The Conservation Report

IMAGES:  The first image shows a broken-rays mussel (Lampsilis reeveiana) with its fish lure.  The actual prey species it mimics is shown in the image as well.  The middle image shows a tiny juvenile mussel (tiny juvenile mussels are often called spat, as are other juvenile bivalve species such as oysters and scallops, but the tiny juvenile mussels released by female freshwater mussels that attach to a host are called glochidia) attached to the gill of its host.  The last image illustrates the destruction caused by zebra mussels.  These zebra mussels are attached to a native freshwater mussel species.  Invasive species such as the zebra mussel can have damaging impacts on native ecosystems and species.

BLANK
Freshwater mussels or freshwater clams are some of the most fascinating aquatic creatures.  They are typically found in freshwater streams and rivers throughout the United States. However, these creeks, rivers, and streams—particularly those associated with mountains—are some of the most sensitive ecosystems, and the aquatic creatures inhabiting these environments depend on clean, clear, and oxygenated water. As a result, many species inhabiting these clear waters, including freshwater mussels, are considered canaries in the coal mine or indicator species.  The condition of these mussels—good or bad—reflects the health of the aquatic ecosystem they inhabit.

As a result of human activities, many species of freshwater mussels are endangered or threatened with extinction. Threats include “dams and impoundment, channelization and dredging, pollution, sedimentation, fish kills that eliminate potential host fish, and introduction of non-native species.”

Invasive species such as zebra mussels are of a special concern, because zebra mussels aggressively take over habitat needed for native mussels.  Zebra mussels will even attach themselves to native mussel species or other aquatic creatures such as crayfish.

It is important to protect freshwater mussels, because they are essential to the health of aquatic ecosystems, since they act as natural filtration systems.  Imagine the cumulative effect of thousands of mussels constantly siphoning particulates from the water column.

Conservation measures such as building public awareness, listing some species as endangered or threatened, and supplementing depleted mussel populations via captive breeding programs are happening.  However, some species of freshwater mussel are difficult to reproduce in captivity, because of their peculiar reproductive cycle.

Freshwater mussels use specially modified tissue to mimic a certain species of baitfish, which is the favorite prey of their targeted host.  The female mussel flaps this specially modified tissue in the current to attract fish.  Once an attracted fish nibbles the tissue, minute juvenile mussels or glochidia are simultaneously released into the water column, and the lucky juvenile mussels attach themselves to the gills of their host fish.  After a period of time—depending on the water temperature—the mussels, having been nourished with oxygen and nutrients by attaching to the fish’s gills, fall off onto the substrate.  Some species of freshwater mussel are difficult to reproduce in captivity, because some species seem to be particular to a certain species of fish.  Subsequently, the correct host species needed to reproduce some freshwater mussels is unknown.

VIDEO: Endangered Mussels

POSTER: Life Cycle of the Freshwater Mussel

POSTER: The Zebra Mussel

On the Net:
Freshwater Mussels of the Upper Mississippi River System

See more Weird And Fascinating Creatures

Image information:

1. The image showing a broken-rays mussel (Lampsilis reeveiana) with its fish lure is by Chris Barnhart, and the image was found here.
2. the image showing a freshwater mussel attached to a host’s gill is by Roger Gordon of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the image was found here.
3. The image of zebra mussels covering a native species of mussel known as the fat mucket (Lampsilis siliquoidea) is by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and the image was found here.
4. The poster showing the life cycle of the freshwater mussel was found here.
5. The zebra mussel poster was found here.

