Can Animals Think?

How the whale has evolvedEndangered species of the world

FOR ALL ANIMAL LOVERSunta ed

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ariusz Kluzniak

Anusha Vavilikolanu

Brian Gregory

Eli Naron

Ujwal Punyamurtula

Anusha Vavilikolanu has a profound love for all of the animals in the world, especially penguins. She was born in India and is now 14 years old. In her free time, she likes to go outside and try to spot animals with her 7 year-old brother. She also enjoys learning random, interesting facts about animals. However, her real love lies in unique animals, like penguins. This love allowed her to write “A Species Worth Fighting For,” “How to Tame Wild Animals,” and “10 Bizarre New Creatures” for the magazine Untamed.

Brian Gregory’s vast obsession with Godzilla is only rivaled with his love of prehistory. Since childhood, his films of choice included prehistoric documentaries such as Walking with Beasts, featuring the mammals that took control after the extinction of the dinosaurs. He sparked an interest in the segment on Ambulocetus, a land-dwelling ancestor of modern whales. His contributions include “The Walking Whale” for the LASA magazine Untamed, along with other works such as “Secret of Dinosaurs: Euparkeria” and an advertisement for the Animal Liberation Front, dedicated to the protection of the wildlife people commonly ignore.

Eli Naron was born and grew up in Austin, Texas. He is 15 years old and loves fencing and Quiz Bowl. He grew interested in wild animals through watching an old cartoon Stanley. He spends much of his time researching and studying new animal and wildlife discoveries, and watching documentaries on Animal Planet and Discovery that are not about trees houses gold mining or moonshine. He wrote the “Birds of a Broken Feather” story and also created and designed the “Destruction Over Distance” and “Invasive Paths” ASFs. He has four dogs a cat and one guinea pig.

Ujwal Punyamurtula’s constant thirst for detail and accuracy makes him one of the most successful students of the freshman class. Ujwal loves animal trivia, and researching fun facts constitutes most of his spare time. In addition to trivia, he is also interested by the field of animal psychology. Ujwal’s contributions include: “They Think Therefore They Are,” “Top Animal Anomalies,” and “Ten Crafty Critters.”

We, as your Safari guides, hope that this special issue will be a fun guide to a variety of animals. During the course of producing this issue, each of one us learned many new things about animals. We hope that, while reading our magazine, you will share many of our experiences.

Sincerely,The Safari Guides

Meet Your Safari Guides

The Key to AdventureDestruction Over Distanceby Eli NaronA map of extinct animalsand where they are found. 4

10 Bizarre Creaturesby Anusha VavilikolanuA list of ten uniqueanimals in this world.

Top Animal Anomaliesby Ujwal PunyamurtulaLearn weird facts about animals you might know.

Secret of Dinosaursby Brian GregoryLearn about Euparkeria, an early relative of dinosaurs.

Ten Crafty Crittersby Ujwal PunyamurtulaLearn about the smartest animals in the world.

How to Approach Wild Animalsby Anusha VavilikolanuAnswers for those who want to have the opportunity of a lifetime.

Invasive Pathby Eli NaronFind out about the invasive species of the world.

Evolution of the Whaleby Brian GregorySee the amazing change from mammal to whale.

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Birds of a Broken Feather

Caught in Transition

A Species Worth Fighting For

They Think, Therefore They Are

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by Anusha Vavilikolanu

by Brian Gregory

by Ujwal Punyamurtula

by Eli Naron

Destruction overDistanceThousands of species of plants and animals have gone endangered and extinct over the last 200 years, all due to humans. People need to know what is causing this massive decline of populations in order to prevent it in the future. To help inform people here’s a list of some of the most endangered animals on every populated continent and how they came to this incredibly sad state.

European Watervole Little Dodo Bird

Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Previous

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North America: Ivory-Billed WoodpeckerCauses for Endangerment: -Hunted for feather-Habitat LossSouth America: Orinoco CrocodileCauses for Endangerment:-Hunted for skinsAustalia/Oceania: Little Dodo BirdCauses for Endangerment:-Poaching-Habitat LossEurope: European WatervoleCauses for Endangerment:-Habitat LossAsia: Amur LeopardCauses for Endangerment:-Habiat Loss-Poaching Africa: Northern Sportive LemurCauses for Endangerment:-Logging

Amur Leopard

Orinoco Crocodile Northern Sprotive Lemur

Northern Sprotive Lemur

Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

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Caught in TransitionBy Brian Gregory

