University of Florida’s Neil Hammerschlag is studying whether sharks along the Gulf Coast of Florida can sense oil and move away from it.

Hurley the hammerhead shark disappeared from satellite tracking two days after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill as researchers were studying migration patterns of these misunderstood fish.

Now when the sharks for this study are caught and tagged, a tissue and blood sample is also taken and tested for hydrocarbons to see if they are absorbing any oil from the ongoing BP oil disaster.

There is likely to be enough work keeping researchers busy studying the effects of oil on sharks for decades.

A marine biologist from the National Aquarium in Baltimore is heading to Florida to study the potential impact of the BP oil spill near Sarasota.

National Aquarium’s Erik Rifkin wants to study the ecological disaster that the BP oil spill caused. He’s joined forces with scientists from Johns Hopkins and the Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida.

The team will be deploying 100 devices to detect water pollution near Sarasota, Florida, an area that has not been affected by the oil spill yet. He says positioning the collectors there will help establish a baseline before the oil reaches that area. That way they can measure the impact if and when the oil does flow that way.

Even NASA is getting in on the animal cleanup action. Besides providing satellite images to help contain surface oil as it nears barrier islands near Louisiana, the first sea turtle hatchlings whose eggs were evacuated from the Gulf Coast oil spill to Florida’s Kennedy Space Center have been released into the Atlantic Ocean.

The Virginia Aquarium has been sending its staff down to New Orleans to help clean oil off stranded sea turtles. The aquarium’s stranding team is getting a first-hand look at the effects of oil on the keystone species of sea turtles.

For now members of the team are going to the turtles but soon the turtles may go to the Virginia Aquarium for rehabilitation.

“We expect to be dealing with the after effects of this for well over a year.” — Mark Swingle, Virginia Aquarium director of research and conservation

But it’s not just scientists and citizen scientists who are concerned about the effects of oil on marine life.

Even Federal Express is helping out.

The shipping company will work with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to ship up to 70,000 loggerhead sea turtle eggs from the shores of the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic coast this summer, in an effort to move the eggs to the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral.

The top predators in every animal niche are disappearing. Development and other forces are pushing these animals toward the brink of extinction.

New research shows that conservation efforts and a plan to return apex predators to the wild may be more cost-effective than trying to control the predators in waiting — called mesopredators.

Much of the country and for that matter the Northern Hemisphere has been locked in an icy weather pattern that sent records tumbling and even forced Florida produce growers to seal oranges and strawberries in ice to protect them from frigid temperatures.

Some scientists are saying this is yet another sign of the extreme temperature fluctuations that climate change is bringing. Others are quick to dismiss this cold stretch as evidence of anything but a cold winter.

But there is a climate force at work. Called the Arctic Oscillation, scientists noticed that the air pressure that usually remains high at the top of the world weakened and became very low in December. That allowed the coldest Arctic air to flow south and cover large swaths of the Northern Hemisphere.

One thing is for sure. Science doesn’t do certainty. No matter how close a researcher gets to complete certainty there is always room to know more. Therefore uncertainty is a scientific fact. And we need to get comfortable with it.

From taxonomic tussles over classifying the giant panda to more controversial science like climate change and genetics, uncertainty is a driving force pushing science forward and opening up the opportunity for insight and breakthrough discoveries.

The endangered turtle is now settling into her new home at the Hidden Harbor Marine Environmental Project’s “Turtle Hospital”.

At first vets thought she was injured after being hit by a boat and suffering some nerve damage. A new evaluation questions that theory but a full evaluation won’t be complete for a few weeks.

At the hospital Anita swims in a 650 gallon saltwater tank for an hour each day to build up strength and to learn to swim correctly. a hyper-inflated lung prevents her from diving so specialists hand feed her.

She is one of about 5,000 female hawksbill turtles left in the wild. If she can be rehabilitated turtle specialist Tara Vickery says, “She can be 5,001.”

See the turtles swimming live on the “Turtle Hospital” Web cam.

Photos courtesy of Alina Szmant.