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

ALGAE-BASED FUEL: Colorado Company Takes Algae-Based Fuel to the Next Level

ANIMAL WELFARE: Activists Throw Flour On Fur-Clad Lindsay Lohan

ASTRONOMY: Sun Shows Signs Of Life: Long-Awaited Solar Cycle 24 Starting To Take Off, Cassini Finds Mysterious New Aurora On Saturn, NASA: A Bubble in Cygnus

AUTO INDUSTRY: Reasons to Bail Out GM, Here’s Why We Need A General Motors (GM) Bailout, You F***er

BALLOT INITIATIVES: Mixed Bag for State Environmental Ballot Initiatives

BIG OIL: In secret agreement, Shell nets 25-year monopoly on S. Iraq’s gas, Blow to Brown as BP scraps British renewables plan to focus on US

CHERNOBYL: Chernobyl. 21 years later

CLIMATE CHANGE: Impact Of Climate Warming On Fish: International consensus on the reality of climate change is now apparent: global warming is ascribable in large part to human activities. It is causing rapid deterioration of the environment and is increasing the threat to biodiversity. However, the mechanisms of its impact are still poorly known, particularly in the aquatic environment., Warming Trend Is Steepest in 5,000 Years, Canada Offers Continental Climate Pact, Lemming Numbers Dwindling Under Warming

CLONING: Frozen mice cloned - are woolly mammoths next?

COAL: EPA Blocks Coal Plant, Could Change Power Landscape

DIESEL ELECTRIC HYBRID: Hybrid tugboat may give local ports a green push

ENDANGERED SPECIES: Water restrictions ordered to help California fish

ENERGY MIX OF THE FUTURE: How Floating ‘Energy Islands’ Could Power the Future

FOSSILS: Marine Plankton Found In Amber: Marine microorganisms have been found in amber dating from the middle of the Cretaceous period. The fossils were collected in Charente, in France. This completely unexpected discovery will deepen our understanding of these lost marine species as well as providing precious data about the coastal environment of Western France during the Cretaceous.

FUNGAS-BASED FUEL: Microbes: Fuel of the Future?, Rainforest fungus makes diesel: Colorized environmental scanning electron microscope photo of Gliocladium roseum, an endophtic fungus that produces myco-diesel hydrocarbons.

FUEL EFFICIENCY STANDARDS: New York City’s Green Taxi Program Red Lighted By Federal Judge:

GREEN: Best of what is new in green technology 2008, In Times Square, a Company’s Name in (Wind- and Solar-Powered) Lights: The first eco-friendly billboard is coming to Times Square, entirely powered by the sun and the wind — but there is one small catch.

GREEN CONSTRUCTION: 10 Amazing Buildings Made of Dirt and Straw

HIV/AIDS: AIDS Patient Reportedly Cured, T Cell-based HIV Vaccine Candidate Demonstrates Positive Results: The question of whether or not to continue to pursue the development of T-cell-based HIV-1 vaccines has been a source of controversy following last year’s widely publicized failure of the field’s most promising candidate, a vaccine developed by Merck known as V520.

INAUGURATION TICKETS: It’s time to plan your inauguration trip: Festivities could last 10 days, but hotel rooms, flights to D.C. will be scarce

INVASIVE SPECIES: Scientists: Reverse Age-Old Engineering Or The Great Lakes Suffer

LED LIGHTS: Would You Buy This Funny-Looking Bulb?

LIGHT POLLUTION: Efficiency’s Mark: City Glitters a Little Less: The bright lights of the big city are getting a little bit duller — with just a hint of green.

MARINE CONSERVATION: Sea Snakes Seek Out Freshwater To Slake Thirst

MARINE MAMMALS: Killer Whales Are Discriminating Diners

NATURAL GAS: Does Natural Gas Have an Ally in Rahm Emanuel?

NATURE: Venom Hunt Finds ‘Harmless’ Snakes A Potential Danger, Tiny Radio Tags Offer Rare Glimpse into Bees’ Universe

NANOWASTE: Plants Can Accumulate Nanoparticles In Tissues

NUCLEARIZATION OF ENERGY SOURCES: Mini nuclear plants to power 20,000 homes: £13m shed-size reactors will be delivered by lorry

OCEANS: Mysterious Microbe May Play Important Role In Ocean Ecology: An unusual microorganism discovered in the open ocean may force scientists to rethink their understanding of how carbon and nitrogen cycle through ocean ecosystems., Elusive Microbe Fertilizes Oceans

PESTICIDES: Organic Farmer Murdered After Protesting Toxic Dumpsite: An Indian organic farmer and anti-pollution advocate was shot to death on Monday while in the midst of exposing an illegal dumpsite on his property to the media.

