Bald eagle deaths in Utah alarm and mystify scientists
Phys.Org, 29th December 2013
Bald eagles are dying in Utah - 20 in the past few weeks alone - and nobody can figure out why.
Hundreds of the majestic birds - many with wing spans of 7 feet or more - migrate here each winter, gathering along the Great Salt Lake and feasting on carp and other fish that swim in the nearby freshwater bays.
Earlier this month, however, hunters and farmers across five counties in northern and central Utah began finding the normally skittish raptors lying listless on the ground. Many suffered from seizures, head tremors and paralysis in the legs, feet and wings.
Comment: Since there are lot of other creatures "mysteriously" dying off, the accusations are that we are seeing the fallout from Fukushima starting to really hit home... Lots of comment over at Energy News
Elephants understand pointing and use their trunks to gesture, research finds
Elephants understand pointing without being trained to recognise the human gesture, and are much more cognitively similar to humans than previously thought, scientists have said.
Telegraph, 11th October 2013
Experts from the University of St Andrews believe the animals may even use their trunks as a means of communication, in a similar way to pointing.
The ability may have evolved from the complex social system elephants inhabit, which involves recognising unspoken signals.
"What elephants share with humans is that they live in an elaborate and complex network in which support, empathy, and help for others are critical for survival," said Professor Richard Byrne.
"It may be only in such a society that the ability to follow pointing has adaptive value, or more generally, elephant society may have selected for an ability to understand when others are trying to communicate with them, and they are thus able to work out what pointing is about when they see it."
Comment: I think this report is pathetic when there are YouTube videos of elephants painting beautiful flowers and reports of elephants making sounds in Korean that are convincing enough to make their handlers think they are trying to talk to humans.
What Is This? Mysterious Amazon Web Baffles Scientists |
LiveScience, 4th September 2013
New 'walking' shark species caught on video
Fox News, 30th August 2013
A new species of "walking" shark has been discovered in a reef off a remote Indonesian island.
These sharks don't always rely on "walking" to move about — often, they only appear to touch the seafloor as they swim using their pectoral and dorsal fins in a walklike gait, said Fahmi (who only goes by one name), a shark researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Science who wasn't involved in the study describing the species. In the videoof the newfound walking shark, however, the animal is clearly touching the seafloor.
Comment: The definition of 'new' is ambiguous. Does 'new' mean never been discovered before but has been around for a very long time? Or does 'new' mean epigenetics or even 'natural selection' has kicked in and evolution in a short or long time has occurred and a previously non-walking shark now has the ability to walk... If rapid evolutionary change is taking place then I believe we will continue to get reports of lots of 'new' discoveries, but even when evolutionary biologists catch species changing and evolving over a few decades or 15 generations, some don't like to call it evolution when that is exactly what is talking place. See,
Some Evolution May Not Depend on Genes
Swan fake! Pretty unusual flamingo baffles experts after swimming in lakes to cool down during the heatwave
Daily Mail, 29th July 2013
* Flamingos usually stand on one leg and splash in shallow water to keep cool
* But one living in a British wetland centre swims like a swan instead
A flamingo has baffled experts after it started acting like a swan to keep cool during Britain's roasting hot summer.
The birds normally deal with heat by standing on one leg while briefly dousing themselves in water.
But this 52-year-old flamingo has broken the habit of a lifetime and taken to swimming on the lakes at Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire, and looks just like a floating pink swan.
Keepers at the centre say they have never witnessed the 'unusual' behaviour before.
Comment: Can't even the odd flamingo be a little bit more flexible in its habits in order to survive?
Study: Small birds versatile enough to cope with climate change
LA Times, 9th July 2013
Despite the potential havoc wreaked by climate change, it’s not all doom and gloom for our planet. A new study projects that certain types of short-lived, small birds will easily withstand global warming throughout this century, even under worst-case carbon emissions scenarios.
Most studies predicting species’ fates due to global warming rely on models that assume species can survive only in the environmental conditions in which they currently live. But doing so ignores the possibility that species can adapt to a changing environment, said Ben Sheldon, an ornithologist at the University of Oxford and the senior author of the study, published Tuesday in PLOS Biology. [...]
There are two main ways species can cope with a rising thermostat — by evolving or by being versatile. The former requires genetic changes in a short amount of time within a population. The latter, a concept biologists call phenotypic plasticity, involves adjusting to fit in, like a high school kid who can float in the nerd, jock and Goth crowds. For a bird, it means changing appearance or behavior to take advantage of a changing environment. Sheldon and his team wanted to know which mechanism, if any, birds were using to adapt to climate change.
Comment: Evolutionary biologists have been stating for quite some time that many species will adapt. So, it is interesting that proven changes in species behaviour is becoming climate driven "adaption" to climate change and NOT evolution... How convenient... Obviously, this might be because evolutionary theory has become a thorny issue with prominent scientists becoming very dissatisfied and thus demanding evolutionary theory requires a major overhaul.
Cockatoos 'pick' puzzle box locks
Eureka Alert, 3rd July 2013
A species of Indonesian parrot can solve complex mechanical problems that involve undoing a series of locks one after another, revealing new depths to physical intelligence in birds.
A team of scientists from Oxford University, the University of Vienna, and the Max Planck Institute, report in PLOS ONE a study in which ten untrained Goffin's cockatoos [Cacatua goffini] faced a puzzle box showing food (a nut) behind a transparent door secured by a series of five different interlocking devices, each one jamming the next along in the series.
To retrieve the nut the birds had to first remove a pin, then a screw, then a bolt, then turn a wheel 90 degrees, and then shift a latch sideways. One bird, called 'Pipin', cracked the problem unassisted in less than two hours, and several others did it after being helped either by being presented with the series of locks incrementally or being allowed to watch a skilled partner doing it.
Comment: Bird brains?
Aren't I a-daw-able? Rare albino jackdaw sends birdwatchers wild after being spotted in Welsh countryside
Daily Mail, 25th June 2013
Looking forlorn, this little bird was probably wondering why it was getting so much attention. But that's the price you pay when you're a rare albino jackdaw.
If you're not getting picked on by the larger, more common black jackdaws, you have to contend with excited birdwatchers trying to take a picture of you. This albino was spotted by head gardener Joseph Atkin at Aberglasney Gardens in Carmarthenshire, South Wales.
Comment: Is this bird really albino or does it have another rare DNA mutation that makes it all white? See many previous comments in the archives about why this matters and how this relates to being another 'sign of the times' that we are at the end of an age or aeon, a transition point where cosmic changes are now very evident.
Scientists find proof plants are capable of complex arithmetic
Plants carry out arithmetic calculations each night to prevent them starving before dawn, scientists have discovered for the first time.
Telegraph, 23rd June 2013
In order to keep themselves going in the absence of sunlight, plants perform division equations throughout the night to ration their stores of starch until the moment the sun reappears.
By counting their starch and dividing it by the number of hours left until morning they ensure they do not run out until the crack of dawn, and can even adjust their calculations during the night.
The discovery is the first known example in nature of sophisticated arithmetic being carried out at a fundamental level, as opposed to in the brain cells of animals like humans, scientists said.
Comment: Plants are a lifeform that interacts intelligently with their environment. For me, this is scientists confirming the obvious that plants interact intelligently with their environment and are provided with enough intelligence to help them survive when environmental changes occur... I suppose philosophers over millenia have debated the origin of this intelligence, but today the question remains unanswered as to why certain species can adapt to sudden change and others cannot.
Incredible: Tiny monkey buys himself a drink from machine
Incredible: Tiny monkey buys himself a drink from machine
Irish Independent, 16th June 2013
At LiveLeak.com Link.
Bear caught opening truck door on video
Smarter than average bear opens vehicle doors and gets inside
CBC News, 6th June 2013
A Maple Ridge, B.C., resident caught an unusual sight on video this week — a bear standing on its hind legs breaking into a pickup truck.
Rebecca Moore, who took the video and posted it to YouTube on Tuesday, says she and her husband were awakened by a noise outside at about 5:30 a.m.
"By the time we got out of bed, [the bear] was actually inside one of our cars. We saw the car door open and it was just coming out one of our cars," she said.
"We saw him just open the door of the truck, just easy as anything.… He was obviously used to accessing vehicles." [...]
Conservation officer Denny Chretien believes the three-year-old bear has broken into other cars in the area.
"It's not a common behaviour but it is occurring."
Chretien says conservation officers have received four calls about bears breaking into cars, including one involving a Porsche.
Baboons ransack house near Cape Town - video
The Guardian, 20th May 2013
A gang of baboons are filmed by a neighbour entering a house in Betty's Bay, near Cape Town in South Africa, and ransacking the property. The primates climb through an open upstairs window and race round the house, helping themselves to food in the kitchen. The neighbour tries to get rid of the animals using a broom. Most flee but one stubbornly refuses to leave an upstairs bathroom
Comment: I am not sure this is a demonstration of evolving primates... but it demonstrate that it does not take much intelligence or innovation to steal from others....
Lion 'opened cage' to kill woman
BBC News, 8th March 2013
A California coroner says a lion that killed a volunteer at a big cat park used its paw to lift a partially closed door and escape from a feeding cage.
Fresno County Coroner David Hadden said investigators believe the lion then attacked and killed Dianna Hanson as she cleaned a larger enclosure.
The lion broke the 24-year-old intern's neck and she died almost instantly.
Comment: This is the headline provided by a BBC link which seems to be quite provocative but in line with other stories such as cows learning how to by-pass gate locks and escape.... Biologist Rupert Sheldrake hypothesises that morphogenetic fields belonging to each individual species exists and is used to retain and pass around information sharing, habits and knowledge, rather like a species specific info-sharing internet (a fully accesible Facebook & Twitter for each creature held in the environment). For actual experimental 'evidence' see last weeks rat mental chat (Rat-Twitter) headlines. There have been many reports of 'teaching' e.g. dolphins released into the wild teaching others how to tail-walk but it is also believed that certain knowledge can be picked up by those in distant locations and this is the basis of the 100th Monkey principle that scientists have tried to debunk. Whatever, it is becoming very noticeable that certain animals, birds and fish are acting more intelligently and surprising humans. Therefore, the evidence suggests to me that in a time of rapid evolutionary change, those morphogenetic fields are being quickly updated by the environment too and more knowledge sharing is also passing between different species...
In middle of night, dog wakes wife to save stricken husband
CPO.com News, 8th March 2013
Thousands of Dolphins Spotted Near San Diego
Capt. Joe Dutra of Hornblower Cruises said he'd never seen anything like it
NBC Bay Area News, 16th February 2013
Thousands of dolphins spanning across 7 miles of ocean were sighted off the coast of San Diego on Thursday, a
boat captain told NBC 7 San Diego.
Japanese Flying Squid's Abilities Confirmed, Speed Measured By Scientists
The Huffington Post, 9th February 2013
There have been numerous sightings of a certain type of Japanese squid "flying" above the ocean's surface, and now scientists have offered an explanation.
How does the Japanese flying squid catch air? It releases a high-pressured water jet for propulsion, and then spreads its fins like wings to glide above the water, according to a new study from marine biologists at Hokkaido University.
What's more, the squid can speed through the air at over 11 meters per second. That's faster than Usain Bolt, who averaged only 10.3 meters per second in the 2012 London Olympics.
