and pig-deer may be the oldest ever found or at the very least comparable in age to cave art in Europe.
This painting of fruit-eating pig-deer known as a babirusa was discovered in an Indonesian cave and dates back around 35400 years ago.
But the pig-deers miniature buffalos and other creatures depicted by prehistoric artists in Indonesia could change that narrative.
wild animals. But while prehistoric paintings in places such as Chauvet Cave in France depict cave lions horses
and hyenas the animals represented in Sulawesi include fruit-eating pig-deer called babirusas Celebes warty pigs and midget buffalos also known as anoas.
Prehistoric'popcorn'Adam Brumm an archaeologist at Australia's University of Wollongong first noticed small cauliflowerlike knobs on some of the hand stencils
That means this pig-deer could be known the oldest figurative work of art in the world older than the beasts that line the walls of Chauvet Cave.
Ochre a reddish natural pigment has been found on human remains in burials in Israel dating back to 100000 years ago Smith said and humans left decorated pieces of ochre and ostrich eggshell in caves
and are known best for their collection of saber-toothed cats and mammoths. In the new study researchers used high-resolution micro-computed tomography (CT) scanners to analyze two fossils of leafcutter-bee nests excavated from the pits.
By examining the nest cell architecture and the physical features of the bee pupae (stage of development where the bee transforms into an adult from a larva within the leafy nests
and cross-referencing their data with environmental niche models that predict the geographic distribution of species the scientists determined their Ice age specimens belonged to Megachile gentilis a bee species that still exists today.
Gallery: Dazzling Photos of Dew-Covered Insects Based on what we know about them today and the identification of fossilized leaf fragments we know that their habitat at the Tar pits was at a much lower elevation during the Ice age said Anna Holden an entomologist at the Natural history Museum of Los angeles County (NHM)
and lead author of the new study published today (April 9) in the journal PLOS ONE.
The La Brea Tar Pitswere once a moist woody habitat that may have had also streams or a river she added.
Leafcutter bees Unlike honeybees and other colony-dwelling bees leafcutter bees are solitary. To reproduce females build small cylindrical nest cells made of carefully chosen leaves and sometimes flower petals.
The nests look like mini cigars Holden told Live Science. The bees build these multilayered nest cells in secure locations near the ground such as under the bark of dead trees in stems
or in self-dug burrows or those dug by other insects. In 1970 when scientists first excavated the two nest cells analyzed in the new study the cells together known as LACMRLP 388e were connected with an additional layer of leaves.
LACMRLP 388e was thought initially to be buds and only later after the two cells were separated accidentally did people suspect they might be bees.
When Holden first came across the fossils in NHM she immediately thought they were leafcutter bees
and subsequent X-rays showed they contained pupae one male and one female She decided to try to identify the bees'species. I had read some of the big literature that said leafcutter bees aren't really identifiable by their nest cells Holden said.
But I thought'That just can't be true; there's got to be a way.'
'Holden paired up with leafcutter-bee expert Terry Griswold an entomologist with the U s. Department of agriculture to try to pinpoint characteristics that distinguish between the nest cells of different leafcutter bee species. Piecing the evidence together The researchers
and examined micro-CT scans of the bee nest cells and discovered there are some differences in the way different leafcutter bees make their cells.
However the nest cells of LACMRLP 388e contained the cap as well as an uncommon circular base
and their colleagues concluded that the pupae had to be Megachile gentilis a species that currently lives mostly in the southeastern U s. and northern Mexico.
They found essentially that M. gentilis was far more likely than M. onobrychidis to have lived in the La Brea area 23000 to 40000 years ago (the approximate age of the excavated nest cells.
Understanding climate change Unlike other types of fossilized animals such as mammals and birds insect fossils can provide valuable clues to ancient environments
and climates Holden said. These animals have defined well life cycles and tight climate restrictions and aren't likely to migrate if the climate shifts.
Whenyou find small organisms like insects you know that's where they lived; that was their habitat she said.
The nest cells of LACMRLP 388e were constructed underground (but near the surface) in an area adjacent to the fossil-rich Pit 91.
