Prince George's County, Maryland - A big 'thank you' to Vincent and Ekuba MacDonnell-Monahan, who raised money for the homeless animals by selling lemonade. Their parents matched their donation and wrote the check. What fantastic kids, whose Grandma Joan volunteers at the Prince George's County Animal Shelter every Wednesday! Here they are posing with Chief Rodney Taylor, of the Prince George's County Animal Shelter.
Members of the genus, commonly referred to as peacock spiders, belong to the jumping spider family Salticidae. These spiders are extremely tiny – 4 to 6 mm in length, and are most noted for their spectacular courtship display. The magnificent color on the males’ abdomens is from iridescent scales (which reflect light in both the visible and/or UV range), much like those found on moths and butterflies. By contrast, females are cryptically colored. The genus contains around 30 recognized species, all of which – except Maratus furvus from China – are endemic to Australia.
The two new species, scientifically named Maratus jactatus and Maratus sceletus, were found in the Wondul Range National Park, southern Queensland, Australia. Maratus jactatus, nicknamed Sparklemuffin, is a tiny spider: males are barely 4.5 mm long, though females are a bit bigger, up to 5.3 mm long. The species name jactatus means ‘rocking (jolting)’ in Latin, a reference to the very rapid lateral rocking that punctuates the courtship display of males of this species. “Male Maratus jactatus display by tilting the expanded fan to one side or the other, and then moving the extended ipsilateral leg III, mostly behind the fan,” the scientists wrote in a paper published in the journal Peckhamia. “At cycles of 1-3Hz, the extended leg that is positioned behind the fan is first lowered over 0.2-0.4 s, then rapidly raised (or returned to its position behind the fan) to trigger a very rapid jolting or rocking movement of the whole body that lasts for only 20-30 msec. This rocking involves rapid ipsilateral (in the direction of the extended leg and tilted fan) rotation, followed by a return to the original position.” Nicknamed Skeletorus, Maratus sceletus resembles other members of the genus in their general pattern, but has little colouration and is mostly black and white. “The species group name (sceletus, noun, Latin) means skeleton, a reference to the bold, skeleton-like appearance of the male spider,” Dr Otto and Dr Hill wrote in the paper. Males are 3.7 to 4.2 mm in body length, while females are 5.0 to 5.3 mm. “Male Maratus sceletus generally approach the female from the opposite sideof a stem or blade of grass. If the female is on top, the male approaches from below, in a hanging position,” the scientists wrote. “If the female is positioned belly-up beneath a stem, the male approaches from above. The fan dance of the male rapidly alternates from one side of a stem to the opposite side. Positions may be switched 10 times in a 20 s interval, with only 1 s or less of display in a single position.” “The fan is prominently elevated and often waggled from side to side during this display, but the greatest and most rapid movement is that of the extended spinnerets, separately twitched from side to side. During display, the pedipalps are often moved up and down in front of the clypeus and chelicerae. One leg III is elevated but also flexed, displaying a prominent black stripe with little significant movement.”
Looking to gain some veterinary experience while traveling abroad and helping animals in need? Then this is the opportunity for you! Join World Vets for our International Veterinary Medicine program in Granada, Nicaragua this summer. This is our student program that offers an exciting opportunity for pre-vet students, technician students or those planning for a career in veterinary medicine. Openings available in June and July 2015. Spots are filling fast! If you are veterinarian or LVT/RVT, we are also looking for a few volunteers to help out on the program too. Please share with anyone who may be interested!
