A manual of zoology for the use of students. With a general introduction on the principles of zoology, by Henry Alleyne Nicholson ...
Laelaps (Free subscription) | yesterday
A very lion-like Smilodon , from Ernest Ingersoll's The Life of Animals (1907). For decades after its discovery the saber-toothed cat Smilodon fatalis was depicted as little more than a lion with a short tail and long fangs. Given its size and habits as a large carnivore the connection appeared to make sense, but recent studies have suggested that Smilodon was quite different from the "king of...
The Disillusioned Taxonomist (Free subscription) | 11/08/2009
Another virtual point goes to J. Velez-Juarbe for guessing that the skull belongs to a caenolestid. Dusky shrew opossum Caenolestes fuliginosus Tomes, 1863 Caenolestidae; Paucituberculata; Mammalia; Chordata Cambridge Zoology Museum June 2008 The caenolestids, shrew opossums, rat opossums, or flap-lips (!) are a family of three extant genera ( Caenolestes, Lestoros and Rhyncholestes ) in their own...
WarblerWatch (Free subscription) | 11/03/2009
(Drawing of Bachman's Warbler, left) Here’s three questions I’ve received recently, but I’m too busy with deadlines this week (and, in addition, I’m preparing to teach an Ornithology class at Merritt College that begins soon, I’ve got “one-liners” for answers. 1. Warbler Guy: How many wood-warbler (Parulidae Family) members are there within the A.O.U. checklist...
The Guardian (Free subscription) | 11/02/2009
Many reptiles and amphibians also critically endangered, while up to 70% of plants could be wiped out, say conservationists A fifth of the world's known mammals, a third of its amphibians, more than a quarter of its reptiles and up to 70% of its plants are under threat of extinction according to the red list of threatened species, the latest annual survey compiled by the International Union for Conservation...
L. A. Times Dodgers Blog (Free subscription) | 10/31/2009
Scientists discover the biggest known species of orb-weaving arachnid, and find that another subsists on an unusual diet. On the creepiest day of the year, we have news about one of the creepiest insects around: the spider.
Desdemona Despair (Free subscription) | 10/30/2009
Farmland birds like skylarks and grey partridges have declined by more than half in the last 30 years according to new Government statistics. By Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent Published: 7:00AM GMT 30 Oct 2009 The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) English farmland bird index, which covers 19 birds including yellowhammer and woodpigeon, showed a continued trend in declining...
Page 3.14 (Free subscription) | 10/29/2009
In honor of Halloween this week, ScienceBloggers are offering some creepy crawlies to intrigue and frighten you. Ed Yong of Not Exactly Rocket Science began spinning the spider web with his fascinating coverage of the Bagheera kiplingi , a "mostly vegetarian" jumping spider found throughout Latin America. Days later, he reported on the recently discovered Nephila kowaci , the world's largest...
Living the Scientific Life (Scienti (Free subscription) | 10/28/2009
tags: Rough-billed Pelican , American White Pelican , Pelecanus erythrorhynchos , birds , mystery bird , bird ID quiz [Mystery birds] American White Pelican, sometimes known as the Rough-billed Pelican due to the structure that develops on the upper mandible of breeding adults, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos , photographed at Smith Point, Texas. Numerous Broad-winged hawks, Buteo platypterus (background)...
Living the Scientific Life (Scienti (Free subscription) | 10/28/2009
tags: Tutelina species , Jumping Spider , macro video , animal behavior , streaming video Here is some video (and stabilized from some really shakey footage using Deshaker, a plugin for Virtualdub) of male and female jumping spiders from the genus Tutelina . Not sure on the species, but the videographer's best guess is Tutelina elegans . The female could be mimicking the antennae movements of an ant....
Ars Technica (Free subscription) | 10/26/2009
Like the human language, bird singing demonstrates a remarkable capacity for variation. Some bird species have the ability to modify their dialects over the course of a single generation—if not less. The indigo bunting and yellow-rumped cacique, for instance, have been known to change their tune in a year or less. In other cases, species like the wood thrush have kept the dialects used by their...
Wired Science (Free subscription) | 10/21/2009
Scientists have found the world’s largest species of golden orb-weaver spider in the tropics of Africa and Madagascar. The discovery marks the first identification of a new Nephila spider since 1879. Females of the new species, Nephila komaci, measure a whopping 4 to 5 inches in diameter, while the male spiders stay petite at less than [...]
A DC Birding Blog (Free subscription) | 10/16/2009
Sora (Porzana carolina) / Photo by Mike Baird Bird and birding news Twelve endangered puaiohi , or small Kauai thrush, were released on Kauai in Hawaii after being raised in captivity at the San Diego Zoo. The release is part of an effort to boost the species's population. Before it became a hawk-watching site, Hawk Mountain was a popular place for hunters to gather and shoot migrating raptors . That...
A DC Birding Blog (Free subscription) | 10/14/2009
Researchers in Indonesia have refound a rare crow species , Banggai Crow ( Corvus unicolor ), that had been considered extinct. The Banggai Crow was believed by many to be extinct until Indonesian biologists finally secured two new specimens on Peleng Island in 2007. Pamela Rasmussen, an MSU assistant professor of zoology and renowned species sleuth, provided conclusive verification. An ornithologist...
Ask Slashdot (Free subscription) | 10/14/2009
Smivs writes with word on a spider, Bagheera kiplingi, that dines almost exclusively on plants. "The recently described species of jumping spider, discovered by researchers from Villanova and Brandeis Universities, dines on the protein rich tips of acacias, the thorny shrubs found in much of Central America. ... The species of acacia... favored by the Bagheera kiplingi has protein-rich leaf tips...
Cryptozoology Online: Daily News (Free subscription) | 10/13/2009
RIGHT: Corvus unicolor, the long-lost Banggai Crow, was rediscovered on Indonesia's Peleng Island. Photo by Philippe Verbelen 13-Oct-2009 Michigan State University ornithologist confirms species EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Known to science only by two specimens described in 1900, a critically endangered crow has re-emerged on a remote, mountainous Indonesian island thanks in part to a Michigan State University...
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