Anita the Hawksbill Turtle

Matschie's Tree Kangaroo courtesy of Woodland Park Zoo

Climate negotiations over how to limit carbon dioxide emissions are heating up in Copenhagen. But one other important area negotiators are addressing — how to sequester existing CO2.

Climate sinks — like oceans, forests and permafrost — are natural solutions. But tropical rain forests are falling faster than they can be preserved.

One cute and cuddly (looking) tree kangaroo may become the unwitting ambassador for forest conservation.

Biologist Lisa Dabeck, from the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, is the director of the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Project, which has been able to set aside almost 200,000 acres of pristine forest, where the matschie’s tree kangaroo lives.

Here is the National Geographic tree kangaroo critter cam.

Here is the Lincoln Zoo tree kangaroo critter cam. (Sad news. One of the twin joeys died in September after falling from a branch in the exhibit.)

Nightline followed Dr. Dabeck to New Guinea in search of tree kangaroos. Here’s a link to Dan Harris’ report, which includes a roo named Dan.

A little green frog is causing big problems across Hawaii, where the coqui has become the latest invasive species to get a strong foothold.

But Hawaii may be the only place experiencing a surging frog population. Around the world, frogs are dying in droves from a fungus called a chytrid.

What can we learn from the little coqui?

Bat expert and Boston University professor of biology Tom Kunz speaks with host Edgar B. Herwick III about his research trips around the globe, his encounter with the world’s largest bat, and why after forty-five years of studying these winged mammals he still wants to learn more.

Photo: Thermal image of bats. Courtesy of Boston University.

It’s a whale of a tale. The gentle yet giant blue whales–the biggest mammal on Earth–has returned to the cool ocean off the coast of British Columbia for the first time in many decades.

Scientists believe they are following their primary food source–krill–and it may have something to do with a natural ocean climate pattern called the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. A new report shows blue whale sightings in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

Listen here.

Disney’s goal is going to plant one tree for every ticket sold. Disney will oversee the planting of the trees in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, which is considered the most endangered rain forest in the world. Today, only 7 percent of the Atlantic Forest remains. Disney is committed to ensuring the trees are planted and cared for to provide the greatest long term benefit for the planet.

Tickets are now on sale for opening weekend. Tickets are available through the film’s website at www.disney.com/earth and via phone at 1-888-DISNEY6.

The public is looking for films like ‘EARTH’ that are entertaining, educational, show nature’s beauty and are environmentally conscious. What better way to celebrate the opening of this epic film than by planting trees on behalf of our moviegoers! — Jean-François Camilleri, executive vice president and general manger of Disneynature

Bear biologist Chris Morgan is one of the foremost experts on grizzly and other rare bears. He travels the world raising awareness about these feared and revered animals.

From the last remaining Cascade Grizzlies to the rare sun bear on the island of Borneo, Dr. Morgan is watching how people, the environment and the bears are all changing.

BEARTREK

BEARTREK Preview from Landon Acohido on Vimeo.

They look like the animated robots, called Furbys, from the 1990s. And, they could be mistaken for the fictional gremlins.

But pygmy tarsiers are real. And, much to the surprise of many scientists, they are not extinct.

They are alive and well in the mountainous region of one island in Indonesia.

Hopes are fading that Lonesome George, a giant Galapagos tortoise, will become a father. George was thought to have managed to fertilize as many as 11 eggs. But now scientists say the eggs are in danger of not hatching.

Can there be more lurking in the mist? Despite a startling find that doubled the estimated number of western lowland gorillas in central Africa, scientists warned that hundreds of primate species remain in danger of extinction.

Are penguins the new canary in the coal mine when it comes to warning the world about global warming?

One conservation biologist at Unviersity of Washington says, Yes.

Captive great apes are developing high blood pressure and heart problems, two distinct human diseases. In an effort to figure out why plant biologists have stumbled on a plant that could hold promise for both the apes and for humans.

The 7.9 earthquake that rocked China last month has shaken the giant panda population, too.

It’s too early to tell the range of destruction but early estimates indicate widespread damage to the only wild panda habitat left.