A Florida firefighter has taken in a kitten she rescued from inside a home’s walls, and it is not the first time she has taken home a pet she saved. Tara Holcomb, 30, a seven-year veteran of the Mount Dora Fire Department, responded to a call March 30 from homeowners who thought there was a cat in their home’s chimney. “We got there and the homeowners had tried to get the cat out because they heard it crying but couldn’t find it,” Holcomb told ABC News. “They had cut a little inspection hole in the wall of an upstairs bedroom next to the chimney and used a flashlight to look in but couldn’t see anything.” Holcomb says she could not see anything inside the hole either so she stuck her hand in and originally thought she had found something much worse: a rat. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh,’” Holcomb recalled. Instead, Holcomb had found the newborn kitten that had fallen into a void space in the wall. “I pulled it out and it was just a tiny kitten that didn’t have its eyes open or anything,” she said. How the kitten got into the home’s structure remains a mystery because the homeowners do not have any pets. “We’re not positive, of course, but we’re thinking the mom was in the attic and the baby was in between the drywall and just couldn’t get out,” said Holcomb, who said she and her colleagues searched and found no evidence of more kittens or the mom cat in the home's attic or walls. Holcomb says animal control officers instructed the homeowners to put the cat on their back porch – with a heating pad and some milk – to see if its mother would return. When the mother did not return, the homeowners, who are allergic to cats, searched for a home for the kitten. “Originally they thought they found a home with a friend but as I was leaving work the next day, they called and told me it fell through and asked if I would want the cat,” said Holcomb. “I said, ‘Yes,’ and turned around and got him.” Holcomb, appropriately, named the kitten, a boy, Wall-E. Wall-E is now being taken care of by Holcomb along with another cat the firefighter rescued nearly two years ago. “We had a cat that was stuck in a tree and when we were trying to get it out it fell and was limping,” Holcomb said. “I took that one home and adopted it.” “So they’re all laughing at me that whenever we go on a pet rescue you’re going to adopt it,” Holcomb said of her fellow firefighters.
Life in the Dog House’s Chris and Mariesa give some recipes from Mr. Mo’s Cookbook. This is a special cookbook where not only are there many healthy options for your furry family members, but with each one sold, the proceeds goes to helping out senior dogs. All of the delicious doggy treats in the cookbook were gathered from fellow dog lovers via Facebook. People were encouraged to submit a recipe along with a photo of their dog. Many entries were received, and even though they all sounded great, they had to narrow things down until a useful cookbook was born. The recipes had to also be relative simple to do. They had to consist of things that most people already have in their kitchen or pantry. This way you can make something tasty and healthy, without a ton of extra shopping necessary. Some of the recipes look and sound so good, some of them might be tasty to us humans, as well as our dogs! It would also seem that dogs are actually very handy to have around in the kitchen. They are always ready, willing and able to assist with cleaning up. Especially if when you cleaning up, you mean eating any leftovers or scraps of food you didn’t use! If you’d like to get your hands on a copy of the cookbook, and help keep some senior dogs out of shelters, you can go to www.blurb.com and searching for the Mr. Mo Cookbook, or you can click HERE.
Fort Pierce, Florida- A man said he captured a remarkable wildlife encounter Monday: a bobcat emerging from the surf near Sebastian Inlet with a shark in its jaws. But the photo that made the evening news before spiraling onto the Internet inevitably raised questions over its authenticity. “I can appreciate that,” said John Bailey, a Fort Pierce sales rep who said he initially thought he’d walked up on a dog in the surf as he was strolling down the beach between 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. Monday. Bailey said he watched the bobcat wade through the water, then pounce and stride out of the water with the shark in its mouth. Using his iPhone, he said he was able to snap one quick picture before the bobcat dropped the shark and took off for nearby brush. The entire encounter lasted just seconds, he said. Florida wildlife officials who looked at the picture said they had no reason to suspect it was fake. But in several Internet postings, people asked: Real or Photoshop? And long shadows also raise questions. Bailey, in a phone interview with the Miami Herald, said he couldn’t remember exactly where he was in Sebastian Inlet State Park, an area just north of Vero Beach with a long ocean-side sandy beach. The angle of the strong shadows suggest that for the picture to have been shot in the evening at sunset, the bobcat would have to have been on the western, Indian River side of the park. But that inland area has only a few patches of sandy beach along the inlet and the river. Bailey said he couldn’t recall if he was walking north or south, just that the beach was on his left. “Had I realized I was going to stumble onto something like that, I probably would have been aware of my surroundings,’’ he said. Bailey said he had gone to the beach “just to clear my head.” Bobcats, the closest relative of the Florida panther but far smaller and with a namesake bobbed tail, have been spotted near area beaches in the past. But the normally shy felines typically move about at night and are notoriously elusive. They don’t fear water, unlike some wild cats, and have been known to take a dip in search of food. They typically eat small mammals like rats and rabbits, but wildlife biologist Robert King said increasing development in the area may have driven out prey, forcing the cats to expand their menu. “Would they go into the surf and pull out a shark? Darn right they would,” said King, who studied bobcats in the Everglades in the 1980s. “Unless it’s been photo-shopped, I believe it.” Bailey said he never imagined the shot would turn into Internet fodder. “It’s kind of been a shock,” he said. “I didn’t think it was that rare, but I guess it is.”
