Sometimes the only humane thing to do is to put a dog to sleep. Just three weeks ago, Erica Daniel steeled herself to take that difficult step with Harper, a small puppy in her care.

Daniel, 26, fosters dogs that need serious help, and Harper had come to her in the most desperate of circumstances. On Aug. 31, a woman in Sanford, Fla., first encountered the little dog when she spotted a squirming garbage bag.

“There was a man outside the Save-A-Lot selling pit-bull puppies for $50 a pop,” Daniel explained. “This woman approached him and noticed a noise coming from a garbage bag he was holding. She asked him, ‘What’s in the bag?’ and he said, ‘Don’t worry about it.’ ”

The woman pressed the issue and the man opened — and gave her — the contents of the bag. Inside was a puppy so deformed that it couldn’t walk or hold up its head. Shelter workers and veterinarians grimaced when they saw the dog and came to the same conclusion: It really should be euthanized.

That’s when Daniel, a regular at the local animal shelter, stepped in. She decided to take the puppy home for one full and final day of unabashed affection. “I had to show her what it was like to be loved,” Daniel said. “I’d planned on taking her home that night, letting her sleep in bed with us, and having her humanely euthanized in the morning.”

What a difference a day can make. Today, Harper is not only alive — she’s thriving. The frisky gray puppy is gaining more and more mobility each day, to the astonishment of onlookers and medical professionals.

Harper’s rapid recovery began on that initial day with Daniel. The puppy had been born with a condition commonly dubbed “swimmer puppy disorder,” and most dogs afflicted with it don’t survive. The formal name of Harper’s disorder, pectus excavatum, causes puppies to lie flat on their chests with their legs perpetually splayed out, as if they were humans — or perhaps frogs — swimming through water.

“The longer she was like that, the more she stayed in that position,” Daniel said. “It felt like rigor mortis — like her legs might break.”

Despite that, Daniel kept massaging Harper’s tight muscles, hoping to alleviate at least some of her stiffness and pain. Within just a few hours, Harper started lifting her head and looking around. Her front legs became more limber as well, so much so that she tried using them to walk and pull herself around.

Daniel’s reaction: “WHOA.”

Convinced that this determined little dog needed a second opinion, she canceled the following morning’s appointment and made a new, hopeful one with a veterinarian at the University of Florida. At first, the vet described the reasons Harper probably would need to be put to sleep. The list included the likelihood of degenerative bone disease, brain abnormalities and a severe heart murmur.

They decided to do a few tests just to be sure. And, as it turned out, the rumors of Harper’s demise were greatly exaggerated. Her organs were functioning just fine, and she had no heart murmur or serious brain abnormalities. The medical conditions she did have required treatment — but nothing that warranted putting her to sleep.

Some nice people at Hip Dog Canine Hydrotherapy & Fitness in Winter Park, Fla., heard about Harper and donated free hydrotherapy and massage therapy to the puppy. Harper responded remarkably well, and before long she actually started walking.

“She started out on grass, then carpet, then concrete,” Daniel said. “She still can’t walk on tile or hardwood floors, but she’s getting there.”

Bev McCartt, a Hip Dog therapist, explained that swimming has helped teach Harper what her natural gait should be.

“Her brain kicked in and by the end of her first session, she was like, ‘Oh, I can do this,’ ” McCartt said. “She’s a walking miracle. She’s a real testament to a dog’s determination to get up and just go.”

Today, Harper is about 11 weeks old, and she’s holding her own playing with the seven other dogs at Daniel’s home. Daniel estimates that Harper should be ready to be adopted in about a month — that is, if she can handle parting with her.

“Right now we’re saying that eventually she’ll be available for adoption because we haven’t made any decisions,” Daniel said. “If I give her up, that will make it possible for me to foster another dog. But she’s like a baby to me. I just don’t know!”

This is not the first time Daniel has taken on an impossibly sad case and witnessed an incredible transformation. In April of last year, she began fostering Dolly, a pit bull that had been used as a bait dog in a dog-fighting ring. Dolly’s injuries were severe; her mouth was so swollen that she couldn’t eat. With careful attention and lots of love, Dolly recovered. Today she’s a happy girl and an American Kennel Club-certified “Canine Good Citizen.” (You can watch a YouTube video about Dolly here.)

