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Animal Journeys
- Thread starter rynner2
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I read about this in another newspaper. It said that the RSPCA thought that it looked like someone had been keeping it as a pet and had dumped it when it started getting too hard to keep.
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http://tinyurl.com/yn5olq
But the story does not tell what became of the crab - I hope he has a cosy warm home in some aquarium now.
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Makes sense when you think about it. If goats can run up and down sheer cliff faces by hopping from one tiny ledge to another, a cattle grid is hardly going to be much of a problem....maybe to cattle, but not to goats.
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Goose Smashes Sea-Crossing Record
Goose smashes sea-crossing record
A barnacle goose from south west Scotland has smashed the record time for crossing the North Sea to Norway.
Barbow - named by a school on the Solway Firth - made the trip from Caerlaverock in just five hours.
A satellite tracking device clocked the speedy bird at an average speed of over 75mph from the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust's Dumfries and Galloway reserve.
The previous quickest crossing was by fellow barnacle goose Godzilla who made the journey in about eight hours.
Barbow is part of a project to tag and track the travels of 10 migrating geese.
He set off from the Solway Firth on Saturday evening at a speed of at least 78mph - the maximum speed the transmitters can record.
Dr Larry Griffin, who leads the WWT's project team, said they had been shocked by how quickly the birds made the journey.
"The more we follow the geese, the faster they seem to get," he said.
"We were already impressed with Godzilla rapid progress but Barbow has given goose travel a whole new dimension."
Dr Griffin said the record had been set in far from ideal conditions.
"By reaching speeds in the region of 80mph it looks highly likely that he crossed the North Sea in five hours," he said.
"It is very impressive that he sustained such high speeds as the tail winds, although in his favour, were not particularly strong - Godzilla has nothing on this goose."
All 10 geese were named and championed by Solway schools and Barbow was named by Bowness-on-Solway Primary School in Wigton.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2007/05/25 12:00:34 GMT
© BBC MMVII
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Rare bird makes Somerset landing
An albatross, found on a Somerset beach by a walker, has been released after a check-up by animal rescuers.
The bird, believed to be either a yellow-nosed or black-browed albatross, was discovered, apparently uninjured, on the beach at Brean on Friday.
After a once over by staff at the Secret World Wildlife Rescue Centre, near Burnham-On-Sea, it was released from a cliff top on Saturday afternoon.
The centre said it had been years since an albatross was seen in the county.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/6259200.stm
Albatross normally live in the southern hemisphere - one exception is Albert. See my earlier post, http://www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=711438#711438
An albatross, found on a Somerset beach by a walker, has been released after a check-up by animal rescuers.
The bird, believed to be either a yellow-nosed or black-browed albatross, was discovered, apparently uninjured, on the beach at Brean on Friday.
After a once over by staff at the Secret World Wildlife Rescue Centre, near Burnham-On-Sea, it was released from a cliff top on Saturday afternoon.
The centre said it had been years since an albatross was seen in the county.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/6259200.stm
Albatross normally live in the southern hemisphere - one exception is Albert. See my earlier post, http://www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=711438#711438
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The great egg robbery, by a wily fox that took to the water
Fiona Hamilton
To a pair of broody Canada geese it must have appeared the perfect home, compact and bijou with a private water frontage and protected on all sides by deep water.
Sadly for them, they failed to allow for the ingenuity and daring of a neighbouring vixen that plundered the nest of all its five tennis ball-sized eggs in a series of daring raids.
Each time, the vixen swam 40 yards to the island then swam back to her cubs, cradling a goose egg in her mouth. She hid one egg on the island and, on her fourth trip, ate it.
The pictures were taken early in the morning by Tom Melton, 47, an amateur photographer, near his home in Solihull, West Midlands.
The wildlife expert Chris Packham, who is about to begin a new series of Nature’s Calendar on BBC2, said: “To capture such a specialist piece of behaviour is fantastic. I have never seen this before, and I have spent a lot of time watching foxes.
“It shows how resourceful foxes can be, and is a great example of how animals can appear to display intelligence. It also shows how much time and effort they put into raising their offspring, much like we do.
“The fox realises that the egg is a great big packet of protein . . . she knows she can’t get that back to them if she breaks the shell so she has to be very careful. Foxes, like dogs, can have very gentle mouths when they want to. They are also quite good swimmers, although they will only swim if they really need to or if there is a good reward for doing so, like this.”
Mr Melton, who works for Coventry City Council, witnessed the theft on a wildlife reserve when he went to photograph a kingfisher. He saw the two Canada geese taking flight and was amazed to see the fox rummaging in their nest. He said: “The whole thing went on for about an hour and a quarter . . . I was absolutely stunned.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 033859.ece
photos via page
Fiona Hamilton
To a pair of broody Canada geese it must have appeared the perfect home, compact and bijou with a private water frontage and protected on all sides by deep water.
