Month: August 2022

If terms like “bird brain” and “harebrained” are any indication, animal brains present fascinating and diverse examples of one of the most complex organs known to science. Animal brains differ not only in overall size but also in their size relative to the animal’s body mass.

At 18 pounds (8 kilograms), on average, the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) has the largest brain, but has an overall body mass of 45 tons (40 metric tons), giving it a brain-to-body-mass ratio of 1:5,100. But which animal has the biggest brain relative to its body size?

A 2009 study in the journal Brain, Behavior and Evolution (opens in new tab) found that an especially tiny genus of ant has the largest brain for its body size. Brachymyrmex has an average body mass of up to 0.049 milligrams and an average brain mass of 0.006 milligrams. That means its brain is

Blue whales are the largest creatures on the planet and can weigh more than 150 tons, so only rarely are the great leviathans observed traveling at high speeds.

But on Monday off Dana Point, Ca., boaters were in awe as at least three blue whales, perhaps feeling amorous, exhibited racing behavior in a spectacle described by one naturalist as “one for the record books.”

The accompanying video footage was captured by Capt. Dave’s Dana Point Dolphin & Whale Watching. The images were captured by Laura Lopez for Dana Wharf Whale Watch.

In the video, three blue whales are shown interacting in what might be courtship behavior: “Possibly two males competing for the attention of the female,” Capt. Dave’s wrote.

ALSO: Tourists spot one of rarest animal species at Denali National Park

There appears to have been physical contact and, at times, the whales were clocked at 15 knots,

Nearly 1 million shelter animals are euthanized every year in America, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and that’s a statistic that Michael Schneider is determined to change.

The rescue pilot is the founder of Pilots to the Rescue, a nonprofit whose volunteer pilots fly around the country to pick up endangered animals. Their mission? Finding these creatures forever homes with loving families.

Schneider founded the group in 2015 when he was searching for a sense of purpose in his life, but when his corporate events job drastically slowed down during the pandemic, he turned his side work into a full-time gig.

“So it took 45 years for me to realize what I wanted to do when I grow up. This is a real passion of mine and it gives me such a sense of fulfillment, and I love doing this work. It’s

From construction projects to busy roads, airplanes, and railways, human noise is everywhere. It is an invisible cause of stress, posing serious risks to human health and wellbeing. However, noise also harms animals living in close contact with humans, in homes, farms, and zoos.

Noise is a distracting, scary, or physically painful sound. The impacts of noise upon humans range from mild irritation to learning and memory problems, permanent hearing damage, and heart disease.

Abnormally loud noise, such as at music concerts or construction sites, is controlled to protect human hearing. But noise is not regulated for other animals.

in our recent paperswe found a greater awareness and more understanding is needed into how noise harms pets, farm, and working animals, and zoo animals.

Research tends to measure how loud a noise is in decibels (dB). Decibels are easy to measure with a handheld device and form

HANOVER COUNTY, Va. — The physician who owns a Hanover property where Animal Control officers found dozens of dead animals was ordered by a judge in May to never own livestock animals again in the Commonwealth. But Dr. Franklin Ewing appealed the case, allowing him to keep the animals until his pending court date in September.

Hanover County Animal Control discovered more than 23 dead livestock and numerous dead chickens at a property in the 6600 block of Mattawan Trail in Mechanicsville on Tuesday.

Officers and volunteers also dedicated 10 pigs, 7 goats, 4 sheep, 2 horses, 1 mule pony, 2 cows and 59 chickens.

Ewing has been charged on a number of occasions in Hanover, Caroline and Henrico Counties with inadequate care of an agriculture animal, livestock running at large, and cruelty to animals.

In the Hanover cruelty case, which is a felony charge, a jury found him not

Theodore Roosevelt is one of America’s most revered presidents — and one of its most famous environmentalists. If you attended an American school as a child, you were likely taught in history class how Roosevelt preserved vast tracts of the United States, including 230 million acres with the Newlands Reclamation Act of 1902. By the time he left office, Roosevelt had set aside more land for nature preserves and national parks than all of the presidents before him combined.

Yet Roosevelt’s environmentalism — if that’s what it can be called — bears little in common with the modern-day conception of what an environmentalist believes. Indeed, Roosevelt did not have warm and fuzzy feelings for wildlife. Case in point: the first major endeavor Roosevelt undertook after leaving office was embarking on an epic African hunting safari with his adult son, Kermit.

If the idea of ​​an environmentalist also being a

HANOVER Co., Va. (WWBT) – The Hanover County Animal Control and other agencies found multiple livestock animals dead and removed several others from a property in Mechanicsville.

On Aug. 9, officers executed a search warrant for alleged cruelty to agricultural animals in the 6600 block of Mattawan Trail.

Officials said 10 pigs, seven goats, four sheep, two horses, one mule pony, two cows, and 59 chickens were removed from the property.

Animal control also found about 23 dead livestock animals and numerous dead chickens.

Neighbors who live near the home said the neglect of those animals had been an ongoing issue for years.

“It was just like a massive decline of ‘oh wow, like, these new animals are here,’” Alexis Tucker said. “Then you’d go by and be like, ‘oh my gosh, they’re incredibly skinny.’”

Tucker said for years, she’s had to leave and come home to the site of