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Biologists now think that that tiny creatures–from worms to insects–are much more important to the health of our planet than they seem to be. In fact, the fate of all life (including us!) may depend on them.

In the November 10th edition of the Observer, John Vidal quotes entomologist E.O. Wilson (who studies ants) as saying, "When you thrust a shovel into the soil or tear off a piece of coral, you are, godlike, cutting through an entire world. You have crossed a hidden frontier known to very few. Immediately close at hand, around and beneath our feet, lies the least explored part of the planet’s surface. It is also the most vital place on Earth for human existence.
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We know that animals talk to EACH OTHER, but lately, they’ve started talking to US (and they’re speaking our language as well!)

Elephants can communicate with each other, using sounds too high-pitched for us to hear, and if they want to "talk" to us, they can communicate telepathically. Now an Asian elephant named Koshik communicate to people more directly, by imitating human speech by vocalizing with his trunk.

But before we rush over there, we should know that he only speaks Korean, and that his vocabulary consists of five words.
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There are WILD animals lurking in hidden places in manicured suburbs. This year, Princeton, New Jersey hired sharpshooters to cull 250 deer from the town’s herd of 550 at a cost of almost $60,000.

Columbia, South Carolina is spending $1 million to get rid of beavers and their dams in their drainage systems. After a small dog had to be put down after being mauled by a coyote in Wheaton, Illinois, a wildlife exterminator killed four coyotes and got death threats on his voicemail for doing so.
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Nearly one-tenth of hemisphere’s mammals are unlikely to outrun climate change.

A safe haven could be out of reach for 9% of the Western Hemisphere’s mammals, and as much as 40% in certain regions, because the animals just won’t move swiftly enough to outpace climate change.

For the past decade scientists have outlined new areas suitable for mammals likely to be displaced as climate change first makes their current habitat inhospitable, then unlivable. For the first time a new study considers whether mammals will actually be able to move to those new areas before they are overrun by climate change. read more