09 February 2012 by Michael Marshall
Despite centuries of alleged sightings, no Loch Ness monsters or sea serpents have ever been found. But in the 1600s, the specimen of a curious long-necked creature emerged that could explain where such aquatic tall tales may have originated - if only it hadn't been mislaid.
In the late 17th century, the botanist Nehemiah Grew published a catalogue of oddities held by the Royal Society in London. The book, called Musaeum regalis societatis, contains the first scientific description of a skin belonging to an unusual seal. He writes: "Wherein he principally differs, is the length of his neck; for, from his nose-end to his fore-feet, and from thence to his tail, are the same measure." By contrast, most seal necks are only about a half the length of their lower body. In 1751, Grew's description was cited by James Parsons in the Royal Society journal Philosophical Transactions (vol 47, p 109). Parsons included it in his list of known species.
Nobody has seen the skin since, and no further specimens have emerged. Could long-necked seals really exist? The idea persists but is now relegated to cryptozoology, the search for semi-mythical species. Cryptozoologists argue that many legendary creatures have actually existed and point to the colossal squid or king cheetah as examples.
Lurking monsters
Among the most enduring mythical creatures are "sea serpents". The Loch Ness monster is a land-locked example, but most claims are marine. One popular idea is that such animals are plesiosaurs: long-necked marine reptiles that died out 65 million years ago. The idea doesn't stand up. For one, they could not lift their heads into the swan-like pose attributed to Nessie. And while other creatures thought to be long-extinct have been found lurking in the oceans today - such as the coelacanth fish - it's unlikely the plesiosaur would be absent from the fossil record for 65 million years.
In 1892, the Dutch zoologist Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans argued in his book The Great Sea-serpent that such monsters were long-necked seals. The idea met with a chilly reception, but it was revived in 1968 by cryptozoologist Bernard Heuvelmans in his book In the Wake of the Sea-serpents.
While the existence of a long-necked seal today is speculative at best, there is some circumstantial evidence. In 2009, Michael Woodley, then of Royal Holloway, University of London and colleagues estimated that up to 15 species of pinnipeds, the animal group that includes seals and walruses, might remain undiscovered (Historical Biology, vol 20, p 225).
Woodley also points out that no living animal has taken over the long-necked grazer niche vacated by the plesiosaurs. And fossils of Miocene seals called Acrophoca - a possible ancestor - have proportionally longer necks than seals today (Palaeontology, vol 45, p 821).
No new pinnipeds have been discovered since 1953. So if a new species emerged, it would be a big deal. The lack of confirmed sightings suggests the species wouldn't need to surface as frequently as other seals to breathe or breed. Of course, it could also mean it doesn't exist at all. If Grew's seal skin turned up though, cryptozoologists would be delighted.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21328502.300-lost-treasures-the-loch-ness-monster-that-got-away.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news
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Showing posts with label pinnipeds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pinnipeds. Show all posts
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Critically endangered monk seal pup rescued
 |
| The seal pup is recovering at a rehabilitation centre on the Greek island of Alonissos |
By Victoria Gill
Science and nature reporter, BBC News
Conservationists have rescued a two-month-old Mediterranean monk seal.
The species is the world's most endangered seal and one of the most endangered marine mammals.
This pup is one of just 600 animals that remain in the wild. The team plans to release it into a small monk seal colony in Greece.
Wildlife biologist Alexandros Karamanlidis said that the pup was very weak when the researchers found it, and that "rescue came at the last moment".
The animal, which has been named Nireas, is now recovering well.
The research team, from the Mom/Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk seal, spotted the pup on 7 February while monitoring a seal colony on an island in the south-western Aegean Sea.
"Two days later the pup started showing first signs of weakness, as it did not try to get at all in the water and did not react to human presence," the conservationists reported.
Dr Karamanlidis, the society's scientific co-ordinator, told BBC News that the animal was brought to a rehabilitation centre on the island of Alonissos.
"He had been separated from his mother and he was full of internal parasites," he said.
"Now he is gaining rapidly weight and, if everything goes according to plan, he will be released soon."
The researchers say that the human activity has encroached into the seals' habitat and that this is pushing the animals from the beaches into caves.
This has increased the likelihood of newborn pups being swept out of caves by storm surges and becoming separated from their mothers.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9416000/9416895.stm
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Pacific Walrus Only a Candidate for Endangered Species Protection
WASHINGTON, DC, February 9, 2011 (ENS) - The Pacific walrus warrants protection under the Endangered Species Act, but an official rulemaking to propose that protection is currently precluded by the need to address other higher priority species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined Tuesday.
As a result, the Pacific walrus, Odobenus rosmarus divergens, will be added to the agency's list of candidates for Endangered Species Act protection and its future status will be reviewed annually. Any future proposal to add the Pacific walrus to the federal list of threatened and endangered species will be subject to public review and comment.
The Service's determination, known as a 12-month finding, found that the walrus is primarily threatened by the loss of sea ice in its arctic habitat due to climate change.
"The threats to the walrus are very real, as evidenced by this 'warranted' finding," said Geoff Haskett, the Service's director of the Alaska Region. "But its greater population numbers and ability to adapt to land-based haulouts make its immediate situation less dire than those facing other species such as the polar bear."
"If we work with native Alaskan groups, the State of Alaska and other partners to help the walrus now," said Haskett, "we may be able to lessen the long-term impacts of climate change on these animals and keep them from becoming endangered."
While candidate species do not receive protection under the Endangered Species Act, Pacific walrus in the United States are currently protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. Haskett said these protections are similar to those under the Endangered Species Act and include prohibitions on the harvest, import, export, and interstate commerce of the Pacific walrus or walrus products.
But the Center for Biological Diversity is not persuaded that these protections are sufficient to save the walrus from extinction. The nonprofit organization petitioned the Service in February 2008 to list the Pacific walrus as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act and to designate critical habitat for the animals.
