Animals in photos and videos and biological and animal curiosities

[moinsdewatt]

English researchers train jumping spider

Le Monde May 10, 2018

For researchers at the University of Manchester, a spider "Phidippus regius" nicknamed Kim has practiced leaping on command. She can travel, jumping, up to six times her body size. The objective of English scientists is to understand the mechanism used by the little beast to jump so far in order to then recreate it with a simplified robotic replica. They know indeed that it is capable of using both the force of its muscles and a hydraulic force, but the mechanics linking the two remains unclear.

[moinsdewatt]

Arctic: these reindeer go around in circles

by Yohan Demeure May 11, 2018,

An incredible video filmed in the northwest of Russia and published by a local researcher is breathtaking. We see herds of reindeer going around in circles without stopping, a real endless circular race for which no one has yet found the real reason.



On May 1, 2018, researcher Andrei Golovnev, who is also director of the Museum of Ethnography and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Kunstkamera), posted a surprising video on his Facebook page. The images obtained by a drone at the end of April were filmed on the Kola peninsula, located in the far northwest of Russia.

It is possible to see in these images three herds of reindeer literally circling around at full speed in their enclosure.

................

http://sciencepost.fr/2018/05/arctique- ... -pourquoi/

[moinsdewatt]

Video: A dog saves his friend in a swimming pool

https://www.koreus.com/video/chien-sauv ... scine.html after 18 seconds of advertising

[Janic]

a dog cannot drown given its anatomical constitution with the head in a periscope. Despite everything the help of the other dog shows that the intelligence of this one corresponds to ours and to our "humanist" values, reminding us that we are also animals!

[moinsdewatt]

Elephant Haven: Europe's first elephant sanctuary continues to build in Limousin

The April 24 2018

In the Limousin region of Bussière-Galant, work is in full swing to build the first elephant sanctuary in Europe, Elephant Haven. Imagined by two Belgian animal keepers, Sofie Goetghebeur and Tony Verhulst, the "retirement home" for pachyderms could receive its first residents by the end of 2018.

The elephants will soon have their haven of peace in Europe. A small green paradise where they can rest from their years of captivity spent in circus or zoo. In Limousin, in Bussière-Galant, the first sanctuary for elephants in Europe is indeed emerging on the grounds of an old horse farm spread over 28 hectares.

Two former trainers from the Antwerp zoo in Belgium, Sofie Goetghebeur and Tony Verhulst, are behind the project. The idea was born from their passion for pachyderms but also from an observation. According to their estimates, circuses count no less than 141 elephants in Europe. But this presence is increasingly questioned.
..............

http://www.maxisciences.com/elephant-ha ... 40655.html

[moinsdewatt]

The oldest tree in Europe is a 1.230-year-old Heldreich pine, which scientists have nicknamed Italus. It grows in a national park in the south of Italy. His age was calculated by combining radiocarbon measurements and an analysis of his dark circles.

https://www.futura-sciences.com/planete ... lie-71452/

[moinsdewatt]

The head of a decapitated snake bites a man violently and sends him to the hospital


A Texan thought he had done the hardest by decapitating with his shovel a rattlesnake that was hanging around in his garden, on May 27th. But when he stooped to retrieve the snake's head and get rid of it, it bit him, reports local site KIIITV. And the serpent (or rather its head) gave everything.
..................

http://mashable.france24.com/monde/2018 ... pital-mort

[moinsdewatt]

Indonesia: an orangutan rushes on a bulldozer come to destroy its forest
The English organization International animal rescue published a video showing a great monkey challenging a construction machine in the Indonesian forest.


the 08 / 06 / 2018

David versus Goliath. The British organization "International animal rescue" broadcast Tuesday, June 5 a shocking video showing an orangutan fighting to save its natural habitat.

Perched on a tree trunk uprooted in an Indonesian forest, the great ape rushes towards a bulldozer in an attempt to stop it. Far too uneven, the fight is lost in advance. The video spotted by our colleagues from the Parisian indeed shows the orangutan falling heavily on the ground, not without having tried to grab the shovel of the craft.

On its Facebook account, the organization explains that the primate was trying to find refuge in this devastated forest. "Despite all the obstacles it had to overcome, our team was able to save the orangutan and put it in a safe place," said International animal rescue.

But the organization continues its message in a much more pessimistic tone: "Unfortunately, these scenes tend to become more and more frequent. Deforestation is causing the population of ourangutans to fall and their habitat destroying their starvation."

http://www.rtl.fr/actu/international/vi ... 7793676406



https://www.bfmtv.com/planete/en-indone ... 66335.html

[moinsdewatt]

VIDEO. How can dromedaries eat cacti without getting hurt?

By Anne-Sophie Tassart the 05.06.2018

A dromedary breeder, an American filmed her animals while they were feeding on cacti covered with spines of several centimeters.


..................

https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/animaux ... ser_124655

[moinsdewatt]

A female squirrel gives birth in a cute video!

by Yohan Demeure Sciencespost June 17, 2018



Attending the birth of animals is always fascinating, and some will obviously see the beauty of nature. In spring, the squirrels reproduce and one of these moments was immortalized on video.

http://sciencepost.fr/2018/06/une-femel ... -mignonne/