Category: Animals

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Koalas Don’t Exactly Sound Like You Might Expect…

We’ve been discussing koalas a lot lately, and, sadly, it’s not just because they’re ridiculously adorable little mammals who deserve attention in the best of times.

The wildfires in Australia are killing them, destroying their habitat, and may even render them essentially extinct in the wild if we don’t do anything to help.

 

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But if there a silver lining to the universe shining a very harsh light on the cute not-bears Down Under, it’s this: someone posted a video of what koalas sound like, and, well…educate yourselves, because there’s a 99.8% chance they do not sound at all like you’re expecting.

I mean…they’re so sweet-looking. They should squeak and purr, no?

No. No, they do not do that.

Here goes.

The internet had some feelings about it, duh, and most were at least as funny as the original video.

I held a koala when I was in Brisbane, and…idk guys, none of them made any noise at all. Probably because they were drugged so they wouldn’t try to scratch our eyes out, I’m now realizing.

Apparently they make a bunch of different sounds, and this one was a mating call – he must have really been interested in whoever was holding that camera.

Taronga Zoo Sydney cleared up some of the confusion on YouTube, saying, “Koalas might look cute, but they can produce bellowing sounds during mating season that have been compared to a donkey braying and a frog vomiting!”

Were you surprised by this video? Tell us what you thought in in the comments!

The post Koalas Don’t Exactly Sound Like You Might Expect… appeared first on UberFacts.

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A Rescued Sea Turtle’s Digestive System Was Jammed Full of Plastic Trash

You probably know that trash dumped into waterways around the world makes its way to the ocean, where it’s endangering the lives of all manner of marine life.

It can be a difficult problem to look directly at because no one wants to see animals hurting because of human behavior, but until we recognize the power we have to fix the problem (i.e. reduce, reuse, recycle), nothing is going to change.

So we have to look.

Scientists rescued a green sea turtle from a fisherman’s net off the coast of Buenos Aires, in Argentina, and passed it to a conservation group called the Mundo Marino Foundation.

Workers there quickly figured out that the animal’s health was endangered by the amount of plastic trash clogging its gut.

“Through radiographic images, we could see foreign bodies inside. Therefore, we started a treatment with a medication that increases peristaltic movements (movements of the digestive tract) and allows it to excrete what we saw in images,” explained Ignacio Pena, a veterinarian at the Foundation.

The turtle – a member of an endangered species that faces grave threat due to the degradation of their habitat – spent a full month excreting over 13 grams (half an ounce) of nylon bags, netting, and other plastic trash.

Green turtles typically keep a herbivorous diet, but juveniles will branch out, and a young and inexperienced hunter like this one was can easily mistake trash for food, scientists say – particularly because many sea turtles will eat jellyfish, which look alarmingly like plastic bags floating along. The mistake is often deadly according to one 2018 study that found that a turtle who eats just one piece of plastic has a 22% chance of dying.

Pena says that this particular turtle, though, is doing well.

“Today the turtle is eating green leaves, mainly lettuce and seaweed. We’re viewing this with an optimistic attitude, the progress is favorable.”

Sadly, the same can’t be said for other turtles who have been found in a similar state – even at Mundo Marino, they’ve been unable to save many that came into their care.

Plastics are insidious for animals like turtles, says biologist and conservation manager Karina Alvarez, for a couple of big reasons.

“There is not only a risk of a mechanical obstruction due to plastic intake. The accumulation of non-nutritive elements in the digestive systems of these marine reptiles can cause them a false sense of being full, which gradually weakens them. …In addition, a large amount of gas could be generated in their organisms, product of the accumulated plastic. Which would affect their ability to dive, both to feed and to find more suitable temperatures.”

Please do your part to keep turtles like this one from accidentally ingesting your trash; put your garbage where it belongs, and try to find alternatives to single-use plastics wherever you can.

Think of the turtles (and the fish and the dolphins and whales and sea lions)!

The post A Rescued Sea Turtle’s Digestive System Was Jammed Full of Plastic Trash appeared first on UberFacts.