The bees didn't simply fall into a tar pit; they were placed into the ground purposefully. The researchers believe the mother bee planted her babies near an asphalt pipe
Leaf matter used to construct the nest cells likely came from trees not far from the nest site suggesting the La Brea Tar pits had a nearby forest possibly containing streams or a river.
Further research into insect fossils at the La Brea Tar pits will help scientists gain an even better understanding of the past environment in the region which could provide insight into what the environment will be like in the coming years.
And these plant communities support more than 400 species of birds 53 species of reptiles and 28 species of amphibians.
but the fish traps to transport the fish upriver are antiquated small and. American Rivers is calling for upgrades to fix the dams
and is home to native species such as the<a href=http://www. livescience. com/33926-hungry-tiger-salamander-eats-cockroaches-strange-snapshots. html>tiger salamander</a p><p>San
but a gap in the levee at the New Madrid Floodway allows water to inundate a rich floodplain habitat supporting migratory birds and rare fish.</
or if you experience a rash hives or breathing difficulties you should seek a medical help immediately.
#Wolf Facts: Gray Wolves, Timber Wolves & Red Wolves Wolves are large carnivores the largest member of the dog or Canid family.
Wolves are common to all parts of the Northern hemisphere. They are usually shy and cautious around humans
but unlike the dog have not been domesticated at all. The most common type of wolf is the gray wolf or timber wolf.
Adult grey wolves are 4 to 6. 56 feet (120 to 200centimeters) long and weigh about 40 to 175 pounds (18 to 79 kilograms).
Just like its name the gray wolf typically has thick gray fur although pure white or all black variations exist.
Another common species the red wolf is a bit smaller. They grow to around 4. 5 to 5. 5 feet long (137.16 to 167.64 cm) and weight 50 to 80 pounds (23 to 36 kg) according to the Defenders of Wildlife organization.
The Eastern wolf also known as Great lakes wolf Eastern timber wolf Algonquin wolf or deer wolf has been deemed a distinct species from their western cousins according to a review by U s. Fish and Wildlife Service scientists.
Eastern wolves used to live in the northeastern United states but now remain only in southeastern Canada.
Wolves are found in North America Europe Asia and North africa. They tend to live in the remote wilderness though red wolves prefer to live in swamps coastal prairies and forests.
Many people think wolves only live in colder climates but wolves can live in temperatures that range from minus 70 to 120 degrees F (minus 50 to 48.8 degrees C) according to the San diego Zoo.
Wolves hunt and travel in packs. Packs don't consist of many members though. Usually a pack will have only one male and female and their young.
This usually means about 10 wolves per pack though packs as large as 30 have been recorded.
Packs have a leader known as the alpha male. Each pack guards its territory against intruders
and may even kill other wolves that are not part of their pack. Wolves are nocturnal
and will hunt for food at night and sleep during the day. Young wolves are called pups.
The leader of the pack and his female mate are usually the only ones in a pack that will have offspring.
They mate in late winter. The female has a gestation period of nine weeks and gives birth to a litter consisting of one to 11 pups.
When the pups are born they are cared for by all of the adult wolves in the pack.
Young pups start off drinking milk from their mother but around five to 10 weeks they will start eating food regurgitated from adult pack members.
At six months wolf pups become hunters and at 2 years old they are considered adults.
On average a wolf will live four to eight years in the wild. Wolves are voracious eaters.
They can eat up to 20 pounds (9 kg) of food during one meal. Since they are carnivores their meals consist of meat that they hunted.
Gray wolves usually eat large prey such as moose goats sheep and deer. Normally the pack of wolves will find the weakest
or sickest animal in a herd circle it and kill it together. Wolves are known to attack
and kill domestic animals as well as animals they find in the wild. Red wolves eat smaller prey such as rodents insects and rabbits.
They aren't afraid of going outside their carnivorous diet and will eat berries on occasion too.
Class: Mammalia (Mammals) Order: Carnivora Family: Canidae Genus: Canis Species: C. lupus (gray wolf) C. rufus (red wolf) C. lycaon (Eastern wolf) Though wolves once roamed far and wide they are very scarce today.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural resources lists red wolves as critically endangered.
According to the National parks Conservation Association there are 20 to 80 red wolves currently living in the wild.