"There were always witnesses and rumors that said squid were seen flying, but no one had clarified how they actually do it," biologist Jun Yamamoto of Hokkaido University told AFP. "We have proved that it really is true."
Comment: This is a reminder that life is far more diverse and weird than humans would prefer to acknowledge. In this regard, we have the mimic octopus that can instaneously shapeshift into 15 different sea creatures, but few are willing to think about the implications of whether this ability is repeated elsewhere amongst other lifeforms.
Deers of joy: Seemingly dead fawn pulled from icy waters 'licked' back to life by family of deer
New York Post, 8th February 2013
It’s like the Enchanted Forest out there. Suffolk County cops pulled a seemingly-dead fawn out of icy waters in Fire Island today — and a family of deer came up to it and licked it back to health!
Lowly dung beetles look to Milky Way for navigation
Science Recorder, 24th January 2013
It’s not GPS, but it seems to work just as well. According to a new study published by Lund University of Sweden, the lowly dung beetle uses the Milky Way for navigating, a first for the insect world.
While humans and birds have been known to use the night sky as a map for centuries, it was previously unclear whether insects relied on the Milky Way in a similar fashion. The study — led by scientists from Lund University in Sweden, the University of Pretoria, and the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa — say they long suspected the beetles relied on the Milky Way when navigating between different regions, although researchers had never studied the correlation. The team’s suspicions were reportedly peaked by the fact the dung beetles roll balls of collected animal dung in straight lines, often directly correlated to astronomical patterns in the night sky.
“This led us to suspect that the beetles exploit the starry sky for orientation—a feat that had, to our knowledge, never before been demonstrated in an insect,” Lund University researcher Marie Dacke said in a statement Thursday. [...]
Of course the latest study begs the questions why dung beetles rely on the Milky Way and not the stars, like most animals. According to a paper published in Current Biology, most of the stars in the night sky are probably too dim for insects to be able to see.
Comment: These researchers must be in the running for an IgNobel prize.... Whatever, this revelation might explain why certain dung beetles, the species Scarabaeus sacer (often referred to as the sacred scarab), were revered among the ancient Egyptians. Wikipedia has a good synopsis
Scarab in ancient Egypt. World expert opinions are important here but I still think that because the Egyptians worshipped the heavens and were great astronomers, the image of the scarab, was used as symbolism to denote their own humble status in the comparison to the universe and their passion for what they believed was the final arbiter of reality.
Amazon Spider That Builds Its Own Spider Decoys Discovered
Wired Science News, 18th December 2012
A spider that builds elaborate, fake spiders and hangs them in its web has been discovered in the Peruvian Amazon.
Believed to be a new species in the genus Cyclosa, the arachnid crafts the larger spider from leaves, debris and dead insects. Though Cyclosa includes other sculpting arachnids, this is the first one observed to build a replica with multiple, spidery legs.
Scientists suspect the fake spiders serve as decoys, part of a defense mechanism meant to confuse or distract predators.
It seems like a really well evolved and very specialized behavior,” said Phil Torres, who described the find in a blog entry written for Rainforest Expeditions. Torres, a biologist and science educator, divides his time between Southern California and Peru, where he’s involved in research and education projects.
Comment: Even some of the spiders are showing signs of quickly evolving levels of intelligence....
Motor mutts pass doggie driving test with flying collars
France 24 News, 10th December 2012
AFP - A pair of highly trained canines guided a modified car along a New Zealand race track Monday, passing their doggie driving tests with flying collars on live television, despite the odd off-road detour.
In a heartwarming project aimed at increasing pet adoptions from animal shelters, a group of cross-breed rescue dogs from Auckland were taught to drive a car -- steering, pedals and all -- to show the potential of unwanted canines.
Footage of the motorised mutts learning their skills has proved an Internet sensation but their ultimate test came on Monday, when the two best performers, Monty and Porter, were put through their paces on national television.
Motor mutts learn to drive in New Zealand
Yahoo News, 7th December 2012
Rather than chasing cars, dogs in New Zealand are being taught to drive them -- steering, pedals and all -- in a heartwarming project aimed at increasing pet adoptions from animal shelters.
Animal trainer Mark Vette has spent two months training three cross-breed rescue dogs from the Auckland SPCA to drive a modified Mini as a way of proving that even unwanted canines can be taught to perform complex tasks.
The motorised mutts -- Porter, Monty and Ginny -- sit in the driver's seat, belted in with a safety harness, using their paws to operate specially designed dashboard-height pedals for the accelerator and brakes at Vette's command.
The car's steering wheel has been fitted with handles, allowing the dogs to turn it, while the "starter key" is a dashboard-mounted button that the dogs press to get the motor running.
"There's about 10 different behaviours involved, so we had to break them down into each behaviour -- using the accelerator, feet on the wheel, turn the key on, feet on the brake, the gear(stick) and so on," Vette said.
Comment: Hmmm... I am sure people think the whole idea of some
humans devolving and some animals evolving is crazy but we have to look at the
evidence... Simply, there are a lot of humans who are too narcissistic,
psychopathic and feral and that makes them dangerous... In the past, I have pointed out that species that do not contribute enough to the environment and instead stress the environment are eliminated in times of environmental change, but humans have been too oblivious to realise that they are also under the same rules... Now, we find out that human reproduction rates are dramatically declining worldwide... I think that we are seeing a lethal blend of man-made radiation and natural radiation from space, but of course this planet is so polluted with chemicals, EM radiation and GM foods that it could be declining sperm counts are due to any number of toxic and lethal causes, but existing studies into low dose radiation may prove to be decisive....
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Birds line nests with cigarette butts to repel pests, scientists claim
Birds are lining their nests with cigarette butts to repel pests and keep themselves warm, according to research.
The Telegraph, 5th December 2012
Wild birds have long protected their nests from mite invasion by importing chemical-emitting plants.
But now birds living in cities seem to have adapted similar behaviour, filling their nests with up to 48 cigarette buts to make use of the repellent properties of tobacco.
The nicotine and other chemicals in discarded filters act as a natural pesticide that repels parasitic mites. At the same time, the cellulose butts provide useful nest insulation.
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The catfish that strands itself to kill pigeons
Discover Magazine, 5th December 2012
In Southwestern France, a group of fish have learned how to kill birds. As the River Tarn winds through the city of Albi, it contains a small gravel island where pigeons gather to clean and bathe. And patrolling the island are European catfish—1 to 1.5 metres long, and the largest freshwater fish on the continent. These particular catfish have taken to lunging out of the water, grabbing a pigeon, and then wriggling back into the water to swallow their prey. In the process, they temporarily strand themselves on land for a few seconds.
Animals Are Moral Creatures, Scientist Argues
Yahoo News, 15th November 2012
Until recently, scientists would have said your cat was snuggling up to you only as a means to get tasty treats. But many animals have a moral compass, and feel emotions such as love, grief, outrage and empathy, a new book argues.
The book, "Can Animals Be Moral?" (Oxford University Press, October 2012), suggests social mammals such as rats, dogs and chimpanzees can choose to be good or bad. And because they have morality, we have moral obligations to them, said author Mark Rowlands, a University of Miami philosopher.
"Animals are owed a certain kind of respect that they wouldn't be owed if they couldn't act morally," Rowlands told LiveScience. [...]
And there are many examples of animals demonstrating ostensibly compassionate or empathetic behaviors toward other animals, including humans. In one experiment, hungry rhesus monkeys refused to electrically shock their fellow monkeys, even when it meant getting food for themselves. In another study, a female gorilla named Binti Jua rescued an unconscious 3-year-old (human) boy who had fallen into her enclosure at the Brookline Zoo in Illinois, protecting the child from other gorillas and even calling for human help. And when a car hit and injured a dog on a busy Chilean freeway several years ago, its canine compatriot dodged traffic, risking its life to drag the unconscious dog to safety.
All those examples suggest that animals have some sense of right and wrong, Rowlands said.
Comment: After reading many animal stories whilst researching, I have come to the point where I realise there is not much difference between some humans and animals. Infact, I now refer to some humans as being like wild dogs, and thankfully, I can cite some intelligent humans who have also come to the same conclusion that some so-called humans are not human at...
Cockatoo shows tool-making skills
BBC News, 6th November 2012
A captive-bred Goffin's cockatoo has surprised researchers by spontaneously making and using "tools" to reach food.
The species is not known to use tools in the wild.
Researchers in Austria recorded the cockatoo - named Figaro - repeatedly breaking off splinters from a wooden beam and using them to reach nuts on the other side of his wire enclosure.
The team believe Figaro's feat is the first recorded instance of tool-making among parrots. [...]
But he added: "Nobody yet understands in what sense tool-use requires a very high level of intelligence."
While Figaro is alone among Goffin's cockatoos to have been recorded making and using tools, Prof Kacelnik says that his behaviour could display a "level of intelligence for solving a new problem" in the species.
Comment: For those scientists who refuse to accept the existence of
morphogenetic or morphic fields as defined by Rupert Sheldrake, that is closely related to the theory behind the
100th Monkey Effect, I would imagine a few evolutionary biologists might start to get worried. Frankly, the evidence suggests we are in a time of massive evolutionary change amongst various species on this planet and we are seeing incredible changes right in front of our eyes...
An Elephant That Speaks Korean
Science Daily, 22nd October 2012
An Asian elephant named Koshik can imitate human speech, speaking words in Korean that can be readily understood by those who know the language. The elephant accomplishes this in a most unusual way: he vocalizes with his trunk in his mouth.
The elephant's vocabulary consists of exactly five words, researchers report on November 1 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. Those include "annyong" ("hello"), "anja" ("sit down"), "aniya" ("no"), "nuo" ("lie down"), and "choah" ("good"). Ultimately, Koshik's language skills may provide important insights into the biology and evolution of complex vocal learning, an ability that is critical for human speech and music, the researchers say.
Comment: So we are now getting reports of animals talking to humans so that us stupid humans can understand... Last week it was a Beluga whale, see the New Scientist report.
First analysis of beluga whale mimicking human speech, this week an elephant, what will it be next week? It does seem like that there are more signs that the most intelligent animals are evolving very quickly, but too many humans seem to be devolving into monsters.... Check the archives concerning the elephants. They are losing their tusks so they won't be killed by stupid humans, a few can produce beautiful paintings (The Maesa Elephant Camp in Thailand is actually in the Guiness Book Records as the only place in the world with realistic paintings drawn by elephants) . One elephant learnt how to play the harmonica and now we hear of an elephant that can talk to a human.... Yet, the vast majority of humans are oblivious as to what is happening on this planet and don't seem to even care.... But, I suppose those who are devolving and becoming feral wouldn't care...
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7 Animals That Are Evolving Right Before Our Eyes
Cracked.com News, 18th May 2011
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First analysis of beluga whale mimicking human speech
New Scientist, 22nd October 2012
Many of us talk to our pets, but we don't expect them to talk back. A beluga whale has bucked this trend by learning to imitate human speech. (Listen to it here.)
Noc was captured in 1977 when he was still a juvenile. By 1984, he was making unusual sounds. One day, a diver in his tank surfaced unexpectedly asking who had called to him to get out. It turned out that the cries of "out, out, out" had come from Noc.
Cat eats mashed potato with a fork
Orange News, 21st September 2012
A video of a cat eating mashed potato with a fork has gone viral on YouTube.
Leaning over a leather chair, the Savannah cat named Nylah is seen tucking into a plate of mash with a silver fork.
