The Daily Drift

He's thinking, he's thinking ...!

 

Carolina Naturally is read in 199 countries around the world daily.   

Sea Monkeys ... !

Today is - National Sea Monkey Day

Don't forget to visit our sister blog: It Is What It Is

Some of our reader today have been in:

The Americas

Toronto, Thunder Bay, L'ancienne-Lorette, Joliette, Byward Market, Pikangikum, Lake Louise, Nunalla, Vancouver and Ottawa, Canada

Wyncote, Casper and Manassas, United States

Colegiales and Buenos Aires, Argentina

San Juan, Luquillo, Guaynabo and Ponce, Puerto Rico

Mexico City and Alvaro Obregon, Mexico

Soacha, Bogota and Armenia, Colombia

Guatemala, City, Guatemala

Tipitapa and Managua, Nicaragua

Alta Floerstra, Sao Paulo and Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Europe

Zagreb and Dubrovnik, Croatia

Lisbon, Teixoso, Funchal and Covilha, Portugal

Sarajevo and Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Dresden, Frankfurt Am Main, Stuttgart, Viersen and Berlin, Germany

Treviso, Ivrea, Padova and Genova,  Italy

Rouen and Lyon, France

Espoo and Vantaa, Finland

Merida, Magala, Pontevedra, L'Olleria, Madrid and Barcelona, Spain

Ryazan, Kazan and Rostov-Na-Donu, Russia

Warsaw, Poland

Riga, Latvia

Amsterdam, Netherlands

London and Kent, England

Dublin, Ireland

Ruse, Bulgaria

Kaunas, Lithuania

Reykjavik, Iceland

Asia

Doha, Qatar

Seri Kembangan, Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

Patna, Vishakhaptanam, Delhi, Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Vadodara, Surat and Bangalore, India

Colombo, Kandy and Grampaha, Sri Lanka

Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, Vietnam

Beirut, Lebanon

Jakarta and Cilemngsi, Indonesia

Petah Tikva, Israel

Kathmandu, Nepal

Baghdad, Iraq

Africa 

Stellenbosch and Pretoria, South Africa

Nairobi, Kenya

Shurugwi, Zimbabwe

Tunis, Tunisia

Hassi Messagud, Algeria

The Pacific

Perth, Sydney and Melbourne, Australia

Pasay and Markina, Philippines

Today in History

1770		Marie Antoinette marries future King Louis XVI of France.
1863		At the Battle of Champion's Hill, Union General Ulysess S. Grant repulses the Confederates, driving them into Vicksburg.
1868		President Andrew Johnson is acquitted during Senate impeachment, by one vote, cast by Edmund G. Ross.
1879		The Treaty of Gandamak between Russia and England sets up the Afghan state.
1920		Joan of Arc is canonized in Rome.
1928		The first Academy Awards are held in Hollywood.
1943		A specially trained and equipped Royal Air Force squadron destroys two river dams in Germany.
1951		Chinese Communist Forces launch second step, fifth-phase offensive and gain up to 20 miles of territory.
1960		A Big Four summit in Paris collapses because of the American U-2 spy plane affair.
1963		After 22 Earth orbits, Gordon Cooper returns to Earth, ending the last mission of Project Mercury.

Non Sequitur

Exploring the mysteries of domestication

Exploring the mysteries of domestication

We all think we have a rough idea of what […]

Ski resort bear released in wild returns to Tahoe

In this photo provided by Heavenly Mountain Resort, a bear cub is seen receiving care on Monday, March 3, 2014, at the Heavenly Mountain Ski Resort at Lake Tahoe, Calif. The bear cub apparently became too accustomed to people and is headed for an animal sanctuary or zoo after wildlife officials decided he’s become too domesticated to be returned to the wild.

