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發表於 2018-12-18 04:35
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WILD NEWS
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' L2 i- f6 g# r7 Y7 M4 sWild News" Q+ w/ b' I6 ?1 R j
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; D" z' n! r6 [ Y( x3 o+ o+ WKeeping you up to date with the big nature stories5 y; J6 M: T- o$ e# y
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. a% B, L5 b' iSTUART BLACKMAN, KRISTEN GILL, JAMES FAIR, SIMON BIRCH, NIKI RUST, CHRIS BARANIUK, KENNY TAYLOR 4 S, _0 [1 [3 z# r4 e! `
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0 X# p7 L& H* Z. H- _Going red in the face, Parrot-fashion
, { f3 @. Y5 r5 \Macaws join a very short list of animals that communicate by blushing.
% i j% p& F/ K4 ?Well, this is embarrassing. Humans have long been thought to be the only animals that blush but. it turns out, we are not alone. New research suggests that certain parrots can also communicate emotional states with a rush of blood to the face.! e1 E2 G8 |& J* @. E
) Z, [5 x# q) r dDarwin considered blushing to be 'the most peculiar and most human of all expressions'. But French biologists have discovered that it's something we share with macaws." p% r5 J4 f. s: R' d/ q
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Part of the reason for the rarity of blushing animals is that the skin is usually obscured by fur or feathers. But macaws and humans are both unusual in having bare cheeks.3 K% a% s; }) u6 |- W; y% p
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' S y/ Z8 ~7 O: ^$ O2 z0 E, k1 p. ^2 wBare-faced blushing: macaws could be communicating emotions via the colour in their cheeks.
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# U" P; S/ `' B6 \; ?% }Working with captive blue-and-yellow macaws, the biologists found the parrot's white cheek skin blushes pink when they interact positively with human handlers, with whom they have made strong bonds. The colour change was often accompanied by a ruffling of the feathers on the crown and nape.
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"We think the display signals a kind of state of satisfaction or pleasure, when they receive attention from their carer," says Aline Bertin of the University of Tours. She adds that her team also has evidence that other macaw species produce similar displays. The precise meaning of this is not yet clear, not least because next to nothing is known about how the parrots use the display amongst themselves or in the wild. But there is little reason at this stage to think that it signals embarrassment, a complex emotion that requires knowledge of what others are thinking about you.
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Feather displays.
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1 P$ F3 v/ C" ^+ z% n! d"We know that parrots have highly sophisticated cognitive skills, comparable to primates or dolphins, but their emotional world remains unexplored," says Bertin, "But our skin turns more or less pink in several emotional contexts," she says. " We also observed blushing when the macaws were scared by the sudden opening of an umbrella.4 G/ _: v1 w5 n+ F# i
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FIND OUT MORE
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PLOS ONE:
' a/ a) L- O: s) d4 X3 J" Qhttp://journals.plos.org/plosone ... ournal.pone.02017621 r1 L+ N* a; S8 q
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Farmers to be rewarded for benefiting wildlife
& l% x" @# w+ a1 a% HAn Agricultural Bill aims to address the balance between farming and conservation.8 w3 k9 h6 C% f8 V; c$ V
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Wildlife-friendly farming supports species such as the barn owl., M- v W. z0 b; `0 h# V
* w* I1 z5 |+ {, P& HPlans to use public money to support more wildlife friendly ways of farming following the UK's departure from the EU have reached a vital stage in their route through Parliament.8 l4 \# j* R2 M0 D* }2 Q/ m; |
" L4 E3 D# _/ W- y; c2 ^The Agriculture Bill - which will result in farmers being rewarded for the benefits they provide, such as healthier soils, cleaner water and higher biodiversity, rather than for the amount of land they own - was due to have passed the committee stage in the House of Commons by mid-November.: P s9 M& y1 O$ v/ k9 [& e6 l
2 |2 @2 c+ }, }- `7 m6 _) S4 v! {Launching the legislation in September, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) said the current subsidy system - under the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) - favoured the largest landowners, with the top 10 per cent of farmers receiving 5o per cent of the £3bn funding being allocated.0 V& X4 {! x6 H8 S1 N
/ Q& M3 M! k) B# `"Under the new system, farmers and land managers who provide the greatest environmental benefits will secure the largest rewards," it said in a statement.
