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 from Around the Web 2/3/12-2/10/12

Kakapo Deaths
Research has its downside. Sandra, one of 150 wild kakapos has died as a result the research intended to save the species. The world’s heaviest and only flightless parrots, kakapos are so rare that the team from the Kakapo Recovery Project knows each one by name including Sandra a resident of Stewart Island since her hatching in 1992. Read more about this story at the Otago Daily Times Online Edition.

New Birth
While the Southern Hemisphere is busy with summer activities, here in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re all about winter. Two weeks ago, a fiber-optic camera captured the birth of two black bear cubs in a den beneath an upturned sugar maple in northern Maine. Read more and see the video at Wired Science. 

Upside-down Geese in Flight
Amateur videographers captured slow motion video of geese in flight whiffling—twisting their necks to flip their bodies upside down, while keeping their heads upright. Read more and see the video at New Scientist TV.

Shaaaaaarks!
Most of the earth is made up of the ocean, yet we know very little about this resource that is the source of much of our food, our recreation, and our weather. Learn some fun facts about catch limits and sharks at One World One Ocean.

News from Around the Web 1/16/12-1/22/12

A Kindness Hormone?
Is kindness a matter of chemistry and biology?  A new study provides information about the possible answer.

Human-Led Crane Migration Resumes
How do cranes raised in captivity learn to migrate?  This story highlights a person who wears a bird suit and shows us (and the cranes) the answer.  Grounded before the New Year, the pilot and his flock are once again airborne.

Town Food-Independent by 2018
A town in England has made a declaration of food independence by 2018.  Step-by-step, village residents learn to grow their own food. Unexpected changes in community behavior multiply their harvest.

News From Around the Web 2/28/11-3/6/11

Eight Animals Thought to Predict the Weather
Forget that weather forecast app on your smartphone. Just take a look around, and based off of these animals’ behavior, you might be able to predict the next later winter/early spring storm.

Male Monkeys Shower in Their Own Urine
There have been a number of theories as to why male monkeys rub their urine into their fur, from regulating body temperature to communicating aggression. Based off of brain scans of female capuchin monkeys, scientists discovered that the male urine activated the parts of the females’ brains associated with smell and sexual behavior. Could the males’ urine be sending out sex signals? Read more about monkey urine here.

Eastern Cougar Confirmed to be Extinct
The Fish and Wildlife Service have recently closed the book on the Eastern Cougar, concluding that they are, in fact, extinct and should be removed from the endangered species list. They have been on the endangered species list since 1973. Learn more about this North American puma here and here.