Whales used to walk. Back, before recorded history, before the first writing, even before the first spoken language, there was an aquatic mammal that could climb up the shore of a lake and eat, breed and live on land: a walking whale. “What interests me most about [the walking whale],” paleontologist Hans Thewissen said, “is that it’s a creature caught in transition, it definitely has features that make it an animal [that] lived in the water, but it also has features that show that it could get around on land…”Ambulocetus was a very diverse creature. It swam like an otter, looked and hunted like a crocodile, yet it was a whale, very different from the behemoths that roam our seas today, but it was the pioneer for the most magnificent of mammals that are famous worldwide. Imagine it: a crocodile looking creature with fur and webbed feet. It would walk awkwardly on the ground as it made it way to the edge of a lake. Then it would dive in, and was suddenly transformed. It would glide elegantly through the water, its front legs folded under its chest and its spine moving up and down, its legs and tail moving with it, pushing it forward. It could hold its breath for several minutes at a time, long enough to sit and wait for prey. It would sit, waiting at the water’s edge

until an animal came to drink. It would lash out, dragging the creature into the depths. The prey might manage to wriggle free, desperately paddling towards land, but Ambulocetus could swim after it, each stroke of its back legs pushing it toward the doomed animal. Its vice-like jaws would clamp down on its prey, and the animal would be dragged back to the depths where it would drown and be devoured. This is the believed way that Ambulocetus would have hunted. Thewissen, its discoverer, thought it was a sit-and-wait predator, that ambushed its prey from under the waters edge. “We think that the animal was an ambush predator,” Thewissen said “so sitting still, waiting ‘till potential prey came close to it.” However, there have been arguments about this, such as that between Thewissen and marine biologist Dr. Frank Fish, who thought that since Ambulocetus was a skilled swimmer it could actively chase after its prey. “I would tend to say it was probably a little bit more active,” Fish said. “Although at this point, the animal’s probably opportunistic, so if it can approach some prey that might come down to the water’s edge to take a drink, [it’ll] lash out just like a crocodile, but maybe [it’ll]

Fossil of Ambulocetus natans at the Naturalis Museum in Leiden

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go out and actively pursue things like fish.” It’s a strange thought that the filter-feeders of today’s oceans used to be flesh-eating killing machines. But just like there are many of the peaceful giants today, Ambulocetus wasn’t the only whale caught in transition. “There is a whole range of whales in that time period,” Thewissen said. “We had whole skeletons for some of them, for instance, Kutchicetus and Rodhocetus. For those, there’s whole skeletons, and they look quite different. For instance, Kutchicetus looked more like an otter than like a crocodile, Rodhocetus looked more like a sea lion.” Two other transition mammals, Gandakasia and Himalayacetus, are believed

to have lived around the same time, and may have even shared similar habitats with Ambulocetus, yet their skeletons have yet to be found. “Actually, for those there are no skeletons,” Thewissen said. “For Gandakasia, there’s just a lower jaw with two or three teeth, and for Himalayacetus there’s not a lower jaw, that’s the only part that’s not for the animal. So there is no skeleton for those guys.” Later on, the tectonic plate that held Asia collided with that of India and Pakistan, where Ambulocetus and its kind lived. Some of the animals were able to evolve and their descendents finally took to open sea, fleeing the collision of their home and Asia and the newly formed Himalayas. “India and Pakistan

Skeleton of Ambulocetus natans at the Natural History Museum in Toulouse

collided with Asia and the border between them formed [the] Himalayas,” Thewissen said. “So by then the ocean was gone of course. However, by then the whales had learned to swim, and by now they’re living in Europe, in Africa, North America, South America, so by then they’re good swimmers and they’ve learned to cross all kinds of oceans.” The results were huge carnivorous whales such as Dorudon and Basilosaurus, which were much more closely related to modern day whales. The only giveaway that they used to be land animals were the tiny, lingering back legs, useless for any kind of

movement, yet still serving as a reminder of origins long forgotten, of creatures long dead. Creatures like Ambulocetus, more than an animal caught in transition, but a symbol of evolution. “Well, it’s sort of a missing link,” Fish said. “I mean, we’ve always known that whales and dolphins are descendent of terrestrial

mammals. But we really didn’t have a really good fossil that showed that the animals had this intermediate form so Ambulocetus really fills in that sort of

gap that we had between what we take as normal terrestrial mammals and fully aquatic whales and dolphins.”

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“Many [Ambulocetus] would have just died without having descendents and only a couple of those might have evolved into another species that eventually gave rise to modern whales.” -Hans Thewissen

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Evolution of the WhaleBy Brian Gregory

Whales weren’t always the huge beasts that could intimidate entire oceans. The origins of these behemoths were small, deer-like creatures that ran to the water to avoid being eaten. Here, see the incredible transformation from four-legged prey to the most majestic of mammals.

IndohyusWent to water to

avoid predators

AmbulocetusAcquired aquatic features like webbed feet and undulating motion while swimming like a whale

BasilosaurusGained actual whale design, despite a long body and tiny back legs used for mating.