A bear that apparently became too accustomed to the good life at a ski resort at Lake Tahoe is headed for an animal sanctuary or zoo after wildlife officials decided he's unfortunately become too domesticated to be returned to the wild.
The year-old black bear, dubbed "Heavenly," was captured in March after it settled in next to a ski lift at the Heavenly Mountain Resort at Stateline on the California-Nevada line.
Veterinarians at the Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care Center nursed him back to health. California wildlife officials released him last week in the Sierra near Monitor Pass, about 25 miles south of the lake. But they say he made it back to Tahoe within a matter of days and started approaching people again.
"It's the exact same bear," Nevada Department of Wildlife spokesman Chris Healy said Tuesday about the bear that turned up again a few miles northeast of the ski resort near Glenbrook.
"Our plan originally was to take him out in the mountains again over in the Wellington area (50 miles southeast of Tahoe), but it's just so acclimated to humans as a source of food and obviously has honed in on this area," he told The Associated Press.
"It's a disaster for this magnificent animal," Healy said. "Wild animals should not be in cages their whole life. It's a real indictment of the way garbage is handled, or not handled."
Heavenly is currently staying at the Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care Center in South Lake Tahoe, California, where he earlier was treated for a puncture wound to the shoulder and scraped up pads on the bottom of his feet.
"Our primary goal is to keep them wild," said Jason Holley, supervising wildlife biologist for the California Department of Fish and Game. "But apparently, this one is just looking for handouts from people."
Heavenly spokeswoman Sally Gunter said Tuesday that the resort had to close off an area around one ski lift for a few hours March 3 after the injured bear was seen limping up the hill. He eventually lay down near the chair lift shack before the full resort opened for the day, she said.
NDOW biologist Carl Lackey shot the bear with a tranquilizer dart, and the ski patrol helped transport it downhill.
Tom Millham, secretary of the care center, said they had hoped for a happy ending in the wilderness but are resigned to the fact that's no longer an option.
"We really only have two alternatives: One is to put him down, or the other would be to place him," he told KRNV-TV in Reno. "So yeah, placing him would be the lesser of two evils."

Why Polar Bears Are Fat, But Have Healthy Hearts

Why Polar Bears Are Fat, But Have Healthy Hearts

Hefty polar bears, which love to sink their teeth into greasy blobs of fat, could hold the key to avoiding heart disease.

Mangalitsa

The Pig That Resembles A Sheep

Mangalitsa is a breed of pig that belongs to European unimproved lard-type breeds that are descended directly from wild boar populations. The Mangalitsa pig is unusual as it grows a hairy 'fleece', akin to that of a sheep.

Research reveals value of large animals in fighting disease

Research reveals value of large animals in fighting disease

Don’t let their cute names fool you: the Mearns’ pouch […]

Your fear ...

It's in the eyes

The Honduran white bat ...

The Honduran white bat (Ectophylla alba) builds its own shelter by chewing along the middle vein of Heliconia leaves, causing them to fold, creating a tent like structure where they live in small groups consisting of 1 male and a harem of females.

World's Smallest Kangaroo

World's Smallest Kangaroo: No Place Like Home

The musky rat-kangaroo prefers no place other than home, which could put it at risk.

Small Australian Marsupials in Sudden Decline

Small Australian Marsupials in Sudden Decline

Animals such as the bandicoot, quoll and tree possum are in dramatic decline in the country's north, and feral cats could be the cause.

9 Animals That Can Live Longer Than You

The average life expectancy in the world in 2012 was 70 years. In the United States it's 79 and here in the Netherlands it's 81. As animal species go, humans are pretty hearty, especially given all these fancy medicines we've developed.

But we're not the only ones who hope to live long lives. Other birds and mammals and fish and microbes manage to live longer. Some a lot longer.

The Animals Of Chernobyl

Biologist Timothy Mousseau, Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of South Carolina, has been studying the lasting effects of radiation on the flora and fauna of Chernobyl, Ukraine.

YouTube link

'Somersault Spider' Backsprings Through the Desert

'Somersault Spider' Backsprings Through the Desert

Check out the gymnastic-like moves of the "somersault spider," the world's only known spider to move via backsprings.

The Australian Stained Glass Mirror Spider

The Australian Stained Glass Mirror Spider (Thwaitesia Argentiopunctata)

Ziggy

Bird Nabs Human-Made Pesticide to Kill Maggots

Bird Nabs Human-Made Pesticide to Kill Maggots

Birds fumigate their own nests by nabbing cotton balls doused in a pesticide commonly included in kids' head-lice shampoo.

