Video: Polar Bear Cubs Born In China Celebrate Their First 100 Days

A pair of twin polar bear cubs born at an aquarium in China have celebrated their first 100 days on earth. Born March 5 at Tianjin Haichang Ocean World, the baby bears spent their first days in an incubator, and staff were unsure if they would survive. "They were so tiny at birth. The elder sister was 497 grams and the younger one was 560 grams," keeper Sun Qinbao told the Daily Mail. But now, the bear cubs are healthy and doing well. They celebrated their "100th-day birthday" by romping around with a ball.

http://tinyurl.com/7nkcvd4

Bears Can 'Count' And Compare Numbers, Showing Cognitive Ability, Scientists Say

If there's anything more impressive than a bear's size, it's its intelligence. Bears can learn to ride bicycles, use tools, and as new research shows, "count." Scientists trained three American black bears (Ursus Americanus) to discriminate between groups of dots on a touchscreen computer: Two bears learned to pick the group with fewer dots, while the third learned to choose the group with more dots.

http://tinyurl.com/827h453

Wing Bling: For Female Butterflies, Flashier Is Better

If female butterflies are programmed to identify males of their species by the patterns of spots on their wings, how can new wing patterns evolve in males? The answer is that while females are predisposed to prefer a specific pattern, they learn to like flashier ones more, according to a new Yale University study. The study published online the week of June 11 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences gives a partial explanation of an evolutionary mystery.

http://tinyurl.com/c3xr7fe

Rare White Rhino Born In Israeli Zoo

A rare white rhinoceros has been born in a zoo in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, a zoo official told AFP on Saturday. "This baby rhino, a male, was born early on Friday afternoon without any problems," said Netta Guetta, who heads the African animals department, adding that the newcomer has yet to be named. "This is an extremely rare event in captivity, and it's touching. Immediately after giving birth, the mother tenderly licked her calf and began to breast-feed," she said. The 20-year-old mother, named Tanda, weighs two tonnes and comes from South Africa.

http://tinyurl.com/ckt4haz

Blue Lobster Found In Nova Scotia, Canada, Now For Sale

Canadian fisherman Bobby Stoddard caught a striking electric blue lobster in Nova Scotia early last month and is now looking to sell the rare crustacean to the highest bidder, reports CTV News. Blue lobsters occur only in one of about every two million lobsters and the coloring is the result of a genetic defect, according to the University of Maine.

http://tinyurl.com/c254pn7

Video: Baby Dolphin: It's A Boy!

Baby Dolphin at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium a Boy: The Pacific white-sided dolphin mother Piquet (pee-KEHT) probably knew already, but veterinarians at the Chicago's Shedd Aquarium announced yesterday that her calf, born two weeks ago, is male. The pair made their debut swim for the paparazzi, but will remain off exhibit to the public for a few more weeks. The calf is nursing and has put on an extra five pounds since he was born on May 28; he now weighs about 30 lbs. 

http://tinyurl.com/c2s4kby

Take Your Dog To Work Day: More Dogs Sit, Stay At The Office

Like any new addition to an office, Dolly had an adjustment period. The hardest part: learning not to bark at the mailman. Dolly is one of millions of dogs that accompany their owners to dog-friendly businesses every day. Even more will join her next Friday for Take Your Dog to Work Day. "I consider it a benefit like health care. It's a huge attraction," said Dolly's owner Erin McCormack, who works at Authentic Entertainment in Los Angeles as a producer on the Discovery Channel's "Auction Kings."

http://tinyurl.com/cemvcqp

Too Few Salmon Is Far Worse Than Too Many Boats for Killer Whales

Not having enough Chinook salmon to eat stresses out southern resident killer whales in the Pacific Northwest more than having boatloads of whale watchers nearby, according to hormone levels of whales summering in the Salish Sea.

http://tinyurl.com/ca6dmtz

Stealth Behavior Allows Cockroaches To Seemingly Vanish

New cockroach behavior discovered by University of California, Berkeley, biologists secures the insect's reputation as one of nature's top escape artists, able to skitter away and disappear from sight before any human can swat it. 

http://tinyurl.com/7uo8dk8

Shar Pei Nurses Two Endangered Tiger Cubs

Currently, there are less than 400 Siberian tigers living in the wild -- which is why it is so heartwarming to see dogs being so passionate about wildlife conservation. A sweet Shar Pei, named Cleopatra, took it upon herself to nurse two young Siberian tiger cubs after their mother abandoned them.

http://tinyurl.com/7gnkxsg