Fin WhaleModern day whale

Walking with Beasts, British Brodcasting Corporationhttp://www.bbc.co.ukhttp://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com

Approx. 2 feet longEarly Eocene

Approx. 10 feet longEarly Eocene, 2 million years after Indohyus

Approx. 60 feet longMid.-late Eocene, 40 million years after Ambulocetus

Approx. 75 feet longPresent day, 40 million years after Basilosaurus

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Image source: Charles Melville Scammon

Image source: Pavel Riha

Image source: Nobu Tamura

Image source: Nobu Tamura

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A Species Worth Fighting For

Every day, children walk into aquariums and inevitably, they go see penguins. They walk over to the tank; they watch the penguins waddle, swim and play. It is as if the penguins exist only for them. However, those penguins are probably the last ones they will ever see. “We [as humans] are [the penguins] biggest threat,” said Dyan deNapoli, a former worker in the New England aquarium, “but we are also their only hope.” Out of the 18 known types of penguins, 14 are endangered. Despite their lifespan of 15 to 20 years, many penguins die as hatchlings. Global warming, starvation, overfishing, oil spills and introduced predators are only a few of the reasons that penguins suffer and die every day. “The water is warming,” Diane Wilson, a penguin keeper from Moody Gardens in Galveston Island said. “In Antarctica, the food sources are moving and changing and keystone predators like penguins are slow to adapt to those kind of changes.” Climate change is one of the main reasons that penguins are nearing extinction. Global warming, in general, is melting the ice caps in which penguins live on. The emperor penguin, famous for being able to protect its eggs in harsh, low climates, is predicted to be low breeding success because of the ice breaking and melting. “When I was in New Zealand a few years ago, we happened to be doing a nest count on yellow-eyed penguins,” deNapoli said. “We were counting the molting penguins and we actually saw a penguin coming out of the ocean and it was badly injured... [I]t was either bitten by a barracuda or a shark.”

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Magellanic Penguin10

Another reason for the decrease in the penguin population is the introduction of new predators within the area. The new predators ruin the balance of the ecosystem. For penguins in particular, new predators will not only decrease the population of penguins by eating penguins but by creating competition too, if the new predators eat the same food that penguins eat. The Adelie penguin population, in particular, dropped 65 percent, mainly because of competition for food among other species. “Ships will illegally purge their bilge water which gets infested with oil, so these little small oil spills will appear mysteriously,” deNapoli said. “[People] call them mystery spills and penguins go through them and get oiled.” Oil spills only add to the dangers that penguins face every day. An example of the effect of oil spills is June 1994, when an estimated 40,000 African penguins were affected by an oil spill off South Africa’s Cape Peninsula. Stopping oil spills in the future would save thousands of penguins and may prevent the extinction of penguins. “Help penguins and other animals,” deNapoli said. “Be more useful of our use of fossil fuels, so, for example, plastics made from petroleum, oil… reduce the use of plastics and recycle plastics... know what your personal carbon footprint is.”

Penguins are an indicator species. The fact that the penguin population is declining indicates that the ecosystem that they

live in is unstable. Therefore, helping the ecosystem that the penguins live in, the ocean would, in result, help penguins too.

“There are different organizations, penguin rescue research and conservation groups that people could support,” deNapoli adds.

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The ice on the shore of Antarctica melting because of global warming.

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At least 14 species of penguins are endangered out of 18 known species of penguins. This amount needs to decrease to prevent these amazing creatures from reaching extinction. STEPS is there to solve this problem.

Call 1-(800)-FORSTEPS or go to www.STEPS.net for more information.

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At least 14 species of penguins are endangered out of 18 known species of penguins. This amount needs to decrease to prevent these amazing creatures from reaching extinction. STEPS is there to solve this problem.

Call 1-(800)-FORSTEPS or go to www.STEPS.net for more information.

“If people just wanted to pick one, I would say SANCCOB [the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds].There they are rescuing African penguins which are endangered.” Most of the penguins SANCCOB rescue have suffered in oil spills. Mystery spills hit penguins daily, especially since Africa, the area SANCCOB is in, is right along a shipping route. Every year, SANCCOB rescues 500-1000 penguin chicks, including those who were abandoned by their parents because of the lack of resources available. However, SANCCOB is not the only organization that helps penguins, rescuing them if they are in distress.

However, as deNapoli said, “[Penguins] are extremely hardy. They can withstand extreme temperatures...These penguins that live in Antarctica, like the Emperor Penguins for example, they are breeding in the middle of the Antarctic winter... It’ll be 100 degrees below 0. The wind could be blowing 100 miles per hour. Yet there they are, laying eggs and raising chicks in the middle of these weather conditions.” The hardiness and perseverance of penguins is what differentiates them from other animals. This unique trait is one of the reasons why it is important to save penguins in society.