Sadly for them, they failed to allow for the ingenuity and daring of a neighbouring vixen that plundered the nest of all its five tennis ball-sized eggs in a series of daring raids.
Each time, the vixen swam 40 yards to the island then swam back to her cubs, cradling a goose egg in her mouth. She hid one egg on the island and, on her fourth trip, ate it.
The pictures were taken early in the morning by Tom Melton, 47, an amateur photographer, near his home in Solihull, West Midlands.
The wildlife expert Chris Packham, who is about to begin a new series of Nature’s Calendar on BBC2, said: “To capture such a specialist piece of behaviour is fantastic. I have never seen this before, and I have spent a lot of time watching foxes.
“It shows how resourceful foxes can be, and is a great example of how animals can appear to display intelligence. It also shows how much time and effort they put into raising their offspring, much like we do.
“The fox realises that the egg is a great big packet of protein . . . she knows she can’t get that back to them if she breaks the shell so she has to be very careful. Foxes, like dogs, can have very gentle mouths when they want to. They are also quite good swimmers, although they will only swim if they really need to or if there is a good reward for doing so, like this.”
Mr Melton, who works for Coventry City Council, witnessed the theft on a wildlife reserve when he went to photograph a kingfisher. He saw the two Canada geese taking flight and was amazed to see the fox rummaging in their nest. He said: “The whole thing went on for about an hour and a quarter . . . I was absolutely stunned.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 033859.ece
photos via page
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Cat returns home after 10 years
A cat has been reunited with its owner 10 years after going missing.
Lynx disappeared from her home in Hook, Hampshire, in 1997, and her owner, Patricia Charnet, thought she would never see her pet again.
Earlier this week a stray was found in Carterton, Oxfordshire, and handed in to the Blue Cross centre in Burford.
A scan showed that the 12-year-old tabby was microchipped and the centre tracked down her owner, who lived 60 miles away.
Ms Charnet said that when the animal sanctuary phoned her, she thought they had made a mistake.
"You still have it in the back of your mind," she said.
"And it happened this time, for real. That was unbelievable, it is a wonderful feeling.
"If only she could talk she would have a story to tell."
Mandy Jones, from the Blue Cross said staff at the centre were amazed to discover that Lynx had been missing for 10 years.
"I still can't believe we were able to reunite her with her owner after such a long time - it goes to show how important microchipping is," said Ms Jones.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hamp ... 253634.stm
A cat has been reunited with its owner 10 years after going missing.
Lynx disappeared from her home in Hook, Hampshire, in 1997, and her owner, Patricia Charnet, thought she would never see her pet again.
Earlier this week a stray was found in Carterton, Oxfordshire, and handed in to the Blue Cross centre in Burford.
A scan showed that the 12-year-old tabby was microchipped and the centre tracked down her owner, who lived 60 miles away.
Ms Charnet said that when the animal sanctuary phoned her, she thought they had made a mistake.
"You still have it in the back of your mind," she said.
"And it happened this time, for real. That was unbelievable, it is a wonderful feeling.
"If only she could talk she would have a story to tell."
Mandy Jones, from the Blue Cross said staff at the centre were amazed to discover that Lynx had been missing for 10 years.
"I still can't believe we were able to reunite her with her owner after such a long time - it goes to show how important microchipping is," said Ms Jones.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hamp ... 253634.stm
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RECORD BREAKER!
Godwit makes huge Pacific flight
By Kim Griggs
Wellington, New Zealand
It's official - the godwit makes the longest non-stop migratory flight in the world.
A bird has been tracked from its Southern Hemisphere summertime home in New Zealand to its breeding ground in Alaska - and back again.
The bar-tailed godwit, a female known as E7, landed in New Zealand this past weekend after taking a week to fly 11,500km from Alaska to New Zealand.
Unlike seabirds, which feed and rest on long journeys, godwits just keep going. :shock:
The migrant champion was one of 13 satellite-tagged bar-tails (Limosa lapponica baueri) that left New Zealand at the beginning of the year.
Tag bonus
E7 set her first record on the way north, when she flew non-stop for 10,200km (6,340 miles) to Yalu Jiang in China. She then flew a further 5,000km (3,000 miles) to the godwit breeding grounds in Alaska. And on the way back to New Zealand, her tag still working, E7 set another record (7,150 miles).
"We were pretty impressed when she did 10,200km on the way north," says Massey University ecologist Phil Battley. "And the fact that she can now do 11,500km... it's just so far up from what we used to believe 10 years ago when we were thinking a five or 6,000km flight was extremely long. Here we've doubled it," adds the New Zealand coordinator of what is an international study.
For researchers, tracking the second leg of E7's journey was a bonus - her implanted satellite tag kept working well past its expected cut-off date.
