WebClawer: It’s grunion run time again, man cited for pet hyena, pet store mistakenly gets shipment of human body

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From fish to dogs to hyenas to whales, animals are all over the news today:

-- It’s grunion run season once again, and you know what that means: Folks from far and wide will gather to watch the sardinelike fish perform their strange spawning ritual. The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro begins hosting its annual grunion-viewing events tonight at 9 p.m., with the little fish expected to make their appearance between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. The aquarium says the runs usually happen three to four nights after new and full moons. Cost to attend is $5 for adults and $1 for children, students and seniors. Grunion can also be seen on beaches from Point Conception, Calif., to Point Abreojos in Baja California. Daily Travel & Deal Blog

-- A Lincoln, Nebraska man who lost part of his finger trying to save his choking dog says helping his pet, a chocolate Labrador named Nick, was his top priority. Bob Larson was playing fetch with Nick when the ball became caught in the dog’s throat. ‘I tried to get the ball out of his mouth one more time, and he came down on my finger,’ Larson said of the panicking dog (who didn’t intentionally bite him). ‘I pulled my finger out and just lost the tip of it.’ Larson managed to get Nick to a veterinarian before getting himself to a hospital. The vet was able to remove the ball and resuscitate the dog. MSNBC

-- Humpback whales are a bit early arriving in the Santa Barbara Channel on their annual migration path. Alex Brodie, fleet manager for the Channel Islands cruising company Island Packers, says the humpbacks are hamming it up for whale-watchers -- on a recent trip one swam up to the boat and rubbed its head against the railing, scraping off a few barnacles! Blue whales and killer whales have also been seen in the channel already this year. Outposts

-- A Philadelphia pet store called Pets Plus Pet Center was in for a shock when a shipment it expected to contain exotic fish turned out instead to contain a human corpse. Jon Kenoyer, a California man, had donated his body to Life Quest Anatomical for scientific research. A statement from US Airways said in part, ‘The mixup occurred due to a verbal miscommunication between a delivery driver and the cargo representative. We are working to rectify the situation and are deeply sorry for the inconvenience this has caused.’ Pets Plus noticed the error before the box containing Kenoyer’s body was opened, and it was rerouted to Life Quest. Kenoyer’s widow took the event in stride, saying she saw the humor in the fact that her husband had been afraid of flying during his life. ‘He’s just playing the last practical joke on me for putting him on a plane,’ she said. CNN

-- A Myrtle Beach, S.C. resident was cited for owning and displaying a wild or exotic animal when police discovered a 3-year-old hyena named Bubbles living in a chain-link pen in his backyard. Bubbles was removed and placed in the local Alligator Adventure animal park. Associated Press

--Lindsay Barnett