Category: Animals

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15 Wholesome Animal Tweets Just for You

I love good, wholesome animal posts on social media, I’ll tell you that much.

These kinds of posts just never get old. Having a bad day? Look at some great photos of dogs and cats! Down in the dumps? There’s a never-ending supply of pure animal pics out there!

Here are some very good examples. Enjoy…

1. Sure enough…

2. In love with peaches.

3. Can’t get enough of this.

4. A bunch of ducks coming through.

5. Downward facing dog.

6. I like this look.

7. Cuddle buddies.

8. Awwwwww. Would ya look at that…

9. Bath time!

10. Can barely contain himself.

11. That doesn’t do you any good.

12. That’s right!

13. GREATEST OF ALL TIME = GOAT.

14. And…attack!

15. I like this.

Those sure put a big smile on this guy’s face.

Will you help us out today? Please post some pics of your lovely pets in the comments. We’d love to meet them!

The post 15 Wholesome Animal Tweets Just for You appeared first on UberFacts.

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People Really Love the New Fruit Bat Quarter

This year is not off to a great start. We’ve got raging wildfires, a government in turmoil and Megxit to deal with. But all is not lost.

Y’all, we have bat quarters now.

As part of the United States Mint’s America the Beautiful Quarters Program commemorating the country’s national parks and sites, the bat quarter honors the National Park of American Samoa.

According to the U.S. Mint:

“The reverse (tails) design depicts a Samoan fruit bat mother hanging in a tree with her pup. The image evokes the remarkable care and energy that this species puts into their offspring. The design is intended to promote awareness to the species’ threatened status due to habitat loss and commercial hunting.”

Expect to see this special coin in circulation starting in February.

There are 56 coins featuring each state, the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories–Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Social media users went wild over the new design.

One user went straight for the Batman jokes–low hanging fruit.

Others showed they were pretty batty about the new currency.

And some took the opportunity to ask for an update on the postponed Harriet Tubman $20 bill.

Other coins to expect are:

  • Weir Farm National Historic Site in Connecticut
  • Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve in the U.S. Virgin Islands
  • Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in Vermont
  • Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas

But the bat quarter is meeting all my currency expectations for this year, so I’m good.

How about you? Love the new bat quarter? Let us know in the comments.

The post People Really Love the New Fruit Bat Quarter appeared first on UberFacts.

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Good News: Owning a Cat Is Good for Your Health

This is great news for anyone who’s ever been pegged as a “crazy cat lady”: being a cat lady is actually good for your health. Science says so.

Owning a cat can help reduce stress, and it’s good for your heart, too.

One study in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Neurology found that cat ownership can be beneficial to heart health in multiple ways. Cat owners in the study showed a lower risk of death by heart attack and all cardiovascular diseases, including stroke.

Also, petting your cat is a known stress reliever. Cuddling with your cat releases oxytocin, the “cuddle chemical,” which in turn reduces stress, according to NBC News.

Another study found that cat lovers are more open-minded, smarter and more sensitive than dog lovers.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

So why the assumption that cats aren’t good for your health?

Well, there’s an age-old myth holds that cats can literally drive you crazy. This stems, in part, from the fact that cat feces can sometimes contain Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that can cause toxoplasmosis. It’s an infection that actually can lead to psychosis (contaminated water and undercooked meat can also cause toxoplasmosis).

Not all cats carry the parasite though, and even if you get infected, you’ll likely be fine. A recent study in Psychological Medicine found no relationship between cat ownership and psychosis later in life.

“The Centers for Disease Control estimates that more than 60 million people in the United States may be infected with the Toxoplasma parasite through all means, including cats,” David Haworth, doctor of veterinary medicine, Ph.D., and president of PetSmart Charities told NBC News. “But very few people show symptoms because a healthy person’s immune system usually keeps the parasite from causing illness.”

Photo Credit: Pixabay

So there you have it, cat people. Cats don’t drive you crazy; on the contrary, they’re good for you.

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Watch Out! Tree Snakes in Australia Can Actually Jump.

Australia is full of terrifying creatures that you would never want to run into on a pleasant walk through the woods. Spiders and crocodiles and dingos, oh my.

Well, now you can add jumping snakes to the list.

Yes, you read that correctly. Australian tree snakes belonging to the Dendrelaphis genus can JUMP from tree to tree, flying through the air like winged serpents from mythology…or something like that.

A Ph.D. candidate named Michelle Graham from Virginia Tech University saw some footage of jumping tree snakes in Australia and set out for Down Under to do some research. Graham set up a kind of obstacle course for the snakes up in the trees using PVC pipe and tree branches. She then observed the snakes slithering and jumping through the trees from branch to branch.

Next, Graham plans to study why the Australian snakes feel the need to propel themselves through the air. Two scientific papers that are set to come out in 2020 will hopefully shed some light on that subject.

One good thing about this species: they’re not venomous. Whew! Still, I would not, under any circumstances, want one of these snakes leaping from a tree and onto my head or my back…or even into my path, to be honest. Ugh!

Let’s go to the video, shall we? This video shows a Dendrelaphis pictus, in case you were wondering.

