“Last dino standing”

August 8, 2011 at 4:55 pm (ancient animals, Environmental crisis, working together)
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Three small primitive mammals walk over a Triceratops skeleton, one of the last dinosaurs to exist before the mass extinction that gave way to the age of mammals.

A genus of these  ceratopsid dinosaur lived during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, around 68 to 65 million years ago (Mya) in what is now North America. This is the last dinosaur of the last genera to appear before the great meteor extinction.

Bearing a large bony frill and three horns on its large four-legged body, and looking similar to the modern rhinoceros, Triceratops genus is one of the most well  known ceratopsid dinosaurs. It lived amongst and was preyed upon by the feared Tyrannosaurus Rex

Scientists think they have has found the last dinosaur to die and be preserved in the fossil record before the catastrophic meteor impact 65 million years ago.

The finding suggest that dinosaurs did not go extinct prior to the impact and lending support to the theory that is was the impact that cause their extinction.
Researchers from Yale University discovered the fossilized horn of a ceratopsian – likely a Triceratops, which are common to the area – in the Hell Creek formation in Montana last year. The fossil buried just five inches below the K-T boundary, the geological layer that marks the transition from the Cretaceous period to the Tertiary period at the time of the mass extinction that took place 65 million years ago.
Since the impact hypothesis for the demise of the dinosaurs was first proposed more than 30 years ago, many scientists have come to believe the meteor caused the mass extinction and wiped out the dinosaurs, but a sticking point has been an apparent lack of fossils buried within the 10 feet of rock below the K-T boundary. The seeming anomaly has come to be known as the “three-meter gap.” This specimen was so close to the boundary indicates that at least some dinosaurs were doing fine right up until the meteor’s impact.
Excerpts and Image courtesy of  http://goo.gl/59H7E

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“Saving the grizzlies’ home in Castle Canada”

March 8, 2011 at 6:20 pm (ancient animals, Environmental crisis, Saving endangered animals + plants, working together)
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Save the grizzlies of Castle Canada

The CASTLE grizzly bears are under assault if the plan to begin roading and logging the heart of the Castle’s wild grizzly habitat this June.
Atop the Crown of the Continent ecosystem in the  northern section of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, towers the Castle wilderness, the heartland of the grizzly bear habitat in Alberta, Canada. The Castle needs to be protected as a Wildland Park.

Time is running out. Alberta’s legislature closes shop on March 14, by which time the Castle’s fate may be sealed.

The Castle was once part of the Waterton Lakes National Park, which adjoins Montana’s scenic Glacier Park. But years ago the Castle’s protections were removed, and now it is threatened by ski resorts, oil and gas developments and all-terrain vehicles. It has become a population sink for bears, the place grizzlies go to die.
Save the grizzlies of Castle Canada
Time is running out, you voice and all other animal lover’s voices are needed to tell the Alberta legislature before it closes this session on March 14, to protect the grizzly’s of Castle  by declaring their ancient homeland a Wildland Park.

Urge Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach to stop the logging of this prime grizzly bear habitat, and to renew the Castle’s protections as a Wildland Provincial Park.

Save the grizzlies of Castle Canada

 

Resources

Excerpts courtesy  of http://bit.ly/gysigD

Image courtesy of  http://bit.ly/fPrLAp

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“SA Soccer delivers a dead owl kick”

March 7, 2011 at 6:29 pm (ancient animals, animal cruelity, Saving endangered animals + plants, working together)
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Justice for Mascot Owl

Please sign the petition to help protect animals from further abuse.

Justice for Mascot Owl

Let us urge Colombia to give the maximum sentence to Luis Moreno. Let us not only expect the maximun amount of jail time, but also a suspension from playing soccer. This kind of behavior should not be tolerated. Moreno took advantage of an already stunned bird. The bird died from the blunt kick, and animal abuse charges should be filed. There is absolutely no excuse for his behavior.
The soccer team of that facility let the bird stay and began to look at it as a good luck symbol. This animal was not trained and did not have a handler. My guess is that living in the stadium it became fearless of people which resulted in it becoming stunned and vulnerable on the field. Thank you all for being the voice for those who have none. 

Please watch the video: Bird was purposely kicked which resulted in it’s death.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trZtVeTyDl0

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/01/footballer-in-colombia-could-face-jail-for-kicking-owl-off-field/

Please sign the petition to help protect animals from further abuse.

