Japanese River Otter Declared Extinct

After 30 years of not seeing the japanese river otter, scientists have declared it extinct. But, in 1999, scientists found droppings from the otter, and they believe that there might be hope for the  otter. If it is still alive, than it is in deep hiding. Some scientists have given up searching for it, but many haven't, so the search still continues.

Related news:A subspecies of the asian black bear, (also known as the moon bear) and the horseshoe bat have been declared extinct.

Drawing of japanese river otter

Horseshoe bat

Moon bear

Sharks are Good Students?

Scientist have recently done tests on juvenile lemon sharks. Some of the sharks were trained and the others weren't. Scientists observed that the untrained sharks figured out what to do faster when the trained sharks were nearby. This is the first time a cartilaginous fish demonstrated social learning. Sharks are smarter than you think.

New Stick Insect Discovered

In the Philippines, a new stick insect was discovered, but it is unlike any other stick insect. This stick insect has no wings, lives on the ground instead of the trees, and has a turquoise head, and an orange body. But most amazing of all, it releases a foul odor when it comes across a predator. Since it is so different from the normal stick insect, scientists have given it its own genus. Scientists are still trying to find out what it is.

Lonesome George Dies

Lonesome George, believed to be the last subspecies of the Galapagos Tortoise, dies at an estimated age of 100. Scientists are doing tests to determine the cause of his death. The death was very strange since it should have died at the age of 200. With no offspring or other females to mate with, Lonesome George was the rarest animal on Earth.

These tortoises used to be thriving until the 1900's. poachers killed the tortoises for their meat. They were soon critically endangered. Laws were put up to protect the tortoise, and they used to have other tortoises to breed with Lonesome George, but none of the were successful.

The last of the Pinta Tortoises are gone. 

But, we still have time to rescue all of the

other endangered animals of the world

(see "Animals That Could go Extinct in 2012)

Even though Lonesome George is gone, we still remember 

how great, he was to the Animal World.

Free the Shark Week

This week is Free the Shark Week. Thousands of sharks are killed each year, and many people say they're scared of sharks, but sharks are more scared of us, then we are of them. In some countries, the killing of sharks is illegal, but it still happens.

Shouldn't something be done about this?

This week, it is time to celebrate one of the great 

predators of the ocean.

The shark

    

Red Fish, Blue Fish Captured on Camera

113 years. That's how long it has been since someone has recorded about the rare Chaunacaops coloratus Anglerfish. But, this is the first time it has ever been recorded on video. Instead of swimming, this fish walks on the sea floor. Size ranges from 3-8 inches, and scientists believed that the color of the fish was red, but it actually is blue when it is young. The video of the fish was done by Monterey Bay Aquarium and was captured by a remote operated vehicle. They recorded it off the coast of northern California and 11,000 feet below the surface.

Animals are AWESOME!!!

My blog "Animals are AWESOME!!!", has now turned into a website at "www.goanimals.org". And related news, I'm still collecting money for my fundraiser bucks4bucks. My goal is $200, and so far we have $17.

Watching the Endangered Jaguar

Scientists have been putting camera traps all over the world to find footage of rare and endangered animals. An in one of them, they found that jaguars are returning, but they this footage at a Palm Oil Plantation. It is important to help these poor animals. In other cameras, they found videos of other big cats, such as ocelots, and servals.
  

  

  

  

  

  

JAWS--x2

Scientists have been researching the huge Great White Shark migrations, but found some astonishing news. They found that half go to a place west of Bass Strait. But the other half didn't go there. They went the opposite direction and headed towards Australia. These two sharks live in different places but have alike genes. Scientists believe there are two types of Great Whites; Great White Sharks, and the the Australian Great White Shark.

Bucks4Bucks Money Sent

                                     

After collecting $150, I have sent the money to two organizations, Oceana, and IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare). $75 goes to each organization. But just because I sent the money, doesn't mean that I'm finished with Bucks4 Bucks. We already have $17 to start off, and this time, my goal is to raise $200 by December of this year.

Animals at Risk

Even though March 17 is St.Patrick's Day and many people are celebrating, many animals aren't celebrating for a reason. Six species that live in Ireland are now critically endangered or vulnerable. These animals are in big danger because of us.These 6 animals are Pine Martens, Grey Partridges, Red Deer, Pygmy Shrews, Viviparous Lizards, and the Wood Mouse.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             


The Pine Marten belongs to the mustelid family, which also includes badgers, minks, otters, weasels and wolverines. People are the biggest threat to these animals. Habitat destruction, illegal poisonings, shootings and more have caused pine marten numbers to drop in recent years.







Hunting, habitat destruction, invasive species and other problems have plagued Ireland's native grey partridges. They are big danger thanks to us. But luckily, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and organizations like the Irish Grey Partridge Conservation Trust, these birds are making a comeback.




