Animals are Magical

[Ewan]

Posted by Ravenlocke (here)
dominic dyer

In a coastal town in Greece, a local chef has quietly turned his restaurant kitchen into more than just a place for customers. At the end of each day, instead of discarding leftover ingredients that are still safe and fresh, he sets them aside with a different purpose. The extra rice, vegetables, and portions of meat are carefully cooked again — this time for the town’s stray dogs.

Greece has a visible population of stray animals, particularly in tourist areas. While many residents leave scraps outside, the chef wanted to ensure the dogs received balanced, properly prepared meals rather than random leftovers. After closing hours, he prepares large trays of simple, nutritious food and walks through nearby streets and harbor areas where the dogs gather.

Over time, the animals began recognizing him. They wait patiently as he arrives, tails wagging. Local residents noticed his routine and started contributing small donations of dry food or helping refill water bowls during the summer heat. What began as one man’s habit slowly grew into a shared community effort.

He says he cannot solve the stray animal problem alone, but he can make sure fewer dogs go to sleep hungry. By transforming surplus food into care, he’s reducing waste while offering compassion.

Sometimes kindness doesn’t need publicity. Sometimes it simply smells like dinner — and arrives every evening without fail.

#fblifestyle #photography #cooking #community #GreeceCares #StrayDogSupport #FoodWithPurpose #CommunityKindness

https://x.com/domdyer70/status/2025559967470612643

This and the following two posts belong in the Humans are Amazing thread - not animals, surely?

[Johnnycomelately]

Posted by Ewan (here)

This and the following two posts belong in the Humans are Amazing thread - not animals, surely?

Yup.

Arrived at morning in Greece off a ferry from iirc Bari Italy, travelling the Lonely Planet route with GF mid 90’s. First walking contact was a street/feral/unhoused good dog. Must have been supported, nurtured, to have been so friendly and healthy looking. Cheers.

[Ravenlocke]

Posted by Ewan (here)

Posted by Ravenlocke (here)
dominic dyer

In a coastal town in Greece, a local chef has quietly turned his restaurant kitchen into more than just a place for customers. At the end of each day, instead of discarding leftover ingredients that are still safe and fresh, he sets them aside with a different purpose. The extra rice, vegetables, and portions of meat are carefully cooked again — this time for the town’s stray dogs.

Greece has a visible population of stray animals, particularly in tourist areas. While many residents leave scraps outside, the chef wanted to ensure the dogs received balanced, properly prepared meals rather than random leftovers. After closing hours, he prepares large trays of simple, nutritious food and walks through nearby streets and harbor areas where the dogs gather.

Over time, the animals began recognizing him. They wait patiently as he arrives, tails wagging. Local residents noticed his routine and started contributing small donations of dry food or helping refill water bowls during the summer heat. What began as one man’s habit slowly grew into a shared community effort.

He says he cannot solve the stray animal problem alone, but he can make sure fewer dogs go to sleep hungry. By transforming surplus food into care, he’s reducing waste while offering compassion.

Sometimes kindness doesn’t need publicity. Sometimes it simply smells like dinner — and arrives every evening without fail.

#fblifestyle #photography #cooking #community #GreeceCares #StrayDogSupport #FoodWithPurpose #CommunityKindness

https://x.com/domdyer70/status/2025559967470612643

This and the following two posts belong in the Humans are Amazing thread - not animals, surely?

Yes thanks for pointing that out Ewan.

Mods please move the posts to the proper thread, sorry I didn’t know we had an Animal kindness thread. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Thank you.

From Bill:
Yes, done, and now here:
Acts of kindness towards animals

[Johnnycomelately]

Ravens breed early in the season. Hence the timing of this chaos.

Fable has been in human care since she was just weeks old, and has formed a pair-bond with her human, Amy.

So now Fable is in heat, and is madly courting Amy by being super nice and trying to make a nest.

Amy is working a strategy to keep Fable from ~ovulating (right word?), so her body resources like calcium won’t be depleted unnecessarily (transfer out of her bones, for the eggshells).

Says that not allowed to release ravens to the wild, after human keeping. So, can’t fertilize her (artificial insemination is apparently an option).


Such a sweetie lol. Hormones running wild. Sounds funny talking with her mouth full of sticks, and first time I’ve heard her swear haha.

