threat to the yeti? and strangeness at Loch Ness.

Species flee warming faster than previously thought

By Jennifer Carpenter Science reporter, BBC News

Animals and plants are shifting their natural home ranges towards the cooler poles three times faster than scientists previously thought. In the largest study of its kind to date, researchers looked at the effects of temperature on over 2,000 species.They report in the journal Science that species experiencing the greatest warming have moved furthest. The results helped to "cement" the link between climate change and shifts in species' global ranges, said the team. Scientists have consistently told us that as the climate warms we should expect animals to head polewards in search of cooler temperatures. Animals like the British comma butterfly, for example, has moved 220km northward from central England to southern Scotland in the last two decades. There is also evidence that more species seem to be moving up mountains than down, explained conservation biologist Chris Thomas from the University of York, UK, who led the study.

On Mount Kinabalu in Borneo, Dr Thomas' graduate student, I-Ching Chen, has been following the movement of Geometrid moths uphill as temperatures increase. Their natural ranges have shifted by 59m in 42 years.These moths "don't have options; they are being forced up, and at some point they will run out of land," reflected Dr Thomas.

Read rest here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14576664

What does this mean for the indigenous populations ,will they die out or be overrun by other species? And what of the Yeti, will it run out of land too? Will there be more sightings of mountain dwelling cryptids as scientists move in to investigate? I do hope so!

How often have I said on this blog that where ever people report cryptid sightings there are often other things of strangeness reported. UFO’s have been reported around the Loch before and quite recently too:

Loch Ness search for mysterious balloon-like object

The emergency services undertook a night-time search of Loch Ness after reports a balloon-like object had fallen from the sky. The police, coastguard, lifeboat and an RAF search and rescue helicopter scoured the area but found nothing.The alarm was raised at 20:00 on Saturday after members of the public said they saw a blue object fall on the south of the Loch, near Dores. Police thought it might have been a hang glider or microlight.However, following a three-hour search the emergency services could find "nothing untoward".Loch Ness RNLI crew member, Vivian Bailey, said: "Speed of arrival on scene was essential and we were able to link our search efforts with those of the Coastguard and RAF, something we practise regularly."We believe the reports were based on sightings causing genuine concern and we commend the actions of the members of the public that contacted the emergency services."

Source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-14606660

biggest croc, mouth evolution and mammoth find. (a round up of the news)

World's biggest captive crocodile held at Green Island, off Cairns

Daniel Bateman Saturday, August 20, 2011© The Cairns Post

IT'S official - Cairns has the biggest captive crocodile in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records. Cassius, the 5.5m saltwater crocodile, has called Marineland Melanesia his home for 24 years. Now, he has officially been recognised by Guinness World Records as being the largest croc in captivity. Cassius will appear in the 2012 edition of the organisation’s book, which will be launched next month.
Cassius, who is thought to be at least 100 years old, was captured south of Darwin in 1984, after he attacked one too many boats.He was relocated to captivity in the Far North in 1987

Read rest see video here: http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2011/08/20/179021_local-news.html

Fossil shows huge mouth evolution

By Victoria Gill Science reporter, BBC Nature

Modern baleen whales, such as blue whales, can filter small marine creatures from huge volumes of water. Their "loose" lower jaw joints enable them to produce a vast filter-feeding gape. A study of this ancient jawbone showed that nature's largest mouths probably evolved to suck in large prey rather than to engulf plankton-filled water. The researchers, from Australia and the US, reported their findings in the Royal Society journal, Biology Letters. The prehistoric jaw, they noted, was very different from modern baleen whales. In modern whales, the lower jaw does not fuse at the "chin". Instead there is a specialised jaw joint that allows each side of the jaw to rotate. By having two curved lower jaw bones that rotate in this way, baleen whales are able to produce huge gapes to take in massive quantities of water and prey.