Collisions with ships are becoming a significant danger for the rare North Atlantic Right Whale.

Oil and natural gas tankers have been running over the whales, which are already severely threatened. Now a new acoustic warning system aims to give the whales a fighting chance.

Last year 27 billion bees disappeared. That’s 36 percent of the total U.S. bee population. the mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder has scientists puzzled and beekeepers scrambling. Only a few states are left unaffected by this situation. California has been hit the hardest and its $2 billion almond crop faces an uncertain future. Bees are required to pollinate nut and fruit orchards every spring. As this year’s almond blossoms begin to appear this month, the bees seem to be disappearing.

First the polar bears and now the Pacific Walrus are being squeezed off the melting ice and onto the brink of extinction. Could listing the walrus under the Endangered Species Act save the tusked mammal or is global warming making it too hot for the walrus to handle?

For the blue butterfly in Southern California, all is not lost. The species that only months ago was near extinction is making a come back.

What’s killing all the honey bees? No one knows for sure. But a lot of different people are pointing at more than one culprit. Colony Collapse Disorder is the newly-minted term for bees abandoning their hives when they go out to pollinate fruit and vegetable crops . Even the Secretary of Agriculture is worried that the missing bees could cost at least $15 billion.

Picture elephants walking past invisible metal detectors–much like herds of people at airports. Instead of rushing off to their flights, these pachyderms are merely roaming their favorite trails. The invisible TrailGuard is designed to help protect endangered species from poachers. Originally designed for another purpose biologist-wannabe Steve Gulick suggested the new use.
elephant_detector_050207.mp3

Are worms an endangered species? After 20 years of evading scientists a rare giant reared its segmented body and is casting doubt on the dire extinction talk. Sure, the European earthworm is the most abundant and has displaced many native species but perhaps worms are just smart enough to escape discovery by staying deep underground.

White Worm

Humans are exerting ever-greater influence on the Earth, our preferences playing a substantial role in determining future climate and which animal and plant species survive. New research shows that, in some cases, those preferences could be governed by factors as subtle as small color highlights a creature displays.

Everyone seems to love penguins. These enigmatic birds call the southern hemisphere, particularly Antarctica their home. But it is perhaps their black and white plumage dotted with orange and yellow coloration that gives us such an affinity for these endangered flightless birds.

David Stokes, a conservation biologist at University of Washington says that red, yellow and orange or typically warm colors drive our preferences.

He and his undergraduate students calculated the popularity of various species by studying photographs in four large-format photograph books about penguins.

“Penguins are lucky because they are popular with people, especially right now. But that’s not true of 99.9 percent of the species out there,” Stokes said. “Even the penguin species I found to be among the least appealing to people are tourist attractions.”

Tops on the list are the Emperors, featured in the film March of the Penguins, and their close cousins the King Penguins. Next are crested penguins, including Rockhoppers and Macaroni.
Species at the bottom of the list are Adelie, Yellow-eyed and Little Blue. Stokes was surprised by the relative lack of popularity of Adelie penguins because that species is probably the most familiar to the public.

There are 17 penguin species, and in the past some were hunted for food or boiled to extract their oil. Some species now struggle to survive climate change, changing food patterns and encounters with humans or human activity, such as oil drilling at sea.
The species are fairly similar, with some larger and some smaller, Stokes said. But the ones that appear to be most popular are the ones that display the warmest colors in the upper body, the neck and head. He likened the effect to that of a man in a tuxedo pinning on a red carnation. Unlike some other types of animals, human preference for particular penguin species does not seem to be driven by a “cuteness” factor.

The work has been published in the online edition of the journal Human Ecology, and will appear in an upcoming print edition.

Color is not the only factor that determines a species’ attractiveness to humans. Characteristics such as size and neoteny — the retention of babyish physical traits such as large eyes and large head — also can play major roles for some animals. Pandas, zebras and elephants, for example, are black and white or gray but are highly preferred by humans. Millions of insects and the countless slimy invertebrates that occupy the oceans are likely not as lucky, Stokes said.