"The Obama administration has acknowledged that the walrus is facing extinction due to climate change, yet is withholding the very protections that can help save it," said Shaye Wolf, climate science director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "It's like having a doctor declare that you are in critical condition, but then just leaving you unattended in the hospital's waiting room."
Wolf points out that the Service's decision goes against the recommendation of the Marine Mammal Commission, an independent federal scientific advisory body, which endorsed listing the Pacific walrus as a threatened species.
The Pacific walrus is found throughout the continental shelf waters of the Bering and Chukchi seas and occasionally in the East Siberian Sea and the Beaufort Sea.
The precise number of the Pacific walrus is unknown. The last joint U.S./Russian survey, conducted in 2006 using thermal imaging systems and satellite transmitters, estimated walrus numbers at 129,000. This is considered a minimum estimate, since weather conditions forced an early end to the survey and not much of the southwest Bering Sea was completed.
Pacific walrus use floating sea ice as a substrate for birthing and nursing calves, resting, isolation from predators and for passive transport to new feeding areas.
The Service has concluded that loss of sea ice - with the resulting changes to walrus distribution and life history patterns this loss entails - will lead to a population decline and is a threat to Pacific walrus in the foreseeable future.
Bob Irvin, senior vice president of conservation programs for Defenders of Wildlife, said the Pacific walrus faces a difficult future.
"By melting Arctic sea ice on which Pacific walrus and other wildlife depend, climate change is stacking the deck against their ability to survive," Irvin said. "As Pacific walrus habitat shrinks, it becomes harder to find food and the animals are forced to crowd together in smaller areas, increasing the risk of deadly stampedes."
"With all of these threats, the life of a Pacific walrus is pretty tough," he said Tuesday. "Today's decision just made it tougher, failing to provide the help Pacific walrus will need to survive the impacts of global climate change."
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2011/2011-02-09-095.html
As a result, the Pacific walrus, Odobenus rosmarus divergens, will be added to the agency's list of candidates for Endangered Species Act protection and its future status will be reviewed annually. Any future proposal to add the Pacific walrus to the federal list of threatened and endangered species will be subject to public review and comment.
The Service's determination, known as a 12-month finding, found that the walrus is primarily threatened by the loss of sea ice in its arctic habitat due to climate change.
"The threats to the walrus are very real, as evidenced by this 'warranted' finding," said Geoff Haskett, the Service's director of the Alaska Region. "But its greater population numbers and ability to adapt to land-based haulouts make its immediate situation less dire than those facing other species such as the polar bear."
"If we work with native Alaskan groups, the State of Alaska and other partners to help the walrus now," said Haskett, "we may be able to lessen the long-term impacts of climate change on these animals and keep them from becoming endangered."
While candidate species do not receive protection under the Endangered Species Act, Pacific walrus in the United States are currently protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. Haskett said these protections are similar to those under the Endangered Species Act and include prohibitions on the harvest, import, export, and interstate commerce of the Pacific walrus or walrus products.
But the Center for Biological Diversity is not persuaded that these protections are sufficient to save the walrus from extinction. The nonprofit organization petitioned the Service in February 2008 to list the Pacific walrus as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act and to designate critical habitat for the animals.
"The Obama administration has acknowledged that the walrus is facing extinction due to climate change, yet is withholding the very protections that can help save it," said Shaye Wolf, climate science director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "It's like having a doctor declare that you are in critical condition, but then just leaving you unattended in the hospital's waiting room."
Wolf points out that the Service's decision goes against the recommendation of the Marine Mammal Commission, an independent federal scientific advisory body, which endorsed listing the Pacific walrus as a threatened species.
The Pacific walrus is found throughout the continental shelf waters of the Bering and Chukchi seas and occasionally in the East Siberian Sea and the Beaufort Sea.
The precise number of the Pacific walrus is unknown. The last joint U.S./Russian survey, conducted in 2006 using thermal imaging systems and satellite transmitters, estimated walrus numbers at 129,000. This is considered a minimum estimate, since weather conditions forced an early end to the survey and not much of the southwest Bering Sea was completed.
Pacific walrus use floating sea ice as a substrate for birthing and nursing calves, resting, isolation from predators and for passive transport to new feeding areas.
The Service has concluded that loss of sea ice - with the resulting changes to walrus distribution and life history patterns this loss entails - will lead to a population decline and is a threat to Pacific walrus in the foreseeable future.
Bob Irvin, senior vice president of conservation programs for Defenders of Wildlife, said the Pacific walrus faces a difficult future.
"By melting Arctic sea ice on which Pacific walrus and other wildlife depend, climate change is stacking the deck against their ability to survive," Irvin said. "As Pacific walrus habitat shrinks, it becomes harder to find food and the animals are forced to crowd together in smaller areas, increasing the risk of deadly stampedes."
"With all of these threats, the life of a Pacific walrus is pretty tough," he said Tuesday. "Today's decision just made it tougher, failing to provide the help Pacific walrus will need to survive the impacts of global climate change."
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2011/2011-02-09-095.html
Friday, April 23, 2010
Sea lion mystery: pup found on surfer's rooftop deck
A sea lion pup was found playing on a rooftop deck on Newport Beach in a case that has surfers scratching their heads.Published: 11:35AM BST 23 Apr 2010
Mike Kai thought one of his surfing buddies was thumping around on his deck, and was shocked to discover the wayward sea lion pup, enjoying the view of the beach at sunrise.
Mr Kai said he could not imagine how the animal made it up the stairs and onto the roof early on Thursday.
While Mr Kai called Animal Control, the pup showed off, wiggling along a railing on his belly, two stories above the ground.
The sea lion was taken to the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, where volunteers named him Fiddler, after the Broadway musical "Fiddler on the Roof".
Staff there say he is underweight, probably because he was recently weaned and having trouble finding food on his own.
