The study claims the turtles themselves were estimated to weigh 2,500 pounds, which is almost 100 times the weight of its closing living relative. About five to ten million years ago, giant turtles lived in freshwater swamps in South America. Researchers recently found shells of the extinct turtles called Stupendemys. The massive shells reach nearly 10 feet in length. The study claims the turtles themselves were estimated to weigh 2,500 pounds, which is almost 100 times the weight of its closing living relative, the big-headed Amazon river turtle. To read more on this story, click here:Researchers Discover Biggest Turtle That Ever Lived Had 10 Foot Shell, Horns
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I guess I was lucky. I never had this problem. My dogs where shih tzu, and shed very little. My brother’s cat…now that’s a different story! The cat had his own chair…and you knew not to sit in it. I used to tease my brother and ask if he had two cats! He tried everything and finally got a hand vacuum cleaner that seemed to work for him. When we think of pets that shed hair, we think of dogs and cats. Dogs: Shedding is a natural process for a dog. Shedding allows a new coat to come in, however, it can be different amongst different breeds of dogs, some with a longer coat may shed more often, while some with a shorter coat may shed little. The point of shedding is to get rid of the current fur coat and allow a new one to grow in its place. It is important that dogs shed because it keeps the hair healthy, when a new coat comes through it is getting rid of the old coat which usually contains dirt and is generally quite unhealthy. Cats: This is a normal event in the life of a cat and it is largely influenced by daylight. There is a word for this phenomenon: photoperiod. The number of hours a cat is exposed to sunlight in a day (photoperiod) triggers the shedding process. It is more noticeable in outdoor cats in the spring and fall. Did you know that Chinchillas, Rabbits and Horses shed? Chinchillas - All chinchillas shed year-round, with increased fur loss during spring and summers. Shedding hair tends to drop off chinchillas with thinner coats, so they only require infrequent combing. Rabbits - Rabbits shed every 3 months. Every alternate time they'll have a light shedding that may not be very noticeable. Next they'll have a heavy shedding that you will not be able to escape. Bald spots on rabbits are quite common when they are shedding. Horses - Just like dogs and other animals, horses shed because of temperature change. Horses shed so that their body feels comfortable during the hot months. Tips to get hair off of furniture:
Pet hair clings to furnishing because of static electricity, so you want to break the static bond.
Good Housekeeping says a handy tool to get hair off upholstered furniture: rubber gloves. Put on a clean pair, dampen, and run your hands over cushions (for silk, use dry gloves).
Heloise says, We love our messy and oh-so hairy pets. They seem to leave hair everywhere, mainly on our furniture. You can prevent much of this by brushing/combing and washing pets regularly. However, if you see hairy remains on your couch or chairs, here are several ways to remove it. Wipe a lightly dampened clean sponge over it to lift off. You also can swipe the rubber bottom (sole) of a tennis sneaker to lift up hair or roll a couple of lengths of tape around your hand (sticky side out) to pick up small amounts of hair.
Here is a trick that I heard of, but have never tried. Lightly spray water on the furniture to break the static cling, then vacuum. Not too much, you don’t want to soak your vacuum cleaner bag.
Use a damp sponge and the hair pulls right off. You have to make sure it is not really wet.
If it's not an extreme amount... I've used tape...real good sticky tape... wrap it around your hand with the sticky side "out"...and start patting the furniture.... tape picks up the animal hair! Might have to use this a few times to get it all... Also a good "fun" way to get the kids to help!
Vacuum, vacuum vacuum - at least 2 times a day.
All shedding problems can be helped by regular grooming. If you think your animal is shedding excessively, take him or her to the vet. It can be a symptom of some underlying health problem, such as a thyroid imbalance.