Dolly’s saga prompted Daniel to establish Dolly’s Foundation on Jan. 1 of this year. The organization rescues and rehabilitates homeless, neglected and abused American Pit Bull Terriers and other bully breed dogs, and it has plenty of puppies and dogs available for adoption.

“They’re just dogs,” Daniel said of pit bulls, noting the breed’s negative image. “Dogs need love, and they need homes.”

That’s certainly proven true in Harper’s case.

“The whole world was against her, but she’s such a fighter,” Daniel said. “She’s a blessing. She’s awesome.”

Australian researchers have discovered a new species of dolphin living right under their, uh, bottlenoses.

A population of 100 dolphins in Port Phillip Bay and 50 in the Gippsland Lakes on Australia’s southern coast have been proven to be genetically unique from dolphins anywhere else in the world,  Monash University doctoral researcher Kate Charlton-Robb said in a university release.

“We’re very pleased to announce that yes it is a new dolphin species, and I have called it Tersiops Australis,” Charlton-Robb said in an interview with Radio Australia.

The new species has been given the common name the Burrunan dolphin, meaning “large sea fish of the porpoise kind” in Aboriginal languages, she said.

The Burrunan dolphins were originally thought to be one of two bottlenose species, but researchers used DNA and skull comparisons to establish they were a new species.

Only three new dolphin species have been recognized since the late 1800s, Charlton-Robb said.

“This animal has been living right under our noses for so many years and just with combining those two different technologies, with looking at the skull morphology and the DNA, you know there’s still really exciting discoveries to be made,” Charlton-Robb told Radio Australia.

She said the discovery highlights the importance of conservation efforts.

“It would be a shame to discover something and then and lose it. So we really are working hard to try and protect and conserve these animals,” she told Radio Australia.

And if you want to get a look at the new species, head to Port Phillip Bay.

“The animals that you would see out in the bay on a normal occasion would be this new species type,” Charton-Robb told Radio Australia.

REPORTS of dolphins interacting with dead members of their pod are raising questions about whether cetaceans understand the concept of death. Bottlenose dolphins in western Greece have been seen reacting to death differently depending on whether a pod member has died suddenly or after a longer period of illness, New Scientist has learned.

Interpreting animal behaviour after the death of a companion is fraught with difficulty. Death is rarely observed in the wild, and it is easy to erroneously attribute human emotions to animals. Nevertheless, several species of intelligent, social animals, such as gorillas, chimpsMovie Camera and elephants can display particular behaviours when an animal dies – behaviours which some have interpreted as akin to mourning. Taken together with a growing number of reports of cetaceans interacting with dead animals and the discovery that they have specialised neurons linked to empathy and intuition, the Greek study suggests dolphins may have a complex – and even sophisticated – reaction to death.

Joan Gonzalvo of the Tethys Research Institute based in Milan, Italy, has been observing the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) population in the Amvrakikos gulf since 2006. In July 2007, he and his team of Earthwatch Institute volunteers saw a mother interact with her dead newborn calf. She lifted the corpse above the surface, in an apparent attempt to get it to breathe (see photo). “This was repeated over and over again, sometimes frantically, during two days of observation,” says Gonzalvo. “The mother never separated from her calf.” The team heard her calling to it while she touched it with her snout and pectoral fins.

The newborn had a large bruise on its lower jaw, suggesting it may have been killed by another dolphin. “Infanticide has been reported in this species,” says Gonzalvo. Aware of the dangers of investing animal behaviour with human emotions, he nonetheless suggests the mother may have been mourning the sudden death: “[She] seemed unable to accept the death.”
Release from suffering?

One year later, Gonzalvo came across a pod surrounding a 2 to 3-month-old dolphin that was having difficulty swimming (see photo). It bore bleach marks, possibly from exposure to pesticide or heavy-metal pollution. “The group appeared stressed, swimming erratically,” he says. “Adults were trying to help the dying animal stay afloat, but it kept sinking.” It died about an hour later.

