Animals are Magical

[Johnnycomelately]

The split-second moment a bull elephant explodes in dust, this amazing image just won Travel Photographer of the Year

By Kim Bunermann, published Feb 3, 2026

Captured at 1/750sec, this wildlife portrait freezes every grain of dust in motion

The image was captured in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its dense wildlife populations and dramatic landscapes.

Allen's photograph shows a massive bull elephant bathing himself in dust – a natural behavior used to protect his skin from insects and the sun – captured in a fraction of a second, when everything aligned.

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/p...er-of-the-year

From Bill:
I embedded another version of the image.
The one you found (see below) was in .webp format, which unfortunately can't be embedded here as an attachment.

[rgray222]

He knows he is going to the vet, but he just can't prove it.



Learning is hard sometimes.

[Bill Ryan]

Copying this post by Bluegreen on his thread:

~~

Meet Norman Smith, Owl Whisperer



The Snowy Owls of Logan Airport

Published 25th April 2025 (9:00)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=H3xKx0DAxQw

Each winter, Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, hosts more than just airplanes. Snowy owls also make a surprising stop here. This rare phenomenon has long delighted travelers and birdwatchers alike.

Snowy owls are among the largest owl species in the world. The birds can grow up to 27 inches (68 cm) long and have a wingspan of up to 5.5 feet (1.67 m). They are also the only owls with mainly white plumage. These birds spend most of the year in the Arctic tundra.

But during winter, many migrate south in search of food and milder conditions. As they travel, the owls seek landscapes that resemble their Arctic home. The land around Logan Airport is ideal. It is low and flat, with short, scruffy grasses and an abundance of small mammals and birds to hunt. The owls usually arrive in early November and return north in April for the breeding season.





"It resembles the Arctic tundra," explains Norman Smith, a raptor specialist for Mass Audubon. "The open terrain lets the owls hunt efficiently, and there’s plenty of food available."

The area around the airport may be a perfect winter home for the owls. But it poses serious risks for both the planes and birds. As they fly, the owls could collide with airplanes. Even worse, they could get caught in an engine.

Fortunately, Smith — affectionately known as the “Owl Man of Logan Airport" — has spent decades keeping the birds and airport operations safe. Since 1981, he has humanely captured and relocated over 900 owls to safer habitats. Injured birds that cannot be released find permanent homes at Mass Audubon. Here, visitors can see them up close and learn about the species.




Published 14th January 2026 by Marcela B. – DOGO News
https://www.dogonews.com/2026/1/14/m...-logan-airport

[onawah]

FB reels can be fun, though nowadays there are a lot of fake clips there.
But I think this one is authentic.
( Takes a minute to download )

[Bill Ryan]

Copying this post by Bluegreen on his thread. (This is too funny! )

~~~

Dog Joins High School Track Race

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=FLjDb3PhiXY

[Johnnycomelately]

Saw my second ever Flying Squirrel tonight, while I paused at the sidewalk before coming in from sprinkling traction grit for the postman /woman. Today, one of my mail had “Icey walk” penned on it. First occasion was over 40 years ago in Ontario province.

Glided towards me, in the backlight of a street light, landed about head high on the trunk of a big boulevard tree about 10 ft from me. Landed on the far side from my view, never saw it again tho o did briefly look up and around with my flashlight.

After several searches prior to finding this vid, both must have been this Northern type. My view tonight, and the other one too (indoors lol, in the lodge of a summer camp where I was a counselor, past sunset), were better than any of the few clips of them gliding in this vid. They glide slower than most birds, feels kinda spooky to see but endearing.

Northern Flying Squirrel

Dominique Lalonde Films Nature
16.8K subscribers

July 26, 2015

Explore the nocturnal world of the Northern Flying Squirrel across Canada. This wildlife documentary showcases their unique gliding abilities and diverse diet. Observe their natural habitat and learn about these elusive creatures, rarely seen by humans.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=ohmZPb5KBJw

[Bill Ryan]

Here's a contemporary Russian counterpart to the famous Greyfriars Bobby of 19th century Edinburgh, and the less well-known Hachikō in Japan 100 years ago.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyfriars_Bobby
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachik%C5%8D

~~~

https://t.me/DDGeopolitics/172928

Kyzyl Airport (in Russia) has its own Hachiko: a dog named Umka.

Every day, he runs 16 km from his home to the airport and takes up his post. He waits. Waits for his master - Chayan Burbu. In January last year, the scout lost his life in a combat operation. And Umka is still waiting for his master to return.