"If you're trying to confirm how far birds fly and whether they are making stop-offs, it's only now with the technology being small enough, you can do this remotely. Otherwise we'd still be using educated guess work," Dr Battley says.
And that means the researchers now know that the godwits really are the champions of avian migration. Unlike seabirds, which feed and rest on their long journeys or swifts which feed in flight, the godwits make their long journeys without feeding or drinking.
Plump up
Next year, Dr Battley hopes to implant satellite tags into larger male godwits (this year the males had external satellite tags attached) to check that the male birds follow the same path as the females.
Meantime any chicks E7 would have produced during her two months in Alaska will be getting ready to leave the Yukon Delta in a few weeks as the first young godwits usually arrive in New Zealand early next month.
"Some might fly down in flocks with adults but other ones will fly down without any adults involved at all which is pretty amazing," says Dr Battley. "They're only two months old and here they are about to fly from Alaska to New Zealand."
And their mum? "She'll be eating lots at the moment and probably resting up; and she'll go back to her main routines. Then, come about February next year or January, she'll start moulting into her breeding plumage and getting fat again.
"Then it will all start again."
The New Zealand godwit tracking effort is part of the broader Pacific Shorebird Migration Program, a joint initiative between the US Geological Survey and PRBO Conservation Science.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6988720.stm
Frankly amazing!
Godwit makes huge Pacific flight
By Kim Griggs
Wellington, New Zealand
It's official - the godwit makes the longest non-stop migratory flight in the world.
A bird has been tracked from its Southern Hemisphere summertime home in New Zealand to its breeding ground in Alaska - and back again.
The bar-tailed godwit, a female known as E7, landed in New Zealand this past weekend after taking a week to fly 11,500km from Alaska to New Zealand.
Unlike seabirds, which feed and rest on long journeys, godwits just keep going. :shock:
The migrant champion was one of 13 satellite-tagged bar-tails (Limosa lapponica baueri) that left New Zealand at the beginning of the year.
Tag bonus
E7 set her first record on the way north, when she flew non-stop for 10,200km (6,340 miles) to Yalu Jiang in China. She then flew a further 5,000km (3,000 miles) to the godwit breeding grounds in Alaska. And on the way back to New Zealand, her tag still working, E7 set another record (7,150 miles).
"We were pretty impressed when she did 10,200km on the way north," says Massey University ecologist Phil Battley. "And the fact that she can now do 11,500km... it's just so far up from what we used to believe 10 years ago when we were thinking a five or 6,000km flight was extremely long. Here we've doubled it," adds the New Zealand coordinator of what is an international study.
For researchers, tracking the second leg of E7's journey was a bonus - her implanted satellite tag kept working well past its expected cut-off date.
"If you're trying to confirm how far birds fly and whether they are making stop-offs, it's only now with the technology being small enough, you can do this remotely. Otherwise we'd still be using educated guess work," Dr Battley says.
And that means the researchers now know that the godwits really are the champions of avian migration. Unlike seabirds, which feed and rest on their long journeys or swifts which feed in flight, the godwits make their long journeys without feeding or drinking.
Plump up
Next year, Dr Battley hopes to implant satellite tags into larger male godwits (this year the males had external satellite tags attached) to check that the male birds follow the same path as the females.
Meantime any chicks E7 would have produced during her two months in Alaska will be getting ready to leave the Yukon Delta in a few weeks as the first young godwits usually arrive in New Zealand early next month.
"Some might fly down in flocks with adults but other ones will fly down without any adults involved at all which is pretty amazing," says Dr Battley. "They're only two months old and here they are about to fly from Alaska to New Zealand."
And their mum? "She'll be eating lots at the moment and probably resting up; and she'll go back to her main routines. Then, come about February next year or January, she'll start moulting into her breeding plumage and getting fat again.
"Then it will all start again."
The New Zealand godwit tracking effort is part of the broader Pacific Shorebird Migration Program, a joint initiative between the US Geological Survey and PRBO Conservation Science.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6988720.stm
Frankly amazing!
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The Telegraph finally catches up with the Godwit story:
Bar-tailed godwit's non-stop Pacific crossing
........
The bird, known as Miranda after the New Zealand village where she had been fitted with a satellite tracking device, covered 7,270 miles during a flight from Alaska to New Zealand. (Her earlier, northward journey had been made in stages.)
........
The flight has made Miranda a celebrity in New Zealand, with newspapers following her progress across the ocean and the bells of Christchurch Cathedral ringing when her arrival was confirmed.
...............
Robert Gill, from the US Geological Survey, said: "There are other birds going long distances, but the godwit will be the champion for good. This is pretty much the longest possible route over the ocean."
http://tinyurl.com/296fka
Bar-tailed godwit's non-stop Pacific crossing
........
