Fona herzogae was a small, dog-sized herbivorous dinosaur that lived around 99 million years ago in a warm, humid, and muddy floodplain ecosystem with rivers, an inland ocean, and active volcanoes in present-day Utah.

The fossil evidence suggests that Fona herzogae spent at least part of its time in underground burrows.

Fona's fossils are often found complete and well-preserved, indicating it likely lived in burrows before death, where its skeletons were protected, contributing to its higher prevalence in the area.

Researchers have found tunnels and chambers of its close relative, Oryctodromeus, supporting the idea of burrowing behavior.

Fona herzogae had a simple body plan, likely covered in a downy coat of colorful feathers, and was an ancestor of Thescelosaurus, offering insight into life during the mid-Cretaceous.

The genus name "Fona" pays tribute to an indigenous myth from the island of Guam, while the species name "herzogae" honors Lisa Herzog, the paleontology operations manager at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences possesses the genuine skeleton of Fona herzogae, a 3D-printed model of its skull, and a scientific illustration depicting its appearance, but no exhibition project for the fossil has been announced yet.

Sources: noticiasvillaguay, biobiochile, algeriemondeinfos, elvocero, nacion, poderygloria, notimerica, sci.news, phys.org, nationaltribune, headtopics.

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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In a heartbreaking turn of events, Petel (raspberry in Hebrew), the canine hero who saved her family from Hamas' terrorist attack on Oct. 7 in Kibbutz Be'eri, has succumbed to injuries sustained during the harrowing ordeal, as reported by the Ynet news site.

We are heartbroken to report that #Petel, a family #dog who heroically saved her family in Kibbutz Be'eri, southern #Israel, on October 7th, has passed away after succumbing to her wounds. On the day of the attack, Petel heard #Hamas terrorists enter her family home and started… pic.twitter.com/PoASiyJrRL

— StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) June 3, 2024

According to the Ben Zvi family, Petel's relentless barking alerted them to the presence of terrorists attempting to break into their home. The family credits the dog's brave actions, amplified through a baby monitor, for prompting the terrorists to abandon their plans and flee the scene. Initially paralyzed by the explosions inside the safe room, Petel found the courage to bark incessantly when the terrorists tried to force their way through the door.

"The terrorists heard the dog in stereo. I can only assume that the scene became too complicated for them and they decided to leave the house," Ela Ben Zvi recounted.

Tragically, when the family was evacuated by soldiers later that day, they were forced to leave Petel behind because she was post-traumatic and too afraid to come out because of the explosions, and the family couldn't carry her due to her size. They provided her with food and water, intending to retrieve her once the situation was resolved. However, in a devastating turn of events, soldiers conducting searches in the kibbutz mistakenly believed terrorists were present in the house and opened fire, injuring Petel with shrapnel.

Upon realizing their mistake, the soldiers swiftly transported Petel to a veterinarian for treatment. After receiving medical care, she was eventually reunited with her beloved family. Despite her ordeal and advanced age of 11 years, Petel persevered, "and received a lot of love, hugs, and pets," Ben Zvi said. But she was an older dog, 11 years old. And she went through a lot and spent a lot of energy on her rehabilitation and recovery. There were several people who told us that she held on a little longer to be with us, and then she was let go," she expressed with profound sadness. 

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A dog in England apparently set a house ablaze after accidentally turning a hairdryer on, according to the fire brigade in the town of Hockley, Essex.

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According to the rescue service, the owner had returned home on Christmas Eve and was surprised to see her residence with smoke.

The firefighters managed to take control of the flames before major damage could be inflicted, neither the woman nor the dog was hurt.

According to the fire brigade, the dog was waiting outside the door, potentially saving his life.

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Are fleas, barking, and picking up poop putting you off adopting a dog? Israeli startup Digital Pets Company might have a solution for you. The Digital Pets Company is launching artificial intelligence (AI)-driven 3D digital dogs.

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Combining AI, extended reality (XR) and blockchain technologies, the company is attempting to create an emotional relationship with a virtual being. Each digital dog is unique in its appearance and personality, powered by the startup's proprietary PetOS technology.

