Big Elk

Thanks to Dad for forwarding this picture to me.

Majestic Spotted Eagle Ray

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/29/2140518/florida-keys-tourist-survives.html

With enough rays and enough boats, collisions will happen.

Eagle feathers

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_17730102?source=rss

Complicated issues, particularly given the shortage of legally-obtained eagle feathers.

20,000 Bats

http://www.ajc.com/news/up-to-20-000-890542.html

They probably do not have many mosquitoes.

Suburban Coyotes

http://www.startribune.com/local/west/118886834.html

Interesting point about coyotes preying on goose eggs.

Wolves on Michigan's Isle Royale

http://www.adn.com/2011/03/29/1781631/ap-newsbreak-female-shortage-endangers.html

Tough choices have to be made.

Sea Ice and Polar Bears

http://www.adn.com/2011/03/29/1781404/winter-arctic-ice-coverage-tied.html

Could be bad for bears.

Wood Bison

http://www.adn.com/2011/03/29/1781414/lawmaker-opposes-new-interior.html

They might interfere with mining?

Kraken

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/71653/title/Book_Review_Kraken_The_Curious%2C_Exciting%2C_and_Slightly_Disturbing_Science_of_Squid_by_Wendy_Williams

I want to read this book.

375-pound mako shark

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/29/2139757/375-pound-shark-leaps-into-texas.html

No violation because it was an accident.

Black bear in metro Atlanta area

http://www.ajc.com/news/cobb/black-bear-sighting-reported-888689.html

I still have hopes that we will have a black bear in Hales Corners someday.

There was one in Wauwatosa a few years ago.

Sonar and Beaked Whales

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/71771/title/Noise_is_what_ails_beaked_whales

Tough choices have to be made.

Odd Couple

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/2011/03/28/20110328dog-coyote-odd-couple.html?source=nletter-entertainment

A black lab and a coyote.

Alien Life

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/27/opinion/27jayawardhana.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha212

We can only hope.

Fred the Baboon

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/2011/03/25/20110325south-africa-baboon-euthanized.html?source=nletter-entertainment

He was a victim of misguided efforts.

Wolves bite the big one

http://www.adn.com/2011/03/25/1775893/state-kills-9-wolves-on-military.html

It must be particularly stressful to be briefly surrounded by wolves.

Tasmanian Devils

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-fg-tasmanian-devil-20110328,0,4830219.story

Infectious cancers make it a tough time to be a Tasmanian Devil.

Wildlife Sightings

On the trip home from Michigan we saw:

lots of raptors

lots of turkey vultures (first of the spring for me)

a flock of wild turkeys (15-20)

Saber-Toothed Vegan

Thanks to Elizabeth for sending me this link.

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/03/scienceshot-ancient-creature-was.html?ref=hp&sms_ss=email&at_xt=4d8ccb1d788238ad%2C0

Very weird.

Fruit-eating Fish

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/71576/title/Fruit-eating_fish_does_far-flung_forestry

Fish as seed dispersers.

Dead Musk Oxen

http://www.adn.com/2011/03/22/1769724/musk-oxen-found-dead-after-storm.html

Killed by a storm surge?

Wolves

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/23/2130175/wolf-hunting-deal-faces-first.html

Interesting test cases.

Coyote delays flights

http://www.ajc.com/news/clayton/hartsfield-jackson-flights-briefly-882009.html

They are almost everywhere.

Missing Komodo Dragons

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/2011/03/22/20110322komodo-dragons-disappear-from-indonesia-zoo22-ON.html?source=nletter-entertainment

Watch out for large reptiles with a toxic bite.

Turtle causes fire

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/2011/03/22/20110322new-york-turtle-starts-fire.html?source=nletter-entertainment

Should be careful storing thinner and paint.

Dinosaurs in the Florida Keys

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/20/2125386/open-air-dinosaur-museum-proposed.html

Sounds like a lot of fun to me, especially the Meg.

Robins

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/21/opinion/21mon4.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha211

We are lucky to have robins in Wisconsin after the way they got decimated by the West Nile virus several years ago.

Denver Bison

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_17661145?source=rss

"Evolving back to ancestry."

Cats vs. Birds

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/21/science/21birds.html?_r=1&hpw

500 million birds is a lot of birds.

Rats in the White House

http://www.sarahsdogs.com/breeds/teddy_roosevelt_terrier/

As described in the above link, President Teddy Roosevelt brought his terrier to the White House and used the dog to exterminate rats.

Elephants vs. Lions

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/71249/title/Dont_trust_any_elephant_under_60

An experiment about elephants responding to the perceived threat of lions.

Puppy Mill Warnings

http://www.recycledrussells.com/mills.htm

Makes me less likely to buy a puppy from a pet shop.

Coyote

Thanks to Dad for sending me this photo taken by his trail camera.

Evolvability

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/71318/title/In_evolution%2C_last_really_can_be_first

I really like the word, "evolvability."

And they found that chance is a factor in evolution. How is that a surprise?

New Dinosaur from Angola

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/world/africa/17briefs-ART-Dinosaur.html?src=recg

I like the speculation that it may have been torn apart by sharks.

