kunimasu

A team of researchers from Japan found a fish thought to be extinct for the last 70 years.

The fish is called the black kokanee or in Japanese, "kunimasu". It thrived before in Lake Tazawa, 310 miles away from Lake Saiko where it was found, but a hydroelectric project made its habitat more acidic. Since then, its numbers steadily declined. The Environment Ministry listed it as extinct in 1940.

"I was really surprised. This is a very interesting fish – it's a treasure. We have to protect it and not let it disappear again," said Tetsuji Nakabo, a professor at Kyoto University who was with the researchers that found the fish.

They found enough number of kunimasu for the species to survive, so long as the current environment is maintained. Nakabo also hoped the fishermen will leave it alone.

The fishermen's organization had a meeting last December 15, to talk about making the kunimasu's area in the lake as a no-fishing zone. They will be discussing this with the town government, residents and others.

Source:
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20101217p2a00m0na015000c.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/15/scientist-says-he-found-j_n_796978.html
http://www.kfc1091.jp/Photo_Gallery/2007/pgal2007.html

fossils found

Last week, a construction crew from Southern California Edison, accidentally unearthed a collection of fossils dating 1.4 million years back. They were drilling in San Timoteo Canyon to build a new substation.

"If you step back, this is just a huge find," says Rick Greenwood, a director in SCE. "Some of the things I personally find fascinating are the prehistoric camels and llamas and horses and deer. I don't think most people even have the concept that those types of animals were roaming around here more than a million years ago."

They also found a rich assortment of plant life like birch, pine and sycamore, indicating that the area used to be a marsh land, which probably preserved the fossils well. Aside from the animals mentioned, they also found bones of a ground sloth, an ancestor of the saber-toothed tiger, frogs, salamanders and rodents. Scientists are still examining the fragments but its possible that some of the bones may even belong to some new species we didn't know existed.

According to Tom Demere, a paleontologist from the San Diego Museum of Natural History, the fossils could provide a more comprehensive view of what it was like in Southern Cali a million years ago.

"We have a fuzzy view of what this time period was like in terms of mammal evolution," Demere said. "A discovery like this - when they're all found together and in a whole range of sizes - could really be an important contribution."

Some of the bones will be displayed in Western Science Center in Hemet. Scientists and researchers can also be granted access to the collection.

Sources:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100921/ap_on_bi_ge/us_fossil_find
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-fossils-20100921,0,3128425.story
http://www.thestate.com/2010/09/20/1475249/calif-utility-stumbles-on-14m.html
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_fossils21.2bc5f26.html

like death warmed over

Crematoriums in Sweden found a sustainable way to cut costs and be environmentally-friendly. After cremating a body, they will be reusing the exhaust produced to keep their building warm, instead of releasing it out into the air. They are also planning to expand and use the energy for homes as well, making them a crematorium power station. It's a controversial idea but certainly not a bad one (for me at least!).

Aside from human corpses, they have also turned on stray rabbits as energy source.  These animals overpopulate some their parks and destroy plants and trees.  Thousands are killed each year.  So what they do is they bring these dead rabbits to a heating plant to be cremated.  The heat is then redirected to the homes in Värmland, Sweden.

Aside from rabbits, other animal carcasses and wastes are used to produce energy.  They call this fuel, Biomal.  Here's a simple chart I got from treehugger that shows the process:

From Biomal.com: "..The raw material is just crushed and grinded and then pumped to a fluidised bed boiler where it is co-combusted together with a base fuel such as wood chips, peat or municipal waste. Energy is recovered from the animal by-products by producing renewable heat and electricity and the net outcome of energy is considerably increased."

Recently, Taiwan also adopted the cremation idea.  Instead of heating though, Taipei Mortuary Services Office will be using it to power the air-conditioning system of their receiving area and possibly the lighting system of their building.

Sources:
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/cremated-bodies-to-power-aircon-in-taiwan-1801115.html
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/05/cow-carcasses-heat-swedish-homes.php
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,654916,00.html
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2156917/posts

butterfly alphabet

I'm back!

My first find is Kjell Sandved's Butterfly Alphabet. It's an amazing collection of photos, composed of letters and numbers found on the wings of butterflies and moths.



Kjell, an author and researcher, was trying to put together a new encyclopedia about animals. He
went to the Smithsonian to buy archive photographs but instead found the silver letter, "F", on the wings of an orange Sphinx moth. The moth was in a cuban cigar box, hidden in a corner of an attic in the National Museum of Natural History. He decided to drop his animal encyclopedia project, and chose to capture all letters and numbers on moth and butterfly wings instead.