From his previous observation, Gonzalvo expected the mother to stay with the corpse. Instead, it was allowed to sink and the group immediately left the area. “My hypothesis is that the sick animal was kept company and given support, and when it died the group had done their job. In this case they had already assumed death would eventually come – they were prepared.” Gonzalvo accepts that his interpretation is speculative and based on limited data. He is gathering examples from other researchers before publishing his observations.

Ingrid Visser of the Orca Research Trust in Tutukaka, New Zealand, has seen bottlenose dolphins and orcas carrying dead infants in what she too interprets as grief. She acknowledges that the activity may simply be misdirected behaviour, and that the animals do not know that the calf is dead. “But we do know that cetaceans have von Economo neurons, which have been associated with grief in humans.” As a result, she speculates that the behaviours are a form of grief.
Death rites

Visser has seen similar things at pilot whale strandings. “When one died the others would stop when passing by, as if to acknowledge or confirm that it was dead. If we tried to get them to move past without stopping, they would fight to go back to the dead animal. I do not know if they understand death but they do certainly appear to grieve – based on their behaviours.”

Karen McComb of the University of Sussex, UK, who has studied how elephants act when they find elephant bones, says Gonzalvo’s observations bring to mind other intelligent, social mammals, but it is impossible to know what is going on in an animal’s mind.

“It is fascinating but out of our reach as scientists,” she says, adding that any inferences are necessarily speculative. “It’s great to accumulate examples though – as more are gathered a clearer picture emerges.”

Less famous than its ground-dwelling, boxing relatives, the golden-mantled tree kangaroo (pictured above) has jumped onto the list of species facing extinction. It looks similar to a kangaroo or wallaby, but has strong forearms and a long ringed tail. Tree kangaroos also have rubbery soles on shorter, wider feet to make them more adept at climbing than kangaroos on the ground. Though they are slow and clumsy on land, tree kangaroos move expertly through trees, wrapping their forearms around a limb and using the hind legs to propel themselves up. They also leap with ease between trees. The golden-mantled tree kangaroo lives in the forested areas of a mountain range in Papua New Guinea and was discovered in Indonesia in 2006 by a group of scientists. As more of the forest is cleared away to be made into cultivated land, the tree kangaroo’s home is shrinking — bad news when it has been run out of 99% of its historical habitat range. In 2008 there were only 250 of its kind left, and experts expect the number to drop under 200 in the next 10 years or so.

This Gremlin-esque little guy comes, unsurprisingly, from the island of Siau in Indonesia. Tarsiers are nocturnal primates with extremely large eyes, soft fur, and long fingers and feet. Researchers believe the Siau Island tarsier numbers in the low thousands, and local residents have said they’ve seen fewer and fewer of these tarsiers during the past 10 years. Take into account that more than half of the animal’s home is an active volcano and that the island’s human population is rumored to regularly eat five to 10 tarsiers in one sitting, and the future’s not looking good for this species. In fact, it was put on the 2008-2010 list of the 25 most endangered primates, ranking up there with heavyweight names like the Sumatran Orangutan and Cross River Gorilla.

A slightly smaller version of your average sloth found only on one small island off the coast of Panama, the pygmy three-toed sloth is inching its way toward extinction with presumably fewer than 500 of its kind remaining. Though apparently not helping it survive human threats, this sloth’s set of skills includes the ability to turn its head 360 degrees and to grow algae on its fur. The algae is thought to be a sort of camouflage, but it hasn’t been able to protect the sloth from fishermen, who hunt the sloths and can spot them easily in their habitats near open sea. And while sloths have gotten a bad name for being lazy, what with the whole seven deadly sins thing, maybe that reputation will help them in this instance. Hopefully when it comes to extinction, these sloths will go very slowly.

If something’s not done to protect the beluga, the rich and famous may have to do without their caviar dreams permanently. The beluga, or European sturgeon, is one of the few sturgeons whose egg masses are used to make traditional caviar. Because of this notoriety, though, the beluga is frequently overfished and poached. And because it takes about 15 years for a beluga to mature, it is difficult for the fish to recover from being hunted. Not to be confused with the beluga whale, this ugly fish looks like something that could’ve gone extinct with the dinosaurs. A fully grown sturgeon can grow up to 15 feet long and weigh 2500 pounds. The largest one ever recorded was more than 3000 pounds and measured almost 25 feet. But the numbers of this big fish are dwindling, decreasing about 90% during the last 60 years. Most of the beluga in the world today are raised in hatcheries, and it may not be long until this animal is extinct in the wild.

