CRYPTOZOOLOGY ONLINE: Still on the Track

ANDREW MAY: Words from the Wild Frontier

2012-01-27T04:55:00.000-08:00

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

From Nick Redfern's "There's Something in the Woods...":

Neil Reviews — Neil Arnold's film review of Boggy Creek...

From CFZ Australia:

Yowie footprints in the bush? — A solitary footprint in otherwise untouched bushland...
Zoos the urban arks of the future — Zoos Victoria makes a strategic shift towards conservation...

FRONTIERS OF ANTHROPOLOGY: Skull Fancy Magazine? Sounds a good idea to me...

2012-01-27T01:38:00.000-08:00

New on Frontiers of Anthropology:
http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2012/01/more-on-uralics-part-2.html

And
http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2012/01/mayan-mandala.html

Another couple of special edition articles on Jade and Crystal Skulls on both blogs coming soon (I have often thought I should start a regular magazine called "Skull Fancy" or something like that)

DALE DRINNON: Neanderthal reconstruction

2012-01-27T01:37:00.000-08:00

I was having troubles with Blogger (still am as a matter of fact) but I was able to push through the next shorter piece from something Tyler Stone sent to me:
http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/01/neanderthal-reconstruction-via-tyler.html

CFZ PEOPLE: J.T.Downes

2012-01-26T09:55:00.000-08:00

My father would have been 87 today. Happy Birthday Dad

CFZ PEOPLE: Nick Wadham

2012-01-26T05:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday dude

WATCHER OF THE SKIES: Orioles, birdwatching and gamekeeper shame

2012-01-26T05:10:00.000-08:00

As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time, Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... about out of place birds, rare vagrants, and basically all things feathery and fortean.

Because we live in strange times, there are more and more bird stories that come her way, so she has now moved onto the main CFZ bloggo with a new column with the same name as her aforementioned ones...

2011 – Farmland bird survey – a record breaking year
The results of the annual survey carried out by the RSPB’s Volunteer and Farmer Alliance has called 2011 another eventful year. One farm in Lincolnshire set a new record with 85 species being spotted in one survey, and in another on the Devon coast one volunteer was lucky enough to spot a golden oriole - one of Britain’s rarest birds.

Richard Winspear, senior RSPB agriculture advisor, said: “It’s been a fantastic year for the Volunteer & Farmer Alliance with more and more farmers learning about the wildlife on their farms thanks to an army of dedicated amateur experts.

“These volunteers get up at the crack of dawn to carry out these surveys and do an amazing job. Every farmer gets a map of their farm showing where each species is breeding which they can use to plan conservation measures.

“It’s great to hear all the stories we get back from our volunteers which over the past year have included encounters with some rare and spectacular birds like golden eagle, quail and even a golden oriole.

“But the most heartening thing is to see the enthusiasm farmers show for the wildlife on their land. With vital information from surveys like these and the right advice and support through the agri-environment schemes, they can make a real difference for farmland birds.

“This is a very popular service and we get a lot of requests from farmers, so much so that in some areas we are oversubscribed. Farmers have benefitted from this free service for a number of years however it does require investment and in these austere times we are looking to see how we can continue to support it into the future.”

A more detailed report can be found at: http://www.rspb.org.uk/media/releases/302485-record-breaking-year-for-farmland-bird-survey

And for more information, to sign up for a survey, or to volunteer to carry out surveys, visit the Volunteer & Farmer Alliance webpage at www.rspb.org.uk/vandfa

Picture from Wikipedia

Beginners’ Birdwatching
If you would like to learn some more about birdwatching, the RSPB has organised a special free four day course in February in south Dorset. Each day will be held at different outdoor venues in Poole and Bournemouth.

Organiser of the event, Sarah-Jane Buckle, said: "This is a great opportunity for anyone who's always wanted to learn a bit more about our feathered friends. South Dorset is a brilliant place for birds and birdwatching, and we're really keen to get more people out and about and enjoying what there is to see.

"We've got some excellent venues for the event and I'm really looking forward to it. We'll provide everything to start off with, and you don't even have to have your own binoculars as we'll have some to borrow. And best of all its free - although donations are always welcome!".

For more details please contact Sarah-Jane Buckle on 07703607630 or visit:
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/Birdwatching-Beginners.html

Second gamekeeper convicted of poisoning offences in a week in Lanarkshire
A second Lanarkshire gamekeeper has been convicted of possessing Carbofuran, a highly toxic pesticide that was banned in 2001. Cyril McLachlan, 63 years old and with 40 years experience, was find £635 at Lanark Sheriff Court after admitting the offence. He was arrested during an operation by Strathclyde Police, the National Wildlife Crime Unit and the Scottish Government in January 2011, when a plastic bottle containing the illegal substance was discovered in his vehicle. McLachlan claimed to have got the chemical "off a friend".

Speaking after the sentencing Bob Elliot, Head of Investigations at RSPB Scotland, said: "This is the second court case in the space of a week involving poisoning in South Lanarkshire, which must be very worrying for local residents. Not only do these illegal chemicals kill birds and other wildlife but they have the potential to poison domestic pets and endanger any people that come into contact with them.

"It is depressing that despite this substance being banned for over ten years it turns up with monotonous regularity, used to lace baits indiscriminately which are then laid in the open in our countryside to kill protected wildlife."

On 5th January 2012 at Lanark Sheriff Court, former gamekeeper David Whitefield, of the nearby Culter Allers Estate, Coulter, South Lanarkshire was successfully prosecuted for poisoning offences.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/carbofuran-scotland.html

...and for those who don't know why 'The Watcher of the Skies':

GIANT CROC

2012-01-26T03:49:00.000-08:00

RICHARD FREEMAN WRITES: Sadly, this is forced perspective. If you look closely you will see that the people in the background are sitting on a wall with ground between them and the wall the crocodile is lying on. There is little close to the crocodile to indicate its length, but if the wall is the same hight as the one the people are sitting on in the background then it would seem that the croc is not remarkably large 14-15 feet; about average for an adult.

The Nile crocodile is the second larges living crocodile and just how big it gets is a matter of controversy. The largest known mesured between the pegs 21 feet 2 inches, suggesting that very large males could reach 23 feet or more. One such huge individual, named Gustave haunts Lake Tanganyika in Burundi. Wildlife Cameraman Cherry Kearton claimed to have filmed a specimen 27 feet long. Other claims have been made of crocodiles in the 23-26 foot range over the years. Though unproven they are far from impossible.

http://imgur.com/RYaZm

HAUNTED SKIES: Daily Telegraph 11.4.58.

2012-01-26T02:58:00.000-08:00

http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2012/01/daily-telegraph-11458.html

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

2012-01-26T02:50:00.000-08:00

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1993 the professional wrestler Andre the Giant died. Andre was billed by Vince McMahon Sr. as the 8th Wonder of the World on account of his height, reputed to be around 2.30 M.

And now the news:

Cat Shot With Arrow: 'Cupid' Expected To Make Full...
Bees 'could deter vandals' at Greenfield heritage ...
Pythons and Anacondas banned from US import and tr...
Airport proposals 'catastrophic' for wildlife
Tiny alcohol amounts double worm's life
Russian scientist claims signs of life spotted on ...
85-year-old woman wields shovel to stop moose stom...

An interview showing just how tall Andre was:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ82JLb84ms

DALE DRINNON: New on Frontiers of Zoology/Anthropology

2012-01-26T01:34:00.000-08:00

New on the Frontiers of Zoology, a brief piece of information on the Demon Ducks of Doom:
http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/01/devil-and-mr-waddles.html

Plus two rather longer articles on Frontiers of Anthropology, which I am afraid are going to lead to some more longer articles following. Not to worry, I shall probably intersperse them with smaller articles yet to come on the blog also:

http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2012/01/some-largescale-migrations-into-new_25.html

http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2012/01/more-on-uralics-part-1.html

SHUKERNATURE: Karl Shuker vs the purple cow...

2012-01-26T01:11:00.000-08:00

One of the shortest but most famous of all nonsense poems is 'The Purple Cow', penned by American author Gelett Burgess (1866-1951). It originally appeared in the first issue of The Lark, a magazine published in 1895 that was co-edited and (at least initially) largely written by Burgess.

Read on...

AFGHAN MYSTERY CAT REDUX

2012-01-25T09:36:00.000-08:00

There have been a lot of suggestions about the identity of the Afghan mystery cat which we posted about the other day (see comments section of original post). So far it has been suggested that it is a snow leopard, a jungle cat and a sand cat.

Raheel Mughal writes:

Hi Jon,

How are you? Just to let you know, I was surfing the CFZ website today when I came across a blogpost concerning an Afghan Mystery Cat. I did some research on cats belonging to the (Felidae) family and I believe (taking into account - region, size and physical descriptions), that the cat portrayed in the picture is none other than a Jungle Cat (Felis chaus), also known as the Reed or Swamp Cat.

The Jungle Cat hunts around marshes and riverbanks - often near human habitations. It has an unpatterned coat varying from yellow to a tawny colour, and its tail has black rings and a black tip. its common in Africa and Asia and is approximately 50 - 94 cm (20-37 inches) in length and it weighs approximately 4-16 kg or (8.75 - 35 lb). This cat also nests in abandoned borrows and is active both by day and night.

I hope that you will mention my research above on the CFZ website. Thank you.
Best wishes to you and the CFZ family. Speak to you soon. Take care of yourself and the family.

Your Friend,

Raheel

JON'S JOURNAL: Murder most foul (or should that be murder most frog?)

2012-01-25T09:02:00.001-08:00

Yesterday afternoon, Prudence took Richard, Corinna and me out to Huddisford for another walk, and we walked along one of the areas next to the little stream we explored the other day.

We were running a bit late in the day, and therefore the light was not all that it could have been by the time that we arrived, and Richard managed to get Prudence out of the car (not an easy task at the best of times).

We walked through an area which - back when I first came back to Woolsery in 2005 - had been a thickly planted conifer plantation. It had been cut, and subsequently replanted about three years ago, and as you can see the young pine trees are making fairly good progress; there isn't any effective scale of reference in the photograph, but I am 6 foot 7, and they reached about a third of the way up me, or double the height of Prudence.

We walked a fair way and as Prudence bumbled her way through the undergrowth she put up several birds including something which I think was a skylark.

A couple of days back I told the sad story:

"We used to have a pond at the bottom of the garden and every spring the garden frogs spawned there.

When my brother and his wife had children my parents had the pond filled in lest the little ones would fall in and do themself a mischief. But the frogs didn't seem to realise and every spring for the next few years they would lay their eggs on the lawn where the pond used to be, even though there was no water.

My mother used to collect the spawn in a bucket and take it up to a friend's pond to release it, so all ended well. That was in 1997/8 and that particular generation of frogs must have lived out their alloted span (or learned their lesson) because by the time we came here in 2005 it didn't happen anymore."

Just by one of the two ditches that feed the aforementioned stream we found some frogspawn on the ground and I thought that we had another case of a similar scenario ...except that here there had NEVER been a pond on the path where the spawn lay.

