PICTURES: Prehistoric Spiders' Weapons Revealed via 3-D

August 6, 2009—It was every spider for itself in the brutal pre-dinosaur world of the Carboniferous period,new 3-D images reveal.

About 359 to 299 million years ago, Earth teemed with newly evolved insects and hungry amphibians that had just crawled onto land.

Among them were two coin-size, spiderlike creatures—Cryptomartus hindi (pictured above at left) andEophrynus prestvicii (right)—which scurried along the bottoms of the world's first rain forests.

Fossils of the bugs had already given scientists some insights into their lives: E. prestvicii, for instance, had long legs that probably allowed it to run through leaf litter after its prey

Hybrid "Superpredator" Invading California Ponds

A "supersize" hybrid salamander is gulping down smaller amphibians—such as Pacific chorus frogs (F, the frog in its larval stage) and California newts (E, the newt in its larval stage)—in ponds throughout California's Salinas Valley, a June 2009 study found.

The voracious hybrid (D, the largest variety, and C, the smallest) is a blend of the native California tiger salamander (A, the largest variety, and B, the smallest) and the invasive barred tiger salamander (not pictured).

Albino Baby Turtle

A Thai Navy sailor holds a baby albino green sea turtle at a nursery for the reptiles, which are considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

About 15,000 green turtles and hawksbill turtles are hatched and housed at the navy's conservation center annually until the animals are old enough to be released into the sea.

French Pilot & a Flock of Cranes

French microlight pilot Christian Moullec shares the sky with a flock of cranes, which he has trained, during an air show in central Germany.

Moullec, 46, has spent ten years raising orphaned geese and cranes, which "imprint" on him as their parent and follow his microlight—a hang glider with an engine—the Daily Mailnewspaper reported.

LEOPARD PICTURES: Rare Snow Cats Caught by Camera Traps

Tail raised, a snow leopard, likely marking its territory, is caught in the act by a camera trap on April 14, 2009, in easternAfghanistan's mountainous Wakhan Corridor.

Four of five traps placed throughout the rugged region--a narrow strip that straddles Tajikistan to the north and Pakistan to the south--photographed different snow leopards on several occasions The relatively large number of sightings are promising for the animal, which is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Once found throughout the high altitudes of Central Asia, the cats are thought to number only about a hundred in Afghanistan, conservationists say.

Pig Poop Helps Power Netherlands

Methane-rich pig excrement on a large Netherlands farm is being turned into electricity and partially fed into the national power grid.   This man in The Netherlands is combining farming and science to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as generate extra revenue from these livestock.

He uses the waste from 2,700 pigs at Sterksel Research Centre to produce electricity.

 John Horrevorts, Manager of Praktijkcentrum Pig Farm: "At this moment we are producing enough electricity at our bio-gas installation for 1,500 households and for that we are using all the pig muck from our farm. So in total we produce about five-thousand mega watts a year."

Battling Termites? Just Add Sugar

If you've ever had to battle the tenacious termite, sweet revenge may be near.

A substance derived from glucose has been shown to weaken the insects' immune systems, making them vulnerable to infections from lethal microbes, a new study says.  The findings could give rise to a whole new class of safer pest-control treatments, the authors say.

"We wanted something environmentally friendly, biodegradable, and [that] does not play a toxic role," said study co-author Ram Sasisekharan, a biological engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Boat Alarm Could Save Manatees

Manatees can't hear the low sounds of boat engines, which is why the animals are frequently injured, a researcher says. A high-pitched alarm could solve the problem.

Giant Armadillo

The giant armadillo--snapped by a camera trap in northeastern Peru on June 8, 2008--can weigh up to 71 pounds (32 kilograms). The beasts use their enormous front claws to dig into termite and ant colonies.

Easily hunted for their meat, the gentle giants are now scarcely seen throughout most ofSouth America.

Seeing photographs of such rain forest animals is important, because the images can help "people to realize what's out there in a place where they'll likely never be able to go and see for themselves," the National Zoo's Kolowski said.