The bird, known as Miranda after the New Zealand village where she had been fitted with a satellite tracking device, covered 7,270 miles during a flight from Alaska to New Zealand. (Her earlier, northward journey had been made in stages.)
........
The flight has made Miranda a celebrity in New Zealand, with newspapers following her progress across the ocean and the bells of Christchurch Cathedral ringing when her arrival was confirmed.
...............
Robert Gill, from the US Geological Survey, said: "There are other birds going long distances, but the godwit will be the champion for good. This is pretty much the longest possible route over the ocean."
http://tinyurl.com/296fka
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Migration is often a great mystery, but how is this particular example explained in evolutionary terms? Such a journey must be hazardous, and I'd guess many birds don't make it, yet apparently the species continues to thrive....
Is this proof of Intelligent Design? :shock:
Discuss!
And is there a big clue in the bird's name...?
Is this proof of Intelligent Design? :shock:
Discuss!
And is there a big clue in the bird's name...?
GNC
King-Sized Canary
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-p ... 015561.stm
So it's not just birds that do this. Are crocodiles the pigeons of the reptile world?
So it's not just birds that do this. Are crocodiles the pigeons of the reptile world?
)
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Cat's daily routine baffles owner
A cat is baffling his owner by wandering off at night before expecting to be collected by car every morning at exactly the same time and place.
Sgt Podge, a Norwegian Forest Cat, disappears from his owner's home in Talbot Woods, Bournemouth, every night.
The next morning, the 12-year-old cat can always be found in exactly the same place, on a pavement about one and a half miles (2.4km) away.
His owner, Liz Bullard, takes her son to school before collecting Sgt Podge.
She said the routine began earlier this year, when Sgt Podge disappeared one day.
Ms Bullard rang the RSPCA and began telephoning her neighbours to see if anyone had seen him.
An elderly woman who lived about one and a half miles away called back to say she had found a cat matching Sgt Podge's description.
Ms Bullard collected him but within days he vanished again. She rang the elderly woman to find Sgt Podge was back outside her home.
She said a routine has now become established, where each morning she takes her son to school before driving to collect Sgt Podge from the pavement between 0800 and 0815 GMT.
It is thought Sgt Podge walks across Meyrick Park Golf Course every night to reach his destination.
Ms Bullard said: "If it's raining he may be in the bush but he comes running if I clap my hands."
All she has to do is open the car passenger door from the inside for Sgt Podge to jump in.
Wandering the streets
Ms Bullard also makes the trip at weekends and during school holidays - when her son is having a lie in.
She does not know why, after 12 years, Sgt Podge has begun the routine but explained that another woman who lived nearby used to feed him sardines, and that he may be on the look-out for more treats.
"As long as you know where they are you don't mind as a cat owner," Ms Bullard said.
"I know where to collect him - as long as he's not wandering the streets."
Back at home, Sgt Podge has breakfast before going to sleep by a warm radiator.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/7092301.stm
A cat is baffling his owner by wandering off at night before expecting to be collected by car every morning at exactly the same time and place.
Sgt Podge, a Norwegian Forest Cat, disappears from his owner's home in Talbot Woods, Bournemouth, every night.
The next morning, the 12-year-old cat can always be found in exactly the same place, on a pavement about one and a half miles (2.4km) away.
His owner, Liz Bullard, takes her son to school before collecting Sgt Podge.
She said the routine began earlier this year, when Sgt Podge disappeared one day.
Ms Bullard rang the RSPCA and began telephoning her neighbours to see if anyone had seen him.
An elderly woman who lived about one and a half miles away called back to say she had found a cat matching Sgt Podge's description.
Ms Bullard collected him but within days he vanished again. She rang the elderly woman to find Sgt Podge was back outside her home.
She said a routine has now become established, where each morning she takes her son to school before driving to collect Sgt Podge from the pavement between 0800 and 0815 GMT.
It is thought Sgt Podge walks across Meyrick Park Golf Course every night to reach his destination.
Ms Bullard said: "If it's raining he may be in the bush but he comes running if I clap my hands."
All she has to do is open the car passenger door from the inside for Sgt Podge to jump in.
Wandering the streets
Ms Bullard also makes the trip at weekends and during school holidays - when her son is having a lie in.
She does not know why, after 12 years, Sgt Podge has begun the routine but explained that another woman who lived nearby used to feed him sardines, and that he may be on the look-out for more treats.
"As long as you know where they are you don't mind as a cat owner," Ms Bullard said.
"I know where to collect him - as long as he's not wandering the streets."
Back at home, Sgt Podge has breakfast before going to sleep by a warm radiator.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/7092301.stm
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Squirrel's epic swim across lake
Tourists on board a pleasure boat in the Lake District could not believe their eyes when they spotted a red squirrel in the middle of Ullswater.
