Mysterious Creature May Lurk In Appalachian Mountains
Matthew Earle
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
GOLDTOWN -- Is it a wolf, an owl or the second coming of the Mothman, no one knows for sure. "I don't know. I don't have any idea so I don't whether to be worried or not," said Joyce Harrison. "It doesn't sound like anything I've ever heard," said her husband James Harrison.
A loud screeching noise has been periodically heard in the mountains near Goldtown in Kanawha County. "I called the sheriff's department and the secretary told me she thought it was a ghost ... but no one knows ... its one of those deals where one opinion gives into another one," said James.
The Harrisons used a microphone to record the sound and it sounds much like a wolf or coyote, but nearby neighbors say they have heard those noises before, and this certainly isn't it. "This is pretty unique we heard coyotes and turkeys and foxes and all that type of thing but this is something we've never heard before," said Mark Harrison.
The family has made contact with the Division of Natural Resources and have been told it may be an owl or loon, but for now the mystery remains, buried deep in the woods.
http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=83583
Monday, 2 August 2010
Monkeys hate flying squirrels, report monkey-annoyance experts
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0730/Monkeys-hate-flying-squirrels-report-monkey-annoyance-experts]
Monkeys hate flying squirrels, report monkey-annoyance experts
Japanese macaques will completely flip out in when presented with a flying squirrels, a new study in monkey-antagonism has found. The research could pave the way for advanced methods of enraging monkeys.
By Adam Hadhazy, LiveScience Staff Writer / July 30, 2010
Researchers have observed small monkeys called Japanese macaques going bananas at the sight of a flying squirrel.
This riled-up response is probably just a false alarm, with the monkeys mistaking the squirrel for a predatory bird. On the other hand, male macaques – some of whom give chase and even attack a harmless rodent – might be trying to impress females in their troop. Although this tough-guy motive was not proved in a new study, "it is possible that adult or sub-adult male monkeys may be 'showing off' their fitness" as potential mates, said Kenji Onishi, an assistant professor of behavioral sciences at Osaka University and lead author of the paper being published in the current issue of the journal Primate Research.
Biologists and psychologists have long studied macaques' complex social interactions for insights into human evolution and behavior. However, much remains unknown about how macaques get along (or not) with other creatures. Better documentation of such encounters could reveal more about macaque societies as well as that of our shared primate forbearers.
"Human evolution occurred alongside primate evolution from a common mammalian ancestor," Onishi told LiveScience. "Therefore, it is important to learn the evolution of primates in understanding the previous steps in human evolution."
Monkeys hate flying squirrels, report monkey-annoyance experts
Japanese macaques will completely flip out in when presented with a flying squirrels, a new study in monkey-antagonism has found. The research could pave the way for advanced methods of enraging monkeys.
By Adam Hadhazy, LiveScience Staff Writer / July 30, 2010
Researchers have observed small monkeys called Japanese macaques going bananas at the sight of a flying squirrel.
This riled-up response is probably just a false alarm, with the monkeys mistaking the squirrel for a predatory bird. On the other hand, male macaques – some of whom give chase and even attack a harmless rodent – might be trying to impress females in their troop. Although this tough-guy motive was not proved in a new study, "it is possible that adult or sub-adult male monkeys may be 'showing off' their fitness" as potential mates, said Kenji Onishi, an assistant professor of behavioral sciences at Osaka University and lead author of the paper being published in the current issue of the journal Primate Research.
Biologists and psychologists have long studied macaques' complex social interactions for insights into human evolution and behavior. However, much remains unknown about how macaques get along (or not) with other creatures. Better documentation of such encounters could reveal more about macaque societies as well as that of our shared primate forbearers.
"Human evolution occurred alongside primate evolution from a common mammalian ancestor," Onishi told LiveScience. "Therefore, it is important to learn the evolution of primates in understanding the previous steps in human evolution."
Sunday, 1 August 2010
Everglades and Madagascar forests on Unesco danger list
A UN panel has added Florida's Everglades National Park and Madagascar's tropical rainforest to a list of world heritage sites at risk.
Unesco's World Heritage Committee said development in the Everglades had caused water flow to fall 60% in the wetland, a major wildlife sanctuary.
The pollution level there was so high it was killing marine life, it added.
Illegal logging and poaching following last year's military coup has meanwhile imperilled Madagascar's rainforests.
On Thursday, the committee voted to remove the Galapagos Islands from the at-risk list, saying Ecuador had made significant progress protecting its ecosystem.
Unique speciesAt a meeting in Brazil, the Unesco panel said the Everglades had been added to the List of World Heritage in Danger at the request of the US government because of "serious and continuing degradation of its aquatic ecosystem".
Agricultural and urban development were the main reasons for the decrease in water flow and increase in pollution levels, Unesco said.
