PARC ANNOUNCES 2012 YEAR OF THE LIZARD PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST (via Herp Digest)

PARC is seeking close-up, digital photos of lizards, preferably in their natural habitats or within an educational or conservation context. One winner will be selected each month to be the featured photo as part of the Year-of-the-Lizard online (printable) calendar. Runner-up photos also will be included in the calendar. Additionally, all submitted images will be considered for use in the Year of the Lizard monthly newsletter and website as well as other PARC-related conservation, outreach, and educational efforts. Give us your best shot!

Photos will be judged on quality (resolution, lighting, composition) as well as the general appeal of the subject of the photo. The lizard(s) should be the focus of submitted photos. Photos also should capture the coloration, markings, and overall "personality" of the lizard(s), and should be accompanied by a conservation message related to the photo that highlights a conservation issue for the lizard(s) or its/their habitat. Multiple photos may be submitted.

Photos selected for a given month of the calendar will be selected by the 20th of the previous month (i.e., the winning photo for January will be selected on December 20th, and so on each month); however, photos will be accepted on a rolling basis and will be considered for future months. Winners will be notified of their photo's selection via email and will be asked to provide a brief personal biography.

Please visit http://www.yearofthelizard.org/ for the photo contest entry form that MUST be submitted with photos, and for additional details regarding the photos contest, requirements, and Terms of Use.

More information and details on the Year of the Lizard is now posted at

http://www.yearofthelizard.org/

Please bookmark this address and keep checking back.

Additional questions? Please email

PARCphotocontest@gmail.com

Thank you for your participation.

SLOW MOTION EAGLE OWL

Jan Edwards sent us a one word email that read "Wow!" We can see why! Check out this amazing video of an eagle owl taken at 1000 frames persecond. It really is outstanding!

http://www.dogwork.com/owfo8/

ROTTWEILER/PORCUPINE INTERACTION

http://imgur.com/LMvyB

HAUNTED SKIES: Times (The) 19.11.54

http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2011/12/times-191154.html

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1892 J.R.R. Tolkien the author of the Lord of the Rings and the, imo, superior novel The Hobbit was born.

And now the news:

Cheeky walrus squirts water at girl spectator who ...
Shark beaches itself to avoid Killer Whale attack
Mystery over Blackpool bubbles as promenade is awa...
Tip of the Tongue: Humans May Taste at Least 6 Fla...
Cockroach Hookup Signal Could Benefit Endangered W...
Grey squirrel culling starts in Gwynedd
Killer fungus spotted in Western Ghats
Anti-whalers' ships struggle to safety

The first of two movies based on The Hobbit is due for release this coming December, it’s a long way off still but an extensive and quite swish looking trailer was recently released online:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0k3kHtyoqc

DALE DRINNON: Walker Lake Monster, Tahoe Tessie and California Monster Snake-Fish

http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/01/walker-lake-monster-tahoe-tessie-and.html

FRONTIERS OF ANTHROPOLOGY: Dale Drinnon presents some followup data on the Mayans in Georgia article

1100-year-old Maya ruins in north Georgia (courtesy of global warming and terraforming terra)

Some follow-up data on the Mayans in Georgia article:

http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2012/01/more-on-mayan-origins-for-mississippian.html

CFZ NEW ZEALAND: NZ storm petrel back from brink?

http://cfz-nz.blogspot.com/2012/01/nz-storm-petrel-back-from-brink.html

ANDREW MAY: Words from the Wild Frontier

News and stories from the remoter fringes of the CFZ blogosphere...

From CFZ Australia:

• Dog breed teeters on brink of extinction — Sealyham Terriers are rarer than giant pandas or tigers...

From CFZ New Zealand:

• NZ storm petrel back from brink — But no-one knows how many are left or where they're breeding...

From CFZ Canada:

• The Sarich Skull — A strange-looking skull fragment found on a beach in Wales...