PIRATES: Somali Pirates Seize Supertanker Loaded With Crude

POLITICS: Prop 8 Myths, Fox’s Shepard Smith Disputes Idea That The Media Secured Win For Obama, Senate Dems To White House: Preserve Records (Especially You, Cheney)

POLL: Should Cape Wind be built?

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: California gives green light to high-speed train

RECLAIMED OR RECYCLED WATER: NASA astronauts to drink their own urine: As NASA prepared to double the number of astronauts living aboard the International Space Station, nothing did more for crew bonding than a machine being launched aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on Friday.

RECYCLING: Eat & Drink from Recycled Bottles, Recycling By the Numbers: The Truth About Recycling: Americans haul 82 million tons of trash to recycling centers each year—but that’s still just 32.5 percent of what we throw out. Here’s how much energy recycling saves and how much that’s worth., Is Recycling Worth It? PM Investigates its Economic and Environmental Impact: Americans haul 82 million tons of trash to recycling centers each year. But does it pay off—for the environment or the economy? PM has some real answers.

SCIENCE: New Path Found To Antibiotics In Dirt, Forced Evolution: Can We Mutate Viruses To Death?, Mystery solved: How bleach kills germs, Octopus Family Tree Traced Using New Molecular Evidence, Rock-Eating Bacteria “Mine” Valuable Metals

SEA LEVEL RISE: Mass Relocations Planned as Sea Levels Rise

SOLAR: Mid-East’s Largest Solar Panel Manufacturing Plant to be Built In Dubai, Coating helps solar panels soak up more of the sun

THE MEGAFISHES PROJECT: Giant Prehistoric Fish Rebounding in Canada

WATER POLLUTION: Freshwater Pollution Costs US At Least $4.3 Billion A Year: Pollution by phosphorous and nitrogen isn’t just bad for lakes, streams and other bodies of fresh water. According to researchers at Kansas State University, it’s also bad for Americans’ pocketbooks., Thousands of factory farms will be exempt from needing permits that limit water pollution thanks to a new Bush Administration rule signed today. In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency did not adopt improved controls for bacteria and other pathogens that can pose risks to human health and wildlife.

WATER WARS: Atlas of hidden water may avert future conflict

WIND POWER: Pickens Delays His Wind Farm Plan, Largest Wind Farm in World Halted By Credit Crisis, Wind power blights la belle France

YEAR OF THE FROG: Global Warming Link To Amphibian Declines In Doubt

ZOOLOGICAL CONSERVATION: 90 Year-Old Giant Tortoise Mates, Lonesome George, the World’s Rarest Tortoise, Isn’t Ready to Be a Dad, Breeding program may fail to produce progeny for Galapagos’ Lonesome George, VIDEO: Last Tortoise’s Hopes Dim

—
Photo source for attribution. The author or licensor of this image does not endorse my work or me and their image is protected under an attribution license.

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

The mimic octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus) is a fascinating creature that can change color, shape, and even change or mimic behavior of other sea creatures such as flounders, sea snakes, and lionfish as a defense mechanism.

Image Found Here

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Nature is fascinating, and some of Nature’s best work—or evolution rather—is illustrated by a group of animals that have evolved adapted to mimic leaves. Leaf mimics employ a heightened form of camouflage to evade detection from predators or prey. These animals make use of extraordinary color patterns, in addition to modified exoskeletons, skin, scales, and behavior to take camouflage to another level.  See more animal camouflage here.

