The secret life of penguins revealed

PARIS (AFP) – Famous for its cuteness and comic gait on land, the penguin also has an enigmatic life at sea, sometimes spending months foraging in the ocean before returning to its breeding grounds.

Zoologists have long wondered where the flightless seabird goes during these long spells away from land -- and now French scientists, in a study published in Wednesday, believe they can supply the answer.

A team from National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) attached monitoring devices to a dozen male and female macaroni penguins (Eudyptes chrysolophus) at the onset of winter on the French Indian Ocean territory of the Kerguelen Islands.

Weighing just six grammes (a fifth of an ounce) each, the gadgets were attached to the penguins' legs by a harmless plastic strap.

The tufty-headed birds headed out to sea a few days later for their annual forage and the tiny recorders logged the location, ambient light and water temperature wherever they went.

The following spring, roughly six months later, the penguins returned to Kerguelen to breed.

The scientists recovered the devices and downloaded the data, and also took blood samples to get a chemical signature of what the birds had been eating.

Once at sea, the birds swiftly swam away from Kerguelen, heading eastwards into the southern Indian Ocean, the investigators found.

They dispersed widely, spending more than 80 percent of their time in a long geographical band between 47 and 49 degrees latitude south.

The rest of the time was spent farther south, closer to the fringes of the Southern Ocean. They did not cross this limit, though, nor did they forage in pack ice.

The birds swam astonishing distances, clocking up 10,430 kilometres (8,930 miles) on average during their six months away. The most adventurous swam up to 2,400 kms (1,500 miles) from Kerguelen.

In the final weeks of the migration, the birds rushed to get home, covering a massive 1,743 kms (1,108 miles) in just one month.

Foodwise, the blood test showed that the penguins had gorged on crustaceans during their time at sea.

Contrary to expectations, they had not tucked into the major species of Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, which only occurs farther south in colder waters.

The study is important as it pinpoints the penguins' key feeding grounds in the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean, and thus helps conservation efforts, say the authors, led by Charles-Andre Bost.

Macaroni penguins are the most numerous penguin species, but their population is thought to have declined over the last two decades.

Climate change also poses a threat, as warmer waters and shifting ocean currents will affect food availability.

The paper appears in Biology Letters, a journal of the Royal Society, which is Britain's de-facto academy of sciences.

Good Hygiene Important to Pet Ownership

Your dog's mouth, coat and paws may not be as clean as you think.

In fact, your dog could easily be carrying infectious bacteria that can make you and your family sick. Just think about these tidbits from ThePetPlace.com

Dogs love to roll around in the dirt and grass but when they do, they can pick up some infectious diseases that can be passed along to you. These are called zoonotic diseases.

Here are just 4 examples:

1. Parasite eggs - Your dog can ingest parasite eggs or pick them up on his paws and coat whenever he comes in contact with infected garden soil or sand. When you touch your dog, that infection can be transmitted to you.

2. Bird droppings - Inhaling the dust from dried bird droppings can cause a bacterial disease called psittacosis. If your dog sniffs dried bird droppings, he will inhale the dust. If he walks through the dried bird droppings or rolls around in them, the dust gets on his paws and in his coat. When you pet him or hug him, you can inhale the dust and become infected.

3. Dog urine - Coming into contact with infected dog urine causes a bacterial infection called leptospirosis. Infected urine can easily get on your dog's paws or coat. If you touch him (or anything that has come into contact with the infected dog urine), you can also become infected.

4. Ringworm - This disease has nothing to do with worms. It is a contagious fungal infection that be passed from your dog to you through contact.

So what can you do to protect your dog, your family and yourself?

Good hygiene is the key ... for both of you.

10 Signs of Pet Anxiety

Pets suffer from anxiety, but unlike their human companions, they cannot verbalize what is causing their discomfort. Instead, they communicate their distress through signs of nervousness and fear by their behavior. A pet is often labeled as having a behavior problem, when in fact the animal is reacting to something he does not understand or perceives might be a threat. Knowing the signs and possible causes of anxiety can help you to ease your pet’s distress.

