Monkey Stolen From Zoo



Banana Sam before he got stolen



Banana Sam, a male Squirrel Monkey, was stolen from San Francisco Zoo. On Thursday night, two guards were patrolling the 100 acre zoo when a man stole Banana Sam. San Francisco Zoo has doubled the security to prevent the burglars from entering again. The other 17 Squirrel Monkeys are held indoors for prevention of loss. Banana Sam was 17 years old, one of the oldest in the group. It is illegal to own a Squirrel Monkey as a pet in California, but it is not true in all states. There are many pet traders who take Squirrel Monkeys. They would probably sell Banana Sam since Squirrel Monkeys cost from $100- a few thousand dollars. The thieves had cut through a back perimeter gate. They then cut through the mesh surrounding the monkey exhibit and stole Banana Sam. Zookeepers are hoping the robbers will reconsider keeping the Squirrel Monkey and return Banana Sam. squirrel Monkeys have large teeth, and they will bite. The good thing is that Banana Sam has a microchip implant so the zookeepers can identify him. San Francisco Zoo has dealt with animal robberies before. Two teenagers were caught stealing a Koala to impress their girlfriend. A reward of $5000 will be given to the person who finds and brings back Banana Sam to San Francisco Zoo.

New Horned Viper Found

In a remote Tanzanian forest a new horned viper was discovered. It was called Matilda's Horned Viper. Matilda's horned Viper is 2.1 feet long and black and yellow zigzag markings and yellow hornlike scales above its green eyes. The snake eats frogs at night.  Matilda's Horned Viper are venemous like all vipers. Males have darker scales and bigger heads than the female. These snakes usually stay in the trees, but bigger ones will live in ground burrows. Unfortunately, these snakes are critically endangered. Its habitat is growing smaller each day.The exact location of these snakes will be hidden just so pet collecters won't take them.

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Pigeons are Good at Math?

Pigeons are thought to be dull. We think that they don't know much. Well, our opinions are completely wrong. A new study shows that pigeons can count to nine. The study also shows that they have equivalent skills to primates besides us. Researchers think that this ability is in many birds. To see their ability, they first taught them 1,2,and 3. They gave the pigeons pictures 1,2, or 3 objects. If they completed the task correctly, they would be given a snack. Later they tested them on 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, or 9. They would give 2 numbers and the Pigeon would have to choose the smaller number. Again, the Pigeon succeeds. Scientists thought primates and birds have this ability because of a distant relative. If that was true, many other animals would share the ability. The other way is that these animals learnt it independently. Animals are always getting smarter.

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New Shark Species Found

Four new "rapier wielding" shark species have b een found by researchers in the California Academy  of Sciences. In a 1600 foot deep trawl of Mozambique, an African Dwarf Sawshark was accidentally captured. This animal is only the seventh species of sawshark we know of. The shark has a long tooth-studded snout for which it uses as a sword. The predator uses its snout by whipping it through schools of fish, which it then eats the injured fish. Another shark discovered was a species of Angel Shark. It was called Squatina caillieti. It was found in a 1200 foot deep water of the islan of Luzon. Luzon is an island part of the Phillipenes. The Angel Shark has big pectoral fins that resemble wings, and it lies in the sand and waits for prey to pass by. When it comes, it strikes like a ray. The other two sharks are species of Lanternshark. They were found in Taiwan and South Africa. More than 100 sharks have been found this year. New discoveries are yet to be found.

African Dwarf  Sawshark



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Smallest Frogs Found in Papua New Guinea

In Papua New Guinea, the Paedophryne dekot, which is 8.5-9 mm. long, and the Paedophryne verrucosa, which is 8.8-9.3 mm. were found, each smaller than an M&M. The smallest frog use to be 10mm. They are the smallest frog and tetrapod (vertabrates with 4 legs).  These frogs eat mites, which other frogs won't eat because of their size. This shows they have an important role in the ecosystem. Just because they're small, doesn't mean they're easy to catch. Researchers tried catching them with bare hands with no luck. Right before you touch them, the hop away. The researchers say there are still other tiny frogs out there.

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