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“Saving the endangered desert tortoises from a solar zap”

February 25, 2011 at 9:26 pm (animals, Environmental crisis, reptiles, Saving endangered animals + plants, saving water/waterways, working together)
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In Arizona, Sonoran desert tortoises builds their burrows deep in the earth to protect them from the extremes of the desert climate. They have few predators, but a new project in the desert may destroy them.

Mojave Desert Tortoise Tortoises also tend to stray away from intensive human disturbances to the land. . The tortoise is able to live where ground temperatures may exceed 140 degrees F, because of its ability to dig underground burrows to escape the heat.

The landmark Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan’s Conservation Land System, adopted by Pima County, identifies extensive tortoise habitat on BLM lands. Critical habitat the tortoises need to survive.

A new energy development could destroy the homes these ancient reptiles have lived on and need to survive.

Help protect tortoise homes. RSVP to speak out Wednesday in Tucson.

Renewable energy resources can be the greenest, most sustainable sources of energy. However, these projects need to be designed to be eco friendly or wildlife and our endangered species could be in serious trouble.

Help Arizona today avoid this environmental crisis with good eco- planning.  New proposals for solar energy development could have tragic impacts for desert tortoises, bighorn sheep and other imperiled species.

Please attend the hearing and make sure that a wildlife-sound renewable energy plan is adopted?

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Department of Energy (DOE) have released a initial draft of the Solar Energy Development Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for six western states, including Arizona. The PEIS will determine how and where solar projects will be developed on federal land for the next 20 years.

The draft plan outlines two possible alternatives, the Solar Energy Development Program Alternative and the Energy Zone Program Alternative. The Solar Energy Development Program — the alternative favored by the agencies involved– fails to consider implications to wildlife and other natural resources properly.

Please attend an important hearing on these plans and provide a voice for wildlife:

What: Solar Energy Development PEIS Hearing
When: Wednesday, March 2nd 7:00 p.m.
Where: Tucson Marriott University Park
880 East Second Street
Tucson, Arizona 85719

If the federal government moves forward with their favored plan, 22 million acres of federal land –larger than the entire state of South Carolina –  could be developed, including important wildlife habitats.

Of the two alternatives, the Solar Energy Zone alternative is the best bet for wildlife. While not perfect, new solar development would be directed to specifically identified areas instead of indiscriminately opening huge tracts of land.

Further, the government’s preferred plan would conflict drastically with the Sonoran Desert Consevation Plan that has been designed to protect the rich diversity of wildlife and cultural resources in the region. The existing plan has received a lot of attention for what it has been able to accomplish, but if the government preferred plan moves forward progress could be haulted.

Tell the BLM that it needs to direct development away from ecologically sensitive places, like the San Pedro River National Conservation Area. The San Pedro is the region’s last free-flowing river – it is already water-stressed – yet BLM has identified lands next to the river for water-intensive solar development.

Intelligent siting of solar power plants is key in this arid region if we are to safeguard key habitats like the San Pedro River, which are home to a host of imperiled plants and animals. The future of endangered species such as the southwestern willow flycatcher, yellow-billed cuckoo, spikedace and Huachuca water umbel depend on us making solar energy development smart from the start.

Speak out for wildlife and tell BLM to choose the Solar Energy Zone program option but drop the four wildlife-crucial regions.

The Solar Energy Zone Program Alternative, with improvements, is the best option for protecting Arizona wildlife, such as threatened desert tortoises, because it targets specific areas that will likely have fewer environmental impacts and conflicts. If the Development Plan Alternative is passed, areas vital to imperiled animals could be scraped bare and developed.

RSVP now to attend this hearing in Tucson with other Defenders supporters in your area and ensure all Arizona wildlife is protected.

With your help, we can make sure the federal government chooses the Solar Energy Zone Program Alternative and then strengthens it.

Matt Clark
Southwest Representative
Defenders of Wildlife

Image courtesy of    http://bit.ly/hAMZOj

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“Sea Shepherd saving whales”

February 14, 2011 at 8:10 pm (ancient animals)
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Sea Shepherd Interrupts Illegal Whale Slaughter

The Nisshin Maru approaches the Gojira at full speed. Photo: Simon AgerThe Sea Shepherd scout vessel Gojira found the illegal Japanese whaling ship Sea Shepherd calls the Cetacean Death Star at 2115 NZST on February 9th. The Nisshin Maru was caught in the process of unlawfully flensing a whale on their aft deck at the position of 74 degrees 16 minutes south and 149 degrees 2 minutes west.

