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Nigel (gannet)
Nigel (died 2018) was an Australasian gannet who lived on Mana Island, off the coast of the city of Porirua in New Zealand. For most of his time there he was the only gannet on the island, and for this reason was nicknamed "no mates" Nigel and the "world's loneliest seabird". He arrived after conservationist efforts to re-establish a gannet colony on the island, which previously had a gannet colony. Part of the effort includes building concrete statues of fake gannets. He chose one of them as a mate and made a nest for it. His death in 2018 received worldwide media attention. Background Mana Island, west off the coast of the city of Porirua, previously had a colony of gannets, but pests had caused them to disappear. Attempts to bring the gannets back started with the eradication of the pests. Following that, starting in 1998, 80 concrete gannet decoys were placed on the island, fake bird guano (faeces) was painted on the ground, and solar-powered speakers were placed to broadc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Australasian Gannet
The Australasian gannet (''Morus serrator''), also known as the Australian gannet or tākapu, is a large seabird of the booby and gannet family, Sulidae. Adults are mostly white, with black flight feathers at the wingtips and lining the trailing edge of the wing. The central tail feathers are also black. The head is tinged buff-yellow, with a pearly grey bill edged in dark grey or black, and blue-rimmed eyes. Young birds have mottled plumage in their first year, dark above and light below. The head is an intermediate mottled grey, with a dark bill. The birds gradually acquire more white in subsequent seasons until they reach maturity after five years. The species range over water above the continental shelf along the southern and eastern Australian coastline, from Steep Point in Western Australia to Rockhampton, Queensland, as well as the North and South Islands of New Zealand, Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands. Nesting takes place in colonies along the coastlines of New Zealand, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online news coverage. The service has over 5,500 journalists working across its output including in 50 foreign news bureaus where more than 250 foreign correspondents are stationed. Deborah Turness has been the CEO of news and current affairs since September 2022. In 2019, it was reported in an Ofcom report that the BBC spent £136m on news during the period April 2018 to March 2019. BBC News' domestic, global and online news divisions are housed within the largest live newsroom in Europe, in Broadcasting House in central London. Parliamentary coverage is produced and broadcast from studios in London. Through BBC English Regions, th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Individual Birds In New Zealand
An individual is one that exists as a distinct entity. Individuality (or self-hood) is the state or quality of living as an individual; particularly (in the case of humans) as a person unique from other people and possessing one's own needs or goals, rights and responsibilities. The concept of an individual features in many fields, including biology, law, and philosophy. Every individual contributes significantly to the growth of a civilization. Society is a multifaceted concept that is shaped and influenced by a wide range of different things, including human behaviors, attitudes, and ideas. The culture, morals, and beliefs of others as well as the general direction and trajectory of the society can all be influenced and shaped by an individual's activities. Etymology From the 15th century and earlier (and also today within the fields of statistics and metaphysics) ''individual'' meant " indivisible", typically describing any numerically singular thing, but sometimes meanin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gannets
Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus ''Morus'' in the family Sulidae, closely related to boobies. They are known as 'solan' or 'solan goose' in Scotland. A common misconception is that the Scottish name is 'guga' but this is the Gaelic name referring to the chicks only. Gannets are large white birds with yellowish heads, black-tipped wings and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, having a wingspan of up to . The other two species occur in the temperate seas around southern Africa, southern Australia, and New Zealand. Etymology "Gannet" is derived from Old English ''ganot'' meaning "strong or masculine", ultimately from the same Old Germanic root as "gander". Taxonomy ''Morus'' is derived from Ancient Greek ''moros'' "stupid" or "foolish" due to lack of fear shown by breeding gannets and boobies, allowing them to be easily killed. Behaviour Hunting Gannets hunt fish by diving into the sea from a height of and pursuing thei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2018 Animal Deaths
Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number) * One of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the short story ''God's Dice'' * ''Eighteen'' (film), a 2005 Canadian dramatic feature film * 18 (British Board of Film Classification), a film rating in the United Kingdom, also used in Ireland by the Irish Film Classification Office * 18 (''Dragon Ball''), a character in the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise * "Eighteen", a 2006 episode of the animated television series ''12 oz. Mouse'' Science * Argon, a noble gas in the periodic table * 18 Melpomene, an asteroid in the asteroid belt Music Albums * ''18'' (Moby album), 2002 * ''18'' (Nana Kitade album), 2005 * '' 18...'', 2009 debut album by G.E.M. * ''18'' (Jeff Beck and Johnny Depp album), 2022 Songs * "18" (5 Seconds of Summer song), from their 2014 eponymous debut album * "18" (One Direction song), from their 2014 studio album ''Four'' * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trevor (duck)
Trevor (died January 2019) was a mallard duck that made a vagrant appearance in the island country of Niue in January 2018. He remained in Niue until he died in 2019. Life Trevor began receiving media attention when ''The New Zealand Herald'' journalist Claire Trevett encountered the duck on a visit to Niue and reported on his appearance in an article published in September 2018, at which point Trevor's story gained coverage from worldwide news sources. Mallard ducks are not endemic to Niue, and the country's habitat is not suitable for them, as Niue lacks any surface fresh water, which mallards require. Trevor lived as a local celebrity in a particular roadside puddle which the Niue Fire Service would refill when it began to dry out; Trevett learned of Trevor when she asked for directions and was told to "turn right past the duck". Commentators hypothesised that he was either blown off course by a storm or stowed away on a ship, as the distance from New Zealandwhere mall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jeremy (snail)