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& p# x1 l! h" ]2 H+ f0 SThe Nature Friendly Farming Network, which says it unites farmers committed to managing land for wildlife, supports the reforms.
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DID YOU KNOW?3 u$ D8 L# o5 x! R e
Official figures show that the number of farmland birds in the UK has more than halved since 1970. The biggest declines were in the 1970s and 80s, with turtle doves, grey partridges and lapwings particularly badly hit.
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* ], R7 o% s+ O: ZThe network's chair, Martin Lines, an arable farmer from Cambridgeshire, says a lot of the detail on how the new system of payments will work will be contained in secondary and other legislation. "The devil will be in the detail. and how it all dovetails together," he says.: ~0 A8 [6 g+ Y& H
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Farmers have a bigger role in society than just growing food, but the industry only ever talks about production," he adds. We have a 7-10 year transition period to change the mindset of some farmers.
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Wildlife groups, such as the RSPB, broadly support the aims of the bill -though they are concerned by the lack of guarantees that post-Brexit funding will match that of CAP - while the National Farmers' Union has accused the Government of downplaying the importance of food production in favour of environmental issues.
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Georgina Downs, of the UK Pesticides Campaign, says the bill will do nothing to reduce agricultural use of pesticides. "70 per cent of the UK is farmland, and only 3 per cent of it is organic," Downs says. "That means we're spraying chemicals, designed to be toxic, over a huge area."
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2 y" `4 c( w" p5 rMichael Gove's Agriculture Bill is making its way through Parliament.
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FIND OUT MORE Go to:% D+ |& @% F, G+ `7 n
http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2017-19/agriculture.html( x9 D/ ^( X- L- S0 Q
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Giant Manta Ray( O' P& B! l. y
Erick Higuera shines a spotlight on the world's largest ray as it returns to the Sea of Cortez.
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Why is the return of giant manta rays to the Sea of Cortez significant?
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: y# b7 F7 m \These beautiful sea creatures, with an average wingspan of 6m across and the largest specimens weighing as much as 1,350kg, haven't been seen in the south part of the Baja California Peninsula since 2002 - possibly due to the threat of bycatch and overfishing encountered by the small population of around 50 individuals. The new sightings of 15 different juvenile manta rays in the summer of 2018 might be an indicator of a possible nursery, which is why their return is so Important.) ^( Z4 U' z" K, j
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A California sealion is dwarfed by a giant manta ray at La Reina, sea of Cortez.2 C! N' T9 g8 T
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How does tourism impact the rays?* _" i1 y' `) c+ h
- T8 p9 ~1 m/ M8 aUncontrolled overfishing is the biggest threat to the species but dive tourism can also have a negative impact if not properly regulated. In the Sea of Cortez, if too many people overwhelm the rays they could scare them away. We can protect these elasmobranchs by creating a proper code of conduct and management plans to maintain a healthy distance between people and giant manta rays.
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2 V4 C9 M% t, I9 y0 q! b0 LHow can we protect them?- v9 k, s, K" Q! ^- V& c9 x
. E. y4 W) [* i9 ]: b3 T _It is important to establish and enforce tourism rules to protect the rays and monitor the effects of conservation efforts in the region. We've recently conducted emergency all-hands-on meetings, with the goal of aligning the local diving tour operators with the newest rules and regulations regarding how to swim with the mantas and how to teach their clients these best practices. It is important to keep these giants living wild and free in the hope that they will return to the Baja Peninsula for years to come.( q" v, }- B/ \( u* [$ v
# R0 ~& A# h7 G# Y3 ^How has technology helped with conservation efforts?6 R+ D- Y% @- ~$ Y m& C
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Technology, through telemetry, with the use of both acoustic and satellite tags has helped to determine and unveil the movement patterns and long migratory movements of pelagic animals like the giant manta rays that travel long distances across oceans to find a mate, breed and feed. With this data we can gather enough information to help governments create better management plans.