The mammals can swim, but they find it very strenuous, and have been known to drown in water troughs.
But this determined squirrel had swum 300 yards (274m) - or about the length of six swimming pools - from the shore.
Passengers lowered a rope to the mammal and it climbed on board and hitched a lift back to shore.
Robert Benson, chairman of the Penrith and District Red Squirrel Group, said: "I've been involved with the conservation of red squirrels for 15 years and I know they can swim, but I have never seen it.
"This squirrel was swimming strongly and had its tail coiled on its back so it didn't look bedraggled or as if it was struggling.
"I've never seen anything like it before."
Once ashore the squirrel ran along a fence and disappeared, apparently none the worse for its dip.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/7096816.stm
(pics on link.)
I've posted here before how I once witnessed a squirrel swimming across the River Fal, at the head of Carrick Roads.
Tourists on board a pleasure boat in the Lake District could not believe their eyes when they spotted a red squirrel in the middle of Ullswater.
The mammals can swim, but they find it very strenuous, and have been known to drown in water troughs.
But this determined squirrel had swum 300 yards (274m) - or about the length of six swimming pools - from the shore.
Passengers lowered a rope to the mammal and it climbed on board and hitched a lift back to shore.
Robert Benson, chairman of the Penrith and District Red Squirrel Group, said: "I've been involved with the conservation of red squirrels for 15 years and I know they can swim, but I have never seen it.
"This squirrel was swimming strongly and had its tail coiled on its back so it didn't look bedraggled or as if it was struggling.
"I've never seen anything like it before."
Once ashore the squirrel ran along a fence and disappeared, apparently none the worse for its dip.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/7096816.stm
(pics on link.)
I've posted here before how I once witnessed a squirrel swimming across the River Fal, at the head of Carrick Roads.
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- 54,631
Young great white shows speed on 1,000-mile trip journey
Monday, 24 March 2008
They are calling him Streak. The juvenile white shark caught up in fishing nets off the Californian coast last summer became a major attraction at a Monterey Bay aquarium, but that was nothing compared to the level of interest in his journey away from captivity.
That is because, since his release, Streak has travelled more than 1,000 miles to the warmer seas off the Mexican Pacific coast in barely six weeks, making him the fastest young white shark to have been tracked, and providing scientists with important clues on the juvenile habits of a creature that grows into one of the most fearsome in the oceans.
Scientists from the aquarium and visitors to the project's website have been following Streak's progress around the Baja peninsular, thanks to a device that sends a signal home every time his dorsal fin breaks the surface.
"It's remarkable," said Randy Hamilton, the vice- president of husbandry at the aquarium. "To travel that far, that fast was totally unexpected. It's another reminder of just how little we know about what these animals do in the wild."
Adult great whites have been heavily studied in the region, with their migration patterns so well known that an area halfway to Hawaii where they gather has been designated White Shark Cafe. But little is known about their early habits.
Streak was 5ft 10in and weighed 140lb when he was set free in February, and will grow to three times that length and 30 times the weight – if he can avoid the nets in the heavily fished Mexican coastal waters.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/young-great-white-shows-speed-on-1000mile-trip-journey-799884.html
Monday, 24 March 2008
They are calling him Streak. The juvenile white shark caught up in fishing nets off the Californian coast last summer became a major attraction at a Monterey Bay aquarium, but that was nothing compared to the level of interest in his journey away from captivity.
That is because, since his release, Streak has travelled more than 1,000 miles to the warmer seas off the Mexican Pacific coast in barely six weeks, making him the fastest young white shark to have been tracked, and providing scientists with important clues on the juvenile habits of a creature that grows into one of the most fearsome in the oceans.
Scientists from the aquarium and visitors to the project's website have been following Streak's progress around the Baja peninsular, thanks to a device that sends a signal home every time his dorsal fin breaks the surface.
"It's remarkable," said Randy Hamilton, the vice- president of husbandry at the aquarium. "To travel that far, that fast was totally unexpected. It's another reminder of just how little we know about what these animals do in the wild."
Adult great whites have been heavily studied in the region, with their migration patterns so well known that an area halfway to Hawaii where they gather has been designated White Shark Cafe. But little is known about their early habits.
Streak was 5ft 10in and weighed 140lb when he was set free in February, and will grow to three times that length and 30 times the weight – if he can avoid the nets in the heavily fished Mexican coastal waters.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/young-great-white-shows-speed-on-1000mile-trip-journey-799884.html
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- Joined
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How would you like to find THIS in your bunch of bananas? The five-inch beetle who sailed to Britain from Costa Rica
By Andrew Levy
Last updated at 7:47 AM on 04th June 2008
He's not the sort of creature that could easily scuttle about unnoticed.
But somehow Bill the elephant beetle managed to sneak into a crate of bananas in Costa Rica and smuggle himself over here.
