Antara Kaki Ayam, Kaki Monyet dan Manusia

Manusia berkaki dua, Ayam juga berkaki dua, memiliki mata, hidung dan telinga, bedanya dengan Manusia, Ayam tidak memiliki tangan.

Sedangkan Monyet memiliki tangan dan kaki serta organ-organ tubuh lainnya, mata, hidung dan telinga.

Kaki yang dimiliki Monyet fungsinya hampir sama dengan tangannya, yaitu dapat menggenggam sesuatu dan nama binatang yang satu ini, yaitu Monyet sudah kesohor sekali sebagai binatang yang Rakus.

Sifat Rakus atau dalam ungkapan lain dikenal dengan istilah Tamak. Dan ternyata sifat Tamak itu tidak hanya dimiliki oleh Monyet tapi juga sifat itu dimiliki oleh makhluk yang namanya Manusia. Akh masa’ ???

Ya, lihat saja di Negeri ini betapa seringnya kita mendengar berita banyak orang yang terlibat kasus Korupsi dengan nilai rupiah yang dikorup besarnya sangat Spektakuler, Ratusan juta hingga Milyaran bahkan bisa lebih dari itu.

Padahal bisa jadi bahwa sebenarnya uang yang dimiliki sebelumnya sudah lebih dari cukup, lantas untuk apa mereka mencari lebih dengan cara yang tidak halal seperti itu, lalu sebenarnya uang sebanyak itu akan dipergunakan untuk apa sih… ?! Hmm…

Begitulah bila sifat Tamak sudah merasuk di dalam diri seseorang, dia tidak akan pernah bisa mengendalikan nafsu Dunianya (Hubuddunya – Cinta Dunia).

Dalam hadits riwayat Tirmidzi, Rasulullah shalallahu ‘alaihi wasallam bersabda: “Bila seorang manusia punya dua lembah penuh berisikan emas, maka ia pasti mengharapkan punya lagi lembah ketiga. Hanya tanahlah yang cukup untuk menyumbat mulut dia”.

Jadi wal hasil hanya kematianlah yang akan menghentikan keinginannya, yaitu ketika tanah sudah memenuhi mulut dan perutnya.

Demikian saja, semoga yang sedikit ini ada manfaatnya dan Berhati-hatilah kita terhadap sifat Tamak !

Laa Hawla wa Laa Quwwata illa Billaah – Hadanallah wa iyyakum ajma’in ( Ubnu Adam di eramuslim.com )

READ MORE - Antara Kaki Ayam, Kaki Monyet dan Manusia

Scientists identify new owl species

An Indonesian whistling owl has been identified as a new species with a unique voice.

The bird, Otus jolandae, is only thought to live on the island of Lombok.

Although the owl has been known for at least a century, it has only now been recognised as a new species. Previously experts had confused it with a more widespread owl with similar plumage.

Scientists have identified a whistling owl only found on the Indonesian island of Lombok as a new species (Philippe Verbelen/PA) 

The bird has a whistling call completely unlike that of other owls.

Two members of an international team independently recorded the signature whistle in 2003.

Ornithologist George Sangster, from the Swedish Museum of Natural History, said: "It was quite a coincidence that two of us identified this new bird species on different parts of the same island, within a few days of being on the island. That is quite a coincidence, especially considering that no-one had noticed anything special about these owls in the previous 100 years."

Comparisons with museum specimens and previous studies confirmed the discovery and indicated that the owl was confined to one island.

Locals on the neighbouring island of Sumbawa appeared to be unfamiliar with the bird, said Mr Sangster.

"None of the locals recognised the songs from playback of recordings made on Lombok except for one man, but he was an immigrant from Lombok who knew the song," he said.

The research is published in the online journal Public Library of Science ONE. The scientists suggest giving the owl the common name Rinjani Scops Owl, after Gunung Rinjani, a volcano on Lombok. ( Press Association )

READ MORE - Scientists identify new owl species

Dolphins 'whistle for loved ones'

Pining bottlenose dolphins call out the "names" of their loved ones to show that they miss them, scientists have learned.

Every dolphin has a signature whistle that identifies it in a similar way to a human name.

Press Association - Scientists are examining dolphins' whistling patterns 

Experts already knew that sometimes the creatures copy each other's whistles, but whether this is an act of aggression or friendliness has not been clear. The new research indicates that mimicking whistles is very much a friendly signal. In dolphin language, it means "I miss you".

Scientists from the University of St Andrews in Scotland and a team of American colleagues studied recordings of whistling by both wild and captive bottlenose dolphins.

Matching the sounds to different animals, they found that copying only occurred between mothers and offspring, and "bonded" adult males who had long term associations.

When dolphins were separated but within earshot of each other, copied whistles were produced immediately after the original call - a behaviour known as vocal matching.