Rare bush dog

An image of two rarely seen bush dogs taken on April 14, 2008 is perhaps the "most exciting" of all the camera-trap photos recovered so far as part of the National Zoo's Peruvian Amazon Biodiversity Project, Kolowski said.

Almost nothing is known about this species, which is rarely seen even by indigenous people who live and hunt in the rain forest.

"It's fascinating how elusive these guys can be," Kolowski said, adding that it's unusual for a large dog species to go unstudied for so long.

How snakes move

june 9, 2009--A young Pueblan milk snake (pictured in an undated laboratory photo) uses its belly scales to achieve its trademark slither.

Scientists had previously assumed that the limbless reptiles move by pushing against objects, such as as twigs and rocks.

New research confirms that friction is indeed at work but instead at a microscopic scale: The snakes' overlapping belly scales react against uneven areas on the ground, said lead study author David Hu, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech.

The discovery, detailed this week in the journalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may inspire more efficient limbless robots, which could, for instance, slither into a person's body and assist in surgery.

Million-Year-Old Mammoth Skeleton Unearthed

June 4, 2009 -- A well-preserved skeleton of amammoth that is believed to be about one million years old has been unearthed in eastern Serbia, archaeologists said Thursday.

The discovery was made during excavation two days ago at an open-pit coal mine near Kostolac power plant, said Miomir Korac, from Serbia's Archaeology Institute.

The skeleton was found 27 meters (89 feet) below ground, he said. The mammoth was more than 4 meters (13 feet) high, 5 meters (16 feet) long and weighed more than 10 tons.

"Essence of Maggot" Ointment to Heal Wounds Faster?

Bandages and ointments infused with essence of maggot may soon be coming to a drugstore near you.

Battlefield medics hundreds of years ago were the first to notice that bloody wounds infested with maggots actually heal faster than "clean" wounds.

Pilot Whales Beach themselves

Cape Town, South Africa, May 30, 2009--Rescuers try to push one of about 55 pilot whales that mysteriously stranded themselves back to sea.

Though more than 20 of the mammals survived, the rest were euthanized by gunshots to the head

Galapagos Mosquitoes’ New Diet Threatens Giant Tortoise

The Galapagos form of the black salt marsh mosquito has changed its diet to prefer reptile blood instead of feeding on mammals and birds. This discovery has some scientists fearing the introduction of a new mosquito-borne disease which could devastate the Galapagos native wildlife.

A new rock quarry being excavated with explosives in Kenya's Amboseli National Park may endanger migration corridors of elephants and other wildlife, conservationists say.

The operation has continued despite a temporary stop order issued in May by Kenya's high court, they add.  The quarry, which will provide materials for the new Emali-Oloitoktok Road, is located in the 3,000-acre (1,214-hectare) Osupuku Conservancy.

The conservancy was created in 2008 as a result of an agreement between landowners from the Kimana community and the nonprofit African Wildlife Foundation (AWF). The conservancy protects a corridor linking Amboseli to Kenya's Chyullu Hills and Tsavo National Parks.

SPACE MONKEY PICTURES: 50-Year Anniversary

May 29, 2009--A squirrel monkey named Baker peers out from a 1950s NASA biocapsule as she's readied for her first space mission. Baker and a rhesus monkeynamed Able launched aboard a Jupiter AM-18 rocket on May 28, 1959—50 years ago this week.

The pair returned to Earth alive after a 15-minute flight, becoming the first primates to survive a trip into space. Miss Baker, as she came to be known, spent the latter part of her life at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. She died of kidney failure in 1984 at the ripe old age of 27

Worst Drought in 26 Years Threatens the Survival of the Last Desert Elephants in West Africa

The future of a rare herd of desert elephants in Mali is under threat from one of the worst droughts in living memory, which has left a key water source at its lowest level in a quarter of a century.

