Discovery News: Born Animal

Images of the Week

2008-08-29T15:21:14-04:00

The last seven days have been jam-packed with news events covering every possible emotion. Here are a few reminders of the week that was:

The Democratic National Convention wrapped up. (I doubt a dog could vocalize "McCain," but maybe "Palin" would be possible? Surely someone has a dog that can howl "Biden.")

Dolphin protector and city councilor Lawrence Makili, who monitors the Solomon Island tuna industry to ensure that catches are dolphin safe, was abducted and severely beaten this week. Earth Island Institute, an organization that Makili is associated with in the states, stated that eight men in two cars forcibly drove him outside of his town and attempted to kill him before he fought back and escaped. The below photo shows Makili from his hospital bed. Be aware that such advocates daily risk their lives for the sake of animals and human safety.

(Credit: Mark Palmer, Earth Island Institute)

A great white shark made its public debut at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. The great white will only be on exhibit for a few months (before it's returned to the wild), so try to visit the aquarium soon.

University of Basel scientists Flore Mas and Mathias Koelliker studied the complex family lives of bugs. It turns out that insect parents face many of the challenges that human parents do, including pushy, begging kids. Here, a female burrow bug feeds dinner to her hungry brood.
(Credit: Mathias Koelliker)

University of Calgary and Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology scientists found a 75-million-year-old fossil of a pregnant turtle. It's the first known fossil of its kind.
(Credit: Ken Bendiktsen/University of Calgary)

To end on a very upbeat note, the World Conservation Society just announced that it's discovered two unexpectedly huge populations of two globally threatened primates. The monkey mother lode consists of 42,000 black-shanked douc langurs and 2,500 yellow-cheeked crested gibbons, all observed in a protected area of Cambodia. Further conservation measures are needed, however, to safeguard these species.
(Credit: Allan Michaud)

See a Great White Shark Up Close Before It's Too Late

2008-08-28T13:29:45-04:00

The Monterey Bay Aquarium, the only institution to have successfully exhibited great white sharks, has just announced that a new great white went on exhibit there yesterday. This will likely be the last great white you'll be able to view up close until 2011, due to planned renovations at the California aquarium's Outer Bay exhibit.

The young shark is a 4 ½ foot-long female that weighs 55 ½ pounds. She was caught in a seine net off the southern California coast on August 16. The shark was then held in a 4-million-gallon ocean pen off Malibu and, according to aquarium staff, "was observed swimming comfortably and feeding in the pen several times before she was brought to Monterey" in a 3,000-gallon mobile life support transport vehicle.

Four other young white sharks were captured in southern CA by aquarium collectors, but they didn't successfully adapt to the more closed environment and therefore missed out on their chance for a moment in the public spotlight.

Over the years, the aquarium has captured, exhibited and then released three other sharks. It also runs an ongoing White Shark Research Project that, among other things, outfits the top predators with tags so that scientists can monitor their movements, environment and more.

It will be interesting to see how the new great white responds to her aquarium mates. She'll be sharing her digs with Galapagos and scalloped hammerhead sharks, as well as large bluefin and yellowfin tuna, barracuda, ocean sunfish and other species. You might recall that last year's great white there ate a few of its housemates, but hopefully that won't happen again.

The aquarium's executive director, Julie Packard, believes such sharks can serve as powerful ambassadors for great white conservation and research.

“I can’t overstate the impact of this single animal on advancing our mission to inspire conservation of the oceans,” Packard said.

The great white will now enjoy sushi-grade salmon, mackerel and other fish during its stay at the high tech facility in scenic Monterey.

Here are hot-off-the-press photos that tell the great white's story so far:

Monterey Bay Aquarium staff transport a young female white shark down Cannery Row from the transport vehicle to the Outer Bay exhibit on August 27th. © Monterey Bay Aquarium/Kris Ingram

Monterey Bay Aquarium staff place a young female white shark into the million-gallon Outer Bay exhibit on August 27th. © Monterey Bay Aquarium/Randy Wilder

A young female white shark swims in the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Outer Bay exhibit, shortly after her introduction on August 27th. © Monterey Bay Aquarium/Randy Wilder

The aquarium is open daily through Labor Day from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and on Saturdays and Sundays until 8 p.m. (through August 31). Starting September 2, regular aquarium hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Information on visiting the aquarium is available here.