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ERICK HIGUERA is a marine biologist, film-maker and photographer.
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FIND OUT MORE Latin American manta ray alliance: http://bit.ly/LAOmantarays' R r9 f9 c# Y( m8 Z# s
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( A0 @8 q3 o; oConcern for sites of scientific interest
6 O" J0 R7 x2 W# A$ _# m/ VThe Governments under-fire wildlife agency Natural England has come in for criticism in the way it manages officially recognised wildlife sites.7 Z7 e0 t" e5 O! t6 o* L+ Z
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Data unearthed by the Green Party appears to show that nearly half of all Englands Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) have not been examined in the past six years, as required by guidelines. It says neglected areas include the Pennines, Exmoor, the Lake District and much of the largest SSSI of The Wash on England's east coast.0 x6 [: N% \$ h( C0 Q7 ~
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The Wash is England's biggest SSSI and a vital coastal wetland.
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However, further questioning by Green Party MP Caroline Lucas has also revealed that funding for Natural England's monitoring of SSSIs has been cut from £1.58m in 2010 to £700,000 today, with more than 450 staft moving to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) since the vote to leave the EU in 2016., ]. v# k9 R% }" x7 l5 c, T% C1 \! ~. o
+ L3 n0 a* \8 k' V3 J3 L' |"These figures reveal a government policy of systematically gutting Natural England," Lucas says in a statement on her website. "This ideologically driven austerity is putting precious places at risk of irreversible destruction.". K6 e% G4 ?6 y/ O {' _
& p& O: ], `. t! tResponding to a parliamentary question, Defra minister Thérèse Coffey said Natural England was prioritising work on upland SSSIs and developing more efficient ways of monitoring them by using remote-sensing technology and greater partnership involvement.
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2 _) Y5 R) o9 HFIND OUT MORE Search for your nearest SSSI, by visiting: http://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk% \% i7 k Y1 R- W
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In Numbers" g& z& b0 `0 `$ ]
; I% ]; K1 s. F! v0 A3 c% ?1 _* C. i50% of macroinvertebrate samples from South Wales rivers contained microplastics according to research from Cardiff University.6 W; H a$ l1 F7 X$ z7 y
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21 successful ultrasounds have been carried out on 16 female whale sharks in the Galápagos Islands.
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35 police warnings were issued to wild food foragers in London's Royal Parks in autumn 2017, which is a 600 per cent increase on 2016.$ o5 n* D! h9 c) H
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Global leaders join forces to help eradicate illegal wildlife trade( V) R7 K, X+ N6 J3 ~
% S. u- y( ]( m Z* mThe pangolin is thought to be the world's most trafficked mammal.
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# R% o6 y: h+ [7 }Significant progress was made at the UK Government's Illegal wildlife Trade Conference in London this October, according to campaigners. \" {( c' w; D8 Q# {0 z9 }
$ E4 X( h. S8 L _! E: XThe high-profile event attracted representatives from more than 80 countries, who agreed to a number of new initiatives, which included reducing demand for illegal products, tackling online crime and launching a financial task force to disrupt international money flows linked to animal trafficking.
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/ ^$ i6 d/ ?5 A( O" f% C$ ["We warmly welcome the outcomes of the conference and the specific actions identified to achieve a significant reduction in wildlife criminal activities," said Steven Broad, the executive director of TRAFFIC, an NGO working towards sustainable wildlife trading.
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However, some campaigners were left disappointed with the final conference declaration. "The lack of tangible, clear, time-bound, measurable commitments by attending governments within the declaration leaves a feeling of an opportunity missed," said Dr Mark Jones of the Born Free Foundation./ |, u1 v! c$ b
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FIND OUT MORE London Conference on the Illegal wildlife Trade 2018 actions and commitments: https://bit.ly/2qcciZy
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Japan Pig
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The 'Japan pig' pygmy seahorse can be found in coral and algae reefs.