Then on the way back to the car Richard noticed the froggy entrails lying on the ground amidst the spawn. This was obviourly a tale of batrachian trajedy, when a gravid female was on her way to spawn when a bird of prey, or perhaps a small carnivore had waylaid her.

One good side effect of the mild winter (at least as far as I am concerned) is that it is giving a chance for my Carpobrotus edulis or succulent mesembryanthemum to grow larger. I planted it back in 2006, and it started flowering last year, but the heavy winters have done quite a lot of damage to it, and I think that this mild one will finally give it a chance to get established.

It is originally a South African species, but has become naturalised at several locations in the westcountry (most notably at Baggy Point, which is where I first saw it in 1971, and I assume it is still there).

I am very fond of succulents and am slowly building up a collection..

NEIL ARNOLD: Film Review: Boggy Creek (2011)

2012-01-25T06:11:00.000-08:00

I’ve often been of the opinion that any film that ranges from being half-decent to a classic should never…ever, be remade. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a good remake, and personally don’t think they’re necessary. So, when I heard that my all time favourite movie, The Legend Of Boggy Creek, was to be loosely remade, my heart sank with despair. The original movie – directed by Charles B’ Pierce in the 1970s – changed my life. It terrified me as a kid, and in its eerie suggestion allowed the mind to fill in the blanks. More importantly, the film really put the Bigfoot legend on the map, especially as it played like a docu-drama – presenting the creature as a half-hinted presence amidst the accounts told by actual witnesses. If I’d never seen The Legend Of Boggy Creek as a child, I would never have become a writer let alone a monster-hunter.

Now, let’s fast forward to 2011, and some guy named Brian T. Jaynes has somehow put together his pocket money to ‘make’ Boggy Creek, featuring a cast of all stars including the delightfully named Texas Battle, alongside Stephanie Honore, Melissa Carnell, Damon Lipari and Shavon Kirksey. Sadly, by the time the opening credits are on the screen, we find ourselves, like in so many, usually American remakes, that we don’t actually care who’s in the movie…or if they die. I’m guessing that the alternative title, Attractive Young Woman In Tight Shorts Who Likes Running (But Has Parental Issues) And Goes Camping With An Assortment Of Scantily Clad Females Who In Turn Introduce Us To A Myriad Of Goofball Hunks…Oh, And A Marauding Bigfoot, just didn’t have the same ring to it. Within seconds of watching this movie I almost choked on my Bigfoot burger…how on earth can people be allowed to make films as bad in this day and age ? It’s an insult to the intelligence of even primitive man and anyone who finds something good in this movie deserves the same punishment as those pea-brained actors… disembowelment by Mr Sasquatch.

It’s not a huge surprise that this movie went straight to dvd, but the fact it was able to incorporate the Boggy Creek name into its title is a disgrace. So, “what’s it about ?” I hear you ask ? Well, I think my alternative title pretty much sums up this shambolic film. Mutilated victims are turning up in the backwoods of Boggy Creek (although we only see a few – mainly at night of course!), but who cares when we’ve suddenly got three airhead femme fatale’s in hot pants! It’s your typical US flick, the type that has been bombarding our television, and somehow cinema screens since the ‘90s – taking the halcyon days of the ‘70s and ‘80s slasher flick to vomit-induced levels of trash. There are the three rather attractive girls, who have the combined IQ of Bigfoot excrement, completely bereft of character, except the blonde who likes jogging – and then we meet the hunk in the woods who has Bigfoot issues (apparently his wife was dragged off into the woods by a horny Bigfoot “many years ago”) as well as the two other ‘dudes’ aka, planks of wood, who eventually succumb to the grubby hands of the hairy one. And that’s it. Like so many countless other mundane, dire, appalling, mainly US movies, it’s about a camping trip into the heart of the forest where rumour has it some type of wild-man likes to chew on the bones of men but give the bone to women….but the major problem is – amongst so many other problems – no-one can act, and within five minutes I feel like I’m watching a porn film minus the sex scenes!

Badly filmed, badly acted, badly scripted, bad special effects – pretty much sums up a majority of modern horror films. However, the worse thing about all this is the fact that I’m pretty sure that out there, somewhere, there are people struggling to get their decent films made, and yet diarrhoea like this ambles into the dvd player, tarnishes the legend of Pierce's masterpiece, then disappears down the toilet. 80 or so minutes of garbage is how I’d sum this movie up. Avoid like the plague, and shoot all those involved.

0/10

NEWLY DESCRIBED BREEDS OF DOG

2012-01-25T05:47:00.000-08:00

Because I have a wide and rich range of interests I get sent all sorts of interesting links each day. I was particularly interested in this article on new breeds of dog...

http://caninebreeds.bulldoginformation.com/new-experimental-and-recreated-dog-breeds.html#Newly-recognized-breeds

HAUNTED SKIES: Daily Mail 28.1.58

2012-01-25T05:27:00.001-08:00

http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2012/01/daily-mail-28158.html

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

2012-01-25T05:26:00.001-08:00

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1905 the Cullinan Diamond was discovered In South Africa. Until the discovery of the Golden Jubilee Diamond the Cullinan Diamond was the largest pure diamond ever discovered and, according to unsubstantiated rumours, it was part of a much larger diamond. The 9 parts of the cut diamond are now part of the British Crown Jewels, the largest diamond of which is known as the Star of Africa and is set in the Sceptre of The Cross, which is held in the monarch’s right hand during coronations.

And now the news:

Miami Roofers Discover Massive Bat Colony In One R...
Rare Chinese white dolphin gets DNA bank
Sumatran elephant upgraded to critically endangere...
Migrating Somerset eels tracked by camera
Why Some Animals Are Fatter Than Others
Bid to save wildcats from amorous cousins
GAMEKEEPERS URGE GOVT TO EXPLORE TAYSIDE BEAVER PR...

Brits don’t get overly patriotic very often as it is considered ‘vulgar’ and 'common' but we have our moments, such as coronations where we out-do everyone else, with the possible exception of North Korea (you can try spotting the Star of Africa in this clip if such things excite and amuse you) :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkWtA4-34VE

DALE DRINNON: The Year of The Dragon

2012-01-25T05:22:00.000-08:00

My own contribution to the Chinese New Year, only slightly tardy:
http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/01/welcome-to-year-of-dragon.html

FRONTIERS OF ANTHROPOLOGY: Lemuria and Egypt

2012-01-25T05:21:00.001-08:00

Two New Articles on Frontiers of Anthropology:
http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2012/01/cromagnons-in-egypt-at-15000-bc.html

and
http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2012/01/tall-ships-of-lemuria.html

INAPPROPRIATE CORNER: The Rifles of the IRA

2012-01-25T02:01:00.000-08:00

When the legitimate media make cock ups on this scale, life is sweet:

Ofcom has ruled that ITV misled viewers by airing footage claimed to have been shot by the IRA, which was actually material taken from a video game.

A total of 26 people alerted the regulator, raising concerns over the footage broadcast in Exposure: Gaddafi and the IRA, in September.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16677640

CFZ PEOPLE: Gavin Lloyd Wilson

2012-01-24T05:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday mate

WATCHER OF THE SKIES: Shrikes and Sparrows

2012-01-24T04:53:00.000-08:00

HAUNTED SKIES: Colonel Halt supports Haunted Skies!

2012-01-24T03:56:00.002-08:00

http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2012/01/colonel-halt-supports-haunted-skies.html

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

2012-01-24T03:56:00.001-08:00

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 2009 Director Kim Manners died. His name should be familiar to anyone who has been interested in tv dramas based on the paranormal as he was one of the directors of “The X-Files” and “Supernatural”.

And now the news:

New West Sussex home for 'endangered' water voles
Birds of a Feather Don't Always Stick Together
Wild dogs didn't go extinct in east Africa after a...
Extremely Rare Turtle Is Released Into the Wild
African mystery surrounds Welsh-born osprey
Kakapo death ends disappointing year
Bowerbird Bachelor Pads With Best Illusion Snag Ma...

Manners talks X-Files:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkDGYOCbMhY

FRONTIERS OF ANTHROPOLOGY: New evidence links Early Bronze Age Ireland to the Southeastern United States

2012-01-24T03:26:00.000-08:00

New evidence links Early Bronze Age Ireland to the Southeastern United States

http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2012/01/more-support-for-bronze-age.html

CFZ CANADA: 新年快乐 (Happy New Year)

2012-01-24T03:18:00.000-08:00

January 23, 2012 begins theChinese `Year of the Dragon``. In the Chinese 12 year cycle of zodiac years, the dragon is the only animal that is legendary—allof the other icons are known, and rather benign, animals and birds. Additionally, this is the year of the WaterDragon.

Read on...

LIZ CLANCY: APOCALYPSE 1080p: Last Day of the World

2012-01-23T19:32:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since my last post for the CFZ bloggo but I have several incredibly good excuses. One is that I'm currently working on a film project and would like to invite CFZ bloggo readers to get involved. And CFZ TV.

In Montreal, back in January 1999, a couple of friends made a simple bet between themselves: produce an original short film every month until the New Millennium and the End of the World. Twelve months later, these friends were disappointed to learn that the Apocalypse had been postponed, but they had kept their bet and 200 short films later, KINO was born!

http://www.planetekino.com/index.php?s=kino&lang=en

Twelve years later, as the year 2012 looms and the 'Mayan Doomsday' silly season appears set to strike with full force, we thought we’d commemorate KINO’s apocalyptic origins by posing ONE simple question:

IF the world is ending on 21st December 2012 (as doomsday theorists claim) how would YOU spend the world’s very Last Day?

Fulfilling your wildest ‘bucket list’ desires? Saying your last goodbyes? Getting plastered? Cowering inside your bomb shelter? Making passionate love?

Partially inspired by the Ridley Scott documentary ‘Life in a Day’ and Michael Jackson’s ‘Behind the Mask’ music video, Manchester Making Films Inspirational [MMFI] and SirClancelot Films are inviting Kino filmmakers worldwide to star in the ‘Apocalypse 1080p’ cinema project by sending us your most creative films showing how YOU plan to spend the Last Day of the World. The best footage will be used to create an amazing world-sourced, feature-length science fiction movie to be released in December 2012.

From something as basic as a 30-second mobile phone video clip of your last will and testament before the '2012 apocalypse' to the most elaborate 'countdown to Armageddon' flash mob, feel free to have all the fun in the world in creating your masterpieces.

WHAT WERE YOU DOING ON THE DAY THE WORLD ENDED?
Imagine it. Film it. Send it in.

Pull out all creative stops. Think outside the box. Let your creativity (and cameras) run wild and send us your most amazing 21/12 'bucket list' films!

Submissions may be filmed with mobile phone, camcorder, DSLR or any other means. They may be of any length and should strive for a minimum resolution of 1080p HD (though films of lesser resolution will be accepted).

Open a Free account and upload your films to Vimeo at:

http://vimeo.com/

Then send us the web link to your film (along with your full name, phone number and email address) via Facebook Message.