The 35 second clip has racked up more than 320,000 hits on the video-sharing website in just a matter of days, receiving thousands of likes.
Comment: I wonder if we can call this evolutionary change? LOL
Scientists Finally Conclude Nonhuman Animals Are Conscious Beings
Psychology Today, 10th August 2012
Every now and again I receive an email message I ignore after reading the subject line. I know I'm not alone in following this rule of thumb, but today I broke down and opened a message the subject line of which read "Scientists Declare: Nonhuman Animals Are Conscious". I honestly thought it was a joke, likely from one of my favorite newspapers, The Onion. However, it wasn't.
My colleague Michael Mountain published a summary of a recent meeting held in Cambridge, England at which "Science leaders have reached a critical consensus: Humans are not the only conscious beings; other animals, specifically mammals and birds, are indeed conscious, too." At this gathering, called The Francis Crick Memorial Conference, a number of scientists presented evidence that led to this self-obvious conclusion. It's difficult to believe that those who have shared their homes with companion animals didn't already know this. And, of course, many renowned and award-winning field researchers had reached the same conclusion years ago (see also).
Comment: Another way to look at this, is to conclude that some humans are not so different from some animals and some animals appear to be more evolved in their behaviour than some humans... Whatever, I have been enlightened by finding out that some Mayan Elders believe that monkeys use to be humans that degenerated due to a cosmic bombardment that happened in our distant past. This is an interesting quote from a book:
Finally the men of the Third Age underwent physical mutations, exactly as if they had been exposed to radiation by an atomic explosion, since their race disappeared and was replaced by the 'Race of the Fourth Age.'
'Nothing remains of the men of the Third Age but the monkeys of the forests. These [mutated] are descendents of men. That is why the monkey resembles men.' (From the Popul Vuh. Unlike conventional prehistorians, the ancient Mexicans, believed the monkey descended from man, by mutation and deterioration of the species.)
Robert Charroux, Legacy of the Gods (1974)
Based on the scientific fact that Earth's magnetic fielding and cosmic shielding has been a lot lower in the past, then unless there was some kind of adaptation (evolution), then devolution would have resulted from DNA mutations. It is also known that evolutionary biologists have no clue why in periods of rapid evolutionary change, some species thrive and others go into decline, but as far as humans are concerned, I think universal consciousness sets the standard based on the quality of human consciousness. This is a serious consideration when there are clear signs of evolution and devolution taking place right now....
Chimpanzee 'asks' zoo visitors to free him from enclosure in heartbreaking film that shows him pointing at a window bolt and making a sign language 'open' gesture
Daily Mail, 4th August 2012
Intelligent and inquisitive, chimpanzees have always been able to communicate with man.
But this heartbreaking video shows just how desperate this chimp is to be understood and to be let out of his cage.
The chimp is seen in the video motioning to a watching visitor to unlock the bolt on what appears to be a glass door and lift the window, so he can be free.
Comment: Another chimpanzee clearly demonstrating their intelligence, quite heartbreaking.
Astonishing pictures of the young gorillas who worked together to dismantle the poachers' trap that killed their friends
Daily Mail, 19th July 2012
Just days after a poacher's snare had killed one of their own, two young mountain gorillas have been spotted working together to take apart poachers traps.
Staff at the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund were stunned when they spotted the plucky young duo, called Dukore and Rwema, destroying a trap in their forest home.
'Today our field staff observed several young gorillas from Kuryama’s group destroying snares!' Veronica Vecellio, gorilla program coordinator at the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund's Karisoke Research Center, which is in the reserve where the event took place, blogged. [...]
Vecellio said the behaviour was unheard of.
'This is absolutely the first time that we've seen juveniles doing that,' she told National Geographic.
'I don't know of any other reports in the world of juveniles destroying snares.
Comment: Another report of 'animals' demonstrating high intelligence and possibly revealing signs of some species evolving to higher levels of intelligence...
Escape Attempt? Polar bear smashes aquarium glass with large rock
YouTube, 7th June 2012
Summary: "An Ice bear in a Dutch Zoo tries to escape by intentionally throwing a big rock at the glass panel several times. The panel is 5 layers thick and unbreakable. He succeeds in cracking the glass. They closed off the section and removed all the rocks."
Comment: This summary came from one of my Dutch regulars, thanks C. It looks like the polar bear knew exactly what he was doing... I believe many animals are becoming more intelligent and that is because there is a new type of cosmic 'mental' energy hitting the planet that is allowing for evolutionary progression. This is the 'Christ' or crystalline energy that has many special properties and it is a scientific fact that there is a new influx of crystalline energy in our galaxy whether you want to equate this to metaphysical predictions or not.... I think zoos and acquariums where the animals and mammals are in very artificial and enclosed spaces are awful and need to be closed down....
'Depraved' sex acts by penguins shocked polar explorer
BBC News, 10th June 2012
I think Pierre Teilhard de Chardin would say that these birds have not enough "within", but these days I am wondering because there are so many acts of altruism recorded amongst the animals....
The Elephant Whisperer
Delight Makers, 9th May 2012
Author and legendary conservationist Lawrence Anthony died March 7. His family tells of a solemn procession [of elepjants] on March 10 that defies human explanation.
For 12 hours, two herds of wild South African elephants slowly made their way through the Zululand bush until they reached the house of late author Lawrence Anthony, the conservationist who saved their lives.The formerly violent, rogue elephants, destined to be shot a few years ago as pests, were rescued and rehabilitated by Anthony, who had grown up in the bush and was known as the “Elephant Whisperer.”
For two days the herds loitered at Anthony’s rural compound on the vast Thula Thula game reserve in the South African KwaZulu – to say good-bye to the man they loved. But how did they know he had died March 7? Known for his unique ability to calm traumatized elephants, Anthony had become a legend. He is the author of three books, Babylon Ark, detailing his efforts to rescue the animals at Baghdad Zoo during the Iraqi war, the forthcoming The Last Rhinos, and his bestselling The Elephant Whisperer.
Comment: Very touching.... Since I came across elephants painting beautiful pictures with paints,(see archives) I have never thought the same about elephants, but we are seeing a lot of animals that seem to becoming quite civilised... I have started re-reading
The Seth Material channelled by Jane Roberts again. It is probably one of the most respected sources of modern metaphysical literature available (it is so good that when Jane Ropberts died, all her writings were archived at Yale University). I think this is one of the few sources of metaphysical literature that could possibly explain in depth, the psychic relationship that can exist between humans and animals. There is more elephant talk at ATS
Wild Elephants gather inexplicably, mourn death of “Elephant Whisperer” Btw, the image icon shows an elephant with no tusk. It has been noticed that there is a very high percentage of elephants being born with no tusks and the conclusion is that "elephant consciousness" has decided they don't need to be killed for their tusks and they can do without them. We can only presume that at this time of rapid evolutionary change caused by an influx of energy that can be used to quickly update morphogenetic fields, the opportunity has been taken by the elephants to save their species... I wish humans were as quick on the uptake...
Lawrence Anthony's Rehabilitation of Elephants
YouTube, Mar 24, 2009
"South African news coverage of Lawrence Anthony and his extraordinary act to rehabilitate wild elephants at his Thula Thula Game Reserve."
This is a really nice clip...
Crowboarding: Russian roof-surfin' bird caught on tape
YouTube, 12th January 2012
The winter sport season is in full swing - but it's not often you see a crow trying to get involved. This video which went viral on YouTube shows the thrill-seeker bird as comfortable on the slopes as it is in the air. The bird appeared to be using the lid of a jar as an improvised snowboard.
Comment: Well, this is amazing... more evidence of the intelligence of crows and reminds me of video of young fox cubs playing on a slide (see archives). It seems the animals and birds know how to have some fun!
Crow uses sequence of three tools
YouTube, 28th August 2009
"Crow was caught on camera using a sequence of tools to get to food."
Hmmm... it really makes you wonder, I am sure there are humans who could not work out what to do in this situation.
VIDEO: Clever crows show remarkable ability to use tools to improve their lives
PRI News, 24th January 2012
Tiny Fish Filmed Mimicking Octopus That Mimics Fish
Yahoo News, 4th January 2012
A new film captures a circular game of copycat: a fish that mimics an octopus that mimics fish.
First described by scientists in 1998, the remarkable mimic octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus) can shift its shape, movements and color to impersonate toxic lionfish, flatfish and even sea snakes. Such mimicry allows it to swim in the open with relatively little fear of predators.
The black-marble jawfish (Stalix histrio), on the other hand, is a small, timid fish. It spends most of its adult life close to a sand burrow that serves as its hideout if a predator comes along.
Comment: Don't miss the video.... really the implications are incredible, is this wild evolution? Theses are 'shape-shifting' creatures, something that can be found in nature but I will maintain that history and current anomalies suggests that some UFOs/UAPs can do exactly the same thing to help disguise themselves. But only a few are what I am calling 'elaborate' shapeshifters, as most UFOs/UAPs/Orbs will just go invisible if they don't want to be seen. There are stories that have been collected over many decades even centuries that suggest some UFO entities can shape-shift. So, there is all the old stories of "ghost ships" and even "ghost cars", today there are stories of "fake" planes. Even truly ridiculous stories of people seeing floating blocks of flats makes sense, if these are UAPs trying to disguise themselves, but they don't realise that a floating block of flats is not a disguise, but a serious faux pas on planet Earth, quite amusing really... Read the works of serious old-time UFO investigators like Trevor James Constable who wrote the book, The Cosmic Pulse of Life [1976] and Sky Creatures: Living UFOs (1976), John Keel who wrote
Why UFOs: Operation Trojan Horse (1970) that I think is an excellent summary of the evidence and also the prolific writer Dr. Jacques Vallée, amongst others who realised that these kind of anomalies were more related to another lifeform and were responsible for what some would consider as paranormal phenomena, but today even ex-military are relating this to the mysteries of consciousness. Personally, I believe it is a lot easier for people to accept if plasma entities of whatever shape and form are referred to as belonging to a Shadow Biosphere. I believe it is important for people to realise that there has always been a presence on this planet, but we are now getting a lot of new inhabitants.
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Documentary: The Indonesian Mimic Octopus [2:59]
Dive Matrix, March 2010
Images & Video clip
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Documentary: The Mimic Octopus [2:59]
YouTube, 1st November 2008
"The Indonesian Mimic Octopus, Thaumoctopus mimicus. This fascinating creature was discovered in 1998 off the coast of Sulawesi in Indonesia, the mimic octopus is the first known species to take on the characteristics of multiple species. This octopus is able to copy the physical likeness and movement of more than fifteen different species, including sea snakes, lionfish, flatfish, brittle stars, giant crabs, sea shells, stingrays, jellyfish, sea anemones, and mantis shrimp. This animal is so intelligent that it is able to discern which dangerous sea creature to impersonate that will present the greatest threat to its current possible predator. For example, scientists observed that when the octopus was attacked by territorial damselfishes, it mimicked the banded sea snake, a known predator of damselfishes."
This creature changes in a blink of the eye, it's almost like magic....
Video: Bonobo ape lights campfire, cooks hamburgers
Yahoo News, 3rd January 2012
Kanzi, a 31-year-old Bonobos, also known as the pygmy chimpanzee, reportedly became obsessed with the film "Quest for Fire" at an early age.