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
Here's a contemporary Russian counterpart to the famous Greyfriars Bobby of 19th century Edinburgh, and the less well-known Hachikō in Japan 100 years ago.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyfriars_Bobby
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachik%C5%8D

I hadn't been aware at all about Hachikō, so I had to find out some more. It appears the story is very well-known indeed. The Wiki article above is very long and comprehensive, and this short 3-minute video recounts the whole thing with a wonderful collection of archived footage and photographs.

Recommended.

The Life of Japanese Dog Hachikō

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=-H0mHq_TVzY

[onawah]

Such beautiful creatures!

[Szymon]

A kind act by a person, watch it until the end.

[mountain_jim]

https://x.com/ClownWorld/status/2023...629313223?s=20

Clown World ™ 🤡
@ClownWorld
·
1h
These ducklings lost their mom and another mother duck steps in without missing a beat

What an incredible moment

[Ravenlocke]

Wonder of Science

Sea otters hold hands when they sleep so they don't drift apart, a behavior known as rafting.

📽: Vancouver Aquarium


https://x.com/wonderofscience/status...92167528419564

[rgray222]

2026 Winter Olympics

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=h2CMfElK-KY

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=ThRdEvWGckQ

[Ewan]

I wonder how many witnesses initially thought that was a wolf?

Nevertheless it set a new record in canine times for that particular slope, despite human interventions to slow it down in what can only be described as flagrant cheating!

[Johnnycomelately]

Posted by Ewan (here)
I wonder how many witnesses initially thought that was a wolf?

Nevertheless it set a new record in canine times for that particular slope, despite human interventions to slow it down in what can only be described as flagrant cheating!

Dog in wolf’s clothing, to the skiers. Didn’t see the collar til the end. But it did totes act like a good dog!

[Bill Ryan]

Copying this post by Bluegreen on his thread:

~~~

Do Animals Experience Joy?

Short answer: Yes.
___

Diverse Intelligences: The Search for Joy in Animals

Researchers have found that great apes, dolphins, and kea parrots display measurable signs of joy — such as laughter, play, and optimistic behavior — suggesting that joy is not uniquely human but a shared feature of intelligent, social animals.





“The study of animal emotions is really in its infancy… There’s a lot of research on fear, on anger, and on grief. And there’s very little research on joy,” says Erica Cartmill, PhD, Professor of Cognitive Science, Animal Behavior and Anthropology at Indiana University Bloomington. Cartmill directs the COMPARE Lab (Comparing Other Minds in Play, Adaptation, Representation, and Emotion), where her team investigates how humans and other animals reason about and communicate with one another. In 2024, she and her collaborators published findings on spontaneous playful teasing in all four great ape species, highlighting a form of complex, joy-related social behavior.

“Victory squeals, warble calls, laughter… these may all be emotional signals, and the idea is that they might actually affect the internal state of other individuals,” explains Heidi Lyn, PhD, Associate Professor and Joan M. Sinnott Chair of Psychology at the University of South Alabama. Her research spans marine mammals, dogs, and apes, focusing on how cognition and communication emerge across species and environments.

Colin Allen, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Santa Barbara, studies the philosophical foundations of cognitive science and neuroscience. “Joy is a natural phenomenon,” he says, “and like all natural phenomena, we should be able to study it scientifically.”

The current research centers on three highly intelligent, social species: great apes, dolphins, and kea parrots. Researchers are using tools such as thermal imaging, vocalization analysis, and behavioral observation to investigate how joy might arise in animals, how it spreads, and how it influences behavior. These species were chosen for their intelligence, social complexity, and playfulness, as well as their evolutionary distance from one another. That evolutionary gap helps researchers explore whether and how joy might emerge across very different types of animals.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNJ40rtlzMD/

This research raises important questions about how we understand and relate to other species. It challenges the idea that emotions like joy, empathy, and love are uniquely human. Cartmill suggests that resistance to the idea of animal joy may stem from our desire to maintain a belief in “human uniqueness that we would like to continue to believe in.” Lyn adds, “There’s no question in my mind that humans are unique, but so is every other species.”

Ultimately, says Cartmill, “if we can start to appreciate moments of beauty and meaning and joy in the lives of other species, then we’ll be able to better appreciate them in each other and in ourselves. And that’s certainly something that I hope we will take away from this study: a greater capacity for joy in our own lives.”

Published 8th September 2025 by Templeton Staff
https://www.templetonworldcharity.or...-animals-video

[onawah]

Hilarious donkey's greeting to the camera https://www.facebook.com/reel/1229271218704609
(This one won't embed)

[onawah]

Here's another
https://www.facebook.com/reel/900249579220595

[Ewan]

Animals stealing the limelight...

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=tZF5QzpJdgg

[rgray222]

Mom's look says it all