All posts tagged "Animal"

Los Angeles (AFP) - A curious cat that sneaked into an open box was shipped across the United States to an Amazon warehouse after its unknowing owners sealed it inside. Carrie Clark's pet, Galena, vanished from her Utah home on April 10, sparking a furious search that involved plastering "missing" posters around the neighborhood. But a week later, a vet hundreds of miles (kilometers) away in Los Angeles got in touch to say the cat had been discovered in a box -- alongside several pairs of boots -- by a warehouse worker at an Amazon center. "I ran to tell my husband that Galena was found and we......

Los Angeles (AFP) - A US man who tried to breed enormous hybrid sheep using genetic material from endangered animals so he could sell them to trophy hunting ranches faces jail time after pleading guilty to wildlife crimes on Tuesday. Arthur Schubarth, 80, illegally imported parts of the world's largest species of sheep from Kyrgyzstan, which he used to create cloned embryos in the United States. The resulting fetuses were then implanted in ewes on his Montana ranch, resulting in the birth of a genetically pure Marco Polo argali, an endangered species that can weigh more than 300 pounds (135 ki......

Washington (AFP) - In humans, nodding off for a few seconds is a clear sign of insufficient sleep -- and can be dangerous in some situations, such as when driving a car.  But a new study published on Thursday finds chinstrap penguins snooze thousands of times per day, accumulating their daily sleep requirement of more than 11 hours in short bursts averaging just four seconds. The flightless birds might have evolved this trait because of their need to remain constantly vigilant, according to the authors of the paper in Science.  The researchers argued that the findings show, contrary to prior a......

Washington (AFP) - To some, they are a magical sight to behold in the heart of the city -- to others a pest that eats through their gardens, endangers traffic and helps spread tick-borne diseases. After nearly being wiped out by rampant deforestation and over-hunting in the 19th century, deer have made a stunning comeback across the United States. Estimates place their numbers at greater than 30 million, much of it along the East Coast.  In Washington, deer threaten the future of Rock Creek Park, a "hidden jewel" stretching across 1,754 acres (710 hectares) that offers residents a refuge from ......

Washington (AFP) - Polar bears have long symbolized the dangers posed by climate change, as rising temperatures melt away the Arctic sea ice they depend upon for survival. But quantifying the impact of a single oil well or coal power plant on the tundra predators had eluded scientists, until now. A new report published in the journal Science on Thursday shows it is possible to calculate how much new greenhouse gas emissions will increase the number of ice-free days in the bears' habitats, and how that in turn will affect the percentage of cubs that reach adulthood. By achieving this level of g......

Washington (AFP) - In 1997, a lone wolf crossed an ice bridge that briefly connected Canada with the remote Isle Royale, which lies off the coast of Michigan in Lake Superior and is renowned for its rich biodiversity. His arrival revived the flagging fortunes of the wider wolf population, which had been hit by disease and inbreeding, and triggered cascading effects that improved the health of the overall forest ecosystem, a study in Science Advances showed Wednesday. "Issues like inbreeding and low genetic diversity are an important concern for scientists," first author Sarah Hoy, an ecologist......