"Kanzi makes fire because he wants to," Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, his main handler at the Great Ape Trust, told the Telegraph. "The movie was released about a year after Kanzi was born and was about early man struggling to control fire. Kanzi watched this spellbound over and over hundreds of times."
Comment: The video and photos are amazing... So.... it has been obvious for a while that some of the animals are starting to respond to the influx of new energies and are becoming more intelligent, but why is this less obvious with humans? Well, the truth is that humans are becoming more intelligent and that is borne about by the "Flynn effect" discovered by James Flynn, a political scientist working in New Zealand and confirmed by numerous studies. There has been an average increase of over three IQ points per decade, found for virtually every type of intelligence test, delivered to virtually every type of group on the planet. I imagine evolutionary biologists and those who study human consciousness are really struggling to understand what is happening but I am sure some realise that we are seeing celestial epigenetics at work.
Picture Gallery: Amazing photos of Kanzi the bonobo lighting a fire and cooking a meal [11 Photos]
The Telegraph, 1st January 2012
These pictures are amazing
Nature's Weirdest: When toads explode [VIDEO]
BBC News, 2nd January 2012
From The Independent: After weeks of flummoxing scientists, Germany's great exploding toads mystery has been solved. They were gruesomely murdered by crows with a taste for foie gras.
After weeks of flummoxing scientists, Germany's great exploding toads mystery has been solved. They were gruesomely murdered by crows with a taste for foie gras.
Health officials in Hamburg started to panic after some 1,000 toads puffed up and exploded last month, their entrails splattering an area of up to a square metre.
Comment: The beginning is gruesome, but I watched this short video and my jaw dropped when the presenter discussed the cleverness of crows.
Mystery of German exploding toads
BBC News, 27th April January 2005
Stone the crows! Exploding toad case solved
The Independent, 8th May 2005
Owner suprised to find cat regularly catches bus
A pet cat named Dodger is living up to his name - by catching free bus trips from his home town.
The Telegraph, 15th December 2011
The ginger moggy, who was named after the Artful Dodger from Oliver Twist, has taken to hopping on and off the public transport at the bus station near his home.
The 15-year-old Tom even sits on bemused passengers' laps as the bus makes up to 10 mile round trips from Bridport to Charmouth in Dorset.
Dodger is such a regular customer that some of the drivers take tins of cat food to work with them to give to him. They even know what stop to let him off at.
At the end of his journies the roving moggy returns to his home and owner Fee Jeanes.
Comment: There seems to be a lot of stories of animals making intelligent moves. Here are a few more:
Baby seal sneaks into NZ home, naps on couch [VIDEO]
CBS News, 15th December 2011
"(CBS News) A seal pup had a risky adventure and gave Welcome Bay, New Zealand homeowner Annette Swoffer a scare on Thursday. According to New Zealand's Department of Conservation, the animal, nicknamed Lucky, broke into Swoffer's home through a cat door and decided to take a nap on her sofa."
Cable guy finds sleeping bear in NJ basement
Yahoo News, 15th December 2011
"HOPATCONG, N.J. (AP) — A cable TV repairman got quite a surprise when he walked into the basement of a New Jersey home. There was a 500-pound bear sound asleep on the floor. The bear had been spotted wandering in the neighborhood in Hopatcong earlier Wednesday. It's not clear how it got into the home."
Talking parrot woke owner with news of newborn puppies
The Mirror, 9th November 2011
A CARING parrot alerted his sleeping owner that her dog had given birth by squawking “come on, come on”. Suzanna Bolton was woken by the talking bird jumping on her head and mimicking her voice.
She took him back to his perch downstairs but he looked at her and squawked again – and she discovered her dog had delivered six puppies a week early. One had died and four-year-old Pomeranian Sally and her other five pups were in distress on a cold, wet, kitchen floor. Suzanna, 55, said of her African grey parrot Sam: “He seemed to know something was wrong and came looking for me to help. [...]
She added: “Sam is allowed to roam around out of his cage but he’d never been in my bedroom in the eight years I’ve had him.
Comment: As part of the massive evolutionary changes, metaphysical sources suggest that there will be a noticeable increase in the intelligence of animals but I presume this means all sentient life on this planet... As social scientists suggest, there is different types of intelligence and I am actually quite interested in demonstrations of emotion and spiritual intelligence. I actually believe these types of intelligence are linked to the development of compassion and empathy, but in society where people are brainwashed into justifying their actions by the notion that it's about the "survival of the fittest", the trends of encouraging excessive narcissism does not bode well for the future of humanity if all types of intelligence can be used as an indication of evolution. So, the whole planet is experiencing a MASSIVE deluge of cosmic energy, but few are actually even interested in the consequences, but maybe that is now changing as some fear kicks in that we have simply failed to comprehend what has been happening for the last two decades or so. Actually, I had an email today that reminded of the fact that the Russians do know exactly what is happening and have been building pyramids around Moscow since 1989. Due to the balancing abilities of pyramid geometry, they have stated this seems to help stop the build up of large earthquakes amongst lots of other wonders that they have discovered. Meanwhile in the UK, the Defence minister has to plead with big business and utilities to wake-up and take space weather seriously. Again, it crossed my mind about the biblical parable of the wise and foolish virgins not being prepared and since we know that this is ancient knowledge that has been preserved for just this moment even though it is allegorical, there is no doubt that the deepest hidden meaning is all about the return of the Christ ENERGY. All I can say is the Russians DID NOT FAIL TO COMPREHEND that there was a massive evolutionary shift of energies taking place that is sweeping through our entire solar system. What's more it was reported the week I published my book in September 2006, that the Russians would lead the world in the coming spiritual revolution. They are ready...
Hero dog drags his owner home after he is knocked unconscious by lightning bolt
Daily Mail, 28th October 2011
A faithful dog rescued his owner by dragging him home after he was struck by an enormous lightning bolt.
Ian Thomas, 64, was taking his German schnauzer Monty out for an early morning walk when he was struck by a bolt so powerful he would have been killed if he had not been wearing wellington boots.
The bolt threw Mr Thomas, who is the Mayor of Redruth in Cornwall, into the air and knocked him out.
Comment: I am starting to understand why some people prefer animals to humans...
Cheeky penguin caught on camera stealing stones from neighbour's nest (Video)
Penguins and criminality don't usually go together, unless you're thinking of the one from Batman, but one cheeky penguin has been caught on camera stealing from his neighbour's nest.
Metro News, 17th October 2011
Captured by the BBC's film crew for the documentary Frozen Planet, the Adelie penguin of Antartica, can be seen grabbing stones from the nest of its neighbour each time the other bird waddles off to find some more stones, totally unaware of what's happening.
Penguins in the region use stones to cover their eggs to protect them from run-off as surrounding ice melts.
Not only are the stones important for protection but they also offer more chance of a male attracting a female, something highly desired amongst a colony of 500,000 penguins.
Spending four months filming out on Ross Island, the documentary crew went to great length to record the penguin's mischievous behaviour.
Comment: This is just a hoot...
Slideshow: Amazing story of the clever cat who led RSPCA rescuer to her kittens
Cambridge News, 4th October 2011
A clever cat who was thrown from a car stunned an RSPCA inspector by leading him to her litter of four tiny kittens hidden in a barn.
RSPCA inspector Jon Knight had been called out to rescue the young cat, after she was spotted being thrown from a car in the town of March, Cambridgeshire, last month.
The concerned caller had been monitoring the cat and started feeding her, and after two weeks managed to confine the cat in a green house in Upwell Road, March and the RSPCA was called.
Comment: I don't know how strange it is that a cat is intelligent enough to tell the difference between evil humans and kind humans.... This is a cat that was rescued after being thrown out of a car, but it realised that it could still trust a human with its kittens. I don't know about you, but I think that level of discernment to sort out the evil humans from the good humans is worth having... But as the saying goes, it's not what they say that matters, it is what they do and maybe this cat knows this...
G'day darling! Talking birds that escaped from Australian owners teach wild cockatoos to speak
Daily Mail, 14th September 2011
If you’re out for a walk and a bird in a tree says to you ‘Hello there’, don’t worry, you’re not going mad.
Naturalists have reported a growing phenomenon of pet parrots that have been taught to repeat phrases by their owners before escaping from their cages and then passing on the technique to the wild flocks they join.
One scientist said that he had received numerous calls from people who were baffled to hear voices calling to them from trees in their gardens. [...]
‘These birds are very smart and very social, meaning that communication and contact is important between them,’ said Mr Robinson. ‘These flocks are showing to us that they aren’t quite as bird-brained as many people think.
‘I just hope a pet bird that’s been taught dirty words doesn’t join a flock because we don’t want to hear that kind of thing going around the back gardens.’
Comment: This is another example of rapid evolution and this time it's birds demonstrating their teaching skills....
Lab chimps see daylight for first time in 30 years
The Sun, 6th September 2011
THIS is the moment a group of chimpanzees sees daylight for the first time in 30 years — after being locked in cages for medical testing. The animals hugged each other in delight before they took their first steps outside.
Emotional footage, below, shows how they reacted to their new surroundings. The outing marked the end of a 14-year bid to re-integrate the 38 primates after they spent most of their lives cooped up inside.
One commentator said: "They hugged as if saying, 'We're finally free'. And then they laughed."
Comment: I found this quite emotional to watch... Humans are so horribly cruel...
Fish-catching trick may be spreading among dolphins
Yahoo News, 29th August 2011
PERTH, Australia (Reuters) - Dolphins in one western Australian population have been observed holding a large conch shell in their beaks and using it to shake a fish into their mouths -- and the behavior may be spreading.
Researchers from Murdoch University in Perth were not quite sure what they were seeing when they first photographed the activity, in 2007, in which dolphins would shake conch shells at the surface of the ocean.
"It's a fleeting glimpse -- you look at it and think, that's kind of weird," said Simon Allen, a researcher at the university's Cetacean Research Unit.
"Maybe they're playing, maybe they're socializing, maybe males are presenting a gift to a female or something like that, maybe the animals are actually eating the animal inside."
Comment: So we can add this trick to the news of a dolphin teaching his new dolphin friends how to tail walk after being released from an acquarium. Well, we are seeing more and more animals and sea creatures doing things that are decidedly sophisticated and some things that have absolutely nothing to do with survival like an elephant painting flowers. If this keeps up, evolutionary biologists might even start to wonder about what exactly is going on.
Funtastic Mr Fox! Young cub has the time of its life sliding down quarry conveyor belt
Daily Mail, 25th August 2011
A disused gravel quarry became a playground for a young fun-loving fox and his family.
This photograph, taken by British man Duncan Usher, shows how the clever four-month-old creature turned an old conveyor belt into a make-shift slide, before travelling down it twice. Mr Usher photographed the amusing sight close to Bursfelde, a hamlet in the German countryside.
I have not seen this type of behaviour amongst free living wild animals and I was really surprised and pleased to witness and capture this unusual event.
Comment: This is a nice story but again, it's the demonstration of intelligence that is really amazing...
Going ape! Crazed chimp runs amok and throws food at staff after escaping
Daily Mail, 16th August 2011
A chimpanzee who escaped her enclosure went on the rampage stealing food from the zoo's kitchen, stunning staff and visitors.
In a scene which could have come straight from the new film Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, female chimp Josie barricaded herself in the kitchen, hurled food at staff and smashed pots at Twycross Zoo in Atherstone, Warwickshire.