The Gojira immediately gave chase as the Nisshin Maru attempted to escape by entering a field of ice. The Gojira attempted to block the huge factory ship to buy time for the Bob Barker to arrive from some 28 miles away. Captain Locky MacLean engaged the Nisshin Maru in a skirmish, and notified the Japanese whalers that they were not to continue their illegal whaling.

The Nisshin Maru seemed to be engaged in flensing operations at the time it was discovered. Work lights illuminated the deck as water was being flushed over the sides and brown-red stains were visible along the aft deck of the vessel around the scuppers/ drain holes, while black smoke bellowed from the factory smoke stack.

Crewmembers observe the Nisshin Maru from the bow of the Bob Barker. Photo: Gary StokesCrewmembers observe the Nisshin Maru from the bow of the Bob Barker. Photo: Gary StokesThe Gojira was stopped in an area of growlers and floe ice as the Nisshin Maru proceeded to bear down on her. Despite several VHF calls to alter course, the Nisshin Maru closed in on the Gojira. When the Nisshin Maru was 40 meters away, Captain MacLean fired a flare to signal the Nisshin Maru to alter course. The Japanese factory ship altered course to starboard, as the Gojira slid 20 meters down her port side.

At 0220 on February 10th, the Nisshin Maru and one of the harpoon boats entered thick pack ice after several hours of zigzagging through loose floe ice. The Gojira kept up skirting the ice edge, meeting the Nisshin Maru on the far side of each floe using her speed advantage.

The Nisshin Maru proceeded to the south towards an area of pack ice. It appeared as if the Gojira was about to lose the factory ship in the thick ice when the Bob Barker arrived just in time to take over the pursuit.

At 0400 hours, the Bob Barker placed itself immediately aft to the stern slipway of the Nisshin Maru to block any further attempts to offload dead whales. The Bob Barker is now easily pursuing the Nisshin Maru through thick pack ice with the Gojira continuing to skirt around the ice looking for harpoon vessels.

The Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin departed from Wellington, New Zealand at 1800 hours on February 9th and is expected to meet up with the Sea Shepherd fleet and the Japanese whaling fleet in about five days.

The Bob Barker needs to hold position on the stern of the Nisshin Maru until the Steve Irwin can assist it. By blocking the stern slipway, the factory ship is unable to load dead whales from the harpoon vessels, allowing Sea Shepherd to effectively shut down their illegal whaling operations.

The Nisshin Maru approaches the stern of the stopped Gojira. Photo: Simon AgerThe Nisshin Maru approaches the stern of the stopped Gojira. Photo: Simon Ager A Sea Shepherd crewmember readies the slingshot to unleash red paint, symbolic of blood, on the factory ship. Photo: Simon Ager
The Nisshin Maru gaining on the Gojira. Photo: Simon AgerThe Nisshin Maru gaining on the Gojira.
Photo: Simon Ager		 Sea Shepherd crewmembers gather at the bow of the Bob Barker. Photo: Sam SielenSea Shepherd crewmembers gather at the bow of the Bob Barker. Photo: Sam Sielen
Operation
No Compromis

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Sea Shepherd welcomes your support.

Please make a generous donation  today.

Excerpts and Images courtesy of seashepherd.org

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“Endangered NZ singingbdogs being neutered in PA”

November 10, 2010 at 6:27 am (ancient animals, animal cruelity, Saving endangered animals + plants)
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The endangered New Zealand singing dogs are being neutered starting today  11/08/2010 in Fannett Township Chambersburg, PA.These dogs are owned by Randy Hammond, 58, where about 85 of the dogs were recently found living in dozens of outdoor pens and cages. 

Since news of the discovery emerged, two organizations specializing in the breed have come forward to assist in the rescue. They have begun receiving donations and inquiries about the unusual animals.

“I just want to comment that I am in awe of the tremendous amount of effort and support being provided by everyone. I am starting to see a light at the end of this long tunnel,” Tom Wendt of New Guinea Singing Dog International wrote in an e-mail.

