News
We bring you the latest from around the World in wildlife and conservation news.
Chimps Love Indian And African Music
If you are ever in a record store and you come across a group of chimpanzees you may well find them huddles around the Classical Indian section according to a study which tested the musical taste of mankind’s cousin.The study found that whilst chimpanzees preferred to avoid the strong beats that are associated with western music they did like Akan tunes from West Africa and Indian ragas.The study co author Frans de Wall of Emory University said the objective was not to find a preference for different cultures’ music however the researchers used music from Japan India and Africa to see the response of primates to specific acoustic characteristics.
The Weird Mating Habits of The Koala Bear
Koalas live a pretty idyllic life and spend up to 22 hours a day sleeping, so the obvious question becomes how on earth do they reproduce?Koalas are solitary animals that can be found throughout the eucalypt woodlands of Australia. Each bear sets up home in an area that can range to just a few acres or in some cases hundreds of acres. Koala bears rarely run in to each other and on the odd occasion when two territorial males cross each other’s pass things can get kind of ugly.
Rhino Killed In Nepal Ending Record of No Poaching
Just a couple of months ago, back in March, the WWF was pleased to celebrate the fact that no tigers, elephants, or rhino’s had been poached in Nepal for an entire year. That made it the second year of no poaching in Nepal with the first taking place in 2011.No poaching was an extremely remarkable achievement for Nepal particularly since it came at a time when the level of poaching species such as rhino is rising globally.
Scientists Discover Ancient Zebra Migration Route
Conservationists have observed a 300 mile zebra migration in the grasslands and floodplains of Southern Africa, which is the longest known trek of any land mammal.The discovery offers an astonishing glimpse of how wildlife is able to endure despite declining populations.
Koala Bears Hug Trees To Stay Cool
The mere mention of the Koala bear immediately conjures up the image of an adorable creature hugging a tree whilst cocking its head to one side.According to a new study, scientists have worked out why the Australian marsupial is such an avowed tree hugger. Simply put the tree trunks help keep the koala bear cool.Study co-author Michael Kearney, who is an ecologist at Australia’s University of Melbourne says hugging trees is a useful way of getting rid of excess heat during a hot day.
Fall In Pelican Population May Signal El Nino
A success story for endangered species seems to be in trouble it is though because of El NinoThis year the California brown pelican completely failed to breed at their Mexican nesting sites according to surveys. Scientists are being very cautious with the reason and are avoiding citing any one single cause for the decline in numbers of fuzzy headed baby pelicans. There was a similar drop however during a previous El Nino event.Dr. Daniel Anderson of the University of California Davis has seen this phenomenon before and says other reasons could include habitat loss and overfishing of sardines. However this year’s decline is the biggest such drop in baby pelican numbers Dr. Anderson has seen in nearly 50 years.
Chinese Military Adopt Monkeys To Combat Bird Menace
During war time on more than one occasion animals have answered the call of duty. Mongolian horses for example transported Genghis Khan and his hordes into battle. Elephants carried Hannibal and his troops over the Alps into Italy and the dogs of war are faithful servants playing the role of sentries, trackers and dog scounts.The macaque monkey is the latest conscript into China’s People’s Liberation Army and serves to protect an air base from the presence of birds according to a report in the Washington Post.
Dogs Have Growls For Every Occasion
When a dog talks to you the growl can mean many different things. A new study suggests that dogs have different growls for different occasions and what is more surprising is that other dogs can tell the difference.An example of this is when a dog is playing and makes a growl, that sounds quite difference to when a dog is growling in reaction to a threatening stranger. When scientists played back the recorded sound of these two types of growls to other dogs, those dogs behaved differently depending on which growl they heard.Peter Pongracz of Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary says what is particularly interesting about the finding is there was proof that dogs understand one another through vocalization. A few other species have hinted at this ability including monkeys, however it is largely unproven in the animal world.