Saturday, 25 April 2009

Huff Puff: Britain's biggest hedgehog?

Huff Puff the hedgehog is thought to be Britain's biggest at an average of three and a half times the size of her spiky contemporaries.

By Aislinn Simpson
Last Updated: 10:29PM BST 24 Apr 2009

The nine-month-old female weighs in at 2.04kg - the weight of a small cat - and is the size of a football.

She piled on the pounds after gorging on cat biscuits and dog food at the Furze Pig Hedgehog Rescue Centre in Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, where she was taken as an orphan.

The 15 other hedgehogs at the centre weigh around 600g each, so staff have decided to put Huff-Puff on a calorie-controlled diet.

Maureen Webb, 60, who runs the centre with husband Derek, said: "I've looked after hedgehogs for 20 years but have never seen anything like Huff-Puff.

"She just seems to keep growing. I don't feed her any more than the others but she's getting bigger and bigger.

"It's amazing because she was a tiny little thing when she came in.

"I've no idea why she keeps growing but she doesn't enjoy moving much so it could be that. I don't feed her any more than the others.

"I'm reducing her diet now and cutting breakfast out all together. I suppose it's a bit like people - some only have to look at cream teas and they put weight on."

Huff Puff was rescued after she was found cold and shivering under a garden shed in October last year.

Maureen named her new arrival because of her "stroppy" nature.

"She's a real little madam and a right prima donna. When you approach her she huffs and puffs - hence the name," she said.

"The problem is I can't release her until she's the right size because she won't survive."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5216628/Huff-Puff-Britains-biggest-hedgehog.html

Endangered whooping crane follows aircraft in unique migration

These endangered whooping crane, pictured flying through the air in V-formation, are seen making the long journey south in a unique human-led migration.

11:12AM BST 22 Apr 2009

Travelling 1,250 miles over a three-month period the birds follow a specially constructed ultralight aircraft from central Wisconsin to the west coast of Florida each October.

The journey is the result of efforts by conservationists to increase the population of whooping cranes in the wild, which had declined to just 15 in 1941, although numbers have now risen to approximately 200.

To combat the threat of extinction of North America's tallest bird, US Fisheries and Wildlife Services teamed up with the Whooping Crane Recovery Team to breed a secondary flock who will migrate down the eastern seaboard.

Led by conservation group, "Operation Migration", the annual journey from Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin, sees as many as 20 whooping cranes making the trip south to the Florida refuge.

"The total migration distance is 1,250 miles and the migration takes around 80 days to complete," said 59-year-old lead pilot Joe Duff.

"The problem with reintroducing these birds is they learn the migration route by following a parent.

"As there is no parent generation we become the surrogate parent and we teach them to follow our aircraft and we lead them on their first migration.

"Thereafter they are on their own and they return as wild birds."

Mr Duff and his team, who are to be awarded the Conservation Partners Award from the Department of Interiors in Washington this week, have led over 100 birds south in this secondary migration project from 2001.

The complicated process begins before the birds are even born.

"We start the procedure at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Centre in Maryland where the largest captive flock of Whooping cranes are kept," he said.

"We start playing the sound of the aircraft carrier engine and the brood call before the egg hatches.

"Once the birds are about 50 days of age we ship them out to Wisconsin before they learn to fly because once they earn to fly then the first thing they see from the air is where they home to."

Using a specially constructed ultralight, complete with cameras, GPS system and an amplifier system to broadcast calling sounds, Mr Duff and his four man team can cover 50 to 100 miles per day at a speed of 38mph.

However, conditions can only be achieved during smooth air conditions, which restricts flying time.

"We can only fly for that very calm cold period first thing in the morning right after the sun rises when we only get an hour of dead calm air.

"So we have to wait for calm days and for days where there is no ground fog or until the frost clears in the mornings so we have a very narrow weather window we can use."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5197464/Endangered-whooping-crane-follows-aircraft-in-unique-migration.html

Sparrow's cigarette blamed for £250,000 blaze

A cigarette loving sparrow is being blamed for a fire that caused £250,000 of damage to a shop in Lincolnshire.

Paul Sheriff, 48, who runs Crescent Stores in Leasingham, was initially at a loss as to what caused the blaze, reports Metro.

But six weeks on, insurance investigators have told him that they discovered 35 cigarette ends in the roof.

Their conclusion was a sparrow must have picked up a smouldering butt to feather its nest in the roof's eaves, causing the blaze.

Mr Sheriff, a non-smoker, said: "The shop was a total mess. All the suspended ceilings came down, all the electrics were down, all the fridges were broken, it was horrendous."

A spokesman for his insurance company AXA said: "We believe it's the first case of its kind we've ever had to deal with. We had to bring in a specialist to investigate.

'I've certainly never come across this sort of thing before. It's strange to think how such a little bird armed with such a small object could cause such chaos."

Pigs escape when lorry crashes yards from slaughterhouse

More than 180 pigs escaped from a lorry just yards from the slaughterhouse where they were due to meet their fate.

8:19PM BST 24 Apr 2009

They were able to break free when the vehicle was in an accident near the Malton Bacon Factory in York, which made the back doors swing open.

The escaped herd seized their opportunity and ran off down the road away from the lorry on Friday.

Firefighters used cutting equipment to free another 40 of the animals still trapped in the lorry, while other crew members used jets of water to cool them off.

North Yorkshire Police said all the pigs were eventually rounded up, but 40 had to be put down by vets. The lorry driver was unhurt in the accident.

The incident comes 11 years after the story of the infamous "Tamworth Two", a pair of pigs that escaped while being unloaded from a lorry at an abattoir in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.

The pigs – later named Butch and Sundance after Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – were on the run for over a week, and the search for them caused huge public interest both in Britain and abroad.

The two pigs now live at the Rare Breeds Centre, an animal sanctuary near Ashford in Kent.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5216099/Pigs-escape-when-lorry-crashes-yards-from-slaughterhouse.html

Carp is the 'one that got away' after being caught and released repeatedly over 30 years

This 30lb carp has earned its ironic nickname of "the one that got away" after being caught and thrown back repeatedly by fishermen for the past three decades.

12:13AM BST 25 Apr 2009

Members of the Chorlton Anglers Club, in Manchester say the fish – named Big Scale – is the pride of the lake and is an unofficial member of their club.

They land him at least twice a year and sometimes he's pulled out four times during the season.

Each time, the anglers tend to any injuries, take a photograph, then release him back into the water.

Club Chairman Simon Dale said: "Without doubt, he is the pride of the lake. It is quite a struggle. He doesn't give in easily.

"He is a very clever fish and doesn't often take the bait. He isn't always caught."

Big Scale is one of a number of large carp in the lake that are honoured by being named because they weigh more than 20lb.

The others include Big Mac who weighs 29lb; Tchaikovsky – named after the composer's 1812 overture because he surfaces 18 times every 12 months; Bones, Sweetpea, Paisley and The Ugly Fish – all slightly lighter at 28lb.

Mr Dale, an air conditioning engineer, recognises every large fish in the lake.

"I am so passionate about my sport," he said.

"And I am thrilled how popular our club is becoming. It is a fantastic way of getting the community together and for children to get out in the fresh air and learn about wildlife."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5217024/Carp-is-the-one-that-got-away-after-being-caught-and-released-repeatedly-over-30-years.html

Albino buffalo spotted by Kenyan rangers

Rangers in Kenya's Hellsgate National Park have spotted an albino buffalo, the first of its kind ever recorded in the wildlife rich country.

By Aislinn Simpson
Last Updated: 10:24PM BST 24 Apr 2009

The three-month-old calf is easily distinguished from the other buffaloes travelling with it in a large herd by its very light brown coat.

It has only just been spotted, months after its birth, because its herd was largely confined to obscure, shaded areas to mitigate against recent drought conditions.

Nelly Palmeris, senior warden at Hellsgate, said the find was an exciting one.

"This is the first time that an albino buffalo has been found in our parks and it's a great day for nature and animals lovers," she said.

But there are also concerns for the young creature, whose lighter colour will make it a more noticeable target for predators.

The cultural stigma against albinos, both animal and human, among the Maasai farmers that live near the park, could also create a threat.

"The African community and especially Maasais associate albinos with bad omens. We are just coming from a bad drought and the Maasai might associate the famine with this buffalo and kill it," Mrs Palmeris said.

She said that rangers have enhanced security around the herd to ensure the Maasai do not attack the calf.

While the rare sighting is a first for Kenya, albino buffaloes have been spotted in several other countries.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/kenya/5216623/Albino-buffalo-spotted-by-Kenyan-rangers.html

Bull caught on CCTV in supermarket

It may not have been a china shop, but shoppers were left amazed when a young bull charged through an Irish supermarket.

By Chris Irvine
Last Updated: 12:27PM BST 25 Apr 2009

The bull was captured on CCTV entering Cummins' SuperValu in Ballinrobe, County Mayo.

It made its way down an aisle to the store area, where it had a look around, before turning around and going out the same automatic door which it had come in.

John Cummins, the shop owner, said: "The bull ran down one aisle, and into the store area, where he had a good look around and came back out again.

"He then charged down another aisle, and out the front door again.

"Amazingly, no one came directly in his path or it could have been very bad news. it was a happy ending to a story that could have gone very wrong."

Mr Cummins continued: "Some of the staff ran after him when he went into the store, but they got out of the way again when he turned around to come out - and I wouldn't blame them.

"People were joking afterwards that our beef was fresh and fully traceable."

