Meet the World’s Newest Dolphin Species

Welcome the newest addition to the Flipper family, the Australian humpback dolphin.  The Australian humpback dolphin has been around for millennia. We just didn’t know it, as the species was lumped in with other humpback dolphins that roam the world’s oceans. But in a new study, scientists say they’ve solved a 300-year-old taxonomic riddle, declaring that the Down Under dolphin is a separate species from its African and Asian relatives.

http://tinyurl.com/o7hhx54

Meet the World’s Newest Dolphin Species

Welcome the newest addition to the Flipper family, the Australian humpback dolphin.  The Australian humpback dolphin has been around for millennia. We just didn’t know it, as the species was lumped in with other humpback dolphins that roam the world’s oceans. But in a new study, scientists say they’ve solved a 300-year-old taxonomic riddle, declaring that the Down Under dolphin is a separate species from its African and Asian relatives.

http://tinyurl.com/puembu6

Video: Watch Shanti, An Elephant, Play A Harmonica

A musically inclined elephant named Shanthi not only plays a harmonica, but composes her own tunes on it as well, according to keepers at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. The 36-year-old Asian elephant plays of her own free will (except when she gets a request) and even has her own signature style. Each of her tunes ends with a dramatic crescendo that keepers wait for, knowing she's reached the end. Listeners then applaud, which Shanthi seems to enjoy since she comes back for more.

http://tinyurl.com/7cxr37e

National Zoo Welcomes 11 New Small-Clawed Otters

Where there was once two there are now 11. They're still really tiny. The Smithsonian's National Zoo is unveiling its 11 new Asian small-clawed otters this Saturday -- one of the largest groupings of this endangered animal in the U.S. These otters, which weigh in at less than 10 pounds, are the smallest and most social otter species in the world. Helpful, too -- the whole family pitches in for child-rearing.

http://tinyurl.com/d3s53ms