A new species of night monkey (pictured) is one of eight new mammals found during an expedition to northern Peru's Tabaconas Namballe National Sanctuary, scientists announced recently.

A team of Mexican and Peruvian biologists found this "new heaven of unknown biodiversity" during a 2009-2011 expedition, according to a press statement.

Rarely seen and little-studied, night monkeys are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and endangered by the Peruvian government, making the new discovery especially notable.The as yet unnamed new species was found close to the border of Ecuador, said expedition co-leader Gerardo Ceballos, of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Compared with two other species of night monkey in the region, the new one has a more uniform color and smaller skull.

Tabaconas Namballe National Sanctuary's cloud forests provide shelter to at least 85 species of mammals, 326 species of birds, and 23 species of reptiles and amphibians—numbers that may grow as explorers delve deeper into the region.

The sanctuary contains a wide array of habitats—from rain forests to grasslands—condensed into roughly 70,000 acres (28,000 hectares), Ceballos said.

However, deforestation throughout much of South America may affect undiscovered species, Ceballos said.

"The habitat is very valuable," he said, "even without knowing the species that are there."


Common Shrew Opossum

Almost twice the size of its closest relative, this new species of common shrew opossum is the largest yet found in the region.

Occasionally known as a marsupial shrew, common shrew opossums are usually rat-size and have well-defined ears, long tails, and long, pointed snouts.

"It belongs to [a] marsupial family with only three other species," Ceballos said.


Enigmatic Porcupine

Discovered due to its large size and unusually dark fur, this new species—called an enigmatic porcupine—differs from its counterparts in another way: quill size.

Unlike other porcupines in the region, the new species' quills are "extremely long," Ceballos said.

Locals also told the team that there may be more porcupine species awaiting discovery. "They showed the skin of an entirely different species we have never seen," he said.


Small-Eared Shrew

This new species of small-eared shrew is still in the process of being named by Ceballos and his team. Much smaller than its relative the marsupial shrew, the small-eared shrew is an insect-eater distinguished by extremely small eyes and barely visible ears.

Not much is known about small-eared shrews in general, which are classified as data deficient by the IUCN.

 Deep within the Amazon Rain forest grows a tree that could literally revolutionize what you, your doctor, and the rest of the world thinks about cancer treatment and chances of survival. The future has never looked more promising.

 Research shows that extracts from this miraculous tree may make it possible to attack cancer safely and effectively with an all-natural therapy that does not cause extreme nausea, weight loss and hair loss. Protect your immune system and avoid deadly infections, feel stronger and healthier throughout the course of the treatment, boost your energy and improve your outlook on life.

The source of this information is just as stunning: It comes from one of America ‘s largest drug manufacturers, the fruit of over 20 laboratory tests conducted since the 1970's! What those tests revealed was nothing short of mind numbing… Extracts from the tree were shown to:

Effectively target and kill malignant cells in 12 types of cancer, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreatic cancer.

The tree compounds proved to be up to 10,000 times stronger in slowing the growth of cancer cells than Adriamycin, a commonly used chemotherapeutic drug!

What’s more, unlike chemotherapy, the compound extracted from the Graviola tree selectively hunts down and kills only cancer cells. It does not harm healthy cells

The amazing anti-cancer properties of the Graviola tree have been extensively researched-so why haven’t you heard anything about it? If Graviola extract is as half as promising as it appears to be-why doesn’t every single oncologist at every major hospital insist on using it on all his or her patients? The spine-chilling answer illustrates just how easily our health-and for many, our very lives are controlled by money and power.


:: MEDICINAL BENEFITS OF GRAVIOLA (SOURSOP) :: 




It's been called a miracle tree. Indigenous peoples from the Amazon jungle have used the bark, leaves, roots, flowers, fruit, and seed from the graviola tree for centuries to treat heart disease, asthma, liver problems, and arthritis. Scientists from North America learned of the legendary healing tree and, through dozens of in vitro tests, discovered its ability to kill malignant cells of 12 different types of cancer, including ovarian, colon, breast, prostate, lung, liver, cervical, lymphoma, and pancreatic cancer. Laboratory research showed it to be 10,000 times stronger in killing colon cancer cells than Adriamycin, a commonly used chemotherapy drug. And Graviola, unlike chemotherapy, can kill cancer cells without harming healthy cells.

Look at him! He's just so happy to be there!