So far, about $4,000 has been donated to offset the expense of caring for and relocating the dogs, Wendt said. A number of volunteers and donated supplies will help to further defray the cost, he added.

Four veterinarians have agreed to assist with the spaying and neutering, according to Diane Buhl, a Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture employee from another region of the state who volunteered to help coordinate the project.

“There are also probably between eight and 10 vet technicians and assistants who are volunteering their time, along with the four vets,” Buhl said.

Use of the mobile veterinary clinic was donated by the Adams County SPCA in Gettysburg. The self-contained unit will provide an acceptable place to operate on the animals safely without having to leave Hammond’s property.

“This way, the owner will be the one to get each animal and carry it to the mobile hospital,” Buhl said. “It’ll be less stress on the animals.”

She said roughly 40 adult dogs, about evenly split between males and females, will be desexed on Hammond’s property today and Wednesday.

“We’re only neutering the adults. We haven’t touched any of the pups, and we’re not sure we’re going to,” Wendt said.

On Wednesday evening, two Singing Dog International members left Franklin County in a U-Haul truck bound for Phoenix, Ariz. On board were seven female singers with their 17 puppies, one pregnant female, and two severely handicapped dogs.

Now, 56 dogs remain on Hammond’s property, according to Wendt. About 16 will not be neutered this week, because they are scheduled to be picked up Thursday by Best Friends Animal Society and taken to a Micanopy, Fla., who have the facilities to house the dogs safely.

Once they are neutered, finding appropriate homes for the dogs will be the next challenge, Wendt said. Because they lack socialization, the adults will require new owners with experience in dealing with primitive dogs, as well as special facilities to house them. They need lots of space. they have lots of energy and are not domesticated dogs.

The dogs’ owner is cooperating with the rescue effort, and will keep 10 of the dogs, after being spayed or neutered.

Prior to the discovery of his dogs, there were about 150 members of the breed known to exist in captivity worldwide, many of them in zoos. Sightings of the animals in their habitat have been rare, and some believe them to be extinct in the wild.

Since all of Hammond’s animals are descended from only two breeding pairs, and suffer from genetic inbreeding problems. Thus the dogs won’t be used in captive breeding programs designed to increase the population.

Look and Listen to these beautiful endangered singing dogs.

To help

Anyone interested in making a donation or providing a home for some of the Hammond dogs may contact Tom Wendt of New Guinea Singing Dog International at (815) 814-4968 or tomcue2@hotmail.com.

Resources

Excerpts courtesy of   http://bit.ly/bGuGWM

Excerpts courtesy of   http://bit.ly/cniERe

Information: New Guinea Singing Dog International http://www.freewebs.com/singingdogs.

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“Smallest frog in the old world has a big name”

August 27, 2010 at 6:46 am (adaptation, ancient animals, new animals)
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For years scientists had seen this tiny colrful frog. He was so small that they assumed he was an young frog.

Surprise!  urns out when DNA analysis was run it proved to be a  previously unidentified frog.

This microhylid frog is the smallest frog in the Old World (Asia, Africa and Europe).
It lives and breeds in the pitchers plants (Nepenthes ampullaria) of the heath forests in Borneo. It is unusual in that only a few amphibians have been recorded breeding in pitchers.  This species displays less webbing on its hind limbs, perhaps in order to better climb the slippery sides of pitcher plants.

They have long hind legs, a short body, webbed digits (fingers or toes), protruding eyes and no tail.

Resources

Excerpts courtesy of http://bit.ly/9gBCzA

Image courtesy of   http://bit.ly/b3GoJi

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“Selflessly rescuers toil to save oiled critters”

August 6, 2010 at 5:01 pm (ancient animals, endangered animals and plants, Environmental crisis, reptiles, Saving endangered animals + plants, turtles, working together)
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It is a lonely, dangerous and potentially health threatening job.

Rescuers are working tirelessly to save the wildlife impacted by the BP oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. They are faced with the overwhelming task of finding and saving thousands of oiled birds and hundreds of injured sea turtles and marine mammals.

We’d like to let them know that we appreciate the incredible work that they are doing. Please join us in sending a thank you letter to the wildlife rescuers on the Gulf Coast.

Take a moment to

Thank the rescuers for saving wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico.