The Mayor of Denver has vetoed a vote to repeal the city's long-standing pit bull ban. Mayor Michael Hancock said on Friday in a letter to City Council that after hearing from thousands of residents on the issue and carefully considering the matter, he could not "in good conscience support this legislation." The Denver City Council on Monday voted to amend a code that banned pit bulls entirely from the Colorado capital. The amendment passed 7-4. The ban has been in place for some 30 years. Hancock said he spoke to experts in veterinary care and animal control to get a better understanding of what the change could have meant for the city. "At the end of the day, I must ask whether passage of this ordinance would make our homes and neighborhoods safer or pose an increased risk to public safety? I have concluded that it would pose an increased risk," his letter read. To read more on this story, click here:Pit Bull Ban in Denver Remains After Mayor Vetoes Vote to Repeal
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BEIJING (AP) — China cracked down on the sale of exotic species after an outbreak of a new virus in 2002 was linked to markets selling live animals. The germ turned out to be a coronavirus that caused SARS. The ban was later lifted, and the animals reappeared. Now another coronavirus is spreading through China, so far killing 1,380 people and sickening more than 64,000 — eight times the number sickened by SARS. The suspected origin? The same type of market. With more than 60 million people under lockdown in more than a dozen Chinese cities, the new outbreak is prompting calls to permanently ban the sale of wildlife, which many say is being fueled by a limited group of wealthy people who consider the animals delicacies. The spreading illness also serves as a grim reminder that how animals are handled anywhere can endanger people everywhere. To read more on this story, click here:Virus Renews Safety Concerns About Slaughtering Wild Animals
It is one of Canada’s stealthiest predators, so spotting a single lynx is rare enough for travelers in the country’s hinterland. But a driver in the western province of Manitoba recently managed to capture on video an entire family of the wild cats as they crossed the road. Shaun Kirchmann was travelling along Highway 6 from Grand Rapids to Winnipeg, when a silhouette close to the tree line caught his eye. The Manitoba Hydro employee pulled over to the side of the road, hopeful the shape he had spotted would move closer into view. Moose and deer are common sights along much of the country’s highway systems, and wolves and coyotes can occasionally be seen too. But Kirchmann was shocked as a mother lynx and her five kittens emerged from the trees, cautiously padding through the snow towards the highway. “It was one, two, three … I just kept seeing heads poke out of the bushes and I was just stunned. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s a family of lynx.’ But I’d never heard of this many lynx being together,” Kirchmann told CBC News. The wild cats, known for their distinctive black-tipped ears, spend much of their life hidden in thick forest, and are rarely seen in groups, making Kirchmann’s sighting all the more special. Manitoba Hydro shared Kirchmann’s video on Facebook, racking up more than 5,600 views. “Caution: cat crossing. Our employee Shaun Kirchmann filmed this lynx litter on the highway to Grand Rapids after he saw a bunch of little heads peeking from the trees,” said the company. Canadian lynx, which are larger than bobcats, have a large range throughout the country. Their diet consists mainly of snowshoe hare, which has white fur in the winter and brown during the spring and summer. Population numbers remain healthy for the lynx in Canada, but it is considered a threatened species much of the United States, the result of excessive trapping and timber harvest.
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LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — A Florida city shut down a section of a lake Thursday after receiving reports of swarming snakes. Turns out, the slithery creatures were just celebrating Valentine's Day a little early. The Lakeland Parks & Recreation department wrote on its Facebook page that a group of non-venomous water snakes congregated to mate near a traffic roundabout. It included one photo of the lake shoreline, and a closeup shot of a brown snake nestled in leaves. To read more on this story, click here:Mating Snakes Prompt Closure of Part of Florida Park
WHAT HUMAN FOOD CAN CATS EAT, AND WHAT NOT TO FEED CATS Thinking about giving your kitty some of the extras off your plate? Make sure you know what foods are okay for your cat, and which aren’t. With help from CityLeash & Pet360, we’ve compiled this list of foods that are and aren’t okay to feed your cat. Remember, each cat is different and may need different food or diet requirements, so you should contact your veterinarian before changing their diet. WHAT CAN CATS EAT? PROTEINS THAT ARE SAFE FOR CATS Cats are obligate carnivores, which means that they need meat to live. Meat is a great source of protein for your cat. However, too much fat can give your cat a stomachache, so make sure to trim off any excess fatty portions beforehand and to cook all meat thoroughly before you feed it to your cat*. To read more on this story, click here:Human Food For Cats: A Basic Guide
