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☆ Why experts are studying how to improve tablets for parrot use
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

By designing a balloon-popping tablet game and collecting data from 20 pet parrots, the researchers found that birds’ interest in the game indicated mental stimulation could be a potential benefit. Each parrot popped virtual balloons by using its tongue and beak, with eyes often very close to the screen. Rébecca KleinbergerResearchers designed the tablet game to be used by a parrot in collaboration with the bird's caretaker. One bird showed more interest in playing the game after researchers adjusted the tablets to only account for one tap per 300 milliseconds, she added. Mobile games for parrot enrichmentIf a parrot owner is looking to introduce tablets into a pet’s schedule, it’s important to remember that the activity should be collaborative between the owner and the bird, Pepperberg said.

Persons: Rébecca Kleinberger, ”, Kleinberger, Irene Pepperberg, Pepperberg, Rébecca, ” Kleinberger, Gabriel Miller, Kurt Sladky, Sladky Organizations: CNN, ACM, of Computing Machinery, Computing Systems, Northeastern University, Boston University, University of Wisconsin, Madison’s, of Veterinary Medicine, Mobile Locations: Boston

☆ Scientists name newly discovered ancient amphibian species after Kermit the Frog
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Scientists have discovered a new species of proto-amphibian that lived 270 million years ago. They have named it the Kermitops gratus, after "The Muppet Show" character Kermit the Frog. The new discovery should help scientists understand how these ancient species evolved. AdvertisementScientists say they have discovered a new species of proto-amphibian that lived 270 million years ago — and they've named it after "The Muppets Show" character Kermit the Frog. "Because this animal is a distant relative of today's amphibians, and Kermit is a modern-day amphibian icon, it was the perfect name for it," he said.

Persons: Kermit the, —, they've, Nicholas Hotton III, Hotton, Arjan Mann, Mann, gratus, Calvin So, Kermit Organizations: Service, Smithsonian National Museum of, Smithsonian, Zoological, George Washington University Locations: Texas

☆ Authorities Seize Alligator Being Held Illegally in Home Near Buffalo
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Claire Fahy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The alligator’s name was Albert Edward. He was 11 feet long, 750 pounds heavy and 34 years old, and until this week, he lived in a pool house attached to his owner’s home in Hamburg, N.Y., about 13 miles south of Buffalo. The alligator’s owner had built an addition to his house where Albert lived in an in-ground swimming pool, according to the department. It is illegal to own an alligator in New York unless you have a license, according to a statement from the department. But those licenses are only for “scientific, educational, exhibition, zoological or propagation purposes,” the department’s website said.

Persons: Albert Edward, Albert Organizations: New York State Department of Environmental Locations: Hamburg, N.Y, Buffalo, New York

☆ Bunny the 'talking' dog's owner says the skepticism from the scientific community hurts the most
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Melissa Malamut | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Devine says Bunny knows 100 words — but many in the research world doubt she can really verbalize. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . But "people liked looking at a beautiful, black and white sheepadoodle," Devine told Business Insider, adding: "It was a bright spot, and that's one of the reasons it took off." She said the two had conversations using recordable buttons on a soundboard known as an augmentative- and alternative communication device. "We all know that dogs can learn words," Devine said.

Persons: Alexis Devine, Bunny, Devine, she's, —, soundboards, Federico Rossano, UC San Diego who's, KPBS, who's, Rossano, There's, Norma, Mila, I'm, Jules Howard, Howard, Hans Organizations: Service, University of California, of Cognitive Science, UC San Diego, BBC Locations: San Diego

☆ Britain bids farewell to its only giant pandas after 12 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Zookeepers have spent the last few weeks making sure the two pandas, Yang Guang and Tian Tian, are used to crates in preparation for their long journey, expected at some point in early December. [1/4]Yang Guang, one of the giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo, eats bamboo stalks in its enclosure, in Edinburgh, Britain, November 29, 2023. REUTERS/Lesley Martin Acquire Licensing Rights"Yang Guang and Tian Tian have had an incredible impact by inspiring millions of people to care about nature," he said in a statement. The return of the Edinburgh bears to China comes as a number of giant pandas have also headed home from the U.S., part of a fading legacy in which giant pandas served as animal ambassadors. That began in 1972, when the government of China presented two giant pandas as gifts to the U.S. after President Richard Nixon's historic Cold War visit to the communist country.

