Category Animal World

Can kangaroos swim?

Kangaroos are famous for their means of locomotion: hopping! They can reach speeds of 60kph, clearing more than 8m with a single hop!

Their muscular tail is used for balance when hopping, and as another limb when moving about. They also use their tail when swimming; that’s right – kangaroos are good swimmers! They swim to avoid predators, and can use their forepaws to drown pursuers.

Kangaroos are famous for their forward-opening pouch, where the joey (baby kangaroo) develops and suckles. A female kangaroo is known as a ‘flyer’ or a ‘doe’ and a male kangaroo a ‘buck’ or a ‘boomer’ (hence the nickname of the Australian men’s basketball team, the Boomers). They live in social groups called mobs.

 

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Do animals grieve?

When we lose someone we love we grieve. But this may not be unique to humans. There’s a lot of evidence to show that animals across several species not just grieve but also have rituals around death – drawing our attention to be kind to all creatures

Elephants and others

Among the most cited examples of animal grief is that of the elephant. There are many reports of elephants mourning their deceased relatives. In one instance, when the matriarch (female head) of one group died at least three matriarchs from other groups visited the dead, constantly touching or moving around the body. Chimpanzees too have exhibited death related behaviour. For example some chimpanzees checked for signs of life in a dead family member and also tried to clean the dead animals fur. Apparently, for many days, the family members did not go to the spot the relative died in. Some cetaceans (a group of aquatic mammals) also are said to show signs of mourning. Only a couple of years ago did we read about an orca (killer whale) mother carrying her dead calf in the waters for at least 17 days across 1,000 miles before finally letting go of it Scientists called it “a tour of grief. Though some researchers have attributed animal grief to the size of the animal’s brain, this theory does not hold water in all cases because small creatures and birds too have exhibited grief related behaviour For instance, magpies – considered intelligent birds – have been known to bury the dead under twigs. grass, etc., and this is called a “magpie funeral”. Interestingly, studies say that birds such as crows hold funerals (gathering around a dead bird) more to assess the danger (such as a predator) in the area of death rather than to mourn.

Is it really grief?

A few scientists disagree with attributing grief to animal behaviour. They point out that this theory is not built on scientific evidence because while the behaviour itself is evident the motive remains unclear. The attribution is problematic because the case then is built simply on human belief systems. Some have countered this by saying that though it is good to be cautious while explaining non human animal behaviour, the lack of scientific evidence cannot discount the animal’s loss or diminish its pain. As one professor puts it beautifully, the question is not Do animals grieve? But ‘How do animals grieve?

 

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How do balloon releases harm wildlife?

Balloons, glitters and confetti add colour to our celebrations. But did you know while we treat ourselves to these small pleasures, we inadvertently pollute Earth? After all, what goes up must come down. Free-flying balloons and confetti ultimately become litter and put animals and birds at risk.

Balloons

Balloons are of two types – latex and mylar. Although latex balloons are promoted as biodegradable, they take anywhere between six months and four years to decompose. Mylar balloons are composed of synthetic nylon with a metallic coating. They are non biodegradable.

Balloons (when released into the sky, say as part of events or campaigns) travel thousands of miles, capable of polluting the most remote and pristine places. Deflated balloons that settle on land and sea surface are mistaken for food and eaten by animals and birds. They get lodged in their digestive tract, causing obstruction, loss of nutrition, internal injury, starvation, and death. String or ribbon often found attached to balloons can cause entanglement in animals, again leading to their death. Animals such as sea turtles are at special risk because the balloons resemble their favourite food – jellyfish. Seabirds are not safe either. According to a study released in 2019, if a seabird swallows a balloon, it’s 32 times more likely to die than if it had gulped down a piece of hard plastic.

Glitter and confetti

Confetti has been used for thousands of years. The tradition can be traced back to the pagan times when people tossed grains and sweets during weddings and festivals. It has been adopted by many cultures around the world. But in recent years, it has taken a different form. We toss confetti and glitter at weddings and stage performances today, which simply disperse microplastics everywhere. Because confetti and glitter are made of plastic – polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), respectively.

Microplastics are plastic particles that are less than 5mm in diameter and are an emerging environmental issue. Glitter is usually less than 1mm in diameter and is used in a wide array of products, including cosmetics. It leads into the environment and often ends up in the oceans. It can be accidentally consumed by plankton, fish, shellfish, seabirds, and other marine life. When microplastic builds up in their systems, it can lead to death.

Further, PET, the plastic most glitter is made from, can break down and release chemicals that can disrupt human and animal hormones.

 

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Why do cheetahs have a tear line?

Cheetahs have two tear lines that run from the inside corners of their eyes down to the outside edges of their mouth. These marks help reflect the sun’s glare whenever the cats are off hunting during the sunniest of days – in that way, cheetahs don’t get blinded by direct sunlight like we do, even in midday.

The tear lines work in a similar way to the black marks worn by rugby players. They’re also helpful features for the cheetah in order to stay focused on its prey.

There is a Zulu folklore tale about how the cheetah got its tear lines: once, a hunter was too lazy to be about his business, wishing that someone could get the meat for him. Soon, he saw a female cheetah making a successful kill and feeding it to her cubs, and all of a sudden decided to steal all these cubs in order to train them for hunting.

Soon, when the mother cheetah was away, the wicked hunter accomplished his terrible deed, kidnapping all the cubs without leaving a single one. Once the mother found her babies gone, she became heartbroken, searched for them far and wide, and kept calling and crying all day and night, so long and so hard, until her tears made dark stains down her cheeks.

