​Today in History: Russia's Sputnik 2, Live Dog "Laika" Passenger
On this day, Nov. 3,1957, the Soviet Union launched the first-ever living animal into space orbit: a dog named "Laika." The flight was meant to test the safety of space travel for humans, but it was a guaranteed suicide mission for the dog, since technology hadn’t advanced as far as the return trip. There is controversy regarding the way Laika died. 

​Laika the Cosmonaut Dog: USSR sends first living creature into Space Orbit
11-3-1957, The Soviet Union launched the first-ever living animal into orbit: a dog named Laika. The Soviets had long insisted that Laika expired painlessly after about a week in orbit, an official with Moscow’s Institute for Biological Problems leaked the a different story in 2002: According to BBC she died within hours [here] of takeoff from panic and overheating. Then in April 1958 Sputnik 2 continued to orbit the Earth for five months, then burned up when it reentered the atmosphere.

11-1-18, Fox News -- At University of Georgia's Marine Education Center and Aquarium, it was discovered that 'Octavius' the female octopus went into hiding for roughly a month, officials were baffled. Her normal behavior was to greet visitors as the Savannah Morning News reported. The discovery of the tens of thousands of baby octopus was first seen as a 'cloud' until realization that Octavius had laid a batch of eggs.

As the female came to the aquarium in August 2018 and there was no male in the tank, officials realized she was already pregnant. The fact that a female common octopuses can store a male octopus’ sperm for weeks before the eggs are fertilized and eventually laid. When the female is ready she will search for a sheltered place where she will lay and brood the eggs without disturbance. 
Typically Octavius will now likely die that she’s laid her eggs and they've hatched. The mother will protect the eggs after they’re all done hatching out; then the mother dies giving the last part of her life protecting her 'kids.' ​
[Explain THAT you who believe in the big bang theory! The Supreme Creator, almighty God creates all unique and amazing living things. Genesis 1:21--Ed.] 

More here  and here: University of Michigan's Museum of Zoology

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​May 31, 2018 - There are only 25 species of scorpion have venom that would be lethal to humans. 

Scorpions use their venom as a defense against predators and to kill prey, but only twenty-five species of scorpion have venom that would be lethal to humans. 

Israel: A Bird Lovers' Paradise
Each year hundreds of millions of birds cross over Israel, migrating between their breeding grounds in Europe and Asia and their wintering quarters in the heart of Africa.

​Israel's Hula Valley is an avian paradise
Israel's Hula Valley is an avian paradise. This scenic nature reserve hosts millions of birds each season.

Unlawful to kill Birds in Israel So the Farmers Feed 'Em!
10-15-18, The Israel Ornithological Center is the standard-bearer in working with farmers, nature protection groups, tourism organizations and government ministries on a 'Crane Project' in the Hula Valley, Israel. The Jewish State is the 'paradise' for birds in the region. Annually the Cranes swoop into the Jewish state and would ruin the crops and farmland if not for the ingenuity of just feeding them; so the farmers contribute appx 750 tons of bird seed; corn to assuage their voracious appetite.
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​International 2018 Ornithology Festival in Galilee Israel ...
The International Ornithology Festival in Galilee that is held, every year, in Agamon A'Hula promises its guests an exciting observation of various kinds of birds. The birds' autumn wandering brings thousands of birds that pass through Israel's sky, as they stop on the...

Hurricane Michael spawns 'monster' mosquitoes FIVE TIMES the size | more here
​10-12-18, Hurricane Michael, a dangerous Category 4 storm, closed in on the Florida Panhandle ... after an initial wave of giant mosquitoes, a second wave occurs of other hungry mosquitoes. Experts warn the pain of a bite from one of these mega-mosquitoes that can grow to more than one inch long - can feel like you are being stabbed with a needle. They're called "Gallnippers" and can strike day and night and due to their large size they can bite through clothing and are immune to regular insect repellent.