He added that the bull had passed a nearby Tesco to enter his shop.

By the time the bull was recaptured by its owner, a local farmer, the only damage was to the fruit and vegetable stand.

Shop assistant Bernie Morrin added: “There was a big huge bang and I didn’t know what it was at first.

"Then we saw the bull going out and the poor farmer running. He was coming in trying to get him (the bull) and the next thing he ran because the bull took off down the aisle and scared the daylights out of everyone.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5216439/Bull-caught-on-CCTV-in-supermarket.html

Wandering 'gator winds up on doorstep

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Florida alligators are known to roam in springtime when they search for mates, but a Tampa woman was mystified to find one parked on her doorstep.

Belinda Donaldson got a call Thursday morning from a neighbor who warned her to stay inside because an 11-foot alligator was lounging on her front stoop. She looked out the window and there it was, just outside her door.

Donaldson says ‘gators sometimes wander away from one of the many lakes in her suburban neighborhood of tidy lawns and neat, 1-story homes just west of Tampa, but she’d never seen one that big.

A trapper struggled for an hour to bind its jaws with a loop of rope on the end of a stick before getting the 400- to 500-pound reptile tied up and hauling it away in a truck.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2009/04/24/9235406-ap.html

Friday, 24 April 2009

Does Bigfoot roam the North Country?


Published April 18, 2009 09:34 pm - It may seem far-fetched, but accounts can be traced back to Indian lore and even the logs of Samuel de Champlain.

Does a hulking, 7-foot-tall, ape-like creature roam the rugged mountains and forests of Northern New York and Vermont?

It may seem far-fetched, but accounts can be traced back to Indian lore and even the logs of Samuel de Champlain.

While the lake creature Champ remains the region's best known 'monster,' in recent years, two nationally televised documentaries — on the History and Discovery Channels — have featured entire segments on Bigfoot sightings in upstate New York and Vermont.

The most recent, "Monster Quest," in 2008, chronicled numerous sightings of a large, hairy, ape-like creature on both sides of Lake Champlain.

'CANNIBALISTIC MAN'
In the Pacific Northwest, there's Bigfoot or the legendary Sasquatch; in the Himalayas, there's the yeti or abominable snowman.

The Algonquin on the western shores of Lake Champlain told of seeing the windigo or "giant cannibalistic man" who, according to legend, roamed the countryside. One modern-day Native American account of the windigo describes it as "a giant thing, swift "¦ and covered with hair, and has eyes like two pools of blood. And there's this smell, like rotting meat." This description is similar to Bigfoot reports today.

The Iroquois have a similar oral history of flesh-eating stone giants who possessed powerful physiques.

Across the border in Quebec, the Algonquin-speaking Attikamekw called these creatures Kokotshe.

In his ship's log chronicling his voyage of discovery on the St. Lawrence River 1604, Champlain wrote how numerous Indian tribes in the region had told eerie stories of a giant, hairy man-beast that was known to the natives as "the Gougou." Champlain wrote that so many of the tribes recounted such stories that he believed there must be some truth to the tales.

"And what makes me believe what they say, is the fact that all the savages in general fear it, and tell such strange stories of it."

In northern Vermont, Abenaki traditions tell of a huge, hairy, man-like creature known as the Forest Wanderer who would leave giant, human-like footprints behind. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, many early Vermont settlers in Essex and Orleans counties told of encountering a mysterious bear that moved swiftly through the woods on two legs, always managing to elude capture.

Vermont historian Marion Daley describes this creature in her book, "History of Lemington," noting its ability to move about in a swift, ghost-like manner bordering on the supernatural.

A CLEVER RUSE?
More than 100 sightings in upstate New York state have been recorded.

In August of 1869, a "wild-man" scare took place at Sucker Brook near Ogdensburg. The creature was never found. In 1883, the Plattsburgh Sentinel reported on the "great scare at Port Henry" involving a "wild man who scares women and frightens the children." Some witnesses said it appeared to be wearing "an overcoat." Could this have been fur or hair that was mistaken for clothing by those trying to make sense of what they were seeing? Once again, the creature eluded search parties.

Another cluster of sightings occurred during autumn of 1921, when residents living near Malone organized hunting parties to track down a "wild man." Most of the reports were centered near the hamlet of Skerry, 12 miles to the southwest. A reporter for the Dunkirk Evening Observer described the tension in the area: "Women sleep ill o' nights, children are kept from school, or guarded by adults on their way there and back, lonely females cower behind locked doors and men wag their heads in gossip as they ponder over the puzzle of the wild man"¦"

Skeptical authorities in Franklin County considered the story unlikely, instead opting to believe that it was "a clever ruse effected by bootleggers to take advantage of the absence of officers," so they could more easily smuggle liquor across the Canadian border with ease.

'SCARY AS HELL'
In the summer of 1969, an ape-like creature was spotted near a cabin at the Pumphouse campsite at Long Lake. The encounter took place at about 11 p.m., as a small oil lantern illuminated the inside of the cabin. One of the men reported afterwards that his wife told him she could see a raccoon staring at them through the window at the back of the cabin. Rolling over in bed, he glanced up and saw a large cone-shaped head and a dark face that appeared to be pushed in. Brownish fur encapsulated the face.

The next morning at a nearby stream, the couple found what appeared to be a heel print 8 inches wide.

Another sighting took place near Saranac Lake on a tranquil summer's evening in August of 1996. Two men fishing in a boat on Pine Lake near dusk spotted what they took to be a black bear. Suddenly the "bear" stood up and walked off, leaving the men shaken. One of the witnesses said it stood 7 feet tall and had dark-brown hair.

"Its face was hairy yet fleshy around the upper cheeks. Its eyes were dark in color but clearly visible and had a brightness about them."

The creature stared at the pair for 10 seconds before tilting its head then darting into the woods with the agility of a cat.

Said one of the men: "The whole experience was very, very upsetting. Although I can honestly say it did not attempt to threaten us "¦ it was scary as hell. That night I did not sleep one wink."

Robert Bartholomew is a former announcer for WIRY Radio, a graduate of Plattsburgh State and the co-author with his brother Paul Bartholomew of "Bigfoot Encounters in New York and New England: Documented Evidence—Stranger Than Fiction," published by Hancock House. E-mail him at rebartholomew@yahoo.com.

Michael Pluta is a Vermont historian, hunter and gun expert who lives in Chittenden with his wife and two boys. He teaches driver education at Mill River Union High School. E-mail him at michael.pluta@rssu.org.

"Bigfoot Encounters," copyright 2008, is available for $24.95 at http://www.hancockhouse.com/.

Animals that resemble each other may be different species

Helena Aaberg, Information Office
University of Gothenburg
23.04.2009

Animals that seem identical may belong to completely different species. This is the conclusion of researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, who have used DNA analyses to discover that one of our most common segmented worms is actually two types of worm. The result is one of many suggesting that the variety of species on the earth could be considerably larger than we thought.

"We could be talking about a large number of species that have existed undiscovered because they resemble other known species," says Professor Christer Erséus.

The segmented worms that were studied by Christer Erséus, doctoral student Daniel Gustavsson and their American colleague, are identical in appearance. From the very first time that they were described, they have been treated as the same species, and they are also found together in freshwater environments in North America, Sweden and the rest of Europe. But when the researchers examined the worms using advanced methods for DNA analysis, they discovered that they were in fact two different species. Both species of worm differ in one of the examined genes by 17 percent, which is twice as much as the equivalent difference between humans and chimpanzees.

The research results, which are being published in the journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, could have major consequences. For example, the worms are frequently used for laboratory testing around the world, to examine the effects of environmental toxins.

"Different species have different characteristics. If it emerged that these two species differ in terms of their tolerance towards certain toxins, then it could be difficult to make comparisons between different studies," says Christer Erséus.

And as this advanced DNA technology is tested increasingly within various animal groups, it could, according to Christer Erséus, mean that our perception of the earth's biodiversity may need to be revised.

"There could be ten times as many species in total, compared with what we previously thought," he says.

The new species of worm has not yet been given a name, since researchers have not yet decided which of the two will keep the old name, Lumbriculus variegatus.

For further information, please contact:
Christer Erséus, Professor at the Department of Zoology, University of Gothenburg
+46 (0)31-786 3645
+46 (0)703-576713
christer.erseus@zool.gu.se

Press contact
Krister Svahn
Public/Press Relations Officer
Faculty of Science, University of Gothenburg.
+46 (0)31 7864912
+46 (0)732 096339
krister.svahn@science.gu.se
www.science.gu.se

http://idw-online.de/pages/de/news311608

Feline sightings spread to Pearl River

By Jenna Carlesso • jcarlesso@LoHud.com • April 18, 2009

With the number of wild animal sightings being reported this spring, you'd think Rockland County was more untamed than a suburb.

This time, a large feline was spotted roughly 10 miles from three other sites people have claimed to see them.

Dennis Ryan of Pearl River said he was walking his Labrador retriever along Ehrhardt Road early yesterday when he saw what he described as a mountain lion under a streetlight.

"The animal was walking south. It crossed the road and went into the bushes, then came back out, stared at me and moved toward me, though it wasn't stalking me or going to attack," Ryan said. "I could see it was thinking about it, though. The animal never showed fear."

Its size and the tan color of its fur made him think it was a mountain lion.

"It was definitely not a bobcat. It was bigger than a German shepherd and longer," he said. "It had the typical mountain lion coloring."

The animal then slipped into the bushes near the Neighborhood Alliance Church, he said.

