Giant Spider Rediscovered in England

The great fox spider, (Alopecosa cursor) known for its nighttime hunting ability, was rediscovered on an MOD site in Surrey after a twenty-seven year absence. It is two inches wide and rather attractive in a creepy way.[photo credit M. Waite]. A member of the wolf-spider family (Lycosidae) , it is equipped with eight eyes that give it 360 degree vision for chasing down prey. Like other arachnids in the family, it does not use a web for trapping its meals. Mike Waite for the Surrey Wildlife Trust walked the training site for two years before finding his quarry in his torch beam.  The spider likes open areas for hunting which it found on the site due to human disturbances that keep down shrubs and trees.  Waite found several males and one female in sandy patches of ground. President of the British Arachnid Society called the find, “the most exciting thing to happen in wildlife circles for quite some time”.

The great fox spider, discovered in England some 120 years ago, has only been seen a handful of times since then, despite its large size. They operate mostly at night, and their camouflage makes them difficult to spot.  In winter they hibernate in silk-lined burrows. Great fox spiders like warmer climates, and is more common on the mainland, particularly the sand dunes of Holland and Denmark. MOD sites are attractive to wildlife because they are protected from human habitation and large enough to support them. The heath land where the spider was rediscovered is managed by the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust, recognized as nationally important for populations of rare birds, reptiles and invertibrates. Waite is now conducting nature walks in nearby areas to discover more great fox spiders.

credt: M. Waite

Malaysia Tiger Cubs Spotted in Camera Trap

There are only an estimated 200 Malaysian tigers remaining in the wild. This video from WWF is encouraging since it captures three sub-adult cubs and their mother inhabiting Belum-Temengor Forest Complex. This is evidence that tiger population can rebound if given enough habitat and protection. Snares set by poachers remain a serious threat to wildlife throughout Southeast Asia. Until the wildlife trade is eliminated or drastically curtailed these precious cubs face an uncertain future. WWF informs US that Belum-Temengor in Malaysia is one of Southeast Asia’s most important tiger landscapes, yet it experienced a 50% decline in tiger numbers from 2009-2018 largely due to widespread snaring. In 2017 and 2018, the anti-poaching team in Malaysia had deactivated snares around the same area, which is a hotspot for foreign poachers. Since then, there has been a drastic increase in the number of patrol teams and a sharper decline in the instances of snares. Persistence and vigilance is what is required so that conservationists and governments can meet their Tx2 pledges made in the Year of the Tiger, 2010.

credit: S. Kundu/WWF

Botswanna Blames Toxic Algae

The Botswanna government finally announced on Monday what it thinks caused the sudden mass mortality of 330 of its iconic elephants. Elephants died suddenly eariler this year in northwestern Botswanna exhibiting symptoms of poisoning. After investigation, the government said that the elephants probably drank water containing toxic blue-green algae from seaonal pans (ponds). Cyanobacterium are know to cause neurological disorders in animals. The unexplained mortality ceased after the pans dried up. Scavangers feeding on the elephant carcasses in the Serongo showed no signs of illness. The microorganism is thought to interfere with neurological signals eventually causing paralysis and death, primarily from respiratroy failure. Investigators ruled out human causation. Herders have posioned water to exterminate unwanted animals, including elephants, in the past. Botswanna has an estimated remaining population of 130,000 African bush elephants (Loxodonta africana) that attract thousands of tourist to the country every year. Governement officials promised to begin monitoring pans and proving tests to detect the presence of blue-green algae.

'Toontime: The Current Struggle Against Fascism

credit: B. Bramhall, NY Daily News; Wackydoodle sez: He prepaid his medical bills!

Does this description remind you of a current 'Merican fake preznint?

“[He]did not bring into the movement any ready-made program . . . [but] began with grievances and complaints. . . Sentimental formlessness, absence of disciplined thought, ignorance along with gaudy erudition . . [that] supplied him with the possibility of uniting all types of dissatisfaction . . . and of leading the mass in the direction in which it pushed him. In the mind of the agitator was preserved . . . whatever had met with approbation. His political thoughts were the fruits of oratorical acoustics. . . ."

That quote is Leon Trotsky describing A. Hitler. 'Killer' Trumpillini's favorite bedtime reading was Mein Kampf, says one of his former wives. So, VOTE as if your life depends on it, because this "hoax" can kill:

 

U.S. COVID-19 DEATHS (est.): 240,746* 

BC Idonwanna sez: Solidarity will bury Cofefe!....