“Every kind of penguin has a unique personality. Some birds are very friendly, they like being around people. Other birds are very standoffish. Other birds definitely don’t want you near them. Some are playful,” Wilson said. “They all are pretty curious, for the most part, intelligent.” Penguins have apersonality that distinguishes them from other animals. Individuality is a trait that humans classify with themselves, so the fact that penguins possess this trait shows that penguins are just like humans and, therefore, deserve not to reach extinction. “I think that people like them so much because they stand up straight,”

Wilson said. “Humans tend to like animals that are similar to them. So, standing upright and walking upright are these humans’ quote-on-quote trait. They’re goofy at times, so they have a lot of appeal from people.” Allowing penguin species to become extinct will greatly affect society. The connection that penguins have with humans is extraordinary and irreplaceable. Even though penguins are wild animals and they can be uncontrollable at times, they still are the reason for at least one person’s smile every day. As Wilson said, “Everything is connected, so when you lose one species, the rest of it will come tumbling as well.”

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Dyan deNapoli with Magellanics in Argentina in 2009

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Invasive PathEli NAaron

Ever since the Age of Exploration. animals have been taken to unnatural locations. They’ve flourished to the point where they strangle the native species to near extinction. Here are some of those species to watch out for and prevent from coming into your area.

10:Kudzu Brought from Japan to U.S south to improve soil fertility, annually kills and consumes 150,000 acres worth 9:Black RatThought to have originally come from south-east Asia it has spread to most parts of the planet through ships, planes, and food shipments. No Color-too universal8:Asian Tiger MosquitoOriginally from Vietnam, the Asian Tiger Mosquito has spread to 24 countries outside its natural range by, surprisingly enough, laying eggs in tires, which are then shipped all over the world.7:Cotton WhiteflyThis species of Whitefly is originally from India, but due to its ability to eat near any plant and resistance to pesticides, it has spread to eastern Asia and South America.6:Snakehead FishThis Japanese fish can migrate on land and breathe air, along with laying over 75,000 eggs a year. No wonder it’s taken over the U.S.14

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5:Asian Longhorned BeetleThe beetle was originally from Japan, but burrowed into exported maple saplings have have grown to com-pletely destroy forests in America, Canada, and Western Europe.4:Burmese PythonThough from Southern Asia the Burmese Python was introduced accidentally by pet owners in FD, and iscurrently destroying many populations of birds, frogs, and even alligators in Everglades National Park.3:Cane ToadOriginally from South America the Cane Toad was introduced in Hawaii, The Philippines, and Cuba as pest control, their eggs thrived in the cooler climate and soon took over the Pacific, Latin America, U.S.

2:The Common RabbitIn the mid-1800’s Rabbits were a lucrative source of fur and meat, Australian farmers took part of this busi-ness, and, as one can imagine, the rabbits bred at massive rates, and due to the population increase, much of Australia’s land was dug up and made infertile. This killed off many species.1:Nile PerchFrom its namesake river this fish was introduced to Lake Victoria and Tanganyika. The fish had no natural predators and can grow to over two meters in length and have made several species of native fish extinct.

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How to ApproAcH wild AnimAlsGetting close to any wild animal is a dangerous task to accomplish. However for those curious few, here is a way to be successful in such an act.

What color clothing are you wearing?

Earth tonesCamouflage

Are you planning to make eye contact with the animal?

No

How fast are you going to move in comparison to the animal?

You are planning to match your speed to the speed of the animal.

You are planning to move slower than the animal

What direction are you going to move when approaching the animal?

You are planning to move in a zig-zag direction towards the animal.

TIPS: -Try to mimic the animal you are trying to approach. -Do not spend that much time watching the animal be-cause it will make the animal feel uncomfortable.

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How to ApproAcH wild AnimAlsby Anusha Vavilikolanu

Getting close to any wild animal is a dangerous task to accomplish. However for those curious few, here is a way to be successful in such an act.

What color clothing are you wearing?

CamouflageAny color clothing except for earth tones or camouflage.

Are you planning to make eye contact with the animal?

Yes

How fast are you going to move in comparison to the animal?

You are planning to move slower than the animal

You are planning to move faster than the animal.

What direction are you going to move when approaching the animal?

You are planning to directly approach the animal.

You Are Ready To Approach Wild Animals!!!

Do Not Try To Approach WIld Animals!!!

-Camoflouge clothing, moving slower than the animal and making eye contact will make the animal think that you are sneaking and trying to hunt them.

-Moving faster than the animal and directly approaching an animal will cause the animal to get frightened and therefore, run away or attack.

Sources:http://www.ammpa.org/doc_watchablewildlife.htmlhttp://www.outdooreyes.com/approachwildlife.php3http://www.floridawildlifeviewing.com/outdoor_photography/ani-malapproach.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org

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They Think, Therefore They AreAn exclusive peek into the psychology of animalsBy Ujwal Punyamurtula

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Today, psychologists are realizing that animals might not be as different from humans as they previously thought. “There have been a huge number of differences people have put forward that distinguish humans from other animals,” said Dr. Samuel Gosling, professor at The University of Texas at Austin Animal Personality Institute. “They’re not empirically derived. They’re kind of ideologically stated and then if somebody takes the time to go look they usually vanish.” Because they were thought not to possess an intellect remotely comparable to that of men, animals have been used to study human minds in the past. Today, however, scientists have started using principles of human psychology to understand animals. These recent studies have shown that animals have the mental capacity to think and experience emotions, just as human beings do.