It wasn't the first time he'd seen one. Ryan said a smaller such feline appeared near Pearl River Middle School not long ago, and people on his mail route have seen them in Upper Nyack.

He didn't call police because the sighting occurred around 2 a.m., but Ryan did think twice about walking his dog at night.

"I walk my dog late at night," he said. "I'm not sure I'll do that again."

Ryan was the latest of a string of people who claim they've seen large felines in the county.

On Wednesday, two workers at Rockland Lake State Park said they saw a sizable, dark-colored animal that resembled a cat near the clubhouse at the north golf course. The animal spotted some deer and ran into the woods before police got there, according to reports.

This month and in mid-March, several others called police to report sightings of black, "panther-like" creatures in Palisades and Tallman Mountain State Park.

Pat Coleman, Clarkstown's animal control officer, said the sightings have people's imaginations running wild.

If panthers or mountain lions were prowling around Rockland, she said, there would be evidence in the form of animal carcasses or worse.

"It doesn't make sense," she said. "This has been going on for too long for something bad not to have happened."

Cameras that were planted in Tallman Mountain State Park have picked up only raccoons and coyotes, she said.

Coleman suggests snapping a picture of the animal with a camera phone or regular camera and showing it to police.

"There is no doubt in my mind that if people didn't hear 'panther,' they wouldn't think they were seeing panthers," she said. "People think they're seeing something, but is it reliable? I don't know."

Staff writer Emily Kratzer contributed to this report.

http://www.lohud.com/article/20090418/NEWS03/904180358

NT croc shakes up NZ flight

April 24th, 2009
A TERRITORY crocodile being flown to New Zealand had to be sedated after he thrashed so hard he "shuddered and shook" the plane he was travelling on.

Scar, the 4.4m saltie from Darwin's Crocodylus Park, gave the crew on board the Hercules flight across the Tasman a scare this week.

Scar and fellow saltie Goldie, from Cairns, were being transported to their new home at Auckland's Butterfly Creek Zoo.

But they were none to pleased about heading to the cooler Kiwi climate.

Zoo general manager John Dowsett said the duo broke their head restraints mid-flight, thrashing so hard that the Hercules plane transporting them shuddered and shook.

"It got pretty exciting on board, that's for sure," he said.

"The plane was shaking and the pilot turned to me and said, 'That's your crocs having a bit of a go'.

"We gave them drugs, a muscle relaxant to calm them down, and that seemed to work but boy, are they powerful. You can see why we needed the Royal New Zealand Air Force."

The Hercules was the only aircraft deemed large and sturdy enough to transport the monster predators.

See what it takes to freight a croc...

Both males, they weigh over half-a-tonne each, and are now the largest, and most dangerous carnivorous predators in New Zealand.

The pair might have been groggy and "a bit grumpy" on arrival in Auckland at midnight on Tuesday but they have since settled into the zoo where they are soon to become the star attractions.

They form the centrepiece of a new saltwater crocodile exhibit - a 32C billabong Mr Dowsett described as "a heated Sheraton"

Their New Zealand keepers have been told to keep the pair apart in separate exhibits so they don't kill each other.

http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2009/04/24/47101_ntnews.html

Seal in Belfast's river Lagan

Linda McKee
Friday, 24 April 2009

It could be an image from a nature lover’s paradise in an exotic international location.

A large grey seal hauls himself from the river onto the shore for a rest in the sun after a stressful morning chasing fish.

Instead, this is the image that reveals just how much the River Lagan has been transformed over the past 16 years.

The seal was pictured as far up the river as the Stranmillis Quay.

And a new tourism trail launched by Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie, uncovers how the seal now shares the river with a wealth of wildlife, including terns, eels, mullet, flounder and thousands of starlings.

The minister said salmon have even been spotted leaping the fish pass at Stranmillis Weir. On occasion they have been pursued by the grey seal which has become a familiar sight in the river.

Ms Ritchie unveiled new signage along the river telling a wildlife story specific to each point. Among the wildlife projects completed by the Department’s River Management Team are a tern island, a duck raft and 17 nest boxes — all of which were built from recycled materials including driftwood retrieved from the river.

Signage also draws attention to the thousands of starlings which roost under the Albert Bridge every night. At the height of winter, up to 70,000 starlings can roost under the bridge, creating a magnificent spectacle as they wheel above the river at dusk.

“Not so long ago the Lagan was filthy. Those days have gone. Now we have trout and salmon in its waters. We have rich biodiversity and wildlife on its shores,” Ms Ritchie said.

The new signage commissioned by the Minister has been erected at four locations along the river at Lagan Weir, Hauler’s Way, McConnell Weir and Governor’s Bridge.

“The signage will raise awareness of the local habitat and wildlife. It will be a biodiversity treasure trove,” Ms Ritchie said.

“It will also encourage local communities to gain a greater insight and respect for the Lagan and its special environment.

“I encourage people to go on this nature trail we have created and enjoy the river.”

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/seal-in-belfasts-river-lagan-14280197.html

Remains of 'Walking Seal' Discovered

By Andrea Thompson, Senior Writer, LiveScience

Provided by LiveScience.com

(April 22) - A fossil of a primitive "walking seal" with four legs and webbed feet has been found in the Canadian Arctic and dated to be at least 20 million years old.

The newfound species, dubbed Puijila darwini, might be the long-sought missing link in the evolution of pinnipeds — a group that includes modern seals, sea lions and walruses — explaining how the animal group moved from land-dwellers with legs to the semi-aquatic, flippered swimmers around today.

"The land-to-sea transition in pinnipeds has been difficult to study because the fossil evidence has been weak and contentious," said Natalia Rybczynski, a paleontologist with the Canadian Museum of Nature who led the expedition that discovered the skeleton. "Puijila is important because it provides a first glimpse into the earliest stages of this important evolutionary transition."

The discovery is detailed in the April 23 issue of the journal Nature.

From feet to flippers

Modern pinnipeds all have flippers — limb adaptations well-suited for gliding through the water in search of a fresh seafood dinner.

Paleontologists have long thought that these specialized limbs evolved over time as terrestrial species began testing out life in the water. Charles Darwin himself (for whom the new species was named) predicted this land-to-sea transition in The Origin of Species: "A strictly terrestrial animal, by occasionally hunting for food in shallow water, then in streams or lakes, might at last be converted in an animal so thoroughly aquatic as to brace the open ocean."

But until Puijila's discovery, the most primitive pinniped known to science (Enaliarctos) was already fully flippered.

Accidental discovery

Rybczynski and her team found the skeleton purely by accident during an expedition to the Haughton meteor impact crater on Devon Island, one of Canada's northernmost Arctic islands. The team's vehicle had run out of gas, and the first bone of the animal was found while waiting for team members to return with fuel.

The bones found on that trip and a subsequent expedition in 2008 produced a surprisingly complete (almost 65 percent) skeleton.

The researchers at first thought that the animal was a prehistoric otter, but when they examined it more closely they found they had a far more exciting specimen that shed light on an important aspect of animal evolution.

"The remarkably preserved skeleton of Puijila had heavy limbs, indicative of well developed muscles, and flattened phalanges which suggests that the feet were webbed, but not flippers. This animal was likely adept at both swimming and walking on land," said Mary Dawson, curator emeritus of Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. "For swimming it paddled with both front and hind limbs. Puijila is the evolutionary evidence we have been lacking for so long."

The animal was a four-legged carnivore about 43 inches (110 centimeters) from nose to tail. Along with its webbed feet, it had an elongated, streamlined body that would have allowed it to glide through the water with speed and agility.

Its large teeth, short snout and jaw suggest it had a nasty bite. Puijila likely hunted on both land and in the water; possible preserved stomach contents suggest the animal's last meal included a duck and some type of rodent.

Puijila itself was not an ancestor of modern seals, but the researchers think that both groups evolved from a common ancestor. Researchers are still working to figure out exactly where Puijila fits in on the pinniped family tree.

Arctic evolution

Other fossils of fish and pollen indicate that the Arctic location where Puijila was once had a cool, coastal temperature environment, similar to present-day New Jersey.
"Puijila is the first fossil evidence that early pinnipeds lived in the Arctic," Rybczynski said. "This discovery supports the hypothesis that the Arctic may have been a geographic center in pinniped evolution."

(The name Puijila means "young sea mammal" in Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit people in Nunavut, the territory of Canada where the fossil was found.)

The lakebed where the fossil was found suggests that the semi-aquatic mammals also went through a freshwater-to-seawater transition, as freshwater lakes would have frozen in the winter, forcing the animals to travel over land to the sea in search of food.

The team is planning to go back to the Devon Island site this year to look for more fossils.

The Puijila skeleton will be on display at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa from April 28 to May 10. A model of the fossil will be included in the "Extreme Mammals" exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, which opens on May 16.

The project was supported by the Canadian Museum of Nature, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, American Museum of Natural History, Polar Continental Shelf Program, Northern Scientific Training Program, Government of Nunavut, Qikiqtani Inuit Association and the hamlet of Frise Fiord, Nunavut.

See photos at: http://news.aol.com/article/walking-seal-fossil/442724

Live shark left outside newspaper office

Reuters
April 23, 2009 02:46pm

A LIVE shark dumped on the doorstep of a country newspaper office has local police puzzled, with authorities vowing to charge the person who left it with animal cruelty. The juvenile Port Jackson shark, which measured around 70cm, was left in darkness outside the office at Warrnambool, on the coast of southeast Victoria state.

