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The Oddities in the News Page

On this month's Oddities in the News Page:

A turtle suvives being swallowed alive by a fish

IN THE ODDITIES ARCHIVES

Dogs Smell COVID
Auburn Castle
Time Travel Paradox
Almost Buried Alive
Time to Kill the Penny?

Florida biologist finds live turtle in the stomach of largemouth bass

turtle

This is a photo of the actual turtle removed from the stomach of a large-mouth bass, still alive and healthy

bass

Above is an example of a large-mouth bass, although this is not the same fish that swalled the turtle

March 4, 2021 (UPI) -- Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said they were catching largemouth bass for research when they made a surprising discovery -- a live turtle in a fish's stomach.

The commission and Wildlife Research Institute said biologists were collecting tissue samples from fish that were caught earlier in the day by an airboat in the Everglades when a member of the team spotted something highly unusual: "movement coming from the stomach of a bass."

"The biologist carefully opens the stomach and something unexpected is inside ... a live turtle!" the institute said in a Facebook post. "Live turtles are not something biologists normally find amongst the stomach contents of largemouth bass."

The institute said the biologist carefully extracted the turtle from the stomach of the fish and, after determining that it was healthy, released it back into the water.

On the Florida Fish and Willdrife facebook page: "Live turtles are not something biologists normally find amongst the stomach contents of largemouth bass. The biologist walks to the edge of the water and places the turtle in the grass. Mosquitos are buzzing, and the sun is starting to set. The biologist watches as the turtle enters the water and slowly swims beneath the surface,"

See the article HERE

Closer to home: X-rays of items dogs have swallowed

(All dogs survived after surgery to remove the item)

Christmas light bulb

1

False teeth

2

Hair ties

hair

Rubber duck

duck

Nine golf balls and a bullet

6

Phone

phone

T-Rex toy

7

Sea birds swallowing plastic:

How big of a threat is it?

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Many seabirds mistake floating plastic debris for prey. Albatross, for instance, often mistake plastic items for squid, one of their main foods. Albatross also eat flying fish eggs, which are laid on floating debris; the hungry birds sometimes gobble up the plastic along with the fish eggs.

Although surface-feeding birds such as albatross, shearwaters, and petrels are more likely to eat plastic than diving birds such as murres or gannets, recent studies indicate the number of bird species that mistakenly eat plastic is growing. Even in the remote waters of Alaska, iconic diving species such as the Tufted Puffin have been found with plastic in their stomachs.

Scientists have found plastic garbage lining birds' nests on remote islands and choking the stomachs of seabirds fishing in the middle of the Pacific, thousands of miles from land. The worst offenders are items people use every day – plastic stir-sticks, straws, plastic bottles and caps, Styrofoam coffee cups, and cigarette lighters and butts. Discarded fishery gear (lines, rope, broken traps), six-pack ring holders, and party balloons also have devastating effects on marine birds.

It's not just the tangible remnants of plastic items that cause problems. As plastic breaks down in the ocean, it releases damaging chemicals that may attract seabirds. Worse, degrading plastics release damaging chemicals such as such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins from the ocean water. Many plastics used in common items such as shopping bags and water bottles absorb large amounts of chemicals. As they degrade into smaller bits they often become virtually invisible, but are still toxic to the birds, fish, and sea turtles that unknowingly ingest them.

See the article HERE