It took staff 40 minutes to calm down the 23-year-old chimpanzee before they were able to coax her back into her enclosure.
Her keepers were joking that she heard about the riots in the rest of the country and fancied looting a bit of grub for herself.
Comment: Hmmm... I am wondering if something is going on as there are more and more reports of animals behaving oddly.... However, I don't like zoos and I don't think animals should be in small enclosures, but it's the intelligent behaviour of escaping and then barricading themselves in the chimpanzee 'kitchen' and hurling food and pots at staff that is most curious...
We have also had stories of beheadings reported in the last few days, and I am wondering if there is a link to these kind of atrocities occuring in bad geomagnetic conditions...
Father 'decapitated and dismembered cerebral palsy son, 7, with a meat cleaver and left his head at side of road'
Daily Mail, 16th August 2011
The Evolving Animals: Yvonne, A Cow Wrapped In A Mystery Inside A Forest
NPR News, 15th August 2011
In Germany, a dairy cow named Yvonne's death-defying escape — and continued success in eluding capture — has become an incandescent symbol of freedom and animal dignity. Okay, that may be hyperbolic. But how else to explain scores of visitors to Zangberg, the Bavarian commune Yvonne calls home, or the 10,000-euro reward offered for her safe return?
Curious visitors and search parties have been romping through the woods around Zangberg, looking for signs of the cow. Yvonne has been at large since she breached an electric fence on her farm nearly three months ago, on May 24. Since then, she's adopted a lifestyle that might be called Sherwoodian: sticking to forests, eluding police, a
"Yvonne knows exactly what she's doing, and she's tricking us," the manager of an animal rescue farm told a German newspaper.
The same paper, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, says that Yvonne has now become a type of freedom fighter "for the animal-loving republic."
[...]
Michael Aufhauser, the founder of a nearby animal sanctuary called Gut Aiderbichl, has asked an animal psychic for help finding Yvonne, and possibly negotiating her surrender
Comment: This is simply hilarious.... so a cow is outsmarting humans... at times, the randomness of evolutionary change and increasing animals intelligence, makes for some interesting news... The Guardian version has more details...
Yvonne the runaway cow brings fame to Bavarian village but no milk
€10,000 reward offered for Yvonne's safe return as Zangberg mayor revels in animal's wanderlust
The Guardian, 15th August 2011
Cow leaps three foot fence and squashes car
Motorist Robert Gould is lucky to be alive after a startled cow leapt over a three-foot fence and landed on his car.
The Telegraph, 12th August 2011
"It is understood the cow which died at the scene had been trying to escape from a farmer when it jumped into the road on the outskirts of Leek, Staffs."
Another cow in the news...
Dolphins' 'Sixth Sense' Helps Them Feel Electric Fields
Live Science, 26th July 2011
The common Guiana dolphin has just divulged its sixth sense: the ability to sense electric fields. It is the first placental mammal known to pull off this trick, new research finds.
The dolphin, which bears live young like other placental mammals, most likely uses its sixth sense to find prey in the murky coastal waters it inhabits.
"Most of the animals which do this do this to find prey," said study researcher Wolf Hanke, of Rostock University in Rostock, Germany.
"All of the dolphins' prey items, like crayfish, all of them generate electric fields to some degree."
Comment: No doubt the media headline 'sixth sense' should not be taken literally. Since the 1950s, scientists have discovered that humans have many more senses than is widely acknowledged and no doubt dolphins have many more senses too. I would like to point out that Synaesthesia (English) or Synesthesia (American) is now researching 63 different combination of the senses, which means the notion of a 'sixth sense' is becoming completely meaningless. Some humans can see electric and magnetic fields, some people thinks that makes them a guru, others think it is a medical condition and they want to get rid of this ability... Lots of creatures make use of electric and magnetic fields... if a creature was not electromagnetic, scientists would have to declare that it was dead...
Diver Snaps First Photo of Fish Using Tools
Science Mags, 8th July 2011
While exploring Australia's Great Barrier Reef, professional diver Scott Gardner heard an odd cracking sound and swam over to investigate. What he found was a footlong blackspot tuskfish (Choerodon schoenleinii) holding a clam in its mouth and whacking it against a rock. Soon the shell gave way, and the fish gobbled up the bivalve, spat out the shell fragments, and swam off. Fortunately, Gardner had a camera handy and snapped what seem to be the first photographs of a wild fish using a tool.
Comment: A fish demonstrating higher intelligence? In terms of consciousness, scientists struggle to understand what this is and how to differentiate humans from the rest of the life on this planet, but now it seems their task may have just got harder.
Moo-dini: Cow with 'unusual intelligence' opens farm gate with tongue so herd can escape shed
Daily Mail, 22nd June 2011
A farmer has been forced to beef up the security in his cowshed after an unusually smart heifer found a way for her and her friends to escape.
Daisy the cow, from a farm in Co Armagh, Northern Ireland, has learned the trick to unbolting the gate to her pen with her tongue.
She deftly and accurately unfastens both bolts, allowing her and her bovine buddies access to the verdant fields outside for breakfast.
Comment: This is an hilarious story, but we are seeing more and more reports of animals displaying 'unusal' intelligence. I believe it is symptomatic of rapid evolutionary change that seems to be quite sporadic at the moment, but it could get weird as some animals evolve in intelligence and more humans devolve....
Sanity break: Cat that barks like a dog — until someone notices
Raw Story, 17th June 2011
"In Russia, even the cats suddenly shift gears when they realize Big Brother is watching. This one is barking out the window like a dog until it sees the camera. Then it’s all, “Meow. Yes, of course, meow, meow. I’m a cat, obviously, meow. Did you think something different? No dogs here. Meow, meow.”
This video is from YouTube, uploaded by irik7070 on June 12, 2011.
Comment: Hilarious video.... So what is going on here, the cat has 'learnt' how to bark like a dog? This evolutionary change is already producing many oddities... but maybe we are just becoming aware of the 'Fortean' anomalies that authorities have so desperately tried to ignore and downplay. I am trying to sort the different type of weirdness here, see more below...
Update I have found another version of this and the cat is clearly not barking so maybe this is a hoax, but the video here is still funny.
Breakdancing Calgary gorilla becomes online sensation (Video)
Edmonton Journal, 21st June 2011
A gorilla named Zola at the Calgary Zoo is garnering a lot of attention for his abilities to bust a move.
Comment: The comments on the
YouTube version says the gorilla just likes playing in water and the music was added later but the gorilla seems to be having some fun.
Penguin Flip-Flops: Reality or Myth?
YouTube/Russia Today, 20th May 2011
There is a long-standing myth that Antarctic penguins flip over at the sound of a passing plane. Unable to right themselves, they risk dying a terrible death in the snow. RT's team went to great lengths to verify the story once and for all.
Back in 1982, British pilots in the Falklands allegedly observed the phenomenon as they flew over penguin colonies. They said the birds would topple over as they lifted their heads to watch the planes fly by, then penguins were left on their backs by the thousands, unable to right themselves. But is this story true?
"I think that it is something that is widely-known amongst the public, but generally regarded amongst anyone that knows and thinks about it as a bit of a myth, to be honest. An Antarctic Falkland Islands' myth," said Stuart from the British Antarctic Survey.
Comment: I just thought this report was hilarious...
I control therefore I am: chimps self-aware, says study
PhysOrg.com, 4th May 2011
Chimpanzees are self-aware and can anticipate the impact of their actions on the environment around them, an ability once thought to be uniquely human, according to a study released Wednesday.
The findings, reported in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, challenge assumptions about the boundary between human and non-human, and shed light on the evolutionary origins of consciousness, the researchers said.
Earlier research had demonstrated the capacity of several species of primates, as well as dolphins, to recognize themselves in a mirror, suggesting a fairly sophisticated sense of self.
Comment: More studies that make us query the definitions of what makes us "different" to some of the animals... especially when some humans behave worse than animals... This story reminds me of the chimp in the zoo that planned his attack on humans by collecting rocks for ammunition... premeditated violence is usually considered to be a human trait... see the article linked below:
Zoo chimp plots stone throwing attacks
New study found his cleverly orchestrated attacks were premeditated
MSNBC, 9th March 2009
Omen? Scientists dismayed as millions of aquatic animals swarm Antarctica
Extinction Protocol, 28th April 2011
April 28, 2011 – ANTARCTICA – Scientists are dismayed by the record number of whales swarming Antarctica. The sightings, made in waters still largely ice-free deep into austral autumn, suggest the previously little-studied bays are important late-season foraging grounds for the endangered whales. But they also highlight how rapid climate change is affecting the region.
King Crabs: It’s like a scene out of a sci-fi movie — thousands, possibly millions, of king crabs are marching through icy, deep-sea waters and up the Antarctic slope. “They are coming from the deep, somewhere between 6,000 to 9,000 feet down,” said James McClintock, Ph.D., University of Alabama at Birmingham Endowed Professor of Polar and Marine Biology. Shell-crushing crabs haven’t been in Antarctica, Earth’s southernmost continent, for hundreds or thousands, if not millions, of years, McClintock said.
Comment: It's getting tough keeping up with all the Earth changes but this is another really strange migration of aquatic animals that tells us something is happening, but if scientists and our authorities are aware of the cause, we won't necessarily be told...
Dogs Detecting Cancer? It's in the Breath, Experts Say
ABC News, 25th April 2011
Carol Witcher says she knows it sounds crazy, but she swears that her dog, Floyd Henry, discovered the cancer in her breast in 2008.
"When he sniffed me, he kind of turned back and really pushed into my right breast, real hard," she said. "He started sniffing, sniffing, sniffing, sniffing."
It took four days of nudging and nipping by the 8-year-old boxer before Witcher went to a doctor.
"He pushed real hard for one shot. ... Then he looked at me straight in the face, took his right foot and began to paw my right breast. And I thought, 'This is not good,'" she said. "I knew instantly that there was an issue."
Comment: Many humans are already obtaining this enhanced sense of smell, that our neurologists have classified as various types of Synaesthesia, but in terms of medical diagnosis, if you look about on various forums, there are people who claim that cancer smells like bleach.
Turtles use the Earth’s magnetic field as a global GPS
Discover Magatine, 24th February 2011
In 1996, a loggerhead turtle called Adelita swam across 9,000 miles from Mexico to Japan, crossing the entire Pacific on her way. Wallace J. Nichols tracked this epic journey with a satellite tag. But Adelita herself had no such technology at her disposal. How did she steer a route across two oceans to find her destination?
Nathan Putman has the answer. By testing hatchling turtles in a special tank, he has found that they can use the Earth’s magnetic field as their own Global Positioning System (GPS). By sensing the field, they can work out both their latitude and longitude and head in the right direction. [...]
Scientists often talk about a magnetic “map”, but the animals aren’t necessarily using any sort of mental chart. As with all research in magnetic senses, it’s very hard to work out what the animal is actually sensing or thinking. But that can be a bonus. “It might be good because I don’t have any preconceived notions about how animals like turtles use magnetic information,” says Putman.” I can let the turtles tell me what they can respond to without imposing any personal expectations on them!”
We do, however, know that they have their super-sense from birth. Putman’s turtles had never been in the ocean before and their magnetic sense doesn’t depend on experience. Indeed, Lohmann’s previous experiments showed that even newly hatched loggerheads can react correctly to different magnetic fields.