The “dying” leaf-mimic katydid below is a fascinating creature, and evolution natural selection has endowed it with the ability to mimic a dying leaf.

.       .       .

Dead leaf butterflies are extraordinary creatures to observe up close.  The specimen below illustrates the intricate details chiseled out by adaptation through natural selection, which is a driving force of evolution.  The remarkable details help the butterfly evade predation by mimicking a dead leaf.

.       .       .

The images and video below show various species of leaf mantis. Again, the detail and similarity to vegetation is fascinating.

Leaf Mantis at 04:45:

.       .       .

Another leaf mimic katydid positions itself below.  This specimen mimics a decomposing leaf instead of a dying leaf.

.       .       .

Can you find the leaf mimic frog?  Leaf mimicry isn’t exclusive to insects, since some vertebrates make use of this extreme form of camouflage.

.       .       .

The South American or Amazon leaf fish (Monocirrhus polyacanthus) uses camouflage, mimicry, and stealth to hunt its prey.  It will often sit in the water column at varying angles or sideways mimicking a dead leaf (note the individuals in the background).  Its prey is quickly gulped into its hard to see large mouth.

.       .       .

UPDATES (10 November 2008):

Phyllium sp.

.       .       .

From LiveScience: Ancient insects used advanced camouflage:

A fossil of a leaf-imitating insect from 47 million years ago bears a striking resemblance to the mimickers of today.

The discovery represents the first fossil of a leaf insect (Eophyllium messelensis), and also shows that leaf imitation is an ancient and successful evolutionary strategy that has been conserved over a relatively long period of time.

Hat tip: Dear Kitty. Some blog

d

d

d

d

.       .       .

Dead leaf insect

.       .       .

UPDATES (13 November 2008):

Phyllium giganteum

Dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys desiccata)

.       .       .

UPDATES (14 November 2008):

Violin mantis subadult (Gongylus gongylodes)

.       .       .

Image credits:

1. “Dying” leaf-mimic katydid image was found here and here.
2. Dead-leaf butterfly image was found here.
3. Leaf mantis images courtesy of c.cobb and baw31 on Flickr.
4. “Decaying” leaf-mimic katydid image (©Martin Shields) was found here and here.
5. The first two leaf-mimic frog images are by ©Wolf Holzmann and were found here and here.
6. The third leaf-mimic frog image is by Hank & Priscilla Brodkin and was found here.
7. Regarding the leaf fishes in the aquarium: South American leaf fish photo source for attribution. The author or licensor of this image does not endorse my work or me and their image is protected under an attribution license.
8. The image showing South American leaf fishes in someone’s hand was found here.
9. Phyllium sp. image by Sandilya Theuerkauf
10. Fossil leaf insect found here: The first fossil leaf insect: 47 million years of specialized cryptic morphology and behavior
11. Dead Leaf Insect image by Amaury Olivier Laporte was found here.
12. Phyllium giganteum image by Drägüs was found here.
13. The image above showing a dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys desiccata) camouflaged amongst some leaf litter was taken by Adrian Pingstone, and found here.
14. Violin mantis subadult was taken by Laurentiu on Picasa, and found here.

See more animal camouflage

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

A large garden spider in Australia is recorded consuming a finch. From the Telegraph.co.uk:

Mr Shakepeare said he had seen Golden Orb Weaver spiders as big as a human hand but the northern species in tropical areas were known to grow larger.

Queensland Museum identified the bird as a native finch called the Chestnut-breasted Mannikin.

.       .       .

“It wouldn’t eat the whole bird,” he said.

“It uses its venom to break down the bird for eating and what it leaves is a food parcel,” he said.

Greg Czechura from Queensland Museum said cases of the Golden Orb Weaver eating small birds were “well known but rare”.