The research is published in the latest issue of the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Lead scientist Dr Stephanie King, from the University of St Andrews, said: "Interestingly, signature whistle copying was only found in pairs of animals composed of mothers and their calves or adult males who form long-term alliances with one another. The fact that animals are producing whistle copies when they are separated from a close associate supports the idea that dolphins copy another animal's signature whistle when they want to reunite with that specific individual.

"Our next step is to use sound playbacks to see how dolphins respond to being matched with a copy of their own signature whistle. If they react, we would know that copying of signature whistles can be used to address dolphins."

The scientists also found that slight changes are introduced into the copied versions of whistles. This is thought to be to avoid confusing any other dolphins who might be listening. ( Press Association )

READ MORE - Dolphins 'whistle for loved ones'

New Zealand dolphin faces extinction, group warns

Scientists have urged New Zealand to take immediate action to protect the critically endangered Maui's dolphin, amid warnings the marine mammal could become extinct by 2030.

The animal, the world's smallest dolphin sub-species, is only found in waters off the North Island's west coast and experts estimate the adult population has dwindled to just 55, the US-based Society for Marine Mammalogy (SSM) said.

Campaigners dressed as dolphins call on New Zealand Prime Minister John Key to help save the critically endangered Maui's dolphin, in Wellington, on May 2, 2012. Scientists have also urged New Zealand to take immediate action to protect the animal 

In a letter to New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, it said scientific data showed up to five dolphins a year died after becoming entangled in fishing nets, meaning urgent action was needed for it to survive.

While the findings are disputed by commercial fishers, the SSM said the evidence was "exceptionally strong" and called for a ban on trawling and a fishing method known as gillnetting in its marine habitat.

"In a situation such as this one, involving a critically endangered sub-species, delay to resolve uncertainty could have dire, irrevocable results," SSM president Helene Marsh said in the letter dated February 11, seen Thursday.

"I encourage you to act quickly and decisively to provide the leadership in marine conservation that the world expects of your country."

The SSM, which represents 2,000 scientists from 60 countries, said the population of Maui's dolphin was so small that allowing any of them to be die as "bycatch" to the fishing industry made it unsustainable.

Conservation group NABU International said the figures showed the Maui's dolphin was set to become extinct by 2030 if the government took no action.

"The scientific evidence for an immediate zero tolerance approach to Maui's dolphin mortality is overwhelming," NABU conservation expert Barbara Maas said.

"New Zealand is becoming embarrassingly isolated amidst growing international interest and concern."

In July last year, the International Whaling Commission also called for New Zealand to extend maritime protection zones for the dolphin.

The government began reviewing protection measures for the dolphin last year but is yet to make an announcement about whether they will be strengthened. ( AFP )

READ MORE - New Zealand dolphin faces extinction, group warns

Indonesia announces shark, manta ray sanctuary

Indonesia has announced a new shark and manta ray sanctuary, the first to protect the species in the rich marine ecosystem of the Coral Triangle, known as the "Amazon of the ocean".

AFP/AFP/File - An undated photograph of a shark swimming off Gansbaai, about 180 kms from Cape Town. Indonesia has announced a new shark and manta ray sanctuary, the first to protect the species in the rich marine ecosystem of the Coral Triangle, known as the "Amazon of the ocean" 

Environmentalists Wednesday welcomed the creation of the 46,000-square-kilometre (18,000-square-mile) protection zone, in an area at risk from both overfishing and climate change.

An undated photograph of a shark swimming off Gansbaai, about 180 kms from Cape Town. Indonesia has announced a new shark and manta ray sanctuary, the first to protect the species in the rich marine ecosystem of the Coral Triangle, known as the "Amazon of the ocean"

The local government in Raja Ampat on the western tip of New Guinea island announced the move this week, issuing local regulations to ban the finning and fishing of sharks in the area, a tourist destination popular with divers.

Rizal Algamar, Indonesia director of the Nature Conservancy, described the regulations in a joint statement with Conservation International as a "breakthrough in policy".

"Scientific evidence states that the value of live sharks and manta rays far outweighs the one-time profit of dead sharks and manta rays, benefiting a growing world-class and increasingly popular marine tourism and dive destination," he said.

Scientists have warned the Coral Triangle, which spreads across a vast area of Southeast Asia's waters, is under threat, with heat-trapping carbon gases blamed for creating acidic seas hostile to much marine life.

Overfishing has also been a problem, but the sanctuary will support existing no-take zones that have helped shark numbers slowly recover.

"Sharks in particular play an important role, as apex predators at the top of the food chain, maintaining fisheries and ecosystem health," the statement said.

The sanctuary is also expected to prevent a drop in manta ray numbers, with the species' gills increasingly used in Asian medicines.

Shark populations are in a rapid and steep decline worldwide, facing intense pressure from fishing and in high demand for shark fin soup.

Up to 73 million sharks are killed annually, mostly for their fins, the statement said. As a result, many shark species have suffered declines greater than 75 percent and in some species up to 90 percent or more.

Indonesia ranks as the world's largest exporter of sharks and rays. ( AFP )

READ MORE - Indonesia announces shark, manta ray sanctuary