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08 Sep 11:21
A Cheetah and His Dog
by Chris Eastland
Kara JeanBless you, zooborns. I needed this today.
The Columbus Zoo’s ten-week-old Cheetah cub, Emmett, recently met his new companion puppy, seven-week-old Cullen!
Emmett was born at the Wilds in Cumberland, Ohio. Due to a bout of pneumonia, he was hand-reared, for several weeks, while receiving treatments. After his recovery, he was moved to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
Emmett picked Cullen to be his companion dog, and the two have become quite the pair! Cullen will help Emmett to be more confident and calm. Emmett will soon begin his travels with Jungle Jack Hanna’s team and be an ambassador for his cousins in the wild. Cullen will be with him every step of the way!
Photo Credits: The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
The Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a big cat that is native to eastern and southern Africa and a few parts of Iran.
The Cheetah is characterized by a slender body, deep chest, spotted coat, a small rounded head, black tear-like streaks on the face, long thin legs and a long spotted tail. It reaches nearly 70 to 90 cm (28 to 35 in) at the shoulder, and weighs 21–72 kg (46–159 lb). Though taller than the leopard, it is notably smaller than the lion.
Cheetahs are active mainly during the day, with hunting its major activity. Adult males are sociable despite their territoriality, forming groups called "coalitions". Females are not territorial; they may be solitary or live with their offspring in home ranges. Cheetahs mainly prey upon antelopes and gazelles.
The speed of a hunting Cheetah averages 64 km/h (40 mph) during a sprint; the chase is interspersed with a few short bursts of speed, when the animal can clock 112 km/h (70 mph). Cheetahs are induced ovulators, breeding throughout the year. Gestation is nearly three months long, resulting in a litter of typically three to five cubs (the number can vary from one to eight). Weaning occurs at six months; siblings tend to stay together for some time. Cheetah cubs face higher mortality than most other mammals, especially in the Serengeti region. Cheetahs also inhabit a variety of habitats: dry forests, scrub forests and savannahs.
The Cheetah is classified as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List. The species has suffered a substantial decline in its historic range due to rampant hunting in the 20th century. Several African countries have taken steps to improve the standards of conservation.
06 Sep 15:02
Baby Tapir Shows Off His Snout
by Chris Eastland
Kara JeanYes.
Like all baby Tapirs, a newborn Baird’s Tapir born August 28 at the Nashville Zoo looks suspiciously like a brown watermelon with a snout. But rest assured, this little male will eventually sport a smooth, dark brown coat and weigh up to 800 pounds.
Photo Credit: Amiee Stubbs
The calf’s parents, Romeo and Juliet, were brought to the Nashville Zoo from Central America to introduce a new genetic line to the zoo-dwelling Tapir population.
Because this calf was Juliet’s first baby, the zoo staff set up a remote camera system and monitored her around the clock as her delivery date approached. Juliet went into labor at 4:00 PM on August 28 and delivered her healthy calf just 20 minutes later. Tapirs are pregnant for about 400 days.
Tapirs’ snouts are elongated and very flexible. These snouts are used to grab leaves and other vegetation and pass it to the mouth.
Baird’s Tapirs are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America, where they are the largest land mammals. They have very few natural predators, but are listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, mainly due to habitat destruction and poaching. Tapirs are legally protected in most of their range, but lack of enforcement results in significant losses.
Related articles
04 Aug 15:45
Hyrax Pups ‘Rock-On’ at Chester Zoo
by Andrew Bleiman
Kara JeanI feel a kinship with these li'l fuzz piles.
Four adorable baby Rock Hyraxes have been born at Chester Zoo. The quartet of pups, one male and three female, arrived weighing between just 250g and 290g. They were born on July 14 and are yet to be named.
When Rock Hyrax pups are born, they look like miniature adults, eyes and ears open and with the same coat.
Photo Credits: Chester Zoo
Although similar in appearance to the Guinea Pig, Rock Hyraxes are in fact more closely related to the Elephant than any other species on Earth, and they are sometimes referred to as ‘the elephant’s cousin’ as a result of a surprising genetic link.
