I thought we were killing all the animals?

If you ask a tree hugger, we are killing off all animals, and they'll tell you a load of crap, like 6 species go extinct every day. Then there's this story. . . .



New shark discovered in US waters

A new type of hammerhead shark has been discovered in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, marine scientists say.

The shark resembles a common species called the scalloped hammerhead but has not yet been classified or named.

US researchers say the animal appears to be rare, breeding only in waters off the South Carolina coast.

They believe the shark is at risk of extinction and conservation efforts are needed to protect females when they are raising their pups.

The shark was discovered by a biology professor at the University of South Carolina.

Dr Joe Quattro became curious about a common coastal shark called the scalloped hammerhead shark while studying coastal fish.

Genetic studies revealed that there was a second "cryptic" species - that is, "genetically distinct" from the scalloped hammerhead.

Nursery grounds
The shark appears to breed only in waters off South Carolina, although adults swim into waters off Florida and North Carolina.

"If South Carolina's waters are the primary nursery grounds for the cryptic species and females gather here to reproduce, these areas should be conservation priorities," said Dr Quattro.

"Management plans are needed to ensure that these sharks are not adversely impacted so that we can learn more."

Scientists plan to tag the shark so they can understand more about its range.

Ali Hood, director of conservation at the Shark Trust in the UK, said with only 454 recorded species of shark in the wild, it was exciting to discover another one.

"It shows how small areas of coastline are significant to certain species and it is so important to consider shark conservation on an area by area basis," she said.

I'd have quit after one

An Oregon man who went to a hospital complaining of a headache was found to have 12 nails embedded in his skull from a suicide attempt with a nail gun, doctors say. Surgeons removed the nails with needle-nosed pliers and a drill, and the man survived with no serious lasting effects, according to a report on the medical oddity in the current issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery. The unidentified 33-year-old man was suicidal and high on methamphetamine last year when he fired the nails - up to 2 inches in length - into his head one by one. The nails were not visible when doctors first examined the man in the emergency room of an unidentified Oregon hospital a day later. Doctors were surprised when X-rays revealed six nails clustered between his right eye and ear, two below his right ear and four on the left side of his head.

Proof we should not try to help

Signs warning of bird droppings were posted along a stretch in downtown Orlando this week after cars, benches, sidewalks, plants and even people are hit and covered by the white bird waste, according to a Local 6 News report. The problem began when city workers removed cypress trees on "bird island" at Lake Eola in Orlando. The trees had to be removed because the bird droppings were polluting the water, according to the report. Now, the birds have moved into the city and are covering anything and anyone between Lake Eola and Central Avenue with droppings. "You have to brace yourself for the smell," downtown resident James Taylor said. "It is a really bad stench. It is disgusting, absolutely disgusting."

I want that phone

Law enforcement and authorities at government buildings are being warned to be on the lookout for guns disguised as cell phones that are difficult to spot in metal detectors, according to a Local 6 News report. The report said the cell phone gun is a working .22 caliber pistol capable of firing off four rounds at the touch of the button. The hidden guns are made of high-grade plastic, which makes them difficult to spot in metal detectors, the report said. "They are being manufactured by people who have the equipment and knowledge to produce guns," Former MTA Counterintelligence Expert Nick Casale said. NYPD officers are also being told to be on the lookout for the custom-made guns. In an internal memo, NYPD officers were warned, "This gun is very difficult to detect visually, but once handled, it will feel heavier than a real cellular phone."