June 22/2022

 

‘Did You Know’: 30 Facts About Cats That You Might Not Have Heard Of (Part 1)

"If you own a cat, you probably never get bored. Looking at them pouncing, bouncing, stalking, & purring is a source of entertainment right there...

Figgy The Feline is a TikTok account dedicated purr-ely to 2 fluffy goofballs, Figgy & Juliet. With their informative clips, they’re teaching more than 233.1K followers lesser-known tidbits about them & their mysterious logic.

So if you’re looking for some cool & interesting facts to share with your fellow cat-loving friends, we’ve got you covered...

#1 Cats sometimes yawn to end confrontation with another animal. It is basically their way of saying 'whatever, not worth my time'. Cats are so sassy.

#2 Cats are considered 'obligate carnivores,' Dogs are 'facultative carnivores'. Obligate carnivores MUST eat meat to thrive, facultative carnivores need meat but are able to survive on some non-meats. (Cats should never be on a vegan/vegetarian diet.)

#3 Guinness World Records no longer records 'fattest cat'. There was (valid) concern that cat owners would intentionally overfeed to get the record.

We managed to get in touch with Rachel Wolfe, Figgy & Juliet’s human & founder of the account. She was kind enough to talk about her adorable furballs & why people always want to learn more about their beloved pets. 'We joined TikTok in the early days of the pandemic to pass the time,' she told Bored Panda. 

While today the account has collected more than 5M likes, Rachel knew almost nothing about the platform once she started. 'I was under the assumption that the app was mostly dancing & lip-syncing videos, & thought that a cat being on the app was a completely novel idea.' 

The creator explained that Figgy often stands up on his back feet while playing, so her 'original vision for his page was to use those clips to make it appear as if he was dancing'. She quickly found out that ''Cat TikTok' not only existed but was one of the larger niche groups on the platform.'

#4 Ancient Egyptians would shave their eyebrows when their cats died. It was a sign of mourning. They would mourn the loss of the cat until the eyebrows grew back. Cats were worshiped in ancient Egypt. They were believed to be magic beings.

#5 When cats slowly blink at you, they're basically saying 'I LOVE YOU'. In the wild, cats slow blink with each other as a way to show trust.

#6 Cats developed a special type of meow in order to get their way with humans. The 'irresistible' sound is a combo of purring & meowing. The sound frequency is similar to an infant crying, & our brain struggles to ignore it.

Rachel was eager to tell us more about her beloved pets. 'Figgy (aka The Figster, Mr. Fig, & Figs) is an almost-5-year-old domestic shorthair—although his cat DNA test results show he is most genetically similar to the Maine Coon.' She found him a few days after graduating college 'as a teeny tiny kitten stranded in the rain. He has been living the spoiled cat life ever since.' 

'His eyes add so much emotion to his face & he seems to always have the perfect expression in any scenario,' the creator continued. 'He often looks cranky & a bit intimidating, but he is such a sweet cat & loves to make friends with everyone he meets.'

Exactly 4 years ago, Rachel adopted a second cat & called her Juliet. 'She is about the same age as Figgy & is tiny, tailless, & extra floofy. Figgy has grown to love her very much, although he would never admit it if he could talk,' she jokingly added.

#7 A group of cats is called a CLOWDER.

A group of wild cats is called a DESTRUCTION.

#8 There is a train station in Japan that employs cats as stationmasters.

#9 Cats walk in a unique way. They move both right feet first & then both of their left feet. The only other mammals that walk this way are camels & giraffes.

With their random personalities & wacky stunts, cats rule the web. Whether it’s videos about dancing, life advice, or general knowledge about our feline friends, followers of this account sure seem to enjoy their content. 'I think Figgy’s lovable little face has a lot to do with it, but we also try to sprinkle a little bit of fun facts about cats into all of our content.' 

Many people believe that cats are mysterious & strange creatures that are the perfect source for creating such clips. Even though they tend to act a bit weird, 'those quirky things almost always stem from an instinct & we try to share information about that in the video’s captions & comments on both TikTok & Instagram.' 

#10 Does your cat ever lick you? Congrats, they are in love. Grooming others is very important in the social world of a cat.