The Eastern wolf is listed as a Species of Special Concern under Canada s Species At Risk Act (SARA)
and is protected. Gray wolves are considered not endangered. Packs of wolves don't like to stay in one place.
They are known to travel as far as 12 miles (20 kilometers) per day. Wolves have friends.
Wolves howl to communicate with other members of the pack Researchers have found that they howl more to pack members that they spend the more time with.
There are many names for gray wolves. Besides timber wolf they are called also common wolf tundra wolf Mexican wolf and plains wolf.
To help with the red wolf population wild wolves are given pups that are born in captivity. This is called fostering.
Wolves also communicate by leaving scent marking such as urine or feces on a trail. Wolves are very similar to dogs in behavior.
They love to play chew on bones but will growl or snarl when threatened d
#'Tomato Pill'May Improve Blood vessel Function in Some Patients Taking a daily supplement of lycopene a compound found in tomatoes
and other foods may improve the function of blood vessels in people with cardiovascular disease according to a new study
but experts suggest that it is best to stick with eating real fruits and vegetables for now.
Researchers found that blood-vessel function improved by 53 percent in cardiovascular disease patients who had been taking a 7-milligram lycopene supplement daily for two months compared with their blood-vessel function before they began taking lycopene.
We've shown quite clearly that lycopene improves the function of blood vessels in cardiovascular disease patients Dr. Joseph Cheriyan a consultant clinical pharmacologist
and physician at Addenbrooke's Hospital and associate lecturer at the University of Cambridge said in a statement.
It reinforces the need for a healthy diet in people at risk from heart disease and stroke.
However it is not clear whether improved blood-vessel function may mean a reduced risk of heart disease.
This would need much larger trials to investigate outcomes more carefully Cheriyan said. 7 Ways to Lower Your Risk of Heart disease Previous research has shown that cardiovascular disease is less common in countries where most people follow the so-called Mediterranean diet
which abounds in lycopene-rich tomatoes vegetables and olive oil. Although other studies have suggested a link between lycopene consumption
and represents profound historical knowledge of the workings of Bali s agricultural ecosystem including how to deal with crop pests.
which pests starve and die off. His results showed that the subak system was far more effective than the Green revolution approaches
and enhance their phenolic content as well as extending the life of dragon fruit for up to 28 days.
and other animals in its global supply chain will be treated. The company has a market capitalization of nearly a quarter-trillion dollars
mutilating animals by cutting their tails horns and genitals off without pain relief; and locking egg-laying hens veal calves and mother pigs in tiny cages for their entire lives.
As Superbugs Rise New Studies Point To Factory Farms (Op-Ed) We will work with our suppliers to establish action plans to address these practices
and to help them to improve their performance by applying the overall approach of:''Remove the worst Promote the best Improve the rest'Nestlã said in its new animal welfare policy.
We recognize the vital link between animal welfare and the health of animals raised for food
and firmly believe that robust farm animal health and welfare standards can have both a direct and an indirect impact on food quality and safety.
This change follows more than a decade of food companies announcing policy-after-policy to improve the way their suppliers treat animals.
All forms of restraint the Animal Industry Foundation (now the Animal Agriculture Alliance) has insisted are designed for the welfare of the animal as well as the efficiency of production.
In 2006 the Laywel research project conducted a comprehensive analysis of hen welfare in various housing systems in an effort funded by the European commission and several member countries of the European union.
Their report noted that c onventional cages do not allow hens to fulfill behaviour priorities preferences
The severe spatial restriction also leads to disuse osteoporosis. The study determined that battery cages#the industry's standard confinement system are in fact the only method of housing birds that does't have the potential to provide satisfactory welfare for laying hens.
Science reveals that locking animals in cages barely larger than their own bodies is detrimental to their welfare.
Global animal experts know that something is foul in factory farming whether it's confining animals to such extreme degrees mutilating them without pain relief
or manipulating them to grow unnaturally top-heavy. For a food giant like Nestlã to recognize this
and 100000 insect species. These have been a great source for the discovery of new medicines with at least 120 approved for use.