It is the second time the Everglades, home to 20 endangered species, have been added. The wetlands were first classified as at risk between 1993 and 2007 after being devastated by Hurricane Andrew.
"We commend the USA's request to re-inscribe the site on the danger list, and its plans for major infrastructure overhaul to restore the Everglades's fragile wetland ecosystem," said Mariam Kenza Ali of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The Atsinanana rainforests of Madagascar, which lie within six national parks in the east of the island, were put on the list because of the threat to the many unique species inhabiting them, especially primates and lemurs.
"In adding this site to the danger list, we are calling for international action to halt illegal logging and to also ensure that no illegally logged precious woods from Madagascar enter national markets," said Tim Badman, head of World Heritage at the IUCN.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-10825472
Chernobyl zone shows decline in biodiversity
The largest wildlife census of its kind conducted in Chernobyl has revealed that mammals are declining in the exclusion zone surrounding the nuclear power plant.
The study aimed to establish the most reliable way to measure the impact on wildlife of contamination in the zone.
It was based on almost four years of counting and studying animals there.
The scientists say that birds provide the best "quantitative measure" of these impacts.
They report their findings in the journal Ecological Indicators.
The research team say that their census of species in the zone - which was carried out for more than three years - provides more evidence that contamination has a "significant impact" on biodiversity.
Professor Timothy Mousseau from the University of South Carolina, US, and Dr Anders Moller from the University of Paris-Sud, France, worked together on the project.
From 2006-2009, they counted and examined wildlife including insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
Their previously published work revealed some of the negative impacts on birds and on insects of the low-level radiation that still contaminated the exclusion zone surrounding the power plant.
The new data on mammals and reptiles shows what Professor Moussaeu described as a "strong signal" of reduced biodiversity in these groups too.
The research team compared the abundance of species in the exclusion zone with similar types of habitats in the area, which were not contaminated.
"The truth is that these radiation contamination effects were so large as to be overwhelming," Professor Mousseau told BBC News.
During their census work, he and Dr Moller have also examined the effects of radiation contamination on the animals. They say that these impacts are particularly obvious in birds.
In their studies on barn swallows, the team observed birds with tumours on their feet, necks and around their eyes.
"We think they may be more susceptible, after their long migrations, to additional environmental stress," explained Professor Mousseau.
Poison or haven?Scientists in the Ukraine criticised the conclusions. Dr Sergii Gashchak, a researcher at the Chornobyl Center in Ukraine was not available for comment on this latest paper.
But he spoke to BBC News last year and dismissed the team's previous findings on insects and birds. He said that he drew "opposite conclusions".
"Wildlife really thrives in Chernobyl area - due to the low level of [human] influence," Dr Gashchak told BBC News.
"All life appeared and developed under the influence of radiation, so mechanisms of resistance and recovery evolved to survive in those conditions," he continued.
But Professor Mousseau said the evidence of an increase in biodiversity in the region is "purely anecdotal".
"This is the first paper that provides quantitative, rigorous data that the mammals really are significantly affected by contamination," he told BBC News.
"That said - it's not a bad idea to set this place up as a wildlife haven - it's a natural laboratory where we can study the long-term consequences of this kind of an accident."
Dr Mousseau also criticised a recently made documentary film called Chernobyl, A Natural History, which has been promoted by a French production company as showing how nature has "recolonised" the exclusion zone in the absence of man.
Professor Mousseau said: "If society is ever to learn more about the long term environmental consequences of large scale accidents - and Chernobyl is just one of several - it is important that we all take our responsibilities seriously."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10819027
MORE ON THE TORBAY SEA MONSTER (Via Dale Drinnon)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1299023/The-new-Nessie-Mystery-sea-creature-spotted-British-coast.html
The new Nessie? Mystery 'sea creature' spotted off British coast
By Daily Mail ReporterLast updated at 12:40 AM on 31st July 2010
Cynics may dismiss it as just a piece of driftwood or a trick of the light. But a photograph showing what appears to be a long-necked sea creature has got marine experts scratching their heads. The 'animal' was snapped stalking a shoal of fish just 30 yards off the British coast.
The fish were apparently so scared that they beached themselves. The creature was spotted off the Devon coast at Saltern Cove, Paignton, by locals who reported a sighting of what they thought was a turtle. But pictures taken by one of the baffled witnesses, Gill Pearce, reveal the neck of the greenish-brown beast with the reptile-like head is far too long for it to be a turtle.
Mrs Pearce, who took the photo on July 27, reported her sighting to the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) where it was studied by sea life experts. Claire Fischer from the MCS said: 'Gill Pearce spotted the creature about 20 metres from the bay at Saltern Cove, near Goodrington. 'It was observed at about 15.30 on 27 July but by the time she had got her camera it had moved further out. She spotted it following a shoal of fish which beached themselves in Saltern Cove. The creature remained in the sea, then went out again and followed the shoal - this indicates it's not a turtle as they only eat jellyfish.