They say sea lions are mobile and curious, and have been found everywhere from a restaurant kitchen to a public lavatory.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7623459/Sea-lion-mystery-pup-found-on-surfers-rooftop-deck.html
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Sanctuary staff in Gweek mourn the death of Sahara the seal
4:31pm Tuesday 13th April 2010Gweek Seal Sanctuary staff have been left shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Sahara the wandering seal.
Sahara, a hooded seal, who was the sanctuary’s most famous and best-loved resident passed away unexpectedly last week.
Sahara made national press and television news in 2007 after being rescued for the second time in two years from the coast of the Mediterranean, more than 1,000 miles from his home on the Arctic ice pack.
After his first rescue from Morocco the Sanctuary organised a mission to ferry him to the seas off the Orkney Islands, in the hope he would then continue north. Instead he turned round and swam all the way back to southern Spain.
The Sanctuary had been his permanent home since then, and plans were being made to create an Arctic-style enclosure for his own exclusive enjoyment.
“We’re all devastated by this,” said animal care supervisor Tamara Cooper. “Sahara had never been especially healthy, having been treated for a variety of ailments.
“He was off his food and we were treating him with antibiotics, but he seemed generally okay and there were certainly no outward signs to warn of this tragedy.
“A preliminary post-mortem revealed a large abscess on the lung which must have developed gradually over a long period. Both times he was rescued his notes showed he had been suffering from a lung infection so we can only assume that this might be the underlying reason for the abscess.
“Sahara's amazing story inspired many people outside the sanctuary team and caught the imagination of people all over the world,” she added.
“So much has been learned from Sahara and the adventures we have undertaken with him, but most of all, for myself and my team who adored him, it will be his lovely personality and individual ways that will be hugely missed.”
http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/8096463.Sanctuary_staff_in_Gweek_mourn_the_death_of_Sahara_the_seal
(Submitted by Liz R)
Thursday, April 8, 2010
AN ALIEN GREY (sorry, I couldn't resist that)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8608120.stm
Mystery orphan washes up in Ireland
A mysterious stranger has been found washed up and starving on the Irish coast. The little grey seal was found in Skerries, north County Dublin, and brought to the Irish Seal Sanctuary suffering from starvation. The animal was wearing a tag which asked the finder to contact London Zoo.
But London Zoo said it knows nothing about the little grey seal. The Irish Seal Sanctuary (ISS) said the tag was not suitable for the little seal and made it difficult for the animal to swim. This may have resulted in the seal starving.
The tag has been removed to allow the seal's flipper to heal. Volunteers at the ISS have sent a call to all the rehabilitation sanctuaries in the UK and Europe. They want to find their little orphan's real home.
Mystery orphan washes up in Ireland
A mysterious stranger has been found washed up and starving on the Irish coast. The little grey seal was found in Skerries, north County Dublin, and brought to the Irish Seal Sanctuary suffering from starvation. The animal was wearing a tag which asked the finder to contact London Zoo.
But London Zoo said it knows nothing about the little grey seal. The Irish Seal Sanctuary (ISS) said the tag was not suitable for the little seal and made it difficult for the animal to swim. This may have resulted in the seal starving.
The tag has been removed to allow the seal's flipper to heal. Volunteers at the ISS have sent a call to all the rehabilitation sanctuaries in the UK and Europe. They want to find their little orphan's real home.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Seal meat to be on menu at Canadian Parliament
Mon Mar 8, 2010 11:54pm IST
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's parliamentary restaurant will be serving seal meat on Wednesday in a gesture of defiance aimed at a European Union ban on imports of seal products.
Canada's Conservative government says it will fight the EU ban, which was imposed last July on the grounds that the annual seal hunt off the east coast was cruel and inhumane.
A dish of double-smoked bacon-wrapped seal loin in a port reduction will be on the menu on Wednesday, the office of Senator Celine Hervieux-Payette said on Monday.
"All political parties will have the opportunity to demonstrate to the international community the solidarity of the Canadian Parliament behind those who earn a living from the seal hunt," she said in a statement.
Ottawa says the hunt -- which takes place in March and April -- provides valuable income for Atlantic fishing communities. The seals are either shot or hit over the head with a spiked club called a hakapik.
An aide to Hervieux-Payette said that, depending on supplies, seal meat could be available once a week when in season. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; editing by Rob Wilson)
http://in.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idINTRE6274A120100308
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's parliamentary restaurant will be serving seal meat on Wednesday in a gesture of defiance aimed at a European Union ban on imports of seal products.
Canada's Conservative government says it will fight the EU ban, which was imposed last July on the grounds that the annual seal hunt off the east coast was cruel and inhumane.
A dish of double-smoked bacon-wrapped seal loin in a port reduction will be on the menu on Wednesday, the office of Senator Celine Hervieux-Payette said on Monday.
"All political parties will have the opportunity to demonstrate to the international community the solidarity of the Canadian Parliament behind those who earn a living from the seal hunt," she said in a statement.
Ottawa says the hunt -- which takes place in March and April -- provides valuable income for Atlantic fishing communities. The seals are either shot or hit over the head with a spiked club called a hakapik.
An aide to Hervieux-Payette said that, depending on supplies, seal meat could be available once a week when in season. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; editing by Rob Wilson)
http://in.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idINTRE6274A120100308
Monday, February 8, 2010
Galapagos sea lions head for warm Peru waters
Monday, 8 February 2010
By Dan Collyns
BBC News, Lima
A colony of sea lions endemic to the Galapagos Islands have moved 1,500km away, a Peru-based organisation which monitors the aquatic mammals has said.
The Organisation for Research and Conservation of Aquatic Animals says the sea lions have swum to northern Peru because of rising temperatures.
It says the temperature rise was caused by climate change.
Experts say it is the first time that Galapagos sea lions have set up a colony outside the islands.
The monitors say the water temperature in Piura, off the coast of northern Peru, has risen from 17C to 23C over the last 10 years.
The temperature is much closer to the sea temperature around the Galapagos Islands, which averages about 25C.
Now that the conditions of the sea around northern Peru are so similar to the Galapagos, they say, even more sea lions and other new marine species could start arriving.