Below are 10 signs of pet anxiety:

1. Excessive barking or meowing, whining, yelping, crying

2. Pacing, panting, restlessness or running around

3. Cowering, trembling, shaking

4. Excessive vigilance with exaggerated startle response

5. Hiding under furniture, in the bathroom or freezing to the spot

6. Seeking comfort from owner/guardian

7. Drooling, vomiting

8. Inappropriate urination or defecation

9. Destructive chewing

10. Running away

Leaving your pet home alone, boarding/kenneling, veterinarian or groomer visits, new animals or visitors to the home are some of the many causes of anxiety in pets. There are no drugs approved for most anxiety conditions in pets, and even in cases where drugs have been registered, there is concern about side effects, particularly heavy sedation.

Whistling Orangutan Amazes Scientists

According to an article on ZooToo, an Orangutan at the Washington Zoo has a unique talent - the ability to whistle. While chimpanzees and orangutans have been trained to whistle in the past, Bonnie's ability is highly uncommon as she learned on her own without rewards from human trainers.

Why is it so unique? The ape would have to know how to use her lips and control her breath to make a sound.

Born in captivity and raised by humans, Bonnie the orangutan has always been in close contact with her more evolved cousins; researchers think Bonnie picked up her famous skill from hearing a zookeeper whistle.

Free "Mother's Day" Pet Cards

With pet owners often considering themselves parents in their own right, the team at Petside.com has launched a series of free Mother's Day cards designed for the household pooch or kitty to give to their "mother." They are user-friendly downloadable cards that visitors can simply print out from their computer and fold for the perfect thanks to "Mom" for all the tender loving care she gives to her furry "children." You can check out all four card options at: Petside.com

Bird Smuggler

LOS ANGELES - A man was charged Tuesday with smuggling songbirds into the United States by hiding more than a dozen of them in an elaborate, custom-tailored pair of leggings during a flight from Vietnam to Los Angeles.

Sony Dong, 46, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in March after an inspector spotted bird feathers and droppings on his socks and tail feathers peeking out from under his pants, prosecutors said.

"He had fashioned these special cloth devices to hold the birds," said U.S. attorney spokesman Thom Mrozek. "They were secured by cloth wrappings and attached to his calves with buttons."

Authorities later linked Dong's scheme to Duc Le, who was arrested after investigators searched his Orange County home and found 51 songbirds in an outdoor aviary. Both are charged with conspiracy in an eight-count federal indictment.

Hamster Toys

Check out this article about the various types of Hamster Toys from the Hamster toys blog.

We don't talk nearly enough about the growing popularity of 'pocket pets' and this is a good overview of some of the popular hamster toys you should consider.

Don't Drink and Ride A Horse

ARVADA, Colo. – A man in a cowboy hat who rode a horse through a Denver suburb has been cited for riding an animal under the influence. Police said Brian Drone was given a $25 traffic violation ticket in a strip mall parking lot Friday. Drone told KUSA-TV that he was out for a "joyride" in Arvada with his horse, Cricket.
Sgt. Jeff Monzingo says the citation was the first he'd seen in 15 years of working in law enforcement.
Police say deciding what to do with the horse was a "tricky call" because "you can tow a car" in typical drunk driving cases.
A stable owner eventually offered Drone and his horse a ride home.
A phone number listed for a Brian Drone in Arvada was disconnected.

CT Pitbull Attack - Blame the Owners

This is a local CT news station. Two pitbulls attacked a mailman, and a neighbor saved the day by driving the dogs off with a hammer. But watch the video, and see how ignorant and rude the owner of the dogs is in the interview. He's blaming the neighbors for not reporting that the dogs got loose - LIKE THEY USUALLY DO! That's right, these dogs get loose all the time, and the neighbors usually call him or the police. But no one called him this time...so how can he know? And then there is laughter throughout the interview, like it's a big joke or something. This is why pitbulls get a bad rep...owners like this!