Nature

(Photo by: Mohamed; Wilting, SWD, SFD.)

A remote camera set up in Borneo photographed a very rare otter. The species is so rare some believed it could be extinct.

The camera photographed the otter in Dermakot forest in Sabah, a state of Malaysian Borneo. One had not been seen since 1997. That one was deceased and had been killed by a car.

"These findings also boost the conservation of this endangered otter internationally, as historically this otter was distributed throughout large parts of southeast Asia," says Dr. Laurentius Ambu, director of the Sabah Wildlife Department.

The species is considered to be one of the most endangered otters in the world. They have been subjected to poaching, and their habitats have been polluted and diminished.

 

A Similar Otter Species in Captivity

Sabah Wildlife Department and Sabah Forestry Department collaborates with the Conservation of Carnivores in Sabah (ConCaSa) project which was started by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW).

The Small Carnivore Conservation group studies wild animals like civets and otters for the purpose of conserving their dwindling numbers. Their work has used remote cameras to photograph Borneo's wild cat species and to record the first video of the otter civet.

(Note that the otter civet is not the same otter as mentioned above.)

Derkamot Forest Reserve was created to protect the area from unsustainable logging practices. It is over 100,000 acres with about 30 percent of the area with very poor forest due to previous logging. The habitat is tropical rainforest. Most of the land is managed for sustainable logging. A small portion has been set aside for conservation only.

 

More from Care2:

• Your Horoscope Animal Allies 
• Power Animals for Your Sun Sign 
• Prophecies About Rare Animals 

(Image Credit: digitalART2 / Flickr)

By Paula Alvarado, TreeHugger

Bodies that work with the Earth's magnetic field to determine location. Female-only societies. Telling whether you're a friend or a jerk there to make trouble with just one whiff. Homes so efficient they keep one steady temperature all the time. No, we're not talking about new X-Men or other comic book characters, we're talking about animals with skills we can only dream of.

These seven animals are way smarter than us - just another reason to pay some respect when we encounter them in the wild.

 

1. Homing Pigeons

While most humans need several types of maps and a compass to find their way home after a long journey, the homing pigeon can return from extremely long distances (more than 1,100 miles) without any guidance.

Well, as a matter of fact, they do have some help: According to research by the University of Frankfurt, these pigeons have iron-containing structures in their beaks, which help them sense the Earth's magnetic field independent of their motion and posture, and thus identify their geographical position.

Research results released this year indicate this magnetic charm is present in other birds as well.

 

 

(Image Credit: DavidDennisPhotos.com / Flickr)

2. Ants

Despite their size, the world's many varieties of ants have amazing skills. One of the most impressive is the mycocepurus smithii from the Amazon, a super feminist species that has developed the ability to reproduce via cloning - dispensing with both sex and males - to evolve into an all-female breed.

According to research from the University of Arizona, it's not clear when the change happened, but by reproducing without sex, the ants avoid the energetic cost of producing males and double the number of reproductive females produced each generation.

Unlike us humans, ants have also learned super efficient ways to organize their traffic. And 2006 research by the Berkeley University of California has established that the trap-jaw ant (odontomachus bauri) can close its mandibles at an incredible speed: The strike lasts 0.13 milliseconds, 2,300 times faster than the blink of an eye. This allows them to jump enormous heights for their size.

But don't take our word for it, check out the video:

 

 

(Image Credit: exfordy / Flickr)

3. Elephants

They're huge, and sometimes they seem tired and slow. But it's no surprise that this mammal's peculiar nose is really something: Research from the University of St. Andrews suggests that elephants can keep track of up to 30 absent members of their family by sniffing out their scent and building a mental map of where they are. How useful would this little feature be for moms with several kids?

Even better, according to another study by the same University, elephants can tell whether a human is friendly or a threat by their scent and color of clothing. So good luck trying to fool them.

 

 

4. Termites

In Zimbabwe, the termite species Macrotermes michaelseni has developed a precise technique to farm a specific fungus they feed on. As this fungus can only grow at 87 degrees Fahrenheit, and temperatures outside range from 104 degrees Fahrenheit during day and 35 degrees Fahrenheit at night, the termites have come up with a system to keep the temperature steady in their mounds by constantly opening and closing heating and cooling vents.

