Animals

KEY LARGO, Fla., Feb. 8 (UPI) — The red lionfish has invaded the waters in and around the Florida Keys, wreaking havoc on the island cluster’s native fish populations, experts say.
Marine life collector Pete Kehoe said the primary issue regarding the appearance of the lionfish species in the Florida Keys is the creature’s voracious [...]

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 (UPI) — U.S. officials unveiled a $78 million effort to prevent Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes.
The Detroit Free Press said the plan includes intermittent closures of locks along the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, which connects the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan. The closures could begin by the end of [...]

CHICAGO, Feb. 5 (UPI) — Officials at a zoo in the Chicago suburb of Brookfield, Ill., say they are seeking an elephant to serve as a companion to their African elephant, Joyce.
The Chicago Tribune said Friday while animal rights groups have openly opposed keeping elephants on display, the Brookfield Zoo is attempting to add another [...]

SYDNEY, Feb. 6 (UPI) — Australian officials urged restraint by both sides after ships owned by Japanese whalers and anti-whaling activists collided Saturday in the Antarctic.
“The Southern Ocean is a dangerous and inhospitable part of the world,” said a statement from Peter Garrett, Australia’s environment minister.
No one was injured in Saturday’s collision, in which each [...]

RICHFIELD, Utah, Feb. 4 (UPI) — Tiny fossilized jaw bones found in Richfield, Utah, helped identify two new rodent species from as far back as 8 million years ago, a paleontologist says.
Utah Geological Survey paleontologist Don DeBlieux said the small fossils found by Jeff Roberts and his wife Denise were from a prehistorical era [...]