Read rest see pics here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/14551193

Reindeer herder finds baby mammoth in Russia Arctic

MOSCOW | Fri Aug 19, 2011 2:16pm BST
(Reuters) - A reindeer herder in Russia's Arctic has stumbled on the pre-historic remains of a baby woolly mammoth poking out of the permafrost, local officials said on Friday.The herder said the carcass was as perfectly preserved as the 40,000-year-old mammoth calf Lyuba discovered in the same remote region four years ago, authorities said, adding that an expedition had set off hoping to confirm the "sensational" find."If it is true what is said about how it is preserved, this will be another sensation of global significance," expedition leader Natalia Fyodorova said in a statement on the Arctic Yamalo-Nenetsk region's official website.Scientists planned to fly the mammoth's remains to the regional capital Salekhard, where it would be stored in a cooler to prevent the remains from decomposing.Giant woolly mammoths have been extinct since the Earth's last Ice Age 1.8 million to around 11,500 years ago.
Read rest here : http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/08/19/oukoe-uk-russia-mammoth-idUKTRE77I1R520110819

living fossil discovered

New Pacific eel is a 'living fossil', scientists say

By Paul Rincon Science editor, BBC News website

A newly discovered eel that inhabits an undersea cave in the Pacific Ocean has been dubbed a "living fossil" because of its primitive features. It is so distinct, scientists created a new taxonomic family to describe its relationship to other eels. The US-Palauan-Japanese team say the eel's features suggest it has a long and independent evolutionary history stretching back 200m years.Details appear in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The animal used as the basis for the new study was an 18cm-long female, collected by one of the researchers during a dive at a 35m-deep cave in the Republic of Palau. But the scientists also mention other examples of the new eel species in their research paper.At first there was much discussion among the researchers about the animal's affinities. But genetic analysis confirmed that the fish was a "true" eel - albeit a primitive one."In some features it is more primitive than recent eels, and in others, even more primitive than the oldest known fossil eels, suggesting that it represents a 'living fossil' without a known fossil record," write the scientists.In order to classify the new animal, the researchers had to create a new family, genus and species, bestowing on the animal the latin name Protoanguilla palau.

Read more  here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14547942

This has implications for  those who believe lake creatures are giant eels. One unknown eel found means more may yet to be  discovered .

Bigfoot and Maple Ridge part 2

Sasquatch: Is it out there?

By Monisha Martins - Maple Ridge News

The second part in a two-part feature about The Erickson Project, the first multi-site field study of the sasquatch in Canada and the U.S. with the goal to have it recognized as a species.

In a Texas lab, blood, saliva, hair and flesh from what’s believe to sasquatch are being analyzed and sequenced for a genetic blueprint.For now though, what Dr. Melba Ketchum has learned about the animal is a secret.“As an ethical scientist” Dr. Ketchum won’t comment on any of sasquatch DNA testing or her findings until her research has been submitted to a journal and has passed a confidential peer review by experts in the field.Ketchum’s company DNA Diagnostic Inc. specializes in multi-species testing including human as well as animal DNA analysis for individuals, law enforcement, breed associations and state regulatory agencies. It usually runs tests for pet owners pining to find out whether bones discovered in the woods behind their homes belong to beloved Fluffy or Fido who met their demise in the jaws of a coyote.Ketchum stresses the DNA testing is being done independently of the Erickson Project, the first multi-site field study of the sasquatch in Canada and the U.S. with the goal to have it recognized as a species.“The peer review is essential to protect the integrity of a study by independently verifying the scientific analysis and conclusions in order to minimize people claiming this research as another bigfoot hoax or fraud,” said Ketchum.She hopes to have the peer review complete and results ready for release by the end of the year.

Read rest see pics here: http://www.bclocalnews.com/tri_city_maple_ridge/mapleridgenews/news/127905518.html

Chupacabras in D.C.?

Chupacabras in D.C. Suburbs?

By Jane Watrel   Monday, Aug 15, 2011 

Prince George’s Hospital Center workers have adopted a mythical creature as their new mascot.The creature has been spotted in the woods where smokers take breaks since the hospital banned smoking June 1, but no one knows what the animal is, so they’ve named it Prince Chupa, after chupacabra – the legendary cryptid rumored to exist in parts of the Americas and suck the blood of livestock.“It’s a kangaroo, dog, rat mixed,” X-ray technician Joe Livermore said. “It’s got a rat tail and a head like a deer. I don’t know what it is.”People started taking cell phone pictures of the animal and showing them around, but no one knows what it is.“So we decided to trap it,” Livermore said.

See pics read rest here : http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/weird/127783018.html

Looks like another poor hairless dog to me. Shouldn’t the appearance of more hairless animals be sounding alarm bells with the ecology and wildlife people?