The company's mission is to create interactions that mimic real-life relationships between people and dogs. Users can name their digital pets, train them, and play with other people and their digital dogs.

Itay Hasid, co-founder and CEO of The Digital Pets Company, explains that "In the coming decade, we will see more and more virtual spaces where people will spend time and create new interactions.

"These spaces will be very empty and lonely without suitable content, which connects people and establishes substantial social relations. Dogs, which are man's best friends, make us happier and help us connect with new people. I believe that artificial intelligence, animation, and multisensory communications that combine voice, sight, and touch, will make it possible to create true relationships, exactly like in the physical world, and fulfill social and emotional needs," says Hasid, who co-founded the venture in July 2021 with Maciej Miarecki and Amit Yogev.

All the digital dogs, along with their visual and personality traits, are secured as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the Ethereum blockchain. Each NFT will belong to one digital wallet owned by a specific user. The NFTs will be stored as ERC-721 tokens and hosted on the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS). Each NFT is connected through the proprietary PetOS to an actual Digital Dog.

Digital Dogs will be used across different virtual environments in the metaverse via the company's proprietary SDK. The Digital Pets Company will sell NFTs that will allow digital dog owners to get to know their dogs and train them through one-on-one digital interactions. The owners will use tokens which will help train the digital dogs by providing positive incentives, much like real-life dogs. The startup will develop social interaction in digital playgrounds where people and dogs will be able to socialize.

For potential digital pet parents, the company has made a demo available that features Laika, which is says is the first-ever digital dog.

The Digital Pets Company has raised pre-seed funding from Outlier Ventures, Hawk Digital, MaxStealth and the angel investor Dr. Rafi Gidron, co-founder of Chromatis, which was sold to Lucent for around $4.8 billion in 2000, in one of the biggest exits in the history of Israel.

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In a packed Istanbul passenger ferry between Europe and Asia, all eyes turn to one commuter enjoying the view from his window.

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Boji, a street dog, has become a regular sight on ferries, buses, and metro trains in Europe's largest city. A devoted commuter, the dog enjoys long journeys on public transport, up to 30 kilometers (18 miles) on a regular weekday.

Istanbul municipality officials who record the dog's trips with a microchip say he drops by at least 29 metro stations a day and was even tracked at sea, taking a weekend break to the Princes' Islands off the city's coast.

With golden-brown fur, dark eyes, and floppy ears, Boji started to draw attention two months ago.

"We noticed a dog using our metros and trains and he knows where to go. He knows where to get out," said Aylin Erol, from Metro Istanbul. "It's like he has a purpose."

Data collected from his tracking device shows historic tram lines are Boji's favorite but he is also a frequent subway commuter. Erol says the dog respects public transport rules and waits for disembarking passengers before hopping on the train.

He enjoys traveling on the middle part of a subway carriage, or boji in Turkish - hence the name which officials gave him.

Erol says he brought color into the lives of 1.3 million commuters of the metropolis. Istanbulites post pictures of him on social media, and his own accounts have more than 50,000 followers.

"You take the train and, suddenly, you see Boji. And look at him. He lies, just like this. You just smile and catch the moment, really. This is what Boji evokes for Istanbulites. He also reminds us that we can still enjoy Istanbul as we rush about."

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Border Collies are smart – but who knew they could dance? At this year's Open European Championship for Dog Dancing (in which trainers dance with their dogs), Israeli dog trainer Roni Sagi and her dog Pessah made it into the top 10.

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Sagi and Pessah scored 9^th, placing higher than 70 other trainer/canine dance duos from 15 countries.

The pair, who live in Tel Aviv, were trained and mentored in their choreography by Tzachi Melamed, Maya Mashaal, and Anastasia Beaumont.

Video: Israel Kennel Club

This year's competition took place in Germany and is considered one of the most prestigious on the international dog sport circuit.