Alternatively, you can post your entries on CD or DVD to:

SirClancelot Films
88 Abbey Crescent
Heywood
Lancashire
OL10 4UG

(Remember to enclose your full name, phone number and email address. Submissions are non-returnable and may be re-edited as needed.)

Closing date for entries: 30 June 2012. Please disregard the 'Tuesday, March 20, 2012' closing date indicated at the top. (For some reason Facebook will not allow you to create an event that lasts for more than 4 months.)

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Could all participants refrain from adding any names, titles, dates or any other visual information to the films they submit. These will be added in post-production. Furthermore, in submitting material for this project you are doing so under the terms of the Creative Commons Public License.

MAKE THE LAST DAY OF THE WORLD COUNT FOR SOMETHING.
Imagine it. Film it. Send it in.

ANDREW MAY: Words from the Wild Frontier

2012-01-23T13:30:00.000-08:00

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

From Nick Redfern's "There's Something in the Woods...":

Nessie: The Underwater Sightings — The Loch Ness Monster glimpsed in its natural habitat?

From CFZ Australia:

Thylacine hunting 'a waste of money' — That's the depressing conclusion of a new academic study...
A bunyip with bite — An upcoming micro-budget movie about Australia's favourite cryptid...

From CFZ Canada:

新年快乐 (Happy New Year) — All you need to know about dragons in the Year of the Dragon...

DALE DRINNON: The Russian "Snowman"

2012-01-23T08:32:00.000-08:00

Article on possible Russian "Snowman" and Folkloric connections: a Tartar Tickler
http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/01/shurale.html

BLOGGO: 8,000 Posts - haven't we done well!

2012-01-23T05:59:00.001-08:00

Will our RSPB: West Country birds fret that it’s been mild and wet?

2012-01-23T05:21:00.000-08:00

The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch (28-29 January 2012) Over half a million people will be taking part in the world’s biggest wildlife survey this weekend, the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch (28-29 January). This winter has seen temperatures go from mild, to freezing, and back again, with ice, snow, wind rain thrown into the mix. And after two cold winters before it, the wildlife charity is eager to find out what this year’s confusing weather will mean for our garden birds.

RSPB’s Tony Whitehead says; “The last few months have been anything but predictable so it will be interesting to see what kinds of birds people are seeing this weekend, and in what numbers.

“With plenty of natural food still about some of the usual suspects might be a bit elusive, but heavy rain and strong winds could send other surprises our way.

“And spring-like signs might even be inspiring early breeding activities. There’s already been lots of evidence of birds recce-ing potential nest sites so whatever the weather, it’ll be a busy time.”

The RSPB is asking everyone to take part by picking an hour this weekend to record the birds they see, and feed their results back.

And they are urging everyone to submit their results, even if the numbers of birds they see might seem a bit low.

Tony Whitehead says; “We want to know what you see whether it’s a hundred birds or two birds, regardless of whether this is typical for your garden. We add up all the counts to work out the overall results.

“With over half a million people sending us their data this will help us build an important stock take of what’s happening in gardens this year. We can then compare these counts with others from previous years and note any changes.”

Martin Harper, the RSPB’s Conservation Director, says; “We all know how dreary it can be at this time of year and with the economy in such bad shape, why don’t you cheer yourself up by doing Big Garden Birdwatch? Sit down with a cuppa and watch from your windows. You’re really going to enjoy the wonderful world of nature out there.”

To step up for nature and take part, simply spend one hour over the weekend of 28-29 January, counting the birds in your garden or local park, and record the highest number of each bird species seen at any one time.

Visit the RSPB website www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch for more information and to submit your results online.

Pre-registration is open until Friday and those pre-registering will get a 10% discount for bird food and feeders from the RSPB online shop. A variety of bird care items including food and feeders are available from http://www.rspbshop.co.uk/.

For face-to-face advice the RSPB also has a shop at Dart’s farm in Topsham, Devon http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/d/dartsfarm/index.aspx

HAUNTED SKIES: Daily Telegraph 30.11.57.

2012-01-23T04:38:00.001-08:00

http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2012/01/daily-telegraph-301157.html

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

2012-01-23T04:37:00.000-08:00

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1917 the actor Ernest Borgnine was born. Borgnine has stared in The Poseidon Adventure, the Black Hole and Escape from New York.

Hail to the Chief
picture from Wikipedia

And now the news:

Birds flock to reserve near Malmesbury
Extinct? Cougar sightings on the rise in eastern U...
Anti-whalers in clash with Japanese
Barn owl wings adapted for silent flight
For Lightning-Fast Drones, Add a Bird's Intuition
Purple Calf is finally born
Ornithologists seek to answer riddle of white blac...
Florida: Davie couple say black panther has been p...

The original trailer of The Poseidon Adventure:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP0wV7IvSiI

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2012-01-23T04:36:00.000-08:00

http://mytechquest.com/wallpaper/20-lovely-chinese-new-year-of-dragon-2012-wallpapers/

JON'S JOURNAL: On golden frogs and matching moles (A visit to Kennerland)

2012-01-23T04:29:00.000-08:00

Kennerland is another of those places where I used to go as a boy because the range of natural history was particularly pleasing.

It would probably be called a suburb of Woolsery if it wasn't for the fact that nobody actually lives there. I always used to go there every spring because of the tadpoles.

It is a particularly soggy neighbourhood (if I may steal a phrase from one of my favourite children's authors) and once was all marshes. As you can see, much of it has now been drained to make it more suitable for agricultural purposes, but the rushes remain (and so does quite a lot of the water).

Prudence made a New Year's Resolution to get more excercise, so each afternoon now she takes Corinna and me for a walk. I cannot walk very fast, and even slow ambling is painful, so I take my mind off it all by wielding a camera, and going in search of the natural world.

For some reason Kennerland - or to be more specific, the ditches along the road at Kennerland Cross - has always been a desirable residence for the local frog population. Each spring I used to visit the area and go tadpole spotting.

I was always amazed at the vast divergence of sizes, colours and shapes of the tadpoles there, and when, years later, I started becoming interested in the golden frogs of the West Country I often wondered whether these fantastically multicoloured tadpoles (some were certainly yellow, although I never saw any golden ones) could provide a clue to the aetiology of the fabulous golden ones.

I am still wondering, and it was one of the things not too far from the front of my mind as we drove up to Kennerland on Sunday afternoon.

As you can see, there was no shortage of frog spawn and although the nuclei of each egg seems to be black, it always did, and the tadpoles seemed not to change colour until they got considerably bigger. We are going to monitor these ditches (which have survived the passage of the years far better than those at Huddisford) and see what happens.

Frogs seem to be creatures of habit: they come back here to breed year after year, and I am always reminded of a sad little story my father told me. We used to have a pond at the bottom of the garden and every spring the garden frogs spawned there.

When my brother and his wife had children my parents had the pond filled in lest the little ones would fall in and do themself a mischief. But the frogs didn't seem to realise and every spring for the next few years they would lay their eggs on the lawn where the pond used to be, even though there was no water.

My mother used to collect the spawn in a bucket and take it up to a friend's pond to release it, so all ended well. That was in 1997/8 and that particular generation of frogs must have lived out their alloted span (or learned their lesson) because by the time we came here in 2005 it didn't happen anymore.

We also saw large numbers of molehills, proving (as if any proof were needed) that the local population of Talpa europea is doing fine and dandy....

And why Matching Mole in the title? Cop a load of this (particularly you, Max)....

DALE DRINNON: Another post-apocalyptic 'Cedar and Willow'

2012-01-23T04:28:00.000-08:00

New on Cedar and Willow, Dropping the other shoe on the post-apocalyptic series:
http://cedar-and-willow.blogspot.com/2012/01/post-apocalypsos-part-2-cedar-and.html

HONG KONG'S MYSTERIOUS COCKATOOS

2012-01-22T06:18:00.000-08:00

http://www.parrots.org/index.php/forums/viewthread/106/

Richard Muirhead sent the above link.

I remember seeing them in the flame trees outside what was then the Colonial Secretariat when my Dad worked there in the late 1960s. But I had no idea until today that they were anything but an invasive species, and certainly no idea that this colony was of conservation importance to the species as a whole.

I HAVE JUST RECEIVED THIS MESSAGE FROM 'TROPICAL FISH-FINDER'

2012-01-22T06:14:00.000-08:00

A very rare Venezuelan black wolf fish Hoplias curupira is currently available at Wildwoods. They only have one example of this species available and given the rarity we would recommend acting quickly if you would like to buy this fish. The fish is available to buy online via their Tropicalfish2yourdoor shop on Tropicalfishfinder along with a huge variety of other rare and oddball species.

Isn't this a magnificent creature? But there is only one of them and it is over £130. Pity :(

DALE DRINNON: Recent developments in Thunderbird cases

2012-01-22T05:43:00.000-08:00

Some more recent developments in Thunderbird cases

http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/01/more-on-thunderbirds.html

HAUNTED SKIES: Daily Telegraph 6.11.57

2012-01-22T04:42:00.003-08:00

http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2012/01/daily-telegraph-61157_10.html

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

2012-01-22T04:42:00.001-08:00

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1897 Elva Zona Heaster was found murdered. Her murder trial made legal history in the united states as the first trial where ‘testimony from a ghost’ was taken into account.

And now the news:

Child Eaten By Crocodile In Front Of Father
Lost Charles Darwin fossils rediscovered in cabine...
Devastating blood fluke's code cracked
Orphaned baby seals taken to sanctuary after storm...
Seabird foraging areas 'key for conservation'
Humans skilled anglers 42,000 years ago
Sth America's oldest predator fossil found
Weird Noise: Strange Sounds Popping Up In Differen...

A dramatic recreation of the Heaster murder:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke1dqOv9Sos

JON'S JOURNAL: Exploring Huddisford

2012-01-22T04:19:00.000-08:00

When I was a boy all the lanes around Huddisford Woods had ditches at the side, and all of these ditches were tiny ecosystems teeming with life.

For years I would patrol these little ponds looking for water beetles, dragonfly larvae and tadpoles, and it was one of the things that I was looking forward to doing again when I came back to North Devon seven years ago.

But to my disappointment the ditches were all either dried up or hopelessly polluted. I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised really. The water table has dropped, most of the marshes have been drained to create usable farmland and there are many more cars on the roads than there used to be.

When I was a boy I cycled all around the area but it just wouldn't be safe now. There are just too many cars on the roads. I remember back in 1972 a schoolpal of mine deciding to start a new hobby of collecting car license plate numbers. He was overjoyed to have written down 21 different ones passing through Woolsery in a single day! I thought then that this was a singularly pointless excercise, but I certainly wouldn't attempt it now. But if I did, I expect that we would amass well over a thousand in the same length of time.

Now, where there were once dozens of little self-contained ecosystems, there is only one left.

Corinna and I have set ourselves a little task for 2012. We are going to follow the progress of this one remaining mini stream throughout the year, and try and make a record of its inhabitants through the seasons.