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These Cute Three-Legged Pets Are Living Their Best Lives

Don’t listen to people who say that a dog or a cat that has a limb removed can’t live a great life full of love and happiness.

And here are some great examples.

Let’s meet these little guys and gals!

1. Luna out in the woods.

2. Bear looks comfortable.

3. A very happy Cassidy.

4. Peggles enjoying the sunshine.

5. Cash the Greyhound.

6. Willy sitting shotgun.

7. Chicken frolicking in the snow.

8. Hey, it’s Trip!

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Monday reminder of my handsomeness.

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9. Brandi is a very good girl.

10. Let’s me Suni the cat!

Very cute, if I do say so myself.

Do you have a pet that had to have a leg removed? Or maybe some other kind of major surgery, but they’re still kicking ass and taking names?

Share a pic and a story with us in the comments!

The post These Cute Three-Legged Pets Are Living Their Best Lives appeared first on UberFacts.

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Dogs Like to Poop in Alignment with Earth’s Magnetic Field

You know the drill if you have a dog – even if it’s so hot you’re dripping sweat and can literally feel your skin burning, and even if it’s so cold you can barely hold a leash with your frozen fingers, they’re absolutely not going to do their business until they find the perfect spot.

Then, they’re going to turn around several times, squat, perhaps adjust, and finally take that long-awaited dump.

Hallelujah!

What I have to tell you today isn’t going to make your dog-walking experience any more pleasant, but hey, it is going to teach you something about your best friend. Sometimes, that’s the best you can hope for when the situation contains poo, right?

It turns out your dog isn’t searching for an arbitrary “best” spot go do their business – they’re actually doing their best to line their behind up with Earth’s magnetic field.

Not only that, but a study, published in Frontiers in Zoology, also found that they prefer a north-south axis for their dumping grounds.

The researchers found that dogs are sensitive to small variations in the Earth’s magnetic field, and after studying 70 dogs (37 different breeds) over the course of 2 years, they learned that under “calm magnetic field conditions,” dogs preferred to “excrete with the body being aligned along the north-south axis.”

They avoided east-west altogether, actually. Also, the dogs in the study were entirely unconfined and unleashed, leaving them free to do their business exactly where they pleased.

What the study did not learn was why canines prefer to poop in a certain direction.

“It is still enigmatic why the dogs do align at all, whether they do it “consciously” (i.e., whether the magnetic field is sensorial perceived (the dogs “see”, “hear” or “smell” the compass direction or perceive it as a haptic stimulus)) or whether its reception is controlled on the vegetative level (they “feel better/more comfortable or worse/less comfortable” in a certain direction).”

Either way, it’s certainly interesting and the scientists involved hope their findings will open “new horizons” for further research in organisms’ use of magnetic fields for direction.

So now you have something to share with your friend at the dog park the next time you’re both waiting around, freezing to death waiting for your pups to line up.

You’re welcome.

The post Dogs Like to Poop in Alignment with Earth’s Magnetic Field appeared first on UberFacts.

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Pictures of Newly-Adopted Pets Should Put a Smile on Your Face

It’s hard to think of anything more rewarding than the look of relief and satisfaction on an animal’s face after it is adopted.

And these adorable animals are no exception.

Let’s take a look at these heartwarming photos.

1. Hi, Pumpkin!

Adopted a rescue cat today. Meet Pumpkin from cats

2. Welcome home!

Me: "We don’t have room for any more dogs" Sister: *sends this pic from the shelter* Me: "Ok maybe one more dog" Everyone say hi to Gemma from aww

3. Falling in love.

We adopted an 11-year old cat from a Chicago shelter. He and my 13-yo daughter fell in love. This is them after she got back from a week at camp. from aww

4. He looks relieved.

This is my rescue dog at the vet right after being freed from the puppy mill from aww

5. You might’ve been wrong…

First time cat owner. I used to think I was a dog person, but I think I may have been wrong. from cats

6. Live long and prosper.

Adopted this handsome good boy yesterday! Reddit, meet Spock! from aww

7. No more of that.

After months of living in the streets and being bullied by other cats, I rescued Masha. She is now a happy indoors cat. from cats

8. Love the name.

Neighbors abandoned him when they moved, he’s now my best friend. Say hi to Mister Meow. from cats

9. Destroy all the basketballs you want.

Surrendered for adoption 5 times because of too much energy, I present Kadie: Destroyer of Basketballs. from aww

10. New year. New best friend.

Our new years eve was spent getting this cutie. 2020, meet Baker! from cats

Are those photos wholesome, or what?