10-5-18, LiveScience.com -- If you have never been prank-called by a lizard, you probably don't live in Hawaii. Dr. Claire Simeone, the director of the Kei Kai Ola hospital for Hawaiian monk seals, definitely does. Earlier this week, Simeone had just left work for lunch when her phone started ringing. A lot. After an intensive search and calls to phone company ... the 'prankster' was found ... yep an illegal migrant ... not a mammal - as all other citizens of the hospital - a lizard. More here

Ohio: Giant European hornets' nest inside El Camino junk car dismantled in Alliance ...
​8-28-18, FoxNews -- Travis Watson, owner of an Ohio-based bee-removal service, moved the massive European hornet's nest from the driver’s seat of a rusty old junker Chevrolet El Camino in Alliance, Ohio. Mr Watson estimated 800 to 1,000 hornets were inside the nest — marking the first time he’d ever seen one of that size. European hornets can sting repeatedly and that they pose a greater threat to people who are allergic. See six minute video removing the nest. More here Washington Post
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What an amazing creation by Almighty God. I wonder how the evolutionists explain THIS?! Colossians 1:16

8-11-18, North Carolina -- A neglected horse named Sammy was found wandering the streets in very bad shape.Darlene Kindle, with the Carolina Equine Rescue and Assistance in Wingate received a call about a mini horse wandering the streets needing help or he would be euthanized.  Ms Kindle said "We score horses on a scale of one to ten, he was a two. Approximately four-six years old with possible a birth defect on his hind."

Sammy needed many medical treatments to bring him to health and Kindle's 3-year-old golden retriever, Molly's interaction with Sammy helped Sammy. Even though he was scared because of Molly's attention, Sammy is doing very well. More here

2-5-18, Florida -- Yasmin Adams loved her dog 'Mr Hinkles' ... she raised him for nine years from a puppy. One day he got into skirmish with other dog and Yasmin tried to break it up. Bad idea! Mr Hinkles attacked Yasmin chewed her arm down to the bone ... 'I just stopped fighting the dog. I figured I was going to die. He kept trying to pull the bone out of my arm.' Fortunately, a friend, alerted the police, who pepper sprayed and killed the vicious dog.
During Yasmin's hospital stay, her two other dogs were also put down. She was upset she couldn't save them, but she now warns people about the dangers of owning this breed of dog as, prior to the attack, Sir Hinkles had never shown signs of aggressive behavior.

After six months in hospital and arm amputation ... she lives. More here and here

8-3-18, Natural News -- In 2017 a pair of photographers from National Geographic captured disturbing video footage of an emaciated polar bear that they uploaded to the magazine’s website with the opening line: “This is what climate change looks like.” There’s just one problem, though: the polar bear’s plight had absolutely nothing to do with climate change. As noted by Fox News, experts say other reasons for the emaciated bear reported by Nat'l Geo. could have been old age, illness, or injury. The photographer and reporter admitted that she could not say for sure "that this bear was starving because of climate change."​

As it turns out, the entire video and corresponding story was 100 percent fake news designed to push the climate change conspiracy theory – a fact that National Geographic now reluctantly admits. However, this revelation came after the video had already gone viral, of course, generating more than 2.5 billion views over the past year, becoming the most shared video in National Geographic‘s history.

Cristina Mittermeier, one of the National Geographic photographers said: “We had lost control of the narrative.” Her misleadingly stated that the heart-wrenching images of the animal were a direct result of climate change. Though Mittermeier now openly admits that she deceptively captioned the video with fear-mongering language designed to scare people about climate change, she also somehow claims that it’s the public’s fault for believing her lie. Apparently, the imagery in her video was not to be taken “literally.” More here
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​Polar Bear Numbers Still On The Rise
Feb 16, 2017 - The current population numbers of Polar Bears are a sharp increase from 2005's, which stated only 20,000 to 25,000 bears remained — those numbers were a major increase from estimates that only 8,000 to 10,000 bears remained in the late 1960s.

8-3-18, NBC News -- The history of ocean contamination and the blue-green algae infestations called Karenia brevis tainting Florida's interior are complex, and distinct. Historians have found accounts dating to the 1500s and 1600s of what may have been blooms of Karenia brevis, the self-propelling microorganism that masses in the Gulf of Mexico to create red tides. A Franciscan monk in 1648 described the foul odor from dead fish piled onshore.Over the last twenty years the red tides seem to have increased in frequency, though the historical record is too sketchy to say whether the events are really more prevalent. The current episode arrived in November 2017 and has lasted for nine months. More here
Dead 26 Foot Florida Whale Shark Autopsy Shows Neurotoxin
8-3-18, Washington Post -- A red tide ravaging Florida for the first time may have killed a whale shark. Biologists from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sampled the shark's muscle, liver, intestines and stomach contents. The muscles and organs tested positive for brevetoxin, a neurotoxin created by a harmful algae called Karenia brevis. 

​Red Tide Kills Thousands of Marine Life
8-2-18, Large numbers of fish, turtles and other marine life are getting sick and dying along Florida's Southwest coast.

