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‘Biggest’ Dinosaur Bones Unveiled In US

December 11, 2011 by ·

Paleontologists have discovered what they claim are bones of the “biggest” dinosaur in the US.

A team from the Museum of Rockies in Montana State and the State Museum of Pennsylvania has described two gigantic vertebrae and a femur that it collected in New Mexico from 2003 to 2006 in a research report.

The bones belong to the sauropod dinosaur Alamosaurus sanjuanensis: A long-necked plant eater related to Diplodocus which roamed what is now the southwestern region of the US and Mexico about 69 million years ago.

In their report, the palaeontologists have written how carrying the the vertebrae alone was a “killer” task taking up an entire day because they carried them 1.2 miles through 100- degree heat, a website reported. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ecology, Wildlife ·

Palawan’s Underground River Among New7Wonders

November 12, 2011 by ·

The Philippines’ Puerto Princesa Underground River has been declared as one of the provisional winners in the search for the new seven wonders of nature.

A day before the voting ended yesterday night, the Philippine government mounted a “last ditch” effort through the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) by ordering all local government officials from governors down to barangay captains to urge Filipinos around the country to cast their vote for the underground river.

Agencies under the DILG, including the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, were also ordered to urge their members and linked groups to vote for the underground river. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ecology, Environment, Wildlife ·

Forest Expert Turns Butterfly Man

September 10, 2011 by ·

He spent his entire life protecting animals and vegetation in Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam and Godavari districts roaming along with dangerous beasts. But, only after his retirement did Yerneni Gouthama Siddhartha take a liking to butterflies.

It was his little Pomeranian puppy that drew his attention to these dainty beings. “The puppy always went after them and played with them when I took it out for a morning walk,” Mr. Siddhartha told The Hindu. As a nature lover he soon became interested in them and started photographing them. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Environment, Nature, Wildlife ·

Miraculous! Dolphin Healing Powers May Help Humans

July 27, 2011 by ·

What miracles is Mother Nature hiding from us? Look no further than the bottlenose dolphin for a little bit of inspiration. At least that’s what a researcher at the Georgetown University Medical Center suggests.

Michael Zasloff has published a letter in the July 21 issue of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, in which he recounts several documented incidents of serious injuries to dolphins, presumably inflicted by sharks. These bites, some larger than a basketball, healed in weeks without leaving the dolphins disfigured, without causing them apparent pain, and without becoming visibly infected.

“If I saw this in a human being, I wouldn’t believe it,” Zasloff said. “It should awe us. You have an animal that has evolved in the ocean without hands or legs, which swims faster than we can, has intelligence that perhaps equals our social and emotional complexity, and its healing is almost alien compared to what we are capable of.” [See images of healing dolphins] [Read more...]

Filed Under: Environment, Research & Study, Wildlife ·

Polar Bears Not Endangered, US Confirms

December 23, 2010 by ·

Environmental campaigners in the US have lost a battle to have the polar bear listed as an “endangered” species.

The US department of the interior has upheld a decision to classify the bear as “threatened” – a status that gives them less protection under the law.

The government said it did not find that polar bears were on the brink of extinction, needed to qualify for the status of “endangered”.

Environmental campaigners have said they will challenge the decision.

‘Anti-science decision’

Under the Endangered Species Act, the status of “endangered” requires the government to assess the impact of greenhouse gases on the bears’ Arctic homelands. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Research & Study, Wildlife ·

Emergency Meeting In Pa. Over Animal-Shelter Crisis

December 1, 2010 by ·

With animal shelters closing their doors to homeless dogs and other shelters facing financial pressures, the question plaguing animal-welfare advocates is this: Where to put the thousands of stray dogs found roaming throughout state each year?

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture convened the first-ever statewide meeting of shelters Tuesday to address this issue.

About 50 representatives of shelters from Erie to Philadelphia, along with humane officers, municipal officials, rescue groups, and state dog wardens, outlined an array of animal-control problems facing communities. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Pets, Wildlife ·

Where Cows Are Waited On Hand And Hoof

November 6, 2010 by ·

The attorney General may be the guest of honour at the opening of Bhaktivedanta Manor’s new farm today, but his status as a VIP will be overshadowed by a host of far more glamorous brown-eyed creatures.

At New Gokul, already dubbed the “Hilton of farms”, cows are worshipped by the Hare Krishna devotees who lovingly chant Sanskrit mantras and play relaxing music to them as they are milked or fed their favourite cabbage, carrots and jagari – raw sugar cane.

When Dominic Grieve QC MP cuts the ribbon and unveils the plaque at the £2.5m centre, he will do so under the docile gaze of 44 cows and bulls, adorned in flowers and brushed with coloured paint powders by devotees. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Livestock, Wildlife ·