Comment: It's quite awe inspiring to realise how much the Earth's magnetic field is an integral part of how various different creatures function. At this time, humans don't really appreciate that we arre also heavily influenced by Earth's magnetic field, as many scientific studies prove. Now, with the onset of Space Weather, we are seeing many more reports of creatures not being able to function properly as well many more people are starting to feel the impact of geomagnetic storms and those who are the most emotionally unstable are being tipped over the most into very unbalanced states.
A Twenty-Year-Old Hamadryas Baboon Gave Birth To A Rare Orange Baby Baboon In Ramat Gan Safari Park In Israel
Batangas Today, 11th February 2011
A twenty-year-old Hamadryas baboon named Scud (Skad) gave birth to a rare orange baby baboon ten days ago at the Ramat Gan Safari Park near Tel Aviv in Israel, NTD Television reported.
According to reports, it is the first orange-colored baboon monkey to be born at the Safari Park in thirty years. Ramat Gan Safari Zoo workers were surprised with the recent birth of the ginger furred baby baboon which was considered very rare, reason for the zoo to celebrate.
“Skad, our twenty-year-old baboon, gave birth to an orange baby and we just today discovered it’s actually a female baby and we are very happy because it’s been thirty years since we last had an orangebaboon here,” Yael Baker, Safari Zoo, Primate Keeper said.
Comment: More pictures at Yahoo News
Rare 'Orange' Baby Baboon
Gorilla walks on hind legs
Nine News, 27th January 2011
A male gorilla may be
preparing for the next stage of the evolutionary process after mastering the ability to walk upright.
Twenty-one-year-old Amban has become a crowd favourite at England's Port Lympne Wild Animal Park after being filmed tottering around his enclosure on his hind legs.
All gorillas are able to walk on their hind legs to some extent, but Amban's surefooted walk is another thing altogether.
Comment: Wow... the mainstream are talking my language! LOL! Well, everything on this planet is being given the opportunity to evolve, with some kind of testing process that proceeds massive evolutionary change. This means some species with go extinct and others will flourish, a persistent pattern in the evolution of all life on Earth during periods of rapid evolutionary change.
Dolphins 'walk' on water
The Telegraph, 23rd October 2010
Dolphins in the wild are teaching themselves to "walk" with their tails along the surface of water, biologists have claimed.
Dolphin tail-walking has no known practical function and has been likened to dancing in humans. WDCS researcher Dr Mike Bossley, who has observed Adelaide's Port River dolphins for the past 24 years, said he had documented spectacular tail walking in two adult female dolphins, known as Billie and Wave.
Now four other individuals have been recorded perfecting their walking techniques – Wave's calf Tallula, Bianca and her calf Hope, and calf Bubbles. Tail walking is very rare in the wild and in thousands of hours of observation only one other dolphin has ever been observed tail walking in the Port River, and then only once.
The Port Adelaide dolphins are now said to be tail walking many times each day.
Comment: The story about the dolphins walking on water is very important and we just have to wait and see whether this trick is then picked up by dolphins everywhere. This will become undeniable proof of the the principle of the
hundredth monkey, with serious implications that scientists have tried to deny in the past. Can this principle apply to humans? I think so, and that explains why there is such massive denial, because scientists would then have to seriously consider the theories of morphogenetic fields or fields of information specific to all forms of life on this planet. These informational fields are theoretical (scalar, torsion field theory), but scientists do not want to believe that they apply to all forms of biological life and can be updated with new information.
Pig learns to walk on two legs
The Telegraph, 30th September 2010
A pig which can walk on two legs has become a local celebrity in China.
The 10-month-old porker is known by villagers as "Zhu Jianqiang" (Strong-willed Pig) after it was born with only two front legs and learned to balance on them well enough to walk. According to its owner, Wang Xihai, it was one of nine piglets born in a litter this January. He said: "My wife asked me to dump it but I refused as it's a life. I thought I should give it a chance to survive and unexpectedly it survived healthy."
Comment: The pig owner has shown a deep and profound respect for life, quite thought provoking...
Baboons learn to listen for cars central locking tweet before breaking in
The Telegraph, 23rd July 2010
Baboons in Cape Town have learned to listen out for the tweet of a car's remote central locking before deciding whether to break in to search for food, according to the local authorities.
The highly intelligent animals lie in wait as tourists get out of their car to gaze at the view from Cape Peninsula – the thin finger of land in the south westernmost corner of South Africa that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean.
Then, if they haven't heard the telltale "tweet" of the locking system, they sneak over and open the car door to plunder its contents.
So many picnics have now been lost to the simian raiders that the local authorities are pushing the government to commission an official baboon warning road sign as they have done for hippos, elephants, warthogs and kudus.
Theuns Vivian, Cape Town's Destination Development Manager, said humans and baboons would get along fine provided they were equally aware of each other.
Comment: Another example of intelligence, and strategic planning which blurs the distinction between humans and animals as defined in consciousness studies. There is also an earlier story (July 2009) about baboons breaking into luggage containers on top of cars.
Viral Video: Okinawa Dolphin Leaps From Tank
AOL News, 12th July 2010
Visitors of Japan's Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium got their money's worth last week when they witnessed a female dolphin named Kuru take a valiant leap over the edge of a viewing tank during a performance.
The spectacle was captured on camera by an American tourist who forwarded the footage to Ric O'Barry, a former trainer for the "Flipper" television series who now makes his living by setting captive animals free. O'Barry then sent the video to the Associated Press. [...]
Since the footage surfaced, the dolphin's intent has become a subject of debate. O'Barry claims that by leaping out of the tank Kuru expressed nothing short of a plea for help.
"The habitat of that false killer whale is so unnatural it leaped out in desperation," he told the Associated Press. "It wanted to end it. Why does a person jump out of a building?...It proves that captivity doesn't work. They are free-ranging creatures with a very large brain. They're self aware and putting them in a small tank in a stadium setting is abusive."
Comment: I agree with the writer, the dolphin was desperate...
Squirrels Show Softer Side by Adopting Orphans, Study Finds
Science Daily, 2nd June 2010
Those neighbourhood squirrels you often see fighting over food may not seem altruistic, but new University of Guelph research has found that the critters will actually take in orphaned relatives. The study by Guelph Prof. Andrew McAdam, along with researchers from the University of Alberta and McGill University, revealed that red squirrels will adopt pups that have lost their mother. [...]
What's also remarkable is that squirrels are able to assess which pups are related or not, he added.
As squirrels rarely interact, they learn who their nearby relatives are by hearing their unique calls, he said. If they fail
"We suspect that, if they find pups on the territory, they remember that their neighbour was a relative and carry the pups back to their nest. This would be quite intelligent behaviour for a squirrel."
Comment: Sometimes, it seems that scientists really struggle to give animals any credit whatsoever. That a squirrel can work out it's relatives is made out here to be some amazing achievement, but why?
Gray Whale Spotted on Wrong Side of World
Discovery News, 10th May 2010
Last Saturday, researchers with the Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center (IMMRAC) took to the water to study a whale approximately a mile and a half off Herzliya Marina, just north of Tel Aviv. The whale, which was about forty feet long, was generally behaving as a whale does: swimming along the surface, making periodic short dives of between three and five minutes duration, and occasionally showing its tail flukes as it did so. [...]
There was only one problem. There are no gray whales off Israel. There are no gray whales in the Mediterranean. There are, in fact, no gray whales in the Atlantic - have not been, for that matter, since the eighteenth century, when the species was possibly exterminated from the hemisphere by commercial whalers. [...]
"There is no doubt that this is a gray whale, and as such the sighting is little short of astonishing," said Phillip Clapham of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in an e-mail. "There are really only two explanations: that there has been a relict population in the N Atlantic that no one has noticed (virtually impossible), or (more likely) that this whale came down through the ice-free Northwest Passage and is now hopelessly lost."
Comment: Oh well, more change!
Sperm whales return to Mediterranean "Marine biologists in Italy say the sperm whale, once thought to have been nearly wiped from the region by drift nets, has returned to the Mediterranean."
'Astro-squirrels' use coconut shells as helmets
Refreshing News, 9th March 2010
These two squirrels looked like astronauts after putting coconut shells on their heads.
The pair look more like starved spacemen tucking into the tropical treats at the back of Jane Robert's home in Fareham, Hants.
Comment: I don't think it's got anything to do with evolutionary change but these little fellas are cute!
Meet Blackie The Mutant Penguin
National Geographic Blog, 3rd March 2010
When Andrew Evans sent us this photo of a rare melanistic penguin that he spotted during his travels, I became intrigued. So I decided to call up Dr. Allan Baker, an ornithologist and professor of Environmental and Evolutionary Studies at the University of Toronto and head of the Department of Natural History at the Royal Ontario Museum, to learn more about melanism in birds. I got him on the line before he had the chance to look at the photos, and suffice it to say he was slightly flabbergasted at what he saw: "Wow. That looks so bizarre I can't even believe it. Wow," was his first response. Then he made me swear on a stack of National Geographic magazines that the image was real.
"Well that is astonishing," he said. "I've never ever seen that before. It's a one in a zillion kind of mutation somewhere.
Comment: Please note that the Black Penguin has been spotted before and there are two further reports here with a better photo for 'Blackie'. Again, like lots of other 'rare' mutations we have to see whether there are other cases that start to occur and the change takes effect on a wider scale to make any kind of judgement that we are seeing evolutionary change.
Don't mess with me! The five-day-old lamb who was born with a REAL black belt
Daily Mail, 17th February 2010
He may be just a few days old, but this unusually marked lamb is clearly one to be reckoned with.
Named Miyagi after fictional martial arts expert Mr Miyagi from the Karate Kid films, he was born five days ago with a thick belt of black wool around his middle. Farmer William Herbert said: 'I've been farming for over 50 years but I've never seen anything like this before.
Comment: I can't resist this: will this black belt make a good lamb chop? There have not been that many strange DNA mutations seen in the media but this is one of the more cute.
Can you see what it is yet? How a flock of starlings can look just like a bird, a duck and even a turtle
Daily Mail, 2nd February 2010
Flocks of starlings are renowned for forming a variety of shapes in the sky. But on this occasion they must have been overcome by vanity – and created a giant starling for us ground-dwellers to admire. The countless creatures created the awesome display by using the winter breeze as the low-setting sun caused the sky to glow red.
Comment: This is a nice reminder of morphogenetic fields that acts as a guidance system for all life on Earth. These starlings practice group behaviour that scientists do not understand. The theory of Morphgenesis by Rupert Sheldrake is generaly shunned by the academic community but science and observation will surely eventually proven that he has got this right. An individual morphogenetic field is a field of information that is held in the environment for all forms of life on this planet. It is continuously updated by the individual forms of life and also is updated by the universe by cosmic influences. As we are in a period of evolutionary change, these morphogenetic fields are being upgraded now and the science of evolutionary biology would suggest that all forms of life will start to mutate but eventually end up at a pre-ordained destiny controlled by these environmental fields.
Fruits of the sea: Startling strawberry crab discovered off Taiwan
Daily Mail, 5th January 2010
A marine biologist has discovered a startling new crab species that resembles a large strawberry.
The unusual crustacean was found off the coast of southern Taiwan. It has a dramatic bright red shell covered with small white bumps.
Professor Ho Ping-ho from the National Taiwan Ocean University said the crab resembles a species called Neoliomera Pubescens, that lives in the areas around Hawaii, Polynesia and Mauritius.