Actor Johnny Depp, who is portraying Tonto in The Lone Ranger, coming to theaters in 2013, made an unannounced appearance on Saturday at the Comanche Nation Fair in Lawton, Oklahoma.

In May, Depp was adopted into the Comanche Nation by LaDonna Harris, president and founder of Americans for Indian Opportunity, who sat next to Depp in the back of a convertible that cruised the parade route.

Gil Birmingham, Comanche, who also appears in The Lone Ranger, was on hand as well. According to a report at TMZ, Depp served as grand marshal of the parade.

As an honorary member, Johnny waved and smiled at the Oklahoma residents who lined the streets to watch the parade.

Several attendees took photos and video; below are some pictures posted to Fanpop.com and videos from YouTube. (Source)

Today, Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) gave the Aquarium des Iles permission to release two six-month-old harp seal pups who were slated for death on September 15.

 “This achievement can be attributed to public pressure from a viral Care2 petition launched by Island Wildlife Natural Care Centre, Salt Spring Island, BC that garnered more than 140,000 signatures in less than two weeks; by mass emails of protest from the public to the Aquarium and to Fisheries & Oceans; through our postings on dozens of environmental and animal welfare websites; intense lobbying led by Cheryl Fink of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW); and behind the scenes support by the Brigitte Bardot Foundation,” said Jackie Ballerone, Director of the IWNCC in a statement.

The two pups, Zak and Mika, were taken from the wild by the DFO this spring and accepted by the aquarium for display, even though aquarium officials knew they would be senselessly killed at the end of the tourist season.

The practice of taking seal pups has been going on for decades with releases at the end of the season, but for some unknown reason, the DFO is suddenly arguing 25 years later that pups could contaminate wild seals and other wild animals. They advised the aquarium to destroy the seals.

After hearing about their plight from an employee at the aquarium who reached out to organizations for help to save the pups, the IWNCC stepped up and set up a Care2 petition campaigning for their release.

As pressure mounted from the public and a solution was offered by IFAW, the aquarium found itself in even more hot water after essentially issuing a ransom note announcing that pups would be spared, but only if animal advocates were willing to pay $73,000 for their care before September 21.

“The sudden and unexpected decision by the Department of Fisheries & Oceans to allow the seals to be released back into the wild brought a collective sigh of relief from everyone who has been working so hard to save the lives of these two innocents,” said Ballerone. (SOURCE)

It’s Harvest Moon time for 2012. The moon has waxed larger each night this past week, and full moon is tonight (September 29-30). In traditional skylore, the Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, the autumnal equinox came on September 22. That makes the September 29-30 full moon the Harvest Moon.

A full moon always ascends over your eastern horizon at sunset and stays in the sky all night. But each month there is a time of fullest full moon. That crest of the moon’s full phase happens this month on September 30 at 3:19 UTC. That’s 10:19 CDT in the U.S. Translate UTC to your time zone.

So, depending upon your time zone, your calendar might list the September 2012 full moon on September 29 or 30. But the moon will appear round and full on all the nights around this full moon.

There’s also a name for the next full moon after the Harvest Moon. It’s called the Hunter’s Moon, and it’ll come this year on October 29.

So don’t just look for the Harvest Moon on the night of September 29 or 30. Look for the moon to be bright and full-looking for several nights at the end of September, 2012. If you live far enough north – for example, in the northern states, Canada or Alaska – the Harvest Moon will continue to shine from dusk until dawn into early October. This procession of moonlit nights is what characterizes the Harvest Moon.

   
Why is the Harvest Moon special? 

Harvest Moon is just a name. It’s the name for the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox. In the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll always see the Harvest Moon in either September or October. In the Southern Hemisphere, a moon with these same characteristics always comes in March or April.

But the Harvest Moon is more. Nature is particularly cooperative around the time of the autumn equinox to make the full moonrises unique around this time.

Here’s what happens. On average, the moon rises about 50 minutes later each day. But when a full moon happens close to the autumnal equinox, the moon (at mid-temperate latitudes) rises only about 30 minutes later daily for several days before and after the full Harvest moon. Why? The reason is that the ecliptic – or the moon’s orbital path – makes a narrow angle with the evening horizon around the time of the autumn equinox. The narrow angle of the ecliptic results in a shorter-than-usual rising time between successive moonrises around the full Harvest Moon.