Renegade Gray Squirrel

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/2011/03/16/20110316vermont-squirrel-attacks.html?source=nletter-entertainment

I hope my gray squirrels do not go renegade on me.

Moose Attacks Boy

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/2011/03/15/20110315moose-attacks-boy-in-alaska.html?source=nletter-entertainment

It is a dangerous world out there.

Wild Horses

http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/smith/BLM_still_not_making_wild_horse_sense.html

I am inclined to characterize the roundups as questionable use of tax dollars.

Origin of Animals

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/science/15evolve.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha210

Capsaspora is a distant cousin?

Dead Coyote in Atlanta

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/dead-coyote-found-off-872304.html

Bad news for the coyote.

Dolphin injures woman

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/14/2114132/dolphin-jumps-onto-deck-of-boat.html

It could have been much worse than a sprained ankle.

Fooling Mother Nature

http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/2011/03/14/sherline-you-can%E2%80%99t-fool-mother-nature/

Complicated issues on this one.

A lot of research can be done without descending into some Jurassic Park kind of disaster.

On the other hand, a slate wiper is always a possibility, though not a probability.

This is why we have ethicists to advise us on these issues.

Chronic Wasting Disease

http://dnr.wi.gov/news/BreakingNews_Lookup.asp?id=2009

80% of the private deer herd on this farm were infected.

Eastern Cougar is Extinct?

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/ecougar/newsreleasefinal.html

Very interesting, because if it is not extinct, a lot of nasty endangered species regulations kick in.

How convenient that all cougar sightings in the native range of the eastern cougar are not eastern cougars.

Killer Cats

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/01/0102_020107maneater.html

Those were scary times 2.5 million years ago.

Titanoceratops

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/71093/title/New_dinosaur_species_is_titanic

As per the above link, classification of these creatures is problematic.

Dead Polar Bears

http://www.adn.com/2011/03/10/1747726/young-bills-would-let-hunters.html

That raises an interesting question.

What is the conservation value of dead bears?

Great White Sharks

http://www.adn.com/2011/03/09/1746287/calif-study-finds-low-number-of.html

There is always uncertainty with extrapolations based on statistical models.

Oldest wild bird in US

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/2011/03/08/20110308oldest-wild-bird-is-new-mother.html?source=nletter-entertainment

Albatross is estimated to be 60.

Wolves vs. Caribou

http://www.adn.com/2011/03/08/1743815/federal-officials-block-alaskas.html

Tough choices.

Billions of dead sardines

http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_17564875?source=rss_viewed

That is a lot of sardines.

Moose Kicks Woman

http://www.adn.com/2011/03/07/1742027/moose-kicks-woman-who-came-too.html

Don't mess with the moose!

Bobcats in southern Wisconsin

http://host.madison.com/sports/recreation/outdoors/article_bf96a674-92b6-11df-bbd8-001cc4c002e0.html

I would love to see one.

Tiger kills lion

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/2011/03/07/20110307turkey-tiger-kills-lion-at-zoo.html?source=nletter-entertainment

Bizarre story.

Coyotes versus Foxes

http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/mammals/cfoxint/index.htm

Examples of coyote aggression toward foxes.

Ancient Giants

http://www.adn.com/2011/03/05/1738637/ice-age-giants-return.html

Mammoths and mastodons were fascinating creatures.

Minnesota Moose

http://www.startribune.com/local/117463773.html

Odd that moose are disappearing from Minnesota and expanding in North Dakota.

Too complicated.

Potential Signature of Life

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/03/05/exclusive-nasa-scientists-claims-evidence-alien-life-meteorite/

Would be way cool if verified.

Spiders versus Mazda

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/03/2095485/wandering-spider-leads-mazda-to.html

Interesting question on why spiders would target Mazda.

Alaska Salmon Forecast

http://www.adn.com/2011/03/04/1736573/alaska-biologists-predict-summer.html

Good news for several salmon species.

Wooly Mammoth Fossils in Alaska

http://www.adn.com/2011/03/04/1736257/woolly-mammoth-evidence-increases.html

Exciting finds.

Metro Atlanta Coyotes

http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/decatur-residents-afraid-coyotes-860214.html

Residents are worried about disappearing cats.

I used to eat at a restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin that was shut down after authorities determined that they were serving the local cats in their excellent and inexpensive dishes.

Redfish

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/03/2094590/catching-redfish-and-history.html

Excellent photo of an angler with his catch, and the shuttle liftoff in the background.

Alaskan Spruce

http://www.adn.com/2011/03/02/1732474/study-white-spruce-growth-stunted.html

Warming trends shift growth in spruce.

Coral Reefs

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/01/2091297/warmer-oceans-taking-toll-on-worlds.html

Bad news for coral reefs.

Hagfish

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/70457/title/Hagfish_may_eat_through_their_skin

Carrion-eating protovertebrates.

Flex

http://www.adn.com/2011/03/01/1729527/russian-whale-tracked-to-north.html

Gray whales are more complicated than we thought.

How to Attract Owls

http://www.rodale.com/attracting-owls?page=0%2C0&cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2011_03_01-_-Top5-_-NA

I love owls.