Now, at the risk of sounding like Lloyd Grossman (who severely irritates me - but that is another story), what animal would use this obviously well worn trackway up the bank and into the hedge?

Well, I know that we are talking about Huddisford Woods and that since we got DNA from hairs found there, there seems no doubt that at least one big cat inhabits the area, but this trackway was made by something smaller - probably a fox.

Finally, look at this. As we have been noting in recent posts, the world really does seem to have been turned upside down. This red campion is supposed to flower between May and October, but was photographed at Huddisford yesterday afternoon. Is it a late straggler from last October? Or is it a very early flower that thinks it is May? Either way, it should not be flowering in January, and is an early sign that all is far from right!

KARL SHUKER: FELIS - LOST CONSTELLATION OF THE CAT

2012-01-22T04:18:00.000-08:00

Today, only 88 constellations in the night sky are formally recognised by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), but many additional ones were once described and named too. One of these was Felis, the Cat, which was originally designated in 1799 by French astronomer Joseph Jérôme de Lalande, a noted cat-lover who had lamented the domestic cat's absence in a sky populated by no less than three different domestic dog constellations (Canis Major, Canis Minor, and Canes Venatici), as well as three wild cats (Leo, Leo Minor, and Lynx). And so Felis, situated between the constellations of Antlia (the Air Pump) and Hydra (the Water Snake), was duly added to the list, becoming the thirty-fourth animal constellation (albeit a rather small one).

Read on...

DALE DRINNON: A Postapocalyptic Cedar and Willow

2012-01-22T04:04:00.000-08:00

New on Cedar and Willow, touching on the post-apocalyptic period again. A couple of good jokes in there if you go looking for them.

http://cedar-and-willow.blogspot.com/2012/01/post-apocalypsos-first-team.html

P.S. If you think there will be no traffic on it, you could mention it includes Tina Louise photos this time.

Thylacine passes extinction test

2012-01-21T06:25:00.000-08:00

People should stop wasting time and money looking for the Tasmanian tiger, according to new Australian research.

Dr Diana Fisher and Dr Simon Blomberg from the University of Queensland's school of biological sciences report their findings in a recent issue of Conservation Biology.

Since the last wild thylacine was captured in 1933, there have been ongoing searches and numerous unconfirmed sightings of the carnivorous marsupial.

But, says Fisher, such efforts are misguided.

"There's been more search efforts for the thylacine than any other mammal globally," she says.

"I think that's just a waste of money."

Read on...

SCOTTIE WESTFALL: Jaguarundis in Florida

2012-01-21T06:05:00.000-08:00

I thought you might find this interesting:
http://t4studios.com/thefloridajaguarundi.html

Image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Puma_yaguarondi.jpg/800px-Puma_yaguarondi.jpg

HAUNTED SKIES: Daily Telegraph 4.11.57

2012-01-21T05:57:00.003-08:00

http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2012/01/daily-telegraph-41157.html

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

2012-01-21T05:57:00.001-08:00

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1561 Sir Francis Bacon was born. Bacon was a scientist, philosopher and politician who foolish fools think wrote Shakespeare’s plays.

And now the news:

Fungus blamed in millions of bat deaths
After 12 million years, plant species at risk of e...
Black cockatoos hungry and dying
Cyborg rats tests could fix brain damage in humans...
Math formula may explain why serial killers kill
'Big cat' tests on second Gloucestershire deer car...
Prehistoric bear skulls found underwater in Mexico...
Monkey 'Extinct For Years' Found In Jungle
Rare Sea Creature Appears on Seattle Woman's Dock

Basically, the crackpot argument that Bacon wrote Shakespeare’s plays stems from the fact that in the 19th century snobs couldn’t believe that somebody could be a fantastic writer having attended a grammar school rather than a public school, conveniently ignoring the hundreds of other great authors and storytellers that didn’t have rich parents, either:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKlFI6sdpcs

JON'S JOURNAL: Home again

2012-01-21T05:02:00.001-08:00

We have been away since Sunday, and only got back at some ridiculous hour last night.

For the last week we have been staying with my eldest stepdaughter Shosh at her house in Staffordshire, and have been largely indoors, hence the fact that there have been no updates to this series because I haven't been anywhere to do any significant Nature Study.

When I got home last night I was pleased to see that the big southeast Asian fishtank in my study looks magnificent! It has been looking a little shoddy for some weeks, and when he was here Max suggested that it needed a filter with more ooomph. Said filter was duly ordered and installed last Saturday. When we returned last night it had certainly done its magic!

Just look at this brief clip of Max's Ctenopoma weeksii - otherwise known as the mottled bushfish, an unjustifiably obscure species from the Congo basin. I am really chuffed!

ANDREW MAY: Words from the Wild Frontier

2012-01-20T05:24:00.000-08:00

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

From Nick Redfern's "There's Something in the Woods...":

Werewolves at 100 — The centenary of a classic book on lycanthropy...
Something in the Sewers — Sewer legends and much more in Darklore volume 6...

From CFZ Canada:

The RCMP and Sasquatch — The odder duties of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police...

WATCHER OF THE SKIES: Glaucous gulls, Somerset cranes, and the 'Lady of the Loch'

2012-01-19T12:59:00.000-08:00

As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... about out-of-place birds, rare vagrants, and basically all things feathery and Fortean.

Because we live in strange times there are more and more bird stories that come her way so she has now moved onto the main CFZ bloggo with a new column with the same name as her aforementioned ones....

Glaucous gulls arrive from Iceland in large numbers

Again from the RSPB, Alan Tissiman, Communications Manager, writes that RSPB Scotland is reporting 'a major influx of Iceland glaucous gulls to the west coast of Scotland. Over 100 birds have been recorded in Argyll alone with many more being seen in the Western Isles and Orkney and Shetland.' Conservation officer Martin Scott, based in Stornoway, said “These are beautiful ghostly birds with a suitably frosty appearance given that they have come down from the Arctic.

"The two species concerned are very similar although the glaucous gull is generally larger than the Iceland gull.

“Unlike our resident herring gulls, the two Arctic species don’t have any black on the wing tips – that’s useful for identification purposes. Many of the birds seem to be juveniles and have a beautifully patterned delicate plumage when seen close to.

“Unusually we are seeing more Iceland gulls than glaucous gulls this year. I imagine the recent windy weather must be having an effect and is pushing the birds into Scottish waters from the Atlantic. Good places to see them are harbours, particularly where there are fishing boats. Stornoway is proving a great place to find them at the moment but judging by reports the birds are being seen all around the Scottish coast. They are well worth looking out for!”

http://www.rspb.org.uk/media/releases/302178-ghostly-birds-from-the-arctic-flock-to-scotland
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
‘Lady of the Loch’
Scottish Wildlife Trust’s famous female osprey, known as ‘Lady of the Loch’ by her worldwide fans, has had a film produced about her. She has been returning to Loch of the Lowes in Perthshire and regularly producing chicks consecutively for the last 21 years. Filmmaker Lisa Trainer has included footage taken by a high definition camera installed in the osprey’s nest along with other filming. You can see the film here:

http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/news/film-celebrates-world-famous-osprey/

You can also watch a webcam live from the loch at: http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/wildlife-webcams/loch-of-lowes/

Back in June 2010 there were concerns that she would die as footage showed her very ill in her nest, but she survived and is thought to be the oldest breeding female ever recorded in the UK, producing around 59 eggs from which 48 chicks survived. At the age of 26 in 2011 she has confounded experts by outliving what they thought was a life-span of 8 years! Undertaking a round trip of 6,000 miles to winter in Gambia is a pretty amazing feat considering her age. In the 1950s the osprey re-colonised the UK naturally after being persecuted to extinction as a breeding bird here in 1916. It is not as common as the golden eagle and there are only around 200 breeding pairs across Britain. But it seems that ‘Lady’ is doing her bit for the species.

Somerset’s wild cranes
Go to: http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/somerset-cranes12.html to find more information on how you can experience “the magic of Somerset’s first wild reintroduced cranes.”
Wild cranes used to be a common sight on the Somerset Levels and Moors 400 years ago but hunting and habitat changes forced the birds to disappear. If you would like to be a part of one of the six events to hear a talk, have refreshments, see a video and see the flock of thirty wild cranes, click on the link above. You can also find out more about the Great Crane Project by visiting: http://www.thegreatcraneproject.org.uk/

They are magnificent-looking birds and can be up to 4ft (1.2m) tall, being around 20% larger than the grey heron. Our tallest breeding bird, they have a wingspan of up to 8ft (2.2-2.45m), which is even bigger than a white-tailed eagle.

Glaucous gull picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Larus_hyperboreus-USFWS.jpg

RELEASE THE BATS

2012-01-19T11:38:00.000-08:00

In recent decades scientific data, particularly ringing recoveries, have uncovered some of the migration secrets of many species of European bat. For example, we now know that at least four species of bat (Nathusius' Pipistrelle, Noctule, Leisler's Bat and Parti-coloured Bat) migrate vast distances from northeastern Europe to the southwest of the continent to spend the winter. Through ringing recoveries, certain individuals have been shown to fly huge distances, with record one-way autumn migrations of Nathusius' Pipistrelle and Parti-coloured Bat totalling 1,905 km (Latvia to France) and 1,787 km (Russia to France) respectively.

Read on

It has to be done....

RONAN COGHLAN: Where do polar bears come from?

2012-01-19T11:37:00.000-08:00

No, I don't mean where do they come from today. I mean where did they come from originally? The Smurfit Institute of Genetics at Trinity College, Dublin, have discovered the answer. The remains of a brown bear between 20,000 and 50,000 years old have been found in a cave in Ireland. Use of mitochondrial DNA has shown she is an ancestor of all today's polar bears. Perhaps the flagging population of polar bears might increase if they were offered a diet of Guinness.

Ronan Coghlan

HAUNTED SKIES: Daily Telegraph 3.12.57.

2012-01-19T11:02:00.000-08:00

http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2012/01/daily-telegraph-31257.html

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

2012-01-19T11:00:00.001-08:00

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1924 Benny Hill was born. If you’re wondering what that has to do with the paranormal and related subjects then maybe you should watch today’s sign-off vid and everything will become clear.

And now the news:

Can We Save the Whales by Putting a Price On Them?...
Cockroach Cyborgs Get Their Own Power Source
Saving Devon's Precious Pearls
Aye-aye lemur 'heats up' its special foraging fing...
Why Teens Are More Prone to Addiction, Mental Illn...
Captive rhino romance may be last hope for species...

A tale of terror! (pronounced ‘ter-roar’):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e1xvyTdBZI&ob=av2e

CFZ CANADA: The RCMP and Sasquatch

2012-01-19T08:32:00.000-08:00

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is the Canadian national public safety service for all of Canada. It provides national, federal, provincial and municipal policing, including services to 184 aboriginal communities and three international airports.