These early evening moonrises are what make every Harvest Moon special. Every full moon rises around sunset. After the full Harvest Moon, you’ll see the moon ascending in the east relatively soon after sunset for several days in a row at northerly latitudes. The lag time between successive moonrises shrinks to a yearly minimum, as described in the paragraph above. Because of this, it seems as if there are several full moons – for several nights in a row – around the time of the Harvest Moon.

Want to know the time of moonrise in your location? My favorite source of that information is this Custom Sunrise Sunset Calendar. Once you get to that page, be sure to click the box for ‘moon phases’ and ‘moonrise and moonset times.’

Is the Harvest Moon bigger, or brighter or more colorful?

Not necessarily, but the actual size of the Harvest Moon depends on the year. The Harvest Moon has the reputation of being especially big and bright and orange. But it isn’t really the Harvest Moon’s size or brightness that distinguishes it from other full moons. In fact, the 2012 Harvest Moon is a touch smaller than an average-sized full moon.

Still, you might think otherwise. That’s because the Harvest Moon has such a powerful mystique. Many people look for it shortly after sunset around the time of full moon. After sunset around any full moon, the moon will always be near the horizon. It’ll just have risen. It’s the location of the moon near the horizon that causes the Harvest Moon – or any full moon – to look big and orange in color.


The orange color of a moon near the horizon is a true physical effect. It stems from the fact that – when you look toward the horizon – you are looking through a greater thickness of Earth’s atmosphere than when you gaze up and overhead. The atmosphere scatters blue light – that’s why the sky looks blue. The greater thickness of atmosphere in the direction of a horizon scatters blue light most effectively, but it lets red light pass through to your eyes. So a moon near the horizon takes on a yellow or orange or reddish hue.

The bigger-than-usual size of a moon seen near the horizon is something else entirely. It’s a trick that your eyes are playing – an illusion – called the Moon Illusion. You can lengthy explanations of the Moon Illusion by googling those words yourself.

How the Harvest Moon got its name

So why is this moon – the moon closest to the autumnal equinox – called the Harvest Moon?

The shorter-than-usual time between moonrises around the full Harvest Moon means no long period of darkness between sunset and moonrise for days in succession. In the days before tractor lights, the lamp of the Harvest Moon helped farmers to gather their crops, despite the diminishing daylight hours. As the sun’s light faded in the west, the moon would soon rise in the east to illuminate the fields throughout the night.

Who named the Harvest Moon? That name probably sprang to the lips of farmers throughout the Northern Hemisphere, on autumn evenings, as the Harvest Moon aided in bringing in the crops. The name was popularized in the early 20th century by the song below.


Shine On Harvest Moon By Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth (1903)

Shine on, shine on harvest moon
Up in the sky,
I ain’t had no lovin’
Since January, February, June or July
Snow time ain’t no time to stay
Outdoors and spoon,
So shine on, shine on harvest moon,
For me and my gal.

Bottom line: The Harvest Moon in 2012 comes on the night of September 29-30 for us in the U.S. The Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox, which in 2012 came on September 22. The exact time of fullest full moon for this month is September 30 at 3:19 UTC, or September 29 at 10:19 CDT in the U.S. October 1 will have a beautiful bright full-looking moon, too. The Harvest Moon is not really bigger, brighter or more pumpkin-colored than other full moons, but it’s special because, at this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere, the time between successive moonrises – from one night to the next – is shorter than usual. Enjoy!



 Soaproot (Pomo). Corn Moon (Pueblo). Harvest moon (Hopi). Singing Moon (Celtic). Leaf fall Moon (Kiowa). Ripe Moon (San Juan). Maize Moon (Natchez). Acorns Moon (Wishram). Rice Moon (Anishnaabe). Hay Cutting Moon (Yuchi). Mulberry Moon (Choctaw). Deer Paw Moon (Omaha). Snow Goose Moon (Cree). Freshness Moon (Mohawk). Harvest Moon (Neo-Pagan). Harvest (Colonial American). Little Chestnut Moon (Creek). Corn Maker Moon (Abernaki). Drying Grass Moon (Arapaho). Yellow Leaf Moon (Assiniboine). Drying Grass Moon (Cheyenne). Autumn Moon (Passamaquoddy). Barley Moon (Mediaeval English). Calves Hair Growth Moon (Dakota). Yellow Leaf Moon(Taos Native American). Nut Moon, Black Butterfly Moon (Cherokee). Drying Grass Moon, Black Calve Moon, fScarlet Plum Moon (Sioux). Harvest Moon, Corn Moon, Barley Moon, Fruit Moon, Dying Grass Moon (Algonquin).
Other moon names : Wine moon, Blood Moon, Sturgeon Moon

 

THIS month, a group of environmental nonprofits said they would challenge the federal government’s removal of Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in Wyoming. Since there are only about 328 wolves in a state with a historic blood thirst for the hides of these top predators, the nonprofits are probably right that lacking protection, Wyoming wolves are toast.