#11 Cats have an extra organ. It's called the vomeronasal organ & it allows them to 'taste' air particles. (Has your cat ever stared at you with their mouth open? They are using that organ.)

#12 Cats instinctively prefer to drink running water. In the wild, cats avoid stagnant water because it is likely to be contaminated.

According to Rachel, interesting tidbits of knowledge about our 4-legged friends help many to grow closer with & better understand their pets. 'Each time we share information about common cat behaviors such as dropping toys in their water dishes, chattering while watching birds out the window, or kneading & 'making biscuits' on blankets, we receive comments from cat parents who didn’t know other cats did those things as well.' 

#13 Studies suggest that cat owners are healthier than dog owners. Cat owners have been found to be less likely to have a heart attack or stroke, likely because of cats’ calming effects.

                           

#14 Cats domesticated themselves!

Cats chose to stick around humans because they hunted the rodents that their crops attracted.

#15 Feral, unspayed cats can have litters of 3 - 7 kittens every 4 months. Those kittens have kittens. Their kittens have kittens, & so on. Spaying & neutering halts this process & prevents THOUSANDS of kittens.

'We always joke about how we basically have wild animals living in our house: so many of the things indoor cats do mimic the hunting or survival instincts they would be using out in the wild," the creator said. "It is fun to watch them stalk a mousey toy or knead their bed before laying down, knowing they would be doing very similar things if they were out on their own."

Even though our felines amuse and confuse us, it’s all part of their charm. So if you’re always eager to learn the lesser-known facts about the little lion in your living room, make sure to give the account a follow.

Ieva Gailiūtė & Mindaugas Balčiauskas

boredpanda.com

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June 15/2022

5 Interesting Things You Should Know About Blue Dragons

"If there’s an animal that looks like it could have walked (or, in this case, swam) right out of a fantasy movie, it’s the Blue Dragon.

Blue Dragons, also known as a sea swallow, blue angel, & a blue ocean slug... are known as a Glaucus atlanticus in the scientific community & are tiny creatures found near beaches around the world.

While they are slug-like creatures, their bright blue 'wings' are what make them so striking, especially when moving through the water...

1. They’re Tiny Yet Venomous

Blue dragons reach an average length of just 3cm from nose to the tip of their tail, which is just over an inch in length. Despite their tiny size & lack of ability to swim around like a fish, they have an extremely painful sting that can cause an intense burning sensation...

2. They Eat Prey 300+ Times Bigger Than Them

This tiny creature may look cute, but they aren’t swimming around feeding on plankton & tiny fish. A blue dragon’s favorite food is a Portuguese Man O’War, which is a jellyfish-like organism that is actually a colony of small organisms. Like jellyfish, they have a soft top & long tendrils that can reach as much as 165 feet long!

Blue dragons use jagged teeth to bite into the tentacles & then store the Man O’War’s venom so they can use it as their own – meaning getting stung by one (those beautiful 'wings' aren’t wings or fins, but act more like the edge of a stinging nettle) is equivalent to getting stung by a Man O’War. Ouch.

3. Like Slugs on Land, Blue Dragons are Hermaphrodites

Just like slugs on land, blue dragons are hermaphrodites, which means they have both male & female reproductive organs...blue dragons are full of venom & can’t discern between friend or foe, so they have to mate at a distance using long S-shaped organs. Once mated, they produce eggs that they place on any nearby surface.

4. The Bright Blue is Camouflage

At first glance, we may assume that blue dragons’ bright blue color is to ward off predators, like many brightly colored insects & spiders on land. However, you may find it surprising to find out that this bright & beautiful blue is actually camouflage they can take advantage of when floating on the surface of the ocean. What seems so bright to us is an effective way to avoid predators from both above & below.

5. They’ll 'Swim' in Groups

You can’t say that blue dragons exactly swim, as what they actually do is use an air bubble in their stomach to float around. That said, they will move together in groups called 'fleets' which helps them find mates & feed. The only problem with fleets is it makes them vulnerable to ocean winds, which can push them to the shore where they’ll die if they don’t get pulled back out by the tide.

