Archives for 2008

Many New Species Discovered in Tasmania

I haven’t written about conservation in while since much of my readership lately expressed more interest in pets but have been working on the editorial calendar for 2009 so that I cover the topics all of my readers will find interesting…and that keep me happy!

As a result, I haven’t posted too much about new discoveries of animal species–which is happening with regularity these days.

Just last month one discovery in Tasmania hit the news that was interesting not just because of the diversity and number of species found–but because the research team was pretty high tech in their use of gadgets.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is Australia’s national science agency and its Wealth from Oceans team discovered hundreds of new marine species and dozens of undersea mountains during their project in the Commonwealth Marine Reserve Network.

The team conducted surveys of the Tasman Fracture and Huon Commonwealth Marine Reserves found about 100 nautical miles off the coast of southern Tasmania and shot video footage of the environment as well!

Usually all we get to see are the photographs documenting the species but the footage was recorded at pretty good depths during their work off of the the marine research vessel, Southern Surveyor. The CSIRO scientists filmed an amazing 100 hours of underwater footage and took 8000 photos.

The team then analyzed the findings which included an 274 species new to science and 80 undersea mountains which are considered to be very important ocean habits. Scientists also discovered 145 new undersea canyons.

Such research will be a valuable contribution to the Census of Marine Life, a global network of researchers aiming to develop a comprehensive picture of the world’s oceans. The first census report is due to be released in 2010.

One of the videos show a Bathyraja richardsoni skate which is believed to be the only one ever seen alive in the world and you can watch several videos including the one with the Bathyraja richardsoni skate here and get a glimpse of photographs of some of the species discovered here.

The rich find included snails, squid, and octopi has been described by many marine scientists as ‘astounding’ and may require a complete rewrite of textbooks for this type of fauna. You can read more about it here.

Holiday Pet Tips & Hints

This time of year people think that it might be a good time to add a new pet to the family or to give one as a gift.

Although the Home for the Holidays Program has been pretty successful, for most people the hectic season and additional financial demands of maintaining another household member makes it a poor time to add and integrate an animal into a home.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is to buy a dog for a friend or family member.

Why is it a mistake?

A new pet is a personal decision that demands research, resources, and that places additional responsibility on the new pet parent.

It is best to let each person make that commitment instead of surprising someone with a live present that may end up abandoned or relinquished when it is not a good fit or the recipient cannot adapt to the demands of pet parenthood.

Instead, create anticipation with a cascade of gifts that will create excitement and anticipation surrounding the possibilities.


If you don’t want to wrap a bunch of gifts (but personally I think more can be fun) you can create a nice basket of supplies by using a dog or cat bed and then filling it with the items that will be needed when a new pet is selected and wrapping it up as one big present.

Take the bed and then fill it with toys, treats, collar,leash, brush or comb, toileting aids (pet clean up aids doggie toilet or cat litter box) and gift certificates for puppy preschool or kitten kindergarten.

Certificates for grooming, pet sitting, and veterinary wellness exams or pet insurance make great additions to this present.

Help in the selection of pets by giving a book about selecting the right dog or an encyclopedia of the different cat or dog breeds. Above Photo: Puppy Care Package – Medium Puppy Starter Kit

Here are a few to consider: