WILD NEWS!

A round-up of interesting wildlife-related news:

Daddy longtime legs
"Daddy longlegs have been skittering around the Earth for more than 300 million years, as confirmed by the discovery and imaging of two species that lived in the forests of what is now France before the time of the dinosaurs." (via MSNBC)

Little fish getting big help
Wildlife biologists have begun capturing thousands of minnows from Texas rivers parched by the state's worst drought in decades. Scientists in Fort Worth have collected about 3,100 smalleye and sharpnose shiners from the Brazos River. Such large fish rescues are rare, but they could become more common if the drought persists as meteorologists predict. Approximately 86 species in Texas are considered endangered or threatened. (via LA Times)

Weevils gobble the bad plants down
Weevils are being tested as a big-time, environmentally friendly solution to controlling invasive Eurasian water milfoil plants that have clogged some Wisconsin waterways. Scientists are eagerly anticipating the results of using the bug, approximately the size of a sesame seed. Plant life will be monitored routinely during the next three years to determine whether the weevils are successfully reducing the acres of milfoil plants in the water. (via Houston Chronicle)

A black bear that's white
Neither albino nor polar bear, the "spirit bear" is a white variant of the North American black bear, and it's found almost exclusively in Canada's Great Bear Rainforest. It is something of a best-kept secret among Canadian First Nations and American Indians of the area, and perhaps that's why there are still an estimated 1,000 in existence. (via NPR)

*****

Plateau Land & Wildlife Management helps Texas landowners protect and enhance their greatest asset -- their land -- with wildlife management plans, wildlife tax valuation assistance, qualifying wildlife management valuation activities, and more.