Persons: Zookeepers, Yang Guang, Tian Tian, David Field, Lesley Martin, Richard Nixon's, Washington's, Sarah Young, Jan Harvey Organizations: Edinburgh Zoo, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, China Wildlife Conservation Association, REUTERS, Edinburgh, Thomson Locations: China, Edinburgh, Britain, U.S, Memphis, San Diego

☆ Britain Says Bye-Bye to Its Only Pandas as They’ll Soon Depart for China
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Wednesday, crowds gathered to say goodbye and catch one final look at Yang Guang and Tian Tian, who for 12 years have enraptured millions of visitors and residents of Edinburgh. “We’ve flown up for the day; we must be mad,” Lauren Darling, who recently visited the zoo, told The Telegraph. But American zoo officials and scientists said that it came down to biology, or “panda time,” since the three pandas should be going back to China because they are at an advanced age. A similar reason was cited by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. The pandas, the zoo said, arrived in Edinburgh in December 2011 as part of a 10-year arrangement between the organization’s charity and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, which allowed them to keep the pandas an extra two years because of the pandemic.

Persons: Yang Guang, Tian Tian, “ We’ve, ” Lauren Darling, It’s, Rebecca Plant Organizations: Telegraph, National Zoo, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, China Wildlife Conservation Association Locations: Edinburgh, Britain, Washington, China

☆ Naming a species after a celebrity may do more harm than good
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

But it's very difficult to change a species' scientific name, and that can lead to regrets. The list of species named for celebrities is lengthy and includes everything from flies (Beyoncé) to lichen (Oprah Winfrey) to lizards (Lionel Messi). An eponym is a scientific species name based on a person, either real or fictional. AdvertisementAdvertisementUniversity of Oxford biologist Katie Blake and her co-authors found that species with celebrity names had almost three times as many page views on Wikipedia as non-famously monikered control species. AdvertisementAdvertisementSome examples include Adolf Hitler, Cecil Rhodes, and George Hibbert, all of whom have species named after them.

Persons: —, Taylor Swift, Leonardo DiCaprio, David Attenborough, Oprah Winfrey, Lionel Messi, Jimmy, Sericomyrmex radioheadi, Tarantobelus, roundworm, Jeff Daniels, Taylor Swift's millipede, Katie Blake, cuvier, Georges Cuvier, Andre Seale, Blake, Hitler, Christopher Bae, Adolf Hitler, Cecil Rhodes, George Hibbert, Sergio Pitamitz, Bae, Cecil John Rhodes, There's, heidelbergensis, CESAR MANSO, Rhodes, bodoensis, Bodo D'ar, Jimmy Buffett’s “, Hal Horowitz, Hibbert, George Rinhart, Stephen B, Heard, Charles Darwin's Barnacle, David Bowie's Spider Organizations: Service, Virginia Tech, University of Oxford, VW, Getty, University of Hawai'i, American Ornithological Society, NPR Locations: Mano, Slovenia, Africa, Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Right, Spain, AFP, Ethiopia

☆ Starfish bodies are really just heads, new research says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The heads of most animals are easily identifiable, but scientists haven’t been able to say the same for sea stars until now. But new genetic research suggests the opposite — that sea stars are largely heads that lack torsos or tails and likely lost those features evolutionarily over time. There, they go through a process that transforms a bilateral body into a star shape, or pentaradial body. But echinoderms also share a common ancestor with bilateral animals, which adds to the puzzle researchers are trying to solve. Specific molecular markers act like body plan blueprints, directing each cell to the body region where it belongs.

Persons: haven’t, It’s, ”, Laurent Formery, “ It’s, Christopher Lowe, Jeff Thompson, “, ” Lowe, Formery, Chan Zuckerberg, Dr, Priscilla Chan, Mark Zuckerberg, Laurent Formery “, ” Thompson, Daniel Rokhsar Organizations: CNN, Stanford University, University of California, University of Southampton, NASA, National Science Foundation, Leverhulme Trust Locations: Berkeley, San Francisco

☆ Giant chicken frog faces extinction due to a deadly amphibian fungus
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The mountain chicken frog was once so abundant in Dominica, with thousands found across the island, that it became a national delicacy, supposedly tasting of chicken. Chytridiomycosis is a fungal infectious disease that affects more than 500 frog species across the world. A research team spent 26 days searching for the mountain chicken frog in Dominica. The research team spent hundreds of hours searching for the chicken frog during the months of July and August. “There are many things that people can do to prevent the spread of chytrid and help protect frogs,” Kaganer said in an email.

