The Strange: Barreleye fish-the glass fish

As I browsed through random events on my Yahoo! front page...one of the titles caught my eye...mostly by its strange picture which appeared to have a fish with a lit-up head!

Alas, though the fish did not actually have a lit-up head, the Barreleye fish does have tubular eyes and a transparent head that does an excellent job of collecting light-->which is why it looks as though the head lights up!

When the fish was first described in 1939, people were in disbelief. Its eyes are surrounded by a transparent, fluid-filled shield that covers the top of the fish's head. This allows the fish to have some movement of the eye to look around the virtually black ocean around them for food.

In addition, the barreleye fish's big, flat fins allow for it to stay motionless and await for prey. Their small mouths suggest they are very selective in what they eat, but large digestive system suggests they can eat a variety of things...such as jellies!

Because these fishes live so deep in the ocean (down to where almost no sunlight can penetrate) it is very hard for oceanographers to find out about them, so research will continue to track the Barreleye fish and their survival patterns. To find out more about these weird looking fishes, click here.

Take Action: low cost spay and neuter

Ever think you see too many animals on the streets in your town its ridiculous? Well now's your chance to do something about it!

Low cost spay and neuter programs are supported all over the United States by various groups and organizations. In the Sacramento area, UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital provides the service monthly for low-income families. Programs such as these help keep the number of homeless animals to a minimum, and helps decrease the number of animals euthanized each year (up to millions!) because they cannot find permanent homes.

Neutering your male pets has been reported to help tame their behavior if you've got a wild one with non-stop energy! The animals will have a much lower testosterone levels which result in a calmer, more relaxed dog.

The money you pay (if any) usually goes towards a good cause such as your local SPCA or humane society or organizations supporting animal welfare and raising public awareness. So if you are adopting a pet or looking for a pet, please consider spaying/neutering your animal to prevent unwanted pregnancies and mating. And if you happen to have a few extra dollars in the pocket and are willing to help out your community, consider offering to pay for spay and neuters for the homeless animals in your neighborhood. For more information on finding low cost or free spay and neuters in YOUR neighborhood, click here.

Tail-Benders: A misconception-The Porcupine

Today's misconception is on the strange, adorable little spiky things known as the porcupine. How many of you guys thought that the cartoon was accurate in depicting the prickly animals as they shot out their quills as a defense mechanism in the presence of danger??

Well, even if you are pleading the 5th...the answer is that porcupines actually cannot "shoot" out their quills at all! When danger is near, the animal will raise its spikes to deter predators and the quills will detach easily onto anything it touches...which is why many animals and people walk away from an encounter with quills stuck on their bodies.

So there you have it...the breaking of the misconception behind porcupines. Next time you see one, you'll know that it can't shoot those crazy spikes at you...but make sure to wear proper gear before approaching it! To read more about porcupines, click here.

News: Animal Activitst attack UC Researcher's home

Animal rights groups often take strong actions towards those whom they consider have offended them or have endangered the welfare of animals. Animal research on a university level has been especially controversial as it is done in the name of aid in human medical break-through, but at the cost of how many animals' health and well being? I found an article dating on Feb 20, 2009 in AMP (Americans for Medical Progress) which reported two incidents in which animal rights activists approached and vandalized private property of both UC Berkely and UC Santa Cruz's professors. In both incidents the professors' attacked were involved in some form of animal research.

The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (Title 18 U.S.C. § 43) states that whoever uses or causes to be used any facility of interstate commerce for the purpose of damaging or interfering with the operations of an animal enterprise, and in connection with such purpose, intentionally places a person in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury to that person or an immediate family member, or conspires or attempts to do so, by a course of conduct involving threats, acts of vandalism, property damage, criminal trespass, harassment, or intimidation, shall be imprisoned for not more than five years. Although animal use in research is a very sensitive and highly controversial topic, investigators and police state that it is cowardly to attack the family members who were not involved at all. The intruders were successfully apprehended and await trial.

So for all you active, passionate, animal lovers/supporters...please be respectful of others. There are other ways to express your opinion and to get the word out (media? local news papers? fliers?). It would be difficult to advocate animal welfare...from a jail cell.

To read the full article, click here.

Crazy Huge Sea Worm Alert

As I hunt around the internet for my first animal news, I found a website from abc.com about animal oddities. When I clicked on it, it housed a GINORMOUS picture of a worm...4ft long worm to be exact. So I did some Googling of "giant sea worm" and found the news article. How exactly does one discover a 4ft long sea worm so late in the game...? Well, one thing's for sure...I would NOT want to be stung by the poisonous sharps of Barry.

first paw printings...the intro.

I've come to the blogging world as part of the stepping stone to my eventual dream career, which will follow something like Rachel Ray's from the Food Network. Except I'm about animals.

I'm about the daily happenings, the local stories, the misconceptions, the cute, the ugly, the strange, the cool. The love. I hope that sooner or later the things I blog about will change the life of some animal out there. My goal is to save wildlife, reduce abandonment of domestic pets and raising awareness in the general public...all while still learning things myself.

I'm not part of PETA or any other animal welfare organization, but I do care. I am a junior in college and I'm 21 and I care. So join me!!