Utter chaos...Fable thinks it's nest building season!🐦‍⬛🪹🪾🙈

Wings and Wildlands
309K subscribers

Feb 23, 2026

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=K88xmBcU7aE

[Ewan]

Sagittarius Serpentarius



Long been a fan of this beauty. Who knows what it is? No cheating, you either know or you don't.

It is unique among birds as it is the only one known to visit a salon every morning to get its mascara and make-up done.

The latin name may give you a clue as to what it's primary prey is..

========================================================

And who could fail to be impressed by the range of mimicry that spouts forth from Sth Australia's Lyre Bird

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=mSB71jNq-yQ

[Johnnycomelately]

From Gondwanaland to Zealandia to New Zealand, some critters made it all the way.

Vid is pleasant and informative. Covers the changes in habitat that have led to the current unique fauna of NZ.

L = 20:25.

The Story Behind New Zealand's Weird Animals

Moth Light Media
504K subscribers

Feb 26, 2026

New Zealand is the most remote large land mass in the world being located over 1000 miles away from its nearest neighbouring continent. This isolation has created New Zealand's unique ecosystems but all is not as its seems New Zeland actually has incredibly complicated geological and ecological history that local animals have been in conflict with still shaping them to this day.

Sources:
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/P...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...
https://www.researchgate.net/publicat...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...
https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s4146...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=hSG9oHrQYCE

[Johnnycomelately]

Genetic boffins:
“Salties swam the ocean blue,
islands not so safe”.

https://scitechdaily.com/250-year-ol...-indian-ocean/

Saltwater Crocodiles Traveled Thousands of Miles Across the Indian Ocean

BY STAATLICHE NATURWISSENSCHAFTLICHE SAMMLUNGEN BAYERNSFEBRUARY 28, 2026

Pic: a big croc
Caption: Saltwater crocodiles can grow to more than six meters in length and weigh over a metric ton, making them among the largest and heaviest living reptiles in the world. They often inhabit coastal areas, such as the mouth of the Nilgawa River in the city of Matara in southern Sri Lanka, which is shown here. Credit: Kathrin Glaw, SNSB

Text, entire:

Genetic evidence confirms Seychelles crocodiles were saltwater crocodiles capable of long-distance ocean dispersal, with a historic range exceeding 12,000 kilometers (~7500 miles).

Historical records from expeditions over 250 years ago describe crocodiles as abundant along the shores of the Seychelles Islands. However, after permanent settlement began in 1770, the local population declined rapidly and was driven to extinction within about five decades.

A recent genetic investigation confirms that these island crocodiles belonged to the westernmost population of the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus). This finding supports an earlier theory that had relied only on physical features to link the Seychelles animals to the widespread species.

* pic *

DNA Analysis of Historical and Modern Crocodile Specimens

To trace the species’ evolutionary background and geographic spread, scientists from Germany and the Seychelles compared DNA sequences from living saltwater crocodiles with mitochondrial genomes preserved in museum specimens of the genus Crocodylus.

Their analysis included material from the now vanished Seychelles crocodile population, which disappeared roughly 200 years ago.

Saltwater crocodiles are uniquely equipped for marine life compared to other crocodilian species. They possess specialized salt glands that remove excess salt from their bodies, allowing them to tolerate seawater for extended periods. This biological advantage made it possible for them to reach and establish populations on distant islands and coastlines separated by thousands of kilometers.

Pic: A scientist inspecting the skull of a croc.
Caption: The three incomplete skulls from the Seychelles National Museum are among the few preserved remains of the Seychelles crocodiles. Credit: Kathrin Glaw, SNSB

The founders of the Seychelles population must have drifted at least 3,000 kilometers across the Indian Ocean to reach the remote archipelago, perhaps even much further,” says reptile expert Frank Glaw of the Bavarian State Collections of Natural History (SNSB) and senior author of the study.

Ocean Dispersal and Global Range of Saltwater Crocodiles

“The genetic patterns suggest that saltwater crocodile populations remained connected over long periods and across great distances, pointing to the high mobility of this species,” explains first author Stefanie Agne of the University of Potsdam.

Today, the saltwater crocodile ranks among the most widely distributed reptiles on the planet. Before humans eliminated the Seychelles population, its territory extended even farther, spanning over 12,000 kilometers (~7500 miles) from Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean to the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean.

