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Pets/Animals (General/Chat)

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  • ‘Dinosaur Fish’ Once Thought Extinct 70 Million Years Ago Spotted in Indonesian Archipelago

    04/30/2025 9:38:12 AM PDT · by nickcarraway · 31 replies
    Greek Reporter ^ | April 30, 2025 | Nisha Zahid
    A rare “dinosaur fish,” once believed to have disappeared 70 million years ago, has been filmed in the wild by divers in the Indonesian archipelago. The Indonesian coelacanth (Latimeria menadoensis) was captured on camera in its natural habitat, marking a breakthrough for marine exploration. The discovery was made in October 2024 during a deep-sea mission led by Alexis Chappuis of UNSEEN Expeditions. Using special breathing equipment, Chappuis and fellow diver Alexandre Leblond descended to 152 meters along a volcanic slope in the Maluku Islands, where they spotted the elusive creature at a depth of 144 meters. Long-lost species returned to...
  • Meet Zeus, the Giant Maine Coon Who Stands Over 4 Feet Tall!

    04/29/2025 9:12:46 PM PDT · by Red Badger · 51 replies
    Daily Galaxy ^ | April 29, 2025 | Lydia Amazouz
    A Maine Coon named Zeus has taken the internet by storm, earning millions of views across social media platforms with his sheer size and playful antics. Standing at an impressive 4 feet tall when on his back legs, Zeus is not your typical house cat. This gentle giant has captured the hearts of millions, and his owner, Daniela Ermolaeva, couldn’t be more proud of the attention her beloved pet is receiving, as highlighted in a recent feature by The Independent. Zeus, weighing 13 kg (around 28.6 pounds), has quickly become a sensation on Instagram under the handle @zeus.mainecoon.official. His rise...
  • Zoo Using Realistic Puppet to Feed Newly-Hatched King Vulture Chick

    04/29/2025 7:09:43 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 8 replies
    UPI ^ | April 29 | Ben Hooper
    The Bronx Zoo in New York announced the first king vulture chick to hatch at the facility in three decades is being hand-raised using a puppet made to look like a mother vulture. Officials said on social media that the hand puppet, designed by the Bronx Zoo's Exhibition and Graphic Arts Department, is designed to prevent the baby bird from imprinting on its human caretakers. "Bronx Zoo ornithologists pioneered this technique more than 40 years ago when hand-raising Andean condor chicks using a similar hand puppet cleverly designed to mimic an adult bird," the post said. Officials explained that the...
  • Which Dinosaur Was the Fastest? New Simulations Reveal Surprising Speed

    04/29/2025 7:05:00 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 18 replies
    Greek Reporter ^ | April 30, 2025 | Hadia Zahid
    Scientists have been wondering for years which dinosaur could run the fastest. Now, new simulation models are offering a fresh look at dinosaur speed. This renewed interest has roots in a major discovery from 1964, when paleontologist John Ostrom and his team uncovered Deinonychus—a dinosaur with a lightweight body, long claws, and strong legs. Its features challenged the long-held image of dinosaurs as sluggish reptiles and instead pointed to an active, fast-moving predator. This discovery helped launch what scientists call the “dinosaur renaissance,” a major shift in how experts understood dinosaur behavior. Instead of slow-moving reptiles, some dinosaurs began to...
  • Scientists Discover the Largest Anaconda Ever Found in the Amazon During Will Smith’s Show Set

    04/29/2025 5:12:22 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 33 replies
    Daily Galaxy ^ | April 29, 2025 | Arezki Amiri
    Scientists filming for a National Geographic TV show with Will Smith have uncovered a previously unknown species of giant anaconda deep within the Ecuadorian Amazon. This groundbreaking discovery has stunned the scientific world and may forever alter what we know about these elusive creatures. A Discovery Like No Other The team, led by Professor Bryan Fry from the University of Queensland, made their remarkable find while exploring the remote Bameno region of the Baihuaeri Waorani Territory—an area that rarely sees outsiders. The newly identified species, named the northern green anaconda (Eunectes akayima), has the potential to grow over 20 feet...
  • Scientists Create 3D-Printed Calamari With More Protein Than Real Squid