Like so many native species in the Galapagos Islands, the sea lions are unique to the archipelago, located about 600 miles west of continental Ecuador.
Ever since the English naturalist, Charles Darwin, first visited the islands more than 150 years ago, they have become known as a living museum of evolution.
Now, thanks to global warming, that unique ecosystem could face unprecedented changes.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8503397.stm
(Submitted by Liz R)
By Dan Collyns
BBC News, Lima
A colony of sea lions endemic to the Galapagos Islands have moved 1,500km away, a Peru-based organisation which monitors the aquatic mammals has said.
The Organisation for Research and Conservation of Aquatic Animals says the sea lions have swum to northern Peru because of rising temperatures.
It says the temperature rise was caused by climate change.
Experts say it is the first time that Galapagos sea lions have set up a colony outside the islands.
The monitors say the water temperature in Piura, off the coast of northern Peru, has risen from 17C to 23C over the last 10 years.
The temperature is much closer to the sea temperature around the Galapagos Islands, which averages about 25C.
Now that the conditions of the sea around northern Peru are so similar to the Galapagos, they say, even more sea lions and other new marine species could start arriving.
Like so many native species in the Galapagos Islands, the sea lions are unique to the archipelago, located about 600 miles west of continental Ecuador.
Ever since the English naturalist, Charles Darwin, first visited the islands more than 150 years ago, they have become known as a living museum of evolution.
Now, thanks to global warming, that unique ecosystem could face unprecedented changes.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8503397.stm
(Submitted by Liz R)
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Seals killed and beheaded in Northeast England
19/01/2010 11:28:09
RSPCA investigates after seals found beheaded January 2010. The bodies of five grey seals have been found on a north-east beach, three of which had been decapitated. The seals were all juveniles, the oldest of which is thought to have been no more than a year old and the youngest just a few weeks. It is not yet known if the seals were killed there, or have washed ashore having been killed elsewhere.
The RSPCA is investigating the grim discovery made by a passer-by at Whitley Bay, North Tyneside on 11 January.
RSPCA acting chief inspector Mark Gent said: "Obviously this was a very upsetting thing to come across and has caused a lot of distress to the person who found them. These were very young animals, one of them was what's often described as a ‘white coat' and was just a few weeks old. Clearly they haven't died of natural causes and we are very concerned. We want to hear from anyone who knows anything that might help us in our investigation as soon as possible."
One of the seals was tagged. Investigations by the RSPCA have found that it was part of a study into the survival and reproductive success of seals conducted by the Sea Mammal Research Unit, St Andrews, Fife.
Seals are protected under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970 and the Conservation (Natural Habitats &c) Regulations 1994 (as amended).
Anyone with any information should call the RSPCA cruelty line on 0300 1234 999 and ask to leave a message for ACI Gent.
Source not supplied.
(Submitted by David Curtis)
RSPCA investigates after seals found beheaded January 2010. The bodies of five grey seals have been found on a north-east beach, three of which had been decapitated. The seals were all juveniles, the oldest of which is thought to have been no more than a year old and the youngest just a few weeks. It is not yet known if the seals were killed there, or have washed ashore having been killed elsewhere.
The RSPCA is investigating the grim discovery made by a passer-by at Whitley Bay, North Tyneside on 11 January.
RSPCA acting chief inspector Mark Gent said: "Obviously this was a very upsetting thing to come across and has caused a lot of distress to the person who found them. These were very young animals, one of them was what's often described as a ‘white coat' and was just a few weeks old. Clearly they haven't died of natural causes and we are very concerned. We want to hear from anyone who knows anything that might help us in our investigation as soon as possible."
One of the seals was tagged. Investigations by the RSPCA have found that it was part of a study into the survival and reproductive success of seals conducted by the Sea Mammal Research Unit, St Andrews, Fife.
Seals are protected under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970 and the Conservation (Natural Habitats &c) Regulations 1994 (as amended).
Anyone with any information should call the RSPCA cruelty line on 0300 1234 999 and ask to leave a message for ACI Gent.
Source not supplied.
(Submitted by David Curtis)
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Baby seal in garden named Rudolph
Tuesday, 22 December 2009A family who found a baby seal in their back garden in Kent 18 miles from the sea named her Rudolph, saying she was a "brilliant Christmas present".
The pup, which the RSPCA said was less than a year old, was in the Dwyer family's garden in Benenden on Monday morning when they let out pet dog Jack.
"We could see it came from the stream at the end of the garden from tracks in the snow," said Harriet Dwyer.
"I heard Jack barking and went over to see what looked like a huge slimy cat."
It is thought the seal got into the stream from the River Rother, which meets the English Channel at Rye.
Storms or floods
"It got in our pond and I think it ate some of my parents' goldfish," said Miss Dwyer.
"Jack is a collie and rounded it up a bit and it eventually settled in the herb garden by the corner of the house."
The RSPCA is now caring for the seal, which has been renamed Gulliver, at Mallydams Wood Wildlife Centre near Hastings in East Sussex.
Keeper Elaine Crouch said baby seals often became separated from their mothers in bad weather such as storms or floods.
"This one is a really good weight, and not starving but has been completely lost," she said.
"She has a a tag from Belgium, probably put on by the rehabilitation centre at Ostend, then she got into the River Rother and ended up in the stream."
See video at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8427436.stm
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Falmouth seal makes a bouy its bed for the night
Photo: Matt Dale8:10am Wednesday 7th October 2009
Like the rest of us, seals need to sleep, most choose to do so by hauling themselves out onto a beach or rocks. However, there is one common seal that lives in the Carrick Roads near Falmouth on the Cornish coast that has opted for a more cushy - if not a little tricky - bed.
Common seals, ironically, are very rare in Cornwall and this one is probably unique. This particular seal has chosen to spend its nights on the top of a big plastic mooring buoy at Restronguet at the northern end of the Fal Estuary. Not only have locals and boat owners have got used to seeing this character balanced on a pink sphere but they also get to enjoy its antics before it settles for the night.