Persons: Chytridiomycosis, Andrés Valenzuela Sánchez, ZSL, Sánchez, Jeanelle Brisbane, “, Alyssa Wetterau Kaganer, ” Kaganer, chytrid, Kaganer, … Organizations: CNN, Zoological Society of London, & Conservation Biology, Cornell Wildlife Health Lab, London Zoo Locations: Dominica, Caribbean, Montserrat, ” Brisbane, Dominica —

☆ One-third of the world's captive orcas are in the US, and no one can agree on what to do with them
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Erin Heger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

There are 18 captive orcas in the US. Captive orcas can also show signs of chronic stress. Captive orcas can suffer a number of health problems including severe tooth damage. The history of releasing captive orcas in the USOnly one captive orca in the US has ever been released back into the ocean — Keiko, the orca who starred in the 1993 film "Free Willy." Captive orcas can't thrive in small tanks but may not thrive in the wild, either.

Persons: Naomi Rose, Rose, Marcos del Mazo, Monika Wieland Shields, Tilikum, Shields, aren't, Chris Dold, Dold, Keiko, Willy, Colin Davey, Keiko wasn't, Mark Palmer, Palmer, Little Grey, White, Aaron Chown, Lori Marino, Marino, Paul Harris, we've, Serge MELESAN, orcas Organizations: SeaWorld, Animal, Service, Animal Welfare Institute, Orca Behavior, Magnolia Pictures, Miami Seaquarium, Miami Herald, Tribune, Getty, Mammal, PETA Locations: SeaWorld, SeaWorld Orlando, Florida, Mexico City, Oregon, Iceland, Norway, Washington, Caribbean, Nova Scotia

☆ Fact Check-Night video of Zebra and Lions on streets predates 2023 France riots
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A video compilation claiming to show zoo animals roaming Paris streets is made up of clips that are not recent and is unrelated to the ongoing riots in France in June and July 2023. Social media users shared a compiled video of unrelated footage showing animals roaming city streets at night, with the caption: “It is being reported that in the French riots, numerous zoo animals have been released in France” on Facebook (here) and Twitter (here). However, the videos predate riots in France over the police shooting of a teenager of Algerian and Moroccan descent on June 27 (here). The clip of a sprinting zebra shot from the dashcam of a vehicle could be traced to a tweet published on April 11, 2020 (here). There is no evidence that animals have been released from Paris zoos amid riots in the city in 2023.

Persons: Le Parisien, Saint Denis, Mathieu Descombes, ”, Read Organizations: Paris Zoological, des, Social, Facebook, Twitter, Chennevières, Parc Zoologique de, ” Reuters, Reuters Locations: Paris, France, de, Algerian, Saint Denis, Parc Zoologique de Paris, Ile

☆ First ever video captures the adorable birth of critically endangered Burmese peacock softshell turtle hatchlings
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Staff at a conservation group captured the birth of 15 Burmese peacock softshell turtle hatchlings. Nyein Chan & Yae Aung / Fauna & FloraAs a result, Burmese peacock softshell turtles are one of the world's most endangered freshwater turtle species. An adult Burmese peacock softshell turtle (Nilssonia formosa) being released in Indawgyi. "Working with local communities will be key to our success in addressing the threats to the critically endangered Burmese peacock softshell turtle. We are already seeing the results of collaborating with communities to manage and protect key nesting sites and habitat," said Zau Lunn, Programme Manager, Freshwater and Marine, Fauna & Flora.

Persons: —, Nyein Chan, Jeremy Holden, Fredric Janzen, Flora, Zau Lunn, Lunn Organizations: Service, Zoological Society, London's, Local, Flora International, Fauna & Flora International, & Flora, New York Times, Michigan State University, Fauna, UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Locations: Myanmar, East, Southeast Asia, Indawgyi, formosa

☆ Sri Lanka readies ailing Thai elephant for flight home
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"But he is very gentle and obedient, which has made it easier to try and get him used to the process." Since he was gifted to Sri Lanka in 2001, the elephant, often used to carry Buddhist relics in processions, has spent most of his time at a Buddhist temple in Kalutara, about 75 km (47 miles) from Colombo, the commercial capital. Perera, who oversees his care, along with a mahout and other staff, said he would probably need hydrotherapy facilities that Sri Lanka lacks to restore full movement. Thailand will pay for the elephant's journey home, while Sri Lanka has footed the cost of his medical care and food, which runs into about 400 kg (882 lb) a day. The pachyderm is expected to return to Sri Lanka after treatment, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena has said, and animal welfare activists hope he will be sent to a sanctuary.