The 350 to 450 elephants of Gourma, the northernmost herds still alive in Africa, are being forced to trek extreme distances across the fringes of the Sahara to find scarce water. Juveniles are likely the worst affected, as (unlike the bigger bulls) their trunks are not long enough to reach deep into wells - one of the only remaining water sources.

6-Foot Lizards Invading Military Runway in Florida

Homestead Air Reserve Base near Miami, Florida, is dealing with a different sort of small ground invasion: the Nile monitor lizard.

These invasive reptiles—possibly former family pets or escapees from nearby breeding facilities—occasionally lumber onto the base's tarmac to soak up the sun's rays.

When you have an airplane coming in to land or take off, and you have a 6-foot [1.8-meter] reptile laying on the runway, it causes a substantial human health and safety problem," said Parker Hall, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services.

Agency employees patrol the runways on a regular basis to shoo away birds, capture lizards, and deal with any other pests that may show up.

But that's a tall order given the base's close proximity to both the Everglades and Biscayne National Parks, both home to diverse arrays of wildlife that regularly spill into the base's vast woodlands and wetlands.

Missing link?

Meet "Ida," the small "missing link" found in Germany that's created a big media splash and will likely continue to make waves among those who study human origins.

In a new book, documentary, and promotional Web site, paleontologist Jorn Hurum, who led the team that analyzed the 47-million-year-old fossil seen above, suggests Ida is a critical missing-link species in primate evolution (interactive guide to human evolutionfrom National Geographic magazine).

(Among the team members was University of Michigan paleontologist Philip Gingerich, a member of theCommittee for Research and Exploration of the National Geographic Society, which owns National Geographic News.)

The fossil, he says, bridges the evolutionary split between higher primates such as monkeys, apes, and humans and their more distant relatives such as lemurs.

"This is the first link to all humans," Hurum, of the Natural History Museum in Oslo, Norway, said in a statement. Ida represents "the closest thing we can get to a direct ancestor."

Ida, properly known as Darwinius masillae, has a unique anatomy. The lemur-like skeleton features primate-like characteristics, including grasping hands, opposable thumbs, clawless digits with nails, and relatively short limbs.

"This specimen looks like a really early fossil monkey that belongs to the group that includes us," said Brian Richmond, a biological anthropologist at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., who was not involved in the study, published this week in the journal PLoS ONE.

But there's a big gap in the fossil record from this time period, Richmond noted. Researchers are unsure when and where the primate group that includes monkeys, apes, and humans split from the other group of primates that includes lemurs.

Komodo Dragons Kill With Venom, Researchers Find

An animal that escapes a Komodo's initial attack soon weakens and dies. The fierce carnivore tracks the wounded creature and dines at its leisure once the prey collapses.

Researchers have long thought that the Komodo dragon, native to Indonesia, kills via blood poisoning caused by the multiple strains of bacteria in the dragon's saliva.

But "that whole bacteria stuff has been a scientific fairy tale," said Bryan Fry, a venom researcher at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

Fry and colleagues studied the biochemistry of Komodo venom after they dissected the heads of two dragons from zoos that both had to be put down due to terminal illnesses.

The team found that the dragon's venom rapidly decreases blood pressure, expedites blood loss, and sends a victim into shock, rendering it too weak to fight.

In the venom, some compounds that reduce blood pressure are as potent as those found in the word's most venomous snake, western Australia's inland Taipan.

Komodo Combo Attack

GLOWING ANIMALS

Green fluorescent protein, introduced into DNA of egg via virus (2008)

Scientists at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta are using green fluorescent protein to study Huntington's disease, which destroys nervous tissue. 

In 2008 the researchers infected unfertilized monkey eggs with an HIV-like virus, which changed the eggs' DNA to include the defect that causes Huntington's

"Zombie" Headless Ants Controlled By Flies

May 14, 2009--In South America female phorid flies have developed a bizarre reproductive strategy: They hover over fire ants (pictured a file photo), then inject their eggs into the ants with a needle-like appendage. 

