It may be impossible to ever know exactly where and when the practice of falconry — the training of raptors to hunt wild prey for humans — arose. Some experts place its origins between 4,000 and 6,000 BC in the steppes of Mongolia. Other historians believe that the practice could be even older, with its […]
Web Sites Cool Antarctica http://www.coolantarctica.com/index.html This site contains pictures, general information and a travel guide of Antarctica. National Science Foundation: Arctic & Antarctic Research Overview http://www.nsf.gov/news/overviews/arcticantarctic/index.jsp Learn more about the research NSF is doing in the Antarctic. NSF manages the U.S. Antarctic Program, which coordinates almost all U.S. science on the continent, including research carried […]
Do you owe your life to a chimpanzee? Over the last century, millions of people have been able to live longer, healthier lives thanks to the medicines and surgical techniques that were tested on chimpanzees — one of humankind’s closest relatives. Dozens of vaccines, for instance, have been perfected on chimps purposefully infected with diseases […]
We’ve all heard them: the tales of dogs barking before the big earthquake hit; wildlife behaving strangely before the big hurricane; earthworms pouring out of the ground just before the big flood strikes. Tall tales … or true? Researchers say it’s probably a little bit of both. Plenty of studies have shown that some animals […]
Articles A Sharp Spike in Honeybee Deaths Deepens a Worrisome Trend (May 13, 2015) http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/14/us/honeybees-mysterious-die-off-appears-to-worsen.html BBC: Nature News “Honeybee virus: Varroa mite spreads lethal disease” (June 7, 2012) http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/18339797 A parasitic mite has helped a virus wipe out billions of honeybees throughout the globe, say scientists. Yahoo News “‘Zombie’ Fly Parasite Killing Honeybees” (Jan 4, […]
As we learn in NATURE’s Murder in the Troop, life for a chacma baboon is defined by strict hierarchical structure. Among the most highly socialized of animal species, chacmas rely on a complex and varied communication system in order to candidly express themselves to family, friend, and even foe. The following are some examples of […]
In The Cheetah Orphans, filmmaker Simon King and the team of wildlife professionals at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, took on the challenge of raising two orphaned cheetah cubs, Toki and Sambu, after the cubs’ mother was killed by a lion. To successfully raise the cheetahs would mean seeing them safely to adulthood and hopefully to […]
Web Sites: AfriCat Foundation http://www.africat.org Lise Hanssen’s cheetah rescue and education organization, the AfriCat Foundation, was founded in 1991. AfriCat has grown significantly since then, and what started out primarily as an animal welfare organization now includes a focus on education and research as part of its mission — the long-term conservation of large carnivores […]