Soon, the elders got wind of the event and went to punish the lazy hunter, who had also broken the tribe’s most sacred traditions – in Zulu culture, it’s tradition that a hunter must use only his own strength and skill, otherwise dishonor comes. But even when the wicked man was eventually forced to bring the cubs back to their mother, nevertheless her long weeping stained her face forever – and those tears are worn by her children (modern-day cheetahs) to this day.

According to the locals, this tale carries a moral: a cheetah wearing the tear stains on its face is a reminder for hunters that it is not honorable to hunt in a non-traditional, inconvenient way.

 

Credit : Quora

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Which animal is believed to be dangerous but is actually altogether harmless?

While many animals in the world look dangerous and live up to their frightening appearances, there are many others which pose little to no threat to us humans.

Here’s my list of 7 scary looking animals that are practically harmless.

1. Gharial

Many people would be right to fear a gharial if they’ve heard stories about how other crocodilians kill hundreds of humans each year, but is this slim snouted creature really as dangerous as its cousins?

In truth, gharials only hunt small prey like fish and frogs as their jaws are too slim and weak to take down larger quarry. As a result gharials are unable to attack large prey, namely humans.

2. Milk snake

While, the milk snake may bear a striking resemblance to the venomous coral snake they are completely harmless. They have no venom and are actually quite docile in nature which makes them pretty good pets for reptile lovers.

3. Sand tiger shark

Most people know that sharks in general don’t deserve their fearsome reputation as an eating monsters but very few of them are completely harmless. While, the great white, tiger and bull shark have all been known to kill people, the sand tiger shark is actually completely harmless.

This shark’s barbed jaws may look threatening but these scary looking teeth are exactly what keep this fish from being even a slight danger towards us. The shark’s mouth is too small to cause a human fatality so only squid and fish fall victim to this shark’s jaws. While this shark is very docile there have been a few attacks when it’s been provoked…

4. Goliath bird eater

Goliath bird eating spiders may have venom. They may take down small birds and they may be freaking massive but are they really a danger towards humans?

In truth this tarantula’s venom is harmless and is quite similar to how a wasp’s sting would feel. Main difference is that these spiders only bite in self defense, so I’m pretty sure you won’t be bothered by this giant.

5. Manta rays

Manta rays are very large and if you have ever heard of sting rays, you might be frightened by this aquatic creature. Manta rays are actually gentle giants and are only filter feeders, meaning they eat really small prey. To make things better, they don’t have stingers so divers have nothing to fear!

6. Thorny devil

These lizards may be small but I’m pretty sure most of us would be scared if this spiky reptile came charging. Luckily this animal only feeds on insects and when it does feel threatened it squirts blood from its eyes…which may seem gross but wouldn’t really harm a human being. To make things even better, these scary looking lizards run at the first sight of a human being!

7. Basking shark

The second-largest shark species is pretty harmless despite its frightening set of jaws. Like many of the ocean’s largest predators, this creature is a filter feeder and that means humans aren’t on the menu!

 

Credit : Quora

Picture Credit : Google

If horses did not exist, what animal would we use for combat?

Luckily for us, we don’t even have to imagine: we have examples of this happening in the real world, and right here, in the Americas, very close to us.

Can you imagine entire civilizations developing without the help of horses?

Pre-Columbian civilizations not only did not know horses, but had no other means of riding. The reason is quite obvious, in fact: whether in the Amazon rainforest or in the Andes, the terrain was anything but friendly to riding animals.

Even so, our indigenous ancestors managed to domesticate llamas. More precisely, the Inca people. The animal was, without a doubt, one of the most important elements for the development of this people. In addition to pack animals, they served as a source of food, wool and leather. The curious thing is that, unlike their relatives, camels, neither llamas, nor their close cousins, alpacas, are useful as mounts.

They are also not very useful for combat.

Well, except, of course, as pack animals. Although with a much smaller capacity than that of the old world horses and cattle, llamas and alpacas do very well in the steep and rocky terrains of the Andes.

But okay. The question is animals truly used in combat. In this case, the best, biggest and most incredible alternative to horses, you already guessed it…

In India, elephants have been used extensively in combat for ages. At some point, it was said that Indian ruler, Porus, had over 100,000 war elephants in his army.

They’ve been used in Europe, too. One of the greatest achievements of Hannibal, general of Carthage, was to lead an army of 80,000 soldiers along with his troop of elephants, on a march through the Alps. Although many men and animals perished on the crossing, the conclusion of this journey is still considered to be one of the greatest military achievements in history. Hannibal’s attack with his elephants was, to some extent, a great success.

Over the next 15 years, Hannibal won significant battles and occupied the south of Italy, once with reinforcements shipped directly from Africa, although no elephants were included. In the 209 B.C. battle of Canusium with the Roman consul Marcellus, Hannibal’s war elephants created havoc until the Romans managed to wound one, touching off a cascade of panic among the pachyderms.

You see, war elephants were a growing problem at some point in history. Because of this, to counter them, another animal, other than the horse, was used with great success…

During the siege of Megara, among the Macedonian troops, were the feared war elephants. To break the siege, it was necessary to eliminate the imposing animals. For this, Mégara’s generals devised a plan that was both creative and extremely cruel: oiling pigs and set the poor animals on fire.

When the burning pigs were released, grunting in pain and despair, towards the Macedonian elephants, the pachyderms, seeing the mass of fire coming their way, with their shrill and deafening screeches, panicked. The elephants fled in terror, trampling (and killing) many Macedonian soldiers in the rout.

Probably man has tried and tested every animal he could for war and cargo transportation. I think the best alternative would undoubtedly be the elephants, already tested and approved in the field.

 

Credit : Quora

Picture Credit : Google