Persons: Read, Sak Surin, Madusha Perera, Muthu Raja, Chiang Mai, Perera, Dinesh Gunawardena, Uditha Jayasinghe, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Sri, Thomson Locations: Sak Surin, Sri Lanka, Thai, Thailand, Colombo, Sri, COLOMBO, Sri Lankans, Chiang, Kalutara, Lanka

☆ Scottish wildcats bred in captivity released to the wild in a bid to save the species from extinction
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Mark Tutton | Sarah Lazarus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The cats were bred and released by Saving Wildcats, a European project led by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) in partnership with a group of conservation and governmental organizations. “It’s a really exciting milestone,” says Dr. Helen Senn, project lead for Saving Wildcats and head of conservation and science programs at RZSS. Saving Wildcats has taken every effort to ensure the captive-bred cats will have the instincts and hunting skills needed for survival in the wild. Saving Wildcats hopes to keep breeding and releasing around 20 kittens annually over the next few years to give the wild population the best chance of getting established. Wildcats could be drivers for healthier ecosystems because creating better habitat for them will benefit many other species, says Senn.

Persons: CNN — Young, “, ”, Helen Senn, “ They’ve, “ We’re, Senn, we’ve Organizations: CNN, wildcats, Scottish Highlands, Saving Wildcats, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Highland, International Union for Conservation, Group, Wildcats, Cairngorms, ”, Wildcats Feline Locations: Britain, Scotland, Europe, England, Wales, Kincraig, Scottish

☆ Hurricanes of Data: The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Porter Fox | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +35 min

The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea Shortly after dawn on Sept. 30, 2021, Richard Jenkins watched a Category 4 hurricane overrun his life’s work. That August, a sister ship, SD 1031, successfully entered Tropical Storm Henri, but only in its early stages. Hurricane research, modeling and forecasting requires many terabytes of data for every square mile the storm passes through, including vitally important sea-level data from inside a storm. The next day, the depression was upgraded to a tropical storm and officially given the name Sam. And four months later, Tropical Storm Megi killed more than 150, wiped out several villages with landslides and displaced more than a million people.

Unlike the chubby, fluffy image of her younger self, 22-year-old Ya Ya has appeared skinny in recent photos, with her black and white coat missing clumps of fur. But Le Le died suddenly of heart disease in early February, further fueling suspicions of mistreatment. Throughout the past weeks, Ya Ya regularly appeared as a top trending topic on Weibo, each time attracting hundreds of millions of views. Allegations of mistreatmentWhen Ya Ya and Le Le arrived at Memphis in 2003, it was a huge deal for the city. A petition by Panda Voices to bring Ya Ya and Le Le back to China on change.org has garnered 193,000 signatures.

☆ Sonic world of animals: Listen to an extinct bird's mating call
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

What’s sometimes lost in this feast for the eyes is the sonic world of animals — audible to humans in the case of birdsong. Source: British Library“Animals: Art, Science and Sound” showcases the British Library’s wildlife collection, which contains over 250,000 recordings of animals from around the world. Source: British LibraryThe species was declared extinct in 2000. The song of a nightingale Published by the Gramophone Company Ltd. in 1910, it was the first published recording of any animal. Source: British LibraryThe groundbreaking release marked the beginning of commercial wildlife recording that culminated in the 1970s.

[1/5] A white tiger cub that was abandoned outside the Attica Zoological Park and is believed to be a victim of illegal wildlife trade, drinks water at the zoo's infirmary, in Athens, Greece, March 17, 2023. REUTERS/Stelios MisinasATHENS, March 17 (Reuters) - Greek veterinarians are fighting to save a white tiger cub abandoned in a rubbish bin at an Athens zoo, believed to be a victim of the illegal wildlife trade. The three-month old white tiger was found on Feb. 28 under a garbage bin in the parking lot of the Attica Zoological Park by a cleaner, who notified the zoo owner. "It is the first time ever we had such an animal dumped outside our zoo," said zoo founder Jean-Jacques Lesueur. Lesueur said if the tiger survives it will have to be relocated to a sanctuary, as the zoo has no other animals of its kind.

