Animals

Clever Critters: 8 Best Non-Human Tool Users

Tool use was once thought to distinguish humans from animal — until, that is, so many animals proved able to use them.

There's a war going on - bet you didn't know it was here in the West. Watch this video

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Wild Horses Shot To Death Near Calif.-Nev. Border

RENO, Nev. -- Investigators are looking into the suspected shooting deaths of a group of wild horses in Nevada and the possibility the case could be linked to heated debate over the future of mustangs in the West.

U.S. Bureau of Land Management spokesman John Dearing said Friday that five horses died of apparent gunshot wounds, while the cause of death of a sixth horse nearby was unknown.

The bodies were found Saturday on public land along the Nevada-California border in Washoe County, about 120 miles north of Reno. Authorities believe the animals had been dead for about two weeks.

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Odd Animals Seen in Deep-Sea Volcanic Eruption

May 7, 2009—Scientists have caught a fast-growing, 12-story underwater volcano erupting—along with odd creatures evolved to survive its toxic emissions.

Scientists, witnessing and videotaping for the first time the eruption of an undersea volcano in the Pacific Ocean in the Northern Mariana Islands near Guam.

The researchers, using the remotely operated vehicle, Jason, recorded the video in April, and sampled the eruption plume with an intake in one of its manipulator arms.

The deep-sea volcano, called NW Rota-1, was first observed erupting in 2004. Its been continuously spewing lava and highly acidic molten sulfur.

The science team, led by Bill Chadwick of Oregon State University, reports the volcano has been growing considerably in the last three years.

Chadwick says the volcano has expanded 131 feet in height and nearly a thousand feed in widthabout as tall as a 12-story building and as wide as a city block.

The scientists also observed marine life adapting to the harsh conditions near the eruptions. Two unique species of shrimp were seen: the smaller shrimp, also known to live on an active undersea volcano near Hawaii, graze bacterial filaments coating the rocks; the larger shrimp, never before observed, is carnivorous and preys on the smaller shrimp and other fish that die in the volcanic plume.

NW Rota-1 is about 1,700 feet below sea level, and the pressure of the ocean keeps the energy released from the volcano from becoming too explosive, allowing the remote vehicle, Jason, to get close.

The expedition was largely funded by the National Science Foundation.

Click the header for video and more on undersea volcanoes from scienceblogs

Donkey ‘suicide’ bombing is latest tactic against patrols

Michael Evans

A senior British Army officer and six other military personnel survived attack when a tethered donkey laden with explosives was detonated as their armoured vehicle passed in southern Afghanistan.

The huge explosion showered the soldier standing on “top cover” out of the Mastiff’s turret with donkey entrails and blood, and the sight was so gruesome that the rest of those in the vehicle thought he had been mortally wounded in the blast, south of Garmsir in southern Helmand province.

”I’m all right, I’m all right,” he shouted, according to one of the officers at the incident who spoke to The Times, giving the first account of the incident.

”We’d spotted the donkey tethered to a tree as we were on our way down south to monitor an operation that had been going on that day, but thought nothing of it. There are donkeys around everywhere,” the officer said.

Nothing happened when they first passed, but as the patrol returned to the British battle group headquarters at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Delhi, explosives hidden in buckets slung from the donkey’s saddle were detonated.

“I was asleep because you can feel quite nauseous travelling in a Mastiff and was woken by the explosion,” the officer said. “When I saw the top cover guy covered in blood, I tried to get to him with emergency medical kit.

“He said he was all right but I told him he had been badly injured. When we realised what had happened it wasn’t long before the first donkey jokes started to come out — ‘drop the dead donkey’ was one, and ‘pain in the ass’ another.”

The explosion damaged three of the wheels of the Mastiff and caused severe hearing problems for the Territorial Army soldier riding aloft. The stench of donkey remains lingered for weeks inside the vehicle.

Please! Anyone who is considering attending Ringling Brothers' circus performances next week, take a moment and "google" circus abuse.

Stop and think about the miserable lives these beautiful creatures are forced to live. For less than 15 minutes of "entertainment"?, they travel in hot railroad cars all over the United States. Elephants are chained constantly when they are not performing. Magnificent tigers are beaten into submission and forced to live mere shadows of their lives in cages. Is this entertainment? Is this what you want to take your children to see? Please don't be mislead by the pre-performance public showing of the animals. It's just that--a "show". Ringling doesn't allow you to see how their trainers "beat" elephants mercilessly with heavy, sharp-tipped bullhooks. Elephants become so terrified from the beatings they can be heard screaming on the undercover video tapes.

Many people have the mistaken belief that it's their "God-given right to merely see elephants and tigers and bears in real life. I'm sorry to disappoint you all, but we DON'T have the right to see them, especially under such abysmal circumstances.
These animals have lives of their own to live and they are not allowed to live them.