You would think that a mammal that is able to fly would be evolved enough to avoid facing extinction, but that’s not the case with the Namdapha flying squirrel. Being fuzzy and adorable apparently isn’t helping either. This squirrel has only been found in one park in northeastern India so it is in great danger of disappearing. Among the top threats to the squirrel are human and animal predators and the degradation of its habitat. Like other flying squirrels, the Namdapha flying squirrel is able to soar from tree to tree using a parachute-like muscle membrane on the sides of its body. As it’s soaring, the squirrel is able to steer itself by moving its legs, tail and the membrane. The main differences between this squirrel and its cousins, like Rocky the Flying Squirrel, are the coloring and some variations in its features. Maybe this flying squirrel needs some help from Bullwinkle to save the day.

This species of cat is just about out of lives. The near-relative to the common bobcat has earned the title of “world’s most threatened species of cat” and could become the first feral cat to become extinct in about 2000 years. The Iberian lynx lives in Spain and possibly in Portugal, and while this cat’s preferred food is rabbits, it has been forced to hunt other types of prey as the rabbit population has decreased drastically due to disease. The lynx has also increasingly been killed by speeding traffic on Spain’s growing network of roads. In 2000, there were thought to be 400 Iberian lynx remaining. By 2003, that number had been cut to about 160 and then possibly to 100 by 2005. It’s rumored that the Spanish government is releasing rabbits into the wild to replenish the lynx’s hunting grounds and organizations are calling for the closure of the busiest road that runs through the lynx habitat. It’s yet to be seen if these actions could help this cat species land on its feet.

Considered by many to be the world’s most beautiful tortoise species, the radiated tortoise is in a losing race against time. It’s found on the southern coast of Madagascar, and though it once numbered in the millions, it has been hunted to a point that the species may not survive. People use its meat for food, but it is also said to be an aphrodisiac — some people from China will pay $50 to eat one. The bright star pattern on its shell also makes the tortoise a commodity in the illegal pet trade market. Madagascar park authorities and law enforcement are poorly equipped to deal with poachers, and the poachers have even started hunting the radiated tortoise on protected areas, like reserves or World Heritage Sites. Some scientists have predicted that this tortoise could be extinct in 20 years if drastic measures aren’t taken.

Only two kinds of monk seals still exist: the Hawaiian monk seal and the Mediterranean monk seal. And both are close to extinction. To make matters more serious, the third monk seal species, the Caribbean monk seal, went extinct sometime in the last 60 years. (To make matters less serious, native Hawaiians call their monk seal ‘Ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua, a name that means “dog that runs in rough water.”) The threats to monk seals include angry fisherman who are afraid they can’t compete with the seals for fish, water pollution and the use of boats and the beaches where seals frequent. There are about 1000 Hawaiian monk seals alive today, but experts predict that number will fall to 200 in the next 20 years. Only 350 to 450 Mediterranean monk seals remain and that number is also falling.

This blue-and-yellow Bolivian bird has quickly decreased in number during the past few generations. Its bright feathers makes it a favorite as a pet, and though it’s illegal to trade macaws, it continues to happen. Parrot-stealing seems like the perfect crime for a pirate. There are also a few instances of the bird being hunted for its feathers to make indigenous headdresses or for its meat to bait fish hooks. This parrot’s habitat is also being threatened because it’s located on cattle farms where trees are being cut down to create pastures and provide fuel. The blue-throated macaw is also facing competition for nesting sites from other birds such as toucans and big woodpeckers, as well as other macaws. There are only about 300 blue-throated macaws in the wild today.

No matter how many bat signals Florida authorities cast into the sky, the bonneted bats aren’t coming out. This bat, Florida’s largest with a wingspan of up to 18 inches, is named for its big ears that stick out over its eyes like a hat and can only be found on the southern tip of the state. It lives in hollowed-out trees, in suburban places like attics or under Spanish roof tiles and sometimes in foliage or under rocks. But because the suitable hiding places are normally older buildings or trees with large cavities, many of the bat’s habitats are being destroyed, by both humans and hurricanes. With only 250 or so bonneted bats left, this species could be on its way out. Holy extinction, Batman!