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# W9 R( H3 t" K; H$ i5 FWHAT IS IT? The colloquial name of this gorgeous new species was coined by divers who thought it looked a little porcine. But it's no more a pig than it is a horse. It's a pygmy seahorse And there's no doubt it's smaIl - no biggger than 16mm - which may help explain why it has been missed until now.
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WHERE IS IT? Hippocampus japapigu is the fifth species of pygmy seahorse to have been recorded in Japanese waters. The blotches of colour provide camouflage among algae-encrusted rocks in shallow water. It seems to live in pairs, because whenever one individual was spotted, another was often found lurking nearby.
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SOURCE Read the Zookeys article https://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?=247998 E! J; d8 t6 j5 f$ i, g
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Megan Petersdorf& @7 c8 }: x6 D
PhD candidate, New York University, USA4 y* _: R. B7 ]$ H. ~+ N
Baboons are infamously aggressive, but not all of the Papio species exhibit this behaviour. Megan Petersdorf studies a baboon that uses friendliness as a tactic to get ahead in life.
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0 ~# p" H) S+ {( O+ tMegan says fieldwork is the best part of being a primatologist.3 Y6 A* F9 w+ O' O
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Friendships between male and female baboons are widespread among the six baboon species, but in the kinda baboon these friendships are male-driven and last for a long time.
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Megan Petersdorf, a primatology PhD candidate from New York University, has spent the past 10 years studying these large primates across Africa. Her current research is focused on a species that shows a gentler side - the aptly named kinda baboon, which she studies in Zambia at the Kasanka Baboon project (KBP).
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"In all of my fieldwork, I have never seen a male kinda baboon show aggression towards a female," says Petersdorf, "This is in stark comparison to what you see in other baboons."
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Unlike other baboon species, male kinda baboons rarely fight with the opposite sex. "Instead, they appear to gain reproductive opportunities by being nice to females," she explains.( u c, b4 J- E8 N/ U3 }* _- e
( P! i# d4 e% }1 `# SInterestingly, this friendliness is sustained: "In kinda baboons, males maintain good relationships with females throughout the year, not just when they want to mate."
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7 D& Z. E" F- I9 YPetersdorf is finding out how such male behaviour has influenced their mating system. She has observed that kinda baboons have smaller degrees of sexual dimorphism - meaning less investment in physical fighting - and has noticed more investment in sperm competition (exhibited by larger testes size).
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""Kinda baboons appear to have more in common with modern humans.""
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, ]2 [: X' l4 j% ]8 Q; R0 C! n"If being the alpha male does not help you achieve mating success, then males may not compete for this position, and use other tactics," she says.1 K4 r" J& P+ r, M
* h3 q- G8 q6 y; u1 hLong-team data from KBP also suggests a difference in male dominance rank acquisition: "When a new male enters the troop, he does not fight over the alpha position. Instead, he joins the dominance hierarchy at the bottom and rises in rank over time.! Y0 j- O" @5 l, E2 b+ ]3 J4 d
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The kinda baboon is found in Angola, Zambia and the Congo.
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/ W* p$ E4 L* S D3 DThe mating system of other baboon species differs because it is influenced by an alpha male position that males compete for. There is also more sexual dimorphism (males are larger than females and have longer canines).! D) A5 q* U- x( h7 J
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According to Petersdorf, kinda baboons appear to have more in common with modern humans than other baboon species, such as unique male-female relationships.
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+ z6 U3 P1 v4 l. aPetersdorf says, "Comprehending how evolution has led to these differences may help us to understand how similar conditions played a role in the human lineage."1 z9 r$ j' n( T0 A7 o6 v! j3 @
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To study mating systems among baboons, Petersdorf spends long periods of time observing and documenting their behaviour while living in a tent in the African wilderness. "Someone once told me I would never make it in fieldwork because I was too feminine," she says. "Yet here I am."0 s1 n9 T0 ` \# q0 ~: E& | @
; J* x8 h' L4 w$ H" i4 aFIND OUT MORE Read about Megan's paper, The reproductive ecology of the little-known kinda baboon, at: http://meganpetersdorf.com* c t: a4 A. ?; t2 q! B" `
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Nature In Brief3 M6 h( {* r! {2 S5 L( F( O
Feeling the way
7 \. `: U9 R: [% }! ~( e. m: Y# CSea otters can detect subtle differences in surface textures from the most fleeting contact with their paws or whiskers, reports Journal of Experimental Biology. This tactile sensitivity allows them to hunt ettenitly for shellfish in low light.
