Jenna: Welcome back and happy fall!
Hannah: Let’s kick off this colorful season with some colorful news.
Jenna: You must be talking about the chickens with black bones, organs, and meat. There are a mere four breeds of these deeply pigmented chickens.
Hannah: I was actually talking about the polka-dotted zebra. A photographer in Kenya spotted this zebra foal and its striking dark coat with white polka dots, much different from the distinguished stripes zebras typically wear.
Jenna: What an exciting find! I wonder how that happened…
Hannah: I read that the pattern abnormality is likely due to a genetic mutation that is few and far between, called pseudomelanism.
Jenna: That little one has definitely caught the eyes of many this week. In other forward-thinking news, a majority of the 12,000 adults surveyed across 12 countries have displayed support for conservation efforts, expressing their desire for half of the earth’s land and seas to be set aside and protected.
Hannah: This was definitely an uplifting study. The study did highlight the gaps of knowledge in extinction, but, nonetheless, a large majority deem extinction unacceptable.
Jenna: We can all learn so much from studies like these. This encourages animal lovers to research, advocate and educate conservation efforts and subjects.
Hannah: And, in return, will help to generate excitement as well close knowledge gaps.
Jenna: Let’s all make an effort to educate others.
Hannah: Exactly right. See you next week with more animal news!
This week’s animal news:
This chicken has black bones, organs, and meat: Here’s why. from National Geographic
Lion trophy approved for import into U.S., despite controversy. Here’s what that means. from National Geographic
The Unintended Consequences of Backyard Bird Feeders from Faunalytics
Many people want to set aside half of Earth as nature from National Geographic
This Game Allows You to Plant Trees Around the World Simply By Answering Trivia Questions Correctly from Good News Network
Rare polka-dotted zebra foal photographed in Kenya from National Geographic
Humpback whales across the Pacific Ocean are singing the same song from Mongabay
Birds Are Vanishing From North America from The New York Times
Tipping Points And What They Mean For Animals from Faunalytics
Many people want to set aside half of Earth as nature from National Geographic
Massive protected area around ‘Atlantic Galapagos’ one step closer to becoming reality from Mongabay
Why ‘The Blob’ can be a real terror for marine life from The Weather Network
Thank you to John Delconte for sharing news with us!
Photo credit to Leonard von Bibra on Unsplash.
Creature Feature 