Watch, Don't Wear, Minks and Beavers

2008-08-27T12:48:31-04:00

When my grandmother died, I recall screaming after going through her clothes and finding what looked to be a giant dead rat, teeth still intact. I was informed that this was a fashionable stole for the time. Who knows what poor animal lost its life to produce it. My guess is that many of you have such memories as well, or perhaps recall photos of past relatives wearing things like the below.

(Credit: Library of Congress; Miss Nellie B. Dolgorouky, sister-in-law of the late Czar Alexander of Russia)

To be fair to Nellie, it gets mighty cold in Russia, and my grandmother would've experienced the same. But if these gals were alive today, I'd have one word for them...fleece.

Thoughts of fur coat beasties came to mind when Born Animal buddy Heidi Perryman of Martinez Beavers.org ("worth a dam," as she says) wrote with news that a mink was spotted at their Martinez, California beaver dam. Perryman and videographer Moses Silva put together wonderful videos that will make you smile on even the worst of days. Here are two good reasons to watch and admire minks and beavers instead of wearing them.

Birds and the First Humans

2008-08-26T19:57:02-04:00

The Kibish Formation of the Omo Valley in southwestern Ethiopia was home to the world's first known humans. Over the past few days we've mentioned the fish and mammals that lived at the site 200,000 years ago. Here we'll discuss the birds that likely flew over the heads of some of the planet's first people.

Antoine Louchart in the department of Paleoenvironments and Paleobiosphere at Claude Bernard University in Lyon, France, analyzed fossils found in the Omo region. Although bird fossils are generally quite rare for eastern Africa (scientists aren't sure why), Louchart found bones for the following:

Pink-Backed Pelican

Eastern White Pelican
(Click here for a sweet little video proving that ballet and synchronized swimming aren't human-only activities.)

Oriental Darter

Blue Heron

Guineafowl

Like clues mentioned in a good mystery novel, the presence of these birds, according to Louchart, reveals at least three things about the place where the earliest known humans lived.

1. The terrestrial landscape was not treeless.

2. Freshwater bodies were present.

3. These bodies of water must have been "rather large with abundant fish."

All good news for humans and wildlife. It's enough to make a bird want to dance to a traditional Ethiopian tune. (If you're short on time, click on the 1:40 second or so mark and watch for a very cool head-banging move complete with feather visual.)

Fish and the First Humans

2008-08-25T19:48:45-04:00

On a slow news day, the world talks about things like Britney Spears' hair, or lack thereof. Thankfully we haven't had one of those days in a while. On the other hand, I hope the VP pick, Democratic Convention, the Olympics and more didn't cause you to miss our story last week about the world's first known modern humans.

Friday's blog mentioned animals that lived alongside these first anatomically modern humans in southwestern Ethiopia, so today I'd like to discuss the fish that lived at the Kibish Formation 200,000 years ago. Here's a partial list:

African knifefish

Members of the Barbus group, commonly referred to as "barbs" today

African tigerfish

Catfish galore (which the earliest humans probably caught with their bare hands)

Members of the Latidae group, which are perch-like fishes

Pufferfish

Ray-finned fishes

All of these were carefully documented by paleobiologist Josh Trapani who also, appropriately enough, went fishing while he was at the site. He shared the following photos:

The largest fish he and his team caught. (Credit: John Fleagle)

Fish bones aplenty. As part of the study, Trapani would let his colleagues consume his catches. He'd then gather the cleaned off bones for boxing and cataloging later at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. (Credit: Josh Trapani)

This next one made me smile, as it shows Trapani's humble "facility" for skeletonizing fish. He took the pic.

These next shots reveal the extraordinary beauty of the site. I encourage you to click on them for larger views and to meditate on them for a while. Consider how the world's very first known people lived at this bucolic place, which was even more verdant 200,000 years ago.

(Credit: John Fleagle)

(Credit: Josh Trapani)

One of my favorite images. Nothing but glorious nature, and it was such water, and the fish it contained, which sustained our earliest known ancestors. If you haven't already done so, read the Bible's New Testament with fishing and fishermen in mind. (Many of the mentioned apostles and imagery relate to fishing practices and associated communities in Israel from around 40 to 100 A.D.)