Yikes! No, thank you!

Do you have a fear of snakes? Or of any other animals?

Tell us about it in the comments!

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This Website Warns You About Movies With Sad Dog Plots

This will come in handy for me. My mom doesn’t care if hundreds of men, women, and children get maimed or killed in a movie, but if a dog dies (or even gets lost or inconvenienced for a little while), everyone in the room is going to hear about it.

Let’s just say that watching Old Yeller as a kid wasn’t the most fun thing I’ve ever done in my life.

 

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Do you know people like this? Well, if you do, you should probably let them know about DoesTheDogDie.com. The website is dedicated to “crowdsourced emotional spoilers for movies, tv, books and more.” The site contains “warnings” about more than 4,000 films and over 800 TV series where animals are harmed and killed.

The site also tracks other potentially upsetting categories such as “Drownings,” “Eating Disorders,” and even “There Are Spiders.”

For example, if you search for John Wick on the website, you’d get the straight dope about the dog dying in the film: “Yes, and it’s terrible, BUT John Wick spends the rest of the movie deliberately, gloriously, and violently avenging the dog, so it feels really pro-dog overall.” So you’ll also get some positive reinforcement as well if you need a little encouragement to watch a particular movie.

So next time you’re about to watch a movie with your family or friends, hop on over to DoesTheDogDie.com, type in the movie or movies you’re thinking about watching, and see if any animals are going to bite the dust and potentially ruin your evening.

I’m so thankful for the Internet sometimes.

Sometimes.

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A Woman Built a Realistic Iron Throne for Her Cat out of a Cardboard Box

Do you ever think about your pet: “Wow, you deserve to be royalty”? If so, you’re not the only one.

One cat mom went above and beyond by actually building a throne for her Maine Coon out of cardboard.

Elly’s cat, aptly named King Arthur, is a 17-year-old Maine Coon. When it was time for Elly to make a new bed for Arthur, she got inspired by his very regal name and decided to make him a throne.

You might assume that a throne made out of cardboard wouldn’t be that fancy-looking, but don’t be fooled — this throne was inspired by the Iron Throne on Game of Thrones, and it looks totally legit!

I made my 17 year old King Arthur a cardboard iron throne. from aww

Elly posted a photo of Arthur in his throne on Reddit.

She told Just Something that she used a cardboard box for children’s boots to make it.

Photo Credit: Imgur

“I was looking at this cardboard box, a shoe box for children’s boots that my mom had mailed me something in, and I was thinking I could make Arthur a new bed,” Elly explained. “I opened it up and it already kind of looked like a chair, so I thought I could make a throne, since we often call him King Arthur. And then I realized the best throne to make would be the Iron Throne.”

Photo Credit: Imgur

Elly added that King Arthur loves sitting and lying in his new throne.

“He is definitely the head of the house, so it’s fitting,” she said.

The post A Woman Built a Realistic Iron Throne for Her Cat out of a Cardboard Box appeared first on UberFacts.

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A Woman Built a Realistic Iron Throne for Her Cat out of a Cardboard Box

Do you ever think about your pet: “Wow, you deserve to be royalty”? If so, you’re not the only one.

One cat mom went above and beyond by actually building a throne for her Maine Coon out of cardboard.

Elly’s cat, aptly named King Arthur, is a 17-year-old Maine Coon. When it was time for Elly to make a new bed for Arthur, she got inspired by his very regal name and decided to make him a throne.

You might assume that a throne made out of cardboard wouldn’t be that fancy-looking, but don’t be fooled — this throne was inspired by the Iron Throne on Game of Thrones, and it looks totally legit!

I made my 17 year old King Arthur a cardboard iron throne. from aww

Elly posted a photo of Arthur in his throne on Reddit.

She told Just Something that she used a cardboard box for children’s boots to make it.

Photo Credit: Imgur

“I was looking at this cardboard box, a shoe box for children’s boots that my mom had mailed me something in, and I was thinking I could make Arthur a new bed,” Elly explained. “I opened it up and it already kind of looked like a chair, so I thought I could make a throne, since we often call him King Arthur. And then I realized the best throne to make would be the Iron Throne.”

Photo Credit: Imgur

Elly added that King Arthur loves sitting and lying in his new throne.

“He is definitely the head of the house, so it’s fitting,” she said.

The post A Woman Built a Realistic Iron Throne for Her Cat out of a Cardboard Box appeared first on UberFacts.

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The First All-Female Indigenous Fire Crew in Australia Is Fighting 24/7 Fires to Protect Their Sacred Land

By now, you’ve heard about the awful and massive fires burning their way through huge swaths of Australia. On top of the terrible damage to the land, it’s estimated that 1 BILLION animals have died in the blazes. People from all over Australia and the world are pitching in to help in any way they can – including some that are pretty unorthodox. In one small Aboriginal community, a group all-female, all-indigenous firefighters are leading the charge to protect their town and their sacred lands.