Dama gazelles used to graze all across northern Africa, presumably showing up in herds to join in a chorus of “The Circle of Life.” But now the animals that once numbered up to 10,000 on just one reserve can only be found in a few isolated areas in Chad, Mali, and Niger. Experts say there are definitely less than 500 of these gazelles left in the wild and they can’t be found in groups of more than 20, which are normally hundreds of miles apart. The main threats to this gazelle are hunting by nomads, military and hunting parties, and a loss of its habitat because of overgrazing of domestic livestock. The dama gazelle is expected to follow the same path out of the circle of life as the Scimitar-horned Oryx, which is now extinct in the wild.

Several people were fishing over the weekend just off Florida’s Atlantic coast when they pulled up a 23-foot long squid.

They say they were fishing about 12 miles offshore from Port Salerno when they saw the squid, WPTV reported.

“We pulled up… thought it was something to fish on, a pallet or something like that. We looked at it, all three of us were like ‘holy mackerel,’ ” Robert Benz told WPTV.

The squid’s body is about 11 feet long, and its tentacles were so long, it barely fit into the 23-foot long boat.

“Nobody believes a fisherman,” said Benz.  “It didn’t seem it had been dead long, the tentacles were still moving and it was sticking to you when we got it in.

Director of Education and Exhibits at the Florida Oceanographic Society Ellie Van Os said such a find is not common.

“It’s foreign to imagine that there’s an animal with 8 arms and 2 tentacles that are twice as long as the arms and their mouth is in the middle of their arms… and big eyes.”

The squid was transported to the Florida Museum of National History for further study.

This is a just a really cool picture of a unique frog named the Hypnotoad. We though we go a step further and post some fun facts about frogs while your here:

In General Frog Facts

There is evidence that frogs have roamed the Earth for more than 200 million years, at least as long as the dinosaurs.
The world’s largest frog is the goliath frog of West Africa—it can grow to 15 inches and weigh up to 7 pounds. A goliath frog skeleton is featured in Frogs: A Chorus of Colors.
One of the smallest is the Cuban tree toad, which grows to half an inch long.
While the life spans of frogs in the wild are unknown, frogs in captivity have been known to live more than 20 years.
There are over 4,900 species of frogs worldwide. Scientists continue to search for new ones and estimate that more than 1,000 frog species have yet to be described.
Toads are frogs—the word “toad” is usually used for frogs that have warty and dry skin, and shorter hind legs.

The Frog Physiology

Frogs have excellent night vision and are very sensitive to movement. The bulging eyes of most frogs allow them to see in front, to the sides, and partially behind them. When a frog swallows food, it pulls its eyes down into the roof of its mouth, to help push the food down its throat.
Frogs were the first land animals with vocal cords. Male frogs have vocal sacs—pouches of skin that fill with air. These balloons resonate sounds like a megaphone, and some frog sounds can be heard from a mile away.

Frog Locomotion

Launched by their long legs, many frogs can leap more than 20 times their body length.
The Costa Rican flying tree frog soars from branch to branch with the help of its feet. Webbing between the frog’s fingers and toes extends out, helping the frog glide.

Frog Camouflage

To blend into the environment, the Budgett’s frog is muddy brown in color while the Vietnamese mossy frog has spotty skin and bumps to make them look like little clumps of moss or lichen.
Many poisonous frogs, such as the golden poison frog and dyeing poison frog, are boldly colored to warn predators of their dangerous toxic skins. Some colorful frogs, such as the Fort Randolph robber frog, have developed the same coloring as a coexisting poisonous species. Although their skins are not toxic, these mimics may gain protection from predators by looking dangerous.

