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Happy Feet emperor penguin on Peka Peka beach

Happy Feet was anemperor penguin who, in June 2011, arrived atPeka Peka Beach in New Zealand'sNorth Island after travelling about 3,200 kilometres (2,000 mi) from Antarctica. He was one of the northernmost emperor penguins ever recorded outside of captivity and the second emperor penguin to have been found in New Zealand. After arriving, he ingested sand on the beach, mistaking it for snow, and filled his stomach with it. He soon became unwell and was transported toWellington Zoo, where he was given a 50 per cent chance of survival. Most of the sand was removed and he was kept at the zoo to recover. Happy Feet was released in the Southern Ocean on 4 September 2011. He was fitted with a satellite transmitter to track his location; this ceased transmission on 9 September, possibly due to the transmitter falling off or the penguin being preyed upon. Happy Feet's arrival and recovery attracted worldwide media coverage. He was named after the 2006 filmHappy Feet. (Full article...)

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Sylvilagus nuttallii

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In the news

Trifid andLagoon nebulae

TheVera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile releases thefirst light images(example shown) from its new8.4-metre (28 ft) telescope.
In basketball, theOklahoma City Thunder defeat theIndiana Pacers to winthe NBA Finals.
An attack on aGreek Orthodox church inDamascus, Syria, kills at least 25 people.
The United States conductsmilitary strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran.
In rugby union, theCrusaders defeat theChiefs to winthe Super Rugby Pacific final.

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On this day

July 3

The 2017 Boundary Fire

1810 –Mauritius campaign of 1809–1811: A French frigate squadron underGuy-Victor Duperrédefeated a convoy of three BritishEast Indiamen near theComoro Islands.
1970 –The Troubles: TheBritish Army began theFalls Curfew inBelfast, Northern Ireland, which resulted in greaterIrish republican resistance.
1988 – TheUS Navy warshipVincennes shot downIran Air Flight 655 over thePersian Gulf, killing all 290 people aboard.
2005 –Same-sex marriage becamelegal in Spain with the coming into effect of a law passed by theCortes Generales.
2017 – In Arizona, theBoundary Fire(pictured) burned out after 32 days, burning 17,788 acres (7,199 ha) of theCoconino andKaibab National Forests.

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Today's featured picture

Theslaty-crowned antpitta (Grallaricula nana) is a species of bird in theAntpitta family, Grallariidae. It has adisjunct distribution, inhabitingmontane forest in the subtropical to temperate zone of northern South America. It is 10.5 to 11.5 cm (4.1 to 4.5 in) long and weighs 17.5 to 23 g (0.62 to 0.81 oz). This slaty-crowned antpitta of the subspeciesG. n. occidentalis was photographed nearManizales, Colombia.

Photograph credit:Charles J. Sharp

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