Dec. 22/2021

                        

These lemurs could win a Grammy for their rhythmic singing abilities

"(CNN) If animals could be nominated for Grammys, these lemurs could win.

That's because they've got rhythm.

The Indri indri, a species of lemur in Madagascar, is one of a few animal species with rhythm, according to a study published... in Current Biology.

The indri is the largest living lemur species & the only one that sings, which made it the perfect animal to study to see if it has rhythm, said study coauthor Chiara De Gregorio, a researcher in the department of life sciences & systems biology at the University of Turin in Italy.

Rhythm was defined as 'durational patterns that consist of sounds & silences,' she said.

The indri's singing sounds like lower & higher howling pitches that pierce through the air.

The researchers wanted to see if the black-&-white lemurs had categorical rhythm — the ability to create different types of rhythm patterns.

Catch the beat

After 12 years of research, scientists analyzed 636 recordings of vocalizations from 39 adult indris & found they share 2 different rhythmic patterns with humans. Like us, lemurs are primates.

The first is isochrony, which is when the intervals between notes are evenly spaced, De Gregorio said. The research team found the lemurs also sang in a 1:2 ratio pattern, which is when the second interval is twice as long as the first one, she added...

Further analysis found that male indris held their notes longer & sang with a longer duration in between notes than females. Singing takes a significant amount of energy, De Gregorio said, so the extended intervals might allow the male lemurs to sing for a longer period.

Collecting recordings of the lemurs singing was no easy feat.

Communication in the forest canopy

Tree-dwelling indris live deep in the canopy of Madagascar's rainforest, so researchers spent years tracking them in the forest to try & hear them sing. After a full day of tracking, the furry mammals may not even sing at all, De Gregorio said.

Researchers do not know exactly why indris developed this unique talent, but De Gregorio said she believed it could have evolved for long-distance communication & territory defense.

Music is an important part of our lives, but the reason for it is still debated, she said.

'Our results can be an important piece of evidence towards our understanding of the origins of our rhythmic abilities, our love for dancing & our passion for music,' De Gregorio said.

The next step in her research is to determine if these endangered animals know how to sing at birth or if it is a learned skill they practice."

Megan Marples, CNN

Oct. 25/2021

cnn.com

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Dec. 15/2021

Fowl play? 'Bird of the Year' winner in New Zealand contest is a bat

"When is a bird not a bird? When it's a bat, according to a New Zealand contest that just named a highly endangered bat 'Bird of the Year.'

Pekapeka-tou-roa, or New Zealand's long-tailed bat (Chalinolobus tuberculatus), weighs about 0.4 ounces (11 grams) & a fully grown adult is about the length of a human thumb. This species of pekapeka — the Māori word for bat — was once common in New Zealand but is now exceptionally rare, representatives with Forest & Bird, a New Zealand conservation group & organizers of the contest, said in a statement. 

For 2 weeks, nearly 57,000 voters weighed in on selections for New Zealand's top bird; this year, for the first time in the contest's 16-year history, their choices included a mammal. Contest organizers added the long-tailed bat to the lineup to raise awareness about the species' endangered status, & it quickly flew to the top of the list with 7,031 votes... Trailing behind in second place with 4,072 votes was the kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus), a tubby, flightless bird that's also known as an owl parrot.

'The campaign to raise awareness & support for this little flying furball has captured the nation,' Bird of the Year spokesperson Laura Keown said in a statement. 'A vote for bats is also a vote for predator control, habitat restoration, & climate action to protect our bats and their feathered neighbours,' she said.

Long-tailed bats now join other Bird of the Year winners — all birds — that are also iconic animal ambassadors for New Zealand. They include the kākāpō; the yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes); & a colorful pigeon called the kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae), to name just a few...

Bats are the only land mammals that are native to New Zealand — all others were introduced by humans — & there are 3 species: the long-tailed bats, & 2 species of short-tailed bats, according to Bat Conservation International (BCI). The short-tailed species, Mystacina robusta & M. tuberculata, are the most terrestrial of all known bat species, a behavior that may have evolved over millions of years because New Zealand lacked terrestrial predators for much of its history... 

But bat populations in all 3 species began to disappear when people first settled New Zealand about 1,000 years ago, introducing dogs & rats as the continent's first mammalian predators. The bats' decline then accelerated with the arrival of European colonizers, around 140 years ago. Today, M. robusta is thought to be extinct, & the remaining species are at risk & will likely vanish unless invasive predators such as possums, rats, stoats, & cats can be better managed, according to the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC)...

While the long-tailed bat's designation as Bird of the Year has ruffled some feathers, the contest organizers stand behind their choice. 

'In New Zealand we believe in the underbird,' contest representatives said in the statement. 'We believe that where you come from doesn't have to determine your future.'"

Mindy Weisberger 

11/4/2021

livescience.com/bat-named-bird-of-the-year

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Dec. 8/2021

Ohio zoo welcomes flurry of baby seahorses

"POWELL, Ohio —

The Columbus Zoo & Aquarium is welcoming a flurry of seahorse fry.

The zoo announced... that the flurry of seahorse fry, otherwise known as baby seahorses, was born on Sunday, Oct. 17.

Zoo officials said the 32 baby seahorses are living in a behind-the-scenes area of the Discovery Reef building at the zoo. The seahorse fry will not be introduced to the public until they are around 3 to 4 months old. The zoo says they wait in order to protect them from predation.