This is such a useful idea that Loughborough University has conducted research in order to use the same technique in human buildings. Case in point - the Eastgate Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe has been modeled after the termites' system.

 

 

(Image Credit: belgianchocolate / Flickr)

5. Chimps

Much has been said about the intelligence of chimps, with some people claiming they're geniuses and others saying they're only as smart as a three year old kid. Of course, the actual facts fall in between.

But there is at least one area in which chimpanzees are smarter than humans - photographic memory. A study by the Primate Research Institute at Kyoto University proves young chimpanzees have an extraordinary working memory capability for numerical recollection, better even than that of human adults tested with the same apparatus following the same procedure.

Presented with the same sequence of numbers, small chimps could recall them, outperforming humans. Not too shabby.

 

 

(Image Credit: MShades / Flickr)

6. Crows

Contrary to the massive amount of animals and species facing extinction, crows are thriving, reproducing all over the world, with the small exceptions of the Arctic and the Southern tip of South America.

But, although they're proven to be smart in many ways (as Joshua Klein explains in this TED talk), officially scientists say they're not smarter than humans.

However, their amazing capacity for fast adaptation and ability to live in cities show they could be a lot more than they are today. And who knows, one day they might top us.

 

 

(Image Credit: J. D. Ebberly / Flickr)

7. Dolphins

Ok, again, not officially smarter than humans yet, but dolphins have recently been declared the world's second most intelligent creatures (after humans). A zoologist from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, according to The Times, has even gone far to say that their "neuroanatomy suggests psychological continuity between humans and dolphins," and called for reconsideration of human-dolphin interactions. Another scientist from the Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles has even called them 'non-human persons.'

So yes, dolphins are smarter than chimps and with communication skills similar to humans'. Their brains are only second in mass to the human brain, making them cultural animals with distinct personalities with the ability to think about the future, among other faculties. How long will these clever animals put up with human abuse? We hope not too long.

Have more suggestions to help us reconsider the way we look at animals? Put them in the comments.

 

More from Care2:

• Chimpanzees: Even More Like Humans Than We Think 
• Are Chimps Smarter Than Humans? (3 videos) 
• Our Pets as Spiritual Teachers? 

(Photo: Getty Images)

How clean is the water at your favorite beach? It's easy to find out thanks to the Natural Resources Defense Council's newly released report on the state of the nation's beaches.

In general, beaches in the Great Lakes region tend to be the dirtiest in the U.S., according to the report, while the Southeast and the Delmarva Peninsula have the highest percentage of clean beaches. Louisiana, Rhode Island, and Illinois had the most reported beach contamination last year, according to the NRDC. Beaches in New Hampshire, Delaware, and Oregon had the least amount of reported contamination.

All told, there were 18,682 beach closing and advisory days last year because of water pollution, according to the report. That's the sixth-highest level since the NRDC began it's annual testing 20 years ago. Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches is based on an analysis of beach water testing results collected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2009.

Swimming in water that's been contaminated with bacteria, viruses, and parasites can cause skin rashes, stomach flu, ear nose and eye infections, respiratory illnesses, hepatitis, and other diseases.

The NRDC rated 200 of the most popular beaches in the United States based on the quality of the beach water, how frequently it is monitored, and whether the public was notified about contamination.

Here is a list of the cleanest and dirtiest beaches that the NRDC rated. They're not listed in any particular order.  

Cleanest beaches:

• Lafayette Community Club Beach, Minnesota
• Franklin Park at 13^th Street on Park Point, Minnesota
• Hampton Beach State Park, New Hampshire
• Wallis Sands Beach at Wallis Road, New Hampshire
• Bolsa Chica State Beach, California
• Huntington City Beach at the Beach Hut, California
• Newport Beach, California
• Salt Creek Beach at Dana Strands, California
• Cardiff State Beach (portions of), California
• Laguna Beach (portions of), California
• Gulf Shores Public Beach, Alabama (As of July 27, this beach has been closed for 53 days because of the BP oil spill.)