(Credit: Josh Trapani)

Another meditation-inspiring photo taken by Trapani. Imagine how such expansive waterways must have inspired the dreams of those who first stayed at the site.

(Credit: John Fleagle)

Tomorrow...The birds that lived at the site when the first known humans were there.

Animals and the First Humans

2008-08-22T14:55:44-04:00

The very first modern human has just been identified as a tall, thin probable male with African ancestors. Given the Democratic convention, it's impossible not to think of a certain someone but, no, it's not directly linked to him, at least not any more than the find is connected to all of us. This first known Homo sapiens was a fellow who lived in southwestern Ethiopia around 200,000 years ago. Please read our story with all of the details.

Due to space considerations in the feature, I was only able to touch on the animals Zelalem Assefa and his team found at the site, called the Kibish Formation. Based on fossil finds, here is a more complete list of the animals known to have lived alongside these first human beings:

members of the wildebeest family

duikers (small to medium-sized antelopes)

dwarf antelopes, horse antelopes and other antelope species (antelope meat must have been a real crowd pleaser back in the day)

African buffaloes

impalas

hippos

giraffes

zebras (a few different types)

elephants

rhinos

cane rats (To steal a phrase from Alton Brown, these huge rodents were, and still are, considered "good eats" for a number of human and non-human creatures.)
This leopard seems to be enjoying his cane rat feast.

crested porcupines

naked mole rats

mongoose

hyenas

baboons

and last, but not least...
giant forest hogs, which are the largest members of the pig family

The many scientists who excavated and analyzed the hominid and other animal fossils believe that the world's first known humans were very similar to people who now live at the site.

Let's now go on a virtual drive through their homeland to meet the Surma tribe and to see some of the beautiful scenery that the first known people, the Surma's direct ancestors, might have gazed upon.

Chaka Khan, Dinosaurs and Trilobites

2008-08-21T12:44:25-04:00

Today I'd like to introduce you to Richie Kurkewicz, aka Rich Kwik, one of the world's leading collectors and dealers of dinosaur, trilobite, fish, plant, crustacean, vertebrate and other fossils.

Before we get into all of that, keep in mind that Rich's day job is managing music acts that keep us all grooving. Over the years he has booked the Youngbloods, Starship, Chaka Khan, Tower of Power and more. He now manages several dance bands and...is Trilobite Man extraordinaire. In a few different blogisodes here I will share with you some of his collection, which he often offers for sale at Pangaea Fossils.

The focus of this post will be on his recent dinosaur fossil finds, so credit for all of the pics goes to Rich Kwik.

Here's a section of a duckbilled dinosaur jaw:

Can you believe the below is a tooth? It belonged to the 5-ton, enormous armored dinosaur Euoplocephalus.

This is a hadrosaur egg. The plant-eating dinosaur was another duckbill that sort of looked like a rooster on steroids.

Hadrosaur lower jaw

Hadrosaur toe bone

Hadrosaur hoof!

Note the size of this Albertosaurus tooth. The dino was closely related to T. rex.

To learn more about Rich, his interest in dinosaurs and how he got into his work, please read this short bio. Soon I hope to share the real bizarre gems of his collection- the trilobites. These are extinct arthropods, a group that includes our modern spiders, insects and other critters.

Top Ten Animal Monster Legends

2008-08-19T12:37:37-04:00

Animal monsters of legend, otherwise known as "cryptids," have been grabbing headlines and attention these days. Even at Discovery we recently covered the "Bigfoot DNA" announcement. Join me now as we take a look at Born Animal's top ten legendary beasts.

#10. Colossal Serpents *(Photo credit info for pics is at the end of this post. Please click on the images for better views.)

According to the Biblical Book of Genesis, "the Serpent was slier than every beast of the field." It supposedly spoke, Eve listened and we've been in trouble ever since.

#9. Dragons

This calm musician appears to have soothed the fire-breather with her music.

#8. Moth Man

#7. Werewolf

Werewolves are mythological humans that can "shapeshift," or physically transform themselves, into wolves or wolf-like creatures. Shapeshifting was common in ancient myths. It's a popular idea among many cultures even today.