I know they put a big smile on this guy’s face.

Do you have any pics of your adopted furry friends? Share them with us in the comments! We’d love to meet them!

The post Pictures of Newly-Adopted Pets Should Put a Smile on Your Face appeared first on UberFacts.

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These Epic Portraits Prove Cats Are Man’s True Best Friend

Do you have cats?

Are you a little…different?

Yes? Then these people are your people. In fact, they’re so strange they’ve actually created some of the most epically adorable cat/human portraits in existence.

I’m not kitten you, these pictures are something you need to check out right meow.

1. Whatever he’s selling, I’m buying.

Photo Credit: Vintage Everyday

2. Nobody understands their love.

Photo Credit: Awkward Family Photos

3. Day 2,379. The human still won’t let us out of his tanned, Texas grip.

Photo Credit: Awkward Family Photos

4. That hair! Those eyes! That twisted, awful smile! Totes feeling their vibe.

Photo Credit: Awkward Family Photos

5. You WISH you loved something this much.

Photo Credit: Vintage Everyday

6. That IS technically a cat.

Photo Credit: Awkward Family Photos

7. He makes me tiny hats because I demand it.

Photo Credit: Awkward Family Photos

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Modern polar bears are descended…

Modern polar bears are descended from hybridisation between ancient polar bears and long extinct Irish bears. The Irish genetic component has passed down through the maternal side throughout the ages and is now present in all modern polar bears. In short, polar bears are Irish

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The Irish Elk, an extinct species of deer, stood…

The Irish Elk, an extinct species of deer, stood 7 feet tall at the shoulders and had 12 foot wide antlers. The Irish Elk was the third largest deer to ever live, but had the largest and heaviest antler of any animal in the deer family. It went extinct 7000 years ago.

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Here are Some Interesting Maps of Stuff You Wouldn’t Normally Think to Map

I remember studying atlases for hours when I was a kid and being fascinated by all of the exotic and strange places around the world.

So in the spirit of rekindling my childhood obsession with all things map-related, here are some very interesting maps about all kinds of random things that are quite fascinating.

Let’s take a look.

1. An eagle’s movements tracked over a 20-year period.

Photo Credit: Reddit

2. Tracking different packs of wolves in Voyageurs National Park. You can see how they avoid each other’s territory.

Photo Credit: Reddit

3. Countries talked about in the Bible.

Photo Credit: Reddit

4. The U.S. from an Alaskan perspective.

Photo Credit: Reddit

5. Where flamingos live around the world.

Photo Credit: Reddit

6. The longest possible way to travel by train in the world.

Photo Credit: Reddit

7. Different giraffe patterns in Africa.

Photo Credit: Reddit

8. Each section contains 10% of the world’s population.

Photo Credit: Reddit

9. Locations from Johnny Cash’s song “I’ve Been Everywhere.”

Photo Credit: Reddit

10. The populations of the Dakotas and Manhattan, NYC.

Photo Credit: Reddit

11. 50% of Canadians live below that red line.

Photo Credit: Reddit

12. How much snow it takes to cancel schools.

Photo Credit: Reddit

13. The entire continent of South America is east of Michigan.

Photo Credit: Reddit

Those are awesome!

What did you think? Are you a big map fan?

Tell us all about it in the comments. And if you have a map you’d like to share with us, let’s see it!

The post Here are Some Interesting Maps of Stuff You Wouldn’t Normally Think to Map appeared first on UberFacts.