Dirtiest beaches:

• Ben T. Davis North, Florida
• Dixie Belle Beach, Florida
• Monument Beach, Florida
• Navarre Park, Florida
• Quietwater Beach, Florida
• Simmons Park, Florida
• Treasure Island Beach, Florida
• Old Orchard Beach, Maine
• Long Sands Beach, Maine
• Short Sands Beach, Maine
• Courthouse Road Beach, Mississippi
• Edgewater Beach, Mississippi
• Front Beach, Mississippi
• Nags Head (one section), North Carolina
• Hamline Beach State Park, New York
• Orchard Beach, New York
• Robert Moses State Park Beach, New York
• Rockaway Beach (sections of), New York
• Coney Island, New York
• Narragansett Town Beach, Rhode Island
• Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
• South Carolina State Park and Campground, South Carolina
• Springmaid Beach, South Carolina
• Surfside Beach, South Carolina

Can't find your beach on this list? Check out the full list on the NRDC's website. If your beach wasn't evaluated, then here are some additional sources of information on beach water testing results as well as tips for avoiding polluted beaches.

The NRDC offers the following suggestions: Don't swim in water that is cloudy or smells bad. Keep your head out of the water when possible. Avoid swimming for at least 24 hours after heavy rains. Choose beaches that are next to open water and avoid those in the middle of highly developed areas when possible.

 

One new element to this year's NRDC report is a special section on how the BP oil spill is impacting beaches in the Gulf region, which the NRDC says has resulted in a significant increase in beach closings and advisories compared to the same time period last year.

So far this year, there have been 2,239 days of beach closings, advisories, and notices in the Gulf region. Beaches in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida have been effected as of July 27. Check this map of current oil spill beach closures to get up-to-date information.

Breathing in sea spray from dispersed oil or vapors can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and eye and throat irritation, and you can get skin rashes if you touch oil, according to the NRDC.

 

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You may have heard about a Texas-sized garbage patch floating in the Pacific Ocean and another island of garbage found in the Atlantic. Scientists recently announced the existence of a third major collection of plastic garbage in the Indian Ocean. Plastic trash swirls around in gyres, which are powerful rotating currents in the world's major oceans. Except none of these areas are actually garbage patches.

"There is no island of trash," says Anna Cummins, cofounder of 5 Gyres Institute. "It's a myth." Instead, she says the garbage patches resemble plastic soup or confetti. "We now have a third accumulation zone of plastic pollution that shows compounding evidence that the trash isn't condensed to an island," she says. "It's spread out across the entire gyre from coast to coast.  The world's oceans are covered with a thin plastic soup that's thickest in the middle of the gyres."

Plastic debris collected from the ocean's newest floating "garbage patch."
(Photo: 5 Gyres Institute)

Cummings and her husband, Marcus Eriksen, established the 5 Gyres Institute to research plastic pollution in the world's oceans. The team works in collaboration with Algalita Marine Research Foundation and Pangaea Explorations. They report that all of the 12 water samples collected in the 3,000 miles between Perth, Australia, and Port Louis, Mauritius (an island due East of Madagascar), contain plastic.

Map of the five ocean gyres (Image: NOAA)

The five large subtropical gyres are located in the North Pacific, South Pacific, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Indian oceans. Once plastic makes its way into the ocean (through sewers, streams, rivers, or from the coast), it is ultimately swept up and trapped in these gyres and forms a swirling soup of garbage.

It would be far easier to clean up the oceans if the trash were forming islands, Eriksen explains. In his opinion, it isn't practical to try to recover the plastic from sea because most is fragmented and widely distributed.

The best solution, he says, is to collect debris that washes up on beaches, which act as natural nets, before it washes back into the ocean where it poses significant health risks for fish, seabirds, and other marine animals that mistake small plastic pellets for food or get tangled in discarded fishing nets.

Garbage washed up on island beaches. (Photo: 5 Gyres Institute)

"If you stand on island beaches and mainland coastlines, you can watch the plastic coming to you. That's where gyre clean up makes the most sense," Eriksen says, "but we need to stop the flow of plastic into the ocean."

This Indian Ocean garbage patch discovery means there are now three confirmed ocean zones of plastic pollution, and Eriksen and Cummins expect to find others in the South Pacific and South Atlantic gyres also. The 5 Gyres Institute, a team of scientists and educators, will lead eight expeditions to explore the South Atlantic (starting later this summer) and South Pacific (scheduled for next spring).