    04/28/2025 6:07:02 PM PDT · by Red Badger · 40 replies
    Study Finds ^ | April 28, 2025 | Poornima Vijayan and Dejian Huang, National University of Singapore
    In a nutshell * Scientists successfully 3D printed plant-based calamari rings using mung bean protein and microalgae, creating a seafood alternative that closely matches real squid in texture and even surpasses it in protein content. * The 10% microalgae formulation achieved the best results, producing calamari mimics that were softer, springier, and structurally similar to real calamari, without relying on overfished marine resources. * This innovation highlights a promising future for sustainable seafood alternatives, leveraging underused crops like mung beans and algae to reduce pressure on ocean ecosystems while meeting growing demand for plant-based foods. ******************************************************************************* SINGAPORE — Your next...
  • Your next jacket could be made from a DINOSAUR: Scientists are using fossilised collagen to create the world's first T.Rex leather

    04/27/2025 7:03:11 AM PDT · by BenLurkin · 43 replies
    A team of scientists will 'combine creative innovation, genomic engineering and advanced tissue engineering to start producing sustainable luxury materials from prehistoric species'. It builds on previous research which involved extracting a fragment of collagen from a T.Rex fossil, found in 1988 in Montana. It was one of the most complete specimens at the time of its discovery, and even contained preserved blood proteins. Now, experts will use this fragment to artificially recreate what a full-length T.Rex collagen sequence would have looked like. Once they have made sure it looks genetically similar to that of the T.Rex ancestors, they will...
  • WATCH: Hilarious Florida Doorbell Camera Footage Captures Massive Alligator Standing on Its Hind Legs, “Knocking” on the Door

    04/27/2025 6:21:09 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 27 replies
    American Tribune ^ | April 27, 2025 | Tom Arends
    A hilarious video filmed by a doorbell camera captured an alligator standing on its hind legs and “knocking” on the door of a Florida home, with the homeowner later estimating that the gator was between seven and eight feet tall and explaining that the visit was far from a normal occurrence in her neighborhood. For context, on April 25, 2025, Nathalie Gaines of Lake Mary, Florida, got a major surprise when she checked her doorbell camera feed after hearing strange noises outside her door. According to press coverage of the incident, Gaines was greeted by a large alligator, which had...
  • Hotel employee, 26, dies of rare rat-linked virus that killed Gene Hackman’s wife: report

    04/26/2025 9:11:45 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 20 replies
    New York Post ^ | April 26, 2025 | Anna Young
    A young California man died from the same rare rodent-linked virus that killed Gene Hackman’s wife in February — with health officials discovering rat droppings at his workplace following his untimely death, according to a report. Rodrigo Becerra, 26, had fallen seriously ill and was prescribed antibiotics the night before he was found convulsing in his Mammoth Lakes home, where he perished from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare infectious disease linked to rodents, on March 6, his family told SFGATE. Becerra, who was just three days shy of his birthday when he died, worked as a bell hop at Mammoth...
  • Ancient Four-Legged Whale Remains Discovered in Peru Could Rewrite Whale Evolution!

    04/26/2025 7:05:05 PM PDT · by Red Badger · 46 replies
    Indian Defence Review ^ | April 26, 2025 | Lydia Amazouz
    A newly discovered fossil of a four-legged whale in Peru sheds new light on the evolution of whales and their journey across the oceans. ***************************************************************** A fascinating new discovery has been made off the coast of Peru, where paleontologists have unearthed the remains of a previously unknown four-legged whale species. This remarkable find, which was made about 42.6 million years ago during the middle Eocene, is shedding new light on the evolutionary transition of whales from land-dwelling mammals to the aquatic giants we recognize today. As reported in Current Biology, the whale species, named Peregocetus pacificus, was found in the...
  • Why Aren't Humans as Hairy as Other Mammals? Here's The Science.