"We arrived and poured some water on it just to see if it was still breathing and it kicked around for a little while," Constable Jarrod Dwyer said.

"I walked over to McDonald's and borrowed a bucket off them and filled it up with water, and we picked the shark up and put it inside it and then drove it down to the breakwater and released it back into the water."

Port Jackson sharks can grow up to 1.6m and typically feed on crustaceans, sea urchins, and fish.

They are nocturnal and common across Australia's southeast coast.

Constable Dwyer said the newspaper was unaware why anyone would leave a shark to die outside.

"They had no ideas of any person that wished them any harm or wished to send them any type of message, so we're a little dumbfounded," he said.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25375058-421,00.html

Thursday, 23 April 2009

The feast of Bodmin

THIS real-life 'beast of Bodmin' was filmed eating in a British garden. But, rather than being a meat eater, this docile, cat-like creature was identified as a palm civet.

The animal eats berries and fruit from the coffee plant and the world's most expensive coffee - at £50 a cup - is made by extracting beans from its droppings. It weighs up to 5kg (11lb) and inhabits forests in the Philippines and China.

But this onw was spotted in Bodmin, Cornwall by a couple who left out food. They filmed the animal before experts at Newquay Zoo caught it.

'I suspect it escaped from a private collection,' said curator Stewart Muir.

Metro, 23 April 2009, p28.

Eight-legged smile

This tiny spider which measures just a few millimetres across, has developed bizarre markings which look just like a smiling face. The so-called happy-face spider, which is harmless to humans, has evolved to confuse predators, scientists think. The rare species is found in rainforests of Hawaii.

Metro, 23 April 2008, p18

'Yowie not to blame for death'

MATT CUNNINGHAM
April 22nd, 2009

THE Yowie has been unfairly blamed for the death of a dog in the Top End, according to one of the world's leading cryptonaturalists.

Territory Yowie researcher Andrew McGinn told the Northern Territory News yesterday the dog's death could be the work of the Bigfoot-like beast.

"The way the guy's dog was killed was typical of a Yowie," he said.

"I know it sounds fanciful but over the past 100 years, dogs get killed or decapitated and people report feeling watched, having goats stolen or seeing some tall hairy thing beforehand."

But Tim the Yowie Man, a former economist who turned his hand to Yowie research after spotting a hairy beast on a bushwalk 15 years ago, said the Yowie was not to blame.

"I'm very concerned that the Yowie is being incorrectly portrayed as an aggressive creature that is posing a danger to people's pets," he said.

"In over 150 years of Yowie reports all over Australia, I've never heard of a Yowie ripping an animal's head off.

"It is my understanding that in this case there is no evidence that proves a Yowie is responsible for biting the head off a seven-month-old puppy.

"To speculate, with a lack of conclusive evidence to back the claims, that the decapitation of this poor puppy was the work of a Yowie is alarmist."

The Canberra cryptonaturalist said there had only been a handful of Yowie reports from the Territory in the past 15 years.

"One turned out to be a hoax, another turned out to be a hairy naked human running across the Stuart Highway near Alice Springs and the other was of spurious origin," he said.

http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2009/04/22/46555_ntnews.html

My calf's got two noses

Date: 23-Apr-09
Country: PALESTINIAN
Author: Nayef Hashlamoun

Photo: Nayef Hashlamoun

Palestinian boys look at a one-week-old calf which was born with two noses at their farm in the West Bank village of Dhahiriya, near Hebron, April 22, 2009.

http://planetark.org/wen/52581

Black cat was lucky spot for Craig

Published: 23 April, 2009

CRAIG Cordell couldn't believe his luck when a black cat crossed his path.

However, this was no ordinary moggy, and Craig has photographic evidence to prove that this was one of the mysterious black cats of Moray.

Craig (30), from Lossiemouth, was at Duffus Castle on Easter Sunday with his wife, Angela, and children Jack, Scott and Chloe when he sighted the creature.

"I have three house cats, so I know how big they are, and it was about twice the size of a normal cat," he said.

"It had broader shoulders and was far more muscular. Its ears were much bigger as well."

This was the second time Craig has caught sight of a black cat, at the same location, but the first time he has captured it on film.

"I have a Canon SLR camera which has a telephoto zoom lens, so I was able to get a good shot of it."

Craig estimated he was about 400 feet away from the cat when he spotted it emerging from woodland near the castle.

"It definitely wasn't something you would have walking about the house. I was watching it for more than five minutes."

So, what do you think? Is it a black cat or a supersized domestic moggy? Is this clear proof of the existence of black cats? Have you seen one and do you have the pictures to prove it? E-mail us at editor@northern-scot.co.uk

http://www.northern-scot.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/8001/Black_cat_was_lucky_spot_for_Craig.html

Curator on trail of sea monsters, serpents

By BEVERLEY WARE South Shore Bureau
Mon. Apr 20 - 5:13 AM

NORTHWEST COVE — Bloodshot eyes as big as saucers, a body coated in mossy hair, spinal protrusions along undulating bodies covered in scales 15 centimetres long. These are just some characteristics of the "denizens of the deep" spotted off the coast of Nova Scotia as recently as a few years ago.

Sea captains have seen them. Military men have seen them. And Andrew Hebda, curator of zoology with the Nova Scotia Museum, says there’s definitely something to these sightings of monsters and sea serpents.

The question is what?

Granted, he said, there’s no doubt some creatures were likely seen through the bottom of a rum bottle, "but the point is, they saw something."

In 2003, Wallace Cartwright was in his lobster boat off Alder Point, Cape Breton, when he saw a sea serpent about eight metres long. It was the diameter of an oil drum and he followed it until it dove down deep and disappeared.

Two hundred years earlier, a woman by the name of Mrs. W. Lee saw a 30-metre sea monster off the coast of Cape Breton. "Its back was dark green and it stood in the water in flexuous hillocks and went through it with infectious noise," says one account of her sighting.

Pretty enthralling stuff for Mr. Hebda, who is writing a book on these mysterious creatures of the deep.

He spoke at the community centre here on Sunday at an event hosted by the Athenaeum Society of Nova Scotia. "You’re in sea monster central in Nova Scotia," he told them.

In 1833, five fellows were out fishing off Mahone Bay when they reported seeing a monster some 180 metres from their boat. They provided good detail despite the rum they had drunk.

It was about 31 metres long. "We saw the head and neck of some denizen of the deep, precisely like those of a common snake, in the act of swimming, the head so far elevated and thrown forward by the curve of the neck as to enable to see the water under and beyond it."

There have been pockets of such sightings around the province, many of them quite similar despite the decades, if not centuries, that pass between them. And they tend to be in warmer waters, shipping channels and fishing grounds.

Many of them have been off the South Shore, as well as the Pictou area and Cape Breton.

Mr. Hebda is writing a book about sea monster sightings and has been inspired by the detailed accounts he’s collected. In 1975, Keith Ross was in his boat off Cape Sable Island with his son Rodney when a sight suddenly rose before them. "It had eyes as big around as saucers and bright red-looking. I mean, you could see the red in its eyes like they were bloodshot. It had its mouth wide open and there were two big tusks — I call them tusks — that hung down from its upper jaw."

Mr. Ross roared his boat away from the grey, snake-like body as it passed astern.

The Mi’kmaq first recorded similar serpents in petroglyphs found at Kejimkujik National Park. The first documented account was by Nicolas Denys of a merman spotted in Canso Harbour in 1656. The first reported sighting in Halifax Harbour was of an 18-metre serpent in 1825.

The fishermen’s world revolves around things they see every day. Mr. Hebda said when they see something unusual, they want to know what it is. Sometimes the answer is quite innocuous. Often the truth will never be known.

For instance, Mr. Cartwright may well have seen an oarfish, also known as the king of the herring, when he was working off Cape Breton six years ago. "Do we know everything that’s out there? No, no we don’t. Have we seen everything that’s out there? No, now we haven’t," but Mr. Hebda suspects there’s an explanation for pretty much every case — whether it’s a rare tropical fish brought north by warm currents or the distorted vision produced by the thick glass at the bottom of a bottle of spirits.

Mr. Ross hadn’t been drinking when he saw that tusked animal with the bloodshot eyes. But Mr Hebda said that’s also the year officials confirmed and photographed a walrus in the area.

"People see things, they try to figure out what they saw," he said.

"Yes, they did see something. What is it? Therein lies the challenge. It’s a voyage of exploration to see what it is."

( bware@herald.ca)

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/1117547.html

'Missing link' fossil seal walked

By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News website

It may look like a cross between a seal and an otter; but an Arctic fossil could, scientists say, hold the secret of seal evolution in its feet.

A skeleton unearthed in northern Canada shows a creature with feet that were probably webbed, but were not flippers.

Writing in the journal Nature, scientists suggest the 23 million-year-old proto-seal would have walked on land and swum in fresh water.

It is the oldest seal ancestor found so far and has been named Puijila darwini.

Pujilla is the term for "young sea mammal" in the Inuktitut language, spoken by Inuit groups in Devon Island where the fossil was found.

And the reference to Charles Darwin honours the famous biologist's contention that land mammals would naturally move into the marine environment via a fresh water stage, just as pinnipeds - seals, sealions and walruses - have apparently done.

"The find suggests that pinnipeds went through a fresh water phase in their evolution," said Natalia Rybczynski from the Canadian Museum of Nature (CMN) in Ottawa, who led the fieldwork.

"It also provides us with a glimpse of what pinnipeds looked like before they had flippers."