More garbage floating in the ocean. (Photo: 5 Gyres Institute)

What can we do help prevent this plastic soup from growing larger? We can look for the new degradable bioplastics to replace conventional petroleum-based plastic. We can choose reusable items over disposables and buy less plastics overall.

For more ideas, check out what you can do to stop marine debris from Ocean Conservancy.

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The Hudson River, as viewed from Black
Creek Forest Preserve in New York's Hudson
Valley. This park can be found by using
some Web hiking databases, but not all.
(Photo: Dan Shapley)

Budgets are tight this year, cutting into summer travel plans. What to do? The old staycation idea seems good, but how do you create a staycation that is actually enjoyable?

The first important step is to set aside time specifically for your staycation. Whether it's two weeks or a weekend, put yourself in an "away" mindset, and avoid calls, emails, chores, or any other activity that typifies your everyday.

The next critical step is to find some fun things to do. That's where this article can help. We've identified some solid tools for finding the best local hikes and local hiking information.

 

Think big
As a federal taxpayer, you own some extraordinary land, so consider a visit if you live near a national park, national forest, national landscape, national heritage area, national wildlife refuge, or a national wild and scenic river.

And you've done a good job over the years as a state taxpayer, too, preserving some extraordinary state parks, so don't forget to check with your state's wildlife conservation, parks, and historic preservation departments for ideas.

Of course, your local tax dollars have helped counties, cities, and towns preserve some significant parcels, so don't forget them either.

See the most visited national parks (and the least)!

 

Search local
Several organizations have launched ambitious attempts to catalog nature destinations around the country, and they are tremendously useful for identifying new parks to explore.

That said, my endorsements of the tools below come with a caveat. I've compared local searches against my knowledge of New York's Hudson Valley and found all of the databases fall short of local first-hand experience. These tools are useful, particularly for those who have taken relatively few nature excursions, but if you're already familiar with a particular area, you might also want to consider using the additional resources in the last section of this article.

 

1. NatureFind, the National Wildlife Federation's map-based tool, includes a wealth of data to help you search for places or events by nearly 40 criteria, from arboretum to zoo. That makes this tool a great starting point for finding a suitable experience for you and your family.

Contact information and driving directions are provided so you can explore more deeply on your own. Helpfully, it includes not only many national and state parks, but also Audubon Centers and many Nature Conservancy preserves. (But not all: Where's Stissing Mountain?)

That said, I found it misses parks preserved by some private land trusts, which in the Hudson Valley means missing extraordinary destinations like the Mohonk Preserve's 70-miles of trails on the Shawangunk Ridge and Scenic Hudson's network of more than 50 parks and preserves along the Hudson River. And the Catskill Mountains, a world-renowned haven for hikers, birdwatchers, fishers, and other nature lovers, wasn't even on the map!

 

 

2. LocalHikes.com, provides solid information about specific trails so you can plan for a day outdoors. Whereas you'll find out that the Nature Conservancy operates the Sam's Point Preserve on the Shawangunk Ridge from NatureFind, LocalHikes.com will detail a moderate 10-mile loop featuring a stunning waterfall, dramatic white cliffs, blueberry bushes ripe for the picking, and ice caves that stay cool even through the dog days of summer.

The site allows you to search by a small set of criteria, including difficulty, so you can find a suitable hike for yourself or your family. LocalHikes.com isn't comprehensive, but it has a great level of detail about some extraordinary hikes selected by a network of "reporters" who seem to know what they are talking about.

(If you find yourself scoffing at the choices, then you can become a reporter yourself, and help others discover the hikes you love - a theme that recurs in this article.)

 

 

3. Trails.com is a similar, more glossy, tool that allows you to browse and sort a good number of hiking, biking, and kayaking trails. Unfortunately, you have to pay for the slick presentation and database of hikes.

While I found its level of detail impressive in some areas, it still misses some stand-out hikes (Esopus Meadows Preserve, Vanderbilt Mansion, and all of Minnewaska State Park, for instance) that should be included, particularly if you're paying $50 a year for the service (there is a free, 14-day trial, but you can't enjoy it without first divulging your credit card info).

