Largest & Strongest Spider Web

An approximately three-foot-wide (meter-wide) Darwin's bark spider web hangs above a river in Madagascar.Though the new species' webs are overall the world's largest, other spiders might exist that create larger orbs—the spiral at the center of the web—according to study co-author Todd Blackledge, a biologist at the University of Akron in Ohio.

Despite spinning webs of Spider-Man-like size and strength, the Darwin's bark spider uses them to feed mainly on small fry—insects such as mayflies and dragonflies, the team found.

Animal Evolution : Lizard From Laying Egg to Live Birth

A yellow-bellied three-toed skink carrying embryos, visible as light orbs inside its body, instead of laying eggs.

Evolution has been caught in the act, according to scientists who are decoding how a species of Australian lizard is abandoning egg-laying in favor of live birth.

Along the warm coastal lowlands of New South Wales, the yellow-bellied three-toed skink lays eggs to reproduce. But individuals of the same species living in the state's higher, colder mountains are almost all giving birth to live young.

Only two other modern reptiles—another skink species and a European lizard—use both types of reproduction.

Evolutionary records shows that nearly a hundred reptile lineages have independently made the transition from egg-laying to live birth in the past, and today about 20 percent of all living snakes and lizards give birth to live young only.

But modern reptiles that have live young provide only a single snapshot on a long evolutionary time line, said study co-author James Stewart, a biologist at East Tennessee State University. The dual behavior of the yellow-bellied three-toed skink therefore offers scientists a rare opportunity.

"By studying differences among populations that are in different stages of this process, you can begin to put together what looks like the transition from one [birth style] to the other."

Eggs-to-Baby Switch Creates Nutrient Problem

One of the mysteries of how reptiles switch from eggs to live babies is how the young get their nourishment before birth.

In mammals a highly specialized placenta connects the fetus to the ovary wall, allowing the baby to take up oxygen and nutrients from the mother's blood and pass back waste.

In egg-laying species, the embryo gets nourishment from the yolk, but calcium absorbed from the porous shell is also an important nutrient source.

Some fish and reptiles, meanwhile, use a mix of both birthing styles. The mother forms eggs, but then retains them inside her body until the very last stages of embryonic development.

The shells of these eggs thin dramatically so that the embryos can breathe, until live babies are born covered with only thin membranes—all that remains of the shells.

This adaptation presents a potential nourishment problem: A thinner shell has less calcium, which could cause deficiencies for the young reptiles.

Stewart and colleagues, who have studied skinks for years, decided to look for clues to the nutrient problem in the structure and chemistry of the yellow-bellied three-toed skink's uterus.

"Now we can see that the uterus secretes calcium that becomes incorporated into the embryo—it's basically the early stages of the evolution of a placenta in reptiles," Stewart explained.

Evolutionary Transition Surprisingly Simple

Both birthing styles come with evolutionary tradeoffs: Eggs are more vulnerable to external threats, such as extreme weather and predators, but internal fetuses can be more taxing for the mother.

For the skinks, moms in balmier climates may opt to conserve their own bodies' resources by depositing eggs on the ground for the final week or so of development. Moms in harsh mountain climates, by contrast, might find that it's more efficient to protect their young by keeping them longer inside their bodies.

In general, the results suggest the move from egg-laying to live birth in reptiles is fairly common—at least in historic terms—because it's relatively easy to make the switch, Stewart said.

"We tend to think of this as a very complex transition," he said, "but it's looking like it might be much simpler in some cases than we thought."

The skink-evolution research was published online August 16 by the Journal of Morphology.


Reference: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/100901-science-animals-evolution-australia-lizard-skink-live-birth-eggs/

Largest Ancient Seabird

Boasting a 17-foot (5.2-meter) wingspan and sharp, spiny "pseudoteeth," this ancient seabird is one of the largest flying birds known, according to a study released Wednesday.

Soaring above the oceans and mountains of what's now Chile between five and ten million years ago, the newly discovered species, named Pelagornis chilensis, was part of a prehistoric group known as the bony-toothed birds. The hollow spikes on the birds' beaks allowed the predators to grab slippery squid and fish from the ocean.

