Pop Culture

Unicorn Deer Born

This undated photo provided by the Center of Natural Sciences in Prato, Italy, Wednesday, June 11, 2008, shows a deer with a single “horn” (really an antler) in the center of its head. The one-year-old Roe Deer – nicknamed “Unicorn” – was born in captivity in the research center’s park in the Tuscan town of Prato, near Florence, Gilberto Tozzi, director of the Center of Natural Sciences, said. He is believed to have been born with a genetic flaw; his twin has two antlers. (AP Photo/Center of Natural Sciences) For more on this breaking story, see here and here. Thanks [...]

New Dodos

The dodo (Raphus cucullatus) was a flightless bird endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, and went extinct several centuries ago, we are told. But there remains some controversy surrounding the extinction date of the dodo. In Nature 426, 245 (20 November 2003), David L. Roberts and Andrew R. Solow write in their paper, “Flightless birds: When did the dodo become extinct?” that “the extinction of the Dodo is commonly dated to the last confirmed sighting in 1662, reported by shipwrecked mariner Volkert Evertsz” (Evertszoon). Other sources, however, suggest the date is 1681. Roberts & Solow point out that [...]

Davies Replies to Selma Film Critics

Adam Davies (above) in Mongolia. The following is the video of the “Seljord Serpent” or Selma, which was taken at Lake Seljord, Norway, credited to Adam Davies and Andrew Sanderson. (Please click on image directly above for a larger sized version.) Extreme Expeditions’ Adam Davies replies to the comments, questions, and criticisms: Thank you to everyone who has commented on the Seljord Serpent footage so far. To answer a few basic questions: 1/ The footage is shaky because Andy was stood up in a boat when he took it. It’s shot on a hand held camera. We had hardly any [...]

Solomons Island: New Fossil Dolphin

It’s party time on Solomons Island. A new species of extinct dolphin is to be named in Calvert this week. The Solomons Island region is on the western shores of the Chesapeake Bay, in Maryland. Solomons Island, specifically, is on the north side of the mouth of Patuxent River, where it meets the Chesapeake Bay. (Solomons Island is not to be confused with the Solomon Islands, a nation in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands.) At 3 p.m. (Eastern) on Thursday, June 12, 2008, the Calvert Marine Museum (a typical exhibit is shown above) [...]