Small mammals typically go through a short gestation period but the Rock Hyrax is different, with pregnancies lasting more than seven months: a connection to their larger relatives.
They also share physical similarities with Elephants, such as the shape of their feet, skull structure and their continually growing incisors, which are reminiscent of an Elephant’s tusks.
Rock Hyraxes in the wild live in Africa and along the Arabian Peninsula and, as their name suggests, they frequent rocky terrain, seeking shelter and protection in rugged outcrops or cliffs.
Rock Hyraxes live in colonies of two to 26 individuals and communicate with each other by make 20 different noises. They produce an episode of ‘harsh yips’ which build up to ‘grunts’ to defend their territory.
Hyraxes don’t need much water. They get most of it from their food.
Hyrax feet are built for rock climbing: the bottom of each foot is bare and has a moist, rubbery pad that provides a suction-cup effect to help the Hyrax cling to rocks without slipping.
More adorable pics, below the fold!
04 Aug 11:10
legendsoflocalization: “Download” for the PC Engine has some...
Kara JeanIt is not a over yet.
“Download” for the PC Engine has some real creative writing
(NEC Avenue - 1990)
28 Jul 15:23
pidgin
by Word of the Day Editors
Kara JeanVery angry at Merriam-Webster for not knowing the difference between a pidgin and a creole >:(
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 26, 2016 is:
pidgin \PIJ-in\ noun
: a simplified speech used for communication between people with different languages
Examples:
"In his 1992 book, A History of American English, the late linguist J.L. Dillard … demonstrates that the most originally American form of English was a pidgin, originating with sailor's language. Early explorers of North America, he argues, would have used nautical pidgins and passed those on to native people." — Sarah Laskow, Atlas Obscura, 17 July 2015
"Hawaiian Pidgin English developed during the 1800s and early 1900s, when immigrant laborers from China, Portugal, and the Philippines arrived to work in the plantations; American missionaries also came around that time. The immigrants used pidgins—first one that was based in Hawaiian and then one based in English—to communicate." — Alia Wong, The Atlantic, 20 Nov. 2015
Did you know?
The history of pidgin begins in the early 19th century in the South China city of Guangzhou. Chinese merchants interacting with English speakers on the docks in this port adopted and modified the word business in a way that, by century's end, had become pidgin. The word itself then became the descriptor of the unique communication used by people who speak different languages. Pidgins generally consist of small vocabularies (Chinese Pidgin English has only 700 words), but some have grown to become a group's native language. Examples include Sea Island Creole (spoken in South Carolina's Sea Islands), Haitian Creole, and Louisiana Creole. The word pidgin also gave us one particular meaning of pigeon—the one defined as "an object of special concern" or "accepted business or interest," as in "Tennis is not my pigeon."
26 Jul 19:36
Abortion conviction quashed, but woman who miscarried still faces time for "neglect"
by Rob Beschizza
Kara Jean"Purvi Patel's conviction amounts to punishment for having a miscarriage and then seeking medical care, something that no woman should worry would lead to jail time." This kind of thing getting worse is something I am very afraid for in the future :(
Purvi Patel was the first woman in America to be convicted of "feticide"—a euphemism for abortion—and jailed 20 years after suffering a miscarriage that prosecutors claim was induced by illegally-procured drugs. The feticide conviction was quashed today by an appeals court, but it affirmed the felony conviction for "neglect of a dependent."
The appeals court ruled that the state Legislature didn't intend for the feticide law "to be used to prosecute women for their own abortions."
As for the neglect conviction, we hold that the State presented sufficient evidence for a jury to find that Patel was subjectively aware that the baby was born alive and that she knowingly endangered the baby by failing to provide medical care, but that the State failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the baby would not have died but for Patel’s failure to provide medical care. Therefore, we vacate Patel’s class A felony conviction and remand to the trial court with instructions to enter judgment of conviction for class D felony neglect of a dependent and resentence her accordingly.
The neglect charge (Patel claimed stillbirth, prosecutors argued that the fetus was alive for a period of seconds after birth) is still serious; the statute book allows for six months to three years, though news reports suggest lenience is not unheard of.