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Tracking eels, f! z. X. T5 o7 j |; E
Conservationists at WWT Slimbridge in Gloucestershire are microchipping Critically Endangered European eels to understand their behaviour at the reserve and, eventually, the wider Severn Vale.
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9 l% ~6 ?& [7 |: K% Z! B& U* LSlow and steady' m H& r8 Q( T+ s2 ~
Aesop's fable of The Hare and the Tortoise now has scientific support. New research published in Scientific Reports reveals the fastest sprinters are the slowest, on average, over their lifetimes, because they spend more time at a standstill.$ J# I1 o, p3 J% w4 N4 g z: G5 M
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Triumph for tigers
& V' z: k5 I9 q+ s" oNepal is on track to double its wild tiger population to almost 250 by 2022, so becoming the world's first country to double its tiger numbers in line with the target set at the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010.- C' B( {4 j7 e5 x
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Prehistoric Irish elk skull found by fishermen* H8 Y* _, B$ o" u" w; S& O+ ^
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7 N2 {5 r( K: c$ @9 \6 Q; D- s: SWhen he first saw it, fisherman Charlie Coyle thought he was looking at the devil. "Throw it back in!" he said to boat mate Raymond McElroy. But it wasn't the devil, it was the fantastically well-preserved skull and antlers of an Irish elk, a species that died out in Ireland 10,000 years ago. The pair hauled the skull aboard on a recent fishing trip on Lough Neagh, in Northern Ireland. "I've been on Lough Neagh 45 years and I never thought I'd find something that historical." says Coyle.
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The Irish elk was, in fact, a species of deer - the biggest to walk the earth. And it's certainly not exclusively Irish - it roamed what is now modern-day Europe, northern Africa and Asia.
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The skull found in Lough Neagh weighed about 60kg.9 O$ D0 p1 X* [) c; [, F* F4 B. \
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The skull's authenticity has been confirmed by Dr Mike Simms at the Ulster Museum in Belfast. It's the best-preserved specimen he's seen in his time at the museum. Such remains occasionally turn up in Ireland in particular, partly thanks to the muddy lake sediments in which it is believed the elk sometimes became stuck.- R& p' I3 A( s) V
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"In other countries theres not the same sort of situation," says Dr Simms. "A combination of ancient lake sediments and peat bogs."
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, p4 T8 U. K2 L( ]- Q8 JFIND OUT MORE Starvation 'wiped out' giant deer: https://bbc.in/2CS8G7I
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Scottish kelp dredging contested
9 g% q& |. |9 s; Q, A0 T. ZPlans for licensed dredging of kelp forests off Scotland's west coast have met widespread opposition from environmental and marine protection groups. A Scottish Parliamentary committee has now supported a ban on taking whole living kelp plants from Scottish waters. But Scottish government ministers could still seek to remove this protection when a bill linked to management of coastal waters is considered by its parliament in 2019.% m0 \* y8 P0 }) S
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8 o0 W+ i6 ^3 Q# ?& VKelp habitats lock up carbon and provide shelter for other species.
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) G+ A- o1 R e8 \' V2 SSmall-scale harvesting of kelp has been carried out in Scotland for centuries, but proposaIs by Ayrshire-based Marine Biopolymers Ltd (MBL) are the first for industrial-scale harvesting. The company wishes to extract compounds, known as alginates, from kelp dredged from the seabed at places between Lewis and Isle of Mull. The amount taken annually would increase to around 30,000 tonnes after five years., r/ z' m ~& }
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According to an MBL spokesman, the company's scoping report is only the first stage of an extensive consultation process, which will involve groups from communities across Scotland. But campaigners remain concerned. "Mechanically stripping swaths of pristine kelp cannot be considered sustainable," says Calum Duncan of the Marine Conservation Society. "We would urge a complete re-think and lower-Impact alternatives."