Blue dragons have spent more time than usual in the limelight in recent months because they’ve been showing up in usual places. Blue dragons used to only be found out at sea, but it’s believed that climate change is driving them closer to the coast, either due to the way storms are pushing them around, due to rising sea temperatures, or due to changes in their prey’s (Man O’War) behavior, which has also moved closer to the coast. If you live on the Gulf Coast of the US, you may come across one as you walk on the beach. If you see one, make sure you don’t touch it, even if it’s dead! These small creatures retain the venom of the Man O’War even after death."

freetheocean.com

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June 8/2022

 

Samoyed Dog Breed Barks the Most, According to Dog Camera Company                                    

"Dog camera company Furbo released a list that classified certain dog breeds as 'naughty' or 'nice' based on the average number of barks they let out in a day.

According to PEOPLE.com, the Samoyed is the so-called naughtiest dog breed with an average of 52.8 barks per day. The Bernese Mountain Dog is proclaimed the nicest dog breed with only 3.1 barks per day.

Furbo collects this data from the information its users store on the app that’s connected to the Furbo camera. The Furbo camera can recognize when a dog is barking & will send a notification to the owner’s phone.

Here is a list of the top 5 dog breeds that are considered naughty & nice, according to Furbo.              The “Naughtiest”:

Samoyed - 52.8 barks

Yorkshire Terrier - 23.6 barks

Poodle - 22.2 barks

Bichon Frise - 20.3 barks

Doberman - 19.6 barks

The “Nicest”:

Bernese Mountain Dog - 3.1 barks

West Highland Terrier - 3.5 barks

Shetland Sheepdog - 6.1 barks

American Staffordshire Terrier - 6.2 barks

Shiba Inu - 8.1 barks''

petmd.com

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Slava Ukraine

June 1/2022

 

5 interesting facts about Pangolins

"...Pangolins have existed for approximately 80 million years but most people haven’t heard of them....Did you know that pangolins hold the record for the most trafficked mammal in the world?

The pangolin might look like the offspring of a pinecone & artichoke but it needs our love, now more than ever. It’s time to get to know these uniquely amazing animals.

A diet of ants - Bon appétit!

Pangolins are also known as 'scaly anteaters' because…you guessed it, they feed on ants. They are insectivorous, so their diet also includes termites, larvae, & other small insects.

Using their long snouts & tongues, they can feed on up to 70 million insects every year.

Thick skinned

Pangolin scales are made of keratin, the same protein that makes up our own hair & nails & many animals’ claws. The scales cover almost their whole body (except their underside) & they make up roughly 20% of their body weight.

Fight, flight, or roll?

Their name, 'pangolin', is derived from the Malay word 'pengguling', which loosely translates to 'something that rolls up' – & indeed, they do! To defend themselves when feeling threatened, the small mammals roll up in a ball, similarly to hedgehogs & armadillos.

Lots of distant cousins

There are 8 species of pangolins (4 Asian & 4 African), & they can be found in 51 different countries, living in trees or burrows.

One more fact

The biggest threat to pangolins is humans. These animals are hunted & killed for their scales to be sold on the black market, for use in Traditional Asian Medicine. All 8 species of pangolins are featured on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, on par with rhinos & tigers. Even environmental & animal advocate David Attenborough named them in his list of top 10 endangered animals.

What World Animal Protection is doing to save pangolins

The commercial trade of pangolin parts is forbidden under CITES as of 2016. Despite such restrictions, the demand for these parts continues to rise, putting worldwide pangolin populations at risk.

To combat this global trade & protect the world’s pangolins, we’re calling for:

- Stronger enforcement of national & international laws 

- Removal of pangolins from the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China – the traditional medicine handbook for the industry

- Investment in & promotion of herbal & synthetic alternatives

- Combined & coordinated efforts by governments, NGOs, & the traditional Asian medicine community to eliminate consumer demand for pangolin-based medicines, particularly in China & Vietnam

- Support for alternative livelihoods, alleviation of poverty & education programs within rural communities wherever pangolins are found globally, to stop their slaughter.

Pangolins are on the brink of extinction..."

worldanimalprotection.ca

19/02/2022

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