When will orangutans be extinct

CALGARY, Alberta —  The fossilized remains of two pterosaurs — winged reptiles that flew sky high during the dinosaur age — suggest that the soaring truck- and plane-size beasts were closely related to the gigantic Quetzalcoatlus northropi , the largest pterosaur on record, new research finds. Both pterosaurs date back to the Maastrichtian, a period that occurred between 72 million and 66 million years ago. It ended when a 6-mile-wide (10 kilometers) asteroid slammed into Earth, ending the reign of the nonavian dinosaurs and countless reptiles, including the pterosaurs. The newly unearthed pterosaurs were found in Jordan in 2005 and 2008, and both belong to a family of pterosaurs called Azhdarchids, which includes the famous Q. northropi — a pterosaur the size of an airplane, with an almost-40-foot (12 meters) wingspan. [ Photos of Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs ] In general, pterosaurs had long wings supported by an elongated fourth digit (the ring finger on … [Read more...] about Truck- and Plane-Size Pterosaurs Once Flew Over Dinosaurs

If you missed the Pleistocene in the Americas, you never got to see all the fantastic megafauna we once had here: mastodons, sabre tooth cats, giant sloths, hippo-rhino-looking Toxodons...and 3,000-pound armored beasts called Glyptodonts. Now a new DNA analysis reveals that Glyptodonts are extinct cousins of present-day armadillos. Except these creatures were the size of small cars and could smash you with their spiky, clubbed tails. At least, some species of Glyptodont could smash you—others did not have clubbed tails, though all of them would have looked to our modern eyes like freakishly outsized armadillos. What's interesting is that these creatures evolved to their massive sizes in a relatively short time. The researchers, who published their findings in Current Biology , say the last common ancestor of Glyptodonts and today's armadillos was a 175-pound animal who toddled around South America about 35 million years ago. Since that evolutionary divergence, some Glyptodonts, … [Read more...] about Giant armadillos roamed South America thousands of years ago

Source: Vera Kratochvil, Public Domain Chimpanzees are one of our closest relatives and their lives are in peril because of human intrusions into their homes and lives. A new book edited by chimpanzee experts Drs. Lydia Hopper , Assistant Director of the Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes , and Stephen Ross , Director of the Center, called Chimpanzees in Context: A Comparative Perspective on Chimpanzee Behavior, Cognition, Conservation, and Welfare is a comprehensive summary of what we know about these remarkable animals and provides information that is essential in developing conservation protocols. It's my pleasure to offer an interview with the editors of this forward-looking collection of essays by people who know the subject well. 1,2,3 Why did you compile the essays for Chimpanzees in Context ? Chimpanzees in Context is actually the latest in a series that has resulted from a set of conferences held in Chicago. In 1986, … [Read more...] about Chimpanzees in Context: Behavior, Cognition, and Welfare

Actor Dia Mirza recently got candid about the complete tragedy it is having to remind fans of the need to protect the planet. The star told the Times of India , "If we protect biodiversity, we reduce inequalities; we can then contend with the climate crisis. It’s sad that we need to keep highlighting the incredible advantage that the natural world creates to make people realise how important it is to protect it. “We are once again demonstrating through science action and evidence that we need to provide a lot more support to secure the natural world, including biodiversity and forests, for the sake of the health of the planet. It’s a tragedy that we need to reiterate the need to save the planet. “More people today are better aware than they were perhaps 10 years ago. I see a marked improvement in our understanding of the connection between nature and human life, and the pandemic gave people a chance to understand this a little more. There’s been a lot of environmental action … [Read more...] about Dia Mirza touches on the tragedy of reiterating climate crisis

PHUKET: Fisheries experts are trying to find ways to culture hardier types of giant clams in order to make the huge mollusks better able to cope with rising sea temperatures, the state-run Thai News Agency has reported. Kongkiat Kittiwattawong, a researcher with the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC), said giant clams in local waters face a variety of natural and man-made threats. Like coral, they also suffer “bleaching” if water temperatures rise too high. “With the return normal temperatures, the bleaching disappears,” he explained. Experts generally agree bleaching is not a symptom of dying sea-life, but the situation must nonetheless be monitored closely, Mr Kongkiat said. Of particular worry is the state of giant clam species once abundant along Thailand’s Andaman coastline. Out of the eight species of giant clam in the world, five species were found in Thai waters but two of these are already extinct, according to PMBC. “Many have been dug up and sold off…Those … [Read more...] about Giant Clam in peril in Phuket waters