Their Ability in Surviving Extremes

Like all amphibians, frogs are cold-blooded, meaning their body temperatures change with the temperature of their surroundings. When temperatures drop, some frogs dig burrows underground or in the mud at the bottom of ponds. They hibernate in these burrows until spring, completely still and scarcely breathing.
The wood frog can live north of the Arctic Circle, surviving for weeks with 65% of its body frozen. This frog uses glucose in its blood as a kind of antifreeze that concentrates in its vital organs, protecting them from damage while the rest of the body freezes solid.
The Australian water-holding frog is a desert dweller that can wait up to seven years for rain. It burrows underground and surrounds itself in a transparent cocoon made of its own shed skin.
Frogs are freshwater creatures, although some frogs such as the Florida leopard frog are able to live in brackish or nearly completely salt waters.

Frog Mating and Hatching

Almost all frogs fertilize the eggs outside of the female’s body. The male holds the female around the waist in a mating hug called amplexus. He fertilizes the eggs as the female lays them. Amplexus can last hours or days—one pair of Andean toads stayed in amplexus for four months.
The marsupial frog keeps her eggs in a pouch like a kangaroo. When the eggs hatch into tadpoles, she opens the pouch with her toes and spills them into the water.
Pipa pipa, the Suriname toad of South America (an enlarged model of a female with froglets is featured in the Museum’s Hall of Reptiles and Amphibians), carries her young embedded in the skin of her back. After mating, the eggs sink gradually into the female’s back, and a skin pad forms over the eggs. The developing juvenile frogs are visible inside their pockets for several days before hatching. They emerge over a period of days, thrusting their head and forelegs out first, then struggling free.
The gastric brooding frog of Australia swallows her fertilized eggs. The tadpoles remain in her stomach for up to eight weeks, finally hopping out of her mouth as little frogs. During the brooding period, gastric secretions cease—otherwise she would digest her own offspring.
Among Darwin frogs, it is the male who swallows and stores the developing tadpoles in his vocal sac until juvenile frogs emerge.

It is what many dog owners have long suspected – their pets can read their personalities and know instinctively who is more likely to be friendly or give them a treat.

Dog owners often claim their pets have an uncanny ability to understand them, sensing tiredness, depression and illness even if they hide the signs.

Now scientists claimed to have proved the phenomenon and that the ability is natural and not just learnt.

Dr Monique Udell and her team from Florida University carried out two experiments involving both domesticated dogs and their relative the wolf.

The two sets of animals were given the opportunity to beg for food, either from an attentive person or from a person who ignored the potential beggar.

The researchers showed for the first time that wolves, like domestic dogs, are capable of begging successfully for food by approaching the attentive human.

This demonstrates that both species – domesticated and non-domesticated – have the capacity to behave in accordance with a human’s attentional state.

They are therefore likely born with the ability, since wolves would not have had much practice, which the typical pet dog gains by begging for treats during dinner and at other times.

Dogs did, however, get better at the ability the more time they spent with humans.

Dogs in shelters were not nearly as good as well loved pets, demonstrating that exposure to humans allows dogs to hone their natural people-reading skills more.

The findings were reported in the journal Learning & Behaviour.

Long after the suntanned crowds pack up their umbrellas and chairs and the tide has washed away that day’s sand castles, Clover slowly makes her way onto the beach.

It is usually the middle of the night, when the beach is quiet and intentionally darkened.

Nearby lights from streets and buildings are shut off in expectation of after-hours visitors such as Clover, an endangered leatherback turtle.

“We have such a good feeling for this turtle. She has just kind of struck a nerve with all of us,” said Kelly Martin, a biologist with the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, Florida. “Everybody’s got a little soft spot for her.”

The special affection for Clover comes from her disability; she is missing her rear flippers. According to Martin, the scars indicate that the flippers were bitten off by sharks.

“With no rear flippers, leatherbacks and any sea turtle are not able to dig a proper egg cavity,” Martin said, “so they end up depositing their eggs on the sand, and they don’t survive.”

Leatherback eggs that are properly nested have only a 30% to 40% chance of hatching.

“Most of those hatchlings won’t survive more than a week,” world-renowned turtle expert Peter C.H. Pritchard said. “The clutches are fairly large: They average 80 or more eggs in a clutch, and so one wants to make sure in general that as many eggs hatch as possible and then let nature take over.”

Martin’s team gives nature a hand at the start of the reproduction process by digging Clover’s nests.