 *The regime admits it is not going to control the pandemic, according to chief of staff, Mark Meadows. So much for public health and safety. In Trumpworld winning trumps everything."Just ask an asylum seeker or "Thus says the Lord, You shall not molest or oppress an alien. You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. If you ever wrong them, they will cry out to me, and I will surely hear their cry. My wrath will flare up"....Exodus 22:20-23.

Methane Gas Released in Arctic Ocean

The powerful greenhouse gas, methane, is being released at high rates in the Arctic Ocean off the coast of eastern Siberia. International scientists aboard the Russian research vessel R/V Akademik Keldysh in the Laptev Sea [photo credit: Marcus Rex], found high levels of methane in the water column down to a depth of 350 meters. A Swedish scientist on board told the UK Guardian, “At this moment, there is unlikely to be any major impact on global warming, but the point is that this process has now been triggered. This East Siberian slope methane hydrate system has been perturbed and the process will be ongoing.” The US Geological Survey listed destabilization of Arctic hydrates as one of the four most serious scenarios for catastrophic climate change.

Methane gas traps heat at a rate 80 times that of carbon dioxide over a twenty year period. Science estimates that 1400 gigatons of hydrates including methane are locked in submarine Arctic permafrost. Higher sea temperatures caused by incursion of warm Atlantic seawater will cause subsurface hydrates to be released to the atmosphere. Scientists involved in the research caution that their study results are preliminary and not yet published. The scale of the detected releases are not yet determined until their data is analyzed. At one location, they found methane concentrations at a level 400 times higher than an equilibrium condition. 

The chief scientist, Igor Semiletov, of the Russian Academy, said the findings are significantly larger than those determined before this research. "Potentially they can have serious climate consequences, but we need more study before we can confirm that.”, Semiletov said. It is the latest sign of warming in the Arctic where freeze up has yet to start, a date later than any other on record. This year's Siberian heat-wave saw temperatures 5C higher than average from January to June. Massive wildfires occurred throughout the region, melting permafrost and releasing carbon into the atmosphere in a vicious planet warming feedback loop. Craters and sinkholes pockmark previous stable ground in the tundra region. These are also occurring on the shallow seabed of the Laptev Sea and the East Siberian Sea where methane bubbles are reaching the surface.

Indonesia's 'Jurassic Park'

When US Person visited the dragons of Komodo Island all he had to do was brave a choppy sea crossing from Lombok in an overloaded native cargo canoe. Now the Indonesian government is proposing charging tourists $1,000 for the privilege of seeing the 1700 survivors of an ancient race of giant lizards. The government wants to use the revenue to protect the species into the future, a laudable goal. Last year it dropped a controversial decision to close Komodo Island and relocate its 2200 human inhabitants in order to protect the species, Varanus komodoensis.

Indonesia also wants to establish a mass tourism resort on nearby Rinca Island, home to about 1,000 dragons. There are about a hundred more dragons on nearby islets. However, conservationists are concerned that the development of Rinca will affect the lizards adversely. A recent photo of a giant lizard facing a construction vehicle on Rinca went viral on social media. [photo, left] It may have been the first time in creation that the lizard confronted a mechanical invader. An official at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry assured the press that, "No Komodo dragons will become victims." He added that teams would go to the island to insure safety protocols were being observed.

Dragons grow up to three meters in length, possess sharp teeth, and a venomous bite. There are recorded human fatalities from encounters with dragons, including tourists. According to data from Komodo National Park spanning a 38-year period between 1974 and 2012, there were 24 reported attacks on humans, five of them fatal. In 2017 a Singaporean was bitten on his leg when he got too close to a feeding dragon. The incident took place outside of a safe zone identified by park rangers; the tourist was staying with locals. After the incident, the first in five years, he was whisked to a military hospital by speedboat for treatment.

Michigan Man to Serve Time for Killing Wildlife

In a rare event, a Michigan man convicted of killing wolves and bald eagles in Upper Peninsula of Michigan will serve ninety days in jail and permanently loose his hunting license. Kurt Duncan made a plea deal in the Chicasaw County court after pleading guilty to numerous wildlife crimes including killing 18 wolves and three bald eagles, both protected species. Duncan told the court the eagles killings were not intentional and that he was trapping coyotes when, "things got out of control". The head of Michigan's wildlife protection agency said Duncan's case was a historical precedent that he hoped would serve as a deterance to other poachers. He is required to pay $27,000 for the animals illegally taken and $9,240 in court fees and costs. The hunting ban applies in 48 states that are members of an interstate compact. All of the crimes he pleaded to are misdemeanors. The prosecutor in the case said lawmakers should consider stiffer penalties for wildlife crimes.