Animals and Human Autism According to the McDonald’s official website, more than 69 million people eat at their fast-food locations each day. The meat that they eat comes from animals who must inevitably face their death in processing plants. However, thanks to one woman, these large plants have been modified so as to account for the fears of the animals that are to face their doom. That woman is Temple Grandin. Perhaps the most well-known autistic person in the world, Grandin can empathize with cattle, knowing what makes them scared. “Autistic people are closer to animals than normal people are,” Grandin wrote in her new book, “Animals in Translation.” “Autism puts [one] somewhere between normal human mentality and animal mentality, not as a matter of IQ but as a matter of perception

and emotion.” Because Grandin keeps portraying her image of normal humans in Animals in Translation, the book is probably the closest most people will ever get to seeing humans through animal eyes. The mentality of autistic people can then, therefore, give a clue as to how the mind of an animal functions. Particularly revealing of the way autistic people think is their success with a test called the Embedded Figure Task. Though the hidden shape jumps right out at an autistic person,normal people have trouble finding it. According to Grandin, this is because normal humans have so much on their minds at any given moment that it prevents them from noticing subtle details in their everyday world. On the other hand, autistic people do not experience that sort of mental clutter, opening their

Temple Grandin at TED 2010

minds to acute visual perception. This difference in the perceptive abilities of humans and autistic people may be a somewhat accurate representation of the difference between the mentalities of humans and animals. “Humans,” Grandin said, “are built to see what they’re expecting to see. Animals, on the other hand, definitely act like they see everything.”

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Autism puts [one] somewhere between normal human mentality and animal mentality, not as a matter of IQ but as a matter of perception and emotion.-Temple Grandin

They’re kind of ideologically stated and then if somebody takes the time to go look they usually vanish.-Dr. Samuel Gosling

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Animals and Language In April 1998, Koko the gorilla went live on the Internet for the first time. She answered questions about her life and hopes, her desire for a baby and her dreams of freedom. Her trainer, Francine Patterson, had taught her the American Sign Language for sixteen years before Patterson deemed Koko ready to go online. Recent experiments, not unlike those conducted by Patterson on Koko the gorilla, intend to clarify scientists’ doubts as to whether animals are intelligent enough to learn a human language. However, what sets humans apart from other creatures is their possession of a vocal organ that allows them to produce sounds which can’t be mimicked by other animals. As a result, researchers have focused efforts on trying to teach animals different modes of communication which still test their aptitude to learn a language, such as ASL. So far such research efforts have made considerable progress. Bonobo chimpanzees trained by Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh of the Georgia State University Language Research Center have been shown to demonstrate the comprehension skills of a 2 1/2 year old human child.These Bonobos have learned to understand complex sentences and use symbolic language to communicate with the outside world. According to Savage-Rumbaugh, the experiments conducted

suggest that there is not an unbridgeable divide between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom. One of these Bonobo chimpanzees that has demonstrated extreme aptitude in language learning is named Kanzi. Kanzi picked up a rather large vocabulary on his own while listening to Savage-Rumbaugh teaching his mother. Although Kanzi’s utterances are striking, he is much better at responding to commands. This ability was exemplified by an instance where Kanzi was told to “Give the dog a shot.” He picked up the syringe right in front of him, pulled off the cap, and injected a toy stuffed dog.

Animal Emotions In 2006, in a small village in eastern India, a 17 year-old female elephant fell into a ditch and died. Even though the village residents had already buried her, many of them were forced to flee as a group of fourteen elephants rampaged the village, looking for their lost group member. After three days of relentless searching, they trumpeted in despair. Though there has been much debate in the past over whether animals experience emotions or not, today most psychologists agree that animals have the ability to experience the same kinds of emotions humans do.“It’s highly unlikely that emotions suddenly evolved,” Gosling said.“Especially when you think about many other factors, such as what are emotions for? Emotions are the psychological experiences that are making us do more of the things that are evolutionarily good for us and less of the things that are evolutionarily bad for us. The reason we have disgust and fear and anger is to... help our survival. And so animals survive too. It’s important that an animal runs away from certain things that are dangerous... and so on.” Yet despite this, there are a number of scientists who still reject the idea that animals can experience emotions. “To me, the evidence for animal emotions is impossible to deny,” said Dr. Marc Bekoff of the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Animal Consciousness One morning, Megan the chimpanzee was anesthetized. While she was unconscious, a dot of red ink was daubed on her forehead. That afternoon, by the time she was fully recovered, she looked in a mirror and started to scratch the red spot in the middle of her forehead. This experiment, conducted by trainer Daniel Povinelli, was conducted to find out whether Megan the chimpanzee is a conscious being or not. Animal consciousness has been a hotly debated topic in the past. Clive Wynne of the University of Florida, for instance, posits that humans are the only conscious beings. Much of this debate has occurred because there wasn’t a formal definition of consciousness. Much disagreement over its definition occurs today, but many philosophers believe there is a broadly shared understanding as to what consciousness is. They agree that for a creature to be conscious, it must be aware of itself and recognize that it is separate from its environment and other individuals. The experiment conducted on Megan by Povinelli was successful because it proved that the chimpanzee was self-aware. A closely-related concept to consciousness is the theory of mind, which is an awareness that other individuals are conscious beings as well. Another chimpanzee being trained by Povinelli is Sheba, but she participated in a