However it has a clam-shaped shell about 1 inch wide, which makes it distinct.
Crabs are omnivores feeding primarily on algae. There are more than 5,000 known species in the world.
Comment: Wow! Well, we know for sure that nature is not boring!
Pictures of the year 2009: weird animal pictures
The Telegraph, January 2010
Comment: Yes, Ugly Bat Boy made the listing.... Not all of these animal pictures deserve the title of wierd, some are just odd, like the albinos but there are a few mutants thrown in. In some images, its the humans who are most deserving of being called weird.... However, I have to say, I did laugh quite a few times....
Cat uses human loo
Ananova News, 14th December 2009
A pet cat has become an online star in China because it can use a toilet made for humans.
Owner Fang Deng, 32, posted a clip of his ginger cat Miao Mi showing off her special trick. Deng told the Chongqing Business News: "If the toilet is occupied she will wait patiently until it is free before going in.
"Then she squats on the edge of the loo - just like we do - and does her business. "Afterwards, she takes a peek at what she's done and then flushes the toilet with her paw."
Comment: Is this another example of increasing intelligence in animals? There does seem to be more and more examples...
More
Octopus Snatches Coconut and Runs
BBC: "An octopus and its coconut-carrying antics have surprised scientists. Underwater footage reveals that the creatures scoop up halved coconut shells before scampering away with them so they can later use them as shelters."
Scientists are amazed...
Worldwide Change in Blue Whale's Song Baffles Scientists
Daily Galaxy, 4th December 2009
The function of whale song, even the better-studied song of the humpback whale, has long baffled marine scientists. Songs of the blue whale, the planets largest living creature, can be divided into at least 10 types worldwide, each type retaining the same units and similar phrasing over decades, unlike humpback whale song which changes substantially from year to year. That is until recently with a worldwide occurrence of a nearly linear downward shift in the tonal frequencies of blue whale song.
“We don’t have the answer. We just have a lot of recordings,” Whale Acoustics President Mark McDonald explained to Wired.
Comment: Morphogenetic fields are being changed and upgraded all over the planet. Scientists are very willing to talk about everything else EXCEPT human evolutionary changes....
Bald bears perplex experts
BBC News, 5th November 2009
Bears in a zoo in eastern Germany have lost their fur, but international experts cannot work out why. Three spectacled bears in Leipzig Zoo are in various states of baldness, with the worst being hairless all over. Zoo curator Gerd Noetzhold said he had discovered that zoos throughout Europe and further afield had encountered the same problem, but no-one knew why. One expert suggested it could be caused by climate and the diet of the bears, whose native habitat is South America. [...]
"There are other zoos in Europe and overseas having the same problem.
Comment: Maybe the answer is the stress of being in an unnatural habitat like a zoo, combined with sensitivitity to a changing environment.
The World's Ugliest Animals
NY Daily News, August 2009
No. 7: The Aye-Aye
The Aye-Aye is currently an endangered species partially due to the fact many in its native Madagascar view the animal as an evil omen and kill them on the spot.
Comment: Well, I don't agree that all these creatures are ugly, but the Aye-Aye is certainly a brute! The mole's nose (no.1) is very critter like, the radial energy pattern that typifies an electrical discharge.
Elephant learns to play the harmonica
A music-loving elephant called Five has been serenading its keepers at West Midlands Safari Park, after learning to play the harmonica.
The Telegraph, 13th August 2009
The African elephant already loves music, but has found a new passion after a silver harmonica was accidentally left on the side of the enclosure. She eventually got the hang of puffing out at the right time to produce a song, and now regularly places the instrument into her trunk and whiles away the afternoon playing a few tunes.
Wendy Jackson, spokeswoman from the park, said the elephants were extremely intelligent and Five was becoming better at playing as time went on.
She said: "It is very unusual for animals to actually get a sense of playing a tune.
"Five was really curious about it when it was left on the side - but everyone just thought she would lose interest after a few minutes.
"But she kept going with it, hitting a few notes before realising what it did.
"Five was making tunes within a few weeks- it really is amazing."
Comment: Well, it very interesting to see animals evolving and developing their abilities. I think someone should give the elephants at this safari park a paintbrush and some paint and see if any of them can draw too, (see archives).
Whale saves drowning diver
The Sun, 30th July 2009
"A beluga whale saved a drowning diver by hoisting her to the surface, carrying her leg in its mouth. Terrified Yang Yun thought she was going to die when her legs were paralysed by crippling cramps in arctic temperatures. She had been taking part in a free diving contest WITHOUT any breathing equipment."
Comment: A nice example of unconditional love. See
Joy, grief, altruism... these extraordinary mammals show 'human' feelings and could even have their own religion
Safari park baboons ransack cars after learning to break into luggage boxes
Xinhua News, 21st July 2009
"Keepers at Knowsley Safari Park have been forced to issue warnings after the opportunistic primates developed a taste for human possessions. The cheeky monkeys - who are known for tearing off the odd wiper or wing mirror - have been targeting cars carrying the roof boxes before pouncing on the unsuspecting visitors, who are forced to watch helplessly as their things disappear. Now bosses at the Merseyside park have slapped the artful animals with what they call 'Anti Social Baboon Orders' and have warned visitors not to travel through the infamous monkey jungle with luggage on their roof."
Comment: Well, it must be obvious that primates are evolving too! LOL!!
Migaloo - Rare White Humpback Whale
CrptNews, 30th June 2009
"Migaloo, a 45.9 feet (14-meter), 34.4 ton (35-ton) pure white humpback whale, is seen here swimming along the east coast off Australia, near Coffs Harbour with another whale, Tuesday, June 15, 2005. (Sea Experience Charters, Greer Atkinson).
Migaloo is a rare white male humpback whale first spotted in 1991. Experts believe he is now about 21 to 23 years old. Slipping silently past his biggest fans along the Gold Coast of August — during the dead of night - the big white whale did it again."
Comment: This "white fella" is the only one in the world and he's been around for a while too....
In pictures: The Spirit Bear, the rare 'blonde' black bear of Canada's western coast
Daily Mail, 5th June 2009
"It may look like a polar bear that has ventured too far south - but these once-in-a-lifetime photographs are of the extremely rare Spirit Bear. Once thought to exist only in Native American mythology, the Spirit Bear, or Kermode Bear, is now recognised as an off-shoot of the American Black Bear population that lives in the lush coastal forests of British Columbia."
Comment: Great pictures!
Orangutan's amazing escape bid
Ananova News, 11th May 2009
"An orangutan used a stick to short-circuit an electric fence to try to escape from a zoo in Australia. Ten-stone Karta then made a makeshift ladder using sticks, grass and plant roots to scale a second barrier, reports The Sun. Her escape bid was foiled only when keepers with tranquiliser guns persuaded Karta to jump back into her enclosure.
Peter Whitehead, of Adelaide Zoo, said:
"She's always trying to outsmart the keepers and today she showed a touch of genius."
Keepers had to herd visitors to safety after Karta got within yards of them.
Comment: Maybe this orangutan is smarter than the zookeepers and this escape attempt is clear evidence of advanced intelligence. I think all zoos should be closed down, humans don't need to gawp at locked up bored animals.
British scientists study Hawaiian happy face spider
The Telegraph, 22nd April 2009
"The spider, which measures just a few millimetres across, has developed bizarre markings giving the appearance of a smiling face. Scientists think the spider, which has the scientific name Theridion grallator and is harmless to humans, has evolved the patterns to confuse predators. [...] Dr Geoff Oxford, a spider expert from the University of York, said: "I must admit when I turned over the first leaf and saw one it certainly brought a smile to my face. "There are various theories as to why the spider has developed the markings it has, one of these that it may be to confuse predators."
Comment: Happy Evolution!
Thousands of dolphins block Somali pirates
Xinhuanet News, 14th April 2009
"BEIJING, -- Thousands of dolphins blocked the suspected Somali pirate ships when they were trying to attack Chinese merchant ships passing the Gulf of Aden, the China Radio International reported on Monday.
The Chinese merchant ships escorted by a China's fleet sailed on the Gulf of Aden when they met some suspected pirate ships. Thousands of dolphins suddenly leaped out of water between pirates and merchants when the pirate ships headed for the China's.
The suspected pirates ships stopped and then turned away. The pirates could only lament their littleness befor the vast number of dolphins. The spectacular scene continued for a while. "
Comment: Quite an incredible story. Click for the pictures that go with the report.
Bright green jumping spider among 50 new creepy crawlies found in Papua-New Guinea
Daily Mail, 26th March 2009
"Jumping spiders, a striped gecko and a chirping frog are among more than 50 new species discovered in Papua-New Guinea. The environmental group Conservation International found the species during an expedition to the country's highlands wilderness in July and August last year."
Comment: Fabulous pictures! Well, are they new or just new to human awareness?
The mysterious case of the vengeful crows
Can crows wait for seven months to take their revenge on a human being... well here is one such case
Daily Times, 21st March 2009
"KARACHI: Contrary to their size, crows are a mindful and dangerous lot; when annoyed, they ruthlessly attack in flocks of hundreds. If you are trying to hurt a crow, you are surely cruising for a bruising.
To a layman, they may appear to be like any other helpless insignificant birds. But who could have imagine how revengeful these birds can get? Crows can bear whatever you throw at them but if you attack their spawn, your making room for a whole lot of winged trouble."
Comment: Cruising for a bruising! LOL!!
Zoo chimp plots stone throwing attacks
New study found his cleverly orchestrated attacks were premeditated
MSNBC, 9th March 2009
"If non-human primates could be arrested, Santino the chimp might be behind jail bars for throwing stones and handcrafted weapons at zoo visitors, since a new study found his cleverly orchestrated attacks were premeditated.
The discovery, published in the latest issue of Current Biology, provides evidence that chimpanzees can plan for a future, rather than a current, mental state. This, in turn, implies "advanced consciousness and cognition traditionally not associated with animals," according to Mathias Osvath, who conducted the study. Staff at the Furuvik Zoo in Sweden first became suspicious in 1997 when they spotted multiple stone piles at the park's "chimpanzee island" where Santino lives, explained Osvath, a Lund University researcher in the field of cognitive science."
Comment: According to these biologists this chimp has obviously 'evolved' to the point that he can plan ahead and make sure he has enough ammunition for his daily target practice of zoo visitors! Quite amazing!
Ugly' Bald Cat Wins Fans At NH Vet Clinic
Feline's Unusual Appearance Captivates Vet Clients
clickorlando.com, 27th February 2009
"The cat's full name is Ugly Bat Boy. He's bald in most places except for flowing fur on his chest, and he spends his days on a warm computer at Exeter Veterinary Hospital, reported WMUR-TV in Manchester, N.H. Bat Boy has become something of a local star. People come in and take pictures of him on their cell phones," said veterinary employee Christie Hartnett. "He's just great. He's Dr. (Stephen) Bassett's little wonder cat."
Comment: Be warned....the first picture in the gallery is quite scary.... This bits funny....'Bat Boy has a nice disposition and real inner beauty.....' yes, but he's still ugly! LOL!!
Penguin at zoo refuses to swim because he is afraid of cold water
The Telegraph, 26th January 2009
"Most penguins like nothing better than to get their feathers wet with a quick swim, but this elderly bird refuses to move from his rock – because he is afraid of cold water.
