Blogosphere by K. C. Rhine

Dolphin dies in ‘freak accident’ at Brookfield Zoo

 
Nea, a 4-year-old female Atlantic bottlenose dolphin.

" BROOKFIELD, Ill. (WLS) - The youngest of Brookfield Zoo’s seven dolphins died Monday in what zoo officials called a “freak accident,” apparently as a result of a fractured skull from a collision with another dolphin.

The accident happened just before Nea, a 4-year-old Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, was due to perform in the zoo’s 1 p.m. show.

No one saw what happened, but her trainers heard a loud pop and jumped into the water. They found Nea unresponsive and attempted CPR. Veterinary staff arrived within 10 minutes to assist, but they were not able revive the dolphin.

Preliminary results of an animal autopsy performed later Monday indicated a fractured skull. Zoo experts believe that Nea received her fatal injuries from colliding with another dolphin rather than a hard fixed object, which would have caused scrapes or bruises.

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Life-Sustaining Planet Earth Supports 8.8 Million Unseen Species According to New Study- Weakens "Fragile" Earth Propaganda

 
AP Photo/NOAA

 

Wild world: Millions of unseen species fill Earth, by Seth Brenstein, AP Science Writer

 

 

"WASHINGTON (AP) — Our world is a much wilder place than it looks. A new study estimates that Earth has almost 8.8 million species, but we've only discovered about a quarter of them. And some of the yet-to-be-seen ones could be in our own backyards, scientists say.

So far, only 1.9 million species have been found. Recent discoveries have been small and weird: a psychedelic frogfish, a lizard the size of a dime and even a blind hairy mini-lobster at the bottom of the ocean.

"We are really fairly ignorant of the complexity and colorfulness of this amazing planet," said the study's co-author, Boris Worm, a biology professor at Canada's Dalhousie University. "We need to expose more people to those wonders. It really makes you feel differently about this place we inhabit."

 

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