Knowledge from This Wild Life

This Wild Life strives to bring you new and insightful information regarding pets, nature, science and more.  Explore the categories on the right to learn more.

News Around the Web 2/28/10 - 3/6/10

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Dolphin Intelligence Raises Questions of Treatment
Dolphin intelligence studies have shown them to have complex intelligence, self-awareness and psychology.  How should this affect how humans treat dolphins in captivity?  Read the story and about the recent conference on the matter at ScienceDaily.

The Threat to Uncontacted Tribes
Despite modern globalization, the most remote parts of the world are still home to indigenous tribes that exist without interaction with the modern world.  However, intruders, logging, and shrinking natural areas pose a threat not only to the local environment but to the existence of entire tribal cultures.  See amazing photographs and read about the five most endangered tribes at National Geographic.

Ants: Smelling in Stereo
Researchers have discovered that ants in Tunisia can use their antennae to smell in two different directions at the same time, unlike any other mammal.  This may help to explain how they find their way home in the featureless Tunisian desert.  Read about the study here.

Superheroes Revealed by Science

This story is one of the reasons I mix science and nature on ThisWildLife.  Without new high speed photography and thermal imaging tools, and without the scientists doing work in the field, this Nature film on hummingbirds could never have been made.

Filmmaker Ann Johnson Prum calls hummingbirds nature’s heroes.  This would not have been news to Alexander Skutch, whose brilliant book on hummingbirds explained how hummingbird’s unique method of trapline feeding works and discussed the consumption of insects by these tiny creatures.  Much of what the film shows was known, but was difficult to show.  Science of photography and computing technology has made this possible. 

When you have nine minutes, please watch this feature about the making of the Nature program.  The secrets of how the photographs were made are revealed.  Then, you can catch the video itself on Nature.

News Around the Web 2/21/10 - 2/27/10

Two Rare Species Rediscovered in Australia
The threatened eastern ground parrot and the long-nosed potoroo have been spotted around the Maria River and Limeburners Creek Nature Reserve in Australia; the species are both endangered and difficult to spot.  Read about the fortunate sightings here.

How the Olympics Went Green
Vancouver 2010 has gone a lot farther than changing light bulbs to make the greenest Olympics yet- in a bid to create a carbon-neutral event, they’re even making the gold medals out of recycled materials.  Read about the eco-friendly efforts here.

‘Vampire Squid from Hell’ Can Turn Itself Inside Out
The fancifully named Vampire Squid (Vampyroteuthis Infernalis, literally “vampire squid from hell”) apparently has the ability to flip its body inside out to avoid predators.  Did we mention it also has bioluminescent arms?  See new video of the bizarre cephalopod and read the full story at National Geographic, and check out the clip from the Planet Earth series below.