Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Tigers Could Be Extinct By 2022




The world's tiger population could soon be extinct because of illegal trophy hunting, deteriorating habitats and the use of tiger parts in Eastern medicine, environmental experts warn.

World Wildlife spokeswoman Marie von Zeipel says the tiger is one of the most threatened species and could face extinction within 12 years. The organization estimates that there are 3,200 tigers in the wild.

Von Zeipel told The Associated Press that the wild tiger population has shrunk 97 per cent in 100 years and that "if nothing drastic happens the [population] curve is heading straight for disaster."

Her comments on Friday came after the wildlife organization hosted a seminar in Stockholm about the plight of wild tigers.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/10/22/tigers-extinction.html#ixzz13VK2vk00

Monday, October 25, 2010

Jane Goodall on 60 Minutes

Excellent segment on her groundbreaking work with Chimpanzees.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Stunning Silver Beetle Photographed

These pictures were taken by photographer Roland Seitre in Costa Rica:


The beetle has a metallic silver carapace.


Roland's daughter, Mahaut Seitre poses with the beetle.

You can read more about this here at the Daily Mail.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Video: Russian Police Versus Pack of Wolves

"Versus" might be a bit strong, considering the traffic officer's response to seeing a pack of wolves running straight for him!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Speaking of Big Cats...

They occasionally like to eat cute kids. (Well, at least they like to try...)

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Big Cats Love Halloween Too

It's that season again, and our furry friends like to get in on the act too. No, we don't mean wearing costumes (although some dogs and cats apparently like it), we're talking about pumpkins!



You can find out more about this great organization here.

Monday, October 11, 2010

The Rare Golden Tiger

This is one of the most beautiful tiger specimens we've ever seen! The golden tiger, also called the strawberry tiger, gets it gorgeous (and extremely rare) color from a recessive gene that is actually only found in captive tigers. Like the white tiger, the golden tiger is just a different color NOT a separate species of tiger.



It is not known exactly what causes the golden tiger's color variation. One theory is the breeding of Amur tigers with Bengal tigers. Another is that wild golden tigers in India developed the color to help them better blend into their surroundings.



In North America, there are currently about a dozen golden tigers in captivity, including at the Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, the Dakota Zoo in North Dakota, the Cougar Mountain Zoological Park in Washington and the Safari's Wildlife Sanctuary in Oklahoma.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Rainbow Trees!

Don't adjust your monitor, there's nothing wrong with these images.

The Rainbow Eucalyptus is native to New Guinea and its bark naturally produces these colors. No word on whether or not there are any Rainbow Koalas around to feed on them...




Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Two Venti Bunny Lattes to go, please...

...hold the whipped cream.



These probably don't need any additional sweetener.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Meet the Dik-Dik



One of the smallest species of deer, the Dik-Dik is also a sort of watchdog; its shrill cry goes up any time it senses a predator, much to the consternation of many African big game hunters.

Read more about it on Wikipedia!