Saturn's moon

This photo provided by NASA shows the surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus in this photo taken by the Cassini spacecraft. Source

Black Hawk Eagle

A two-month-old black hawk-eagle, the first to be born here in the past 10 years, is presented to journalists at the Sao Paulo Zoo Source

Red Kob

A red kob is seen in 'Senda El Retiro' in Malaga, southern Spain, February 22, 2006 Source

Stone Marten

The H5N1 bird flu virus has been found in a stone marten, indicating the disease has spread to another species of mammal. Source

Feed Me!

Feed me! : Fish gather at the surface of a pond as they wait for people to feed them in Turkey's south eastern city Sanliurfa. (AFP/Str ) Source

Bright Lion!

Koza, a four-month-old African lion cub, holds on to a branch at the Wild Animal Park in San Diego Zoo, California March 13, 2006. Born November 11, 2005, the male lion cub's name means 'bright' in Swahili.  REUTERS/Ken Bohn/Handout  Source

Southern Tamandua

A three-month-old Southern Tamandua, also known as an anteater, rides on the back of its mother 'Tae' during a press preview at the Sunshine International Aquarium in Tokyo March 13, 2006. The baby Southern Tamandua was born last November, the first time an anteater has been borne and raised at an aquarium or a zoo in the country, an aquarium official said. REUTERS/Issei Kato  Source

Zoo Tycoon Expansions Coming Soon!

Africa aficionados, Jurassic fanatics and aquatic admirers alike have cause for celebration as Microsoft Game Studios confirms the upcoming releases of Zoo Tycoon 2: African Adventure and Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania" expansion packs, and downloadable Zoo Tycoon 2: Dino Danger Pack for PC.
"With more than five million franchise units sold since the launch of Zoo Tycoon in 2001, we are looking forward to shaking up the animal simulation space with these exciting new additions," said Neil Thompson, Director of UK Home & Entertainment Division. "These expansion packs provide a fun and enlightening opportunity for families to game together, while also providing fresh and innovative content for current Zoo Tycoon 2 enthusiasts."
African Adventure, available in June, will allow virtual zookeepers to adopt and care for 20 new African animals from eight biomes, such as the meerkat or the endangered Ethiopian wolf. Gamers can customise their dream zoo with dozens of new buildings, objects and gift items, including the full desert theme pack.
The new African Adventure expansion pack will also enable a safari-like adventure as players view the animals in their exotic habitats in Zookeeper, Zoo Guest and Photo Safari modes, first introduced in Zoo Tycoon 2. Gamers can further extend the safari experience by venturing into their zoo in the new Jeep Liberty vehicle with optional animal-skin paint jobs. As always, children and parents can broaden their knowledge of the animal kingdom with the Zoopedia feature, which provides entertaining and interesting animal facts.
The Marine Mania expansion pack and downloadable Dino Danger Pack will further expand the Zoo Tycoon 2 experience later this year by introducing entirely new scenarios and themes. With a single click of a mouse, players will soon be able to transport the world's most unique animal species into their homes.

CAT BORN WITH TWO TONGUES

The cat, named Five Toes, was born with two tongues and five toes on each paw.

Owner Bill Whittington told a North Carolina TV station that he noticed the cat's second tongue in December. He said he yelled when he saw the tongues flicker.

He also said people laugh when he tells them about the cat -- until they see the tongues.

Whittington said Ripley's Believe It Or Not will feature Five Toes in its 2006 guide.

Laotian Rock Rat

This image provided by the Journal Science shows a Laonastes, the only living representative of the otherwise extinct Distomydae, a family of rodents that lived in south Asia and Japan. It has the face of a rat and the tail of a skinny squirrel _ and scientists say this creature discovered living in central Laos is pretty special: It's a species believed to have been extinct for 11 million years. The long-whiskered rodent made international headlines last spring when biologists declared they'd discovered a brand new species, nicknamed the Laotian rock rat. It turns out the little guy isn't new after all, but a rare kind of survivor _ a living member of a species until now known only from fossils. Nor is it a rat. (AP Photo/Mark A. Klinger, Science) Source