P. chilensis was identified based on an "exquisitely and exceptionally preserved" fossil skeleton that was found to be 70 percent complete, said study co-author David Rubilar of the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural in Chile.

The specimen includes the largest and most complete fossil bird wing yet excavated. Previous bony-toothed bird fossils included wings dug up in pieces, if it all, making it harder to accurately establish wingspan.

—Rachel Kaufman

New giant bird species study appears in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Reference: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/photogalleries/100915-giant-bird-wingspan-science-chilensis-teeth-pictures/

Cockroach Brains May Hold New Antibiotics?

Cockroaches may make your skin crawl, but the insects—or, to be exact, their brains—could one day save your life.

That's because the central nervous systems of American cockroaches produce natural antibiotics that can kill off bacteria often deadly to humans, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and toxic strains of Escherichia coli, scientists said this week.

Two species of locust tested so far also have the same bacteria-killing molecules in their tiny heads.

The findings suggest that the inset world—which makes up 80 percent of all animals on Earth—may be teeming with new antibiotics, said study co-author Simon Lee of the University of Nottingham in the U.K.

Such a discovery is crucial, because scientists are scrambling to combat strains of several infectious diseases, including MRSA and E. coli, that are resistant to traditional antibiotics, Lee said.

"It's a promising new lead. We are looking in an unusual place, and to my knowledge no one else is looking there," Lee said.

"That's what we need in terms of [finding new] antibiotics, because all the usual places"—such as soil microbes, fungi, and purely synthetic molecules—"have been exhausted."

Insect Brains Have "Clever Defense" Against Bacteria

Lee and colleagues dissected the tissues and brains of cockroaches—which "smell as bad as they look," Lee said—and locusts in the lab.

The team tested nine separate types of antibacterial molecules found in the insects' brains and discovered that each molecule is specialized to kill a different type of bacteria.

This "very clever defense mechanism" allows the bugs to survive in the most dirty of domains, Lee said.

The scientists found the bugs had antibiotics only in their brain tissue, the most essential part of the body, he added.

A bug might live with an infected leg, for instance, but a brain infection would almost certainly be fatal.

Insect-brain drugs for humans are still years away, Lee said, but there's one hopeful glimmer: When the team added the insect antibiotics to human cells in the lab, there were no toxic effects.

Preliminary findings on antibiotics in bug brains were presented at the Society for General Microbiology meeting held this week at the University of Nottingham.

Reference: National Geographic http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/100909-cockroach-brains-mrsa-ecoli-antibiotics-science-health/

Science: Sheep with Goat Brain

Recent research and experiments show another modification on animal body and behavior, latest is the success of getting a sheep a brain of a goat. Observation shows big changes on sheep's behavior and big similarities to goat's.

Who knows this sheeps gonna get eye of a lion too..


Genetic Scientists Develop Sheep With Brain Of A Goat

Vancouver 2010 Olympic Mascots & in Olypic Actions Competition

Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics is just around the corner. Introducing the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic animal mascots, plus some animals competing in Olympic games.

Meet the Vancouver 2010 Mascots, browse below for their small profiles.

Sumi the animal spirit

Sumi is an animal spirit who lives in the mountains of British Columbia. Like many Canadians, Sumi's background is drawn from many places. He wears the hat of the orca whale, flies with the wings of the mighty thunderbird and runs on the strong furry legs of the black bear.

Sumi’s name comes from the Salish word “Sumesh” which means “guardian spirit.” Sumi takes his role very seriously. He works hard to protect the land, water and creatures of his homeland. Sumi is a great fan of the Paralympic Games. He’s determined to learn all the sports, so he can play and race with his animal friends all winter long.

Transformation is a common theme in the art and legend of West Coast First Nations. Transformation represents the connection and kinship between the human, animal and spirit world. Revered animals, such as the orca whale, the bear and the thunderbird, are depicted in transformation through masks, totems and other forms of art. The orca is the traveller and guardian of the sea. The bear often represents strength and friendship. And the thunderbird — which creates thunder by flapping its wings — is one of the most powerful of the supernatural creatures.