Their duties are varied and sometimes rather odd.

http://cfz-canada.blogspot.com/2012/01/rcmp-and-sasquatch.html

MUIRHEAD`S MYSTERIES: THE HONG KONG "APE MAN" THAT WASN`T

2012-01-19T05:52:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I reported on a story from about 1955 of an ape-man in Hong Kong. At the time all I had was a report on a paranormal blog/website. This led me to a report in the Chinese language newspaper Ta Kung Pao of 8 March 1955 (see http://hkclweb.hkpl.gov.hk:8000/microfilm/1/BATCH29b/6871C4CC9FECC4C7512E49C2E297FC3B34487A75.tif)

Today I obtained a translation from the Chinese herbalist Superherbs in Macclesfield ( see pg. 12 Flying Snake 2), which has revealed that this is a “shaggy dog story” - literally!

The actual incident was as follows:

“A hairy beast was found in Makeng Village of Chizhu, Hong Kong. A policeman found her in the grass. The animal weighs about 50 kilos. As tall as a man, quite hairy all over. It was discovered that this was a huge hound. Raised by a local farmer. She was lost from the farm days before. It was said that she often appeared in the field at nights, people would be really scared if seeing the huge hound suddenly".

But what about those “triangular footprints”? If you remember they were mentioned in the original web report when I first did my blog about this.

R

DALE DRINNON: More California Monsters

2012-01-19T05:32:00.000-08:00

Continuing the series on California Monsters:

http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/01/california-monsters-featuring-lizardmen.html

Best Wishes,

Dale D.

Helicopters, aircraft carrier to save island’s unique wildlife?

2012-01-18T11:53:00.000-08:00

A ground-breaking £1.5 million RSPB project to eliminate introduced rats from an uninhabited island in the central Pacific has attempted to remove the fingerprints of man from an otherwise idyllic tropical paradise. As a bonus, the project has also increased the known size of the UK's overseas territories by six square kilometres.

Henderson Island, one of the UK's most remote territories and a World Heritage Site, has been ravaged by Pacific Rats, introduced by the Polynesians eight centuries ago...

Read on...

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henderson_Island_(Pitcairn_Islands)

Henderson Island on Wikipedia)

Chick photos renew hope for endangered Caribbean seabird

2012-01-18T10:19:00.000-08:00

Black-capped Petrel chick—a little ball of gray fluff that was discovered at its nest inside a mountaintop cave. The finding helps answer questions about this secretive species’ life cycle.

Read on...

HAUNTED SKIES: The Florida 'Thingnik'

2012-01-18T09:54:00.001-08:00

The Florida 'Thingnik' - 1957

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

2012-01-18T09:52:00.000-08:00

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1930 Buzz Aldrin, the second man to set foot on the moon, was born.

And now the news:

Most Recent European Great Ape Discovered

FISH TANKS FRAUGHT WITH FIGHTING (Via Herp Digest)...

Crested macaque monkeys follow friends before fami...

Bulgaria – Great potential for ecotourism?

Antarctic lake drilling mission edges closer

The boys are back in town

Stolen Rabbits Returned To Ore. Farmer Levi Cole

Aldrin gets really annoyed when people mention the conspiracy theory that the lunar landings were filmed on Earth and that America never went to the moon. It begs the question where the heck all the moon rocks found in museums comes from if they didn’t go but here is a video that sums up the conspiracy theory (it conveniently ignores the moon rocks though):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8ZzFemBUJQ

DALE DRINNON: New at the Frontiers of Anthropology

2012-01-18T09:01:00.000-08:00

New article about DNA testing of coconuts on Frontiers of Anthropology:

http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2012/01/more-on-new-world-coconuuts.html

Best Wishes, Dale D.

P.S. another article on California Monsters is on the way, too.

CAT GIVES BIRTH TO DOG? Hmmmmmmmm

2012-01-17T09:45:00.000-08:00

FLORIDA'S FRESHWATER TURTLE REGULATIONS (Via Herp Digest)

2012-01-17T09:07:00.000-08:00

Links a page describing Florida's freshwater turtle regulations:

http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/managed/freshwater-turtles/. This is a link to all reptile oriented regulations: https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ChapterHome.asp?Chapter=68A-25

Sincerely,
Paul Zajicek
Biological Administrator

* * * *
Division of Aquaculture
Florida Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services
1203 Governor's Square Blvd, Ste 501
Tallahassee, Florida 32301-2961
Telephone: 850-488-4033
Fax: 850-410-0893
Website: http://www.floridaaquaculture.com/

I GOT DEM OL' MOLLUSC BLUES AGAIN MAMA

2012-01-17T05:48:00.000-08:00

Fact: blue slugs are better than other slugs. It's true! Not only are these Carpathian blue slugs (Bielzia coerulans) magnificently colored, but they're also super big, reaching lengths of 100-140 mm in length. That's large for slug standards. You can find these guys sliding their way across coniferous or deciduous forest leaf litter - typically under dead logs. Obviously, that's the best place for a slug to be.

Read on...

DO YOU LIKE SOFTSHELLS? DO YOU LIKE DARREN NAISH?

2012-01-17T05:38:00.002-08:00

If the answer is yes. then you will love this piece by Darren Naish on softshell turtles

HAUNTED SKIES - nervous feet?

2012-01-17T05:23:00.000-08:00

http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2012/01/daily-telegraph-71157.html

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

2012-01-17T05:22:00.000-08:00

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1661 Thomas Venner was hung, drawn and quartered. I bet you don’t know who he was, do you? Well, if not, this is one of those occasions when you’ll be glad that you read YNT today - what do you get if you mix the gunpowder plot with the Iranian Embassy siege and set it during the restoration? Exciting stuff that you didn’t get taught in school history lessons, that’s what!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Venner

And now the news:

Fruit Flies Watch the Sky to Stay On Course

Hedgehog survey seeks public help

Scientists capture first images of rare Burmese mo...

Whaler ignores call to leave Australian waters

Sea lions 'extinct in decades

'Rare tropical fish found washed up on Margate beac...

Another time Saint Paul's Cathedral found itself under siege:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx5hzqjem9s

BIGFOOT FORUMS BLOG: An Interview With Mike Rugg

2012-01-17T05:10:00.002-08:00

Michael Rugg is co-founder of the Bigfoot Discovery Project (BDP) and Curator of The Bigfoot Discovery Museum in Felton CA. The BDP accepts the subject of the Patterson/Gimlin Film as the type specimen for the Pacific Coast Bigfoot or Sasquatch and seeks to create a dialogue about the implications of the impending "discovery of bigfoot" by conventional Western science.

http://bigfootforums.blogspot.com/2012/01/interview-with-mike-rugg.html

ANDREW MAY: Words from the Wild Frontier

2012-01-17T05:10:00.000-08:00

The Wild Frontier is strangely quiet at the moment. When I came to do my usual Monday post yesterday, there was only one story (and not a particularly exciting one)... and after waiting another 24 hours there is still only one story!

From CFZ Australia:

Thylacine skull no cryptid, just a dog — So technically it wasn't a thylacine skull at all...

DALE DRINNON: Serendipity at Cedar & Willow

2012-01-17T05:06:00.000-08:00

I found some photos advertised on ebay and I made a fumetti. I hadn't intended to, but it sort of wrote itself.

http://cedar-and-willow.blogspot.com/2012/01/chickie-meets-doc-savage.html

Best Wishes, Dale D.

CFZ PEOPLE: Naomi West

2012-01-17T04:10:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, my dear...

DAN HOLDSWORTH: Afghan mystery cats

2012-01-16T13:48:00.000-08:00

Jon,

I saw this blog post from a war correspondent who has extensively covered Afganistan. Apparently there have long been rumoursof very large cats in Kandahar province of Afganistan, which the locals usually laughed off as mere supposition.However, when the US soldiery started seeing these cats on night vision and even thermal imaging kit (the US Army has some quite incredible technology these days) they were taken seriously. Here are photos of one such cat.

http://www.michaelyon-online.com/afcats-wild-cats-of-afghanistan.htm

EDITOR'S NOTE: Sadly there is no scale given.

According to Wikipedia, the following species of felid live in Afghanistan (although I would question the lion):

Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae (cats)
Subfamily: Felinae

Genus: Acinonyx

Cheetah Acinonyx jubatus VU

Genus: Caracal
Caracal Caracal caracal LC
Genus: Felis

Jungle Cat Felis chaus LC

Sand Cat Felis margarita NT
Wildcat Felis silvestris LC
Pallas's Cat Felis manul NT

Genus: Lynx

Eurasian Lynx Lynx lynx NT

Genus: Prionailurus

Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis LC

Subfamily: Pantherinae

Genus: Panthera

Lion Panthera leo VU

Leopard Panthera pardus LC
Tiger Panthera tigris EN

Genus: Uncia

Snow Leopard Uncia uncia EN

HAUNTED SKIES - 1957 Flying Egg

2012-01-16T11:54:00.000-08:00

http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2012/01/flying-egg-daily-telegraph-5-11-57.html

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

2012-01-16T10:36:00.001-08:00

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1896 the x-ray machine was first publicly demonstrated. Two weeks later the first x-rays showing unusual objects that creepy people had managed to “accidentally sit on, from a great height, while not wearing trousers” appeared in the newspapers funny pages. And now the news:

Dolphin activists plan to occupy the Japanese Embassy

Rosie O'Donnell vs. the hammerhead

Could it be? Another chupacabra sighting?

Dudley Zoo's fears flamingos 'might blow away'

3 Florida panthers die in the first 10 days of 2012

Dormice found on Suffolk reserve for the first time

“Darling, have you seen my car keys? I can’t find them anywhere...

Oh heavens to Betsy, not again.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q17ACk6UW_4

THE NEW DARKLORE

2012-01-16T09:43:00.000-08:00

NEIL ARNOLD WRITES: For those of you interested in strange tales of UFOs, monsters, and other weird esoteric phenomena may I draw your attention to the release of 'Darklore' volume 6, edited by Greg Taylor. Over the years Greg has done a fantastic job of compiling extraordinary articles into book form.

Since its inception Greg has featured the work of people such as Nick Redfern, Nigel Watson, Jon Downes, Richard Freeman and Regan Lee. I've been fortunate enough to contribute articles to several volumes including the new tome. My entry, 'There's Something Strange In The Sewers' looks at bizarre, and mostly obscure stories concerning strange phenomena associated with sewer systems, drainage pipes etc. The article mainly looks at weird and wonderful animals found in such subterranean networks, covering reports of alligators, snakes, giant rats and even a lion and a cow!! You couldn't make it up!

Sewers have also harboured monster legends too, whether it's been the discovery of prehistoric remains in storm drains or reports of Bigfoot and other unexplainable monstrosities crawling through the dank tunnels. Ghost stories and a few urban legends also get a mention.

Elsewhere in the book Nigel Watson looks at a strange tale of alien contact, Cat Vincent looks into the sinister legend of the Slenderman, and Jack Hunter explores the darker side of anthropology.

