Sunday, February 1, 2015

Nature bounces back in Yosemite

An extremely rare and "extremely cute" Sierra Nevada red fox, which has nearly gone extinct with only 50 left in the U.S., has been spotted in the park (Yosemite National Park).

 
Red fox sighted in Yosemite
Yosemite National Park confirms first sighting. The elusive Sierra Nevada red fox has been spotted at Yosemite National Park for the first time in nearly 100 years.

“They are extremely cute little animals,” said Yosemite spokeswoman Kari Cobb. “When you see them, they are pretty majestic.”
 
Witness the birth of a rhino at Copenhagen Zoo
Witness the birth of a rhino at Copenhagen Zoo
Motion-sensitive cameras captured the red fox -- one of 14 mammals protected by California -- on Dec. 13 and Jan. 4. Park officials are still trying to determine whether the cameras caught the same fox or a second one. “The chance of running into them is very unusual,” Cobb added.
 
Huge hippo nearly gets boat in Africa
Huge hippo nearly gets boat in Africa
California’s Sierra Nevada red fox is one of the rarest mammals in North America, Cobb said: Fewer than 50 of the bushy-tailed mammals exist in North America.
 
The last time a red fox was seen at Yosemite was in 1915, she said.
 
Watch This Paddle-Boarder's Encounter with a Pod of Orcas
Paddle-boarder encounters Pod of Orca
The shy creatures avoid human interactions. They burrow in soil and logs at 6,000 feet elevation, according to the park’s website. Little is known about the creature because sightings are so rare. Photographs of the Sierra Nevada red fox were taken in 1990 during a wolverine study at the Lassen National Forest.
 
The California snow pack is dwindling away, latest measurements show.
California salmon are being killed off by fish eaters, polluters, and drought.
Downtown L.A. mosque forbids men from attending Farha Haq closes her eyes as she and other women gather for the Women's Mosque of America's first monthly Friday prayer at the interfaith Pico-Union Project in downtown Los Angeles. While many mosques continue to follow a tradition of separating women from male congregants, the downtown L.A. mosque forbids men from attending (Katie Falkenberg, latimes.com, CALIFORNIA)
Apsara stone figures at Angkor Wat, Cambodia (Scott_Mason1988/flickr)

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