Some basic skills of an office employee include the ability to organize office supplies, answer phones, and work a computer – office kittens Debit and Credit have all of those skills – almost. ‘Hired’ by the finance/IT department of a transportation company in Ohio, the rescue kittens were employed not for their natural ability to play with boxes but to boost office morale. The adorable brother and sister have managed not only to delight their office but the entire internet. Introduced on Reddit by one of their fellow employees, the sweet kitties were caught on camera hiding under and wrestling with an empty box lid. Understandably people wanted to see more of their hijinx. Debit and Credit now have their own Instagram account with 6.2k followers. To read more on this story, click here:Company Adopts 2 Office Kittens, Debit And Credit, To Boost Employee Morale, Succeeds Perfectly (21 Pics)
“Never Declaw a Cat. It’s an Amputation, Not a Manicure.” (TMU) — Classic rock icon Ozzy Osbourne is featured in a new PETA advertisement urging people to not declaw their cats and suggesting that the procedure is like a partial amputation. In the advertisement, Ozzy is depicted with his fingers cut off along with a tagline that reads, “Never Declaw a Cat. It’s an Amputation, Not a Manicure.” To read more on this story, click here:Ozzy Osbourne Appears in New Ad to Discourage Cat Declawing
Dogs are a life-long commitment, plain and simple. Currently, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are launching an investigation following an incident where their defensive tackle, Rakeem Nunez-Roches’ dog was picked up on the side of a busy Florida road. Nunez-Roches, who had been known to breed Pit Bull breed dogs, was alleged to have abandoned the Cane Corso. The poor dog was discovered sitting alone on the road for 36 hours – exhausted and starving. Several people attempted to coax the scared dog into their vehicles but ultimately were unsuccessful. Marianna Montague, a volunteer with Cane Corso Rescue, was finally managed to get the dog and bring her to the Hillsborough County Animal Services, where she was scanned for a chip. That is when they found out that she belonged to Nunez-Roches.
3D-printed titanium limbs helped a frostbitten feline get back on her feet. A female cat in Russia that lost all four of her paws to frostbite can walk, run and even climb stairs again, thanks to the veterinarians who replaced her missing limbs with 3D-printed prosthetics made from titanium. The hardy gray feline, named Dymka ("mist" in Russian), is about 4 years old. A passing driver found her in December 2018 in the snow in Novokuznetsk in Siberia and brought her to a clinic in Novosibirsk, according to Russian news site Komsomolskaya Pravda. Dymka was suffering from frostbite of her paws, ears and tail — so much so that veterinarian Sergei Gorshkov had to amputate those damaged extremities, The Moscow Times reported. To read more on this story, click here:Cat With 4 Frostbitten Paws Gets New Feet Made Of Titanium
When Gracie was just a newborn puppy, her – insert profanity here – owners threw her away like garbage. And as a result, when she was rescued, the poor thing was covered in maggots. She was also missing the hair below her eyes. Her rescuers also realized that she was missing her front legs as a result of a birth defect. No one could tell what hardships she’d faced in her young life, but they knew that Gracie was in for a tough fight. Gracie was eventually adopted by the Turley family – a family who happen to run a shelter of their own. The family already had a paralyzed dog and a 3-legged Chihuahua, so sweet little Gracie seemed to be a perfect fit for the family. However, the Turley family worried about Gracie’s mobility since she was a growing puppy and wouldn’t yet be eligible for a wheelchair fitting. To read more on this story, click here:12-Year-Old Boy Builds Dumped Disabled Puppy A Lego Wheelchair
Australian Army soldiers are becoming professional koala cuddlers in their downtime and it’s adorable This season’s bushfires in Australia have produced countless heartbreaking stories and images, as the continent has been fighting the flames for weeks and losing millions of their native wild animals in the process. Koalas have been hit particularly hard with thousands dying and many being brought to wildlife rehab centers to recover from injuries sustained in the fires. The Australian Army is stepping in to help by using their days off to help snuggle the animals and it’s exactly as heartwarming as you’d think. #OurPeople from 16th Regiment Emergency Support Force have used their rest periods to lend a helping hand at the Cleland Wildlife Park, supporting our furry friends during feeding time and by building climbing mounts inside the park,” reads a caption from a post on the Australian Army Facebook page. To read more on this story, click here:Australian Army Soldiers Are Cuddling Bushfire-Injured Koalas On Their Days Off
Scores of koalas have been found dead at a timber plantation in Australia after loggers allegedly bulldozed the area. Animal welfare charity Animals Australia said the animals had taken refuge in a bluegum plantation in Portland, Victoria after losing their habitats to the recent bushfires. Pictures circulating on social media over the weekend showed dozens of dead koalas lying on the ground at the site. To read more on this story, click here:Dozens of Koalas Found Dead or Injured at a Timber Plantation in Australia