The importance of the crush is not its direct impact on the market price of ivory (zero) or the safety of wild elephants in Africa tomorrow (negligible;
The especially harsh dzud in 2010 killed 20 percent of the nation's livestock population or 8. 5 million animals.
This productivity was crucial for providing a consistent energy source for horses and livestock to support armies.
#Elephants Use Specific Alarm Calls to Warn of People, Bees African elephants belt out distinct alarm calls to specify which kind of threat is approaching in the wild be it humans or bees a new study shows.
As the largest land animals On earth elephants face relatively few predators in the wild but these threats include people who poach the animals for their ivory and swarms of angry bees
which can inflict painful stings around the eyes and trunks of elephants. A powerful swarm of bees could even kill a thin-skinned calf.
Researchers had discovered already that elephants produce a rumble like a gravelly baritone growl in response to the threat of bees.
What's more elephants will flee when they hear a recording of this rumble even
when there's no sign of bees around according to that 2010 study in PLOS ONE. Elephant Images:
The Biggest Beasts On land The same team of scientists wanted to figure out if elephants had special calls for other types of threats.
In the new study published in the journal PLOS ONE on Feb 26 they tested how elephants reacted to the voices of Samburu tribesmen in northern Kenya.
Compared with a white noise control both the sounds of tribesmen and the sounds of angry bees triggered uneasy and vigilant behavior in the elephants;
the animals started sniffing they lifted their heads up and scanned the landscape and they hightailed it out of the area.
The elephants also started shaking their heads but only in response to the noises of angry bees likely to knock any insects away from their face.
The suggestion of these threats also elicited vocal responses from the elephants known as rumbles. There were slight differences in the formant frequencies of the rumbles in response to bees
and the rumbles associated with humans the researchers said. Unlike differences in pitch differences in formant frequencies produce subtle differences in sound which for example allow humans to distinguish between vowels and the meaning of words.
Humans create those subtle frequency chances by manipulating their mouth and tongue The authors say it's not clear to what extent the subtle differences in elephant alarm calls are the result of intentional sound manipulation or the simple byproducts of different distressed states.
However they write that the parallels between elephant vocal behavior and human linguistic abilities are suggestive.
Follow Megan Gannon on Twitter and Google+.+Follow us@livescience Facebook & Google+.+Original article on Live Science e
#Hamster Facts: Diet, Habits & Types of Hamsters Hamsters are small rodents that are kept commonly as house pets.
They are distinguishable from other rodents due to their short tails stubby legs and small ears.
Hamsters have many different colors including black grey brown white yellow red or a mixture of several colors.
With 24 species of hamsters these animals come in a wide range of sizes. The European breed can grow as large as 13.4 inches (34 centimeters) long
and are some of the biggest varieties of hamsters. The dwarf hamster lives up to its name.
These tiny hamsters grow to around 2 to 4 inches (5. 5 to 10.5 cm) long.
The most common pet hamster the Syrian hamster also known as the teddy bear hamster or golden hamster usually grows to about 6 inches (15.24 cm) long.
The first hamsters were discovered in Syria though they also live in Greece Romania Belgium and northern China.
In the wild they like to live in warm dry areas like steppes sand dunes and the edges of deserts.
Hamsters were brought to the United states in 1936 from Syria according to the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association.
They were some of the first domesticated hamsters. Hamsters are nocturnal according to the ASPCA which means they like sleeping during the day.
In the wild they dig burrows which are a series of tunnels to live and breed in.
Hamsters will also store food in their burrows. Living underground keeps wild hamsters cool in hot climates.
Some hamsters are very social while others are loners. For example the Syrian hamster doesn't like living near other hamsters.
They are very territorial and should never be put in a cage with other hamsters. It will bite the other hamster
and may even kill it. Dwarf hamsters on the other hand are social and like to have a friend nearby.
Wild hamsters will hibernate if the weather gets cold enough. Hamsters will wake up from their hibernation periodically to eat.
If there isn't enough food stored hamsters will wait to hibernate until their surplus is to their liking.
Hamsters like to eat seeds grains nuts cracked corn fruits and vegetables. Wild hamsters also eat insects frogs lizards and other small animals.
A captive hamster's diet should be at least 16 percent protein and 5 percent fat according to Canadian Federation of Humane Societies.