The beetle - which at 5in long is the size of a hamster - was discovered by workers at a fruit wholesalers.
They were amazed he had survived the two-week journey in chilly temperatures.
Bill would also have been sprayed with pesticides designed to kill stowaways like him.
He was taken to Linton Zoo near Cambridge, where staff gave him his name.
Spokesman Kim Simmons said: "It's a very lucky and tough insect. These beetles are able to maintain their body temperature, but he was chilled to the extent that he was immobilised."
She added: "He looks quite aggressive but he's actually quite placid."
"He was kept at the fruit wholesalers for a couple of days but once he arrived here we warmed him up a bit and he became active.
"They are one of the biggest beetles in the world and when he first turned up he was 35g.
"He's been munching his way through bananas, mangoes and other fruit since then so I imagine he is probably a lot more than that.
"All that headgear is actually used to fight off rival males to protect his territory and fight for females. They fight the same way as deer - by locking horns."
Adult elephant beetles typically grow up to three-and-a-half inches long. Males are up to three times bigger than females.
They are found in Central and South American rainforests, southern parts of Mexico and Texas and Australia.
They are an endangered species because slash and burn policies in rain forests have reduced their mating grounds.
Females lay eggs in large, decaying logs where they take around three weeks to develop into larvae.
These large, white grubs, which have brown heads and six legs, spend 29 weeks gorging themselves on organic matter before entering a five-week pupal stage.
Adults, which eat sap and bark from certain trees or ripened fallen fruits, have a life-span of just four months.
With time running out for Bill, Linton Zoo yesterday appealed for any private collectors who have a female to get in contact.
Miss Simmons added: "It would be a shame for him to come all this way over here and die as a single creature.
"We are hoping someone out there has got a wonderful female to go with our Billy bug."
Ian Myers, of fresh produce distributor Chiquita Brands International, said: "Bananas are transported green at temperatures as low as two degrees C which keeps them in stasis.
"The odd locust or cricket comes over from the Tropics but I've never heard an elephant beetle mentioned before."
FACT FILE
The Elephant Beetle can carry an astonishing 850 times its own weight - the equivalent of a 13st man lifting a 60-tonne Boeing 737 airliner.
Even when laden with 30 times its own weight the insect can move at its normal pace of half-an-inch per second.
Unlike a human brain, which handles all functions from a central source, the insects have separate nerve centres to control each leg, giving them the ability to carry heavy weights.
The system is so efficient that they use hardly any extra energy or oxygen to move heavy loads.
A close relative found in Thailand is used for wrestling matches on which large sums of money are wagered.
Two males are placed on a log and fight over a female which has been placed inside.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -boat.html
By Andrew Levy
Last updated at 7:47 AM on 04th June 2008
He's not the sort of creature that could easily scuttle about unnoticed.
But somehow Bill the elephant beetle managed to sneak into a crate of bananas in Costa Rica and smuggle himself over here.
The beetle - which at 5in long is the size of a hamster - was discovered by workers at a fruit wholesalers.
They were amazed he had survived the two-week journey in chilly temperatures.
Bill would also have been sprayed with pesticides designed to kill stowaways like him.
He was taken to Linton Zoo near Cambridge, where staff gave him his name.
Spokesman Kim Simmons said: "It's a very lucky and tough insect. These beetles are able to maintain their body temperature, but he was chilled to the extent that he was immobilised."
She added: "He looks quite aggressive but he's actually quite placid."
"He was kept at the fruit wholesalers for a couple of days but once he arrived here we warmed him up a bit and he became active.
"They are one of the biggest beetles in the world and when he first turned up he was 35g.
"He's been munching his way through bananas, mangoes and other fruit since then so I imagine he is probably a lot more than that.
"All that headgear is actually used to fight off rival males to protect his territory and fight for females. They fight the same way as deer - by locking horns."
Adult elephant beetles typically grow up to three-and-a-half inches long. Males are up to three times bigger than females.
They are found in Central and South American rainforests, southern parts of Mexico and Texas and Australia.
They are an endangered species because slash and burn policies in rain forests have reduced their mating grounds.
Females lay eggs in large, decaying logs where they take around three weeks to develop into larvae.
These large, white grubs, which have brown heads and six legs, spend 29 weeks gorging themselves on organic matter before entering a five-week pupal stage.
Adults, which eat sap and bark from certain trees or ripened fallen fruits, have a life-span of just four months.
With time running out for Bill, Linton Zoo yesterday appealed for any private collectors who have a female to get in contact.
Miss Simmons added: "It would be a shame for him to come all this way over here and die as a single creature.
"We are hoping someone out there has got a wonderful female to go with our Billy bug."
Ian Myers, of fresh produce distributor Chiquita Brands International, said: "Bananas are transported green at temperatures as low as two degrees C which keeps them in stasis.