Even without registering or paying a dime, though, you can access the site's interactive map, which could easily turn you on to a new trail.

 

 

4. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has hundreds of preserves in the U.S. and around the world, many of them offering unparalleled nature experiences (they pride themselves on protecting the "World's Last Great Places").

Of course, you won't find parks and preserves affiliated with any other group or government, but it's a valuable map, particularly since TNC properties don't all reliably show up with the search tools above.

 

 

5. The Sierra Club's new(ish) Trails site is a user-generated database of hikes and outdoor experiences. Unfortunately, it's still of little use to novice hikers because it has very few listings (15 for all of New York State, for instance).

If you're an avid hiker, though, consider submitting your favorite hikes and outings so that others can benefit.

 

 

6. Land Trust Alliance has a database of local land trusts. You can search in your area to connect to land trusts that may have preserved parks nearby.

The process is more convoluted here than on the other sites because the purpose of the Land Trust Alliance's interactive map is to identify land trusts, not parks or trails. You'll have to first identify a land trust, then link to get more information about its preserves.

Without using this site, though, you won't find some parks and preserves that the tools above miss, like in my neck of the woods, the beautiful little Esopus Bend Nature Preserve, preserved by the Esopus Creek Conservancy.

 

 

Talk to others
There will always be gems hidden from view. For instance, none of the searches I detail above would reveal Opus 40, a one-of-a-kind sculpture park that is an affordable and memorable spot for a walk or picnic.

Books devoted to trails and history of the region can help you identify great trails. Outdoors writers for local publications may be able to help. Hiking clubs and their members are usually more than willing to share expertise.

One good way to discover a new trail is to start with what you know: You're bound to run into someone out there who's been somewhere you haven't!

Did I miss something? If so, tell me by commenting below. Happy trails!

 

More from The Daily Green

• 10 Endangered Vacations
• 11 Free (and Cheap) Volunteer Vacations
• 20+ Unique Ecotourism Vacation Ideas
• The Six Best Photos of U.S. National Parks
• How to Pack Like a Cheapskate: 11 Ways to Pack Light

Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc

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(Photo: NOAA Photo Library)

Scientists have been studying lightning for hundreds of years. Although they have a pretty good idea about what causes it, there is still more to learn about these mysterious sparks of electricity.   

Given that summer is peak season for thunderstorms, it's probably a good idea to brush up on your lightning facts, particularly if you have some outdoor adventures planned.

 

Tornadoes and hurricanes are more dangerous than lightning 

Myth: Lightning kills more people (about 58) each year than tornadoes or hurricanes. In fact, it is the most underrated weather hazard, according to the National Weather Service. Only floods are routinely responsible for more deaths than lightning.

 

You can get struck by lightning when you're inside

Fact: It's true that being inside a building when lightning strikes is your safest bet, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't take some precautions.

If a building gets struck the electrical current will most likely travel through the wiring or plumbing before going into the ground. That's why you should stay off of corded phones (cellular and cordless are okay) and away from running water (so no showers or hand- or dish-washing). Don't use stoves, computers, or anything else that's connected to electricity. Here are some more indoor safety tips.

 

Lightning always takes down planes

Myth: The reality is that lightning regularly strikes airplanes, but rarely causes plane crashes. On average, each U.S. commercial plane gets hit at least once a year. Most airplanes are made of aluminum, a good conductor of electricity, and there are also strict lightning protection requirements for planes.

 

You need to unplug major electronics in a storm 

Fact: Electrical surges generated from lightning can damage electronics even if your house isn't struck. Unplug your computer, television, and other electronics before a storm hits because you can't necessarily depend on a surge protector. You can be struck if you try to unplug your gadgets during a storm.

 

You should avoid cars during a thunderstorm  

Myth: Cars are actually one of the safest places you can be in during an electrical storm if you can't be inside a building. Just make sure you're in a car with a hard top. Golf carts and convertibles don't count.

 

Lightning never strikes twice

Myth: Lightning can hit the same spot more than once during a thunderstorm.

 

It's not safe to be outside during an electrical storm

Fact: If you're outside, then try to find a grounded building or car to take cover in. If you can't, then here are some tips to minimize your risk: Avoid open fields and tall isolated trees or other tall objects. Stay away from water. Don't lie down on the ground.