I’ve never seen a spider eating a bird, but I have observed a spider consuming a fairly large day gecko in Madagascar. While living in Madagascar as a Peace Corps volunteer, I woke up around five o’clock in the morning, walked outside with a candle, and as I went to grab the door to my pit toilet, I saw a huge spider consuming a day gecko. Scary! I decided to wait to use the toilet another time, and let nature take its course. However, I did get some good black and white photographs of the event. I find spiders fascinating, but large spiders are undoubtedly scary. Image of spider consuming lizard © Buck Denton

Hat tip to Kevin.

This is just one example why nature is fascinating and worth conserving. From NPR:

The bar-tailed godwit, a shore bird, has set a new standard for bird migration. A team of scientists recently tracked a godwit as it flew from Alaska to New Zealand — a distance of almost 7,200 miles — for nine days without a rest. Biologist Robert Gill, who led the study, talks with Melissa Block.

—
Photo source for attribution. The author or licensor of this image does not endorse my work or me and their image is protected under an attribution license.

AGRICULTURE: Amazon Rain Forest’s Untapped Fruit Bounty

AIR POLLUTION: 35W sculptures aren’t just for looks: Cemstone became the first company in the nation to use a new form of concrete that removes carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides and sulfur dioxide from the atmosphere.

CLIMATE CHANGE: A baaa-d idea? Aussie sheep made to wear gas masks so scientists can see how their breath can affect climate

CONSERVATION: Colorado tests high tech roadkill prevention system

CORAL REEFS: Florida Town Wants to Grow Coral Reefs with Electricity: As coral reefs around the world continue to disappear, one Florida town has taken the initiative by investing $60,000 to stimulate coral reef growth using electricity. While there is not yet peer-reviewed evidence to suggest that using a low powered electrical current works, scientists are not dismissing the idea. The company that has been hired to make the reefs claims that they have had many prior successes.

DINOSAURS: Site thought to be a watering hole discovered on Arizona-Utah border where dinosaurs ‘were happy’

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Texas Teen Builds His Own Electric Car on $10,000 Budget, Johnson Controls: electric cars will eventually win out, Berlin Announces Plans for World’s Largest Community Electric Car Infrastructure, Oreva Super Electric Car Going for $2000 in India

ENDANGERED SPECIES: Government May Weaken Endangered Species Act For Fish, IUCN Reveals That 1,141 of the 5,487 mammals on Earth Are Threatened with Extinction: The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List reveals world’s mammals in crisis

ENERGY: Can Electricity From Trees Power Gadgets?

ENVIRONMENTALISM: Do environmental messages do more harm than good?

EVOLUTION: Scientists Discover Fish in Act of Evolution in Africa’s Greatest Lake

FUEL SPILL: Hurricane Ike Spilled 12,000 Barrels of Oil: Is Offshore Oil Worth the Risk?

FUNDAMENTALS OF OUR ECONOMY: You Buy, You Break At Sarah’s Smash Shack

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY: Geothermal Sources Could Add Significant Power Generation Capacity

GLOBAL WARMING: Memos tell wildlife officials to ignore global-warming impact: New legal memos by top Bush administration officials say that the Endangered Species Act can’t be used to protect animals and their habitats from climate change by regulating specific sources of greenhouse gas emissions, the cause of global warming.

GREEN: How green is Apple now?

GREEN CONSTRUCTION: 15 Inspiring Glimpses into the Future of Green Housing

HABITAT DEGRADATION, LOSS, & FRAGMENTATION: Chimps 90 Percent Gone in a “Final Stronghold”

HOMOSEXUALITY IS NATURAL: How gay sex can produce offspring

HYBRID TECHNOLOGY: 2010 Toyota Prius Adds Muscle at Expense of Fuel Efficiency: Toyota’s yet-to-be-unveiled 2010 Prius will have a bigger engine and a higher top speed, but improvements to CO2 emissions and fuel efficiency will take a backseat, Honda Takes on the Hybrid Motorcycle

