Energy

Oil falls on Russia/Ukraine talks and new lockdowns in China | Reuters

Oil falls on Russia/Ukraine talks and new lockdowns in China | Reuters

LONDON, March 14 (Reuters) - Oil prices fell by around $5 a barrel on Monday as investors pinned hopes on diplomatic efforts by Ukraine and Russia to end their conflict, while a surge in COVID-19 cases in China spooked the markets.

Brent was down by $4.67, or 4.1%, at $108.00 a barrel at 1000 GMT, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell $5.71, or 5.2%, to $103.62 a barrel.

Both contracts have surged since Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine and are up roughly 40% for the year to date.

Muskrats are agile swimmers – Dickinson County Conservation Board

Muskrats are agile swimmers – Dickinson County Conservation Board

Muskrats are active mid-afternoon into the night, and they spend much of their time in the water where they look for green vegetation to eat. In the summer, they will dive to eat the roots of aquatic plants — they’re able to stay underwater for up to 15 minutes — and in the winter, they will swim under ice to look for vegetation. Muskrats can swim in frigid water due to something called regional heterothermia, which regulates blood flow to their non-furry feet and tails, allowing these body parts to be cooler than the main part of the body, so their main body stays nice and warm in cold water.

muskrat in the water

The water is a safe space for muskrats, because they can escape predators such as raccoons, coyotes and owls by diving deep or by swimming into their burrows and nests. They paddle with their large, webbed back feet and use their flat tail to help them change direction. They can even swim backward.