'Darklore 6' is available from Amazon

Herpetological Conservation and Biology (Via Herp Digest)

2012-01-16T09:18:00.000-08:00

Herpetological Conservation and Biology - Bibliography- New Issue Announcement Volume 6, Issue 3 - December 2011 Open Access (Got to the following URL for links to entire papers and contacts)
http://www.herpconbio.org/contents_vol6_issue3.html

The Editorial Staff at Herpetological Conservation and Biology is pleased to announce the release of the latest issue, Volume 6(3). This issue is packed with editorials, herp-spectives, research articles, and techniques manuscripts. We encourage you to peruse the new website to see the latest issue and also to join our mailing list or our growing community on Facebook. Signing up will ensure you receive the latest news and updates about Herpetological Conservation and Biology!

All of our publications are open-access and freely available to anyone interested. The Governing Board extends its most sincere thanks to authors and readers alike; our success is only made possible by your continued support.

Happy New Year,
 Rob Lovich, PhD.
Communications Editor
Herpetological Conservation and Biology
rlovich@herpconbio.org

Editorial

The "Peer" in "Peer Review."
Gad Perry, Jaime Bertoluci, R. Bruce Bury, Robert H. Hansen, Robert Jehle, Jonh Measey, Brad R. Moon, Erin Muths, and Marco A. L. Zuffi

Herp-Spectives

Trade in Non-native Amphibians and Reptiles in Texas: Lessons for Better Monitoring and Implications for Species Introduction.
Heather L. Prestridge, Lee A. Fitzgerald, and Toby J. Hibbitts

The Amphibian Ark: A Global Community for Ex situ Conservation of Amphibians.
Kevin Zippel, Kevin Johnson, Ron gagliardo, Richard Gibson, Michael McFadden, Robert Browne, Carlos Martinez, and Elizabeth Townsend

Research Articles

The Sea Turtles Captured by Coastal Fisheries in the Northeastern Sulu Sea, Philippines: Documentation, Care,  and Release. [Photo Gallery]
Teodora U. Bagarinao

Ecology of a Population of the Earthsnake Conopsis biserialis in the Mexican Transvolcanic Axis.
Oiva Castaneda-Gonzalez, Javier Manjarrez, Irene Goyenechea, and Victor Fajardo

Which Habitat Selection Method is Most Applicable to Snakes? Case Studies of the Eastern Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus) and Eastern Fox Snake (Pantherophis gloydi). [Photo Gallery]
Brett A. DeGregorio, Brian J. Putman, and Bruce A. Kingsbury

Amphibian Chytrid Fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) in Coastal and Montane California, USA Anurans.
Gary M. Fellers, Rebecca A. Cole, David M. Reinitz, and Patrick M. Kleeman

Thermal Selection and Temperature Preference of the Aquatic Salamander, Amphiuma tridactylum.
Clifford L. Fontenot, Jr. and William I. Lutterschmidt

Ecology of the Eastern Ribbonsnake (Thamnophis sauritus) in Southern Alabama with Evidence of Seasonal Multiple Broods.
Gabriel J. Langford, Joel A. Borden, and David H. Nelson

Reproductive Physiology of the Broad Banded Watersnake, Nerodia fasciata confluens, in Southeastern Louisiana.  [Photo Gallery]
O. Tom Lorenz, Brian D. Horne, Noah J. Anderson, and Ann O. Cheek

Abundance and Roosting Ecology of Chameleons in the East Usambara Mountains of Tanzania and the Potential Effects of Harvesting. [Photo Gallery]

David A. Patrick, Philip Shirk, James R. Vonesh, Elizabeth B. Harper, and Kim M. Howell
Morphological Abnormalities in Amphibian Populations from the Mid-eastern Region of Argentina.
Paola M. Peltzer, Rafael C. Lajmanovich, Laura C. Sanchez, Andres M. Attademo, Celina M. Junges, Clarisa L. Bionda, Adolfo L. Martino, and Agustin Basso

Annual Survival of Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta) Nesting in Peninsular Florida: A Cause for Concern.
Christopher R. Sasso, Sheryan P. Epperly, and Chris Johnson

Chemosensory Response of the Threatened Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi) to Chemical and Visual Stimuli of Mus musculus.
Anthony J. Saviola, William E. Lamoreaux, Regis Opferman, and David Chiszar, Steven J. Price, and Michael E. Dorcas

Population Status and Natural History Notes on the Critically Endangered Stream-dwelling Frog Craugastor ranoides (Craugastoridae) in a Costa Rican Tropical Dry Forest.
Hector Zumbado-Ulate, Federico Bolanos, Beatriz Willink, and Fernando Soley-Guardia

Size Dimorphism and Growth Rates in Distinct Populations of Blanding's Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) in Nova Scotia in Relation to Environment.
José Lefebvre, Trevor S. Avery, and Tom B. Herman

Techniques

The Use of Fluorescent Powdered Pigments as a Tracking Technique for Snakes.
Bejamin L. S. Furman, Brett R. Scheffers, and Cynthia A. Paszkowski

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Three Survey Methods for Sampling Terrestrial Herpetofauna in South China.
Yik-Hei Sung, Nancy E. Karraker, and Billy C. H. Hau

DALE DRINNON: New at the world of 'Cedar and Willow'

2012-01-16T06:34:00.000-08:00

Two new entries in on the Cedar and Willow blog, the most recent one including Noel Neill photos from her "Pirate" period:

http://cedar-and-willow.blogspot.com/2012/01/womens-pyracie-against-bully-hayes.html

And the one just before that with a couple more things that have been waiting to go up, including two new proposed Thomasina Edison book covers starring Toby Wing, and some material on The Golden Amazon:

http://cedar-and-willow.blogspot.com/2012/01/couple-of-things.html

Best Wishes, Dale D.

AMERICAN FOLKLORE.NET: Joseph Bonaparte and the Jersey Devil

2012-01-16T05:30:00.000-08:00

http://www.americanfolklore.net/

Corinna recently discovered this website and sent me some stories for the blog:

Joseph Bonaparte and the Jersey Devil
A New Jersey Legend
Retold by S.E. Schlosser

Joseph Bonaparte, the brother of Napoleon, was the King of Spain. Unsuccessful in defending Spain against England during the Peninsular Wars, he was forced to abdicate his throne in 1813. Following Napoleon's defeat, he went into exile in America. Joseph purchased eight-hundred acres at Bordentown, New Jersey because it was between the two great sea ports of New York and Philadelphia. From this place, he could obtain the very latest news from France and Spain.

As befitting royalty - even the dethroned sort - Joseph built himself a lovely mansion with beautiful, landscaped grounds and plenty of parkland. Joseph Bonaparte entertained many of the great men of his day, including John Adams, the Marquis of Lafayette, and Daniel Webster. He led a very glamorous social life, throwing marvelous parties with mountains of food and many guests. The Americans were very impressed with him.

One snowy afternoon, the ex-King of Spain was hunting alone in the woods near his house when he spotted some strange tracks on the ground. They looked like the tracks of a two-footed donkey. Bonaparte noticed that one foot was slightly larger than the other. The tracks ended abruptly as if the creature had flown away. He stared at the tracks for a long moment, trying to figure out what the strange animal might be.

At that moment, Bonaparte heard a strange hissing noise. Turning, he found himself face to face with a large winged creature with a horse-like head and bird-like legs. Astonished and frightened, he froze and stared at the beast, forgetting that he was carrying a rifle. For a moment, neither of them moved. Then the creature hissed at him, beat its wings, and flew away.
When he reported the incident to a friend later that day, Bonaparte was told that he had just seen the famous Jersey Devil, who had haunted the Pine Barrens ever since he was born to Mother Leeds one dark and stormy night in 1735. Bonaparte was impressed by the story of the Jersey Devil, and thereafter kept a lookout for the fabulous creature whenever he went hunting. Once things settled down in Europe, Joseph Bonaparte returned to Europe and was reunited with his wife in Italy. He never saw the Jersey Devil again.

NICK REDFERN ALWAYS CLAIMED THAT PROGRESSIVE ROCK WAS PLAYED BY A BUNCH OF APES

2012-01-16T05:28:00.002-08:00

Max Blake sent this video in - it is truly extraordinary...

Haunted Skies

2012-01-16T05:27:00.000-08:00

http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2012/01/daily-telegraph-61157.html

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

2012-01-16T05:26:00.001-08:00

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1912 Captain Scott reached the South Pole 1 month after Amundsen. Scott’s poor planning of his expedition led to the deaths of all the men he had taken to the Pole with him, but in the aftermath he was portrayed as a heroic martyr. A memorial to him and the other members of the expedition is situated in Roath Park, Cardiff, the city the expedition left from. And now the news:

Rhinos' feet tested to see how they support heavy ...

Cranky crocodile attacks lawnmower at Australian w...

Miracle escape for bungee jumper whose cord snappe...

Plane crazy: US legislation brings whooping crane ...

Endangered Blue ducks relocated to New Zealand’s f...

Evolution Is Written All Over Your Face

Stroud deer carcass tested for 'big cat activity'

I had an idea once that a film could be made where Morgan Freeman sits by a roaring fire in a high-backed leather chair and reads out the dictionary for two and a half hours. It’d be compelling viewing and a sure-fire hit with great potential for a sequel (Morgan Freeman reads the Thesaurus) or a possible third film (Morgan Freeman reads Reader’s Digest’s ‘How to Fix Just About Anything’). If 20th Century Fox or another studio are reading this blog then feel free to contact me and make me an offer for the rights. Anyway here is Morgan Freeman talking about penguins:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGAfIx5VQ_M

DALE DRINNON: California monsters

2012-01-15T16:24:00.000-08:00

The start of a new series on California monsters...
Check it out

WATCHER OF THE SKIES: Albatrosses and grebes

2012-01-15T12:55:00.000-08:00

The wandering albatross is an endangered bird which rides on strong winds and spends much of its life on the wing. After analysis of 40 years of data on this bird living on the windy Crozet Islands that lie south of Madagascar has revealed that increased wind speeds courtesy of global warming are giving ‘a lift’ to this endangered species, according to a study reported in Science. The windier conditions over the Southern Ocean are allowing the birds to shorten their time at sea as they can cover feeding grounds quicker, therefore the albatross parents can spend more time on the nest, which in turn makes it easier to rear chicks.

Researchers, led by Henri Weimerskirch of the Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé in France said: "We aimed to assess whether the foraging performance of albatrosses has changed over the past few decades in relation to wind conditions and to understand the possible consequences of such change on life history (breeding performance and condition).”

The Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans) (also known as the Snowy Albatross or White-winged Albatross) was first described by Carolus Linnaeus, in 1758 and has the largest wingspan of any living bird, averaging from 2.51–3.50m (8.2–11.5ft). They have a large pink bill and feet and also have a salt gland situated above the nasal passage which helps desalinate their bodies due to the large quantities of sea water they take in. This excretes a high saline solution through their nose. Pairs mate for life and breed every two years and feed on cephalopods, small fish and crustaceans at night. They also feed on animal refuse floating on the sea, eating so much sometimes that they are unable to fly, causing them to rest helplessly on the water.