 

You should stay indoors until 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder

Fact: Most people are not struck at the height of a thunderstorm, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Lightning can strike as far as 10 miles from where it is raining, but if you can hear thunder you are within striking distance.

The NWS suggests following this advice: "When thunder roars, go indoors and stay there until 30 minutes after the last cap of thunder."

 

You can tell the distance of a storm by counting

Fact: Surprisingly, that old childhood trick you learned is based on fact, not fiction. Light travels faster than sound so lightning is seen before thunder is heard.

Here's how it works according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency website: "You can estimate how many miles away a storm is by counting the number of seconds between the flash of lightning and the clap of thunder. Divide the number of seconds by five to get the distance in miles."

 

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The Arctic is seen here in late
June 2010. (Photo: NASA Earth
Observatory)

At the end of March, Arctic sea ice had re-frozen to an unusual degree - there was more ice than average. The last three months have brought the story of Arctic sea ice back on depressing track. There's never been so little ice in the Arctic in June, and there's never been more ice lost during the month of June, not since humans started measuring it anyway.

Putting this into perspective, imagine the area covered by Mexico, the United States (including Alaska), and the westernmost province of Canada, British Columbia: That's the average amount of ice that covers the Arctic in June. Now cut away Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, and you have the extent of June 2010.

Compared to the last record-low for June, there's 73,000 fewer square miles of Arctic sea ice (roughly the size of New England).

Records for minimum sea ice extent would have been set in 2008 and 2009, compared to any other year on record, if it were not for 2007, when a dramatic record low was recorded.

May 26, 2010, Arctic sea ice chart
(Graphic: National Snow and Ice Data Center)

The seasonal melt will continue into September, so the global warming litmus test will continue through the summer. As the National Snow and Ice Data Center, which tracks sea ice conditions, put it, whether or not we witness a new record-low this summer will depend largely on "weather conditions, atmospheric patterns, and cloud cover over the next month."

Right now, it isn't looking good. Then again, most of the ice lost to this point was young one-year-old ice. Further melting will encounter thick, multi-year-old ice that is tougher to melt, so the rate of melting could well slow down.

Satellite records date to 1979, but ice cores and other data indicate that the rate of melting is unprecedented and can only be explained by the heat-trapping accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. As ice melts, the darker water that is revealed absorbs more heat than the reflective ice, reinforcing the melting trend.

Greenpeace has predicted that most summer ice could be gone in five years, and the summer could be completely ice-free by 2050.

While that may be an extreme view, the trend is heading in that direction eventually, and the extent of melting in the past three years was to an extent not expected for decades, under mainstream scientific predictions of just a few years ago.

As the ice melts, polar bears, Pacific walrus, ribbon seals, and other species struggle for survival. Meanwhile, the potential for human use grows - for shipping through once ice-locked channels, and for oil and gas drilling.

Environmental groups, galvanized by the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, are warning that an oil spill in the Arctic could yield even greater damage, given the fragile ecosystem, harsh conditions for a cleanup and remoteness from rescue equipment.

More concerning for humans is this: As it becomes clear that the worst-case melting scenarios are taking place, does that mean that the worst-case predictions for other aspects of global warming are inevitable?

Wildfires, droughts, crop failure, sea-level rise, massive rates of species extinctions ... each could appear more quickly, and have more severe impacts than the public expects.

 

More from The Daily Green

• Global Warming: Myth or Fact?
• How an Ice Shelf Disintegrates (Photos)
• 10 Endangered Vacations
• 12 Bizarre Sea Creatures From the Antarctic
• 8 Ways to Keep Cool Without Air Conditioning

Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc

• 9 jaw-dropping caves
• 8 of the greatest eco-friendly beaches in the world
• 10 places to visit before they vanish
• 15 travel destinations being ruined by tourism
• The latest on the oil spill

(Photo: Eco Dogs)

Researchers at Auburn University have been training dogs to help them gather data about endangered species. The dogs are taught to recognize the scat of endangered animals.

Identifying eastern spotted skunk scat is the specialty of Sophie, a 15 month old black lab. Another dog has been trained to identify striped skunk scat. The program is called Eco Dogs, and there are about eight dogs working in it now.