Flip side

The skeleton was about 65% complete, which enabled the researchers to reconstruct what the animal would have looked like in remarkable detail.

The legs suggest it would have walked upright on land; but the foot bones hint strongly at webbed feet. The fact that the remains were found in a former crater lake that has also yielded fossil fish from the same period was additional evidence for a semi-aquatic past.

"The remarkably preserved skeleton of Puijila had heavy limbs, indicative of well developed muscles, and flattened phalanges (finger or toe bones) which suggest that the feet were webbed - but not flippers," said Mary Dawson from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, US, another of the scientists involved.

"This animal was likely adept at both swimming and walking on land. Puijila is the evolutionary evidence we have been lacking for so long."

Until now, the most primitive fossil pinniped was a creature called Enaliarctos that dates from about the same period and appears to have lived in the sea along the northwestern coasts of North America.

Enaliarctos had flippers, but may have had to bring its prey to the shore for eating, whereas modern pinnipeds manage it at sea.

Intriguingly, different species of present-day seal swim in different ways - either rotating their flippers, or waving their hind-quarters from side to side, using the hind limbs for propulsion.

Enaliarctos appears to have been capable of both modes of swimming - and as a four-legged animal with four webbed feet, Puijila is a logical fore-runner of this creature which could swim with all four limbs.

The new discovery also shows, the scientists say, that seals, sealions and walruses very likely had their origins in the Arctic.

Darwin forecast the transition from land to sea via fresh water in his seminal work On the Origin of Species, published 150 years ago this year.

"A strictly terrestrial animal, by occasionally hunting for food in shallow water, then in streams or lakes, might at last be converted in an animal so thoroughly aquatic as to brave the open ocean," he wrote.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8012322.stm

Wednesday, 22 April 2009

Lonely lioness looks for love

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

It could be the best dating advert ever: queen of the jungle, likes long walks and steak dinners, WLTM hairy king to share her 360,000-hectare (890,000-acre) home.

But for Lady Liuwa the plea is no joke – as she just might be Africa's loneliest lioness.

The eight-year-old has been alone for nearly her whole life after her pride was wiped out by hunters and dwindling food stock.

Later this year, experts will introduce her to a male with the closest genetic make-up to the Liuwa lions they can find.

'She is Liuwa's last surviving lion, and could be the loneliest lioness in Africa,' said wildlife photographer Stephen Cunliffe.

'For Lady Liuwa's sake, let's hope that this reintroduction is successful.'

Heavy poaching in the Liuwa Plain National Park in south-west Zambia devastated the prey base for Lady and her relatives.

Some of the majestic animals were shot for their valuable skins or to stop them hunting villagers' cattle.

Since the Africa Parks Network took over in 2004, poaching has fallen but wardens have failed to find Lady a new mate.

A previous attempt to introduce a suitor into the territory failed when he died – and other stray males passing through the plain have failed to turn Lady's head.

APN wardens keep track of her with a radio collar to ensure she is not harmed, especially during the six months each year when the flooded park becomes inaccessible to humans.

But, as she has no mate, Lady spends almost every night near the human camp in the centre of her territory.

'Some believe she is lonely and, as a social cat, seeks companionship from the only available species, man, who is too slow to flee from her instinctively,' added Mr Cunliffe, 32.

'Although totally wild, Lady Liuwa is not aggressive. She certainly deserves the utmost respect from anyone lucky enough to meet her.'

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Lonely_lioness_looks_for_love&in_article_id=628941&in_page_id=34

Green about the gills

A German scientist is claiming to have proved that fish can become 'seasick'.

Dr Reinhold Hilbig, a zoologist from Stuttgart, studied the effects of weightlessness in water as part of research into how humans are affected in space.

Forty-nine fish in a mini aquarium were sent up in a plane that went into a steep dive, simulating the loss of gravity astronauts encounter in space flight.

He said eight of the fish began turning around and around in circles, reports the Daily Telegraph.
"They completely lost their sense of balance, behaving like humans who get seasick," said Dr. Hilbig.

"The fish lost their orientation, they became completely confused and looked as if they were about to vomit. In the wild such a seasick fish would become prey for others because they are incapable of fleeing from danger."

The eight seasick fish were later culled and their brains examined to try to determine the exact cause of their sickness.

"It would seem the loss of eye contact with water movement and vibrations plays a large part in their disorientation," Dr Hilbig said.

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_3291899.html

Rogue monkey enticed by crisps and fizzy drinks

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

He spent six weeks on the lam from the circus, but Reggie the spider monkey has been captured with the help of junk food.

Reggie had performed for the Liebel Family Circus for years, but he escaped on March 13 when the troupe did a show at a central Florida flea market. A search for the monkey came up empty-handed.

He was spotted a few weeks ago in a nearby neighborhood, looking lonely and scared but otherwise healthy. But a dog frightened him away before residents there could attract him with some food.

Then on Monday, Reggie was seen hanging from a tree at a mobile home park. Neighbors fed him crisps and fizzy drinks until the circus owner Tom Liebel came to grab him.

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?Rogue_monkey_enticed_by_crisps_and_fizzy_drinks&in_article_id=630430&in_page_id=2

Ants fitted with radio transmitters for scientific study

Tiny radio transmitters were fitted to ants by scientists to study their house-hunting habits.

Researchers at the University of Bristol fitted radio-frequency identification tags to the backs of the rock ants which measure up to 3mm in length.

Two thousand of the tiny transponders would fit on to a postage stamp.

The scientists then watched the way the ants chose between two nest sites to make their home.

The ants chose the superior nest even though it was nine times further away than the alternative, which was not as well built.

When a colony of rock ants needs to emigrate to a new nest, scouting ants first discover new nests and assess them before leading nest-mates to the new nest to prepare it before the rest of the colony emigrates.

Dr Elva Robinson, from the University's School of Biological Sciences, said that 41% of the ants that visited the nearer, poorer nest later switched to the nest which was further away.

Only 3% of the ants that first visited the far nest switched to the near nest.

"Each ant appears to have its own 'threshold of acceptability' against which to judge a nest individually," she said.

"Ants finding the poor nest were likely to switch and find the good nest, whereas ants finding the good nest were more likely to stay committed to that nest.

"When ants switched quickly between the two nests, colonies ended up in the good nest.

"Individual ants did not need to comparatively evaluate both nests in order for the entire colony to make the correct decision."

Dr Robinson said the study showed that ants are better at house-hunting then humans.

"On the other hand, animals - including humans - who use comparative evaluation frequently make 'irrational' decisions," she said.

"The ants' threshold rule makes an absolute assessment of nest quality that is not subject to risks, so simple individual behaviour substitutes for direct comparison, facilitating effective choice between nest sites for the colony as a whole."

The research is published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/science/5193699/Ants-fitted-with-radio-transmitters-for-scientific-study.html

400-year-old mummified cat found in walls of cottage

A 400-year-old mummified cat has been found in the walls of a house that was being renovated.

By Richard Savill
Last Updated: 2:28PM BST 22 Apr 2009

The cat, which is in recognisable shape and still has its claws and teeth, may have been placed in the walls of the house in Devon, to ward off evil spirits.

Richard Parson, a funeral director, who owns the house in Ugborough, near Plymouth, said: "The builders were stripping one of the bathrooms upstairs and this little fellow came to light.

"It is quite scary looking and is a lot bigger than a normal domestic cat.

"I cannot throw it away so we plan to put it back on completion of the building work. But my wife is not all that keen on it, as she says she will have bad dreams."

He added: "Apparently 400 years ago people put cats behind walls to ward off witches. It clearly works as, since we have lived in the village, we have not seen sight or sound of any witches."

Mr Parson said neighbours have told him the cat was previously found behind the wall 20 years ago, but was put back by another resident.

He added: "There has been a local myth, a legend, that there was a cat buried in the house but of course we had no idea where that was.

"We were also told about a child's boot left in the house because it was once used as a cobblers', and was supposed to bring luck.

"I am not a superstitious man but the cat is a little bit of village history and adds charm to the property."

Marion Gibson, a witchcraft and folklore expert, from Exeter University, said: "Cats were often put into walls as some kind of good luck charm. It seems to have been quite a widespread practice across the European continent.

"They seem to have been designed to keep away witches, the evil eye, bad luck, vermin, or anything that can be seen as a threat to the house."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5200089/400-year-old-mummified-cat-found-in-walls-of-cottage.html

Tuesday, 21 April 2009

Nazi-bred 'Hitler cows' to come to Britain

by: thelondonpaper
21 April 2009

A BREED of giant cattle created by the Nazis can now be seen in Britain for the first time after a farmer imported the huge creatures to graze conservation land.

The Heck Cattle were created by Adolf Hitler's geneticists because the dictator wanted to bring back to life the extinct aurochs, a legendary breed believed to be the size of a rhino.

The aurochs were hunted to extinction in the early 17th century and before the Second World War zoologist brothers Heinz and Lutz Heck attempt to bring them back by breeding from modern cattle.

They created the Heck breed but the animal was seen as a symbol of efforts to build a master Aryan race and most were destroyed after the war.

A small number survived and now 13 are living in Devon where farmer Derek Gow hopes to use them for grazing as well as in wildlife photography and film-making courses.

The 44-year-old, who runs Upcott Grange Farm near Lifton, said: "We will be breeding to create a small pedigree herd which will hopefully be used for nature conservation grazing.

"The Nazis wanted to recreate the auroch to evoke the power of the folklores and legends of the Germanic peoples.

"Aurochs were wild bulls, Julius Caesar recorded them as being bulls as big as elephants.