Jeremy was a left-coiled garden snail studied by researchers from the University of Nottingham. The snail had a rare condition that caused its shell to coil to the left; in most snails the shell coils to the right. It was hoped that the condition would be due to a mutation, and that genes identified from this snail and its offspring would help scientists unlock genetic markers in humans and other animals. At first it was thought to be a rare genetic mutation, although later work revealed that it was likely due to an accident in early development. Jeremy was named after the left-wing British Labour politician Jeremy Corbyn, on account of it being a " lefty" snail, but also due to Corbyn's reported love of gardening. The snail became famous worldwide after a public appeal to find other left-coiled snails for a mate. Jeremy had 56 offspring and died on 11 October 2017, aged "at least two" years. Life A retired scientist found Jeremy in southwest London. He contacted the Univer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George (snail)
George ( – January 1, 2019)Ed Yong (2019"The Last of Its Kind"''The Atlantic'', July 2019 issue. Accessed June 28, 2019. was a snail of the species '' Achatinella apexfulva'', and the last known individual of his species. Background ''Achatinella apexfulva'' was endemic to forests of Oahu, Hawaii. Its populations declined dramatically due to predation by the rosy wolfsnail, which was introduced to Hawaii in the 1950s to control agricultural pests. The species was listed as federally endangered in 1981. Life In 1997, all known remaining specimens of ''A. apexfulva'' were collected and bred in captivity. Most offspring died of unknown causes, but one successful offspring was born. This individual, born in a laboratory at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, was named George, after Lonesome George, a Pinta Island tortoise that was also the last of its kind. George's parents were collected from the last known wild population of ''A. apexfulva'', in a few trees near Oahu's Poamoho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Burning Hell (band)
The Burning Hell is a Canadian band fronted by songwriter Mathias Kom and artist and multi-instrumentalist Ariel Sharratt, particularly known for their literate songwriting, DIY ethos, and dynamic live performances. Kom holds a PhD in ethnomusicology at Memorial University of Newfoundland, where he studied the political economy of DIY music. History The Burning Hell began in 2006 as the songwriting project of Mathias Kom. During the first few years of the band's existence, band membership fluctuated from tour to tour and album to album and the band's instrumentation was often determined by what instruments Kom's friends played. The regular touring and recording lineup from 2011 to 2016 was consistently Kom, Ariel Sharratt (clarinet), Darren Browne (guitar), Nick Ferrio (bass) and Jake Nicoll (drums). Since 2013 Kom and Sharratt have embarked on occasional duo tours and since 2017 the band has toured with a variety of lineups, always including Kom on guitar and vocals and Sharratt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ngāti Toa
Ngāti Toa, also called Ngāti Toarangatira or Ngāti Toa Rangatira, is a Māori people, Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) based in the southern North Island and the northern South Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Toa remains a small iwi with a population of about 9,000. The iwi is centred around Porirua, Plimmerton, Kāpiti Coast District, Kāpiti, Blenheim, New Zealand, Blenheim and Arapaoa Island, Arapaoa Island. It has four marae: Takapūwāhia and Hongoeka in Porirua City, and Whakatū Marae, Whakatū and Wairau Marae, Wairau in the South Island. Ngāti Toa's governing body has the name ''Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira''. The iwi traces its descent from the eponymous ancestor Toarangatira. Ngāti Toa lived in the Kawhia Harbour, Kāwhia region of the North Island until the 1820s, when forced out by conflict with other Tainui iwi, led by Pōtatau Te Wherowhero ( – 1860), who later became the first Māori King Movement, Māori King (). Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Rārua and Ngāti Koata, led by Te Ra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Necropsy
An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death; or the exam may be performed to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present for research or educational purposes. The term ''necropsy'' is generally used for non-human animals. Autopsies are usually performed by a specialized medical doctor called a pathologist. Only a small portion of deaths require an autopsy to be performed, under certain circumstances. In most cases, a medical examiner or coroner can determine the cause of death. Purposes of performance Autopsies are performed for either legal or medical purposes. Autopsies can be performed when any of the following information is desired: * Manner of death must be determined ** Determine if death was natural or unnatural ** Injury source and extent on the corpse * Post ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Herbicide
Herbicides (, ), also commonly known as weed killers, are substances used to control undesired plants, also known as weeds.EPA. February 201Pesticides Industry. Sales and Usage 2006 and 2007: Market Estimates. Summary in press releasMain page for EPA reports on pesticide use ihere Selective herbicides control specific weed species while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed, while non-selective herbicides (sometimes called "total weed killers") kill plants indiscriminately. The combined effects of herbicides, nitrogen fertilizer, and improved cultivars has increased yields (per acre) of major crops by three to six times from 1900 to 2000. In the United States in 2012, about 91% of all herbicide usage, was determined by weight applied, in agriculture. In 2012, world pesticide expenditures totaled nearly US$24.7 billion; herbicides were about 44% of those sales and constituted the biggest portion, followed by insecticides, fungicides, and fumigants. Herbicide is also used ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
