PetSugar

What Do You Know About Wolves (Jacob Not Included)?

PetSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:10:31 -0800

In honor of today's big New Moon release, I've been alerted to some (were)wolves - in fact, this whole "wolf pack." Hot. To celebrate the film, take this WolFiction/WolFact quiz and see if you can pick out the wild facts from the wild realities about real wolves.

Take the quiz

Ten Animals That Will Spook You This Halloween!

PetSugar — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:01:11 -0700

This being All Hallows' Eve, I thought it would be fun to round up the creepy, spooky, and scary animals of the planet. Not only will some of these make your skin crawl, but I don't think I'd want to meet any of them in a dark alley if you know what I mean! Check out the creepiest animals ever in this slideshow. Happy Halloween!

View Slideshow ›

This Three-Week Old Marmoset Likes To Cuddle!

PetSugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:01:04 -0700

Although marmosets are known to be more primitive than their monkey relatives, they do have one thing in common: they both love to cuddle and snuggle! This three-week old marmoset was spotted cuddling his daddy at the Ramat Gan Zoo near Tel Aviv over the weekend.

Even though marmosets are closely related to monkeys, they have some pretty unique features on their own. They almost always give birth to fraternal twins, have variable breeding habits (females can mate with one or more males, and vice versa), and are very small, with most marmosets coming in at 7 inches long! Additionally, the males in the family carry and nurture the babies rather than the females, which is why this little guy is attached at his daddy's hip. So cute, and so tiny!

Source

Could This Dog Save Cambodia's Tigers?

PetSugar — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 12:00:38 -0800

Meet Maggie, a d-o-g with a j-o-b. The German Wirehaired Pointer is on duty in Cambodia sniffing out tiger poo. That's right, this pooch is sniffing out droppings in one of the country's largest nature reserves starting this week. Six-year-old Maggie was trained in Russia and joins the Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area to track down the big cats – the last sign of one (a paw print) was in 2007 so scientists are turning to this dog's powerful nose to hopefully find evidence, and help save the diminishing tiger population.
As part of a $10 million, 10-year initiative called "Tigers Forever," New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society joins big cat group, Panthera, in spending about $30,000 to bring this pooch (and another later this year) to Asia for this search. Wildlife monitoring adviser, Hannah O'Kelly explains that the dung's data would help other researchers establish a baseline population of tigers before developing a conservation plan based on the numbers and the potential threats for the reserve.

If we cover the whole area and we don't find any tiger scat, then we can be reasonably confident there are no tigers. That would be very disappointing and I hope that doesn't happen.

I hope it doesn't happen either and I'll be following in hopes that proof of tigers' poo comes soon!
Source

Give Back: Feed the Birds in Your Backyard

PetSugar — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 04:30:59 -0800

Aren't you just loving all the great ways to Give Back?! I know I'm not the only one who likes to pretend the birds that come visit my windowsills are like my pets so I've rounded up eight types of feeders, treats, and the types of feathered friends each will attract. See my high-flying suggestions to give back in your own backyard when you start this slideshow.

View Slideshow ›

Killer Whales Are Picky Eaters!

PetSugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 07:30:42 -0800

I have a good friend that will travel to great lengths to get the best sushi. Her favorite restaurant is here in SF (she lives about 25 miles outside of town), and she swears by their salmon and yellowtail. Little does she know that her raw fish obsession is one she shares with killer whales!

A recent study finds that salmon is killer whales' favorite food, and they will travel large distances to nosh on the best. Using their Ecolocators (creating an echoing sound), they can scan areas up to a half mile away to find their favorite King Salmon, which provides the high concentration of fats and lipids that these whales seem to prefer. I can see traveling 25 miles to a favorite sushi bar a couple of times a month, but scanning hundreds of miles of ocean for a particular fish? Now that's a dedication that my pal Yum could appreciate!

Source

Will You Be Watching Whale Wars Tonight?

PetSugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 07:00:26 -0800

We all know that Hayden Panettiere wants to save the whales, but she's not the only one! Founded in 1977, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has been protecting the seas at the bottom of the Earth against Japanese whalers, and over the Winter season of 2007 to 2008, Animal Planet tagged along to document their journey.

In a seven-part series beginning tonight, we get a closeup look at how far the Sea Shepherds will go to protect the whales of the Antarctic. Not only are they intent on saving ocean dwellers, but they are also committed to protecting all wildlife, including seals that are hunted every year in Canada. Check out the clip above, and tell me: Will you be watching Whale Wars?

Oldest Creatures Around? Count Spiders as One of Them!

PetSugar — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 08:00:14 -0800

Like I said before, spiders give me the creepy-crawlies, but I have to give them some respect – they're among the oldest creatures around, with recently found fossils dating back at least 130 million years!

If you think that's old, wait 'til you get a load of this number: 450 million years. That's when the first arachnid was said to have appeared on Earth, based on genetic research recently published in the latest issue of Experimental and Applied Acarology.

I can't even fathom what the earth looked like back then, but seriously, spiders are pretty well equipped for almost any condition. Highly developed senses, self-constructing materials, protective outer armor, and (some) even have a pretty dangerous venom defense system. These guys can live almost anywhere. . . but I try not to think about that when I open my dark closet!

Source

Red Listed: New List of Animals Close To Extinction

PetSugar — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 07:00:32 -0700

In an annual "health check for the planet", the International Union for Conservation of Nature has released its list of the most threatened animals on earth. The scary news? Twenty-five percent of all mammals are on the verge of extinction. That's a big number to swallow, considering there are over 44,000 animals on the Red List this year. Check out my slideshow of just a few of the animals that are critically endangered, but also check out Conservation International's website with an educational countdown clock showing us animals that are pushed to extinction every nine to 44 minutes. It's scary stuff, but it really makes you realize how delicate the balance is between safe . . . and extinct. Source

View Slideshow ›

Creature Features: Beluga Whales

PetSugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:30:24 -0700

I just couldn't get that song out of my head so I dove right into a bunch of wild whale facts! Do you know anything about those baby Belugas (and adult ones too)? Test yourself when you take my quiz!

Source

Take the quiz