* Images from Google Earth reveal that cattle tend to align their bodies in a north-south direction. Wild deer also display this behavior-a phenomenon that has previously gone unnoticed. The explanation remains a mystery. National Geographic News
* Within 100 milliseconds of seeing a moving swatter, a fly's brain can calculate the position of the impending threat and place its legs and body in an optmal position that allows it to jump in the opposite direction. Science Daily
* The Louisana State University School of Veterinary Medicine and its Wildlife Hospital treated about 100 pets, 100 baby squirrels, and a number of baby birds in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav. www.vetmed.lsu.edu
*An estimated 1 in 10 celebrants, or 7.4 million households, plan on dressing their pets in costume this Halloween. Top 5 animal costumes: devils, pumpkins, witches, princesses, and angels. National Retail Federation
* The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted unanimously to designate the manatee as a threatened species rather than endangered. A recent survey found 3,116 manatees in Florida waters, up from 1,267 in 1991. Associated Press
* According to a recent survery, more than two thirds of Americans would rather be stranded on a desert island with their pet than their partner. Reuters