Hundreds of government and non-profit staff are working in the toxic environment and the hot oppressive weather to find and rescue injured wildlife.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service alone, has over 500 personnel actively engaged in the response, working to protect wildlife and their habitats, including 36 national wildlife refuges. They have saved 1,643 oiled birds. They have rescued and relocated over 2,000 sea turtle hatchlings. They are also assessing the damage from the oil spill in preparation for the work that will be needed to restore the Gulf of Mexico.

Of course, more staff and resources are needed to help with the wildlife rescue efforts. But, we shouldn’t ignore the great work that is currently going on.

Let them know that you support their work to save wildlife and that you appreciate their dedication. We will compile the thank you letters and send them to the wildlife rescuers.

To send a thank you letter to the wildlife rescuers, click here.

Thank you for your help to save endangered species and their habitat.
The Endangered Species Coalition is a national network of hundreds of conservation, scientific, sporting, religious, humane, business and community groups across the country working to protect our nation’s wildlife and wild places.

www.StopExtinction.org

“Thank you to all of you for all your dedicated hard work. Our admiration and hearts go out to all of you for your tireless efforts.”

-Mother Nature and  Nature’s Crew

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“Endangered sea turtles releasing them into the sea-a ?? future”

July 22, 2010 at 10:54 pm (ancient animals, endangered animals and plants, Environmental crisis, global warming, good news, reptiles, Saving endangered animals + plants, turtles, working together)
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On July 14, 2010 eight  endangered sea turtles were released into to the Atlantic Ocean. The four were named Sunny, Ada Lee, Krista and Gary. All were rescued in February after a drop in the ocean temperature during a winter cold spell stunned the animals. This cold shock  can bring on life-threatening health issues. They have been recovering at the George Sea Turtle Center.

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is a hospital for ill and injured sea turtles.  We are the only hospital of its kind in the state of Georgia.  Research at the center includes a tracking program for all rehabilitated and released sea turtles.

Check out where these turtles are today.

Before release, satellite tags were placed on two of the turtles, Sunny and Ada Lee, so their travels and health can be  monitored. See where the turtles are now:

To see  Sunny and Ada Lee location today!

Needed Project Sponsors

SEATURTLE.ORG and its partners are looking for Project Sponsors to help track sea turtles around the world. Your support will help to pay for the transmitter and satellite time required to track a sea turtle. The cost of each transmitter and attachment materials is approximately US$2,000, and the average cost of satellite time per transmitter is an additional US$3000.

Will you sponsor a transmitter contacttracking@seaturtle.org

Resources

Excerpts courtesy of   http://bit.ly/aSNHZB


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“Newly ‘discovered’ dino has heart shaped mojo”

July 11, 2010 at 2:04 am (ancient animals)
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Taking another look ar some ancient dinosaurs remains in the basement of at the American Museum of Natural History, Nicholas Longrich a postdoctoral associate at Yale found a fossilized bone fragment from a previously unknown dinosaur genus.

Mojoceratops, the dinosaur, was  a large plant-eater marked by its gaudy heart-shaped headgear that lived about 75 million years ago in the late Cretaceous period. Its fossils are found in Canada’s Alberta and Saskatchewan provinces.

“Mojo” seems like an unusual name for an ancient dinosaur, but its an early 20th-century African-American term meaning a magic charm or talisman, especially that used to attract sexual partners. So Mojoceratops seems to have been part of the stylish dinosaurs very much into impressing the ladies.

Paleontologists originally thought the Mojoceratops was part of that genus, and used plaster to restore the fossil to make the two specimens look identical. For more than 75 years, no one spotted Mojoceratops. Plastering to make perfection was a more common practice decades ago.

Mojoceratops, the dinosaur, was  a large plant-eater marked by its gaudy heart-shaped headgear that lived about 75 million years ago in the late Cretaceous period.

This drawing by Mr. Longrich (at the left) is his rendition of how the Mojoceratops might have looked back in the day.

Mr. Longrich’s finding was published this week in the Journal of Paleontology.

Resources

Excerpts courtesy of   http://bit.ly/debL2b

Excerpts courtesy of   http://bit.ly/cIOV5B

Image 1. courtesy of         http://bit.ly/b7iGrk

Image 2. courtesy of    http://bit.ly/989KPR

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