Their long wing bones were sought after for tobacco-pipe stems, causing them to be captured by sailors. New Zealand Maoris also used these bones; for flutes, needles, tattoing chisel blades and barns for fishhooks due to their light but very strong composition. In the days of sail and early explorers of the southern seas the wandering albatross could often been seen wheeling in wide circles around the ships it followed, never being seen to land and continuing its flight even in tempestuous weather seemingly tireless. Those of you who have read Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner will be well aware of “the evil fate of him who shot with his cross-bow the ‘bird of good omen’.”

Read more about the study at: http://www.wirralnews.co.uk/wirral-news/local-wirral-news/2012/01/11/merseyside-farmers-help-wild-birds-in-pioneering-new-scheme-80491-30093997/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Slavonian Grebes – study on their breeding requirements

A report by Louise Smith, Media and Communications Officer at the RSPB, says that stopping the introduction of pike into Scottish lochs may help to ensure the future of one of Scotland’s rarests birds, the Slavonian grebe. A study led by the RSPB and funded partly by Scottish Natural Heritage investigated into what influences breeding Slavonian grebes in choosing certain lochs to raise their young. Those lochs that have pike had fewer small fish, which are a valuable food source for the grebes, whereas moderately sized lochs that have a wealth of small fish such as sticklebacks and minnows, clear water in which to hunt the fish and plenty of nesting habitat were the most suitable. The Slavonian grebe did not begin breeding in the UK until 1908 and its population is still restricted to northern Scotland, showing only 29 breeding pairs remaining according to the latest counts.
Notes from the RSPB include:

“Slavonian grebes are strong swimmers and build their nests in sedge beds. They arrive back in Scotland in March/April and leave in autumn.

Slavonian grebes are best recognised by their colourful summer plumage and trilling calls. Both males and females have golden ear tufts, black faces and deep red eyes.

Around half of the UK population of Slavonian grebes breed at Loch Ruthven. The RSPB has a nature reserve at the eastern end of the loch. In the spring and summer, it is possible to get excellent views of displaying grebes in front of the hide.

The study is titled and authored: Ron W. Summers, Roddy A. Mavor, Sandra Hogg & Ron Harriman 2011 Lake characteristics and their selection by breeding Slavonian grebes Podicpes auritus in Scotland Bird Study 58, 349-356.”
You can find out more on: http://www.rspb.org.uk/media/releases/301721-new-study-reveals-slavonian-grebes-breeding-musthaves

JON'S JOURNAL: Ness than Zero

2012-01-15T10:55:00.000-08:00

So it's that time of the year again; the time that the media, prompted possibly by those jolly nice people at the Loch Ness Monster Fan Club remind all and sundry
that there is a prize on offer for the person or persons who made the best 'Nessie' sighting of the year.

There were, apparently, three sightings last year, and two of them were photographed. According to Fox News (and as someone who hardly ever watches television any more, I don't understand nuances of the 'Fox News Jokes' that circulate the web on a regular basis) the contenders for the prize are as follows:

1. While on vacation in May, William and Joan Jobes saw what appeared to be a head peaking above the water 200 to 300 yards off shore in Fort Augustus, Inverness-shire.
2. In June, Jan and Simon Hargreaves caught a glimpse of Nessie in the Loch near the village of Foyers, but didn't manage to get the monster on film.
3. Then in September, fish farm worker Jon Rowe snapped an idyllic photo of a large, dark shape and two humps in the water beneath the arch of a rainbow.

All very well and good, but the pictures themselves are hardly conclusive:

Joan Jobes' picture

Jon Rowe's picture

At least both pictures appear to show something. Many pictures from Loch Ness show nothing more than peculiar waves (this picture below was taken by yours truly in December 2005, when Richard and I visited the Loch to make a particularly futile slice of Mickey Mouse television).

I have no idea what either of them show, but I have my doubts that either are of a bona fide unknown species of animal. I would, however, love to be proved wrong.

Whilst on the subject of Loch Ness check this out:

http://news.discovery.com/earth/loch-ness-monsters-home-not-on-the-level-111231.html

A blog post by Tim Wall on Discovery News, claims that: "Just as the bubble in a carpenter's level moves back and forth depending on the surface it rests upon, Scotland's Loch Ness tilts back and forth according to the movement of the ground beneath it caused by the tides on the nearby North Sea. The motion is so subtle GPS couldn't even track it."

What impact this peculiar geophysical enigma has on the cryptozoological life of the Great Glen, I don't know, but it is interesting nonetheless.

Cold-blooded cognition: Tortoises quick on the uptake (Via Herp Digest)

2012-01-15T06:18:00.001-08:00

Cold-blooded cognition: Tortoises quick on the uptake
12/26/11 by Jeff Hecht, New Scientist

Tortoises aren't noted for their speed but they are surprisingly quick-witted

"IT ALL stems from Moses," says Anna Wilkinson. Moses is her pet red-footed tortoise and a bit of a celebrity in the science world. Why? First, he outsmarted rats in a maze. Then he was the inspiration for a new lab studying reptile intelligence and the evolutionary origins of cognition. Now he has helped Wilkinson win an Ig Nobel prize. Victory for slow and steady.

This fruitful partnership began in 2004, after Wilkinson, now at the University of Lincoln, UK, started graduate school at the University of York, also in the UK. She was studying bird cognition but had earlier become fascinated by tortoises while employed in education and research at Flamingo Land zoo in North Yorkshire, UK. Although working with primates, she found herself drawn to the tortoise enclosure. Even when most of the group was basking in the sun, she recalls, at least one tortoise was exploring or feeding, and when a person walked in they all perked up, sensing that food was likely to follow. "They were always just fascinating," she says. So, a tortoise was the obvious choice as a pet.

Moses's first big academic break came in 2006. Wilkinson was attending a lecture on how rats remember their paths through a maze, when she started thinking: "Moses can do that." Afterwards, she asked the lecturer, Geoffrey Hall, if anyone had tried putting tortoises in such mazes. A literature search indicated that reptiles in general have proved pretty dim when subjected to cognitive tests. Undeterred, Hall and Wilkinson decided to see what Moses was capable of.

The pair set up a tortoise-sized test maze similar to the eight-armed radial structure used for rats and mice, then put Moses through his paces. As with the rodents he was placed in the centre of the maze and given eight chances to retrieve food from the arms - each of which had a morsel at its end. Moses quickly learned to find his way around so that he didn't revisit arms where he had already eaten the food. Like the rodents, he seemed to create a "cognitive map" from the objects he could see in the world beyond the maze. However, when Wilkinson and Hall obscured these landmarks, Moses took up a different strategy - he systematically visited the arm next to the one he had just left, allowing him to retrieve all eight food scraps (Journal of Comparative Psychology, vol 121, p 412). This flexibility of behaviour has never been seen in mammals, which seek new landmarks when old ones are removed. Clever Moses.

Wilkinson and Hall were now interested in why reptiles had performed so poorly in previous cognitive studies. Taking a closer look at the reports, they found the problem. The earlier research had been done at cool temperatures, which left the cold-blooded animals feeling sluggish. Moses, by contrast, had performed at 29 °C, near the average temperature of the red-footed tortoise's native habitat in Central and South America. The warmer temperatures boosted Moses's metabolism, making him alert, lively and ready to conquer a maze.

Having finished her dissertation, Wilkinson started postdoctoral research at the University of Vienna, Austria. There, her supervisor Ludwig Huber encouraged her to pursue her interest in reptiles. In 2007 they set up the cold-blooded cognition lab. With seven more red-footed tortoises - as well as some jewelled lizards - they were ready to find out just how smart reptiles are.

One skill Wilkinson and Huber were keen to explore was gaze-following. The ability to look where another individual is looking is important because it can alert you to potential predators, or food. It is also a complex behaviour, which requires understanding that another animal's gaze can convey useful information, working out where it is looking and turning to focus on the same spot. Gaze-following has long been thought of as a talent exclusive to primates, but recently it has been found in goats and a few birds. It turns out that red-footed tortoises can do it too.

When Huber and Wilkinson shone a laser pointer at an overhead screen to attract the attention of one tortoise, they found that another individual, behind the screen, also looked up (Animal Cognition, vol 13, p 765).

Gaze-following had never been tested in reptiles before. The fact that red-footed tortoises can do it was surprising, given that they are usually solitary in the wild so may not be expected to evolve the ability to take cues from others.

Their performance on a second task was even more intriguing. The researchers found tortoises can learn to find hidden food by watching another tortoise walk around a wall to collect a treat (Biology Letters, vol 6, p 614). This indicates that tortoises are capable of social learning, a trait thought to have evolved as a special cognitive adaptation in social animals. The discovery raises the possibility that social learning may simply be an extension of general learning capabilities rather than a specialist skill.
Moses and his pals have done much to raise the intellectual standing of tortoises, but there is one test they famously failed. Contagious yawning is thought to arise from empathy, but Wilkinson doubted this theory. She spent six months teaching one tortoise to yawn in the hope that others would learn the trick - even though tortoises lack empathy. The yawns stubbornly refused to spread, Wilkinson and Huber reported in a paper that earned them the Ig Nobel prize earlier this year (Current Zoology, vol 57, p 477).

Wilkinson's work is helping revive interest in reptile cognition, says Gordon Burghardt at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. This is important because most research on animal cognition has been on mammals or birds. Reptiles split from those groups more than 250 million years ago, so studies of how they think can shed light on the evolutionary roots of animal intelligence. Burghardt recently found "surprisingly advanced" social learning in pond turtles, a more social group than tortoises. Meanwhile, Manuel Leal and Brian Powell at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, have found that tree-dwelling anole lizards from Puerto Rico can solve simple problems to find food - a behaviour previously seen only in birds and mammals.

Reptiles are clearly far smarter than we thought. Wilkinson has one explanation - at least for Moses and his ilk. Tortoises receive no care after they hatch, so they have to learn on their own, she points out. And with a very high attrition rate, there is strong natural selection for intelligence. "They learn things very fast because they have to do so to survive," she says. "They are learning machines."

New York Monster Rat Will Haunt Your Every Dream

2012-01-15T06:18:00.000-08:00

http://www.buzzfeed.com/gavon/monster-rat-found-in-new-york-will-haunt-your-ever

HAUNTED SKIES:

2012-01-15T04:00:00.001-08:00

http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2012/01/daily-telegraph-61157.html

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

2012-01-15T03:59:00.000-08:00

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1948 John Carpenter was born. Carpenter is most famous for directing the Halloween films, but other films of his, such as Starman are much better imo.

And now the news:

Bird flu hits Thimphu
Bootylicious Fly Gets Named Beyoncé
Predators Hunt for a Balanced Diet
New Clue in Battle Against Australian Hendra Virus...
No rhinos poached in Chitwan National Park in 2011...
Human-elephant conflict escalates in Sri Lanka
The tiger sharks that eat woodpeckers and meadowla...