Ten Crafty CrittersBy Ujwal Punyamurtula

Sources: 1. http://www.nbcnews.com2. http://www.therichest.com3. http://www.themost10.comImages are under public domain

10. Raccoons A raccoon possesses an unusually strong sense of community and exhibits great loyalty towards family members.

Is a dog’s loyalty to its owner instinct? Or does it actually have the mental capacity to accept someone else as its master and obey them? In recent years, some animals have been displaying qualities not unlike those of men. Individuals from these species are oft en able to think like humans when exposed to basic objects and activities. Here is a list of the ten smartest wild animals to live on planet Earth.

9. ParrotsParrots can mimic human words, and are sometimes able to under-stand the meaning of the words they mimic.

8. PigsPigs have complex social lives, and are able to assign specifi c functions to specifi c places.

7. Rats Th ese animals have been used as laboratory animals because they possess a keen ability to detect hazards in their surroundings using their senses.

6. DogsDogs can understand human commands and are very loyal and obedient to their masters. Dogs can also remember human faces and recognize songs and images.

5. CrowsCrows are very craft y, and can make tools to help them achieve what they want. Crows are born with this tool-making ethic in their mind, but they can hone their skills by watching their elders, indicating a higher form of intelligence.

4. ElephantsElephants are very emotional creatures, known to hold burial ceremonies for their dead and console family members.

3.

DolphinsTh ese marine mammals are known for their whistles and clicks, which may serve as a type of language.

2. OrangutansTh ese animals are skilled with tools and can understand the why behind a tool and not just the how and what.

1. ChimpanzeesTh eir DNA is 98 percent similar to ours. Chimps possess the best memory of any animal in the world, and can communicate with humans through sign language.

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Kanzi the chimpanzee was told to “Give the dog a shot.” He picked up the syringe right in front of him, pulled off the cap, and injected a toy stuffed dog.

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Ten Crafty CrittersBy Ujwal Punyamurtula

Sources: 1. http://www.nbcnews.com2. http://www.therichest.com3. http://www.themost10.comImages are under public domain

10. Raccoons A raccoon possesses an unusually strong sense of community and exhibits great loyalty towards family members.

Is a dog’s loyalty to its owner instinct? Or does it actually have the mental capacity to accept someone else as its master and obey them? In recent years, some animals have been displaying qualities not unlike those of men. Individuals from these species are oft en able to think like humans when exposed to basic objects and activities. Here is a list of the ten smartest wild animals to live on planet Earth.

9. ParrotsParrots can mimic human words, and are sometimes able to under-stand the meaning of the words they mimic.

8. PigsPigs have complex social lives, and are able to assign specifi c functions to specifi c places.

7. Rats Th ese animals have been used as laboratory animals because they possess a keen ability to detect hazards in their surroundings using their senses.

6. DogsDogs can understand human commands and are very loyal and obedient to their masters. Dogs can also remember human faces and recognize songs and images.

5. CrowsCrows are very craft y, and can make tools to help them achieve what they want. Crows are born with this tool-making ethic in their mind, but they can hone their skills by watching their elders, indicating a higher form of intelligence.

4. ElephantsElephants are very emotional creatures, known to hold burial ceremonies for their dead and console family members.

3.

DolphinsTh ese marine mammals are known for their whistles and clicks, which may serve as a type of language.

2. OrangutansTh ese animals are skilled with tools and can understand the why behind a tool and not just the how and what.

1. ChimpanzeesTh eir DNA is 98 percent similar to ours. Chimps possess the best memory of any animal in the world, and can communicate with humans through sign language.

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different experiment. In this experiment, the chimpanzee watched as one of her trainers (trainer A) put food under one of four cups. She couldn’t see which of the cups it was, since they were hidden from her view. The trainer then came back into the room with another trainer (trainer B). If Sheba has a theory of mind, she should know that trainer B did not know which cup trainer A put food into. Trainer A pointed to the cup which he knew he put the food in, while trainer B just guessed and pointed to a random cup. Surely enough, Sheba pointed to the cup trainer A was pointing at.

