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POPSSan Francisco's Sea Lions - Disappear as Mysteriously as They Appeared "Jeff Boehm of the Marine Mammal Center said the sea lions probably left in pursuit of a food source, the same reason they would’ve come to Pier 39 in the first place. But Boehm said the fact that so many sea lions stayed for so long is even stranger than their disappearance . That is, sea lions tend to travel far and wide rather than sticking it out in one place for so long."
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POPSAncestral Whales May Have Given Birth on Land "This intermediate species may have spent most of its time in the water, coming onto land to rest, mate, and give birth. A second, even more complete Maiacetus fossil was found nearby; it appears to be a male, slightly larger."
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POPSA long,melancholy roar Of our ancient enemies, microbes are now the most fearsome.HIV/AIDS chalked up 2 million deaths across the planet in 2007 alone; tuberculosis was close behind, with more than 1,700,000.The year before, malaria escorted almost a million people to their graves. We should be far more scared of mosquitoes than we are of bears; but we’re not. More recently, however, it’s been the case that the mammal most likely to kill a human is: a human. Murder and war have long been more important causes of death for us than predatory wild animals. But here’s the thing. Today, in many parts of the world, the human being most likely to cause your violent death is: you. Yes. You are the person most likely to kill yourself violently and on purpose. Suicide rates have risen dramatically over the past 50 years.
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POPSSF piers being invaded by sea lions More: There are specific authorized measures, and Hyde Street covered all bases, consulting nearly a dozen agencies and marinas, and gaining federal approval for action. At last month's meeting of the Fisherman's Wharf Waterfront Advisory Group, Dolphin Club President Ken Coren was encouraged by the port's plans: "These are formidable animals. ... Once they are established, they are not going away." Marine Mammal Center Executive Director Jeff Boehm confirms that sea lion populations are up statewide. The causes are uncertain, but he says Hyde Street is going about controlling the situation "as they should be, with appropriate passive and obstructive tools." Even with federal approval, Prince is mildly apprehensive about the growing attention. One comment he got last week was that "the problem isn't sea lions, but that the planet is infested with humans."
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POPSWhite possum in Oz may be first casualty Scientists are scrambling to find the first Australian mammal at risk of becoming extinct because of climate change. The rare white lemuroid possum, a nocturnal animal, native to the Daintree rainforest in Tropical North Queensland, has not been seen for three years. The possum has only ever been found at 1000m or higher in the 1300m Carbine range.
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POPSPink Dolphin Have you ever seen a pink dolphin? Me either...but Believe It or Not!, here it is! Charter boat captain Erik Rue, 42, captured this image after the mammal first surfaced in Lake Calcasieu, an inland saltwater estuary, north of the Gulf of Mexico in southwestern USA. He said: "I just happened to see a little pod of dolphins, and I noticed one that was a little lighter. "It was absolutely stunningly pink.” It is actually an albino dolphin. A close relation of dolphins, the Amazon River Botos, called pink dolphins, live in South America in the Amazon. USA Photo: CATERS NEWS
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POPSHow your cat gets his way with you "I think most cat owners would agree that they like to have things their own way - and usually get it. More so than dogs I think, who are usually more subservient," she says.
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POPSWatching Whales Watching Us Hat tip and Fluke wave to cathy_edgett in LJ for the link to this EXCELLENT LONG article from the NY Times. Read it if ya love whales or not.
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POPSTrue facts #1 © 2009 compiled from many sources by Howard Daughters quite interesting...still more on the site..