Many Americans, even as they view the extermination of a species as morally anathema, struggle to grasp the tangible effects of the loss of wolves. It turns out that, far from being freeloaders on the top of the food chain, wolves have a powerful effect on the well-being of the ecosystems around them — from the survival of trees and riverbank vegetation to, perhaps surprisingly, the health of the populations of their prey.

An example of this can be found in Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park, where wolves were virtually wiped out in the 1920s and reintroduced in the ’90s. Since the wolves have come back, scientists have noted an unexpected improvement in many of the park’s degraded stream areas.

Stands of aspen and other native vegetation, once decimated by overgrazing, are now growing up along the banks. This may have something to do with changing fire patterns, but it is also probably because elk and other browsing animals behave differently when wolves are around. Instead of eating greenery down to the soil, they take a bite or two, look up to check for threats, and keep moving. The greenery can grow tall enough to reproduce.

Beavers, despite being on the wolf’s menu, also benefit when their predators are around. The healthy vegetation encouraged by the presence of wolves provides food and shelter to beavers. Beavers in turn go on to create dams that help keep rivers clean and lessen the effects of drought. Beaver activity also spreads a welcome mat for thronging biodiversity. Bugs, amphibians, fish, birds and small mammals find the water around dams to be an ideal habitat.


So the beavers keep the rivers from drying up while, at the same time, healthy vegetation keeps the rivers from flooding, and all this biological interaction helps maintain rich soil that better sequesters carbon — that stuff we want to get out of the atmosphere and back into the ground. In other words, by helping to maintain a healthy ecosystem, wolves are connected to climate change: without them, these landscapes would be more vulnerable to the effects of those big weather events we will increasingly experience as the planet warms.

Scientists call this sequence of impacts down the food chain a “trophic cascade.” The wolf is connected to the elk is connected to the aspen is connected to the beaver. Keeping these connections going ensures healthy, functioning ecosystems, which in turn support human life.


Another example is the effect of sea otters on kelp, which provides food and shelter for a host of species. Like the aspen for the elk, kelp is a favorite food of sea urchins. By hunting sea urchins, otters protect the vitality of the kelp and actually boost overall biodiversity. Without them, the ecosystem tends to collapse; the coastal reefs become barren, and soon not much lives there.

Unfortunately, sea otters are in the cross hairs of a conflict equivalent to the “wolf wars.” Some communities in southeast Alaska want to allow the hunting of sea otters in order to decrease their numbers and protect fisheries. But the rationale that eliminating the predator increases the prey is shortsighted and ignores larger food-web dynamics. A degraded ecosystem will be far less productive over all.


Having fewer fish wouldn’t just hurt fishermen: it would also endanger the other end of the trophic scale — the phytoplankton that turn sunshine into plant material, and as every student of photosynthesis knows, create oxygen and sequester carbon. In lakes, predator fish keep the smaller fish from eating all the phytoplankton, thus sustaining the lake’s rate of carbon uptake.

Around the planet, large predators are becoming extinct at faster rates than other species. And losing top predators has an outsize effect on the rate of loss of many other species below them on the food chain as well as on the plant life that is so important to the balance of our ecosystems.


So what can be done? For one thing, we have begun to realize that parks like Yellowstone are not the most effective means of conservation. Putting a boundary around an expanse of wilderness is an intuitive idea not borne out by the science. Many top predators must travel enormous distances to find mates and keep populations from becoming inbred. No national park is big enough for wolves, for example. Instead, conservation must be done on a continental scale. We can still erect our human boundaries — around cities and towns, mines and oil fields — but in order to sustain a healthy ecosystem, we need to build in connections so that top predators can move from one wild place to another.

Many biologists have warned that we are approaching another mass extinction. The wolf is still endangered and should be protected in its own right. But we should also recognize that bringing all the planet’s threatened and endangered species back to healthy numbers — as well as mitigating the effects of climate change — means keeping top predators around.