    04/25/2025 7:49:24 PM PDT · by Red Badger · 44 replies
    Science Alert ^ | April 26, 2025 | Maria Chikina, The Conversation
    Have you ever wondered why you don't have thick hair covering your whole body like a dog, cat or gorilla does? Humans aren't the only mammals with sparse hair. Elephants, rhinos and naked mole rats also have very little hair. It's true for some marine mammals, such as whales and dolphins, too. Scientists think the earliest mammals, which lived at the time of the dinosaurs, were quite hairy. But over hundreds of millions of years, a small handful of mammals, including humans, evolved to have less hair. What's the advantage of not growing your own fur coat? I'm a biologist...
  • Monstrous “Hell Ant” That Thrived 113 Million Years Ago Revealed in Oldest Fossil of Its Kind Ever Discovered

    04/25/2025 7:03:00 PM PDT · by Red Badger · 66 replies
    The Debrief ^ | April 24, 2025 | Kenna Hughes-Castleberry
    Ants are among the most familiar insects on Earth today, but their origins remain cloaked in deep evolutionary history. Until now, the oldest known ant specimens came from amber deposits in France and Myanmar, dating to the Cretaceous period around 100 million years ago. But a new discovery—published recently in the journal Current Biology—pushes that timeline back even further. “Our team has discovered a new fossil ant species representing the earliest undisputable geological record of ants,” said lead author Anderson Lepeco in a recent statement. “What makes this discovery particularly interesting is that it belongs to the extinct ‘hell ant,’...
  • Egg Prices Send More Georgians in Search of Backyard Chickens

    04/25/2025 4:13:18 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 20 replies
    WSB-TV ^ | April 25, 2025
    The lines go down the sidewalk before the doors even open - families, backyard farmers, and people fighting high egg prices are here to get a first look. These early birds get the chicks. Kathy Swint called it “our regular chick order day” at Swint’s Feed and Garden Supply in Jonesboro. They started the day with hundreds of tiny 2-day old chicks, and they were all snapped up in 40 minutes. Phyllis Gardner told Channel 2’s Linda Stouffer that she found exactly what she was looking for. “We have Lavender Orpingtons, these are Buff Orpingtons. They grow up to be...
  • REPORT: Police Nab Alleged ‘Serial Cat Killer’ After Catching Him On Camera

    04/25/2025 12:29:30 PM PDT · by Red Badger · 36 replies
    Daily Caller ^ | April 25, 2025 | Staff
    California authorities say they caught an alleged “serial cat killer” after the man was supposedly captured luring a feline on camera. Santa Ana Police Department said in an Instagram post Wednesday that they received multiple reports about “the suspected abuse and killing of cats in a local neighborhood.” Reports from neighbors said that a man was luring neighborhood cats to his property where he then allegedly harmed or killed them. Police say these reports came in over several weeks. Alejandro Acosta Oliveros, 45, was “positively identified by several victims and witnesses as the suspect responsible for acts of animal cruelty,”...
  • Belgian Teenagers Found With 5,000 Ants to Be Sentenced by Kenyan Court in Two Weeks

    04/25/2025 12:16:59 AM PDT · by nickcarraway · 9 replies
    Euronews ^ | 23/04/2025 | Gavin Blackburn
    The two men had entered Kenya on a tourist visa and were staying in a guest house in the western town of Naivasha. Their lawyer said that her clients did not know what they were doing was illegal. Two Belgian teenagers who were found with thousands of ants valued at more than €8,000 and allegedly destined for European and Asian markets will be sentenced in two weeks, a Kenyan magistrate has said. Njeri Thuku, sitting at the court in Kenya's main airport, said she would not rush the case but would take time to review environmental impact and psychological reports...
  • Rare Black Fox Pops Out Along Roadside In Yellowstone