There was a problem though: “I had hardly clicked a camera before,” Kjell relates, “and knew nothing about photography.” So he studied, and it took him two years to learn still and movie photography. During this time, he and a friend created customized electronic gear from scraps found in a nearby WWII Navy Yard surplus.

In his quest to find the letters and numbers, he travelled to the forests of the Amazon, the Congo, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. He survived malaria, snakebite, leeches, numerous jungle ants and rabid dog bites. The easiest letters to find were O, C, D, I, L and M. This is because according to him, "Design elements in nature, tend to go toward symmetry." Asymmetrical letters, like B, H, K, Q, T and X required more time. His biggest challenge is the letter G. He found it on the wing of the Catagramma butterfly. It took him 24 years to complete the collection.

The discovery was featured in the then new Smithsonian magazine. They created posters and slogans for Queen Elizabeth II and Emperor Hirohito during their visits to the institution. It also boosted interest in butterfly gardening and rearing. Today, the poster is also used by some as a tool in teaching the alphabet to children.

Kjell found letters and numbers in other plants and animals as well. Here's a leaf in the shape of the letter F. He found this near a fisherman's hut in Fiji. See the others here.



He says modern man has lost his ability to appreciate the small things in nature. He's worried this is already happening to children. "They have so little access to real things because they're taken away from the land. In the cities, with only concrete and steel, it's worst." Through his butterfly alphabet, a child can learn to read and at the same time, appreciate the incredible beauty of nature.

That is something that never fails to amaze Kjell, even with his decades of experience. There is a line from Roethke printed in his posters: "All finite things reveal infinitude."

"This is one of the deepest statements I can think of that has ever been uttered in science and life," he says. "The more I learn, the more I see that I'm totally ignorant." Our brains, according to him, are like boxes, it can be hard to think outside of what we are comfortable with. So instead of trying to figure it all out, he just watches in amazement. He chases and captures all the world's wonders in his photographs.

Sources:
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20051116/Feature1.asp
http://www.butterflyalphabet.com/story/index.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_Alphabet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kjell_B._Sandved
http://www.webcitation.org/5XnAYXRQ7

firecrackers

One of our dogs died today, Fuji. She had been with us for more than 10 years. Every New Year's eve, she always hid at the back of the house, scared of the sound of the firecrackers. I remember, there was even a time when she surprised us by leaping over a 5 feet wall (with the help of the washing machine) because of the noise.  We laughed.  She was not a big dog, and looking at her, you'd never know she would be able to jump that high.

A few days before she died she can no longer stand up. Her legs were twisted with arthritis and she refused to eat. We all knew it was only a matter of time. My aunt and mom were always telling me that we should just have her "put to sleep". I refused. She had survived a lot of things before and came back stronger than ever, I feel like she deserved all the life she can get. I did my best to take care of her. I imagined her, an old dog, closing her eyes, dying peacefully in her sleep.

But it wasn't like that at all. It got to the point where it was painful to just look at her. She was so thin and, yesterday, she had saliva dripping from her mouth. She was barking (sort of) and we couldn't do anything but wait. She died with her eyes open. We buried her this morning. In the afternoon, we saw a butterfly with purple spots in the place where she died. I believe it was her, saying goodbye.

It's now 5:14 pm here and already I can hear firecrackers outside. The usual stuff: trianggulo, plapla, bawang, etc. Looking at them, you'd never know they were packing so much power and could make that much noise. What a way to end the year, crying while writing a blog entry. I miss her.

Entomophagy

http://www.nuffy.net/articles/world-strangest-food.html

Entomophagy is the practice of eating insects--  grasshoppers, spiders, ants, scorpions, beetles and the like.  They're not what most people would normally have for lunch but they're a delicacy in countries such as Thailand, China and Mexico.  Here in Pinas, we still consider them exotic but there are some places where you can satisfy your cravings for an adobo or a fried beetle-- although I don't know exactly where those are and I haven't eaten anything like that yet.

According to the Entomological Society of America, insects generally contain more protein and are lower in fat than traditional meats.  In Central Africa, caterpillars and grubs are a source of protein and energy.  A study done by the UN states that:

"For every 100 grams of dried caterpillars, there are about 53 grams of protein, about 15 percent of fat and about 17 percent of carbohydrates. Their energy value amounts to around 430 kilocalories per 100 grams. The insects are also believed to have a higher proportion of protein and fat than beef and fish with a high energy value.

Depending on the species, caterpillars are rich in important minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus and iron, as well as various vitamins, the FAO study revealed. Research shows that 100 grams of insects provide more than 100 percent of the daily requirements of the respective minerals and vitamins."