'We would love to know if other people have seen anything like this in the same area and can help clear up the mystery.'
The 'animal' was at first dismissed as a sea turtle but experts say its long neck and reptile-like head - as well as the fact it was chasing fish - contradict this theory. Some people think the sea sighting could be linked to that of a sperm whale sighted off south Devon recently but Miss Fischer dismissed that explanation. 'They [sperm whales] wouldn't come that close inshore and the reptilian-like head counts that out - at least that's what the experts are saying.'
The sighting has caused a stir on the MCS website too, where theories range from sea serpent to salt water crocodile. An MCS spokesman said: 'It was reported as a turtle as it had large front flippers and small back flippers and what appeared to be a shell but was also said to have a small head on a thin neck about two-feet long which craned above the surface like a Plesiosaur.
'No sea turtles do that with their heads and we do not know of similarly described freshwater turtles that grow so big. It's described as being as long as a sea lion with a long neck which floated at the same height in the water all the time. This is not a fake. The problem is the distance and clarity from which the photos were taken. The lady thought it may have been a turtle - but turtles don't chase fish.
'So at the moment it is "unidentified" - the person who reported it has trawled the internet and says the closest ID fit is a giant green sea turtle - but the description of the head doesn't add up.' The organisation is now asking for people to keep a keen watch on the seas off South Devon and have appealed for more photos to be taken.
A spokesman said: 'If you live or are visiting down near Saltern Cove Goodrington, near Paignton please keep your eyes on the sea and let us know if you see anything - and keep your camera by your side just in case.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1299023/The-new-Nessie-Mystery-sea-creature-spotted-British-coast.html#ixzz0vIGB5RuU
The new Nessie? Mystery 'sea creature' spotted off British coast
By Daily Mail ReporterLast updated at 12:40 AM on 31st July 2010
Cynics may dismiss it as just a piece of driftwood or a trick of the light. But a photograph showing what appears to be a long-necked sea creature has got marine experts scratching their heads. The 'animal' was snapped stalking a shoal of fish just 30 yards off the British coast.
The fish were apparently so scared that they beached themselves. The creature was spotted off the Devon coast at Saltern Cove, Paignton, by locals who reported a sighting of what they thought was a turtle. But pictures taken by one of the baffled witnesses, Gill Pearce, reveal the neck of the greenish-brown beast with the reptile-like head is far too long for it to be a turtle.
Mrs Pearce, who took the photo on July 27, reported her sighting to the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) where it was studied by sea life experts. Claire Fischer from the MCS said: 'Gill Pearce spotted the creature about 20 metres from the bay at Saltern Cove, near Goodrington. 'It was observed at about 15.30 on 27 July but by the time she had got her camera it had moved further out. She spotted it following a shoal of fish which beached themselves in Saltern Cove. The creature remained in the sea, then went out again and followed the shoal - this indicates it's not a turtle as they only eat jellyfish.
'We would love to know if other people have seen anything like this in the same area and can help clear up the mystery.'
The 'animal' was at first dismissed as a sea turtle but experts say its long neck and reptile-like head - as well as the fact it was chasing fish - contradict this theory. Some people think the sea sighting could be linked to that of a sperm whale sighted off south Devon recently but Miss Fischer dismissed that explanation. 'They [sperm whales] wouldn't come that close inshore and the reptilian-like head counts that out - at least that's what the experts are saying.'
The sighting has caused a stir on the MCS website too, where theories range from sea serpent to salt water crocodile. An MCS spokesman said: 'It was reported as a turtle as it had large front flippers and small back flippers and what appeared to be a shell but was also said to have a small head on a thin neck about two-feet long which craned above the surface like a Plesiosaur.
'No sea turtles do that with their heads and we do not know of similarly described freshwater turtles that grow so big. It's described as being as long as a sea lion with a long neck which floated at the same height in the water all the time. This is not a fake. The problem is the distance and clarity from which the photos were taken. The lady thought it may have been a turtle - but turtles don't chase fish.
'So at the moment it is "unidentified" - the person who reported it has trawled the internet and says the closest ID fit is a giant green sea turtle - but the description of the head doesn't add up.' The organisation is now asking for people to keep a keen watch on the seas off South Devon and have appealed for more photos to be taken.
A spokesman said: 'If you live or are visiting down near Saltern Cove Goodrington, near Paignton please keep your eyes on the sea and let us know if you see anything - and keep your camera by your side just in case.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1299023/The-new-Nessie-Mystery-sea-creature-spotted-British-coast.html#ixzz0vIGB5RuU
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