New Species: Kiwi Hirsuta

This photo released Tuesday March 7, 2006 by the IFREMER (French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea) shows a new crustacean, called 'Kiwi hirsuta'. The eyeless shellfish, about 15cm long was discovered in March 2005 during a diving mission led by American researcher Robert Vrijenhoek, of the MBARI Institut, Cal., in hydrothermal vents of the Pacific Antartic Ridge, south of Easter Island. (AP Photo/A Fifis; IFREMER)

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First Asiatic Elephant Born through Artificial Insemination

First Asiatic Elephant Born through Artificial Insemination
Baby elephant, Gabi, center is seen in her pen at Jerusalem's Biblical Zoo Wednesday March 8, 2006. Gabi is the first Asiatic elephant to be conceived in Israel through artificial insemination, and only one of 11 Asiatic elephants worldwide to be born using this method. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

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Cosmic Gallery

In this undated image made available from NASA on Sunday March 5, 2006, which shows the central region of a group of galaxies 300 million light-years away known as Stephan's Quintet. The distant galaxy is generating a 'sonic boom' of cosmic proportions, astronomers have discovered, as one of the galaxies falls towards the others at high speed, ploughing through a cloud of hydrogen gas travelling at 540.6 miles per second - 100 times faster than the speed of sound. The effect of this is similar to the sonic boom created by a fast jet, according to astonomers at the American space agency Nasa, using the Spitzer space telescope, and their findings are to be published later in March, in the Astrophysical Journal. (AP Photo / Nasa via Pa)

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Sad News Today; Dolphin Dies

The mother of the baby that died last month at the Minnesota Zoo, has passed away at 35. Mother of 4, she was the matriarch of the bottlenose family at the Zoo.

This is the live dolphin webcam home I watch every day. After the loss of the baby, the mother, Rio, died unexpectedly.

I mourn with my oceanic friends and their trainers.

Today on the cam the other dolphins are visibly sad and shaken. They are swimming very slow and listlessly.

Real player video link: http://mfile.akamai.com/12940/live/reflector:24071.ram

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http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2006/03/07/mn/dolphin.txt

APPLE VALLEY, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Zoo has lost another dolphin.

Rio, the zoo's oldest female dolphin, died Monday night. She was 35. Zoo officials were running tests to determine the cause of death.

The Atlantic bottlenose dolphin arrived at the Minnesota Zoo in 1980 from the New York Aquarium. During her 26 years at the zoo, Rio gave birth to four calves.

One of Rio's calves, Harley, died in January after fracturing his skull when he jumped out of the water and hit his head on the concrete deck.

The zoo has four Atlantic bottlenose dolphins left.

Red Panda

In this photograph released by the Bronx Zoo in New York, Butch, an adult male red panda, rests on a tree branch during a snowfall Thursday, March 2, 2006. (AP Photo/WCS, Suzanne Bolduc) Source

Paul McCartney Protests Seal Hunt

A seal pup lies on the ice floes off Iles de la Madeleine in the Gulf of St.Lawrence, Thursday March 2, 2006, during a high-profile protest by Paul McCartney and his wife against Canadas annual seal hunt. (AP Photo/CP Tom Hanson) Source

National Zoo Gets Banded Mongooses

One of three new banded mongooses (Mungos mungo) is photographed at the Small Mammal House exhibit at the National Zoo in Washington February 28, 2006. It has been nearly 30 years since the National Zoo exhibited this species. The National Zoo is one of only two zoos in North America that has these social African animals. Banded mongooses are found in the northern and southern African savannah-areas of semi-arid grassland, brush and rocky country. Mongooses typically live in groups of 10 to 20 members and make their dens in termite mounds. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY NO SALES NO ARCHIVES REUTERS/Jessie Cohen/The Smithsonian's National Zoo/Handout Source

Australian Green Tree Frog

An Australian green tree frog uses its suction-cup toes to climb up a glass window at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney in this November 23, 2004 file photo. Researchers at James Cook University in the tropical northern Queensland state and at the University of Adelaide have discovered a natural mosquito repellent in the smelly secretions of green tree frogs. REUTERS/Tm Wimborne/Files Source

Baby Camel

Baby camel Gambaj makes its first steps at the zoo in Zurich, Switzerland on Wednesday, March 1, 2006. Gambaj was born on February 26. (AP Photo/Keystone, Walter Bieri)
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