A custom-made contraption has catapulted the Oregon Zoo’s cheetahs toward a new level of fitness. Dubbed the cheetahpult
, it’s an 2.4 metre wooden device that flings a ball far enough for a cheetah — the fastest land animal on earth — to chase. After more conventional ball launchers fell short, the cheetahpult was designed and built by staff members with the zoo’s speediest residents in mind — via Youtube
A one-week-old rhino calf born at Chester Zoo has ventured outside to play for the first time. The little youngster spent around an hour running around and rolling in sand before returning to mum’s side and heading off for a much-deserved nap — via Youtube
The biggest Bush Dog litter ever born at Chester Zoo has emerged from its den.
The six pups, born to mother Mana, age 7, and dad Franco, age 4, have made their public debuts after spending their first few weeks of life tucked away in their underground burrows — via Youtube
These 7-week-old Cheetahs were born 6 January at San Diego Zoo Global’s off-site Cheetah Breeding Centre to an inexperienced mum named Malana. In an effort to care for her cubs, Malana inadvertently caused minor injuries to them. After being with their mother for five weeks, the cubs were taken to the Animal Care Centre to be monitored for medical issues. Keepers will keep close watch over them, feeding them a special diet of soft carnivore food and formula, and weighing them to monitor their health. After they turn 12 weeks old and receive their three-month immunisation, they will be returned to their home at the Cheetah Breeding Centre — via Youtube
Zookeepers have revealed the name of a rare baby rhino born last month.
Meet Akeno, the greater one horned rhino calf — only the second of his kind to ever be born at the zoo.
The name Akeno is of Asian origin, meaning beautiful sunrise
. And since his birth, he’s definitely been giving his mum the run-around.
Greater one horned rhinos can weigh up to 2.4 tonnes but, despite their bulky size, they can run at speeds of up to 40 kph.
And although at just one-month-old Akeno has a lot of growing to do, keepers say he has bundles of energy and is proving a real handful for mum, Asha — via Youtube
An abandoned Cheetah cub is being hand reared by her keeper at Longleat. The female cub has been nicknamed Xena
, after the warrior princess, which also marks her battling qualities. Xena spent her first ten days being cared for by her mum, Wilma. However, keepers discovered the tiny cub was cold, weak and alone on 19 April. Despite numerous unsuccessful attempts to get mother and baby back together, the decision was taken by keepers to remove the cub and rear her by hand — via Youtube
Cotswold Wildlife Park is now home to three new Wolverine kits. After spending approximately nine weeks hidden away in their underground den, the triplets are beginning to venture out and explore their new woodland enclosure under the watchful eye of parents, Sarka and Sharapova — via Zoo Borns
The CEO of Second Edition Book Shop in Davie is a cat. He’s called (The Great) Catsby and has more than 33,000 followers on Instagram. Danielle Whatley opened her first shop in 2003, and moved to the current location in 2013 — via Youtube
Two rare Scottish Wildcats, born at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Edinburgh Zoo, may help provide a lifeline for the iconic species.
The kittens will join a conservation breeding programme, which it is hoped will save the species from extinction in the wild through future reintroductions — via Zoo Borns
Super-bendy ferrets love to lay cables and wires where humans can’t reach — via Youtube
ZooTampa at Lowry Park visitors may now be able to see a litter of new Red Wolf puppies, which are the most critically endangered Wolf species in the world. Born in late April, in a natural den dug by their mother, Yona, the pups are living much as they would in the wild — via Zoo Borns
A rare Greater One-horned Rhino calf was born 3 May at Chester Zoo. After 16 months gestation and a 20-minute labor, the male calf arrived to mum, Asha (11-years old), and dad, Beni (13) — via Youtube
— via Youtube
On Tuesday, 17 April, Taronga Wildlife Hospital staff released five healthy Little Penguins into the ocean after nursing them back to health in Sydney, Australia. The birds arrived at Taronga from nearby beaches over the past two months. Injuries included dehydration, a fishing hook injury and a broken foot — via Youtube
Capron Park Zoo, in Attleboro, MA, excitedly announced the birth of three Fennec Fox kits. Two females and one male were born on 7 March to five-year-old mum, Hannah, and two-year-old dad, Taz. According to Zoo staff, this the second litter for the parents — via ZooBorns
These 7-week-old Cheetahs were born 6 January at San Diego Zoo Global’s off-site Cheetah Breeding Centre to an inexperienced mum named Malana. In an effort to care for her cubs, Malana inadvertently caused minor injuries to them. After being with their mother for five weeks, the cubs were taken to the Animal Care Centre to be monitored for medical issues. Keepers will keep close watch over them, feeding them a special diet of soft carnivore food and formula, and weighing them to monitor their health. After they turn 12 weeks old and receive their three-month immunization, they will be returned to their home at the Cheetah Breeding Centre — via Youtube
Golden penda tree (Xanthostemon chrysanthus) and Golden penda tree (Xanthostemon chrysanthus) originally uploaded by Red Wolf
Frangipani (Plumeria), Nerium oleander and Bi colour rose originally uploaded by Red Wolf
For the microscopic lab worm C elegans, life equates to just a few short weeks on Earth. The bowhead whale, on the other hand, can live over two hundred years. Why are these lifespans so different? And what does it really mean to age
anyway? Joao Pedro de Magalhaes explains why the pace of ageing varies greatly across animals.
Lesson by Joao Pedro de Magalhaes, animation by Sharon Colman — via Youtube
The chief feature of any BEEcosystem hive is that it gives a literal window into the bee colony it houses. The hexagon-shaped module is framed in cedar and fronted with a pane of glass. Side vents can be opened and closed to connect multiple modules or to keep the bees contained if you need to move the hive.
