Posts Tagged ‘species’

Snow Will Soon Disappear from Mount Kilimanjaro

Despite the fact that Mount Kilimanjaro is located in one of the world’s warmer climates, like any other mountain with such high altitude, it has snowy peaks and glaciers that add interest to climbers, (although it doesn’t do much for the wildlife on the mountain); however, according to research, as a result of climate change, we can expect that snow atop Mount Kilimanjaro is a fleeting thing.

Freshwater Fish of the World - A Status Report

According to a 2008 study (Jelks et al), nearly 40% of freshwater species in North America are either at risk of disappearing or have already vanished. Representing some 761 distinct species, 230 are deemed “vulnerable”, 190 are threatened, 280 are endangered, and 61 are extinct (or extinct in the wild). These numbers represent a 90+% increase over a 1989 assessment of freshwater species. And these trends are consistent with assessments in Europe.

850 New Species Found Underground

In the Australian outbacks, 18 scientists have just discovered over 850 new species living underground.

California Fires Not the Only Thing Hurting Communities in California


Communities of all sorts are being disturbed by the fires in California. As another result of climate change, bird communities are expected to see some big changes in other ways, according to a new report released on September 1.

3 New Species Found in Underwater Cave in Canary Islands


Texas A&M professor and world-leading cave researcher, Tom Iliffe, and others discovered numerous new species in an underwater cave a mile long in the Canary Islands recently. The cave was in Lanzarote off the coast of Africa in the Atlantic Ocean. One of the species might be one of the oldest crustaceans in the world. It might be about 200 millions years old, from the time of dinosaurs.

Anti-Poaching Success in Kissama National Park, Angola

Below are some excerpts from the field journal of Roland Goetz, Warden of Kissama National Park.  The WILD Foundation, an EcoWorldly media partner, was one of the first international conservation organizations to take help re-establish Kissama in the late 1990’s, after 25 years of tragic civil war left the region in great need.  WILD continues to provide urgently needed conservation supplies, training and capacity building and guidance on conservation efforts to the one million hectare park.

Anti-Poaching Success in Kissama National Park, AngolaOn 21 may 2009, we apprehended 5 poachers who had snared and killed a grey duiker and 2 red necked francolin.  They also made 10 bags of charcoal.  The following day we apprehended 4 illegal charcoal makers with 10 bags charcoal in their possession. After taking them back to Caua Camp, under guard, it was discovered that one of the poachers in our custody was Mr Fuma, who we’ve been looking for since 2004 for shooting and killing an elephant, (whose tusks we have been in possession of since the incident).

Killer Kelp

Killer Kelp

When I was doing research on Catalina Island, there was a wanted poster hanging in the dive locker. Although, this wanted poster was not for any bank robber or bandit. This was a wanted poster for kelp. Undaria pinnatifida, an invasive species from Asia that has hitched a ride on boat’s hulls and ballast water. Also known as wakame, you may know that name as an ingredient in many Asian dishes or miso soup.

Wakame has become a large problem from New Zealand to Monterey Bay. It is an aggressive and costly intruder that takes over a habitat at the expensive of the native species. Since its discovery in San Francisco Bay, 140 lbs of the kelp have been removed from the San Francisco Marina alone. Wakame’s destructive nature has earned it a spot on the 100 of the Worlds Worst Invasive Species list.

Global Warming is Shrinking Sheep and Fish

Two seperate scientific studies have revealed that global warming is leading to significant reductions in the size of sheep and fish species, more evidence that climate change is forcing a huge range of species to adapt to a hotter world.

The first study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, investigated fish populations in French rivers and the Baltic Sea and discovered that fish are shrinking as their habitats heat up.

Results show that average fish size in many French rivers have declined over the last thirty years, while the geographical range of tiddlers in the Baltic expanded as species such as herring and sprat also shrunk.

18,516 New Species (Including a Fascinating Top Ten) Identified in 2007 - But What Is Their Significance?

On 22 May the International Institute for Species Research (IISR) of Arizona State University (ASU) released its list of 18,516 new species discovered in 2007. The top ten selected from these is fascinating, but what does it all really mean?

Animalia kingdom

species from the animalia kingdom

The Top Ten List of New Species

The Top 10 New Species List is chosen by a twelve person panel of international taxon experts chaired by Dr. Janine Caira of the University of Connecticut. The species in the list is selected from the thousands of species that were fully described in the calendar year. Nominations from the public, IISE staff and committee members are judged by the committee which has complete freedom in making its choices and developing its own criteria. The object though is to cover a breadth of species attributes and importance.

Boys And Girls: As Different as Cats and Dogs?

Are gender differences inborn? Does my son like trucks because he’s as different from girls as cats are from dogs? Boys come out of the womb clutching footballs, girls cuddling dolls?

Probably not, but young kids seem to believe that.

In a U.S. study of 450 kids aged 5-college aged, researchers found that the young ones were more likely to believe that gender differences were nature, not nurture. As in: differences are there because they’re born into you, as species is. The differences are innate, they think.

Interestingly, over time children’s beliefs on gender differences fade, not grow stronger.

Environment Versus The Bottom Line - Weird Wall Street Trading Markets

The longer I am here at the Wall Street Green Trading Summit, the less this feels like anything to do with environmentalism. At some point, when does off-setting stop being feasible, and when does carbon reduction become the name of the game?

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