From the original story:
According to Sue Ellen Braunlin, doctor and co-president of the Indiana Religious Coalition for Reproductive Justice, Purvi was most likely 23-24 weeks pregnant, although prosecutors argued Patel was 25 weeks along in the state's opening argument. The prosecution confirmed on Monday that the baby died within seconds of being born.
Patel's lawyers argued that she panicked when she realized she was in labor. Patel comes from a conservative Hindu family that looks down on sex outside marriage, and the pregnancy was a result of an affair Patel had with her co-worker.
"Purvi Patel's conviction amounts to punishment for having a miscarriage and then seeking medical care, something that no woman should worry would lead to jail time," said Deepa Iyer, Activist-in-Residence at the University of Maryland's Asian American Studies Program and former director of South Asian Americans Leading Together.
05 Jul 18:57
Rock Hyrax Pups Have 'Fun In The Sun'
by Andrew Bleiman
Kara Jean4th picture down is me
BIOPARC Valencia started off the summer with the birth of Rock Hyrax pups! They can be seen sunning themselves on the rocks of the park’s African Savannah exhibit.
Photo Credits: BIOPARC Valencia
The Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis), or Rock Badger, is one of the four living species of the order Hyracoidea, and the only living species in the genus Procavia. Like all hyraxes, it is a medium-sized terrestrial mammal, superficially resembling a guinea pig with short ears and tail. The closest living relatives to hyraxes are the modern-day elephants and sirenians (sea cow).
The species lives primarily in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, where it is known natively as a ‘dassie’ or ‘rock rabbit’. As their name indicates, Rock Hyraxes occupy habitats dominated by rocks and large boulders, including mountain cliffs, where they use their moist and rubber-like soles to gain a good grip to clamber around steep slopes.
They typically live in groups of 10 to 80 animals, and forage as a group. They feed on a wide variety of plants and have been known to eat insects and grubs.
They have been reported to use sentries: one or more animals take up position on a vantage point and issue alarm calls on the approach of predators. They are said to have excellent eyesight. They are able to survive their dry habitat by getting most of their water from food supplies.
Rock Hyraxes give birth to two or three young after a gestation period of 6–7 months (long, for their size). The young are well developed at birth with fully opened eyes and complete pelage. Young can ingest solid food after two weeks and are weaned at ten weeks.
After 16 months, the Rock Hyrax becomes sexually mature, they reach adult size at three years, and they typically live about ten years.
Rock Hyraxes produce large quantities of hyraceum (a sticky mass of dung and urine) that is said to have been used as a South African folk remedy, in the treatment of several medical disorders, including epilepsy and convulsions. It has been reported, that hyraceum is now being used by perfumers who tincture it in alcohol to yield a natural animal musk.
They are currently classified as “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
18 May 23:39
Peeling a thick layer of ivy from a building
by Mark Frauenfelder
"The physician can bury his mistakes, but the architect can only advise his client to plant vines." – Frank Lloyd Wright
18 May 23:30
Irritating Stick
Kara JeanStill the funniest game name
There’s no VO of a person screaming at you in Japanese trying to mess you up in the US version of this arcade puzzler. And, unlike the Japanese game show version (and possibly the Japanese arcade version, although I haven’t gotten confirmation of that), you don’t receive a painful electric shock if you fail. But other than that, the core play is the same as the Japanese original – basically scrolling Operation, you need to keep a metal stick from touching the sides of a narrow metal maze.
The game was not-quite-a-tech-demo for the Dual Shock controller, but it is an early example of a console videogame that really requires analog control to work – with rumble providing a nice replacement for physical pain when you mess up.It’s also a fun abstract PlayStation puzzler, so if you can track it down – it’s not super rare – it’s a good addition to your collection.
This may also be my favorite game name of all time.
(Jaleco/Saurus - 1998)
25 Apr 14:41
Clouded Leopard Cubs Are a Triple Threat of Cuteness
by Andrew Bleiman
Kara JeanWARNING: These guys are extremely li'l.
Clouded Leopard triplets were born March 30 at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. They are under the 24-hour care of keepers who feed them seven times a day and see to all of their other needs.