Kentucky the penguin, described as a 'runt' by his keepers, refuses to take the plunge with his other 23 penguin pals at Blackbrook Zoological Park in Leek, Staffordshire. Staff at the zoo have seen the 11-year-old become a surprise hit with visitors at the park due to his unusual phobia. The Humboldt penguin was born smaller than his arctic brothers and sisters and has had moulting problems since birth which make the water 'a bit too cold for him', staff say."
Comment: Poor thing! A penguin afraid of cold water, surely this is a problem with it's DNA? I don't think many would argue that this is a psychological cause.
Prickly blonde is a rare find
The Sun, 9th September 2008
"THEY say blondes have more fun, but this one looks a bit PRICKLY.
Believed to be just a few months old, this little lass was found weak and struggling by a member of the public in Shropshire. The hedgehog, which is not an albino, weighed just 110g when she was delivered to the rescue centre at the end of July."
"The hedgehog... is one of a very small number of blonde hedgehogs to be found in the UK. Their unusual colouring, caused by a rare recessive gene, means blonde hedgehogs have little chance of survival in the wild. Their conspicuous coats often prove attractive to predators such as foxes, badgers and dogs."
Comment: Lovely! Evolutionary change means increasing complexity and variety so what may be considered as a rarity could become more common. DNA genes are controlled by the environment and that is now in a state of flux.
Moo North: Cattle and Deer May Sense Earth's Magnetic Field
Google Earth photos and field studies reveal animals lining up north–south
Scientific American, 25th August 2008
"Researchers have found that when grazing or resting, cattle and deer tend to point their bodies toward Earth's magnetic poles, which suggests they are able to sense magnetic fields in the same way as many smaller animals.
German and Czech researchers used Google Earth satellite images to look at 8,510 domestic cattle in 308 pastures located randomly across six continents. They also studied body alignment in 2,974 red and roe deer in the Czech Republic, either by photographing the animals or checking the impressions they left in snow. The team reports in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA that the animals tended to point north or south but not in other directions. When the researchers were able to examine the position of the head in the case of red and roe deer, they found the animals tended to point north."
Comment: This is a rather unexpected success for Google Earth!
Wild dolphins tail-walk on water
BBC News, 19th August 2008
"A wild dolphin is apparently teaching other members of her group to walk on their tails, a behaviour usually seen only after training in captivity. The tail-walking group lives along the south Australian coast near Adelaide. One of them spent a short time after illness in a dolphinarium 20 years ago and may have picked up the trick there."
Comment: Interesting. Do we actually have an example of morphogenesis, often dubbed the 100th monkey principal at work here? So after a brief stay at an aquarium 20 years ago, a dolphin has only possibly 'seen' another dolphin doing this trick and off they go, acquiring a skill that they can then pass onto others. So, there is two scenarios to consider here. Maybe, the information to do this skill was transmitted into this dolphin's energy field but stayed latent, until additional energy was acquired to activate this ability. The other scenario is that there has been a full update of the morphogenetic fields for ALL dolphins, but some dolphins have more access to others to acquire information, hence why one dolphin is being seen to teach others. Whatever, it will be interesting to see if this feat is duplicated in the wild elsewhere.
The weird world of mystic mogs and death-sensing dogs
Daily Mail, 2nd July 2008
"Cats who know exactly when they are going to be taken to the vets. Dogs who sense their owners' whereabouts - even if they are miles away. And birds who seem to mourn the deaths of those around them... our pets and other animals have always been intuitive - but do they really have a mysterious sixth sense? A new book by Britain's leading clinical authority on near-death experiences, Dr Peter Fenwick, and his wife Elizabeth, a counsellor, examines the remarkable cases of psychic animals. . ."
Comment: Well, if there was a tsunami on the way and I was in danger, I would hope that my ability to interact with the environment would be good enough to save my life, a capability that has been well demonstrated by animals.... Why? I still think about the images of rotting bodies lying on the beach after the Sumatra tsunami in December 2004.
Frog march sparks new quake alarm
Herald Sun, 20th May 2008
"THOUSANDS of Chinese fled for cover in fear of an earthquake today, alarmed not only by warnings from seismologists but also by an unusual mass movement of frogs, state media said. For the second time this month, residents observed a huge migration of frogs and toads, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.
Residents of Zunyi, a southern city that saw little damage in China's huge earthquake last week, noticed the amphibians' march yesterday, Xinhua said, quoting Vice Mayor Zeng Yongtao."
Elephant Paints Self Portrait
YouTube, April 2008
Comment: This video is incredible! Please watch, it really makes you wonder about the nature of animal consciousness.
Update Here is a link to an article January 2009, that explains there is a a group of talented elephants are using their trunks to produce amazing ARTWORKS in a jungle conservation camp. The Maesa Elephant Camp, draws thousands of tourists to the northern Thai region every year and the pictures are being sold too!
Artist for hire: Will work for peanuts
The Sun, 9th January 2009
Dolphin answers whales' SOS call
Scotsman News, 13th March 2008
"I don't speak whale and I don't speak dolphin, but there was obviously something that went on, because the two whales changed from being quite distressed to following the dolphin willingly and directly along the beach and straight out to sea." Another rescuer, Juanita Symes, added: "Moko came flying through the water and pushed in between us and the whales. She got them to head toward the hill, where the channel is. It was an amazing experience. The best day of my life."
Forget crop circles - now we've got a mysterious SHEEP circle
Daily Mail, 25th January 2008
"There were strange goings on at the farm today when a flock of sheep made their own version of a crop circle. About 100 of the woolly creatures formed an orderly ring - baffling the farmer and passers-by."
Comment: You have just got to love what is taking place now! Sheep circles! LOL!!
Record-size spitting cobra found in Kenya
Reuters, December 7, 2007
Comment: Again, it always amazes me that evolutionary biologist scream about the high rate of species extinction then continually tell us about the discovery of new species. Why can't this cobra be just a new bigger and better or more evolved version, to survive in the increasing hostile environment caused by man's destructiveness. Personally, I have nick-named this brute as King Cobra, respect!
Experts: Spiders Spin Giant Web in Texas
Comcasts News, 11th September 2007
Do we have evidence that the morphogenetic fields have been changed, with these spiders in Texas demonstrating a new level of cooperation and harmony? "Tetragnathidae are usually solitary spiders who build their own webs and mind their own business," he said. "Here they are sharing a lot of foundation strands that are all over the place. They don't have individual webs anymore."
Comment: I believe we are now watching spiritual evolution in real-time, the morphogenetic fields for humans have also changed, for a future paradise Earth.
Primates Expect Others To Act Rationally
TerraDaily.com , 11th September 2007
"When trying to understand someone's intentions, non-human primates expect others to act rationally by performing the most appropriate action allowed by the environment, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard University."
"our research shows that non-human primates infer others' intentions in a much more sophisticated way. They expect other individuals to perform the most rational action that they can, given the environmental obstacles that they face."
Comment: This seems to imply that somehow humans don't follow the same rules as primatess, that are give a lower evolutionary status. This is strange as humans are frequently irrational, traditionally equated to lower evolutionary behaviour.
Study: Full moon fills veterinary offices with suddenly ill dogs, cats
Denver Post, 1st August 2007
"When the full moon rises, dogs and cats go wild -- and get hurt. Dogs and cats suffering heart attacks, seizures and trauma end up at Colorado State University's Veterinary Medical Center emergency room in Fort Collins in higher numbers around the full moon, according to a study. We were dumbfounded when we actually saw the increase." "After reviewing records from 10 years and 12,000 animals, the researchers found that during the fullest 12 days in the moon's 28-day cycle, cat emergency visits were up 23 percent and dog visits up 28 percent."
Comment: You would think that educated people could even hazard a guess that maybe the huge planetary bodies in the sky could actually effect us. After decades of research that has been ignored, maybe we can finally start to understand the most powerful force in the universe -- electromagnetism.
Purple fluorescent frog discovered in Suriname
People's Daily Online, 5th June 2007
Comment: We are seeing evolutionary change NOT global warming. So even when evolutionary biologists sound the alarm that we are now experiencing the greatest rate of species extinction in 65 million years, this is not balanced with the constant reports of new "discoveries". Species will adapt or die and all species have the ability to interact with the environment and adapt their DNA. It seems the speed of adaptation determines their success.
Strange fish parade seen in Englewood
Sun Herald, 8th May 2005
"ENGLEWOOD -- A bizarre freeway of fish swimming by the thousands along the shore of Englewood Beach Thursday morning left crowds of beach-goers agog and marine biologists bewildered. "I've lived her for 10 years, and I've never seen anything like this. It's incredible," said Bob Ricci of Englewood.
Beach-goers reported that a wide variety of sea creatures came swimming south in a narrow band close to the beach at mid-morning. Included in the swarm were clouds of shrimp, crab, grouper, snapper, red fish and flounder. They were joined by more usual species, including sea robins, needlefish and eels. Ten-year Manasota Key resident Nick Neidlinger spotted the commotion from his condominium shortly before 9 a.m. The fish were moving in a narrow band in about 18 inches of water, he said. They were headed south, and, so far as he could tell, the moving mass of sea life stretched a good mile long.
"We're talking thousands and thousands of them," Neidlinger said. "It was so thick we couldn't walk out." Some fish washed ashore on the Gulf's small waves, he said. The stranded fish flipped and struggled until they flopped back into the water to rejoin the piscatorial parade south.
"There were blue crabs the size of a dinner plate," Neidlinger said. "You name the species of fish and they were there." Neidlinger said more than 100 pelicans bombarded the fish, but he saw no sharks or other predators, nor did he detect any signs of red tide. He said all the species "were swimming amongst each other. They weren't attacking each other."
Neidlinger added, "I have never seen anything like that in my life. This was not a fish kill."
Comment: This has got to be one of the most bizarre stories ever! Whatever, these sea creatures decided that they were off! Our biologists do not understand this kind of behaviour, they completely refuse to accept the obvious that all species have some kind of guidance system, this is best explained by Rupert Sheldrake's Morphogenetic field theory.
Elephants saved tourists from tsunami
Reuters, January 02 2005
"KHAO LAK: Agitated elephants felt the tsunami coming, and their sensitivity saved about a dozen foreign tourists from the fate of thousands killed by the giant waves. "I was surprised because the elephants had never cried before," mahout Dang Salangam said on Sunday on Khao Lak beach of the eight-elephant business offering rides to tourists.
The elephants started trumpeting - in a way Dang, 36, and his wife Kulada, 24, said could only be described as crying - at first light, about the time an earthquake measured at a magnitude of 9.0 cracked open the sea bed off Indonesia's Sumatra island. The elephants soon calmed down. But they started wailing again about an hour later and this time they could not be comforted despite attempts at reassurance.
"The elephants didn't believe the mahouts. They just kept running for the hill," said Wit Aniwat, 24, who takes the money from tourists and helps them on to the back of elephants from a sturdy wooden platform. Those with tourists aboard headed for the jungle-clad hill behind the resort beach where at least 3800 people, more than half of them foreigners, would soon be killed. The elephants that were not working broke their hefty chains. "Then we saw the big wave coming and we started running," Wit said."
Comment: This is a classic example of animals being able to read the environment and take action, an ability lost by most humans. Rupert Sheldrake and his Morphogenetic theory must now be accepted by the scientific community. What are they waiting for?
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