January 28/2015

(E.B.W.) Critter Corner 

Feature:

Northern Caribou Count Finds Herd Thriving

           “WHITEHORSE- The caribou herd known for its epic annual migrations between the Northwest Territories & Alaska is thriving after a decade of decline.

           In sharp contrast to many of its southern & eastern cousins, the latest population count of the Porcupine caribou found the herd has hit record numbers for recent times.

           The herd has grown to an estimated 197,000 animals- the highest since biologists in Alaska, Yukon, & the Northwest Territories began counting in 1972…

           There are an estimated 2 million caribou in Canada…

           But the Porcupine herd count last summer was almost double the 102,000 caribou found in the first year of the count in 1972.

           During the last caribou census in 2010, there were an estimated 169,000 animals…

           Canada & the United States jointly manage the herd under a 1987 agreement & in November 2006, the joint board decided the herd was in immediate need of conservation.”

THE CANADIAN PRESS

The Montreal Gazette

March 17/20014

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Weekly Chuckle

Memorial

January 21/2015

(E.B.W.) Critter Corner

 Feature:

The Secret Life of Arctic Whales

           “The whale watching season gets underway this month along Quebec’s North Shore region will draw hundreds of thousands of tourists who will soak in the beauty of the area & catch sight of the great whales of the St. Lawrence Estuary.

           The tourism industry around whales contributes $100 million annually to the local economy…

           But while much is known about the whales that populate the St. Lawrence Estuary, we know comparatively little about our Arctic whale population.

           The region’s remoteness, harsh environment & unstable weather present huge obstacles for researchers. But last year, roughly 1,900 km north of the tourism hub of Tadoussac, scientists from the federal Department of Fisheries & Oceans conducted the most intensive aerial survey ever undertaken on whale numbers in the Canadian Arctic…

           The study focused on 2 species of whale in particular: the narwhal & the bowhead. Little is known about the population of either type, given the huge expanse of territory they roam & that they are largely out of sight for a good part of the year, hidden beneath shifting ice & fog. Other species of sea mammals, including beluga whales, killer whales, walruses, & seals, were also surveyed.

       Killer whales are a growing interest as they were once only rarely seen in the Arctic. They are being seen much more frequently as the sea ice shrinks, allowing them into formerly inaccessible areas where they prey on bowhead calves & narwhal…

       Inuit knowledge of the Arctic & its animal life goes back more than 1,000 years…

       Scientists hope the survey results will lead to a clearer picture of our Arctic whale population.”

Robert J. Galbraith

The Montreal Gazette

May 3/2014

                                                                
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Weekly Chuckle

January 7/2015

(E.B.W.) Critter Corner 

 

Feature:

Why did the crow cross the road? Because it understood traffic: study

           “OTTAWA- Crows are smart…

           New findings in a science journal published in Ottawa show they can even navigate lanes of traffic on a busy road.

           This puts them ahead of supposedly smart mammals, such as deer, squirrel, & humans using cellphones.

           The study in the Canadian Field Naturalist says crows are highly unusual because they ‘can detect the directionality of oncoming vehicles on a road &, like humans, actively move out of the way or switch lanes to avoid death based on an understanding of the behavior of vehicular traffic’.

           Shomen Mukherjee is a biologist at Florida International University. He realized that good vision is part of the key…

           Mukherjee & his team drove a pickup truck along a 2- lane Florida state road at 80-90 kilometres an hour & watched for crows on the road.

           ‘Unsurprisingly, American Crows feeding in the same lane as the approaching vehicle always flew off’…

           ‘But interestingly, a significant proportion of American Crows in the opposite lane chose to remain on the road’…

           This showed that the crows are able to adapt to traffic & comprehend its ‘directionality’, understanding where cars posed a threat & where the road was safe…

           Wild species that adapt to living in cities are generally the ones that learn to take risks in feeding…

           ‘These traits have likely contributed to the success of American Crows in urban environments’.

           Mukherjee’s truck didn’t hit any crows.”

     

Tom Spears    

POSTMEDIA NEWS

The Montreal Gazette       

Dec. 28/2013

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Weekly Chuckle

Canadian Links: 

Humane Society: https://www.humanesociety.com/

International Fund for Animal Welfare: www.ifaw.org/canada/ 

Canadian SPCA: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/.../the-canadian-spcala-spca-canadienne/

U.S. Links:

Humane Hollywood: http://www.humanehollywood.org

 

 

 

December 31/2014

(E.B.W.) Critter Corner

                           

Feature:

Black widows fond of twerking

           “VANCOUVER- Think Miley Cyrus, but with a few more legs.

           Black widow spiders use jittery abdominal movements not unlike twerking…to navigate the dangerous world of arachnid mating, according to a published study from British Columbia researchers.

           Specifically, the vibrations from a ‘twerking’ male black widow tell a female perched on her web that she’s being approached by a potential mate…

           ‘What the male does, it has very subtle abdominal tremulations, so very subtle lateral movements of the abdomen that may be comparable to the twerks, absolutely,’ Prof. Gerhard Gries of Simon Fraser said…

           ‘These very subtle twerks cause these very subtle vibrations of the web & that is what the female spider will respond to in a very friendly, rather than aggressive, nature’.

           For male spiders, mating can be a treacherous endeavor in which an innocent attempt at courtship can end with-& this is the scientific term- sexual cannibalism.

           Cannibalism is a common danger facing male spiders attempting to approach females, since most spiders are predatory & extremely aggressive…

           Two of Gries’ graduate students, Samatha Vibert & Catherine Scott, set out to determine how male black widows approach females…

           The researchers used sophisticated equipment to measure the vibrations produced by males approaching females on a web & then compared those with the vibrations from houseflies & crickets.

           The males could be seen shaking their abdomens, producing long, low-amplitude vibrations on the web…

           While the short, percussive vibrations of the flies & crickets triggered a predatory response from the female black widows, the male spiders’ distinct whispers did not…

           The vibrations are in addition to other strategies male spiders use to protect themselves from aggressive females, including cutting the threads of the females’ web to limit her movement or attempting to mate with a moulting female.”

THE CANADIAN PRESS

The Montreal Gazette          

Jan. 18/2014

Cute Critter Pic 

Weekly Chuckle

Canadian Links: 

Humane Society: https://www.humanesociety.com/

International Fund for Animal Welfare: www.ifaw.org/canada/

Canadian SPCA: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/.../the-canadian-spcala-spca-canadienne/