HYDROGEN FUEL: Scientists Reach Hydrogen Storage Milestone

INVASIVE SPECIES: Aquatic alien ‘thugs’ set to meet

MARINE MAMMALS: Picture is Worth a Thousand…

NATURE: Planet’s loneliest bug revealed: A bug which lives entirely on its own and survives without oxygen in complete darkness underground has been discovered in South Africa, Deepest-Ever Fish Caught Alive on Camera

OBAMA: Racist Obama Billboard Causes Outrage, Man shot three times in street by racist gunman - for wearing Barack Obama T-shirt

OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY CONVERSION: Lockheed Martin to Develop Ocean Thermal Energy Prototype

OFFSHORE DRILLING: Making America Stupid

PLANET EARTH: Birth of an Ocean: The Evolution of Ethiopia’s Afar Depression: Formation of an ocean is a rare event, one few scientists have ever witnessed. Yet this geophysical nativity is unfolding today in one of the hottest and most inhospitable corners of the globe. Visit the site in safety through this extraordinary photographic essay

RECYCLING: Real Simple Recycling A to Z: A Comprehensive Primer on Recycling Nearly Everything, Often for a Good Cause, 7 Hurdles to Electronics Recycling

SARAH PALIN: Sarah Palin: Palling Around With Secessionists

SOCIAL ISSUES: Homeless numbers ‘alarming’

SOLAR: Solar Power Replaces Human Toil in New Rickshaws, Solar Wineries Taking Root and Coming into Bloom

TOXIC CHEMICALS: Adding the ‘Nasty Nine’ to the ‘Dirty Dozen’: The United Nations Considers Expanding Toxic Chemical Ban by 75%, Heavy Metal-Eating “Superworms” Unearthed in U.K.

WATER CONSERVATION: Caroma Profile Smart Dual Flush Toilet: 2008 Breakthrough Product

WIND POWER: Taiwan students invent wind-powered bicycle headlights, Navy charters kite-powered cargo ship to deliver equipment, Huge Offshore Wind Farm Wins Approval

WTF?: Cheney: Wildlife Conservation Has Been A ‘High Priority’ Of Bush Administration

ACID RAIN: Acid rain molecule tells all

AGRICULTURE: Urban farming blooms in London

AIR POLLUTION: China’s olympic pollution efforts paid off, expert says, Dutch paving stones clean air pollution: A Dutch University will see if chemically tricked-out paving stones can clean the air

ANIMAL MIGRATIONS: Vanishing animal migrations need saving, experts say

ARCTIC MELTING: Vanishing Arctic ice may hurt Japan’s wildlife, tourism

ENERGY: Green Conservative Newt Gingrich claims tire inflation lines big oil’s pockets, Power from your tailpipe? It’s possible

FOOD: The ruby roman: Japan’s colossal new grape

FUEL EFFICIENCY STANDARDS: Sweden requires fuel-efficient driving lessons

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY: Geothermal power tapping its potential: A New York seminary and 3 million households are discovering that it is a viable alternative as oil prices keep rising steeply

GLACIAL MELTING: Glaciers before and after

GLOBAL WARMING: Kangaroo farming could reduce global warming

HOUSING MARKET: Pets abandoned by owners after foreclosure: Animals are the newest mortgage victims as owners leave pets behind, House sold for $1 in sign of US property crisis: In a sign of how desperate the property crisis has become in parts of the US, a foreclosed house in Detroit has sold for just one dollar – around 50 pence, Swimming pools at foreclosed houses become mosquitoes’ home

HYBRID TECHNOLOGY: The 11 least fuel efficient hybrids

INVASIVE SPECIES: Invasive snail multiplying in Lake Michigan, Venomous lionfish prowls fragile Caribbean waters

JELLYFISH: Mysterious jellyfish swarms seen in Europe, U.S.