Recent research has forced scientists to realize that animals might be more like humans than they might have imagined. Furthermore, according to Gosling, research in animal psychology may be beneficial to humans. “One of the most interesting things about studying animals,” Gosling said, “is the fact that it also reflects a lot about humans, human culture and human needs.”

[Studying animals] reflects a lot about humans, human culture, and human needs.-Gosling

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10 Bizarre New Creatures

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Many animals have just been discovered and named this past decade by scientists. Here are a few of the most bizarre ones that will make you ask why they weren’t discovered before.

The Crystal Frog was officially discovered in Ecuador and Peru in 2009. The

Crystal Frog is bizarre in that it is so translucent that its heart can be seen beating

inside of the frog.

The Flying Frog (Rhacophorus suffry) was first described to

science in 2007. It is endemic to the Eastern Himalayas and was discovered by

WFF and WFF’s partners. It’s big webbed feet allow the tree frog to glide from

the top of treetops when it extends its toes.

The Red-Bearded Titi was discovered in the Colombian section

of the Amazon Rainforest in 2008. However, the population of the small

primate is endangered with less than 250 surviving Red-Bearded Titis. Still,

like most monkeys, this titi shares many characteristics with humans, such

as mating for life.

The Ice Fish was found in the Southern Ocean. This fish can become as cold as ice.

Also, no red blood cells course through the veins of this fish. Also, this Notothenioid

lacks a fish bladder. Anyway, the fish is almost transparent with a bit of a whitish hue. It

can also open its mouth really wide, almost as wide as its own head.

The Myanmar Snub-Nosed Monkey is critically endangered

species was discovered in 2010 in northern Myanmar and in 2011 in China.

The monkey has an upturned face and a forward-curved chest of long black

hairs. The monkey mostly has a “naked” pink face with white hair on its upper

lip and its ears. The monkey’s tail is approximately 1.4 times its body length.

The Lyre Sponge is a carnivorous deep-sea sponge eats prey 10,800-11,500

feet under the ground. This animal looks like a lyre, or a harp, hence the name

“Lyre Sponge.” This sponge was first discovered in 2012 by Welton L. Lee, Henry

M Reiswig, William C. Austin, and Lonny Lundsten off the Californian coast.

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4Many animals have just been discovered and named this past decade by scientists. Here are a few of the most bizarre ones that will make you ask why they weren’t discovered before.

1Sources:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/05/pictures/130523-top-ten-new-species-animals-plants-science/

http://listverse.com/2012/12/12/10-incredible-recently-discovered-animals/

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/photos/9-newly-discovered-species

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/strange-new-animals-0917

http://en.wikipedia.org

By Anusha Vavilikolanu

The Louisiana Pancake Batfish, found in the Gulf of

Mexico, was discovered in 2010 by Hsuan-Ching Ho. The fish has

an enlarged head, a flattened body, and small pectoral fins. The

batfish uses these fins to walk along the ocean floor. Finally, the

Louisiana batfish has a fleshy lure on its snout which it uses to

attract its prey.

In 2008, the Pinocchio Frog was discovered in the Foja Mountains of Papua,

Indonesia. This tree frog has an adaptable long nose, like Pinocchio, hence the

name “Pinocchio Frog.” This frog can also enlarge/inflate its nose. Many people say

that the nose of the frog is most likely used for mating reasons, yet the nose’s true

purpose is unknown.

The Gorgon Head Starfish was recently discovered by scientists from

Scotland’s University of Aberdeen along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The starfish was

found only a half a mile under the sea, eating plankton and shrimp. The arms of the

starfish extend off the starfish’s body and split wildly, like tentacles.

The Psychedelic Frogfish, officially discovered in 2009, lives in the ocean

near Bali, Indonesia. This frogfish has a yellow- or peach-colored fingerprint design

on its skin and a flattened face with its cheeks and chin extended laterally. The

frogfish is a small animal, growing to a maximum of 15 centimeters, that moves by

walking its pectoral fins on the ocean floor.

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Visit the Sky Diamond ZooSee AnimalsIn Their Prime

Get Tickets Now At(883) 818-2000or skydiamondzoo.com

Free Wildlife Training

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Top Animal AnomaliesBy Ujwal Punyamurtula

The animal world is wacky and interesting. Here are ten of the most intriguing curiosities of the animal world.

Bats

Bats always turn left when leaving a cave.

For a bee, red appears to be the same color as black. Rats are ticklish.

Bees Rats

Scorpions glow in the dark.

Scorpions

Chickens can undergo natural gender changes.

Chickens

All polar bears are left-handed.

Polar Bears

Sharks are immune to every type of disease.

A cricket’s ears are located on its legs.

Crickets

A duck’s quack never echoes anywhere.