The town is Lake Tyers in eastern Victoria, home to about 200 indigenous Australians. The town lies on a small, isolated peninsula and has just one access road in and out. The Lake Tyers Fire Brigade is led by Charmaine Sellings and the group is fighting hard against the blazes. Sellings said, “Just one crack of lightning on a stormy day could be disastrous. Things are pretty desperate. We are in extreme conditions, our dams are empty and it’s not a good situation. The crew will work around the clock. We hope for a quiet summer but we fear the worst.”

The fire brigade led by Sellings is the first of its kind in Australia and is made up of mothers and grandmothers in Lake Tyers Aboriginal Trust, a self-governing community. The remote town is surrounding by thick bush on one side and a system of lakes on the other side.

Sellings said, “We are the lifeline if anything goes wrong, so we have an important role to play, and I think people are generally very grateful for what we do. There was a sense of helplessness before we came along but we feel empowered that we can look after ourselves and our people whatever the situation. The community is proud of us and they value us.”

About 20 years ago, a series of arson fires threatened the land of Lake Tyers and the nearest fire brigade was 45 minutes away. In response, Charmaine Sellings and her friends Rhonda Thorpe and Marjorie Proctor decided to form their own firefighting squad with other local women.

The women are not only saving lives and structures but also “scatters,” or clusters of historical artifacts that are scattered throughout the bush around Lake Tyers. Today, the fire crew consists of four women, with a few other volunteers who pitch in when they can.

Keep up the great work!

The post The First All-Female Indigenous Fire Crew in Australia Is Fighting 24/7 Fires to Protect Their Sacred Land appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

The First All-Female Indigenous Fire Crew in Australia Is Fighting 24/7 Fires to Protect Their Sacred Land

By now, you’ve heard about the awful and massive fires burning their way through huge swaths of Australia. On top of the terrible damage to the land, it’s estimated that 1 BILLION animals have died in the blazes. People from all over Australia and the world are pitching in to help in any way they can – including some that are pretty unorthodox. In one small Aboriginal community, a group all-female, all-indigenous firefighters are leading the charge to protect their town and their sacred lands.

The town is Lake Tyers in eastern Victoria, home to about 200 indigenous Australians. The town lies on a small, isolated peninsula and has just one access road in and out. The Lake Tyers Fire Brigade is led by Charmaine Sellings and the group is fighting hard against the blazes. Sellings said, “Just one crack of lightning on a stormy day could be disastrous. Things are pretty desperate. We are in extreme conditions, our dams are empty and it’s not a good situation. The crew will work around the clock. We hope for a quiet summer but we fear the worst.”

The fire brigade led by Sellings is the first of its kind in Australia and is made up of mothers and grandmothers in Lake Tyers Aboriginal Trust, a self-governing community. The remote town is surrounding by thick bush on one side and a system of lakes on the other side.

Sellings said, “We are the lifeline if anything goes wrong, so we have an important role to play, and I think people are generally very grateful for what we do. There was a sense of helplessness before we came along but we feel empowered that we can look after ourselves and our people whatever the situation. The community is proud of us and they value us.”

About 20 years ago, a series of arson fires threatened the land of Lake Tyers and the nearest fire brigade was 45 minutes away. In response, Charmaine Sellings and her friends Rhonda Thorpe and Marjorie Proctor decided to form their own firefighting squad with other local women.

The women are not only saving lives and structures but also “scatters,” or clusters of historical artifacts that are scattered throughout the bush around Lake Tyers. Today, the fire crew consists of four women, with a few other volunteers who pitch in when they can.

Keep up the great work!

The post The First All-Female Indigenous Fire Crew in Australia Is Fighting 24/7 Fires to Protect Their Sacred Land appeared first on UberFacts.

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Ford Created a Noise-Cancelling Kennel to Protect Dogs From Fireworks Noise

I hate to see how upset and nervous dogs get while fireworks are blasting away on the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve (and sometimes on other occasions depending on where you live).

The loud bangs can scare dogs badly and sometimes it seems like nothing will calm them back down. Well, hopefully that will change if/when this prototype noise-cancelling dog kennel from Ford hits the market.

The car company took noise-cancelling technology from their cars and put it into the dog kennel prototype. According to reports, “The kennel, like many high-end headphones, is outfitted with microphones that detect loud noises and cue the speakers to pipe in sound-canceling frequencies.” Ford says that noise is reduced to a level that ensures dogs won’t become upset.

For now, Ford’s people are saying that they built the kennel to show customers how the noise-cancelling technologies in their cars can be used in everyday life. But Anthony Ireson, director of marketing and communications for Ford Europe, said, “If there’s enough interest, we’ll explore the technology.”

It seems like a lot of people are really into the idea of buying this kind of kennel for their dogs.

We love our pets like family, so it’s only natural that a product designed to help ease their fears and anxiety would eventually hit the market.

Here’s a video showing the kennel in action.

Hopefully, this prototype will become available to the public to purchase sooner than later.

What do you think? Would you buy one of these for your pooch?

Let us know in the comments!

The post Ford Created a Noise-Cancelling Kennel to Protect Dogs From Fireworks Noise appeared first on UberFacts.