Koalas, penguins at risk of extinction: study

By Marlowe Hood Marlowe Hood – Mon Dec 14, 6:27 am ET

COPENHAGEN (AFP) – Climate change threatens the survival of dozens of animal species from the emperor penguin to Australian koalas, according to a report released Monday at the UN climate summit.

Rising sea levels, ocean acidification and shrinking polar ice are taking a heavy toll on species already struggling to cope with pollution and shrinking habitats, said the study from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), an intergovernmental group.

"Humans are not the only ones whose fate is at stake here in Copenhagen -- some of our favourite species are also taking the fall for our CO2 emissions," said Wendy Foden, an IUCN researcher and co-author of the study.

The report details how climate change undermines the viability of 10 species, including the leatherback turtle, the beluga whale, clownfish, the emperor penguin and salmon.

Australia? siconic bear-like koala faces malnutrition and ultimate starvation as the nutritional quality of eucalyptus leaves declines as CO2 levels increase, the report added.

Polar species are especially hard hit.

The ringed seal is being forced further north as sea ice it relies on for rearing its vulnerable pups retreats every decade.

The emperor penguin, remarkably adapted to thrive in harsh Antarctic conditions, faces similar problems. Reduced ice cover makes it harder to mate and raise chicks, and has caused a sharp decline in the availability of krill, a major food source.

As once-frozen tundra gives way to forest, the common red fox has moved northward, where it hunts and competes with its far rarer arctic cousin.

The beluga whale is doubly threatened by global warming: loss of sea ice makes it tough to find prey, and the rush to open new maritime routes is likely to result in deadly ship strikes, as happens elsewhere.

"For a large portion of biodiversity, climate change is an additional and major threat," said Jean-Christophe Vie, deputy head of the IUCN?s Species Programme.

In tropical regions, more than 160 species of staghorn corals -- and the tens of millions of people that depend on healthy coral reefs for their livelihood -- are dying off due to ocean acidification, a direct result of warming seas.

For clownfish, brought to the screen by Hollywood in the animated blockbuster "Finding Nemo", the changing ecosystem impairs sense of smell, which they use to find the sea anemones they rely on for protection.

Salmon stocks are dropping off not just from overfishing but because lower oxygen levels resulting from increased water temperatures boost susceptibility to disease and disrupt breeding.

The United Nations climate talks are tasked with forging a durable solution to global warming and helping poor countries cope with its consequences. They are set to end with a summit on Friday with around 120 leaders attending.

In a few more years, you will be making decisions on how to protect our planet ad the animals. Can you think of any way we can help save animals that are in danger of extinction?

Fourth-Grader Finds Dinosaur Fossil

A 9-year-old girl spots a bone amid rocks and dirt in Maryland
By Laura Linn December 7 , 2009

It turns out that fourth-grader Gabrielle Block has an eye for fossils. The nine-year-old found a dinosaur bone at Dinosaur Park in Maryland. She is the first person to find a fossil there since the park opened to the public.

"Usually it takes a well-trained and practiced eye to be able to pick out the fossils" from the rocks and dirt, park manager Donald Creveling told The Washington Post.

On November 21, Gabrielle found a half-inch fossil. Experts at the park believed it to be a bone from a dinosaur’s tail. The dinosaur was probably a small meat-eater. It most likely lived more than 100 million years ago.

The fossil is now at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. There, paleontologists, or scientists who study ancient life from fossils, will examine it more closely.

Gabrielle found the fossil after sifting through dirt and rocks for some time. She was visiting the park with her parents and 7-year-old sister, Rachael. Even though Rachael is the true dinosaur lover in the family, Gabrielle was thrilled with her discovery.

“I was really excited and happy,” Gabrielle told The Washington Post.

Dinosaur Park
A dinosaur park is an area of land where dinosaur fossils have been found. It is not just for scientists. Anyone who has interest can go there to hunt for fossils. Dinosaur Park in Prince George’s County, Maryland, invites visitors the first and third Saturday of each month. Gabrielle made her big find on just the second weekend the park was open to the public.

People have been finding fossils in this area for more than 150 years. Dinosaur Park was created so that no one could destroy the fossil area by building offices or houses there. Paleontologists believe Dinosaur Park has many more fossils yet to be found. And Gabrielle’s little sister, Rachael, hopes to find one of them. “I promised [Rachael] we’d go back next time [Dinosaur Park] is open,” her mom told The Washington Post.

Imagine you found a fossil. What would you do with this part of the past? Donate it to a museum, keep it, start your own museum? Remember to tell why.

Great White Sharks Are Closer Than You Think

A new study shows that these fierce ocean hunters swim near beaches—but they don't treat people as prey
By Robbin Friedman November 30 , 2009

Picture a great white shark. Do you think of it hunting deep in the ocean, far from the shore? Many scientists thought great white sharks spent most of their time that way. They believed these deep-ocean swimmers only rarely came near the beaches that might bring them close to humans.

A new study, however, shows that this is not true. It turns out that great white sharks in the Pacific Ocean often swim close to busy California beaches. Several have even gone inside San Francisco Bay.

But the study does not mean that humans are in any more danger from sharks than scientists thought before. Why? The sharks are not interested in people.

Tagging and Tracking the Sharks

For the study, 10 scientists tagged 179 great white sharks. They used darts to attach special tags to the sharks. The tags tracked the sharks’ movements.

The tracking showed that the sharks spend several months a year off the coast of central and northern California. They pass close to beaches where swimmers and surfers gather. They are drawn to the areas by prey, like seals and sea lions. The researchers were surprised to find that a few sharks left the ocean and entered San Francisco Bay.

Minding Their Own Business

But the researchers don’t see any cause for alarm, or worry. Apparently the sharks have been close by all along, without humans noticing. The study “shows us the sharks are really minding their own business,” said Salvador J. Jorgenson of Stanford University. Jorgenson is the study’s lead author.

Scientists already knew that the great white shark mostly stays away from humans. Shark attacks on humans are very rare. Each year, more people die from dog bites than from shark attacks.

New Findings About Migration

The tags also helped the researchers learn about the sharks’ migration, or yearly travel, patterns. Many scientists believed that sharks did not swim anywhere in particular in their ocean travels. Instead, they learned that the sharks follow very clear migration paths.

In late winter, the sharks swim thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean. Many travel as far as Hawaii. One spot in the migration area has been called the “White Shark Café.” The area got its nickname because so many sharks gather there. In late summer, the sharks return to the California coast.

Name 3 facts you have learned about Great White Sharks? Remember to write a topic sentence such as “I have learned many things about Great White Sharks” to begin your 4 sentence paragraph.

Help Others This Holiday Season

November 20, 2008

This holiday make the season a little brighter for others. Giving back is a great thing to do all year round, but the holidays tend to bring out the charitable side in most people. Try some of these ideas with your family and make a difference this holiday season.

• Donate to a charitable organization
• Invite an elderly neighbor or someone who lives alone to join your celebration (ask your parents first!)
• Deliver a meal to a family in need
• Write a thoughtful note to someone special
• Bring your host a small gift to show your appreciation and offer to help clean up
• Donate clothes you've outgrown
• Donate food to a local charity or food bank
• Volunteer at a soup kitchen
• Send a care package to a soldier
• Visit hospital patients
• Foster a dog or cat
• Adopt an endangered animal through a zoo
• Shovel snow for a neighbor
• Help pick up trash at a local park
• Join a church or school group that does community service projects

Helping others is a theme of the holidays. Is there anything else we can add to this list to help others? Remember to write your idea in paragraph format. Make it great!