A new kind of songbird with a bald face was recently discovered in Laos by biologists from the Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of Melbourne. The bare-faced bulbul is the only bald songbird living in mainland Asia, inhabiting an irregular limestone terrain.

For more info:
Wildlife Conservation Society
NY Times Dot Earth Blog

It has recently been confirmed that Bai Yun, a giant panda living at the San Diego Zoo (on loan from China’s Wolong Giant Panda Research Center) is pregnant!

An ultrasound showed that Bai Yun is currently carrying two fetuses, so it is possible she will give birth to twins.

Giant pandas are highly endangered in their native habitat of southwest China. To learn more about giant pandas in the wild, see Animal Fact Guide’s article: Giant Panda.

For more info about Bai Yun, see LA Times.

White-faced saki monkeys Jackie and Bam-Bam brought a healthy male baby named Marcelo into the world in late April.

The saki monkey family will be off exhibit while they bond and Marcelo learns essential life skills.

White-faced saki monkeys naturally inhabit the rainforests of Venuzuela, Guianas, and Brazil.

Learn more about Marcelo at the Oregon Zoo website.

An earthquake in the Sichuan region of China last May caused horrific damage. Nearly 69,000 people died and millions were left homeless. Affected too were giant pandas. Roughly 23 percent of the giant panda habitat was destroyed, and a large portion of the remaining habitat was fragmented. The loss affects 60 percent of the wild giant panda population, putting this endangered species even more at risk.

To read more visit CNN.com.

To learn more about the giant panda read our article on Animal Fact Guide.

A study done by St. Catharine’s Brock University has figured out the evolutionary purpose of the toucan’s distinctive bill. Researchers have concluded that the bill, which accounts for 30-40 percent of the toucan’s surface area, is used to dispense body heat. Toucans can use their beak as a way to regulate their body temperature. By controlling the amount of blood flowing through their beaks, toucans can adjust their body temperature.

This study puts to rest earlier theories about the bill. These theories include that the bill was used to attract a mate, reach fruit, or scare away predators.

For more visit The Toronto Star.

Learn more about the toucan by visiting Animal Fact Guide’s article: Toco Toucan.

Last week, we wrote about Crittercam, an exhibit presented by the Museum of Science, Boston and National Geographic.  Yesterday, we had the opportunity to visit the exhibit in person.

Crittercam provides a fascinating look into the behavior of several kinds of animals including penguins, seals, sea turtles, sharks, lions, bears, and more.  Using cameras attached to various animals, scientists were able to gather data about hunting techniques, social norms, and daily activity that had previously eluded them.  The exhibit provides video footage captured by the animals along with explanatory text and a few fun facts about the animals discussed.

But the exhibit also delves into the technology and methodology of Crittercam.  There are models of animals showing how the special cameras were attached and adapted to a particular animal’s lifestyle.

For example, the soft, flexible shells of leatherback sea turtles did not allow the camera to be attached by an adhesive. Instead, a suction cup was applied to the central plate of the turtle’s shell.

Using videos, photos, life-size models, and computer kiosks, the exhibit appeals to an audience of all ages and interests. So if you live in or plan to visit the Boston area, be sure to visit Crittercam at the Museum of Science, which runs through August 30.

For more info: Crittercam.

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During our visit, the museum made an exciting announcement (delivered by an owl) about a very special international exhibition that will open in Boston on October 25, 2009 called Harry Potter: The Exhibition.

Fans of Harry Potter will soon get the chance to immerse themselves in the wizarding world.  Artifacts and costumes from the latest Harry Potter films will be displayed in a 10,000-sq. ft. space.

For more info, see: Harry Potter: The Exhibition.

A colony of fairy penguins, the smallest penguins in the world, have gotten some high-powered help. After a string of deaths in the vulnerable Australian colony snipers were called in to help protect the penguins. The main suspects are dogs and foxes. The snipers join a group of volunteers who oversee the colony.

For more, visit the BBC.

No, that’s not a rocket pack attached to this penguin. This penguin is outfitted with a Crittercam, a durable camera that records the animal’s everyday life from its point of view. Over 60 different animals have worn the Crittercam, which was developed by National Geographic.

The Museum of Science, Boston, has opened an exhibit which showcases the video and data collected by animals wearing the Crittercam.

From their press release:

Through a series of interactive displays and models, Crittercam takes visitors overland and undersea, illustrating everything from the hunting behaviors of sharks to the napping pattern of a young Alaskan bear.

Beyond exploring the personal adventures of some of the world’s most fascinating and powerful animals, the exhibit also focuses on the Crittercam technology. Revealing the technology behind Crittercam, the exhibit allows visitors to touch and examine models. Crittercam also gives them the opportunity to design their own using a Build-a-cam computer interactive.

The exhibit runs through August 30th. Catch it while you can!

For more information visit Crittercam Chronicles or the Museum of Science, Boston.

Zoe, a sea lion at the Pittsburgh Zoo, shows her baby, called a pup, how to swim earlier this month.

Photo taken by Jason Collier, Discovery Cove

Twelve year-old Clipper, an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin at Discovery Cove in Florida, swims together with her newborn male calf. The calf will get a name shortly, usually about a month after birth. All together, four dolphins have been born within the last month at the all-inclusive tropical oasis.  Discovery Cove allows visitors the opportunity to swim with their dolphins.

To discover more, visit DiscoveryCove.com.