MADAGASCAR: Black-and-white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata) listed as critically endangered

MARINE MAMMALS: Humpback whales on road to recovery

NATURE: In shark vs. polar bear smackdown, shark wins: A polar bear jawbone recently found in the stomach of a Greenland shark

NUCLEAR WASTE: McCain camp lies about Nevada nuclear waste dump

OFFSHORE DRILLING: Comment by Wesley P. Warren, Director of Programs / NRDC, McCain appears on oil rig to strengthen call for offshore drilling: A July oil-rig appearance had been scuttled after Hurricane Dolly and a major oil spill both struck the Gulf of Mexico region, Worth the risk? Debate on offshore drilling heats up, Texas A&M economist weighs pros and cons of offshore drilling, Wellington chamber weighs pros, cons of offshore drilling

SCIENCE: Deep-diving seals are cheap labor for Antarctic surveys, ‘Sugar coating’ used to waterproof paper

ZOOLOGICAL CONSERVATION: Largest insectarium in the U.S. recently opened in New Orleans, Lonesome George a Father?

WIND POWER: Off shore wind farm locations found via satellite

Apparently, the collapse of the famous Wall Arch in Arches National Park, Utah was natural and “geology in action.”

Image Found Here

Here is a YouTube clip of one of my most favorite animals, the alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii), featured on one my most favorite television shows – “Dirty Jobs.”

The alligator snapper is a much larger, less aggressive, and shyer relative of the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina). The IUCN Red List lists it as vulnerable, and it is one of the largest freshwater turtles. There is an unconfirmed report of a 400-pounder, and this species is very long-lived animal as well.

On the Net: Alligator Snapping Turtle Foundation
On the Net: All but Ageless, Turtles Face Their Biggest Threat: Humans

I have law exams in the next week, so I will be posting somewhat less. However, I found these videos capturing natural phenomenon fascinating.

A slow-motion lightning video:

Here is another video illustrating more fascinating phenomenon from nature - the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights):

And for you fans of the south: the Aurora Australis (Southern Lights):

This story may be hard to swallow at first but it’s true.  According to the Associated Press, a landowner in Arkansas found a “pair of conjoined barn swallows, attached at the hip by skin and possibly muscle tissue”.  Conjoined twins are documented in mammals such as Homo sapiens in addition to reptiles, but the phenomenon is very rare in birds.  Considering the nature of birds, the likelihood of conjoined twins surviving amongst birds is very low.  Furthermore, the chances of survival would continue to decrease over time (from egg development to feathering).  Certainly, the barn swallows would have perished if not discovered because of their inability to fly and effectively find and catch food.

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

To protect their young, mouth-brooding cichlids display some of the most entertaining and fascinating behavior of the freshwater fishes. These specialized freshwater fish are endemic to the various great lakes of Africa such as Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Victoria.

Depending on the species, there are two routes a mouth-brooding cichlid can take to mouth-brood their fry. First, some cichlids are larvophilic. With larvophilic cichlids, the female lays her eggs on substrate, and the mouth brooding does not begin until after the eggs hatch.

The second method of mouth brooding in cichlid species is the ovophilic breeders. Once the female lays her eggs, she immediately takes them into her mouth until they hatch. In some species of mouth-brooding ovophilic cichlids, the male uses egg spots or egg dummies on his anal fin, which the female confuses for eggs. When the female attempts to take the egg dummies into her mouth, the male ejaculates into her mouth thereby fertilizing her eggs.

The fry of mouth-brooding cichlids are fascinating to watch as they swim in tight ball-like schools and attempt to swim into their mother’s mouth all at once. Just like children of our species there are one or two fry that take longer to respond to direction.

YouTube video showing a mouth-brooding Benitochromis Nigrodorsalis:

How to strip fry from a mouth-brooding cichlid if you’re an aquarists:

AIRLINE INDUSTRY: British PM blasts polluting ‘ghost’ flights: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday that airlines flying empty planes simply to maintain valuable airport slots were “unacceptable” due to their environmental impact.