The egg grows and the resulting larva generally migrates to the ant's head. The larva lives there for weeks--slurping up the brain and turning the ant into a "zombie," in some cases compelling the ant to march 55 yards (50 meters) away from its colony to avoid attack by other fire ants.

Finally the baby fly decapitates its host and hatches, exiting through the ants head

Snake Bite on Penis

A Taiwanese man became a sitting target for a snake, which bit his penis as he sat on the toilet at his rural home, local media reported on Monday.

"As soon as he sat down, he suddenly felt a knife-like pain and reacted instinctively by standing up," the China Times said. "When he looked down, he saw the big snake."

The 51-year-old man, from Nantou County, was under medical care with minor injuries

Over 200 New Amphibians Found in Madagascar

--Highlighting a "vast underestimation" of Madagascar's natural riches, up to 221 new species of amphibianshave been found on the island country, including the frog Boophis ulftunni, pictured. The find nearly doubles the number of known amphibians in Madagascar, a new study says

Smuggler Caught With 14 Birds in Pants

May 6, 2009—Given away by bird poop on his socks, fancy pants here was charged Tuesday in California with smuggling exotic Asian songbirds from Vietnaminto the United States by strapping them onto his legs

The Eastern Grey kangaroo shot in the head with an arrow has been operated on and his prospects of a full recovery are good.

Melbourne Zoo vet Dr Michael Lynch, who performed the surgery to remove the arrow, said he will monitor the kangaroo for the next three weeks but is cautiously optimistic.

"This was a big injury, but because the arrow didn't seem to have been in there for a long time, and the injury was fresh, hopefully he'll be okay," Dr Lynch said.

"I'm cautiously optimistic about the kangaroo's prospects for a full recovery."

Wildlife Victoria has offered a $10,000 reward to catch the person responsible.

Wildlife Victoria media co-ordinator Fiona Corke said she couldn't believe anyone could be so cruel.

A jaguar recently swam onto an island located in the Panama Canal. It then triggered a hidden camera that took its picture. This is the first time a jaguar has been photographed in the 86 year history of 3,707 acre Barro Colorado Island– one of the most well-researched tropical ecosystems in the world.  The hidden camera had been set up as part of an annual effort to inventory mammals that live on Barro Colorado Island. According to the researchers who set up the cameras, the finding is exciting given that jaguars are already considered rare throughout the entire country of Panama (see photo below).

Crocodile stalks nudist Beach

A large saltwater crocodile has been stalking one of Darwin's nudist beaches.

Traps will be set this morning in an effort to catch the crocodile which was spotted by a local ranger at the northern end of Casuarina Beach yesterday, theNorthern Territory News reports.

Parks and Wildlife ranger Tom Nichols told the newspaper the predatory reptile was about 2m long.

"It was seen going out the mouth of Sandfly Creek and going out to sea," he said

"It's right at the top end of the nudist beach."

Chengdu, China, May 5, 2009--This dog, a survivor of last May's deadly Sichuan earthquake, trots with a little wheeled assistance at the Home of Love Little Animal Protection Center. 

The center organized a volunteer effort to rescue and house hundreds of animals affected by the devastating quake

The big fish that prowl the Caribbean reefs—gaping groupers, sharp-toothed barracuda, and gigantic sharks—are completely gone in some places due to overfishing, a new study says.

The problem is worst in the most densely populated Caribbean countries, where fishers have wiped entire reefs clean of large predators.In such places, smaller predators have begun to fill in niches left by the big hunters—sendingcoral reefs into a tailspin.The new research, based on a public database of fish sightings by trained volunteer scuba divers, provides one of the most comprehensive glimpses so far of the decline in large Caribbean predators.

"Healthy and intact coral reefs need large predatory fish in order to continue to provide human societies with food and with beauty," said study author Chris Stallings, a researcher at Florida State University's Coastal and Marine Laboratory.