Seahorse fry eat baby brine shrimp & a single fry can eat 3,600 baby brine shrimp in one day, according to zoo officials. Staff members also feed the baby seahorses frozen copepods to get them used to frozen food. They say the quicker they eat frozen food, the faster they will grow & thrive."

wlwt.com/article/ohio-zoo-welcomes-flurry-of-baby-seahorses/382

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Dec. 1/2021

"The axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is the best known of the Mexican mole salamanders: it belongs to the Tiger Salamander complex. The Axolotl shows neoteny: the larvae do not undergo metamorphosis, so the adults stay aquatic, with external gills.

A sexually mature adult axolotl, at age 18–24 months, ranges in length from 15 to 45 cm (6 to 18 in).

The axolotl is only native to the freshwater of Lake Xochimilco & Lake Chalco in the Valley of Mexico. Lake Chalco no longer exists, having been drained as a flood control measure, & Lake Xochimilco remains a remnant of its former self, existing mainly as canals.

The feature of the axolotl that attracts most attention is its healing ability: the axolotl does not heal by scarring & is capable of the regeneration of entire lost appendages in a period of months, &, in certain cases, more vital structures, such as tail, limb, central nervous system, & tissues of the eye & heart.

Axolotls exhibit neoteny, meaning that they reach sexual maturity without undergoing metamorphosis. In the axolotl, metamorphic failure is caused by a lack of thyroid stimulating hormone, which is used to induce the thyroid to produce thyroxine in transforming salamanders. Axolotls can be induced to metamorphose by an injection of iodine (used in the production of thyroid hormones) or by shots of thyroxine hormone. The adult form resembles a terrestrial plateau tiger salamander."

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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Nov. 24/2021

 

Sloths Named the New National Animal of this Central American Country

 ''Slow-moving, sweet-faced & gentle sloths have taken the world by storm, becoming one of the most beloved creatures in popular culture in the last few years.

Formerly a synonym for laziness, sloths have become cultural darlings, with their famously adorable countenances that always seem to be smiling sweetly, 270-degree, slow head rotations, ability to hold their breath underwater for over half an hour, & a digestive system that takes days to process food. Sloth encounters have famously turned celebrities to tears, & have become among the top requested travel experiences.

Now, 2 of the 6 types of sloths in the world today have become national symbols of Costa Rica: the Two-Toed Sloth & the Three-Toed Brown Sloth. The country made the announcement ahead of world-wide International Sloth Day on October 20th.

According to The Costa Rica News, while signing the new law, Costa Rica’s president proclaimed, 'I celebrate the new national symbol: the sloth, the friendly & peaceful animal that is an international benchmark for animal protection.'

Another official explained the move 'sends a clear message to our society & the entire world, that our social pact with the environment is no reduced to the simple protection of large areas of land, but also shelters the species that live there.' Nearly 30% of the country is protected as a nature park or reserve.

Now, areas around known sloth habitats will be protected, & traffic slowed to reduce harm to the adorable, slow-moving creatures who are not able to walk, but pull themselves in slow-motion across the ground.

The country’s residents see a connection between the sloth’s easy-going, relaxed lifestyle, spending most of its time swinging gently from tree limbs, to the peaceful, Costa Rican ‘Pura Vida’ mindset which focuses on a living life with little stress & instead, enriching the mind, body, & soul. 

Even prior to its adoption as national animal, sloths were already among the best-known animals that visitors from North America look forward to spotting on a visit to Costa Rica.

Responsible Sloth Spotting in Costa Rica

Of the 6 sloth species in the world, Costa Rica is home to 2 unendangered subspecies – the 2-Toed Sloth and 3-Toed Brown Sloth, which are both typically spotted in tree canopies around the country.

While sloths can be spotted all throughout Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio National Park, Limón, Monteverde, the Osa Peninsula, Arenal, & Tortuguero are great places to start.

But spotting a sloth in the wild can be a challenge. Although they have few natural defenses, sloths can be hard to spot as their fur blends in well with the branches they hang from.

Travelers to Costa Rica are advised to book tours with tourism-board approved, responsible, & knowledgeable guides who can easily spot slots from a distance using a telescope. It is important to remember that petting, touching, & holding a sloth (or any wild animal) in any way in Costa Rica is illegal.

Instead, travelers are invited to take photographs. And even then, the government of Costa Rica has issued guidelines to avoid cruelty to the animals, support conservation efforts, & reduce illegal capture of sloths out of the wild.

Costa Rica has begun a #StopAnimalSelfies campaign & urges all visitors to practice responsible tourism by keeping a safe distance from any animal when taking photos.

You can also visit wildlife rescue centers in the country, such as Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center, Kids Saving The Rainforest, Las Pumas Wildlife Sanctuary, & Natuwa Wildlife Sanctuary, where visitor admission fees & purchases, as well as donations, help sloths & other wild animals return to nature. Extensive rehabilitation programs, where human contact is kept at a minimum, allow animals learn to re-develop their natural instincts. 

In some rescue cases, a sloth can’t be returned to its wild habitat, like 'Osito the Sloth' at Las Pumas - who suffered a birth injury rendering his hind legs non-functional. Sanctuaries provide enclosures similar to their natural habitat & offer educational information to visitors about why an animal cannot be re-released, what their diet looks like & typical enrichment activities that support their care & quality of life in captivity.

If sloths in particular, or wildlife encounters in general, are why you love to travel, Costa Rica’s new national animal is the perfect reason to plan a trip to see one of the most beloved & on-trend creatures in the world today."

trenttravel.ca

10/14/2021 

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