"The odd locust or cricket comes over from the Tropics but I've never heard an elephant beetle mentioned before."
FACT FILE
The Elephant Beetle can carry an astonishing 850 times its own weight - the equivalent of a 13st man lifting a 60-tonne Boeing 737 airliner.
Even when laden with 30 times its own weight the insect can move at its normal pace of half-an-inch per second.
Unlike a human brain, which handles all functions from a central source, the insects have separate nerve centres to control each leg, giving them the ability to carry heavy weights.
The system is so efficient that they use hardly any extra energy or oxygen to move heavy loads.
A close relative found in Thailand is used for wrestling matches on which large sums of money are wagered.
Two males are placed on a log and fight over a female which has been placed inside.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -boat.html
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Lost penguins get Brazil air lift
By Gary Duffy
BBC News, Sao Paulo
Hundreds of penguins have been returned to their native territory in the south Atlantic ocean by an air force plane after being found along Brazil's coast.
Every year penguins make their way north from the colder waters near to Patagonia in search of food.
But the numbers and distances the penguins have travelled this year have amazed the authorities.
At least 1,000 birds are now said to have washed up on the coast of Brazil, some of which have died along the way.
Some are thought to have made a journey of more than 3,000km (1,860 miles) from the cold waters of Patagonia on the southern tip of South America.
Beach holiday
Earlier this year the first reports of large numbers of penguins being found came in from southern Brazilian states such as Rio de Janeiro.
Now they are even being discovered in the far north of the country.
Some experts have said that penguin migration is closely linked to their need for food, and that the unusual journey the penguins are making suggests something has gone wrong with their normal fish supply.
Experts say it is not clear whether this is due to changes in water temperatures and ocean currents or man-made pollution.
Some of the birds were found covered in oil, while there has also been evidence that others were eating fish that are not part of their usual diet.
It is an annual task for the Brazilian air force to help return penguins to their native territory but it seems this year they are coping with higher numbers of their unusual passengers.
Hundreds of penguins were flown this week in a Hercules plane down to the southern tip of Brazil, where they are being released into the ocean - while some are to return on a navy vessel.
Other birds that were exhausted by their long journey are for the time being staying behind to enjoy the hospitable climate of Bahia - a Brazilian state known for its beautiful beaches and sunny weather.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7652171.stm
By Gary Duffy
BBC News, Sao Paulo
Hundreds of penguins have been returned to their native territory in the south Atlantic ocean by an air force plane after being found along Brazil's coast.
Every year penguins make their way north from the colder waters near to Patagonia in search of food.
But the numbers and distances the penguins have travelled this year have amazed the authorities.
At least 1,000 birds are now said to have washed up on the coast of Brazil, some of which have died along the way.
Some are thought to have made a journey of more than 3,000km (1,860 miles) from the cold waters of Patagonia on the southern tip of South America.
Beach holiday
Earlier this year the first reports of large numbers of penguins being found came in from southern Brazilian states such as Rio de Janeiro.
Now they are even being discovered in the far north of the country.
Some experts have said that penguin migration is closely linked to their need for food, and that the unusual journey the penguins are making suggests something has gone wrong with their normal fish supply.
Experts say it is not clear whether this is due to changes in water temperatures and ocean currents or man-made pollution.
Some of the birds were found covered in oil, while there has also been evidence that others were eating fish that are not part of their usual diet.
It is an annual task for the Brazilian air force to help return penguins to their native territory but it seems this year they are coping with higher numbers of their unusual passengers.
Hundreds of penguins were flown this week in a Hercules plane down to the southern tip of Brazil, where they are being released into the ocean - while some are to return on a navy vessel.
Other birds that were exhausted by their long journey are for the time being staying behind to enjoy the hospitable climate of Bahia - a Brazilian state known for its beautiful beaches and sunny weather.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7652171.stm
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Wading bird travels 7,000 miles nonstop to break flying record
Energy required to complete the migratory journey is the greatest in the animal kingdom, according to scientists
David Adam guardian.co.uk, Wednesday October 22 2008 00.01 BST
A bar-tailed godwit has been crowned the endurance champion of the animal kingdom after completing an epic 7,200 mile nonstop flight across the Pacific Ocean from Alaska to New Zealand.
The wading bird's journey lasted more than eight days with no rest or food, and took it into a place in the record books. Scientists tracking the bird's flight said it was unprecedented.
Theunis Piersma, a biologist at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands who worked on the study, said: "There is something special going on here. For a vertebrate this kind of endurance is just extraordinary."
The long-haul flight of the godwits, from their breeding to feeding grounds, was first reported last year, but scientists have now analysed the journeys and have reported their findings in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Led by Bob Gill of the US Geological Survey, the scientists say: "These extraordinary nonstop flights establish new extremes for avian flight performance and have profound implications for understanding the physiological capabilities of vertebrates."