Peta is out of control

This latest assault against Primarily Primates is just the latest lawsuit in a series of lawsuits instigated against PPIby PETA. The first lawsuit, which was filed in 2006 and named 9 chimpanzees as plaintiffs, alleged animal abuse. This suit was dismissed by the Honorable Andy Mireles for lack of standing. None of the allegations of animal abuse were ever substantiated. The second lawsuit was filed by the Attorney General’s office at the behest of PETA. This lawsuit alleged financial mismanagement. However, this allegation also proved to be unsubstantiated, and the Attorney General voluntarily agreed to dismiss the lawsuit, finding it was in the best interests of the State of Texas, PPI, and the animals entrusted to its care to do so.

After the first two lawsuits instigated by PETA against PPI failed, PETA went knocking door to door in PPI’s neighborhood to recruit additional plaintiffs for yet another lawsuit. They found two—Virginia Baker, an elderly woman with brain cancer, who has since dropped out of the suit, and Carl Hensley, a retiree. Although Plaintiffs’ lawyers initially refused to answer questions about the funding of the lawsuit, they were later forced to admit at a hearing on Plaintiff’s application for a temporary restraining order in front of the Honorable Andy Mireles (Judge Mireles denied Plaintiff’s application for a temporary restraining order) that the entire suit is being funded byPETA.  

Backspacer wins the race

Backspacer wins the great turtle race.  It was a great race but cali, the turtle I was pulling for lost.  It was fun to follow but now it is all over.  

smart ants

-Ants carry radio transmitters to help scientists study how the insects chose nesting sites.  Wow Transmitters for ants that is a tiny transmitter.

Almost Deadly bite

A 94-year-old Australian woman may be the oldest person known to survive the bite of a male Sydney funnel-web spider, one of the world's deadliest spiders.  The great-grandmother was bitten not once, but twice.  The spider that bit her turned out to be a male funnel-web, whose venom is more poisonous than the females. Sydney Funnel-web male spiders are one of the most venomous spiders in the world.

21 Dead Horses and No One to Blame

How do 21 horses drop dead on a field?  These poor animals suffered from lung hemorrhages that means they drowned in their own blood.  What a horrible way to die.  They suspect that the vitamin supplement Biodyl was injected to help fight exhaustion.  The horses were from the country of Lechuza Caracas.       

Some of my Pictures

Borneo Rhino

This is the first picture ever taken of the rare Borneo rhino.  The worldwide fund for nature used a motion triggered camera to capture this rarity.   This is thought to be one of only 13 animals in existence.  They roam the dense forest in Borneo where no one has seen them. 

Billy the turtle surges ahead

Billy is now in the lead of the great turtle race.  Cali is in the middle of the pack but not out yet

Four days into the great turtle race and my girl cali is in the middle of the pack with Nueva Esperanza in the lead.  follow along at thegreatturtlerace.com

Escaped Snakes

Stimson's pythons escape on plane in Australia.  Four baby pythons escaped on a passenger plane in Australia today.  They were six inches long and no one can find them. Stimson's grow up to 13 feet long and are not endangered.  They probably got into another passengers bags.  Could you imagine getting home and unpacking your luggage to find a snake in it.  I own snakes and it would scare me.   

Im pulling for cali in the great turtle race.

The great turtle race has started.  Did you here about this the national geographic society has tracked eleven leather back turtles for the last six months.  They compiled the data and made it into an Internet race.  For the next fourteen days the turtles will be racing across Internet screens everywhere.  What do you think about this????  You can follow the race at thegreatturtlerace.com

The Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act

Our Government has really fowled up our country in the past few years now they are attacking our pets.  There is a House resolution(H.R669) that if passed will change the pet industry as we know it.  The bill basically bans all non native animals from being sold in the USA.  If you have fish,birds,small mammals, or reptiles you will be affected by this bill.  Every person that owns an animal that might be affected by this bill should write their senator and tell them to say no to H.R669.  You can contact your senator at this site www.senate.gov