ANIMAL WELFARE: Trend alert: Pill-popping pets, 16 stingrays in Brookfield Zoo exhibit killed: Water in fish tank gets too hot for them to handle, Bunny beheadings: Over 40 rabbits have been have been mysteriously murdered since last summer in the Ruhr district of Germany

ARCTIC DRILLING: Interior Dept. Opens 2.6 Million Alaskan Acres for Oil Exploration

ASSISTED COLONIZATION; ASSISTED MIGRATION: Should we move species to save them?

CAPE WIND: Cape Wind: The legal challenges

CLIMATE CHANGE: Some thoughts on testifying in front of Congress, Something strange is happening at the coldest, driest place on Earth

CONSTITUTIONAL HEALTH: Al-Marri and the power to imprison U.S. citizens without charges, The political establishment and telecom immunity — why it matters, Suing George W. Bush: A bizarre and troubling tale: U.S. officials went to extremes to stifle our legal challenge to Bush’s warrantless surveillance — but a federal judge says the program is criminal, anyway.

DEVELOPMENT; POPULATION GROWTH: Growing pains in the land of Bollywood

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Electric cars take over: 17 electric cars you must know about

ENERGY MIX OF THE FUTURE; CLIMATE CHANGE; AL GORE: A generational challenge to repower America: This speech was given today at the D.A.R. Constitutional Hall, Mr. Gore, how do you feel about 90 percent?: Blogosphere responds reservedly to Gore’s call for 100 percent renewable electricity in 10

ENDANGERED SPECIES: Delta smelt moves towards endangered status as ecosystem collapses

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY: Schwarzenegger criticizes Bush White House on environmental policy, Cheney wanted to delete major parts of environmental testimony

EXTINCTION: Evolution & extinction

FISHERIES: Big old fat fecund female fish: The BOFFFF hypothesis and what it means for MPAs and fisheries management

GLOBAL WARMING: Global warming sends Russian researchers fleeing

HIV/AIDS: Senate agrees to triple anti-AIDS funding

HYBRID TECHNOLOGY: Overworked hybrid engineer dies

HYBRIDS: Grizzly-polar bear hybrid found: But what does it mean?

NATURE: Eight new natural wonders inscribed on World Heritage List

NEW SPECIES: New primate species discovered on Madagascar: Number of known mouse lemur species increases to 16

NONRENEWABLE RESOURCES: Reflections: The death of gallium

NUCLEAR ENERGY: Do nukes have a bright future? Maybe not.

OCEAN DEAD ZONES: NOAA and Louisiana scientists predict largest Gulf of Mexico “dead zone” on record this summer: Mississippi River flooding is major contributor to size of this year’s dead zone

OFFSHORE DRILLING: Bush lifts oil drilling ban, wants Congress to act, The Santa Barbara oil spill of 1969: A lesson in offshore drilling, Naomi Klein debunks Bush’s offshore drilling plan

OIL: New Iranian oil field discovered, ‘Two oil men’ to blame for high gas prices, Pelosi says

OPINION: Let’s get rid of Darwinism

SCIENCE: Humans and machines will merge in future, Flatfish fossils fill evolutionary gap, ‘Missing link’ flatfish has eye that’s moved halfway across its head, Flatfish fossils fill in evolutionary missing link, Incredible pictures of Mars - and they look surprisingly like some parts of Earth

WALL-E: Will Cockroaches Inherit the Earth?: What Wall-E gets wrong about the apocalypse

WIND POWER: Deep-water turbines get Mass. congressional support , New Texas wind power project is massive

ZOOLOGICAL CONSERVATION: Selling SeaWorld, Busch Gardens: Could InBev do it if it wanted to?

ZOONOTIC DISEASES: Ebola-like virus returns to Europe after 40 years

These images and video of flocking birds, and their flight pattern parallels schooling fish. The images and video are very surreal.

The video: