A giant squid was discovered on the shores of Ocean Beach in Strahan, Tasmania, last July 10. When we say giant, we mean it. It weighs in at a whopping 550 pounds and was measured one meter (3 feet) across at its widest point and eight meters (26 feet) from end to end.

It is expected that the giant squid will be taken to the museum where DNA and other related tests can be conducted on it before it's eventual preservation.

Those who are planning to have a giant squid meal might be a bit disappointed though. A zoologist who studies invertebrates at the Tasmanian Museum Genefor Walker-Smith spoke about the find, saying that these creatures have a high concentration of Ammonia to help it become more buoyant. This pretty much means that the squid wouldn't taste as good as the regular-sized squids we eat. That's too bad considering that the people in Mexico just found a giant mushroom that would have been a perfect siding to this Cephalopod.

The Tasmanian Tiger was declared extinct back in 1986. It was the last member of the Thylacinidae family and the the world’s largest marsupial carnivore. According to the record books, the last wild Tasmanian Tiger was killed between 1910 and 1920 while the last captive one died in 1936 at the Hobart Zoo in Tasmania, Australia.

However, wildlife scientists are now beginning to think that there's a slim possibility that wild Tasmanian Tigers still roam the island off the coast of the Land Down Under due to continued "sightings" of the creature. More than these rumors, scientists are again looking into the preserved animal droppings found in the late 1950s and early 1960s which allegedly came from the tiger.

"If we find thylacine DNA from the 1950s scats, it will be significant. This would prove that either the thylacine produced the scat or a [Tasmanian] devil ate a thylacine and dropped the scat. Either way that is proof that the thylacine was there at the time," commented Australian Center for Ancient DNA zoologist Jeremy Austin.

In the event that DNA proof is recovered, that would imply that the Tasmanian Tiger remained hidden from humans for a period of 40 to 50 years. Austin hopes that if that is the case, then there's a chance that the creature "could survive another 50 years without ever being caught or killed".

Australia's rare and endangered parrots are vulnerable to climate changes. If nothing is done about that, any plans to conserve them would be a waste of money. This according to Environment Victoria, an organization that called the Australian Government's funding to save an endangered bird species as "pouring money down the drain."

Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell announced the government has set aside A$3.2 million to preserve the orange bellied parrot's habitats at South Gippsland and King Island in Tasmania. But Environment Victoria claims the money would be better spent on renewable energy projects that could help slow down global warming.
Ironically,Senator Campbell rejected a wind farm proposal at Gippsland because it posed a small threat to the birds. Hmm.