

At the Adelaide Zoo, Karta, a 27-year-old female orangutan hatched an ingenious plan to escape from her enclosure. Jamming a stick into the wires of the electric fence surrounding her, she short-circuited the system. She then piled up debris near the concrete and glass wall and climbed out. However, after literally sitting on the fence for half an hour, she decided to go back in the enclosure after all. Zoo veterinarians stood by with tranquilizer guns just in case.

For more info on Karta, see MSNBC.com.

To learn more about orangutans and their clever use of tools, see Animal Fact Guide’s article: Bornean Orangutan.

We recently reviewed National Geographic’s book, In the Womb: Animals, which followed the birth journey of a golden retriever, bottlenose dolphin, and Asian elephant.  Intertwined with the main stories were glimpses into the peculiar behavior and development of kangaroos, sharks, penguins, and wasps.

Now we have the opportunity to learn more about the reproductive cycle of these extraordinary creatures.  This Sunday, May 10 at 9pm, the National Geographic Channel is airing a full documentary called In the Womb: Extreme Animals.  Using 4D ultrasound images and fetal imaging techniques, the two-hour special will highlight bizarre, sometimes gruesome, activity such as the parasitic wasps’ larval development inside the body of a young cabbage white caterpillar and the lemon sharks’ embryonic cannibalism.

Watch a clip of the documentary featuring how a penguin fetus uses a complex and clever adaptation to get oxygen while inside the egg:

2 week old red kangaroo joey in the pouch.  (Photo credit © Hannah James / Pioneer Productions)

An Emperor penguin chick embryo inside its egg after about one week’s gestation. (Photo credit © Steve Gomez / Pioneer Productions )

Model of a mid stage Lemon Shark embryo.  (Photo credit © David Barlow Photography)

Parasitic wasp successfully oviposits her eggs into a newborn caterpillar.  (Photo credit © Hans Smid / Pioneer Productions)

For more info, see the National Geographic Channel: Extreme Animals website or catch the program on Sunday, May 10, at 9pm.

Dave Parsons | The Denver Zoo

Arriving on April 18, this endangered primate is only the second aye-aye born in a North American zoo.  Native to Madagascar, aye-ayes have a monkey-like body, a squirrel-like tail, large eyes, and an elongated middle finger (which they use to pick insects out of tree hollows).

For more info:
Denver Zoo
Denver Post

When US 93, a highway passing through the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ Flathead Reservation in Montana, was redone in 2006, they also built about 40 wildlife crossing structures.

In this way, the roadway developers and consultants hoped to minimize animal-vehicle collisions and ensure ecological diversity by providing connections between habitats.  The crossings consisted of pipes, tunnels, and overpasses.

Whisper Camel, a wildlife biologist for the CSKT, has been monitoring the use of the crossings using an infrared digital camera with a motion detector.  Her findings show a range of animals using the passageways, including bears, river otters, bobcats, cougars, owls, coyotes, and elk.

The construction of the crossings and the evaluation of their effectiveness has provided invaluable insight into maintaining an ecological balance despite urban development.

For more info:
The Missoulian
CSKT Wildlife Crossing Page
Evaluation of Wildlife Crossing Structures and Fencing on US Highway 93 Evaro to Polson (PDF)

National Geographic has recently released a very interesting book for animal lovers. In the Womb: Animals by Michael Sims, explores the fascinating development from conception to birth of a golden retriever, a bottlenose dolphin, and an Asian elephant.

Beautifully illustrated with ultrasound images of these animals as embryos and fetuses, the book highlights the development of unique physical characteristics that the animals will come to rely on once out of womb.

For example, one section showcases the elephant fetus after four months. At this point, the trunk is recognizable, but it will need the full 18 more months in the womb to continue developing. Once out of the womb, the elephant will use this strong, highly dexterous snout to pick foliage, carry objects, suck water, and use as a snorkel while swimming.

The author also touches upon physical characteristics that provide clues about the animals’ ancestry.  For example, at 3-4 weeks, the dolphin fetus develops hind limbs which later retract and disappear. This suggests that dolphins may have evolved from four-legged land animals.

Intertwined with the three main stories are captivating glimpses into the development and behavior of red kangaroos, emperor penguins, sand tiger and lemon sharks, and parasitic wasps. These mini stories reveal the extraordinary journeys these animals make before they’re even born, as well as provide interesting points of comparison to the three main characters.

It is a fascinating read for animal lovers, but parents should note that reproductive behavior is covered in detail.

The book, In the Womb: Animals, is available at National Geographic’s Online Shop as well as Amazon.com.

You may also be interested in purchasing the documentary DVD, In the Womb: Animals.