 The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) met on September 21, 2012, at United States Mint Headquarters, to review and discuss candidate reverse designs for the 2013 Native American dollar. In attendance were Chairman Gary Marks, Heidi Wastweet, Donald Scarinci, Thomas Uram, Jeanne Stevens-Sollman, Mike Ross, Erik Jansen, as was Dr. Jim Adams, senior historian for the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of the American Indian, and Ron Harrigal and Don Everhart from the U.S. Mint. Mr. Everhart was videoconferenced in from the Philadelphia Mint; all others attended in person.

Chairman Marks began the meeting by introducing Thomas Uram to the committee, who then provided some of his numismatic background. Next, Mr. Harrigal read the authorizing legislation for the Native American dollar, followed by a synopsis of the reverse designs from 2009 through 2012, the focus of the 2013 reverse design: the signing of the first treaty with the Delaware tribes in 1778, and a run-through of the 13 reverse designs for consideration. (See images of all design candidates at the end of the article.)

Chairman Marks opened up the discussion for technical questions. Mr. Jansen stated he was pleased to see the incuse method used, and Ms. Wastweet asked of the intended treatments for the black areas of design 9; Mr. Everhart explained that they would be incused and polished in the proof strikings. As this point, Dr. Adams informed the committee that the turtle, depicted in 5 of the 13 designs, was not just a clan symbol: it represented the entire continent, called “Turtle Island”, and it has significant cosmological meaning. Chairman Marks added that there was a comment from the Congressional Native American caucus in the House of Representatives that designs that only depict the turtle would be exclusionary to the other clans. Dr. Adams continued on that point, noting that the one design with all three clan symbols, design 10, “has them out of proportion,” with the wolf being drawn larger, but in actuality “was one of the junior clans in the tribe.”

Consistent with their procedures when faced with a large number of designs, the committee held an up-or-down voice vote on further discussion of each design. Making the cut were designs 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 (shown below).



Ms. Wastweet, as is the custom, began the committee’s design comments. She started by saying the focus for her “was not so much the treaty, but what the treaty represents,” and the overarching theme of Native American contributions to this country. This treaty is the first formal treaty, making it a unique event in history. She said that design 7 “stands out to me the most”, and was her preference, noting that the feathers were used in two ways: as a quill and in a traditional Native American manner. Her concern with the design was the use of parchment paper in the background with incused text; she thought it would “cause a technical striking issue”. She would rather see the parchment recede back, and have the text raised; this concept was put to Mr. Everhart, who thought “[the Mint] could make it work”, or optionally the parchment could be shifted to the lower section of the design. Ms. Wastweet countered that with either configuration the step between the two levels would likely cause a metal flow issue. She felt that the symbology of design 9 was “obscure” but was “an attractive design.” Designs 12 and 13 “did not work” for her as the turtles as depicted looked too much like pets, rather than as a symbol for the tribe. Contrasting that was design 11, which was more symbolic: the 13 segments in the turtle shell providing a second reference to the original colonies. She opposed design 10, as it “looks like it is about animals”, rather than the Native Americans.

Mr. Scarinci was next, and started with a preface that “the American Indian had a very sophisticated network of trade and communication,” long before similar actions by the peoples of Europe, but this series skipped ahead to the point in time after contact with the Europeans. Of the designs themselves, he did not think any of the designs were “award winners.” He lamented that “we’ve done the treaty and the quill pen ‘thing’”, and while he was thankful that the committee had summarily rejected that type of design for this coin, he understood why the Commission on Fine Arts (CFA) selected design 9, as it is “artistically interesting” and “would look great as a proof coin.” He could not get beyond the image of the wolf on design 10 appearing to eat the ‘A’, and he felt that they were “stuck with the turtles,” but even there he had issues with the 13 stars on design 11: “why do we insist on talking about us?” He ended his comments by saying he didn’t have any firm opinion on what turtle design he would support, and would listen to the other members’ comments.

