Free Republic

An alligator gar, part of species 'as old as the dinosaurs,' breaks new records in Texas and beyond ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The "monster" alligator gar that was caught in Texas last month has broken not one, not two but four International Game and Fish Association (IGFA) records. Captain Kirk Kirkland served as the guide to Art Weston who reeled in the 283-pound alligator gar on Sept. 2. Kirkland and Weston wrestled with the beast for two hours and 45 minutes, until they finally brought the fish aboard. The anglers knew they had caught something record worthy when they saw how massive the...

Rarely in my lifetime have I seen the type of civic engagement schoolchildren and their supporters demonstrated in Washington and other major cities throughout the country this past Saturday. These demonstrations demand our respect. They reveal the broad public support for legislation to minimize the risk of mass killings of schoolchildren and others in our society. That support is a clear sign to lawmakers to enact legislation prohibiting civilian ownership of semiautomatic weapons, increasing the minimum age to buy a gun from 18 to 21 years old, and establishing more comprehensive background checks on all purchasers of firearms. But the...

A few months after researchers on one team thought they had discovered a new family of rodent, another group snatched their glory by identifying the critter as a member of a family thought long extinct. Last year, scientists described the body of a squirrel-like rodent found for sale in a meat market in Laos. They believed it belonged to a previously undescribed family and named it Laonastes aenigmamus. [Locals call the rodent kha-nyou, according to The Associated Press.] But they failed to fully inspect the fossil record. Upon closer analysis of the creature's teeth, a second group of researchers determined...

The bird is renowned for being shy A quail believed to have been extinct for nearly 80 years has been seen by a prominent ornithologist in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam. The Manipur Bush-Quail was seen earlier this month by Anwaruddin Choudhury, a wildlife specialist. Bird experts say that Mr Choudhury is highly respected and that they believe he saw the quail even though he was unable to photograph it. Experts say the sighting is one of the most exciting in India in recent years. Territory "This creature has almost literally returned from the dead," the Wildlife Trust...