Watch night video of a team member helping Clover Video

While on the beach collecting data on the leatherback population in northern Palm Beach County, they always keep an eye out for their special turtle.

The person who spots Clover coming ashore stops work to dig a 3-foot hole that she will use to deposit her eggs.

The first encounter with Clover was in 2003, when she was missing only one flipper. Also on the beach that night were a woman and son vacationing from Vermont.

“The biologist that found her asked them if they wanted to name her,” Martin recalled, “and they chose the name of the state flower from Vermont, a clover.”

Although Vermont’s flower is the red clover, this turtle seems to have the luck of a four-leaf clover.

“If she was to show up somewhere else, no one would be out there looking for her. It’s just odd to us, and it’s kind of ironic that she comes back to this beach where people are out there looking for her,” Martin said.

When Clover was found on the beach in 2007, her second flipper was missing. Her injuries turned the turtle researchers into turtle midwives.

“She still has the very base of that flipper,” Martin said as she described the digging process, “so that’s moving as she is trying to dig, and as she puts one flipper in, we take our hand and scoop out some sand. She’ll switch sides and put the other flipper in. We’re just kind of moving with her and trying to stay out of her way.”

After the eggs are deposited, the hole is filled. Clover helps pack the sand with the base of her flipper.

Pritchard’s studies have found that nesting is hard-wired into turtles; they “haven’t a clue” why they are there.

Leatherback turtles nest every 10 days, and they will lay eggs six to 10 times in a season.

The turtle season on Florida’s Atlantic coast runs from May until mid-June.

“If you are there to make an artificial nest hole by hand, they don’t exactly say thank you,” Pritchard said, “but I think they’re thinking it, because once you dig a hole of the appropriate depth, they will fill it with eggs for you.”

Clover must be very thankful. This season, with a little help from her friends, she has filled seven holes.

Here are five things every cat lover should know about this mysterious product that drives cats batty.

1. Catnip is an actual plant.

A member of the mint family, Nepeta cataria L. (aka catnip) grows throughout the United States. The plant features small, lavender flowers and jagged, heart-shaped leaves that smell faintly of mint.

2. It’s easy to grow.

Cat lovers who possess a green thumb can grow catnip from seed after the last hard frost of the season. As a perennial, this herbaceous flowering plant will return each year with proper care.

Keep in mind that catnip requires plenty of room to grow and flourish, much like most felines. Once it grows, you will have the most popular house in the neighborhood — at least among the feline population.

3. Most cats love it.

Catnip leaves and flowers can trigger chemicals in a cat’s brain that lead to bouts of energetic euphoria or laid-back laziness. For that reason, dried catnip and catnip-laced toys make regular appearances on pet store shelves.

Mary Ellen Burgoon of Park Pet Supply in Atlanta advises cat owners to sprinkle dried catnip leaves on scratching posts as a training tool. Pinch the leaves first to release essential oils, and a little goes a long way.

You also can refresh old toys by placing them in a sealed jar along with a sachet of catnip. It’s a great way to jump-start a fat cat’s exercise regimen.

4. Use with care.

Once cats get a whiff of catnip, it’s best to leave them alone until they’ve lost that loving feeling.

Catnip also can cause excessive drooling, so you may want to retrieve those cat toys after use. No one wants to step on a soaking wet cat toy.

Burgoon also suggests storing catnip and catnip-laced toys in an airtight container or a cat-proof area.

5. People like catnip, too.

Catnip also can be used for tea. The presence of a chemical called nepetalactone produces sedative-like affects in humans, making catnip a popular home remedy for headaches as well as insomnia.

To make catnip tea, add one teaspoon of dried catnip leaves or three to four teaspoons of fresh catnip leaves to a mug of boiling water and let it steep.

As a pet lover, I get much more enjoyment out of watching cats enjoy catnip. Weird Nature’s video of cats catching a whiff of the plant is pretty entertaining. I also like to partake in a bit of digital catnip, courtesy of sites like LOLCats or Catbook.

My feline-loving friends also may want to bookmark Animal Planet’s Secret Society of Cat People site, although it’s not so secret anymore. Enjoy!