"Young men hunted these bulls as preparation for battle and leadership in war, but also to obtain these huge 6ft-wide horns that the bulls had as drinking vessels and war horns. They were huge trophies."

Mr Gow said the bulls were used as a propaganda motif by the Fascist regime and the Heck was a mix of breeds from the Scottish Highlands, Corsica and the French Camargue, as well as Spanish fighting bulls.

He said: "The auroch was extinct, but domestic descendants - Friesians, Simmentals and everything else - were still kicking around the countryside.

"The two brothers argued that if the one wild animal that spawned all of these had gone, through a process of back-breeding domestic cattle, you could pull the wild genes out and recreate the ancestor."

Mr Gow said his Heck cattle, which were quarantined, were much shorter than the aurochs, but they did retain the muscular build, deep brown complexion and shaggy, coffee-coloured fringe.

He said: "They look like the cave paintings of Lascaux and Altamira.

"It makes you think of the light of a tallow lamp and these huge bulls on these cave paintings leaping out at you from darkened walls."

http://www.thelondonpaper.com/thelondonpaper/weird/odd-news/nazi-bred-hitler-cows-to-come-to-britain

Pig born with the face of a monkey

by: Kirsty Ross
21 April 2009

A FREAK piglet with the face of a monkey continues to shock the world after farmers in a Chinese village made the discovery several months ago.

The bizarre animal also has rear legs which are much longer than its forelegs, causing it to jump like a kangaroo instead of walk.

At the time, locals flocked to the home of Feng Changlin when news of the piglet spread in Fengzhang village.

"It's hideous. No one will be willing to buy it, and it scares the family to even look at it!" Feng said.

He says the piglet looks just like a monkey, with two thin lips, a small nose and two big eyes.

Feng's wife added: "My God, it was so scary. I didn't know what it was. I was really frightened.

"But our son likes to play with it, and he stopped us from getting rid of it. He even feeds it milk."

http://www.thelondonpaper.com/thelondonpaper/weird/odd-news/pig-born-with-the-face-of-a-monkey

Rejected baby kangaroo gets life-saving milk

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BELGRADE, Serbia - A startled kangaroo at the Belgrade zoo dropped her baby from her pouch and now won't let the tiny creature climb back in, so an international rescue operation has been mounted.

Belgrade zookeepers said Tuesday that six-month-old Tijana fell out of the pouch last month after her mother was scared by an emu - a large Australian bird.

Now, the big-eyed baby kangaroo, which normally would feed on her mother's milk inside the pouch, is being fed in an incubator with special milk donated by Australia, the United States and Germany.

"The zoo has done a fantastic job," said Australia's ambassador to Belgrade Clare Birgin, after delivering a shipment of kangaroo milk. "They really saved her life."

Belgrade zookeeper Mainga Hamadahamane said that advice from the zoos in Australia, Germany, the Czech Republic, the U.S. and Belgium saved Tijana's life.

"Without them, she wouldn't be alive," he said, cuddling the tiny creature.

The zookeepers said Tijana will be fed from a bottle for the next couple of months before getting such food as rice and bananas.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2009/04/21/9187716-ap.html

Woman mugged by eagle

Police in Austria were shocked to be asked to investigate after a 69-year-old woman was mugged - by an eagle.

The pensioner complained that the bald eagle had swooped down and snatched her bag out of her hand.

Klara Maier couldn't believe her eyes when the bird, with its 7ft wing span, landed in the street and pulled the handbag open to check the contents.

Police in Kundl, western Austria, later found the bird hiding in a field and traced it back to its owner Ernst Koenig.

"The eagle is a bit battered and bruised but will recover," said a police source.

"It's a trained bird which got out into the wild. It's never had to find food for itself before and the woman's handbag was the same colour and shape as the bag its owner keeps his food in.

"He's a very peaceful bird," said Mr Koenig. "He was starving and thought the handbag had some food in it."

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_3290581.html

The life histories of the earliest land animals

20 April 2009
Uppsala Universitet

The fossil record usually shows what adult animals looked like. But the appearance and lifestyle of juvenile animals often differ dramatically from those of the adults. A classic example is provided by frogs and salamanders. New discoveries from Uppsala, Cambridge and Duke Universities, published in Science, show that some of the earliest backboned land animals also underwent such changes of lifestyle as they grew up.

Professor Per Ahlberg at the Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology, Uppsala University, together with Jennifer Clack, Cambridge University, and Viviane Callier, Duke University, have studied fossil upper arm bones from the two so-called "four-legged fishes", Ichthtyostega and Acanthostega, from Greenland. These animals, which lived during the Devonian period about 365 million years ago, were among the earliest vertebrates (backboned animals) with fore- and hindlimbs rather than paired fins. They belong to the common stem group of all living amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds.

The researchers have identified several half-grown, as well as fully grown, upper arm bones from Ichthyostega and Acanthostega, allowing them to study how the shape of the bone changed during growth. It turns out that the two animals had different life histories.

“The upper arm bone provides a lot of information about the lifestyle of the animal, because its shape gives clues to the pattern of movement and can tell us for example whether the animal lifted the front part of its body clear of the ground,” says Per Ahlberg.

Ichthyostega, which has robust limbs and only a small tail fin, appears to be the more terrestrial of the two. Its forelimb becomes better adapted to supporting weight as the animal grows up. The pattern of muscle attachments on the upper arm bone changes from a "fish-like" to a "land animal-like" configuration, and the shape of the shoulder joint changes so that it becomes possible for the animal to "lock" its forelimb into a weight-bearing position.

Acanthostega has feebler limbs and a large tail fin, and seems to have been more aquatic. In this animal, there are no corresponding changes.

“The explanation is probably that both animals laid their eggs in water just like modern amphibians, which meant that the terrestrial Ichthyostega, but not the aquatic Acanthostega, needed to undergo a lifestyle transformation as it grew from larva to adult,” says Per Ahlberg.

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/sci;324/5925/364?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=per+ahlberg&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&issue=5925&resourcetype=HWCIT

* Full bibliographic information: Contrasting Developmental Trajectories in the Earliest Known Tetrapod Forelimbs
Viviane Callier,1 Jennifer A. Clack, Per E. Ahlberg
Science 17 April 2009: Vol. 324. no. 5925, pp. 364 - 367
DOI: 10.1126/science.1167542

'Dog killed by Yowie'

MATT CUNNINGHAM

April 21st, 2009

FIRST it was UFOs, now it's feared Yowies could be on the loose in Darwin's rural area.

A Territory Yowie researcher believes the Big-Foot-like beast could be responsible for the recent death of a dog south of Darwin.

The dog's owners believed their seven-month-old puppy, which had its head ripped from its body, was mauled to death by dingoes.

But Andrew McGinn, who has been researching Yowies in the Top End for more than a decade, said it was possible the hairy ape-type beast was responsible for the attack.

"The way the guy's dog was killed was typical of a Yowie," he said.

"I know it sounds fanciful but over the past 100 years, dogs get killed or decapitated and people report feeling watched, having goats stolen or seeing some tall hairy thing in the days beforehand."

In the late 1990s there were several reports of Yowie sightings around Acacia Hills.

In August 1997, mango farmer Katrina Tucker reported being just metres away from what she described as a hairy humanoid creature on her Acacia Hills property.

Photographs of the creature's footprint were taken the next day and examined by the Northern Territory Museum, which concluded that Ms Tucker had been hoaxed.

But Mr McGinn said after speaking with Ms Tucker he had no doubt her story was true.

"After I met this lady I found she was clearly terrified," he said.

Carpenter Darryl Campbell reported seeing a similar creature near Adelaide River in 1998.

Mr McGinn contacted the Northern Territory News after reading a report that Acacia Hills resident Alan Ferguson had spotted UFOs flying around his home.

He said the area seemed to be home to a lot of unusual activity.

"I have been here for 16 years and I hear time and time again reports of these strange things around Acacia Hills," he said.

But Mr Ferguson said he had never seen a Yowie.

"I only see things scootin' around the sky, I don't see hairy monsters," he said,

"But if that's really true, what's next, dinosaurs running around the streets?"

Monday, 20 April 2009

Nandankanan gets ‘wild’ gift from Bhopal

Express News Service
First Published : 19 Apr 2009 02:31:00 AM IST

ISTBHUBANESWAR: Maintaining heterozygosity is one of the most important factors of planned breeding in a zoo because healthy population and sound pedigree require fresh bloodline. The Nandankanan Zoological Park, known for successful breeding of the Royal Bengal Tiger (RBT), has long been crying out to infuse a new bloodline into its army of felines and now, it has happened.

In the last two decades, Nadankanan Zoo didn’t have a wild-caught tiger for breeding in the Zoo.

Today, the famous animal park received one from Bhopal Zoo as part of an exchange programme.

In fact, a tigress rescued from Satkosia, after being shot by poachers, was rehabilitated in Nandankanan Zoo. However, as it was afflicted with posterior paresis, the large cat could not be part of the breeding programme.

‘‘There was an urgent need to induce wild gene into tiger pedigree line of Nandankanan.

It was all the more imperative in view of the present ambitious conservation breeding programme launched by Central Zoo Authority,’’ said AK Patnaik, Director, Nandankanan Zoological Park and Zoo.

The park had two wild caught tigers which were brought in August 1998. Both, however, died in July 2000 during the great tiger tragedy when over a dozen cats perished in a week due to tripanosomasis.