#6. Vampire

Vampires supposedly subsist on other's blood. The legend quickly spread throughout Europe in the 18th century, but other places, like Greece, had their vampire-like stories too.

# 5. Texas Jackalope

Whatever happened to this poor creature, it wasn't dignified by the spelling in the video. Should you ever wish to create a believable cryptid story, use your spell checker before hitting the send button.

#4. Chupacabra

The legendary goat-sucker appears to be back, at least in public consciousness.

#3 Abominable Snowman

Otherwise known as Yeti, the Abominable Snowman is said to inhabit the Himalayas of Nepal and Tibet.

#2. Loch Ness Monster

Probably my favorite of the list as I'm part Scottish. Since the loch's water is quite deep and cold, I also wonder, in more daydreaming moments, if a rare frill shark-type species could be down there.

#1. Bigfoot

Image credits:
Library of Congress images LC-DIG-pga-01295, LC-DIG-jpd-00088
FreeClipArtNow.com

Dogs are From Mars, Cats are From Venus

2008-08-18T10:32:16-04:00

This week at Discovery News you can read about what it takes to get dogs and cats to make nice under the same roof. Without proper introductions and guidance, any number of miserable happenings is possible. Depending on the size of the animal, the dog could consider the cat a tasty snack, or the cat could bite and scratch the dog to smithereens.

Scottish Wildcat

(Credit: Ewan Macdonald via Science AAAS)

Thankfully that needn't be the case, according to Neta-Li Feuerstein and Joseph Terkel of Tel Aviv University. If you'd like to include both a dog and a cat (or more) in your family, here's what they say you should do:

1. Adopt the cat before you adopt the dog.
This is more for the dog's sake than that of the cat. Because dogs are pack animals, they may respect the status quo but, if a stranger is introduced into the house (like a new baby or cat), they could challenge this pack "intruder."

2. Introduce the cat to dogs while it's still a kitten.
Cats aged 6 months old or younger that have had positive encounters with dogs do better around the other species throughout the rest of their lives.

3. Introduce the dog to cats when it's a year old or younger.
Dogs can actually learn the body language of cats, and vice versa, when the animals are introduced at young ages.

I don't necessarily agree with the below (curious as to your opinions) but here is a list of body language that is supposed to hold opposite meanings for dogs and cats. When dogs and cats get to know each other early, however, they can read such "language" correctly in the other species.

Body Language                                              Meaning
                                                                        Dog                                              Cat

Stretching out the forefeet                            Amicable, submission                   Aggression

Lying on the back Submission Aggression

Moving the head away Submission Aggression

Tail wagging (horizontal position) Amicable, submission Fear, Aggression

The researchers then go on to describe what they call an "ethogram" (the Born Animal word of the day), which is all natural behavior characterizing a species of animal. In this case, it relates to how cats can behave when around dogs and vice versa.

Cat

Dominance behavior patterns:
Direct stare
Pricked ears
Jumping to a high place

Aggression:
Growl
Hiss or spit
Piloerection (hair stands on end)
Extracted claws
Thrashing tail
Arching of the back and tail
Raised foreleg
Attack
Flattened ears
Lying on the back
Averted gaze

Fear/Submission:
Ears turned backwards
Excessive salivation
Backing away
Crouched walk
Sideways movement
Tail flattened to the body
Retreating
Hiding
Grooming
Head shake

Play:
Chirping
Purring
Kneading
Moving the tip of the tail
Rolling on the ground
Allogrooming (grooming others)

Proximity behavior patterns:
Tail up
Blinking
Standing/sitting/lying down
Sniffing
Rubbing
Coming closer to the dog

Dog

Dominance:
Tail is raised above the level of the back
Direct stare
Standing tail or stifled walking
Pricked ears
Lips are pooled forward
Barking
Moving over the cat

Aggression behavior patterns:
Wrinkled nose
Bared teeth
Piloerection
Growling
Attacking

Fear/Submission:
Averted gaze, sometimes accompanied by a raised forepaw
Lowered tail
Crouching walk or posture
Lying on the back
Flattened ears
Lips retracted
High pitched whine
High pitched bark
Backing away
Yawn
Licking Lips
Blinking
Retreating

Play Behavior Patterns:
Play bow
Play growl
Chasing
Lying on the back
Biting
Licking the air or the cat
Play face

Proximity Behavior Patterns:
Standing/sitting/lying down
Tail wagging
Raised foreleg
Sniffing
Coming closer to the cat
Relaxed ears
Relaxed or backwards-pulled lips

If you have the time, here is an entire half hour program on other tips for successfully introducing dogs to cats. It's divided into three 10 minute or so sections.