"This is the first time that Pessah I have taken part in the freestyle event, after practicing for two and a half years. We started working on the dance last January. Since then, we've been working to upgrade it. I decided to fly abroad for the competition in June, and since then, the training has been intensive," Sagi said.

"We ended the qualifiers with a score of 24.13, in the top 10, which put us through to the finals the next day, where we earned a final score of 24.57, 9^th overall," Sagi added proudly.

Spokesman for the Israel Kennel Club Tal Yaffe said, "The sport of dog dancing, which has been gaining popularity in Israel in the last few years, is a wonderful example of competition for an inseparable duo – people and dogs. We're proud of and happy for Roni, who graduated our basic course, and her dog, Pessah, for the determination that led to their achievement."

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Her work tool has not changed, but hairdresser Jeje July Touk from Acre has gone from cutting people's hair to grooming dogs.

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Coronavirus restrictions on beauty salons left the hair stylist jobless, so turning adversity into opportunity, Touk became a professional dog groomer, an occupation relatively rare for a woman in Israel's Arab community.

Dogs are considered unclean by some in the Arab world, but attitudes are changing, and many now own them as pets.

Touk opened her B-rex dog spa in Acre a few months after the outbreak of the pandemic, offering grooming, claw clipping, and other services.

"Dogs are my passion," she said in the brightly colored salon in the historic city on Israel's northern coast.

The salon is visited by both Jewish and Arab customers, and Touk is helped by her son, who wants to become a veterinarian.

"Before she gives the dog the needed treatment, she works on forming a connection first. This is what makes me always come back," customer Hamada Kleib, owner of a Doberman pinscher, said.

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In addition to joint ventures in technology, tourism, energy, and security, new bilateral relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates are expanding opportunities for veterinary care, as well.

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Israel's Biogal-Galed Laboratories announced Tuesday that it has partnered with Eurovets Veterinary Suppliers to bring Biogal's veterinary diagnostic solutions to the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar.

According to one marketing report from 2019, while cats are preferred as pets in the UAE, the country has seen a growing rate of dog ownership in the past few years, due in part to a growing population of expatriates who are encouraging the trend of dog ownership in the country.

Biogal CEO Marcela Raisman said, "We are thrilled to announce that Eurovets has joined Biogal's ecosystem, and are proud to be among the first Israeli companies to form such an alliance following the Israel-UAE peace treaty.

"Together with Eurovets, we are showing support for the new agreement between the countries and can only hope it inspires other companies to do the same. Through our collaborative work together, we believe we'll create sustainable value for veterinarians worldwide and for their patients," Raisman added.

Eurovets shareholder Dr. Martin Wyness said that "by bringing together the industry leader in veterinary and diagnostic solutions with the leading veterinary supply and support solutions for the UAE's animal health industry, we are offering added value for customers, partners, and of course, for the patients themselves."

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International vegan dog food company V-Planet's plant-based dog kibble is now available in South Korea, the company announced Wednesday.

V-planet is now available in South Korea, Japan, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, New Zealand, Panama, Lebanon, Singapore and Thailand.

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"Many South Koreans are adopting a plant-based lifestyle because they're concerned about the welfare of animals and the state of the environment," said Lindsay Rubin, vice president of v-planet. "But they haven't had a lot of options for vegan pet food. We're confident v-planet and Dream Pet Foods can make a real difference for them by introducing our completely balanced, nutritious and dog-approved food."

V-planet's plant-based kind kibble is available in two sizes, with mini bites for small dogs and larger bites for medium and large dogs.

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The report says that "the studies appear to show that dogs have a strong ability to identify COVID patients based on the patients' bodies' reactions to the presence of the virus, but not the virus itself."

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According to the report, the studies on using dogs to sniff identify COVID patients are in early stages, and "we need to wait until the results of additional studies are published" before arriving at conclusions about dogs' precise abilities to discover the presence of the virus in humans.

"If indeed dogs are proven to have the ability, we can expect them to become widely used in sweeping crowded areas," the IDF report said.

However, it stressed that dogs could not replace tests and, if used, would help locate people at risk of spreading the virus and who might not have been tested.

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