Washington, DC - $15,000 REWARD: On March 15, a young cat was found on the 1400 Block of G St, NE with an eye injury. Upon treatment it became apparent that a BB gun pellet was lodged in his eye. Based on the condition of the eye upon treatment, it is suspected that the cat was shot not much earlier before he was found. Thanks to our friends at Alley Cat Allies and a generous anonymous donor, the reward for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for this horrific act of animal cruelty has tripled and is now $15,000. WHS is seeking the help of the community for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this horrific act of animal cruelty. The Washington Humane Society, Alley Cat Allies and a generous anonymous donor are offering a $15,000 reward that will be given to any person who provides such information. If you have any information about this case, please contact the Washington Humane Society Humane Law Enforcement Department: Officer D’Eramo dderamo@washhumane.org (202) 723-5730 Information will be kept confidential upon request.
Rockville, Maryland - The Montgomery County Humane Society, in partnership with the City of Gaithersburg, is gearing up for the 17th Annual Paws in the Park Dog Walk & Festival, one of the largest dog walks in the DC area. As a signature event of the Montgomery County Humane Society, it raises funds to help rescue, care for and adopt out homeless animals from several overcrowded shelters in the region.
Paws in the Park will take place on Sunday, April 26, from noon to 4:00 p.m. at Bohrer Park at Summit Hall Farm, 506 S. Frederick Ave. , Gaithersburg , MD , next to Gaithersburg High School. The fun-filled afternoon includes a 1-mile dog walk, pet contests and games, demonstrations, children’s activities, a pet-oriented market featuring dozens of vendors, food, music and more.
Several new activities are being added to this year’s event, including:
Dog Kisses Kissing Booth
Pet & Owner Look-alike Contest
Best Wag Contest
Best Dressed Dog Contest
Photos with Your Dog
New games for kids in the new Kids’ Activities Area
Advance registration is $20 for individuals or $45 for families in advance (up to 5 p.m. on April 25). Admission at the door is $25 for individuals and $55 for families. Dogs attend for free.
Registered attendees can also help MCHS by encouraging their friends and family to contribute through online fundraising.
To register, visit our online registration site:Register
Paws in the Park supports the Montgomery County Humane Society’s work to rescue, care for and adopt homeless animals that it pulls from overcrowded public shelters, as well a host of animal enrichment, humane education and community outreach programs to help the community care for pets and keep them in their homes and out of shelters. Programs also include medical care, spay/neuter, and other initiatives.
About the Montgomery County Humane Society: The Montgomery County Humane Society in Rockville , MD , is an independent, non-profit animal welfare organization that has provided animal welfare services for residents of Montgomery County since 1958. It operates a private rescue for cats and dogs, located at 601 S. Stonestreet Ave. in Rockville , in which homeless animals are housed, provided medical, preventive treatments, and enrichment activities, and adopted into permanent loving homes. Other programs include post-adoption assistance, humane education for all ages and community outreach. MCHS is funded 100% with program revenues and private donations. Visit our website to learn more, or call 240-252-2555. Hours are 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. every day except holidays.
About the City of Gaithersburg : Located in the heart of Montgomery County , Gaithersburg became an incorporated City in 1878. With a population of just over 60,000, it is now one of the largest cities in Maryland . Gaithersburg is an international center of biotechnology, and it boasts award winning schools, neighborhoods and commercial developments. Its respect for its heritage, demonstrated by the revitalization efforts in the Olde Towne residential and commercial district, coupled with thoughtful planning for new communities, and a commitment to cultural, recreational and leisure time activities, makes Gaithersburg the ideal place to live, work, learn, and play. For more information, please visit their website.
Prince George's County, Maryland - A big 'thank you' to Vincent and Ekuba MacDonnell-Monahan, who raised money for the homeless animals by selling lemonade. 
