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Tag Archives: nature

Tuesday, 18 December, 2007

Nature's Best Photography 2007

View at AOL Visions.

Related:

Wildlife Photography from East Africa.

Tags: nature, Photos


Posted in Photos , Animals


Posted by skyleecm at 23:41 PM 4 comments

Sunday, 16 December, 2007

Battle at Kruger

It was originally filmed in September 2004 by videographer David Budzinski and photographer Jason Schlosberg at a watering hole in Kruger National Park, South Africa. The video depicts an unfolding confrontation between a herd of Cape Buffalo, a small pride of lions, and a pair of crocodiles over a baby buffalo. The baby buffalo survives!

Battle at Kruger - Wikipedia.

Related:

Lions: Africa’s Magnificent Predators.

Tags: nature, national-park, war, video


Posted in Animals


Posted by skyleecm at 00:49 AM 2 comments

Sunday, 16 December, 2007

Orca Attack Seal with Waves

From Nature News.

A pack of killer whales uses waves to knock seals off the ice.

They made large waves to wash the seal off the relative safety of the ice. Later the orca put the seal back on the ice and dislodged the seal a second time which suggested strongly they were training their young.

It is not the first time a complex behaviour has been seen in just a few orcas. In the early 1970s, an orca was seen in Argentina beaching itself next to seals. At first it seemed to be in distress, but then it lunged at seals nearby, grabbed one by the neck, and dragged it back into the water. This beaching hunting technique has since been observed hundreds of times in Argentina among a small group of orcas. Studies have shown that the orcas can time their forays onto land to coincide with the tides, so they run less risk of becoming permanently beached.

Both the beaching and the wave hunting seem to be techniques that pod elders teach to younger animals. The Argentinean orcas have been seen nudging youngsters onto the shore, encouraging them to try the tactic, often coming up alongside to demonstrate. In the group at the Antarctic Peninsula, young orcas are often present during the hunt, and adults sometimes put living seals back on the ice after catching them, seemingly so that the young can have another try.

“This is orca culture,” says Visser.

Related:

Just How Smart Are Dolphins?

Tags: Fish, Photos, video, nature


Posted in Fish , Science , Animals , Photos


Posted by skyleecm at 00:19 AM 14 comments

Friday, 14 December, 2007

Camels at Sunset Photo

The photo is taken directly above the camels in the desert at sunset. Remarkable shadows! 8)

Tags: Photos, desert, nature


Posted in Photos , Animals


Posted by skyleecm at 23:21 PM no comments

Friday, 14 December, 2007

First Footage of a Long-Eared Jerboa

From BBC News.

The long-eared jerboa, a tiny nocturnal mammal that is dwarfed by its enormous ears, can be found in deserts in Mongolia and China.

Zoological Society of London (ZSL) scientist Jonathan Baillie said the footage was helping researchers to learn more about the mysterious animal.

The species is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red list.

"These creatures hop just like a kangaroo; it is amazing to watch. Little hairs on their feet, almost like snow shoes, allow them to jump along the sand," he explained.

"And in terms of mammals, they have one of the biggest ear-to-body ratios out there."

The footage revealed that the creatures spent daylight hours in underground tunnels beneath the sand, and that their diet was mostly made up of insects.

We travelled to the Gobi to find out about the animal's status and learn more about it so we can develop a thorough long-term action plan."

The expedition formed part of ZSL's Edge programme, which focuses its efforts on conservation plans for animals that are both endangered and evolutionarily distinctive.

The long-eared jerboa is one of 10 species that the programme is looking at this year.

"Everyone thinks the desert is a totally desolate area, void of biodiversity, and often when conservation planning is done, deserts are overlooked.

"But there are some remarkable species in the desert, so we really need to start paying attention to this environment."

Tags: desert, extinction, video, nature, Photos, evolution


Posted in Animals , Photos


Posted by skyleecm at 23:03 PM no comments

Thursday, 6 December, 2007

Happy Face Spider Guarding Eggs

View at National Geographic.

Found only on the islands of Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and Hawaii, the happy face spider, such as this one guarding its eggs on a leaf in Maui, is known for the unique patterns that decorate its pale abdomen. :)

Tags: insect, nature, Photos


Posted in Animals , Photos


Posted by skyleecm at 00:42 AM no comments

Monday, 3 December, 2007

Rare Sumatran Rhino Sighting in Malaysia

From Physorg.

A Sumatran rhinoceros has been photographed in peninsular Malaysia in the first sighting for more than a decade, raising hopes the animal can avoid extinction, a report said Sunday.

The report did not reveal where the rhino was snapped, but said the photo was taken in a wildlife corridor targeted by the Wildlife and National Parks Department which also spotted elephants, sun bears and the bison-like gaur.

"We're going back to areas where the rhinos were once recorded, looking for more signs and taking samples," said Siti Hawa Yatim, head of the department's biodiversity conservation division.

World Wildlife Fund Malaysia announced earlier this year that it had captured video footage of the extremely rare Borneo sub-species of the critically-endangered Sumatran rhino. The footage, taken in a forest in Malaysia's Sabah state on Borneo island, showed a rhino eating, peering through jungle foliage and sniffing the automatic video camera equipment used to shoot it.

The Bornean sub-species is the rarest of all rhinos, distinguished from other Sumatran rhinos by its relatively small size, small teeth and distinctive shaped head.

WWF says scientists estimate there are only between 25 and 50 of the Bornean sub-species left.

SOS Rhino.

Related:

Palm oil puts squeeze on Asia’s endangered orangutan.

Amur Leopard Near Extinction.

Tags: video, wildlife, Malaysia, Photos, nature, extinction


Posted in Animals , Photos


Posted by skyleecm at 23:10 PM 1 comments