☆ Tears and photos as Japan sends giant panda 'home' to China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Elaine Lies | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A baby panda Xiang Xiang, born from mother panda Shin Shin on June 12, 2017, walks on the ground during a press preview ahead of the public debut at Ueno Zoological Gardens in Tokyo, Japan December 18, 2017. REUTERS/Yoshikazu Tsuno/PoolTOKYO, Feb 21 (Reuters) - With tears, waves and shouts of farewell from fans, a Japan-born giant panda set off for China on Tuesday from the Tokyo zoo where she was raised. Xiang Xiang was originally supposed to be returned in December 2020 but this was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. The zoo's first naturally-conceived panda, Xiang Xiang was also the first born there for years, enhancing her popularity. "Thank you, Xiang Xiang," one fan wrote on the zoo's Twitter page.

October 2022 Wang Linfang,92, molecular biologist Four members of China’s two most prestigious academic institutions died in October – in line with the average in recent years. October 2022 Wang Linfang,92, molecular biologist Four members of China’s two most prestigious academic institutions died in October – in line with the average in recent years. Zhang Guocheng, 91 Zhao Zisen, 90, developed China’s first practical optical fiber Tang Hongxiao, 91 The obituaries began accumulating. October 2022 Wang Linfang,92, molecular biologist Four members of China’s two most prestigious academic institutions died in October – in line with the average in recent years. October 2022 Wang Linfang,92, molecular biologist Four members of China’s two most prestigious academic institutions died in October – in line with the average in recent years.

☆ Tasmanian tiger: Lost remains of last thylacine found hiding in plain sight
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —For decades, nobody knew where the remains of the last thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, were located. It turns out they were hiding in plain sight – at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG), in the Australian island state, where they had been unidentified for more than 80 years. That meant researchers and staff at the museum were wholly unaware of the significance of the thylacine in their collection. A thylacine displayed at the Australian Museum in Sydney, Australia, in 2002. The remains are now on display in the museum’s thylacine gallery for public viewing.

"There's now a big push to get nature into sovereign debt markets," said Simon Zadek, executive director at NatureFinance, which advises governments on debt-for-nature swaps and other types of climate-focused finance. At that level, it would be the biggest debt-for-nature swap struck to date. The combined value of swap deals to date is $3.7 billion, according to the data. Securing the buy-in of development banks is usually key for the economics of a deal. The WWF has projects in Central and South America where they are monitoring deforestation by tracking jaguars, said Brenes, who has worked on debt-for-nature swaps for the last 25 years.

☆ Video appears to show a Russian-Ukrainian businessman stealing a llama and a raccoon from a zoo in Kherson
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Videos appear to show the owner of a Crimea-based zoo taking several animals from a different zoo. The owner of the Crimea zoo claims it was all done as part of a "humanitarian mission." But Ukraine accused him of theft, with the defense minister tweeting, "Steal a raccoon and die." The video also shows the businessman, identified as Oleg Zubkov, grabbing a raccoon by its tail and putting it in a cage. Ukraine's Defense Ministry, however, accused Zubkov of theft.

☆ Breaching whale shocks father and son fishing off Jersey Shore as it nearly comes aboard boat
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dennis-Romero-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Dennis Romero | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A father and son were fishing for striped bass and tuna off the Jersey Shore near Belmar on Wednesday when they hooked a prize memory: A massive humpback whale breached the sea inches from them. The water boiled with activity, with dozens of small fish jumping from the sea, before the humpback's head emerged next to the duo's small boat. Humpback whale breaches the water near fishermen in NJ. The whale's head landed with a splash, and soon it was deep in the sea. Eric Otjen, SeaWorld San Diego vice president of zoological operations said apparent humpback whales feeding on small fish near shore is nothing unusual, but breaching near a boat is.

☆ Global wildlife populations have sunk 69% since 1970 - WWF report
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report, which used 2018 data from ZSL on the status of 32,000 wildlife populations covering more than 5,000 species, found that population sizes had declined by 69% on average. One population of pink river dolphins in the Brazilian Amazon plummeted by 65% between 1994 and 2016, the report said. Its findings were broadly similar to those in WWF's last assessment in 2020, with wildlife population sizes continuing to decline at a rate of about 2.5% per year, Terry said. "Nature was in dire straits and it is still in dire straits," said Mark Wright, director of science at WWF-UK. Still, the wide-ranging declines have prompted desperate pleas for increased support for nature.

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