One resident whose house overlooks the spot said, "It comes up the river at dusk and performs leaps around the buoy, jumping a good three feet or more out of the water. It then pops up onto the buoy, spins it round a bit before shooting off again for some more play. Eventually it shoots back up onto the buoy where it spends the night, it's there most mornings when we have our breakfast."
Laura Ward from the National Seal Sanctuary said, " Seals do the funniest things, they are very playful and very curious about what is around them. We have found pups in seaside public toilets and even one in the lighthouse at Port Isaac where they film "Doc Martin", we have to shoo them back to the sea. That said, we have never before heard of one that chooses to sleep on a mooring buoy."
http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/fpfalmouth/4667530.Falmouth_seal_makes_a_bouy_its_bed_for_the_night/
Falmouth seal makes a bouy its bed for the night
Photo: Matt Dale8:10am Wednesday 7th October 2009
Like the rest of us, seals need to sleep, most choose to do so by hauling themselves out onto a beach or rocks. However, there is one common seal that lives in the Carrick Roads near Falmouth on the Cornish coast that has opted for a more cushy - if not a little tricky - bed.
Common seals, ironically, are very rare in Cornwall and this one is probably unique. This particular seal has chosen to spend its nights on the top of a big plastic mooring buoy at Restronguet at the northern end of the Fal Estuary. Not only have locals and boat owners have got used to seeing this character balanced on a pink sphere but they also get to enjoy its antics before it settles for the night.
One resident whose house overlooks the spot said, "It comes up the river at dusk and performs leaps around the buoy, jumping a good three feet or more out of the water. It then pops up onto the buoy, spins it round a bit before shooting off again for some more play. Eventually it shoots back up onto the buoy where it spends the night, it's there most mornings when we have our breakfast."
Laura Ward from the National Seal Sanctuary said, " Seals do the funniest things, they are very playful and very curious about what is around them. We have found pups in seaside public toilets and even one in the lighthouse at Port Isaac where they film "Doc Martin", we have to shoo them back to the sea. That said, we have never before heard of one that chooses to sleep on a mooring buoy."
http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/fpfalmouth/4667530.Falmouth_seal_makes_a_bouy_its_bed_for_the_night/
Sunday, May 24, 2009
San Diego wants to use barking dogs recording to drive seals
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
May 24, 2009
SAN DIEGO - Officials in San Diego are hoping that a dog's bark is worse than its bite.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports the city plans to seek court permission to use recordings of barking dogs to discourage seals from taking up residence at the popular Children's Pool beach in La Jolla.
It's part of an annual $700,000 plan to disperse about 200 seals at the beach.
Marine experts say the seals likely will adjust to the noise, but city officials say their backup plan is to add other sounds and spray the seals with water.
Animal rights activists say they'll oppose the plan.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2009/05/23/9548321-ap.html
May 24, 2009
SAN DIEGO - Officials in San Diego are hoping that a dog's bark is worse than its bite.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports the city plans to seek court permission to use recordings of barking dogs to discourage seals from taking up residence at the popular Children's Pool beach in La Jolla.
It's part of an annual $700,000 plan to disperse about 200 seals at the beach.
Marine experts say the seals likely will adjust to the noise, but city officials say their backup plan is to add other sounds and spray the seals with water.
Animal rights activists say they'll oppose the plan.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2009/05/23/9548321-ap.html
Friday, April 24, 2009
Seal in Belfast's river Lagan
Linda McKeeFriday, 24 April 2009
It could be an image from a nature lover’s paradise in an exotic international location.
A large grey seal hauls himself from the river onto the shore for a rest in the sun after a stressful morning chasing fish.
Instead, this is the image that reveals just how much the River Lagan has been transformed over the past 16 years.
The seal was pictured as far up the river as the Stranmillis Quay.
And a new tourism trail launched by Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie, uncovers how the seal now shares the river with a wealth of wildlife, including terns, eels, mullet, flounder and thousands of starlings.
The minister said salmon have even been spotted leaping the fish pass at Stranmillis Weir. On occasion they have been pursued by the grey seal which has become a familiar sight in the river.
Ms Ritchie unveiled new signage along the river telling a wildlife story specific to each point. Among the wildlife projects completed by the Department’s River Management Team are a tern island, a duck raft and 17 nest boxes — all of which were built from recycled materials including driftwood retrieved from the river.
Signage also draws attention to the thousands of starlings which roost under the Albert Bridge every night. At the height of winter, up to 70,000 starlings can roost under the bridge, creating a magnificent spectacle as they wheel above the river at dusk.
“Not so long ago the Lagan was filthy. Those days have gone. Now we have trout and salmon in its waters. We have rich biodiversity and wildlife on its shores,” Ms Ritchie said.
The new signage commissioned by the Minister has been erected at four locations along the river at Lagan Weir, Hauler’s Way, McConnell Weir and Governor’s Bridge.
“The signage will raise awareness of the local habitat and wildlife. It will be a biodiversity treasure trove,” Ms Ritchie said.
“It will also encourage local communities to gain a greater insight and respect for the Lagan and its special environment.
“I encourage people to go on this nature trail we have created and enjoy the river.”
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/seal-in-belfasts-river-lagan-14280197.html
Remains of 'Walking Seal' Discovered
By Andrea Thompson, Senior Writer, LiveScience
Provided by LiveScience.com
(April 22) - A fossil of a primitive "walking seal" with four legs and webbed feet has been found in the Canadian Arctic and dated to be at least 20 million years old.
The newfound species, dubbed Puijila darwini, might be the long-sought missing link in the evolution of pinnipeds — a group that includes modern seals, sea lions and walruses — explaining how the animal group moved from land-dwellers with legs to the semi-aquatic, flippered swimmers around today.