Ducks

Sources:http://www.backyardwildlifehabitats.comhttp://www.livescience.comhttp://www.globalanimal.org

Images are under public domain 29

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Birds Of A BrokenFeather

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The bird lays on the bottom of the cage singing a song of death and sadness. A volunteer has mended the broken wing, which has now healed. Unfortunately, the arm has grown infected, and the bird has no hope of flying ever again. The ornithologist doesn’t think it will make it through the hour. For Stephenie Leuenberger, this is happens on a daily basis she is a wild life rehabilitator and director of the non-profit Austin-Area Wildlife Rehabilitation. This organization finds injured and sick animals across Central Texas and nourishes them back to health. However in recent years, more animals are coming in and even less are coming out. “Over the past 15 years ... the population (has) moved out into more rural areas,” Leuenberger said, “Humans with cats, and dogs, and things like that.” More and more animals, especially birds are being attacked by people’s pets, and even by people, trying to help. “We call (them) kidnaps,”Leuenberger said, “meaning the parents have just left the nest, but the nests are on the ground, people will take the baby and bring them to us.” This lack of care and natural education proves fatal for the animals, who may very easily die without their parents. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, in recent years many species are moving more northeastward and growing less populous in the south and central Texas; at a rate very similar to that of Austin’s growing population.These statistics are alarming, in that this is drastically changing our ecosystem and those around us. The ani-mals need people to leave nature be and for us try to be more gentle with their ecosystem. Many of these animals are found injured on a regular basis. Most commonly in between the months of March and Sept. It is during these months that animals are most active and spend the most time searching for food. This is also the time when many birds and small mammals start nesting, leaving the babies unprotected from people and pets. This is also when more calls are

made to AAWR about injured animals. Accompany that with shrinking space available for the poor creatures, ani-mals are growing more aggressive to each other for terri-tory and nesting space, leading to even more help needed. However, the situation is not hopeless. Peo-ple around the community are helping with AAWR and other organizations by spreading awareness, volunteering, and donating every once and while. As previously stated, the biggest cause of reported animal injuries, are pet attacks. People are always going to want and have pets. What little kid never wanted a dog or cat while growing up? A great way to compromise is to educate people on how to take simple, proactive steps, to keep their animal for

The animals need people to leave

nature be and for us to try to be

more gentle with their ecosystem. Image Source:Wikipedia Author: AnimalPhotos 2002

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To find out more about how to donate, volunteer, report an injury or just find out some interesting facts go to www.austinareawildliferehab.orgor call them at 512-709-6335or email at info@AustinAreaWildlifeRehab.org

being able to harm wild animals. One easy thing to do to keep small animals from getting into your pet’s territory, is to place a thin sheet of metal or plastic-preferably similar to Tupperware- in the ground parallel to your fence line. Make sure to place it very deeply, then cover it in a thin layer of dirt, if done correctly, this should keep out things like armadillos and rabbits from bur-rowing into your back-yard, protecting them from your pets. Another easy thing is to avoid planting nut trees and placing bird feeders in your backyard. These can attract large amounts of birds and squirrels into the “attack zone.” If you want a bird feeder or nut tree, place it your front yard. Also a common solution to unwanted wildlife is to keep a bottle a squirter or a small water pistol. Then squirt the animal with a gentle stream or spray which can startle them into leaving before your pet can find them. You can also use it on your pets to keep them at bay. An additional way to help is, if you find an uninjured chick, cub, or baby animal alone, be absolutely certain its mother is not just off to find food. “Kidnaps” can very easily kill the

baby from shock or malnutrition. Many people find ways to lower the number of indangered by volunteering. There are many places where you can help and get involved by caring for and retreiving hurt animals and educating others on how to pre-vent and help the little creatures themselves. However, state regual-tions do require people earn a license to handle these creatures, so if you choose to help you may have to wait a while before you can come into direct contact with them Of course, these little ways of dealing with the problems won’t solve the picture as a whole. What people really need to do is find a way to balance our ever growing population with nature.

Sources-http://www.austinareawildliferehab.org/-http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/-http://www.austintexas.gov/page/demographic-data-Stephenie Leunenberger from Austin-Area Wildlife Rehabilitation-Non-Profit-http://extension.usu.edu/htm/faq/faq_q=218

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Secret of Dinosaurs:EuparkeriaBy: Brian Gregory

Walking with Monsters, British Broadcasting Corporationhttp://www.ucmp.berkeley.eduhttp://www.reptileevolution.com

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Euparkeria, an early relative of archosaurs, was a small, four-legged insect eater in the early Triassic period. But as small and weak as it was, it gave rise to monsters such as Allosaurus and T-Rex. The secret to the little insect hunter’s success was in its hip and ankles, which allowed it to stand, run and even jump on two legs to catch the pesky bugs easier. This tiny advantage allowed it to flourish and so evolve into large predators, which inevitably began the ever-famous reign of dinosaurs.

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Image source: Nobu Tamura

Animal Liberation Front

Call(998)113-1954

We all know they’re dyingSo get up and do something

It won’t be easy,It will work

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