Of course there are still risks involved.  We can't eat all insects-- and even those that are considered safe could have been exposed to pesticides and toxins.  It's best to get your bugs from a reliable and trusted seller, or maybe you can start a farm and raise your own.   I think it's best to start with crickets (kuliglig).  They're one of the most popular to eat and there's a ton of websites listed on Google about how to raise them.  Here's an easy one to follow from Wikihow.

Aside from being an alternative source of nutrition and energy, insects are also a potential source of income.  The website Insects are Food offers advice and assistance to Entomophagy entrepreneurs.  You can send them an email with your questions here: info@insectsarefood.com.

Sources:
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23489201-just-the-cricket-eating-insects-is-good-for-us-and-for-the-environment-scientists-claim.do
http://insectsarefood.com
http://www.afrol.com/articles/14734
http://www.locusviridis.co.uk/sections/archives/category/entomophagy

trunk sale

Apologies, I haven't checked my admin email account for this blog in quite a while.  I wasn't really expecting anything.  When I last checked the inbox, the only thing I had (aside from the "please moderate" notifications) was the test mail I sent to myself.  Anyways, it turns out there's a new mail for me!  My first one ever!  I'm so happy-- and sleepy (it's 5 minutes 'til midnight).  It's about my animal friends post.

Hello -

I just spotted your mention on your site of Tarra & Bella, and the
Elephant Sanctuary - thanks so much for helping to spread the word
about the important work that they do! I'm in Publicity for Tilbury
House, a small independent publisher, and we published two books
written by the Sanctuary co-founder, Carol Buckley: Travels With Tarra
and Just for Elephants. I thought you might be interested to know that
through December 31, we are holding a "Trunk Sale" - for every 100
copies of our two elephant books that we sell, we'll sponsor a
much-needed item from the Sanctuary wish-list. These include 100lbs of
peanut butter (a favorite snack), elephant-sized meals, and land for
"the girls" to roam. The books are available directly from the
Sanctuary (www.elephants.com), as well as other online retailers and
bookstores nationwide. If you'd like more information, just let me
know.

Thanks again!

Kind regards,
Sarah

------------
Sarah McGinnis, Publicity
Tilbury House, Publishers
103 Brunswick Avenue
Gardiner, ME 04345
800-582-1899
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/c2cnav
www.tilburyhouse.com

These books are great for Christmas presents-- plus you'll be helping out the Elephant Sanctuary.  So for those interested, please visit http://www.elephants.com/estore/ and go grab a copy!

connections

Here's a picture I took of our pets taking a nap after a big lunch (check out that belly). We've always been curious why these dogs never fought with the cat.

our pets

They bark at other cats but not this one, they always got along. How does one being connect with another? Here are other pairings that show how friends can come in all forms and sizes.


Suryia and Roscoe

suryiaandroscoe.com

"Roscoe looked really thin and a little lost so we fed him and took care of him. He followed us through the gate and ran over and found Suryia. As soon as he saw Roscoe, Suryia ran over to him and they started playing. It was unusual because dogs are usually scared of primates but they took to each other straight away. We made a few calls to see if he belonged to anyone and when no-one came forward, Roscoe ended up staying.", says Dr. Bhagavan Antle, founder of The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (TIGERS).



Owen and Mzee

owenandmzee.com

 “It is incredible! A less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a ‘mother’,” ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in charge of Lafarge Park, told AFP. “After it was swept away and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother. Fortunately, it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond. They swim, eat and sleep together. The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it follows its mother. If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting its biological mother,” Kahumbu added.  


Tarra and Bella

elephants.com

"When it's time to eat they both eat together. They drink together. They sleep together. They play together," says Carol Buckley, co-founder of the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennesee. Bella, the dog even lets Tarra pet her tummy. When she suffered a spinal cord injury, Tarra visited and just stood outside the sanctuary office for days until she was able to walk. "She just stood outside the balcony - just stood there and waited," says Buckley.

 I noticed that most of these connections started when they were either very young or have experienced loss.  I guess some special bonds are formed when one is at his weakest and the other willingly gives time to be his companion.  There's no big secret, nothing spectacular needed in order to connect-- you don't even have to be from same species. You simply have to be there.

Sources: 
http://www.suryiaandroscoe.com/their_story.asp 
http://www.floristone.com/hippopotamus-tortoise.html http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/02/assignment_america/main4696340.shtml

birds on the wires

Are there gifts in hiding around us?  Or do we take what we see and create a gift out of it?  Do we find them or make them?  In this picture, Jarbas Agnelli saw music instead of birds.  He translated it into a tune, using the birds as notes and sent the music to Paulo Pinto, the photographer.  This led to an interview in the same newspaper where the photo was printed.

Sources:
http://www.vimeo.com/6428069