Ireland's largest wild mammal is the red deer. Because of reintroduction and conservation efforts, its populations are not suffering the same fate as Ireland's other native species.

The pygmy shrew is the only shrew native to Ireland. This animal has completely vanished in parts of Ireland where two invasive species, the bank vole and the greater white toothed shrew, are found. Small mammals like the pygmy shrew occupy central positions in food webs, so major changes in species composition, which are already occurring, will have big effects. These will affect bird and mammal predators as well as the invertebrates, seeds and seedlings that small rodents and insectivores feed on.


The viviparous lizard is the only terrestrial reptile native to Ireland. Although not currently classified as endangered, the lizard is under threat by humans mainly as a result of loss of habitat.

The tiny wood mouse has suffered a lot in recent years as a result of invasive species. Its numbers have decreased by greater than 50 percent in areas where the bank vole (an invasive species) is longest established.







All of these animals live in Ireland and they are in danger. It is all our fault. Habitat loss, hunting and invasive species are the main causes.

Illegal Wildlife Trade Captured

An internet sting called "Operation Cyberwild" was connected to a dozen people in California and Nevada. They were suspected of selling endangered and protected species. Agents disguised as buyers on Craigslist, eBay, and other online stores. People found animal skin rugs, an elephant foot, a polar bear pelt, and numerous live animals. The California Fish and Game, the US Fish and Wildlife, and the Humane Society of the US helped stop this. Three people face California State Charges, and nine people face Federal Charges. They could face six months in prison, and fines up to $100,000.

List of Sold Items

a pair of Loggerhead sea turtle leather boots.

 leopard skin coat.

a rug made out of an endangered tiger.

a live Western Scrub-Jay.

an Asian arowana.

two live Red-whiskered Bulbul birds.

a Hawksbill sea turtle shell.

three birds, including a Eurasian kestrel and a Black-shouldered Kite, for $150

an elephant's foot, a mounted hawk and a mounted owl.

a bear skin rug.

a live piranha.

Old Mice Made "Young"

If you've read Mrs.Frisby and the Rats of NIMH well, this is the exactly like how the rats of NIMH could live so long. Scientists have injected  muscle-derived stem cells into the mice, which allows them to live three times longer. Scientists think this could also work on humans. To test it, they put a disease (progeria) which makes its life shorter. That disease works like some human diseases. After that, they put the stem cells in. Amazingly it worked. This could be used on humans to allow us to live longer. 

Hybrid Silkworm Spin Spider Silk

Spider silk is stronger than you think. If you have enough of it, you can make a super-strong material, but still be lightweight. As we get more technologically advanced, we get closer to making spider silk. But until then, scientists have found a way to make spider silk from silkworms. They have grown genetically modified silkworms that produce stronger silk, or in other words, spider silk. What they did was extract the spider silk gene from spiders and put it in the silkworm. The silk was still 96-98% silkworm though. But the silk is stronger and more durable. this is good enough until we can be able to produce it ourselves.

New Crab Species Discovered

A new species of Yeti Crabs were found near hot, mineral-rich hydrothermal vents in an ocean off the coast of Antarctica. Researchers had a submersible, camera-equipped robot, which allowed them to film barnacles, anemones, octopus, and crabs. The camera had found big groups of Yeti Crabs. Male Yeti Crabs live nearest to vents to feed on swarms of bacteria. The females are farther, because they have to protect their embryos. If you know what a Yeti is, it's not that hard to tell what the crab looks like.  

Banana Sam Found

On Thursday, a monkey was stolen from San Francisco Zoo. The thieves had cut two holes into the monkey exhibit and took the monkey. There is a $5000 reward for the person who finds and brings back the monkey to San Francisco Zoo.

Banana Sam after he was rescued

At Stern Grove Park, minutes before 9 p.m. on Saturday, a resident found Banana Sam, a male Squirrel Monkey ( see Monkey Stolen From Zoo for more information), walking by a tree. The resident coaxed the Squirrel Monkey into their own backpack. The person returned Banana Sam to San Francisco Zo, and later zoo officials verified its identity. Banana Sam looked hungry, thirsty, and frightened. It's not certain that the rescuer got the reward. Zookeepers returned Banana Sam to the other 17 Squirrel Monkeys. This is an act of vandalism and trespassing. The police are trying to find the burglar. No one has been arrested yet.  On Friday, the news about how Banana Sam got stolen spread very quickly. Someone had also set up a fake Twitter account tracking the whereabouts of Banana Sam. The zookeepers and workers at San Francisco Zoo are very happy about the return of their beloved Squirrel Monkey, Banana Sam, the oldest in all of the Squirrel Monkeys at the zoo.