Hamsters'name comes from the German word hamstern #which means hoard.##This is a very apt way to describe how hamsters eat.
They have pouches in their cheeks that they stuff with food. Then they will carry their hoard back to their colony so they can eat it later.
Pet hamsters will often store food under their cage bedding. Male and female hamsters waste no time when mating with one another.
If you put two opposite gender hamsters into a cage together the female will become pregnant very quickly.
Their gestation period lasts 15 to 20 days. After the birth the litter is blind until they are two weeks old
and at 3 to 4 weeks the young are weaned. Females tend to have two to three litters per year.
Hamsters typically live one to two years but can live up to three years in captivity. Golden hamsters are considered vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural resources'Red List.
This breed is found in Syria where agriculture and human development are taking over the hamster's natural habitat.
Generally hamsters are ideal house pets because they are gentle and are easy to take care of.
They will bite when startled or scared though. They will also bite if they are awakened during their sleeping time.
Since they sleep during the day and humans are awake during the day this means that biting is more likely.
Hamsters have very poor eyesight. Their scent glands on their backs secrete an easily identifiable smell.
To find their way around they leave a trail of scent by rubbing their backs against objects.
When a hamster needs to find their way back home they will use this scent trail as a guide.
Hamster's teeth grow continually. Chewing on wood or twigs keeps their teeth short. Without something to chew on their teeth would grow so long they would injure the roof of the mouth and lips.
A mother hamster is very protective. If she fears that her babies are in danger she will put the babies in her mouth pouches
and carry them to safety o
#King penguins'Genes Explain Ancient Island-Hopping King penguins colonized a string of islands north of Antarctica about 15000 years ago after glaciers melted
and the climate warmed according to a new genetic study. The balmier weather gave the penguins two things they needed to thrive:
ice-free pockets of land on which to raise their chicks and food within swimming range for feeding those chicks the study found.
When you have these two conditions these two parameters that are met then the population can just explode said study co-author Emiliano Trucchi an evolutionary biologist at the University of Vienna in Austria.
In Photos: The King penguins of Possession Island Island living King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) are the second-largest penguins in the world
and live on temperate islands that are closest to Antarctica such as South Georgia Tierra del fuego and the Falkland islands.
But the biggest breeding grounds for king penguins are on the Crozet Islands a string of islands in the southern reaches of the Indian ocean.
In the summer the penguins dive for tiny lanternfishes about 250 miles (400 kilometers) from the archipelago returning every three to five days to feed their chicks.
The lanternfishes congregate in an ocean region called the polar front where cold polar water meets the warmer tropical water creating a sharp temperature gradient.
In the winter the penguins venture about 621 miles (1000 km) to the fringes of Antarctica to forage for food though exactly what they eat is said a mystery study co-author CÃ line Le Bohec a polar ecologist at the Centre Scientifique
Penguin-egg swap To understand how the flightless birds first reached the Crozet Islands Le Bohec
and her colleagues snuck onto the edges of the penguins'breeding colonies quietly taking two-to three-week-old chicks from right under their parents'noses
Outside the colony the researchers measured the baby penguins'weights as well as the beaks flippers and feet.
Past studies have shown that the king penguin colonies have adjusted to these human intrusions. Migration history The team analyzed about 65000 snippets of DNA from eight king penguins.
Because the base pairs or letters in DNA mutate at a slow but somewhat predictable rate over time calculating how many of these stretches of DNA contain the same letter sequence can reveal how long ago the population expanded.
The team found that most of the genetic regions were very similar in the penguins indicating that they originated from a very small initial population.
Future bleak The new model underscores conditions the penguins need to thrive which could help researchers predict how penguins will adapt to climate change.
But the future doesn't look so hot for the blubbery birds. Current models predict that unmitigated climate change will push the polar front south taking the penguins'summer staple of lanternfishes farther from the islands.
This will make it hard for the penguins to live on the islands as they need to feed their chicks frequently in the summer
and can only swim so far to do that Le Bohec said. If we don't change our human behavior
I think in 200 years it will be quite nasty for king penguins Le Bohec said. The study was published today (June 10) in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Follow Tia Ghose on Twitter and Google+.
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