Ancient Human Ancestor Olympic Hall of Fame

2008-08-13T11:44:00-04:00

Our ancient human, and even not so human, relatives evolved in different ways to match their living environments and needs. Let's take a baseball card look at some of them to see how they would have fared at today's summer Olympic games.

Australopithecus afarensis

Lived: 2.9 to 3.9 million years ago
small brain compared to modern humans
ape-like curved fingers and toes
wrist-locking mechanism suggests they were knuckle-walkers as well as bipedal
great climbers and all around athletes

Most likely to win a gold medal in:
triathlon (with some swimming lessons)
basketball, since their shoulders suggest they had great overhead reach and strength, but they would've had an odd shooting technique given their curved finger bones
track and field events (jumping over hurdles would've been a piece of cake)

Australopithecus africanus

Height: 4 to 4.5 feet tall
Brain: About 35% the size of a modern human
Lived: 3 to 3.9 million years ago
Best body feature: Their chimp-like arms. Although A. africanus walked on two feet, it still retained long arms for grabbing, swinging, baby holding and more.

Most likely to win a gold medal in:
gymnastics (would've blown away the modern human competition)
rowing
weightlifting
water polo (if they could wear tiny flotation devices)
track and field (another talented jumper)
volleyball (long arms would've given it a net advantage)

Homo rudolfensis
(Credit: Smithsonian Institution)

Lived: Around 1.9 million years ago
slim hips for walking long distances
sophisticated sweating system
one of the first hominids to have longer legs than arms
less body "fur"

Most likely to win a gold medal in:
track and field (long distance running- no sweat)
basketball
volleyball
swimming and diving (less body hair means less frictional drag in water)

Paranthropus
(Credit: Gunnar Ries)

Lived: Around 2.7 million years ago
Brain: About 40 percent the size of modern man
Height: 4.5 to 5 feet tall
Probably lived in wooded, rather than grassland, areas

Most likely to win a gold medal in:
gymnastics (another one that could have decimated the modern human competition)
boxing
table tennis (if played on a very short table)
handball

Homo habilis

Lived: 2.2 to 1.6 million years ago
Homo habilis means "handy man" or "skillful person"
Short with disproportionately large arms
handy with tools and early weapons

Most likely to win a gold medal in:
modern pentathlon
shooting (might've needed a gun with special hand adaptations)
archery
basketball
table tennis
gymnastics

Homo ergaster
aka "Working Man"

Lived: 1.9 to 1.4 million years ago
Stood: Around 6 feet 3 inches
used hand axes and cleavers

Most likely to win a gold medal in:
basketball (If H. ergaster could walk onto the court, the modern humans might as well just give up and leave)
track and field events
taekwondo
archery
fencing
modern pentathlon
badminton
volleyball

Homo erectus
aka "Upright Man"

Height: Around 5.87
Much stronger than modern humans
Smart, had tools and knew how to use them

Most likely to win a gold medal in:
weight lifting
judo
wrestling (could beat any modern human)
boxing
soccer
triathlon

Homo heidelbergensis

Around at least 400,000 to 500,000 years ago
Height: 6 feet on average
More muscular than modern humans
Large brain
advanced tools and behavior

Most likely to win a gold medal in:
everything but the swimming events (but it'd have a decent chance if it shaved its body)

Homo neanderthalensis
aka Neanderthal

Lived: From around 130,000 to 30,000 years ago
Height: About 5.5 feet tall
muscular with robust bone structure
particularly strong arms and hands
smart, talked, sang, had tattoos, body piercings
brave big game hunter
Given its penchant for rebellious style, would've been a crowd favorite

Most likely to win a gold medal in:
everything except for maybe diving, given its unstreamlined, stocky body