They squeak. They crawl a bit--sometimes over each other. They huddle together closely, looking like a big ball of spotted fur with legs and tails sticking out. They eagerly eat their special formula. And they sleep…a lot!
“Hand-rearing of these endangered exotic cats is an established practice that’s critical for their well-being as cubs and their later participation in the Species Survival Plan program for Clouded Leopards”, said staff biologist Andy Goldfarb.
Goldfarb has spent three decades caring for and raising endangered cats, and is known internationally as an expert in raising Clouded Leopards.
The cubs each weighed around 13 ounces, or just about three-quarters of a pound, at their first checkup. It’s still too early to tell their genders for certain, and they have yet to be named. The zoo will issue a news release and post to its Facebook page when details are available on how the public can help name the cubs.
Photo Credits: Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
No date has been determined for their public debut, but zoological staff members expect the triplets’ feeds will be viewable in the Cats of the Canopy exhibit Cub Den by the end of April.
“These cubs are particularly valuable to the Species Survival Plan managed breeding program because the genetics of their mother, Sang Dao, are not represented in the population. That increases genetic diversity among the Clouded Leopards in North America,” Goldfarb said.
Sang Dao came to Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium three years ago from Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Kansas. The cubs’ father, Tien, was born at Point Defiance Zoo three years ago. They are first-time parents.
The species is under significant pressure in the wild from encroachment and destruction of its habitat, as well as poaching.
The cats, which live in the forests and trees of Southeast Asia, are elusive, and it’s difficult to know how many remain in the wild.
“These cats are very rare,” Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium General Curator Karen Goodrowe Beck said. “We hope visitors to the zoo will connect with them and be inspired to take action to help save their species in the wild.”
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium long has been a leader in Clouded Leopard conservation. Both Goodrowe Beck and Goldfarb, supported by The Zoo Society’s Dr. Holly Reed Wildlife Conservation Fund, have worked with zookeepers in Thailand on improving ways to breed and rear Clouded Leopards. Goodrowe Beck holds a Ph.D. in reproductive biology.
Having a robust population of Clouded Leopards in zoos allows scientists to study the species’ behavior, physiology and medical conditions. That’s not possible in the wild, Goodrowe Beck said. But the information gained may one day help scientists develop conservation strategies for helping the species in the wild.
Maintaining Clouded Leopard populations in zoos allows animals like Sang Dao and Tien – and their cubs – to inspire people to take action on behalf of wildlife and wild places.
The Point Defiance Zoo’s “Paws for the Cause” program, meanwhile, helps consumers understand the link between some foods they eat, products they use and the deforestation of animal habitat half a world away.
The program also provides shoppers with tips on choosing products with deforestation-free palm oil and ways to get engaged by urging companies to make wildlife friendly choices in the raw materials they buy.
Palm oil, used in a wide variety of goods from candy to shampoo and body lotion to laundry soap, is derived from the oil palm tree. And some palm oil production results in wholesale destruction of the habitat on which Clouded Leopards, Orangutans, Tigers, Tapirs and other animals depend.
To learn more about this and how to take action, go to: www.pdza.org/pawsforthecause.
To learn more about Clouded Leopards, go to: www.pdza.org/clouded-leopard and www.cloudedleopard.org.
Tacoma zookeepers founded the nonprofit Clouded Leopard Project 15 years ago (www.cloudedleopard.org). The group works closely with the Zoo and The Zoo Society in fundraising efforts for conservation projects.
More adorable pics, below the fold!
Clouded Leopard mom, Sang Dao:
20 Mar 05:17
Dig this incredible Italian disco TV show from 1979
by David Pescovitz
Kara JeanThis era of Italian tv is my favorite thing on earth.
Get your groove on with the incredible opening sequence to Tilt, a 1979 Italian disco TV show hosted by Stefania Rotolo. Can you dig it? I knew that you could.
(via r/ObscureMedia, thanks UPSO!)
16 Mar 18:00
“I taught my dog and cat both how to fistbump!”
by Xeni Jardin
firehose and -1 others like this