Curious about the role migratory birds play in spreading avian influenza, the scientists captured godwits in 2006 and 2007 and fitted them with satellite transmitters to track their journeys. On the southward leg, the birds flew nonstop for up to nine days and covered more than 7,000 miles. The scientists say the flight path shows the birds did not feed en route and would be unlikely to sleep.
Piersma said the birds would have flapped their wings nonstop for the entire journey, and that the resulting energy requirement was the greatest in the animal kingdom. The birds would have gobbled up energy at some eight times their resting basic metabolic rate (BMR) during their week-long exertion, he said.
Peak human performance is measured in professional cyclists, who can only manage about five times BMR for a few hours. "Lance Armstrong would be no competition for these birds," he said.
The scientists suggest that the central Pacific may act as a ecological corridor because, unlike coastal routes, there are few predators or diseases. But they say climate change could alter its suitability by changing the strength and frequency of winds.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2 ... nservation
Energy required to complete the migratory journey is the greatest in the animal kingdom, according to scientists
David Adam guardian.co.uk, Wednesday October 22 2008 00.01 BST
A bar-tailed godwit has been crowned the endurance champion of the animal kingdom after completing an epic 7,200 mile nonstop flight across the Pacific Ocean from Alaska to New Zealand.
The wading bird's journey lasted more than eight days with no rest or food, and took it into a place in the record books. Scientists tracking the bird's flight said it was unprecedented.
Theunis Piersma, a biologist at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands who worked on the study, said: "There is something special going on here. For a vertebrate this kind of endurance is just extraordinary."
The long-haul flight of the godwits, from their breeding to feeding grounds, was first reported last year, but scientists have now analysed the journeys and have reported their findings in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Led by Bob Gill of the US Geological Survey, the scientists say: "These extraordinary nonstop flights establish new extremes for avian flight performance and have profound implications for understanding the physiological capabilities of vertebrates."
Curious about the role migratory birds play in spreading avian influenza, the scientists captured godwits in 2006 and 2007 and fitted them with satellite transmitters to track their journeys. On the southward leg, the birds flew nonstop for up to nine days and covered more than 7,000 miles. The scientists say the flight path shows the birds did not feed en route and would be unlikely to sleep.
Piersma said the birds would have flapped their wings nonstop for the entire journey, and that the resulting energy requirement was the greatest in the animal kingdom. The birds would have gobbled up energy at some eight times their resting basic metabolic rate (BMR) during their week-long exertion, he said.
Peak human performance is measured in professional cyclists, who can only manage about five times BMR for a few hours. "Lance Armstrong would be no competition for these birds," he said.
The scientists suggest that the central Pacific may act as a ecological corridor because, unlike coastal routes, there are few predators or diseases. But they say climate change could alter its suitability by changing the strength and frequency of winds.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2 ... nservation
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Snowy owl is spotted on islands
Recent wintry weather has attracted a flying visitor from the arctic circle to the Isles of Scilly.
The snowy owl is thought to have flown south in a search for food. Its usual diet includes lemmings.
In western Europe, it is occasionally seen in Iceland and Scandanavia, although some birds have also been spotted in the Scottish isles.
The last time a snowy owl was seen on the Isles of Scilly was 1972. It stayed for several weeks.
Nigel Hudson, of the British Birds Rarities Committee, said: "There's a chance that its foodstock, which is lemmings, have plummeted, so it's trying to find extra food and has blown across the country and arrived on our shores."
At almost 2ft (0.6m) in height and with a wingspan of more than 5ft (1.5m), the snowy is one of the largest owl species in Europe.
The birds are thinly distributed over enormous areas over the world's northern parts, predominantly in Canada, Russia, Greenland and Iceland, with a smaller presence in Scandinavia.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/7700638.stm
Recent wintry weather has attracted a flying visitor from the arctic circle to the Isles of Scilly.
The snowy owl is thought to have flown south in a search for food. Its usual diet includes lemmings.
In western Europe, it is occasionally seen in Iceland and Scandanavia, although some birds have also been spotted in the Scottish isles.
The last time a snowy owl was seen on the Isles of Scilly was 1972. It stayed for several weeks.
Nigel Hudson, of the British Birds Rarities Committee, said: "There's a chance that its foodstock, which is lemmings, have plummeted, so it's trying to find extra food and has blown across the country and arrived on our shores."
At almost 2ft (0.6m) in height and with a wingspan of more than 5ft (1.5m), the snowy is one of the largest owl species in Europe.
The birds are thinly distributed over enormous areas over the world's northern parts, predominantly in Canada, Russia, Greenland and Iceland, with a smaller presence in Scandinavia.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/7700638.stm