Eastern spotted skunks are very difficult to find and collect data for, as the researchers have noted, "Over the past two years, we have taken more than 600,000 photos with game cameras and we only got two photos of eastern spotted skunks." They have obtained only one photograph from game cameras of the endangered long-tailed weasel, and will train a dog to identify scat from that species.

The detection dogs could help find populations of the eastern spotted skunk, and other endangered animals, so more conventional research methods (like photo identification) can be employed.

Over the summer the dogs will also be used to help gather information on black bears in both Florida and Alabama. They wear GPS devices so when they find scat, their locations can be identified and recorded. The dogs are trained to sit by the scat they find until their human counterparts can catch up to them, and log the details.

Some of the dogs might also be trained to identify mountain lion scat. Mountain lions in Alabama are so infrequently seen there, and possibly not at all, because it isn't in their range. Sightings are called in once in a while, but officials believe they are probably just bobcats or coyotes. Using the detection dogs could help prove, or disprove the presence of mountain lions.

According to the Eco Dogs website, detection dogs have also been used to find whale scat floating in water, live seal dens under snow, live desert tortoises, termites, and other animals.

More from Care2:

• Dealing With Dog Waste
• Endangered Species Day Celebrated May 21st, 22nd, and 23rd
• Scientists Find Dogs Don’t Feel Guilt? Ha! 

(Photo: Yahoo! News / AP Photo /
Charlie Riedel)

It's been over a month since the BP oil drilling platform exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. In the past few weeks, we've seen devastating photos of wildlife affected by this disaster. The oil poses a serious threat to fishermen's livelihoods, marine habitats, beaches, wildlife, and human health.

Although BP has publicly stated the company will pay for all damages from the oil spill, many organizations still rely on donations and volunteers to protect wildlife from this type of impact.

Here are some ways you can help.

 

Reduce your oil dependency:

For those of us who don't live close enough to volunteer, reducing our dependency on oil is one of the best ways to help. Driving less is most important. Being conscious of products we buy is also valuable because oil is used in thousands of everyday products from shampoo to trash bags.

 

Report incidents and submit suggestions:

Louisiana Bucket Brigade Oil Spill Crisis Map
Collects information from citizens of the Gulf Coast about the impacts of the oil spill and documents stories of those who witness it. Submit an incident.

Deepwater Horizon Unified Command
Accepts incident reports and suggestions on how to stop or contain the oil in the Gulf of Mexico.

 

Donate or volunteer to help threatened wildlife:

General

Greenpeace USA
Defends our oceans and protects our environment from toxic pollution like the recent oil spill. Donate to Greenpeace USA. Find volunteer opportunities with Greenpeace USA.

Oxfam International
Works closely with local residents and community groups to immediately mobilize for recovery efforts and to help vulnerable communities prepare for the coming challenges. Donate to Oxfam International.

Louisiana

Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana
Maintains a list of volunteers prepared to help with this response including wildlife recovery, monitoring and photographing oil movement, and providing boats and drivers for response activities. Donate to Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. Register to volunteer with Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana.

Louisiana Wildlife Rehabilitators Association
Advocates for preserving Louisiana's battered coastal ecosystem. Donate to Louisiana Wildlife Rehabilitators Association.

Volunteer Louisiana
Connects Louisiana's citizens and out-of-state volunteers with volunteer service opportunities available in all communities throughout the state. Sign up to volunteer.

Florida

Emerald CoastKeeper
Gathers volunteer crews ready to help clean-up efforts. Donate to Emerald CoastKeeper. Find volunteer opportunities with Emerald CoastKeeper.

Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida
Ready to mobilize and provide appropriate care to injured or orphaned indigenous wildlife. Donate to Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida. Find volunteer opportunities with Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida.

National Wildlife Federation Gulf Coast Surveillance Teams
Looks for volunteers to track and report impacts of the oil spill, support wildlife rescue and rehabilitation efforts, and restore damage to delicate coastal ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico. Donate to the Gulf Oil Spill Restoration Fund. Sign up to volunteer.

 

For more volunteer opportunities, check out this how you can volunteer post on Tonic.

Do you have more ideas about how to help? What are you doing to show support for Gulf Coast communities? Share your thoughts in  comments below.

 

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