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' c9 X/ z, v. [2 j1 XFIND OUT MORE Read the scoping report from MBL: http://bit.ly/scopingreport* h, y3 b1 [# s: G) c' U0 K1 t
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PHOTOS: FEARGUS COONEY/GETTY
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# G! n5 h5 H3 U- c: f- T7 F8 RWe should be scared of harlequin ladybirds
0 ?2 ~4 A2 q/ s# k( oThey aren't good for our native two-spots, but do harlequin ladybirds really pose a threat to our homes, pets or even ourselves? Helen Roy enlightens.8 c) z$ u' m( N9 H! i0 O2 Z
The glorious summers of 2018 and 1976 have something else in common -ladybirds (and lots of them). In the 70s, it was native seven- and 11-spots. This time, it's harlequin ladybirds-introductions from Asia - entering our homes en masse to overwinter.5 _2 T: a: j o
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If news reports are to be believed, this 'cannibalistic','STD-ridden', 'biblical plague' is stinking out our homes, staining our furnishings, poisoning our pets, biting people, inducing allergic reactions and generally 'wreaking havoc'. But are the reports to be believed?0 x. _5 L$ o f# C7 d* e
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Harlequin ladybirds may be the innocent victims of recent scare stories in the media.! ~" I1 r: ^1 |" f" N' R4 T" p
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Not according to ecologist Helen Roy, who explains that there may be little doubt that harlequins are having an impact on our wildlife - they eat and outcompete native two-spot ladybirds. "But from the human perspective, they are nothing more than a very minor nuisance," she says.
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True, some people might not like the smell, which derives from a yellow defensive secretion that can indeed cause stains. "All ladybirds have a slight taint to them," says Roy. "If you have 200 in your window frame, it's going to be stronger but it doesn't travel far. And hoovering them up probably makes it worse.
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8 P' d4 y+ x( Z, y/ WBut what if you're allergic to them? "I'm sure every insect bite could produce an allergic reaction in some people," says Roy. "But it's so rare that I've only heard of two or three cases."
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: h: ^- x" `( X) SSimilarly, the chances of a pet being poisoned are vanishingly small. "The only case I've come across was a dog that got a mouthful of them."
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Neither will they be spreading sexually transmitted diseases. The fungal infection in question is, says Roy, "absolutely no risk whatsoever. It's barely transmissible to other ladybird species, let alone anything else."
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# g( Q, [# s( e0 X* o. jThe risk of bites has also been greatly exaggerated. "In all the decades I've been working with ladybirds, I've had one bite - from a seven-spot. I can't begin to describe how minor it was."6 R& @ q R3 Z9 a% B
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The only ones benefitting from the scare stories are pest controllers. "The great shame is that they could be harming other species as well. There's no specific control method for harlequins, and two-spots also like to overwinter in houses."6 U& R- `7 V5 e: D
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HELEN ROY is an ecologist at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Wallingford.
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$ E* U" F. f+ U1 l! zWANT TO COMMENT? Email wildlifeletters@immediate.co.uk
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PHOTOS: SIMON LITTEN/FLPA, CHRISTOPHER FURLONG/GETTY, ARIELLE BERAUD, UNIVERSITY OF TOURS. NICK POLANSZKY/ALAMY, DAVID TIPLING/NATUREPL.COM, JEN GUYTON/NATUREPL.COM, RICHARD SMITH, JORDAN SWEETING, MEGAN PETERSDORF, SUZI ESZTERHAS/FLPA, NEIL ALDRIDGE,WILD WONDERS OF EUROPE/WIDSTRAND/NPL, CORREIA PATRICE/ALAMY, ELK ILLUSTRATION: ROMAN UCHYTEL/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY, RAYMOND MCELROY, ARCO/NATUREPL.COM |
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