    04/23/2025 8:24:05 PM PDT · by Red Badger · 22 replies
    Cowboy State Daily ^ | April 23, 2025 | Mark Heinz
    A fox with rare black fur made a brief roadside appearance in Yellowstone National Park last week. The fox’s coloring is probably the result of a condition called melanism. Stacy O’Nell caught photos of this extremely rare black fox in Yellowstone National Park, when it made a brief appearance along the roadside last week. The fox’s unusual coloring is probably the result of a condition called melanism, which can cause black skin, fur or feathers in numerous species. (Courtesy Stacy O'Nell, SO Photograpy) Now in her third season of working at the Yellowstone National Park’s Old Faithful Inn, Stacy O’Nell...
  • Richard Gere’s Next Great Role? Helping Billionaires Hatch Sea Turtles in Mexico

    04/23/2025 1:18:25 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 28 replies
    The Hollywood Reporter ^ | April 22, 2025 | Kathryn Romeyn
    The 75-year-old star has teamed up with a group of ecologically minded real estate moguls to develop a remote stretch of the Mexican shoreline in a way that doesn't make the locals hate them.Costalegre, a 200-mile ribbon of Pacific coastline stretching between Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo, is one of the last truly wild corners of Mexico. There are no mega-resorts here. No spring-break beach clubs or 20-story condos. Just sandpipers skimming the surf, green sea turtles digging moonlit nests — and, every so often, Richard Gere strolling on the beach. This is Xala, a 3,000-acre development so “low-density,” it’s practically...
  • Diver believed to have been killed in shark attack filmed by helpless beachgoers: ‘They’re biting me!’

    04/23/2025 1:00:55 PM PDT · by george76 · 59 replies
    New York Post ^ | April 22, 2025, | Patrick Reilly
    Terrifying video shows a diver being attacked by a shark as horrified beachgoers watched on helplessly. The unidentified diver is assumed dead after the attack at a beach in Israel that has been drawing tourists to see the sharks — with one video showing one swimming right up to a child standing in the water. The attacked diver was heard screaming, “They’re biting me!” before being dragged further out to sea off the city of Hadera on Monday ... They’re eating him, eating the man!” .... “Wow, wow, he’s with the shark, he’s fighting him,” ... “I was in the...
  • Thai Woman Struggles to Evacuate During Earthquake While Her Dog Sleeps Unfazed

    04/23/2025 11:33:48 AM PDT · by nickcarraway · 9 replies
    AsiaOne ^ | Koh Xing Ying
    During the recent earthquake in Thailand, one woman found herself struggling to evacuate, not because of the disaster, but because her dog, blissfully unaware of the mayhem around it, was determined to sleep through it. An 18-second clip of the viral incident was posted to TikTok on Saturday (March 29), showing a woman desperately trying to wake her dog while pulling on its front paw. Despite the chaos, the samoyed, named Echo, refuses to budge, completely unbothered by its owner's desperate pleas. At one point, the woman even tried pulling both of Echo's paws but didn't get anywhere. Shortly after,...
  • Ancient Fossils Reveal Massive Rhino Herds Once Roamed Nebraska

    04/23/2025 4:04:37 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 28 replies
    Scitech Daily ^ | April 23, 2025 | Michael Miller, University of Cincinnati
    Ancient rhinos in Nebraska lived in large local herds and died slowly from volcanic ashfall, not sudden disaster. Credit: John Haxby/The University of Nebraska State Museum ************************************************************************* Volcanic eruption from 12 million years ago preserves a snapshot of extinct animal life. Rhinos that once roamed much of North America 12 million years ago likely lived in large herds, according to a new study by the University of Cincinnati. Researchers examined isotopes in the teeth of rhinos found in what is now northeast Nebraska. At this site, more than 100 rhinos died at a single water hole and were buried in...