Chairman Marks was third, and started his comments by referencing a sentence from the Congressional directive that states that the designs “shall bear images celebrating important contributions by Indian tribes and individual Native Americans to the development of the United States and the history of the United States.” He agreed with Mr. Scarinci, but the opportunity to tell a fuller history of the Native American “is lost in the statute.” He liked design 11, admiring its round design matching the coin, but was “hung up” on the comment from the Congressional Native American caucus. He felt that design 9 was “a little too minimalist”. To him, design 7 was “in the lead” with its symbolic synergy of the two feathers. Erik Jansen was next, acknowledging that he got his ideas from Heidi [Wastweet]. He felt that the turkey in design 10 would be as difficult as the big horn sheep on the Denali National Park Quarter, but said design 9 was a “safe, easy solution.” He also said the feathers in design 7 were a “good solid Indian symbol”, but did have a concern regarding how the natural colors of the feathers would be rendered, as well as suggesting transposing the parchment area from top to bottom.

Michael Ross was fifth, and as the historian on the committee, he felt it necessary to be focused on the legislative intent. He said that a coin on treaties was “not representative of the contributions” made by the Native Americans, who ended up aiding in the discovery of lands that the Americans were going to take from their inhabitants. His choices were of either design 9 or one of the designs with turtles. Jeanne Stevens-Sollman said she liked the simplicity of design 7, but was “not sure that is where [they] should go,” and also felt that design was more abstract and “will not be understood” by the public. Referring to design 10, she commented that the turtle was oversized compared to its natural size, providing some display of its greater importance, and she had initially confused the ends of the belt with the front feet of the turtle in design 11.

Thomas Uram was the final committee member to provide comments, having listened to the others. He felt that designs 7 and 9 would “make good coins”, and that designs 12 and 13 would be “better if not pet-looking”. He liked design 10. Ms. Wastweet had a technical answer regarding the visibility of the tip of the quill pen in design 7; it is the same size as the ‘1’ in the value device, and “would be recognized as a pen.” Mr. Scarinci added at the end that in nearly 2 hours, he “had reached the same conclusion as the CFA reached in 5 minutes”, finding that the “least problematic design” was number 9, and it would receive his support.

The committee members voted. With a maximum value of 21 points, design 10 received the recommendation of the committee with 11 points, with design 7 receiving 10 points.
SOURCE

Some people are just born angry. And so too, it seems, are some cats.

Well, not quite.

A cat named Tardar Sauce, or "Tard" for short, has become Internet-famous for its astoundingly grumpy face.

According to Knowyourmeme.com, Tardar Sauce, now known as Grumpy Cat, rose to Internet fame after his photo was uploaded to social networking sites Facebook and Reddit.

Within the first 48 hours, the cat was upvoted more than 25,300 times on Reddit, and the pictures were viewed more than a million times on Imgur.

So is Tard really such a grump? The answer, according to her owner Tabatha Bundesen of Morristown, Ariz., is no. That’s just her face.

'Tardar is not as coordinated as a normal cat, so she is likely a little angry about that.'

- Owner Tabatha Bundesen

“Tardar has what looks kind of like an under bite. She looked unique, as did her brother, at birth, with a flat face, bubble eyes, and a short tail,” says Tabatha, when asked what gives Tardar her signature scowl, although she admits that genetics may not be the only reason for Tardar’s permanent frown.

“Tardar is not as coordinated as a normal cat, so she is likely a little angry about that. I think she likes to be held and petted some times, but being the pet of a 10 year old could make anyone grumpy.”

Aside from Tabatha, Tardar lives with her mother Callie, brother Pokey, three new born siblings, a dog brother called Shaggy, a dog sister called Honey, a dog grandmother called Raven, and her 10-year-old co-owner Chyrstal Bundesen.

Tabatha says that when Chyrstal met Tardar, it was love at first site.

“Chyrstal, my daughter attached to her instantly. I usually give our kittens away, but she put a hefty price tag on this little one. Any one who responded to my ad for the cats were rudely informed by Chyrstal that Tardar was not a free kitty.”

Tardar Sauce's favorite foods are mice and tuna. (Source)

A study was conducted by Ohio State University of coyotes living in and near Chicago that revealed that coyotes mate for life. The study also suggests that their monogamy has helped them to thrive in urban areas, as they are doing all over the country.

What they found, by genetically testing 236 coyotes living in the Chicago area over six years, was that there was no evidence of polygamy. This was despite the fact that there are as many as 2,000 coyotes that live in the area, which is plentiful with food for them.

The loyalty of coyotes to their mates may be a key to their success in urban areas, because the males help their mates raise their large litters of pups. According to researcher Stan Gehrt, a wildlife ecologist with Ohio State's School of Environment and Natural Resources, "The male spends just as much time helping to raise those pups as the female does."