New Penguin Flu Found in Antarctica

New Penguin Flu Found in Antarctica

The latest version of the virus is unlike any other seen on Earth.

Bloated by the Bay

Canadian Town Rebuffed in Attempt to Sell Whale Carcass on eBay

A fishing village in eastern Canada tried to auction off on eBay a sperm whale carcass that washed up onto its shores.

Platypus Sex 'Master Switch' Identified

Platypus Sex 'Master Switch' Identified

The gene that most likely determines the sex of the platypus and echidna discovered.

Crocodile tears please thirsty butterflies and bees

Crocodile tears please thirsty butterflies and bees

The butterfly (Dryas iulia) and the bee (Centris sp.) were most […]

Newly found dinosaur is long-nosed cousin of Tyrannosaurus rex

Newly found dinosaur is long-nosed cousin of Tyrannosaurus rex

Scientists have discovered a new species of long-snouted tyrannosaur, nicknamed […]

Dinosaur Claws Evolved from Basic to Badass

Dinosaur Claws Evolved from Basic to Badass

Dino claw types changed a lot as these animals evolved into modern birds.

Daily Comic Relief

Rare megamouth shark captured off Japan

'Alien shark' was hauled from a depth of 2,600 feet; only 58 known sightings

Megamouth shark is admired in Japan before an autopsy

A public autopsy was performed this week on a rare megamouth shark caught off Shizuoka, Japan, providing onlookers with a glimpse of the prehistoric-looking creature.
The capture of the 13-foot female megamouth late last month was not widely reported, but it was an extremely rare event. About 1,500 people showed at the Marine Science Museum in Shizuoka City to witness the autopsy, which might help scientists learn more about the mysterious sharks.
The shark, which is named because of its bulbous head and the enormous capacity of its mouth, was hauled from a lightless depth of 2,600 feet. It was not immediately clear, based on sparse news reports, how the shark was captured.
According to WPTV, it was only the 58th megamouth to have been captured or sighted by man.
The Florida Museum of Natural History states that the first known capture of a megamouth shark was in 1976. It was such a mysterious animal that a new shark family, genus, and species had to be created (Megachasmidae, Megachasma, and pelagios, respectively).

Megamouth shark’s head and mouth are shown up close

The FMNH website lists only 53 confirmed sightings of the megamouth shark. Either the site has not been updated or the museum lists only sightings that were 100 percent confirmed.
Sightings have been made around the world, but most—at least 13—were made off the coast of Japan.
The megamouth, believed to reach a maximum length of 17 feet, resides mostly at great depths, but rises toward the surface at night to feed.
Like the basking shark and whale shark, the megamouth is a filter feeder. Its chief prey is shrimp-like krill.
The Discovery Channel once featured a live-swimming megamouth during “Shark Week,” with stunning imagery of what it called an “alien shark” patrolling surface waters.

Fearsome 'Goblin Shark' Sighted for 2nd Time in Gulf of Mexico

Fearsome 'Goblin Shark' Sighted for 2nd Time in Gulf of Mexico

A rare, deep-sea goblin shark caught by Florida shrimp fishermen is only the second of these creatures ever seen in the Gulf of Mexico.

Iceberg

This is Iceberg, the first white Orca whale on earth. Scientists studying a pod of Orcas saw his pure white dorsal fin breaking the surface and followed him, thinking that this was a trick of the eye. But Iceberg is the first reported albino killer whale, living in a large pod. Behavioral experts believed that Orcas would exile a whale that did not look like the rest of the pod, but since Iceberg was born, his pod has accepted him and he is living a happy and healthy life.
Proving that whales are smarter than people

Whales hear us more than we realize

Whales hear us more than we realize

Killer whales and other marine mammals likely hear sonar signals […]

Coming Tomorrow

Coming Tomorrow

• Humans Not Ready To Meet Aliens
• The Deepest Hole In The World
• Will American Pot Farmers Put The Cartels Out Of Business
• Woman Tried To Have Home She Doesn't Own Demolished Because She Didn't Like The Residents

And more ...

This bird is our Animal Picture, for today.