Quatchi the sasquatch

Quatchi is a young sasquatch who comes from the mysterious forests of Canada. Quatchi is shy, but loves to explore new places and meet new friends.

The sasquatch is a popular figure in local native legends of the Pacific West Coast. The sasquatch reminds us of the mystery and wonder that exist in the natural world, igniting our imagination about the possibility of undiscovered creatures in the great Canadian wilderness.

Mukmuk the marmot

Mukmuk is a small and friendly Vancouver Island Marmot who always supports and cheers loudly for his friends during games and races. Mukmuk gets his name from the word ‘muckamuck,’ Chinook jargon for ‘food,’ because he loves to eat! (Interestingly, Chinook jargon was a First Nations trading language.) He’s passionate about the many different types of food found in British Columbia, and is particularly fond of berries and mountain flowers.

The Vancouver Island Marmot is an extremely rare and endangered species unique to the mountains of Vancouver Island. Learn about Vancouver Island marmots and other endangered species at www.marmots.org.


Miga the sea bear

Miga is a young sea bear who lives in the ocean with her family pod, beyond Vancouver Island, near Tofino, British Columbia. Sea bears are part killer whale and part bear. (Miga is part Kermode bear, a rare white bear that only lives in British Columbia.)

The sea bear is inspired by the legends of the Pacific Northwest First Nations, tales of orca whales that transform into bears when they arrive on land. The Kermode bear is a rare white or cream-coloured sub-species of the black bear that is unique to the central West Coast of British Columbia. According to First Nations’ legend, Kermode bears – also known as Spirit Bears – were turned white by Raven to remind people of the Ice Age. Orcas are also honoured in the art and stories of West Coast First Nations, as travelers and guardians of the sea.


Now check out this animals in action competing in olympics.

Animal Archery Onlympic

animal track and field

chameleon in table tennis game

hamsters in table tennis - ping pong

animal swimming olympic competition

kayaking animals

fencing animal olympic action

animal olympian cyclists

Animal boxing

and bears boxing too!

it's hamster versus monkey in weight lifting competition

Man fired for bringing dog to work

PetSmart eventually offered Eric Favetta his job back

By Courtney Rubin
updated 11:24 a.m. CT, Fri., Jan. 22, 2010

"We love to see healthy, happy pets" is PetSmart's motto — but apparently the policy doesn't apply to pets belonging to employees.

Eric Favetta, a 31-year-old PetSmart employee, was fired for "theft of services" after bringing his dog to work during an overnight shift he'd picked up as a favor to his manager, according to the Newark Star-Ledger. (The Secaucus, N.J., store added an overnight shift in order to prep the store for a visit by officials from Martha Stewart's company, who wanted to discuss selling products at PetSmart.)

Favetta — a former military dog handler who'd worked at PetSmart for 18 months — didn't want his 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, Gizmo, to be home alone all day and all night. So he put Gizmo in the store's doggie day care facility. The store was empty, and Favetta checked in on his pet every 15 minutes.

Two weeks later, store and district managers requested a written report of his overnight shift. He complied — and promptly was fired for "theft of service."


“I was shocked,” Favetta told the Star Ledger. “It makes me sick that because I brought my dog to work with me when the store was closed to do the company a favor, I was called a thief and terminated.” He argues it was just a convenient excuse to ax him because he didn't get along with his manager, noting that he opened the store and handled money without incident.

PetSmart spokeswoman Jessica White defended the company's decision, saying the doggie daycare service is a huge part of PetSmart's business. Access to the store's doggie daycare facility is "viewed as sale items the same way items on the shelf are," she told the paper. "To use the facilities and not pay for it — it falls under the same lines."

PetSmart eventually offered Favetta his job back and a transfer to another store. He accepted — but then he was offered a job at a company that uses animals to search for hazards. Favetta took it.

No word yet on whether that business will allow Favetta to bring Gizmo to work.