​A Toxic Tide Is Killing Florida Wildlife 
7-31-18, NYTimes --  Dead fish, most likely killed by a toxic algal bloom.

South Australia Mystery surrounds the deaths
of more than 200 Cockatoos
7-23-18, DailyMail -- More than 200 galahs have dropped dead in a tourist town Burra ...
'We don't know at this stage what's going on or why they died'...

​7-23-18, Sott -- The Galah Cockatoo birds looked healthy... speculation of inadvertent poisoning; yet dogs who came in contact were not affected. There will be lab testing done. They were all found in a small area around the old courthouse and police house lockup, on Sancreed Street, in North Burra — an area where galahs tend to congregate. More here

7-9-18, Fox News -- Zookeepers in Jacksonville Florida gave the public a peek at two GREATER flamingo newborns. The first baby bird hatched out on June 21, 2018 with the second one hatching on June 27, 2018. They are a species found in warm, watery areas around the globe. Zookeepers said it's the first time they've had the species hatch at the zoo. They are born gray and later take on the pink pigments. See video here and ​National Geographic here

7-8-18, Two months ago in Syria a FEROCIOUS and formidable Belgian Malinois dog killed a gunman as he shot at a British patrol. It then attacked two others, leaving them seriously injured; six more Muslim jihadis fled.

The six-man SAS British team had taken along a Belgian Malinois, a breed of sheepdog known for its strength and bravery. As the patrol entered the village they left their vehicles and were attacked from all sides by waiting terrorists. The SAS men returned fire, but the jihadis began closing in and tried to outflank them; they were in a 360-degree ambush.

Their only hope was to try and make a run for it; but the dog's handler removed the dog’s muzzle and directed him to the enemy inside a building. They heard screaming and shouting before the firing from the house stopped. When they entered the building they saw the dog standing over a dead gunman whose throat was torn out. The dog was unharmed.

The SAS were able to consolidate their defensive position and eventually break away from the battle without taking any casualties. The commander proclaimed that the dog saved them all. ​More here and here

5-22-18, Nature was on grand display on Washington State's San Juan Island captured by photographer Kevin Ebi describing the scene as a 'dramatic act of thievery' when a bald eagle snatched a rabbit from a red fox. This battle went airborne - more than 20 feet at times - and the tussle was photographed from start to finish. The scene began when the fox snatched a rabbit in a meadow and that's when Ebi noticed an eagle closing in on the rabbit. He writes, "To my surprise, the scene was even more dramatic than I expected. I thought the fox would drop the rabbit, giving the eagle an easy dinner." But the eagle had both animals in its clutches and the three animals took flight in a continuous struggle. Ebi says the fox put up a noble fight and the eagle let go with one talon, sending the fox falling back to Earth. Amazing photography here Video here

Massive swordfish reeled in at Lakes Entrance could smash Australian record

5-2-18, ABC Gippsland - A whopper 349-kilogram swordfish caught in Victoria may have smashed the Australian record. Melbourne fisherman, Matthew Boyle took five hours to reel in the massive fish, which was caught more than 100 kilometers off the East Gippsland coast. The swordfish was caught on a 37 kg line and — pending appraisal by Game Fishing Association Australia — could wipe out the old record by more than 70 kg. Mr. Boyle is experienced with large catches; he plans to send the fish to a taxidermist to be mounted.

3-24-18, DailyMail -- In 2009, nine years ago to the exact day, more than 80 whales and dolphins died in a similar case in Hamelin Bay. Three years ago there was another incident involving 20 whales who all died after becoming stranded in Bunbury, South West Australia.  Distressed locals captured images of 100's of black short-finned whales washed up on the picturesque coast. It's not known why they washed up, but thought they were following subtropical waters and beached themselves The WA Government issued a shark alert advising of beach closures between Hamelin Bay and Boranup Australia. More here

Rescuers with cranes could only save six survivors, according to ABC; they were helped back into the open sea. They used hammocks to carry the 4 ton animals down to the beach; volunteers were seen in the water in an attempt to coax the animals back into the water. It is not known why the whales washed up on the beach, but it is thought they were following subtropical waters around the coast according to the Telegraph. Today's incident is the biggest mass stranding in Western Australia since 1996 when 320 long-finned pilot whales beached themselves. 

Shape shifting birds: Murmurations of starlings, in pictures ...
Breathtaking murmurations of dark, shifting shapes and formations fill the skies of southern Israel and surrounding areas in winter. The starlings fly from Scotland, Russia and Israel ...​ More here