now this is a first time i’ve seen a story like this. haha. So this alligator snapping turtle (i know of snapping turtles but alligator?) has been rescued from a life of crime. It turns out that the owner of Fluffy (the alligator snapping turtle’s name) was using Fluffy to guard a drug stash. But luckily has now been rescued and living at the local aquarium in Boston.

if you’re wondering what an alligator snapping turtle is, here’s an except from wikipedia…

“The alligator snapping turtle is characterized by a large, heavy head and a long, thick tail with three dorsal ridges of large scales (osteoderms) giving it a primitive appearance reminiscent of some of the plated dinosaurs. They can be immediately distinguished from the common snapper by the three distinct rows of spikes and raised plates on the carapace, whereas the common snapper has a smoother carapace. They are a solid gray, brown, black, or olive-green in color, and often covered with algae. They have radiating yellow patterns around the eyes, serving to break up the outline of the eye and keep the turtle camouflaged. Their eyes are also surrounded by a star-shaped arrangement of fleshy filamentous “eyelashes.”

oh and they are strong enough to snap off a person’s finger.

You can watch a video here.

April 3, 2008—After countless centuries, this odd anglerfish (right) may finally be ready for its close-up.

Discovered in Indonesia in January, the species has forward-looking eyes like a human and crawls rather than swims.

These and other traits suggest the fist-size animal may represent a new family of fishes, University of Washington fish expert Ted Pietsch announced on April 2, when this photo was released. DNA tests are needed for confirmation.

Pietsch first learned of the unnamed species from dive-facility operators on Ambon island, Indonesia. “I knew it had to be an anglerfish because of the leglike pectoral fins on its sides,” he said in a statement.

But the new species lacks the trademark forehead “lure” that other anglerfish use to attract prey.

The fish’s forward-facing eyes seem to be a first, even to Pietsch, a 40-year veteran of fish research.

The fish’s knack for squeezing into coral crevices may explain why it’s escaped notice until now—a low profile that isn’t likely to last.

“Seeking out these fish is probably going to be like the holy grail of divers for a while,” Ambon Island-based dive operator Randolph Shorten said in a statement.

(Related photos: “Giant, Unknown Animals Found off Antarctica” [March 28, 2008].)

—Ted Chamberlain

source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/080403-fish-photo.html

Check out this giant lobster and also a rare “orange” or “cooked” lobster color.

A 20-pound lobster named ‘Goliath’ is donated to an aquarium after a contest.

Watch Video…

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The white killer whale spotted in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands sent researchers and the ship’s crew scrambling for their cameras.

The nearly mythic creature was real after all.

“I had heard about this whale, but we had never been able to find it,” said Holly Fearnbach, a research biologist with the National Marine Mammal Laboratory in Seattle who photographed the rarity. “It was quite neat to find it.”

The whale was spotted last month while scientists aboard the Oscar Dyson, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research ship, were conducting an acoustic survey of pollock near Steller sea lion haulout sites.

It had been spotted once in the Aleutians years ago but had eluded researchers since, even though they had seen many of the more classic black and white whales over the years.

Fearnbach said the white whale stood out.

“When you first looked at it, it was very white,” she said Thursday.

Further observation showed that while the whale’s saddle area was white, other parts of its body had a subtle yellowish or brownish color.

It likely is not a true albino given the coloration, said John Durban, a research biologist at NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle. That’s probably a good thing — true albinos usually don’t live long and can have health problems.

Durban said white killer whales have been spotted elsewhere in the area twice before: in 1993 in the northern Bering Sea around St. Lawrence Island and in 2001 near Adak in the central Aleutians. There have also been sightings along the Russian coast.

While Alaska researchers have documented thousands of black and white killer whales in the Bering Sea and the Aleutians during summer surveys, this was something new and exciting, Durban said.

“This is the first time we came across a white killer whale,” he said.

The scientists observed several pods over a two-week period. The white whale was in a family group of 12 on a day when the seas were fairly rough. It was spotted about 2 miles off Kanaga Volcano on Feb. 23.

The ship stayed with the whale for about 30 minutes.

“Everybody actually came out and was taking pictures,” Fearnbach said. “It was a neat sighting for everybody.”

The whale appeared to be a healthy, adult male about 25 to 30 feet long and weighing upward of 10,000 pounds.

article source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23519675/

A handout image from Blackpool Sealife Centre shows an octopus with six legs, or ‘hexapus.’ British marine experts have found what they claim is a world first — a six-legged octopus, or “hexapus,” who they have christened Henry.

Yahoo! New

LONDON (AFP) - British marine experts have found what they claim is a world first — a six-legged octopus, or “hexapus,” whom they have christened Henry. The unique sea creature, which has two limbs fewer than a normal octopus, is believed to be the result of a birth defect rather than an accident, say his keepers at the Blackpool Sea Life Centre in northwest England.

“We’ve scoured the Internet and talked to lots of other aquariums and no-one has ever heard of another case of a six-legged octopus,” said supervisor Carey Duckhouse. Henry was discovered in a lobster pot off the north Wales coast two weeks ago, and was one of eight creatures that Sea Life staff picked up from a local marine zoo there — where staff hadn’t noticed his missing legs.

It was only when he attached himself to the inside of a glass tank that Sea Life staff noticed he was two limbs short of a full set. Octopuses are renowned for having three hearts and blue blood, but not usually six legs. “He’s a lovely little thing,” said a spokeswoman, adding that he will go on display to the public later this month.

Jeff George, the curator at the nonprofit Sea Turtle Inc. holds Allison, a three-year-old Atlantic Green sea turtle in South Padre Island, Texas. Allison lost three of her flippers to a predator attack and is being evaluated for experimental prosthesis for a rear flipper.

some excerpts from the article…

“SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas - When tourists found a 5-inch green sea turtle bloody and missing three of her flippers, the people who run a hospital for the endangered animals here gave her little chance of survival. But the turtle persevered, thanks to injections of antibiotics and a forced diet of squid. Somehow, she swam with just one flipper, even though she can only move in counterclockwise circles and has to push her now 10-pound body off the bottom with her head to breathe.”

“Now, her caregivers hope to make her what’s believed to be the first sea turtle fitted with a prosthetic flipper. Three-flipper turtles can return to the sea and two-flipper turtles can survive in captivity. But those left with only one after predator attacks or run-ins with boat propellers are usually killed.”

“University of Texas’ Dr. Sudarat Kiat-amnuay plans to develop a prosthetic using the same kind of silicon she uses to create facial prosthetics for humans. Her dental expertise helps because the kind of tiny hardware used in dental implants are probably the best size match for Allison’s bones.”

source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23389845/wid/11915829?GT1=10856