Environmental News Network

Stones in bird baths are a GOOD idea!
Turns out that stones in the bird bath are more than just an aesthetic element. In fact, they may even save a life. "This morning a little bird was flapping his wings frantically in the bird bath," said Crystal Carvotta-Brown, a cat rescue volunteer in Massachusetts. "At first I thought he was just cleaning his feathers but then I realized that he was in distress." Crystal, an avid community organizer who has helped place hundreds of throw-away cats, was quick to take action when she sensed danger. >> Read the Full Article
New study challenges theory that emperor penguins return to same area each year
Philopatry is the tendency of an organism to stay in, or return to its home area. Many animal species are considered philopatric because they often return to their birthplace year after year to breed. Revisiting the same site is advantageous because nests and courtship areas have already been established while competition from other animals is largely non-existent due to territoriality. Researchers have long thought that emperor penguins were a prime example of this phenomenon, however a new study shows that this species may be adapting to changing environments and may not necessarily be faithful to previous nesting locations. >> Read the Full Article
New study shows link between bald eagle deaths and lead ammunition
Endangered California condors have been the poster birds for calls to get lead ammunition out of our environment, but they might have to make some room for our nation's most iconic raptors thanks to a new study showing how lead ammunition is also harming bald eagles. It might be illegal to hunt bald eagles, but a study conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigating the link between lead ammunition and bald eagle deaths in the Upper Mississippi River U.S. Fish and Wildlife Refuge. >> Read the Full Article
Over $1 Billion Pledged to Project Marine Habitats
'Our Ocean' 2014 brought together leaders from business, government and academic institutions, and NGOs from over 80 countries to discuss how economic development and ocean conservation can be reconciled. The oceans are extremely important for humans, generating more than 50 percent of the oxygen we breathe, absorbing excess carbon dioxide, and providing a source of food and income for millions of people worldwide. >> Read the Full Article
"Tuning" the silk: How spiders use vibrations to learn about their prey, mates, and web
The fine craftsmanship of a spider's web helps these eight-legged arachnids catch their prey. But these silk-threaded designs can tell a spider a lot more than what they will be having for dinner. The spider that sits in the middle of its web monitors the silk threads for vibrations. And according to a new discovery by researchers at the Universities of Oxford, Strathclyde, and Sheffield the frequencies of these vibrations carry specific information about the prey, mates, and even the structural integrity of the web. >> Read the Full Article
Are fruit flies smarter than we thought?
Oxford University neuroscientists have shown that fruit flies take longer to make more difficult decisions. In experiments asking fruit flies to distinguish between ever closer concentrations of an odour, the researchers found that the flies don't act instinctively or impulsively. Instead they appear to accumulate information before committing to a choice. Gathering information before making a decision has been considered a sign of higher intelligence, like that shown by primates and humans. >> Read the Full Article
President Obama addresses seafood fraud and illegal fishing
This morning, President Barack Obama announced an initiative to tackle seafood fraud and illegal fishing in the United States. His announcement coincides with the Global "Our Ocean" conference convened by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. In President Obama's announcement, he referenced the negative financial repercussions of overfishing as one of the key reasons for the initiative. >> Read the Full Article
800+ Species added to IUCN Threatened List
Experts have added 817 species to the threatened categories of the IUCN Red List in the latest update. Those added include 51 mammalsâ€”mostly lemursâ€”and over 400 plants. The new update finds that over 90 percent of lemurs and 79 percent of temperate slipper orchids are threatened with extinction. >> Read the Full Article
10 Amazing Animal Dads
Not all non-human animal dads are cut out for family life, but there are a number of species who have become known for their role as fathers who deserve a salute, from giant water bugs who carry dozens of eggs on their backs to males who actually get pregnant and dads who operate solo as single parents. This Father's Day, it's time to celebrate some of the amazing dads from the animal kingdom who go above and beyond when it comes raising and protecting their young. Red Fox Male red foxes aren't just loving mates, but excited and protective fathers. They take on the task of providing food for their mates every few hours for about a month after she gives birth. Then they take on the role of teacher â€“ but teachers who like to take time out to play. Even when itâ€™s time to get serious and teach their young how to start finding their own food, fox dads help them out and make sure they don't really go hungry by hiding it near their dens. >> Read the Full Article
Owl Monkeys are great Fathers! And they are loyal to their mates!
Tomorrow is Father's day and animals are not normally thought of as being good fathers. For most species, the mothers do most of the work feeding and nurturing their young. Owl monkeys appear to be an exception! If there were a competition for "best father" in the animal kingdom, owl monkeys might very well win. Why? Because father owl monkeys provide most of the care needed by their young--carrying them almost all the time, even when chased by predators. By contrast, caregiving from owl monkey mothers to their young is limited almost exclusively to nursing. Considering the high prevalence of "deadbeat dads" and even "cannibal dads" in the animal kingdom, why--of all creatures--are father owl monkeys so attentive and protective of their young? This question is answered by Patricia C. Wright of Stony Brook University in the accompanying video. >> Read the Full Article