The declining population of tiger in wild necessitated ex situ conservation breeding which is why CZA has been emphasising on infusion of new blood. The breeding programme the central authority laid out had Bhopal Zoo designated as coordinating zoo and Nandankanan, the participating zoo.

Says Patnaik, marking is mandatory for all animals involved in conservation breeding.

Tigers involved in the programme at Nandankanan are microchipped.

‘‘When their pedigree was determined, we found that there is a necessity of introduction of new bloodline to make the breeding programme viable and that was when we initiated dialogues with zoos,’’ he said. The challenge, however, was availability of wild caught tiger. Finally, Bhopal Zoo came up with one. The CZA okayed the proposal last month.

A tigress and two wild caught jackals were transported to Nandankanan today.

The animals were brought under direct supervision of a team of seven including a vet. Their travel was restricted to night because of the summer.

As part of the exchange programme, two white tigers would be handed over to Bhopal Zoo.

Nandankanan now has 24 tigers, both RBT and white. Twelve are normal, while the rest are white. With at least four young ones moving into the age group of one and above, the Zoo would have to provide them more space in terms of enclosure.

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Nandankanan+gets+‘wild’+gift+from+Bhopal&artid=2hW/JT7qMaQ=

Pig Brother reality show to sell more bacon

Move over Miss Piggy, show business has found its new pink-snouted celebrities - meet Piggy, Lilly, Pauli and Fredi, the stars of Austria's latest reality show Pig Brother.

Starting Monday and for the next six weeks, the four little piglets will be followed by live cameras and their private lives splashed across the internet, all part of a marketing ploy by a local food fair.

The goal is to be named Super Pig.

The town of Helfenberg in northern Austria is organising its third annual Speck (German for bacon) Spectacle in early June and Pig Brother is just the appetiser.

Each week, viewers will get to vote for the "Favourite pig of the week" and each Sunday, the little porkers will have to take part in Pig Olympics to gather the points needed to win.

True to reality-show format, the piglets - philosopher Pauli, diva Piggy, friendly Lilly and courageous Fredi - will be filmed non-stop for a month and a half as they eat, sleep and roll themselves in the mud.

And like true stars, they even have their own web-based diaries.

- AFP

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/21/2548006.htm

3 new tiger cubs in Vizag zoo

20 Apr 2009, 0643 hrs IST, TNN

VISAKHAPATNAM: A four-year-old white tigress gave birth to three cubs, leaving the authorities at the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park in Vizag
grinning from ear to ear.

The news was out recently though the cubs were born last Sunday. Since tigers are solitary animals and like to be left alone especially when they are breeding, the zoo authorities took painstaking efforts to ensure that the tigress, Kumari, was left undisturbed during her pregnancy. "Not a single visitor was allowed near her enclosure for nearly 45 days," a zoo official said.

Kumari, which arrived here two years ago and her companion seven-year-old Sirish, another white tiger, were brought from the National Zoological Park of Hyderabad.

It would take several days for the cubs to come out in the open. Rahul Pandey, curator of the park, told TOI that they have covered the enclosure with wet gunny bags to protect the cubs from the searing heat.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Hyderabad/3-new-tiger-cubs-in-Vizag-zoo/articleshow/4422158.cms

Mystery ailment kills 14 horses at polo tournament

The animals collapse and die in front of a stunned U.S. Open crowd in Florida. Several others are sick.

By Sharon Robb
April 20, 2009

Reporting from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. -- At least 14 horses collapsed and died Sunday just before a match at the U.S. Open polo tournament in Wellington, Fla.

Several other horses were said to have been stricken. Two sources connected to the competition said on condition of anonymity that the number of dead could reach 30.

Veterinarians tried feverishly to save the horses, inserting intravenous tubes and fighting to help the animals breathe, while a stunned crowd at the International Polo Club Palm Beach looked on. Electric fans sprayed the horses with water mist to try to cool them down.

Workers erected curtains to screen the ailing horses from the hushed crowd.

"They started getting dizzy," polo club spokesman Tim O'Connor said. "They dropped down right onto the grass."


Dr. Scott Swerdlin, a member of the Palm Beach Equine Clinic -- International Polo's consulting veterinarian group -- was at the scene.

"Some died right away," Swerdlin said. "Others lasted about 45 minutes."

Seven horses died at the Polo Club and the rest died after leaving the property, O'Connor said. Each of the horses, all between 10 and 11 years old, was valued at about $100,000, he said.

The horses were part of the Venezuelan-based Lechuza Caracas team and had been kept at the team's complex near the polo stadium. Each polo team typically brings about 24 horses to a match. For such a prestigious competition, teams often bring more -- six to eight for each of the four players.

The horses began breathing heavily and stumbling at the Lechuza Caracas facility before they were brought to the polo club, Swerdlin said he was told. As members were preparing their horses for the match, two horses collapsed and several others seemed dizzy and disoriented.

Four of the equines died in a trailer.

"It could be the water, hay, bedding. We just don't know. When we find out what it is, we will take all the necessary actions," said John A. Walsh, polo club president.

"One minute we're waiting for everyone to start and in a good mood, and the next thing we could see seven or eight of them down," said Carlos Suarez of Fort Lauderdale, a spectator who was at the U.S. Open with his wife and two daughters. "People that knew, you could tell it in their faces. They were crying."

When the horses began getting sick and collapsing, stadium officials canceled the match.

Polo club manager Jimmy Newman was left looking for answers.

"They had a reaction to something. We don't know what," Newman said.

Necropsies will be conducted by state veterinarian Dr. Mike Scott to determine the cause of death. Preliminary findings are expected late today or Tuesday.

A full-scale investigation by the U.S. Polo Assn., the sport's governing body, is expected to begin today.

The U.S. Open is the oldest and most prestigious polo tournament in the United States. Teams often bring their most expensive horses.

One or two horses met a similar fate in Ocala, Fla., within the last two years, said Dean Turney, executive director of the Wellington Equestrian Alliance. In that case, Turney said, the horses' sickness was linked to contaminated feed.

srobb@sun-sentinel.com

South Florida Sun-Sentinel staff writer Marc Freeman contributed to this report, which was supplemented by information from the Palm Beach Post.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-deadhorses20-2009apr20,0,2289342.story

Three Neanderthal Sub-groups Confirmed

ScienceDaily (Apr. 15, 2009) — The Neanderthals inhabited a vast geographical area extending from Europe to western Asia and the Middle East 30,000 to 100,000 years ago. Now, a group of researchers are questioning whether or not the Neanderthals constituted a homogenous group or separate sub-groups (between which slight differences could be observed).

Paleoanthropological studies based on morphological skeletal evidence have offered some support for the existence of three different sub-groups: one in Western Europe, one in southern Europe and another in the Levant.

Researchers Virginie Fabre, Silvana Condemi and Anna Degioanni from the CNRS Laboratory of Anthropology (UMR 6578) at the University of Marseille, France, have given further consideration to the question of diversity of Neanderthals by studying the genetic structure of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and by analyzing the genetic variability, modeling different scenarios. The study was possible thanks to the publication, since 1997, of 15 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences (the mtDNa is maternally transmitted) that originated from 12 Neanderthals.

The new study confirms the presence of three separate sub-groups and suggests the existence of a fourth group in western Asia. According to the authors, the size of the Neanderthal population was not constant over time and a certain amount of migration occurred among the sub-groups. The variability among the Neanderthal population is interpreted to be an indirect consequence of the particular climatic conditions on their territorial extension during the entire middle Pleistocene time period.

Degioanni and colleagues obtained this result by using a new methodology derived from different biocomputational models based on data from genetics, demography and paleoanthropology. The adequacy of each model was measured by comparing the simulated results obtained using BayesianSSC software with those predicted based on nucleotide sequences.

The researchers hope that one day this methodology might be applied to questions concerning Neanderthal cultural diversity (for example the lithic industry) and to the availability of natural resources in the territory. This could provide new insights into the history and extinction of the Neanderthals.

Journal reference:

Fabre et al. Genetic Evidence of Geographical Groups among Neanderthals. PLoS ONE, 2009; 4 (4): e5151 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0005151

Adapted from materials provided by Public Library of Science, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090415075150.htm

Sunday, 19 April 2009

Eight-inch long Tilly could be Britain's smallest dog

Standing just six inches tall and measuring eight inches from nose to tail, Tilly the Chorkie could be the smallest dog in Britain.

Last Updated: 1:42PM BST 19 Apr 2009

A cross between a Yorkshire Terrier and a Chihuahua, Tilly was born on January 15 at which time she was around three inches long and weighing less than four ounces.

Now fully grown, her owner Karen McPhearson has been told her growing days are over.

"Tilly is so boisterous and enthusiastic for someone so small," says Karen of East Kilbride.

"We took her to the vets last week and we were told that she will not grow any more.

"She has not got any bigger since she was four weeks old and now weighs just one pound four ounces and is just eight inches long and about eight inches tall from head to floor or six inches from her back to the floor."

Earlier this month, reports suggested that a Chiuahuah-Jack Russell cross puppy, aptly named Tom Thumb, could hold the record for Britain's smallest dog.

Measuring less than four inches from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail and weighing around three ounces the pup is considerably smaller than Tilly.

But at only three weeks of age, the tiny puppy has plenty of growing time left.

For Karen however, records are not so important as she and her husband Norrie, 46, now have another addition to their growing collection of dogs.

"Tilly weighs just one pound four ounces but she has a big appetite," says 45-year-old Karen.

"Apart from her usual five meals a day of dog food, she loves to drink tea and eat baby ruskies.