"The land-to-sea transition in pinnipeds has been difficult to study because the fossil evidence has been weak and contentious," said Natalia Rybczynski, a paleontologist with the Canadian Museum of Nature who led the expedition that discovered the skeleton. "Puijila is important because it provides a first glimpse into the earliest stages of this important evolutionary transition."
The discovery is detailed in the April 23 issue of the journal Nature.
From feet to flippers
Modern pinnipeds all have flippers — limb adaptations well-suited for gliding through the water in search of a fresh seafood dinner.
Paleontologists have long thought that these specialized limbs evolved over time as terrestrial species began testing out life in the water. Charles Darwin himself (for whom the new species was named) predicted this land-to-sea transition in The Origin of Species: "A strictly terrestrial animal, by occasionally hunting for food in shallow water, then in streams or lakes, might at last be converted in an animal so thoroughly aquatic as to brace the open ocean."
But until Puijila's discovery, the most primitive pinniped known to science (Enaliarctos) was already fully flippered.
Accidental discovery
Rybczynski and her team found the skeleton purely by accident during an expedition to the Haughton meteor impact crater on Devon Island, one of Canada's northernmost Arctic islands. The team's vehicle had run out of gas, and the first bone of the animal was found while waiting for team members to return with fuel.
The bones found on that trip and a subsequent expedition in 2008 produced a surprisingly complete (almost 65 percent) skeleton.
The researchers at first thought that the animal was a prehistoric otter, but when they examined it more closely they found they had a far more exciting specimen that shed light on an important aspect of animal evolution.
"The remarkably preserved skeleton of Puijila had heavy limbs, indicative of well developed muscles, and flattened phalanges which suggests that the feet were webbed, but not flippers. This animal was likely adept at both swimming and walking on land," said Mary Dawson, curator emeritus of Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. "For swimming it paddled with both front and hind limbs. Puijila is the evolutionary evidence we have been lacking for so long."
The animal was a four-legged carnivore about 43 inches (110 centimeters) from nose to tail. Along with its webbed feet, it had an elongated, streamlined body that would have allowed it to glide through the water with speed and agility.
Its large teeth, short snout and jaw suggest it had a nasty bite. Puijila likely hunted on both land and in the water; possible preserved stomach contents suggest the animal's last meal included a duck and some type of rodent.
Puijila itself was not an ancestor of modern seals, but the researchers think that both groups evolved from a common ancestor. Researchers are still working to figure out exactly where Puijila fits in on the pinniped family tree.
Arctic evolution
Other fossils of fish and pollen indicate that the Arctic location where Puijila was once had a cool, coastal temperature environment, similar to present-day New Jersey.
"Puijila is the first fossil evidence that early pinnipeds lived in the Arctic," Rybczynski said. "This discovery supports the hypothesis that the Arctic may have been a geographic center in pinniped evolution."
(The name Puijila means "young sea mammal" in Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit people in Nunavut, the territory of Canada where the fossil was found.)
The lakebed where the fossil was found suggests that the semi-aquatic mammals also went through a freshwater-to-seawater transition, as freshwater lakes would have frozen in the winter, forcing the animals to travel over land to the sea in search of food.
The team is planning to go back to the Devon Island site this year to look for more fossils.
The Puijila skeleton will be on display at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa from April 28 to May 10. A model of the fossil will be included in the "Extreme Mammals" exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, which opens on May 16.
The project was supported by the Canadian Museum of Nature, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, American Museum of Natural History, Polar Continental Shelf Program, Northern Scientific Training Program, Government of Nunavut, Qikiqtani Inuit Association and the hamlet of Frise Fiord, Nunavut.
See photos at: http://news.aol.com/article/walking-seal-fossil/442724
Provided by LiveScience.com
(April 22) - A fossil of a primitive "walking seal" with four legs and webbed feet has been found in the Canadian Arctic and dated to be at least 20 million years old.
The newfound species, dubbed Puijila darwini, might be the long-sought missing link in the evolution of pinnipeds — a group that includes modern seals, sea lions and walruses — explaining how the animal group moved from land-dwellers with legs to the semi-aquatic, flippered swimmers around today.
"The land-to-sea transition in pinnipeds has been difficult to study because the fossil evidence has been weak and contentious," said Natalia Rybczynski, a paleontologist with the Canadian Museum of Nature who led the expedition that discovered the skeleton. "Puijila is important because it provides a first glimpse into the earliest stages of this important evolutionary transition."
The discovery is detailed in the April 23 issue of the journal Nature.
From feet to flippers
Modern pinnipeds all have flippers — limb adaptations well-suited for gliding through the water in search of a fresh seafood dinner.
Paleontologists have long thought that these specialized limbs evolved over time as terrestrial species began testing out life in the water. Charles Darwin himself (for whom the new species was named) predicted this land-to-sea transition in The Origin of Species: "A strictly terrestrial animal, by occasionally hunting for food in shallow water, then in streams or lakes, might at last be converted in an animal so thoroughly aquatic as to brace the open ocean."
But until Puijila's discovery, the most primitive pinniped known to science (Enaliarctos) was already fully flippered.
Accidental discovery
Rybczynski and her team found the skeleton purely by accident during an expedition to the Haughton meteor impact crater on Devon Island, one of Canada's northernmost Arctic islands. The team's vehicle had run out of gas, and the first bone of the animal was found while waiting for team members to return with fuel.
The bones found on that trip and a subsequent expedition in 2008 produced a surprisingly complete (almost 65 percent) skeleton.
The researchers at first thought that the animal was a prehistoric otter, but when they examined it more closely they found they had a far more exciting specimen that shed light on an important aspect of animal evolution.
"The remarkably preserved skeleton of Puijila had heavy limbs, indicative of well developed muscles, and flattened phalanges which suggests that the feet were webbed, but not flippers. This animal was likely adept at both swimming and walking on land," said Mary Dawson, curator emeritus of Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. "For swimming it paddled with both front and hind limbs. Puijila is the evolutionary evidence we have been lacking for so long."
