(E.B.W.) Critter Corner
Feature:
Spider on a Plane: Escaped Tarantula Grounds Flight
“A flight from Baltimore to Atlanta was grounded overnight after baggage handlers found an escaped tarantula in the cargo hold before the plane took off...
Brian Kruse, a spokesman for Delta, told the Baltimore Sun the flight... was ordered to remain on the ground while crews ensured there were no other arachnids crawling about. Morgan Durrant, another Delta spokesman, told WSB-TV that passengers were not in the cabin or even on the aircraft when the spider was discovered.
Passengers who were supposed to get on this plane transferred to another flight that left a few hours later to continue on to their final destinations.
‘Flight crew made the decision to fly to Atlanta on another aircraft out of an abundance of caution & the Captain explained the situation to our customers,’ Durrant told WSB.
Kruse told the Baltimore Sun that crews caught the baboon tarantula & identified its “handler” to confirm it was the only spider in the cage. WRDW-TV though reported one passenger claiming that the captain said 750 tarantulas were on the flight. Other reports did not mention this claim.”
Liz Klimas
theblaze.com
Sept. 25/2015
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(E.B.W.) Critter Corner
Feature:
Female snake living in captivity without a male companion gives birth – again
“For the second time in 2 years, a captive snake in south-east Missouri has given birth without any interaction with a member of the opposite sex.
Officials at the Missouri department of conservation’s Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center say a female yellow-bellied water snake reproduced on her own in 2014 & again this summer. The snake has been living in captivity, without a male companion, for nearly 8 years...the two born last summer are on display at the nature center, about 100 miles south of St Louis.
Conservation Department herpetologist Jeff Briggler said virgin births are rare but can occur in some species through a process called parthenogenesis. It occurs in some insects, fish, amphibians, birds, & reptiles, including some snakes...
Parthenogenesis is a type of asexual reproduction in which offspring develop from unfertilized eggs, meaning there is no genetic contribution by a male. It’s caused when cells known as polar bodies, which are produced with an animal’s egg & usually die, behave like sperm & fuse with the egg, triggering cell division.
The conservation department said there are no other documented cases of parthenogenesis by a yellow-bellied water snake...
Robert Powell, a biology professor & snake expert at Avila University in Kansas City, said the Brahminy blind snake – a small burrowing animal native to southeast Asia commonly known as the flowerpot snake – has long been the only known snake that routinely reproduces without a male’s contribution.
In the Missouri case, it’s possible – but unlikely – that momma snake simply stored sperm from her time in the wild. But Michelle Randecker, a naturalist at the center, said e8 years is too long. Powell agreed, saying a female snake usually can’t store sperm for longer than a year, although there are accounts of successful storage as long as 3 years.
‘If nothing else, it’s an interesting phenomena. Whether this is long-term storage or parthenogenesis, it’s cool. Just another sign that nature works in mysterious ways.'
AJ Hendershott, outreach & education regional supervisor for the conservation department, said there was some pride in having the first snake of its species reproduce through parthenogenesis.
‘This is the way you make discoveries when you keep things in captivity,’ Hendershott said. ‘You learn things about what they’re capable of.'"
Associated Press in St Louis
in theguardian.com
Sept. 17/ 2015
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(E.B.W.) Critter Corner
Feature:
Finding Reliable Pet Care is a Click Away
“TORONTO Emile Boyer doesn’t have a dog, but spending time with cocker spaniel Ralph, more than makes up for it…
Since last October, Boyer has registered as a pet sitter with Pawshake. The online service connects pet owners with animal- loving pet sitters, dog walkers, day- care, & home-boarding solutions in their communities…
Rates start at $15 per night & are inclusive of complimentary insurance, 24/7 customer support, & daily photo updates. Pawshake retains a 19% contribution from sitters, said co-founder Tanguy Peers.
Would- be clients can comb through online profiles of sitters & are encouraged to meet them ahead of time…
Peers co-founded Pawshake with Dries Coucke, with whom he worked at eBay & Kijiji…
Coucke had previously founded pets.be, a not-for-profit website to find homes for rescue pets…
Pawshake now operates in 15 countries, & has about 1,000 sitters in Canada…
Billed as the world’s largest educational association for professional pet sitters, more than 260 Canadian business owners are active members of Pet Sitters International, said marketing & communications manager Beth Stultz. There is an initial $135 US membership fee for Canadians & $125 in subsequent years, which includes benefits like pet-sitter insurance & a listing on PSI’s Pet Sitter Locator…”
Lauren La Rose
THE CANADIAN PRESS
In The Gazette, Montreal
July 11/2015
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(E.B.W.) Critter Corner
Feature:
The Early Life of Skoki The Wolf In Banff National Park
“BANFF NATIONAL PARK They moved as a pack throughout the Bow Valley in the winter & hunted. When Skoki’s mom had another litter of pups in April 2010 they hunted for her too.
‘It’s entirely fascinating to see how far these wolves were travelling each day to go out, hunt, find food, & then bring it back to the pups & the mom,’ said Jesse Whittington, a wildlife biologist with Banff National Park.
By summer, Skoki went up to higher elevations…He travelled through a former caribou range near Lake Louise & even hunted mountain goats as they came down from the craggy cliffs to cross through valleys in search of water.
He left his pack in mid-December 2010 & went to Kananaskis Country, where he formed a pack of his own…
It’s unknown where he ended up…
Throughout Western Canada, there’s a love-hate relationship with wolves…
…wolves are considered an important part of the ecosystem.
‘They are a major influence on any system that they live in,’ said Paul Paquet, one of the world’s leading wolf scientists… ‘They’re what we refer to as an apex predator in
these systems…’
His research over the past 30 years has shown wolves not only impact their prey; they impact everything from insects & birds to trees & rivers.
‘When wolves kill another animal…what’s the response of other species near them or around them,’ said Paquet, noting they kept a simple scorecard & tracked up to 52 different species visiting each kill site.
It ranged from grizzly & black bears, cougars & lynx to weasels, wolverines, & all kinds of birds (ravens, magpies, owls, & even smaller birds), along with small rodents such as voles.
Similar research in Yellowstone, where wolves were reintroduced in the mid-1990s, showed even broader effects.
‘They found extensive changes were occurring, including larger trees such as aspen had started to recover,’ said Paquet. ‘They found changes in the bird community…changes in streams& rivers- a whole variety of things.
‘They (wolves) are very influential, probably more so than any other species that lives in the Rockies.’…
Data from Skoki’s GPS collar in 2009 & 2010 showed wolves in Banff were also killing coyotes, deer, moose, & the mountain goats.”
Colett Derworiz
CALGARY HERALD
in The Gazette, Montreal
Aug. 1/2015
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