"Norrie and I are always running around after Tilly, her parents Sasha and Tyson (both Chorkies) and our fourth dog, CJ. a Japanese Akita.

"They can be quite a handful but they are definitely worth it."

Despite her tiny frame Tilly does not hold the record for the world's smallest pup.

That record, recognised by the Guinness Book of Records, belongs to Chihuahua Heaven Sent Brandy, a four-year-old Chihuahua from Florida in the USA, who is six inches long.

Photo: Dominic Cocozza / Barcroft

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5182276/Eight-inch-long-Tilly-could-be-Britains-smallest-dog.html

Mooove Off! Cows Frighten Away Biker Yobs

12:38pm UK, Friday April 17, 2009

Anti-social bikers who have been tearing up playing fields are being scared off the property - by a herd of cows.

The people of Monks Brook in Southampton are fed up of council turf being ruined by youths on loud bikes.

So Hampshire County Council has turned to the hoofed animals for help and drafted in eight of the beasts to occupy the land.

A spokesperson said: "We had a number of complaints from residents about kids breaking in with motorbikes so we decided to move eight cows onto the land."

The Aberdeen Angus cows seem to have done the trick.

But the new herd is not so popular with the next door neighbours - the footie team BTC Sports and Social Club say the cows are stopping matches.

Club chairman Damon Brown told Southampton's The Daily Echo: "They are not solving the problem, they are just moving it on. The longer these cows are on the field the more damage they are going to do."

He said BTC wanted to mark out the land for three more pitches and six mini pitches to start up a girls' league.

And Mr Brown added: "The motorcycles would find it difficult to drive across the field on a Saturday and Sunday when its full of kids playing football."

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Cows-Scare-Off-Motorbikers-In-Southampton-Hampshire-County-Council-Moves-Cows-Onto-Fields/Article/200904315263662?f=rss

Sightings of black beasts spur tourism

Sightings of mysterious black beasts in Worcestershire are giving the tourism industry a boost, says a marketing group. Owners of bed-and-breakfasts, pubs and hotels say people are trailing the ‘big cats’.

Now tourism chiefs are considering developing activities for people wanting to investigate the beasts including special trails and a website. Officials are considering sending a delegation to Loch Ness to find out about exploiting sightings.

Last month two men reported a panther-like creature in undergrowth on the outskirts of Worcester.

Previous sightings were in Chaddesley Corbett, Ombersley, Bewdley and Inberrow areas. The county is one of the UK’s top hot spots for mystery sightings. In 2006, a survey, compiled by the British Big Cats Society, listed nearly 50 sightings in the area in a single year.

Beasts are said to be jet black, at least four feet in length, with flashing eyes and long tails. It was suggested they may be big feral cats or a family of panthers.

http://www.expressandstar.com/2009/04/16/sightings-of-black-beasts-spur-tourism/

Mexico: Panic Over "Humanoid" in Chihuahua

Source: El Heraldo de Chihuahua
Date: March 27, 2009

Panic Over "Humanoid" seen in La Junta, Guerrero (Chihuahua)

Newsroom - Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua - The Man Bat, who seems to have popped out of some fiction movie, is a real creature that caused a young student from the local university - and a resident of La Junta - to panic. It is a being witnessed by several locals who have described it as a winged humanoid with a fur-covered face and a height of 2 meters.

This all coincides, by the way, with the killings of sheep by decapitation in several ranches. The young man, a non-smoker, non-drinker and non-drug user, is called ? and does not want his name in print.

And he has not yet recovered from the experience that evening - Friday, March 6 at 23:50n hours, as he left Universidad Regional del Norte and headed home to La Junta.

However, when he reached Puente Sin Nombre, he was forced to hit the brakes and make an emergency stop. There was a shadowy bulk on the asphalt, looking like a hunched-over man , perhaps covered by a blanket.

Upon approaching, the still unknown figure rose to its full height, leaped forward twice, unfurled enormous bat-like wings that probably covered the width of the lane, and took to the air.

The young man in question - a serious and outstanding student in his coursework, didn't think twice. He floored the accelerator of his Liberty, burning rubber as he tried to flee from the unknown.

A desperate, fifteen minute chase ensued. The strange creature flew with the power of its rear wings, which were smaller, keeping abreast of the vehicle and peering through the passenger window.

The fear became more intense, and the youngster only thought to call home via his cell phone. His mother answered the phone, and she asked why she could hear the noise of a vehicle trying to reach full speed.

His voice broken by tears, the witness tried to describe that a man, or perhaps a winged animal, was chasing him. His first notion was that it was an apparition, a shaped assumed by Death, and it prompted him to scream in despair: " I'm going to die! I'm going to die!"

He now says that it could have been a hallucination of sorts, but upon reflecting on the entity that chased him for over 15 minutes, he feels shivers again. And he says: "No, it was no illusion." This is the closest brush he has had with fear.

The description is somewhat vague, but the image haunts him when he is unable to sleep. A man with red, bloodshot eyes, standing 2 meters tall, judging by the full length of the Liberty. Two pairs of wings, one large, another small, which allowed it to achieve unimaginable speed; small kangaroo-like hands that it held loosely and without strength, which repeatedly struck the glass of the passenger side window. Its face was covered by some sort of fur, with a protruding dome-shaped forehead and those bloodshot eyes.

This creature was seen in the vicinity of Cimbraplay, near Saenz Guerrero, where several sheep were found dead in recent days at three different ranches. They had all been slain in the same fashion: a large cut to the neck and another on part of the tail.

Another family also claims having seen it in the Mesa de Gonzalez segment of the road to San Juanito, and provides a similar description. With regard to that night, the mother says: "I had never heard him like that, and much less seen him in the state he arrived: shivering, pale and in the midst of a nervous breakdown."

The young man is well thought of in his school and it is said that they are already looking into the presence of this mythic being. The legend of the Man-Bat of La Junta appears to have been born as well.

It Appears Again Near the Cemetery

"I saw the Santa Muerte (Holy Death)." These words were spoken in the most serene tone that one could have after such a bitter experience. It was a remark made by Ivonne, and it never left the household. She shared it with her mother and husband. No one else.

It wasn't until now that they realize that the entity matches the description of the Man-Bat seen in the La Junta region, and which reappeared only days ago at the graveyard gate.

Ivonne (not her real name) is a young mother who dropped off a friend in a sector of La Junta after spending time with her at home, near the new highway to Guerrero. The time was 9:00 at night when she was coming back along the old road that passes by the cemetery.

It was at that time that it saw an enormous figure at the graveyard gate. It resembled a long statue and looked like a person covered in a blanket or a black cape. She felt a shiver and accelerated her truck. She thought it was la Santa Muerte and that she was probably going to die on the road between the graveyard and her home.

Upon returning, she told her mother and husband what she'd seen, and said that it was perhaps the Holy Death, but she was very serene about it, and matters remained at that - a remark that reemerged when they read about the first event in El Heraldo, in which a college student described his traumatic experience.

The description given in the El Heraldo del Noroeste article led her to believe that it was the same thing that she'd seen, and her mother and husband agreed on this.

Upon visiting the cemetery gate, she noticed that the creatures height was truly impressive, given that the gate's archway measures 4 meters from the ground, and the witness states that as she drove past, the [creature's head] nearly touched the top of the gate.

The college student estimated [the creature's] height at some 2 meters, based on the fact that when it chased him for 15 kilometers, its body's length covered the length of the Jeep Liberty he was driving at the time.

The Legend of the Man-Bat has continued yielding narratives: residents of La Junta now say that there is another youngster who also saw this mysterious, supernatural presence. However, they say that the impression was such that this fellow is currently hospitalized somewhere due to a nervous shock. This story has yet to be confirmed.

More Reports: Creature Seen Trapped In Hail-Proof Netting, Talk of a Possible Photograph

A month after the first manifestation or eyewitness account, in this community and its vicinity, some 40 miles from Cuauhtémoc, more stories are being told. It appears to be a fear that is becoming widespread or else a reality that its becoming generalized. Children have also seen it.

It is said that in the downtown area two children went out for a drink of water from the pump in the middle of the back yard. That's when they saw an enormous bird gliding around. Fear caused them to return to the house running and panting.

A young woman claims having heard a noise like the squealing of a mouse, strange sounds on the roof and the flapping of wings.

However, an even closer encounter occurred in Huerta El Rosario, surprisingly close to the first apparition in the vicinity of Puente Sin Nombre, where a watchman heard sounds he'd never heard before.

On the ATV he employs to cover the full extent of the farm, he reached the point where he thought the noises emanated from. What he saw was simply indescribable and the only command his brain issued at the time was to flee at full speed. The red-eyed creature was trapped by the hail-stone preventive netting and was struggling to escape, which it surely managed to do, as it wasn't there the next morning.

The story and remarks are the result of paranoia, perhaps, but everyone is starting to wonder about the existence of a photo that someone took. At least this is what a Public Safety officer has said, but he could not be reached to corroborate the story.

Furthermore, 20 kilometers away, at El Baje or Agua Caliente, a witness to the impressive flight of this being simply collapsed from a heart attack. It is said that he is being treated in one of the region's hospital, but his identity is being concealed for the time being. If found, he would still be in no condition to discuss his encounter.

(Translation (c) 2009. S. Corrales, IHU. Special thanks to El Heraldo de Chihuahua and Ana Luisa Cid)

http://inexplicata.blogspot.com/2009/04/mexico-panic-over-humanoid-in-chihuahua.html

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