Animals Mysterious Blue Dogs Something very strange was recently discovered near an old, abandoned chemical plant in Russia: a pack of stray dogs covered in blue fur. The Dzerzhinskoye Orgsteklo plant, which once made hydrocyanic acid and plexiglass, closed down about six years ago — but the building still stands. People who live near the plant began spotting the […]
Animals Dogs of Chernobyl The Dogs of Chernobyl Are Experiencing Rapid Evolution, Study Suggests For decades, scientists have studied animals living in or near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant to see how increased levels of radiation affect their health, growth, and evolution. A new study analyzed the DNA of 302 feral dogs living near the power plant, compared the […]
Animals Animals With The Shortest Lifespans Many factors determine the lifespan of an animal — habitat, food sources (and availability), the animal’s size and its ability to protect itself from predators. Longevity often depends on the age the animal reaches sexual maturity. The Greenland shark has a lifespan of 500-plus years, but they mate later in life, which accounts for why […]
Animals Rare Bird Spotted in 178 Years Bird watchers are flocking to northeastern Wisconsin in the hopes of glimpsing a southern shorebird last seen in the state almost 180 years ago. Logan Lasee, a member of the Bay Area Bird Club, spotted a roseate spoonbill in the Ken Euers Nature Area in Green Bay on July 26, Wisconsin Public Radio reported. More […]
Animals Treetop Trail Minnesota Zoo opens Treetop Trail, the world’s longest elevated pedestrian loop They cut the ribbon and took a walk Friday at the Minnesota Zoo after years of decay, and then development. The official opening of the new Treetop Trail took place Friday morning. The trail follows the old monorail line that closed in 2013 with […]
Animals Who Pays For Rescues? When wealthy adventurers take huge risks, who should foot the bill for rescue attempts? When millionaire Steve Fossett’s plane went missing over the Nevada range in 2007, the swashbuckling adventurer had already been the subject of two prior emergency rescue operations thousands of miles apart. And that prompted a prickly question: After a sweeping […]
Animals Florida County Under Quarantine A portion of a Florida county has been placed under quarantine as state officials work to get rid of a giant African land snail (GALS), the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) said Tuesday. The quarantine comes weeks after state officials found the snail in the Miramar area of Broward County, Florida, according […]
Animals Zoo Welcomes Endangered Baby Pygmy Hippo There’s a new member of the Pittsburgh Zoo family – an adorable baby pygmy hippopotamus named Hadari. The 1-year-old baby boy was moved in on May 23, the zoo announced on Wednesday, coming from Alabama’s Montgomery Zoo. And he’s already making himself at home in the zoo’s Jungle Odyssey area. “Hadari is trying out everything, […]
Animals ‘Humongous’ Catfish ‘Humongous’ catfish caught in Pennsylvania nabs angler a state record. See the catch When Michael Wherley felt a tug on his line on a Pennsylvania river, he knew there was something big on the other end. He was right. Hooked on his line was a 66-pound flathead catfish. “When it finally came to the surface, […]
Animals First Know “Virgin Birth” ‘Virgin’ crocodile found to have made herself pregnant The first ever known case of a crocodile laying eggs without a male mate – a rare reproductive strategy that could be traced back to dinosaurs – has been documented by scientists. Over the last two decades, zoologists have increasingly documented the very rare vertebrate reproductive strategy […]