The animal was a four-legged carnivore about 43 inches (110 centimeters) from nose to tail. Along with its webbed feet, it had an elongated, streamlined body that would have allowed it to glide through the water with speed and agility.
Its large teeth, short snout and jaw suggest it had a nasty bite. Puijila likely hunted on both land and in the water; possible preserved stomach contents suggest the animal's last meal included a duck and some type of rodent.
Puijila itself was not an ancestor of modern seals, but the researchers think that both groups evolved from a common ancestor. Researchers are still working to figure out exactly where Puijila fits in on the pinniped family tree.
Arctic evolution
Other fossils of fish and pollen indicate that the Arctic location where Puijila was once had a cool, coastal temperature environment, similar to present-day New Jersey.
"Puijila is the first fossil evidence that early pinnipeds lived in the Arctic," Rybczynski said. "This discovery supports the hypothesis that the Arctic may have been a geographic center in pinniped evolution."
(The name Puijila means "young sea mammal" in Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit people in Nunavut, the territory of Canada where the fossil was found.)
The lakebed where the fossil was found suggests that the semi-aquatic mammals also went through a freshwater-to-seawater transition, as freshwater lakes would have frozen in the winter, forcing the animals to travel over land to the sea in search of food.
The team is planning to go back to the Devon Island site this year to look for more fossils.
The Puijila skeleton will be on display at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa from April 28 to May 10. A model of the fossil will be included in the "Extreme Mammals" exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, which opens on May 16.
The project was supported by the Canadian Museum of Nature, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, American Museum of Natural History, Polar Continental Shelf Program, Northern Scientific Training Program, Government of Nunavut, Qikiqtani Inuit Association and the hamlet of Frise Fiord, Nunavut.
See photos at: http://news.aol.com/article/walking-seal-fossil/442724
Thursday, April 23, 2009
'Missing link' fossil seal walked
By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News website
It may look like a cross between a seal and an otter; but an Arctic fossil could, scientists say, hold the secret of seal evolution in its feet.
A skeleton unearthed in northern Canada shows a creature with feet that were probably webbed, but were not flippers.
Writing in the journal Nature, scientists suggest the 23 million-year-old proto-seal would have walked on land and swum in fresh water.
It is the oldest seal ancestor found so far and has been named Puijila darwini.
Pujilla is the term for "young sea mammal" in the Inuktitut language, spoken by Inuit groups in Devon Island where the fossil was found.
And the reference to Charles Darwin honours the famous biologist's contention that land mammals would naturally move into the marine environment via a fresh water stage, just as pinnipeds - seals, sealions and walruses - have apparently done.
"The find suggests that pinnipeds went through a fresh water phase in their evolution," said Natalia Rybczynski from the Canadian Museum of Nature (CMN) in Ottawa, who led the fieldwork.
"It also provides us with a glimpse of what pinnipeds looked like before they had flippers."
Flip side
The skeleton was about 65% complete, which enabled the researchers to reconstruct what the animal would have looked like in remarkable detail.
The legs suggest it would have walked upright on land; but the foot bones hint strongly at webbed feet. The fact that the remains were found in a former crater lake that has also yielded fossil fish from the same period was additional evidence for a semi-aquatic past.
"The remarkably preserved skeleton of Puijila had heavy limbs, indicative of well developed muscles, and flattened phalanges (finger or toe bones) which suggest that the feet were webbed - but not flippers," said Mary Dawson from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, US, another of the scientists involved.
"This animal was likely adept at both swimming and walking on land. Puijila is the evolutionary evidence we have been lacking for so long."
Until now, the most primitive fossil pinniped was a creature called Enaliarctos that dates from about the same period and appears to have lived in the sea along the northwestern coasts of North America.
Enaliarctos had flippers, but may have had to bring its prey to the shore for eating, whereas modern pinnipeds manage it at sea.
Intriguingly, different species of present-day seal swim in different ways - either rotating their flippers, or waving their hind-quarters from side to side, using the hind limbs for propulsion.
Enaliarctos appears to have been capable of both modes of swimming - and as a four-legged animal with four webbed feet, Puijila is a logical fore-runner of this creature which could swim with all four limbs.
The new discovery also shows, the scientists say, that seals, sealions and walruses very likely had their origins in the Arctic.
Darwin forecast the transition from land to sea via fresh water in his seminal work On the Origin of Species, published 150 years ago this year.
"A strictly terrestrial animal, by occasionally hunting for food in shallow water, then in streams or lakes, might at last be converted in an animal so thoroughly aquatic as to brave the open ocean," he wrote.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8012322.stm
Environment correspondent, BBC News website
It may look like a cross between a seal and an otter; but an Arctic fossil could, scientists say, hold the secret of seal evolution in its feet.
A skeleton unearthed in northern Canada shows a creature with feet that were probably webbed, but were not flippers.
Writing in the journal Nature, scientists suggest the 23 million-year-old proto-seal would have walked on land and swum in fresh water.
It is the oldest seal ancestor found so far and has been named Puijila darwini.
Pujilla is the term for "young sea mammal" in the Inuktitut language, spoken by Inuit groups in Devon Island where the fossil was found.
And the reference to Charles Darwin honours the famous biologist's contention that land mammals would naturally move into the marine environment via a fresh water stage, just as pinnipeds - seals, sealions and walruses - have apparently done.
"The find suggests that pinnipeds went through a fresh water phase in their evolution," said Natalia Rybczynski from the Canadian Museum of Nature (CMN) in Ottawa, who led the fieldwork.
"It also provides us with a glimpse of what pinnipeds looked like before they had flippers."
Flip side
The skeleton was about 65% complete, which enabled the researchers to reconstruct what the animal would have looked like in remarkable detail.
The legs suggest it would have walked upright on land; but the foot bones hint strongly at webbed feet. The fact that the remains were found in a former crater lake that has also yielded fossil fish from the same period was additional evidence for a semi-aquatic past.