Trailer for Carpenter’s ‘Starman’:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgF2lbAL6RA

RICHARD F. FOUND THIS OLD BORIS KARLOFF SERIES FEATURING A YETI

2012-01-15T03:41:00.000-08:00

Colonel March of Scotland Yard is a 1950s British television series based on author John Dickson Carr's (a.k.a. Carter Dickson) fictional detective Colonel March from his book The Department of Queer Complaints (1940). Carr was a mystery author who specialized in locked-room whodunnits and other 'impossible' crimes; murder mysteries that seemed to defy possibility. The stories of the television series followed in the same vein with Detective March solving cases that baffle Scotland Yard and the British police. The series was made at Southall Studios in Middlesex, England, and was produced by Fountain Films for ITV. The series premiered in 1955 with a total of 26 episodes. The show starred Boris Karloff as the urbane, eye-patched sleuth (no reason was ever given for the loss of his eye). Other regulars included Ewan Roberts as Inspector Ames of Scotland Yard and Eric Pohlmann as Inspector Goron of the Paris Sûreté.

Boris Karloff - born William Henry Pratt, November 23rd 1887 - passed away February 2nd 1969 (age 81).

Tonight's Story The Abominable Snowman

Cast
Boris Karloff ... Col. Perceval March
Ewan Roberts ... Inspector Ames
Doris Nolan ... Mary Gray
Ivan Craig ... Osborne
Olaf Pooley ... Carlmeddy
Alec Mango ... Narbu
Peter Bathurst ... Major Brian Forbes-Williams

Directed By Bernard Knowles
Screenplay Written By Leslie Slote
Story Written By John Dickson Carr
Produced By Hannah Weinstein
Cinematography By Lionel Banes
Film Editing By Thelma Connell
Assistant Director George Mills
Original Music By Edwin Astley
Art Direction By Cedric Dawe

P.S. Edwin Astley was Pete Townshend's father-in-law

Details
Original Air Date: March 7, 1956 (UK)
Season 1, Episode 2
Filming Locations: Southall Studios, Southall, Middlesex, England, UK
Production Co: Fountain Films, Independent Television (ITV), Panda Productions Inc.

ROBERT SCHNECK: Old Hitler

2012-01-14T09:49:00.000-08:00

Florida fishermen tell of a legendary giant hammerhead shark called Old Hitler.

"He's bigger and badder than Jaws. Got a head as wide as a pickup truck," says Larry Mastry, 53. "I've heard he's anywhere between 20 and 25 feet," says Capt. George Roux.

"He's a big boy," says Wayne Lord, 55. "That's all I know."

For decades local anglers have called him Old Hitler, the great hammerhead shark who allegedly lurks in the summertime waters around the Sunshine Skyway bridge. As the weather heats up, so do the tales about the legendary fish with an evil name who can snap a large tarpon in two with one chomp."Read more about the legend of Old Hitler at: http://www.sptimes.com/

JON'S JOURNAL: Be careful of the flowers

2012-01-14T09:19:00.000-08:00

Friday night saw what was almost certainly the first frost of the winter.

The mild weather has been good news for our fuel bills (or at least I bloody well hope so), and with rising power prices (and rising everything else prices) we certainly need some good news, but the environmental knock-on effects have been less positive.

Although the mild weather means that there were flowers on one of my rose bushes on Christmas Day and the annual Butterfly Conservation survey of first sightings recorded a Red Admiral on New Year's Day (Richard F. also saw one in his grandperents' garden early in January) it does mean that the passage of the seasons is all to cock.

Usually by now (mid-January) the snowdrops are out in force, and whilst there are snowdrops
(and I sent Graham out armed with camera yesterday lunchtime to prove it) from memory, there are nothing like as many as usual.

But this is where this Nature Diary thingy is going to come in useful. I have been happily watching the progression of the seasons over the last few years but not writing any of it down, so I cannot actually tell you for sure whether these impressions are true.

However, there is a bank at Cranford where there are usually dozens of snowdrops. But this year nada. I said this to Max last week and he suggested that the mild winter might actually be the reason for this. Could the snowdrops need a hard ground frost to trigger their growth?

It's a compelling idea.

But on the other hand, the daffodils, which are usually not up until March/April, were flowering over Christmas and the crocuses (which are not usually up until the end of February) are out already.

And all winter birds have been singing even in the middle of the night. Strange, huh?

With the headline, you expected me to do a link to the god-like John Otway, with or without Wild Willie Barrett singing, 'Be careful of the flowers, cos you know they're gonna get you, yeah', but I did that last year, so I am posting this song - the title at least seems chillingly appropriate (and it has a tune, so Syd will approve).

In 1649
To St. George's Hill,
A ragged band they called the Diggers
Came to show the people's will
They defied the landlords
They defied the laws
They were the dispossessed reclaiming what was theirs

We come in peace they said
To dig and sow
We come to work the lands in common
And to make the waste ground grow
This earth divided
We will make whole
So it will be
A common treasury for all

The sin of property
We do disdain
No man has any right to buy and sell
The earth for private gain
By theft and murder
They took the land
Mow everywhere the walls
Spring up at their command

They make the laws
To chain us well
The clergy dazzle us with heaven
Or they damn us into hell
We will not worship
The God they serve
The God of greed who feed the rich
While poor folk starve

We work we eat together
We need no swords
We will not bow to the masters
Or pay rent to the lords
Still we are free
Though we are poor
You Diggers all stand up for glory
Stand up now

From the men of property
The orders came
They sent the hired men and troopers
To wipe out the Diggers' claim
Tear down their cottages
Destroy their corn
They were dispersed
But still the vision lingers on

You poor take courage
You rich take care
This earth was made a common treasury
For everyone to share
All things in common
All people one
We come in peace
The orders came to cut them down

WATCHER OF THE SKIES: Ageing swans and Irish blackcaps

2012-01-14T07:38:00.000-08:00

As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... about out of place birds, rare vagrants and basically all things feathery and Fortean.

Because we live in strange times, there are more and more bird stories that come her way, so she has now moved onto the main CFZ bloggo with a new column with the same name as her afore-mentioned ones....

The Winterling is the name given to a Berwick swan that has migrated to Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire to spend the winter there each year. She would have turned 29 last year and if she returns to the reserve she will be the oldest recorded wild swan.

According to Dave Paynter, who is reserve manager at Slimbridge, geese, ducks and swan numbers have been down so far this winter due to the mild weather, although there have been higher numbers of waders such as lapwing, dunlin and golden plover. However, some birds further north have delayed their migration and it is hoped that the expected arrival of a spell of cold, dryer weather, together with easterly winds, will encourage a late migration and that reserves like Slimbridge will see an influx of wintering birds.
You can read more about this at: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5gCoDl6WXIMNbbdUIzkzGnr34wc8g?docId=N0951951326386982687A

Once a scarce visitor from Africa during our summer months, the blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) is now a fairly common winter caller at garden bird tables in Waterford, Ireland.

The blackcap is a member of the Sylviidae family, and the RSPB bird guide describes it as "a distinctive greyish warbler, the male has a black cap, and the female a chestnut one. Its delightful fluting song has earned it the name 'northern nightingale'.”

Waterford Today looks into why the species chooses to ignore its usual wintering areas in southern Europe and North Africa.

http://www.waterford-today.ie/waterford-today-news/15213-waterford-wildlife-15213.html

Don’t forget that the RSPB is holding its Big Garden Birdwatch on Saturday January 28 and Sunday January 29. Log on to http://www.rspb.org.uk/ for more information.

TRADE IN NON-NATIVE AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES IN TEXAS (Via Herp Digest)

2012-01-14T06:11:00.000-08:00

TRADE IN NON-NATIVE AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES IN TEXAS: LESSONS FOR BETTER MONITORING AND IMPLICATIONS FOR SPECIES INTRODUCTION
HEATHER L. PRESTRIDGE, LEE A. FITZGERALD, AND TOBY J. HIBBITTS

Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, 210 Nagle Hall, College Station, Texas 77843, USA, e-mail: hlprestridge@tamu.edu

Paper posted at

http://herpconbio.org/Volume_6/Issue_3/Prestridge_etal_2011.pdf

Herpetological Conservation and Biology 6(3):324-339.

Abstract.-In the United States, trade is monitored at different levels of government and state level insight requires combining federal, state, and local sources of information. Trade in wildlife and their products has implications on wild populations of species involved and introduction of non-native vertebrates, especially amphibians and reptiles, is linked to the commercial trade in these animals. We used:

(1) federal databases;

(2) surveys of pet owners at live animal expositions;

(3) observations of sales at live animals expositions; and

(4) data collected from dealers on the Internet

...to quantify imports, exports, and use of exotic herptiles traded in Texas.

We recorded 1,192 unique taxonomic entities of amphibians and reptiles in commercial trade in Texas. A total of 949,901 live specimens were imported to Texas from 2002 to 2008. The top 16 imported taxa made up 73.36% of the trade. Internet and exposition-based trade was dominated by few species of common pets, with others represented in small numbers. Much trade persists in known invasive species and others that must have the potential to become invasive. We documented trade in 36 known invasive species, three of which are invasive in Texas. Our approach could serve as a template for assessing trade in non-native species at regional scales. Modifications to national databases would allow exports to be distinguished from re-exports, and adoption of standardized taxonomy would improve understanding of impacts of trade on species. State level management changes should be consistent across all 50 states to add continuity to laws governing non-native amphibians and reptiles kept as pets.

HAUNTED SKIES: Daily Telegraph 1.2.57.

2012-01-14T05:36:00.000-08:00

http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2012/01/daily-telegraph-1257.html

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

2012-01-14T05:34:00.000-08:00

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/
On this day in 1759 the British Museum opened its doors for the first time. Charles Fort himself used the reading room of the British museum during his research.
And now the news:

Two kittens have '18 extra toes' between them
Mouse taped to firework during New Year to be exhi...
Blame Hitchcock's Crazed Birds on Toxic Algae
Hundreds of seabirds caught in Cornish fishing net...
Jellied Century-Old Brains Reveal Secrets of Menta...
Loggers 'burned Amazon tribe girl alive'
Greens whale patrol bill ready

Here are just some of the treasures of the British Museum:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QI3cOqyQE0

NEXT WEEK

2012-01-14T05:28:00.000-08:00

Corinna and I are going to be away for five or six days from tomorrow. We will still have access to a computer so as far as I know the blog will continue as normal. However, Graham is running the CFZ in my absence and will take over bloggystuff if necessary.

FRONTIERS OF ANTHROPOLOGY: Peopling of the Americas

2012-01-14T05:18:00.000-08:00

Some working with maps, charts, and statistics from Wikipedia as regards the peopling of the Americas:
http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2012/01/some-largescale-migrations-into-new.html

BOB TRUBSHAW: New at 'Heart of Albion'

2012-01-13T06:02:00.000-08:00

Just to let folk who might be interested know that I've just uploaded my latest publication as a *free* PDF download from the Heart of Albion website.

It's called Souls, Spirits and Deities and is mostly about trying to understand the Anglo-Saxon view of, well, souls, spirits and deities. However, as is typical for my writing it takes in much else along the way and raises some fairly novel thoughts about the overlaps between late pagan and early Christian world views. See
http://www.hoap.co.uk/general.htm#ssd for more details and the link to the PDF download.