How do the bees get inside your house? The hive can be connected to a tube that runs to a small window unit—sort of like a miniature version of vent tube for a portable air conditioner. The window unit has the added benefit of providing bees with an ideal platform for take-off and landing. The tube has a safety mechanism that instantly snaps closed if it’s ever disconnected.
BEEcosystems start at $599 for a one-hex hive — via Curbed
Lakenfelder, Ayrshire, Alpacas and Lute originally uploaded by Red Wolf
Chinese Goose, Öland Geese, Öland Goose, Frizzle, Frizzle and Crested originally uploaded by Red Wolf
Japanese Silkie, Brabanter, Dutch Bantam, Japanese Silkie, Mallard and Embden Goose originally uploaded by Red Wolf
Agave, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Dutch Bantam, Ancona, Plymouth Rock and Golden Laced Wyandotte originally uploaded by Red Wolf
Random Dinosaur originally uploaded by Red Wolf
Worryingly described by entomologists and arachnologists as a not uncommon
occurrence in certain parts of the globe, spider rain can see anywhere from a few thousand to several million spiders tumble from the sky in a given area, seemingly out of nowhere — via Youtube
The true story of a rescued greyhound who becomes a healer to others — via Youtube
— via Youtube
Taronga Zoo is celebrating the breeding success of more than twenty Feathertail Gliders, one of the smallest mammals in the world.
Twelve different female adult Feathertail Glider’s fell pregnant at a similar time with the joeys, and the mothers now communally care for one another’s young — via ZooBorns
Mini Me hat originally uploaded by Red Wolf
This question vexed Darwin — and now we have a fascinating answer — via Youtube
Church cats originally uploaded by Red Wolf
If you’ve ever wondered why your cats put everything under the stove, now is your chance to find out. Don’t look under it yourself or this might happen to you — via Youtube
Seven endangered African painted dog pups have made their first public appearances at Chester Zoo — via Youtube
BBC News reporter Alex Dunlop found himself mobbed by lemurs while trying to report on an animal count at Banham Zoo in Norfolk — via Youtube
A rusty spotted cat, the world’s smallest cat, explores his forest home in Sri Lanka, but his natural curiosity is destined to get him into a spot of trouble — via Youtube
For the first time in Saint Louis Zoo history, a cheetah has given birth to eight cheetah cubs. The cubs, three males and five females, were born at the Saint Louis Zoo River’s Edge Cheetah Breeding Centre on 26 November, 2017. Mother and cubs are doing well and will remain in their private, indoor maternity den behind the scenes at River’s Edge for the next several months — via Youtube
In cooperation with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the Feline Conservation Centre, Oakland Zoo has taken in two orphaned Mountain Lion cubs. The cubs were found separately in Orange County, two weeks apart from each other. Due to their ages and geographic proximity to each other when rescued, Oakland Zoo veterinarians will conduct DNA testing to determine if they are, in fact, siblings — via ZooBorns
Two Critically Endangered Malayan Tiger cubs at the Prague Zoo are beginning to show their personalities. The cubs — one male and one female — were born on 3 October and only recently came out of the den with their mother, Banya. The animal care team chose the name Bulan for the male and Wanita for the female — via ZooBorns
Church cats originally uploaded by Red Wolf
The calf was born at Franklin Park Zoo at 3.06pm on 1 January 1 to Milton, a 28-year-old male, and Abby, a 13-year-old female. This is the fourth offspring for Milton and Abby. Given the small size of the North American captive population, this is a very important birth for this endangered species — via Youtube
The Houston Zoo’s four-month-old Jaguar cubs recently made their public debut. Fitz and his sister, Emma, were born to first-time parents Maya and Tesoro on 20 July. The cubs have been behind-the-scenes with mum the past few months — via ZooBorns
19 Numbats born at Perth Zoo will be released into the wild at Mt Gibson — via Youtube
Already replete with sharks, crocodiles, snakes and poisonous jellyfish galore, Australia may also be home to arsonist birds that spread fire so they can feed on animals as they flee.
The belief that birds like the Whistling Kite, Black Kite and Brown Falcon spread grass fires goes back so far that it’s commemorated in indigenous ceremonial dances, according to Bob Gosford, a co-author of this paper in the Journal of Enthnobiology.
The paper posits that the behaviour isn’t accidental: Most accounts and traditions unequivocally indicate intentionality on the part of three raptor species and a handful provide evidence of cooperative fire-spreading by select individuals from within larger fire-foraging raptor assemblages
, it notes.
And while the researchers’ main interest was to confirm and document those stories, Gosford told Vulture South the research is also important to understanding how fire spreads in Australia.
This may give us cause to re-examine fire history, and the conduct of fire in this country,
Gosford said — via The Register
— via Youtube
Louella recently rescued not one but two adult flying-foxes out of large aperture fruit netting thrown over a lime tree — via Youtube
Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, cooler than a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce, it’s Piper the Aviation Bird Dog, ready for duty. Alongside his handler Brian Edwards, the dynamic duo protects the planes at Cherry Capital Airport from bird strikes. Birds can pose a huge threat to flight safety, but when they see Piper on his way, geese, ducks and gulls flee the runways. It’s an important job, but not one without its share of fun — via Youtube
Two adorable faces have joined Monarto Zoo’s Spotted Hyena clan. Twins were born on 13 September to first-time parents Thandi and Piltengi — via Youtube
This year, Cats Protection‘s Christmas animation is a festive tale with a difference: it takes inspiration from a real life story. Get the tissues out and watch Kozal’s rags to riches story… — via Youtube