They also found that some of the tracked couples were together for up to 10 years, until one of them died. Senior author Cecilia Hennessy expressed her surprise at this finding by saying, "You'd think, based on previous investigations of dog behavior, that cheating would be likely, but to find no evidence whatsoever of anything that wasn't monogamy, I was very surprised by that."

Whether or not this type of monogamous behavior is also found in rural areas is yet to be discovered. "Only additional studies in other areas will show if this is part of coyote breeding behavior regardless of environment or location," said biologist Suzanne Prange, with the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

Seems like once again humans could take a tip or two from the animal world. The video below shows the mating behavior of a coyote pair.

Robert Sullivan, 64, owner of Sullivans Inc., a motorcycle accessories distributor in Hanson, Massachusetts, has posted two signs outside his store featuring Elizabeth Warren in American Indian headdress with war paint on her face, reported WickedLocal.com.

The signs state: “Elizabeth Warren is a joke. Princess Little Big Liar. Vote Scott Brown United States Senate,” criticizing the U.S. Senate candidate for her claimed Cherokee and Dakota heritage. Indian Country Today Media Network’s Rob Capriccioso has written extensively about Warren’s claim, including a story about the Senate debate.

“We’re $16 trillion dollars in debt and these politicians don’t seem to care and somebody’s got to pay the tab, right?” Sullivan told the local newspaper.

Sullivan is also the man behind controversial anti-Obama ads. On one placard, a young girl gives the middle finger to the President. The other displays President Obama’s photo beside the remarks: “Somewhere in Kenya a village is missing its idiot. Obama One Big Ass Mistake America, Vote Mitt Romney for 2012!”

Sullivan said he has received many phone calls from people across the country both praising and condemning his signs. People from as far away as the United Kingdom and Kenya have emailed him infuriated by his racist and sexist ads. “They call the signs obscene and I think the way the country’s being run is obscene,” Sullivan said.

Warren’s press secretary and Brown’s spokeswoman have both declined to comment on the signs to the press.

The signs, located at a busy and dangerous intersection, have been labeled a safety hazard. According to local Hanson officials, the signs violate town bylaws, and an Oct. 9 zoning laws hearing will address the issue, which could head to federal court, WickedLocal.com suggested.

“I don’t want it to go there,” Sullivan said. Nevertheless, Sullivan said he has no plans to take down the signs, which have cost him upwards of $2,000. Since the signs have been vandalized, he’s gone as far to place security cameras on trees near the signs that record 24 hours a day. The ad with the girl flipping off Obama has been stolen, but Sullivan quickly replaced it, chaining the new sign to a tree. Sullivan keeps three back-ups of each sign, he said.

The signs lampooning Warren are among the latest attacks on the Senate candidate for her claimed American Indian ancestry, echoing incumbent Sen. Scott Brown’s anti-Indian campaign rallies.

Article published Via indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/

It may seem straight out of Moby Dick, but a rare white whale is thrilling Australians off the eastern coast.

The albino humpback has been nicknamed "Migaloo" by researchers who track his movements.

Albino whales are rare and Migaloo is the only documented all-white humpback adult, according to Peter Harrison, director of marine ecology research at Southern Cross University in Australia.

Migaloo was first seen in 1991 when he was a juvenile, Harrison says, and researchers believe he is now in his 20s.

The humpbacks are on their annual migration from their breeding grounds along the Great Barrier Reef back to feed in the Antarctic.

"Everyone here is quite excited," says Oskar Peterson, who runs a website that tracks sightings of white whales around the globe. "We see him almost every year now, but it's still front page news when he turns up."

Migaloo is expected to pass by Cape Byron, the easternmost point in Australia, in the coming hours after passing by Surfer's Paradise, Peterson says. Spotters of the whale share sightings at his website

Male humpbacks can travel up to 140 kilometers (87 miles) a day during their migration, according to experts.


But they often hang around Cape Byron searching for mates, so whale watchers may see the albino humpback for a few more days, Harrison says.

He warns fans to steer clear -- at least 500 meters away at all times -- to ensure the whale's survival. Too much noise and chasing can disturb him and cause him to use precious energy he needs for migration.

Whale watchers may be able to enjoy Migaloo for decades. Humpback whales are believed to survive as long as 90 years in the wild, Harrison says. (SOURCE)