Blog Archive
-
▼
2009
(2302)
-
▼
October
(782)
- News Today, November 01, 2009 (2)
- the annual Village Halloween Parade October 31, 20...
- This Is It makes $20m in one day
- In love with Cinque Terre
- Top 5: Date Ideas You Can Do Naked
- Defriending can bruise your 'digital ego'
- Is Trick-or-Treating Dangerous?
- Cartoons of the Week October 31, 2009 - November 6...
- The Hunt for Tuna: A Tough Catch
- The Omega-3 Battle: Which Margarine Is Healthier?
- Visit Animals at Zoo
- Kris Allen's 'Live Like We're Dying' Video Due Nex...
- Preview of 'Smallville' 9.07: Jor-El in Person
- 'Ghost Whisperer' and 'Medium' November 6 Previews
- Fresh 'New Moon' Clip Offers Scene From Bella's Bi...
- Miley Cyrus Describes Her 'Sex and the City 2' Sho...
- Miley Cyrus Approves of Taylor Swift and Taylor La...
- Lady GaGa Plans to Dress Down on Halloween
- Amazing Halloween Wallpapers
- Sports Today, October 31, 2009
- His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrives in Japan
- News Today, October 31, 2009
- Taiwan Snacks
- Dating The Same Girl ?
- Internet domain names set to appear in non-Latin s...
- Halloween Candy Without the Heartburn
- 'Supernatural' 5.08 Preview: Sounds Like Trickster...
- 'CSI' 10.06 Preview: Death and the Maiden
- Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy Confirmed for 'Mad M...
- 'Men in Black 3' Moves Forward With Writer Etan Cohen
- Paris Hilton Hasn't Decided on What She's Going to...
- Lady GaGa to Be Handed the Stylemaker Award
- Joanna Krupa's Playboy Cover Revealed
- Video: Miley Cyrus Wants Twitter to Be Banned From...
- News Today, October 30, 2009
- Sports Today, October 30, 2009
- Landscape Photographer of the Year 2009
- Surviving the Talkative Airplane Seatmate
- Google changes to aid music searches
- Top 10: Architecture Capitals
- What Does Her Halloween Costume Say About Her?
- Bad Foods to Help You Lose Weight
- The Ares Liftoff: Learning from Space Shuttle Mist...
- Exclusive Interview: Shwayze on New Album, Tour an...
- 'True Blood' Spoilers: June Premiere, Naked Eric a...
- 'Desperate Housewives' May Air Until 2013
- Michael Jackson's 'This Is It' Off to a Solid Start
- John Lennon's 'Nowhere Boy' Gets a Trailer
- Britney Spears Reportedly to Marry Boyfriend Jason...
- Mom Says Danielle Deleasa Is the Right Girl for So...
- Taylor Lautner and Taylor Swift Spotted Together A...
- Miss Thailand 2009
- News Today, October 29, 2009
- Sports Today, October 29, 2009
- Halloween Pumpkin Season 2009
- The Halloween season, Animals enjoy and play pumpkins
- Body Chemistry 101: Sweat
- 5 Foods You Should Eat Every Day
- Best Cars Are Toyota, Honda, Ford, Says Consumer R...
- What Happens to Your Facebook After You Die?
- Michael Jackson's This Is It Review: He's Still a ...
- Orangutan female, and the little 15 weeks old cub
- On-Set Pictures of Demi Lovato's 'Remember Decembe...
- Sneak Peek: Halloween at 'The Office' and '30 Rock'
- The Lizard Possibly the One and Only Villain in 'S...
- An Inside Look Into 'Ninja Assassin' Unleashed
- 'Star Trek' Collects Hollywood Movie Award
- Details of Kourtney Kardashian's Baby Shower Uncov...
- Kevin Jonas and Danielle Deleasa Already Set Weddi...
- Lauren Conrad to Be a Jester Clown on Halloween
- Marketing This Is It: How Sony Created a Global Event
- "This is it", Michael Jackson
- Sports Today, October 28, 2009
- Beautiful Lakes Scenery Wallpapers
- Loy Krathong Day
- Top 10: Tokyo Auto Show Cars We'll Never Drive
- Why You Shouldn't Pick Up The Halloween Slut
- Ares 1-X Rocket Launch Preview
- Coffee May Slow Liver Damage From Hepatitis
- Rod Stewart: 'I've been one lucky guy'
- Jackson's 'This Is It' hits record stores
- In Germany, A Better H1N1 Vaccine For Politicians?
- Jennifer Lopez to Sing New Single 'Louboutins' at ...
- Winners List of 2009 Q Awards, Lady GaGa Wins Best...
- 'Heroes' 4.08 Preview: Saving Charlie
- 'Sex and the City 2' to Be Shorter Than the First One
- J.J. Abrams: No Plan to Direct 'Mission: Impossibl...
- Jennifer Esposito Engaged to Aussie Tennis Player ...
- Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner Spotted Enjoying H...
- News Today, October 27, 2009
- Iaquinta and Totti undergo knee surgery
- Coach Ramos dismissed by CSKA Moscow
- Sports Today, October 27, 2009
- A baby wallaby
- Japan's Prince Hisahito, 3, visit to Ueno Zoo
- Making the most of Twitter
- To tweet or not to tweet?
- H1N1 Vaccine Shortages Create Panic, Concern
- Women Struggle to Quit Depo-Provera
- Report: WHO to Announce Cell Phone, Brain Tumor Link
-
▼
October
(782)
Friday, October 2, 2009
Island Koalas: Meet Orbit
Little Orbit meets his admirers Greetings again from St. Bees Island! We have some great news. Some time ago I reported that Elizabeth, the female koala we have been tracking for the longest time, had a baby in her pouch (see Island Koalas: A New Season). I have been very keen to find her again and see whether I could examine her baby before it left her for good. I am happy to announce that we have a new member of the koala group on “The Knoll,” and his name is Orbit!We were heading up to the very top of the knoll, where Elizabeth can usually be found, tracking her radio signal when one of the volunteers shouted, “I can see one.” There was a pause and then “She has a baby on her back.” I was excited, because I was hoping to find Elizabeth healthy and with her young, and there she was, in a 33-foot (10-meter) blue gum, looking down at us…with a small furry face peering over her shoulder as well.We were able to encourage her down the tree using our usual flag-waving technique; we simply wave rags and plastic bags (attached to long poles) above the koala’s head while remaining very quiet below. Distracted (and probably annoyed), the koala descends the tree and we grab it when it is low enough. On this occasion we got two for one, with the little koala attaching himself to one of the volunteer’s legs (fortunately long pants were worn) when we placed Mum in a bag. Elizabeth has put on weight since her last capture, which is interesting, considering she has to carry the extra weight of a young koala around all day and night. She was in very good condition, which is great news since she is over nine years old. Orbit (her baby) weighs about 28 ounces (800 grams) right now and will probably stay with her for a few more months. Elizabeth has had mostly male babies, and this was another one. We replaced Elizabeth’s VHF collar with one of the GPS collars we received through the San Diego Zoo’s Ocelots program funding, so now we will be able to monitor her movement every four hours for the next five months, even when we are not at St. Bees. During this trip we’ve deployed ten such collars, six on females and four on males. After examining Elizabeth and Orbit, we set them free and they climbed back up the tree to resume resting and eating, with Orbit clinging on to his Mum’s back. It was a great day for us, but I guess the little koala is wondering what it was all about.Bill Ellis is a Clark Endowed Postdoctoral Research Fellow for the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research.