The wonderful world of animals

[Brutikus]

Kangaroo hopping around Florida road highlights problems with exotic pets

The stunning sight of a kangaroo hopping down a busy St. Cloud road made headlines last month and, for the animal sanctuary that took in the wayward marsupial, provided another reminder that ordinary people owning exotic animals is not always easy or wise.

phys.org

 

[blueharvest]

Scientists claim they’ve made ‘pivotal step’ in bringing back the dodo for first time in 300 years

Thousands of dodos could return within a decade according to Colossal Biosciences, a ‘de-extinction’ company – but experts warn of ‘moral hazard’

www.theguardian.com

 

[blueharvest]

 

[:eek:]

https://www.livescience.com/animals/jaguars/jaguar-in-brazil-smashes-record-for-the-species-longest-documented-swim

 

[Brutikus]

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Tibetan antelopes​

The Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii), also known as the chiru, is a medium-sized mammal of the Bovidae family that lives in the northeast of the Tibetan plateau. Tibetan antelopes have thick, woolly, reddish-brown coats with white bellies and black fur on their faces. Male Tibetan antelopes have long, slender, slightly curved horns. Sadly, Tibetan antelopes were poached in large numbers in the 1980s and 1990s for their underfur, which is called shahtoosh.

In 1999 IFAW helped the government of China to draft the Resolution Conf. 11.8 (Rev. CoP17) on the Conservation of and control of trade in the Tibetan antelope, which was accepted by all CITES parties. And through IFAW’s advocacy, in 2006, the US government listed the Tibetan antelope under the Endangered Species Act, completely banning the domestic trade of shahtoosh shawls within the US. Since the 1990s, hunting and trade have been strictly forbidden, and the population of Tibetan antelopes has surged from 50,000 to more than 300,000 over the past decades. Though they were considered endangered in 2008, Tibetan antelopes are now listed by the IUCN as near threatened.

 

[:eek:]

Cold snap in Florida made Burmese python puke up a whole deer

Difficulty digesting large meals may limit where these temperature-sensitive snakes can call home — and that might be a good thing in places where they're invasive.

www.livescience.com

 

[blueharvest]

 

[squeekness]

 

[Brutikus]

Jaguars may not be as big as tigers and lions, but they are still the third-largest big cat on the planet. A male jaguar can weigh up to 136 kg and has stocky build and powerful jaws to take down large prey, like caimans, tapirs, and capybaras. These large cats also combine raw power with remarkable agility, allowing them to climb effortlessly, swim expertly, and navigate through dense jungle terrain undetected.

 

[squeekness]

 

[Brutikus]

The star-nosed mole is an incredibly unique animal. The tip of its “snout,” which gives it its name, has 11 pairs of pink tentacles spread out like a star. These “Eimer’s organs” are touch organs containing more than 25,000 tiny sensory receptors. These receptors help the animal navigate. Star-nosed moles do have eyes, but they are small and poorly developed, making them functionally nearly blind.

The star-shaped nose also allows the mole to smell underwater, which was thought to be impossible for mammals. This suggests that the star-nosed mole is extreme in the evolution of mammals. In fact, it may have the most sensitive sensory system of any mammal on earth!

 

[blueharvest]