"The remarkably preserved skeleton of Puijila had heavy limbs, indicative of well developed muscles, and flattened phalanges (finger or toe bones) which suggest that the feet were webbed - but not flippers," said Mary Dawson from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, US, another of the scientists involved.
"This animal was likely adept at both swimming and walking on land. Puijila is the evolutionary evidence we have been lacking for so long."
Until now, the most primitive fossil pinniped was a creature called Enaliarctos that dates from about the same period and appears to have lived in the sea along the northwestern coasts of North America.
Enaliarctos had flippers, but may have had to bring its prey to the shore for eating, whereas modern pinnipeds manage it at sea.
Intriguingly, different species of present-day seal swim in different ways - either rotating their flippers, or waving their hind-quarters from side to side, using the hind limbs for propulsion.
Enaliarctos appears to have been capable of both modes of swimming - and as a four-legged animal with four webbed feet, Puijila is a logical fore-runner of this creature which could swim with all four limbs.
The new discovery also shows, the scientists say, that seals, sealions and walruses very likely had their origins in the Arctic.
Darwin forecast the transition from land to sea via fresh water in his seminal work On the Origin of Species, published 150 years ago this year.
"A strictly terrestrial animal, by occasionally hunting for food in shallow water, then in streams or lakes, might at last be converted in an animal so thoroughly aquatic as to brave the open ocean," he wrote.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8012322.stm
Friday, March 27, 2009
So monsters of the deep really could exist!
Published Date:
25 March 2009
By Siôn Donovan
Education reporter
They were thought to be mythical monsters of the deep. But a Portsmouth scientist says sea-serpents may exist in our oceans and seas today.
Dr Darren Naish says the discovery of several large marine animals during the past 35 years demonstrates there are sea mammals in existence waiting to be found.
As well as several sightings of mysterious creatures every year, he also point to the discovery of a large serpent-like carcass inside the stomach of a sperm whale off the coast of Canada in 1937.
Dr Naish, who carried out the study along with researchers from the University of London, concluded there are likely to be three species of sea-lion and walrus-like creatures – called pinnipeds – yet to be discovered.
He said: 'We're not talking about the Loch Ness Monster here or mermaids seen by 16th century sailors.
'The purpose of the paper was to assess the discovery curve of pinnipeds. We found from that data that there are more unusual and large species of sea lions and walruses to be found.
'It's possible that these new creatures could exist.'
Mammals need to surface to breathe but the scientists have some theories about why they've yet to be discovered.
As well as being few in number and living in remote regions, the creatures could also feed in 1km deep waters like sperm whales which are rarely seen on the surface.
Dr Naish said: 'There were more sightings in the past. It could be that people then were more prone to making mistakes and fantasising.
'But the behaviour of shipping has changed.
'Improved technology means ships can navigate straighter paths and are not as widespread across the seas.
'Engine noise could also frighten the creatures away.'
There is no active search for the creatures in such vast oceans. But Dr Naish said they could be found in the future by the whaling industry, snagged on ships or beached on shorelines.
The paper was published in the academic journal Historical Biology.
Fellow author Michael Woodley, of Royal Holloway, University of London, said: 'There is a need for scepticism as all known pinnipeds are noisy animals with close ties to land.
'These pinnipeds would have to possess some exceptional characteristics, if they exist.'
But he said: 'Many sightings have been made by trained observers, including military personnel and experienced naturalists.'
GREAT DISCOVERIES...
There are several examples of large animals that have been discovered in the oceans in the past 35 years which include the:
25 March 2009
By Siôn Donovan
Education reporter
They were thought to be mythical monsters of the deep. But a Portsmouth scientist says sea-serpents may exist in our oceans and seas today.
Dr Darren Naish says the discovery of several large marine animals during the past 35 years demonstrates there are sea mammals in existence waiting to be found.
As well as several sightings of mysterious creatures every year, he also point to the discovery of a large serpent-like carcass inside the stomach of a sperm whale off the coast of Canada in 1937.
Dr Naish, who carried out the study along with researchers from the University of London, concluded there are likely to be three species of sea-lion and walrus-like creatures – called pinnipeds – yet to be discovered.
He said: 'We're not talking about the Loch Ness Monster here or mermaids seen by 16th century sailors.
'The purpose of the paper was to assess the discovery curve of pinnipeds. We found from that data that there are more unusual and large species of sea lions and walruses to be found.
'It's possible that these new creatures could exist.'
Mammals need to surface to breathe but the scientists have some theories about why they've yet to be discovered.
As well as being few in number and living in remote regions, the creatures could also feed in 1km deep waters like sperm whales which are rarely seen on the surface.
Dr Naish said: 'There were more sightings in the past. It could be that people then were more prone to making mistakes and fantasising.
'But the behaviour of shipping has changed.
'Improved technology means ships can navigate straighter paths and are not as widespread across the seas.
'Engine noise could also frighten the creatures away.'
There is no active search for the creatures in such vast oceans. But Dr Naish said they could be found in the future by the whaling industry, snagged on ships or beached on shorelines.
The paper was published in the academic journal Historical Biology.
Fellow author Michael Woodley, of Royal Holloway, University of London, said: 'There is a need for scepticism as all known pinnipeds are noisy animals with close ties to land.
'These pinnipeds would have to possess some exceptional characteristics, if they exist.'
But he said: 'Many sightings have been made by trained observers, including military personnel and experienced naturalists.'
GREAT DISCOVERIES...
There are several examples of large animals that have been discovered in the oceans in the past 35 years which include the:
- Lesser or Peruvian beaked whale – a strikingly marked whale more than three metres in length from the eastern Pacific which was discovered in 1975.
- Megamouth, a large, filter-feeding shark known from tropical seas worldwide which can grow up to 5.5m in length, which was discovered in 1976.
- Omura's whale – little is known about this giant species, described as a smaller version of the 27 metre long Fin whale, and only discovered in the late 1970s.
- Indonesian coelacanth – a deep-sea fish more than a metre long with a striking metallic sheen which was discovered in 1998.
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