Reference: “Mitogenomic Crocodylia phylogeny and population structure of Crocodylus porosus including the extinct Seychelles crocodile” by Stefanie Agne, Patrick Arnold, Berthilde Belle, Nicolas Straube, Michael Hofreiter and Frank Glaw, 28 January 2026, Royal Society Open Science.
DOI: 10.1098/rsos.251546

[mountain_jim]

https://x.com/ClownWorld/status/2029...187004330?s=20

Clown World ™ 🤡
@ClownWorld

Another reminder that pandas are the strangest animals on Earth.

[Bluegreen]

Think Pink

In hues of magenta, fuchsia, coral, and rouge, these blushing creatures reveal Mother Nature's rosy side.

Axolotl




Roseate Spoonbill



The beautifully quirky roseate spoonbill is a gorgeous pink wading bird with a charming spatulate bill. The color of the spoonbill results from its diet of crabs and shrimp.


Pink Katydid



First described in 1874, pink katydids have inspired more than a century of discussion over the hows and whys of their incredible hue. In 1907, American entomologist and myrmecologist William Morton Wheeler suggested a genetic root to the condition, comparing the state to albinism. Entomologists now believe that Wheeler was right. For the first time, pink katydids became recognized as genetic "mutants" in the scientific literature.


Web-Footed Gecko



Web-footed geckos can thank their strangely translucent, salmon-colored skin for hiding them so well against the reddish sands of the Namib Desert where they live. Additional defense mechanisms include a vocabulary of clicks, squeaks, croaks, and other sounds to scare off potential attackers. Perhaps the strangest thing about this reptile is that it does not have eyelids and must lick its eyeballs to keep them moist.


Orchid Mantis



In 1879, Australian journalist James Hingsley returned from Indonesia with stories of a carnivorous pink orchid that lured butterflies to its petals and ate them alive. As you may have guessed, it wasn't a flower he saw; it was the amazingly deceptive flower-mimicking insect Hymenopus coronatus — the orchid mantis.

And while other animals may camouflage with flowers to hide among and then ambush their prey, the schemes of the orchid mantis are different. They sit out alone on branches or leaves and pose as flowers rather than hiding amongst them.


Sea Stars



There are around 2,000 different species of sea stars, and they come in a range of colors, including pink, which help them camouflage or scare off predators. One can find sea stars living in oceans all over the planet, from tropical habitats to the cold seafloor. Marine scientists have adopted the challenging task of renaming these charming echinoderms "sea stars" instead of the once-common starfish.

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by Bluegreen (here)
Think Pink

In hues of magenta, fuchsia, coral, and rouge, these blushing creatures reveal Mother Nature's rosy side.

And this: a pink hippo I came across myself in a little-visited, hard-to-get-to part of the Maasai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya. (These are my original 2001 photos.)

I contacted the Kenya Wildlife Service, and told them exactly where it was. They were amazed. I returned to the same spot the following year, and the pink hippo was still there.

[Bluegreen]

PINK

Elephant Hawkmoth



This pink and olive green moth—which has the unusual distinction of being named after a mammal, a bird, and an insect—is one of 1,400 species of hawk moths found across the globe. The colors help them attract a mate in the dark, and during the day, they hide among the bright pinks of the blossoms on their favorite foods: willowherbs and fuchsias.

Hawkmoths are the only moths able to hover in front of flowers to feed, like hummingbirds do, and are among the planet's fastest flying insects, reaching speeds of up to 12 miles per hour.


Amazon River Dolphin



The Amazon river dolphin—also known as the boutu, boto, or bufeo—has the distinction of being the largest of the freshwater dolphins, and happens to turn pink as it ages.


Axolotl



Here, the most charming salamander in all salamanderdom, the pink Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), also known as the Mexican walking fish. They do come in other colors such as white, black, yellow, and green. White axolotls always have pink fringed gills; black axolotls have gills of blue. They never undergo metamorphosis and stay in larval form their entire lives.


Sea Anemone



Named after the terrestrial flower that is equally showy, the sea anemone comes in a rainbow of dazzling colors, pink being among the loveliest. The color of the sea anemone depends on where they call home. They are carnivorous, can live to be 50 years old, and some can grow as large as 6 feet in width.


Pink Hairy Squat Lobster



Part Dr. Seuss, part arachnophobe's nightmare, this beguiling marine crustacean known as the “pink hairy squat lobster” (Lauriea siagiani) is not a lobster at all. Also called a fairy crab, the "lobster" belongs to the group of crabs called Anomurans and is just a half-inch long. The pink color allows it to camouflage perfectly on the pink giant barrel sponges the squat lobster calls home.


Flamingo



When flamingoes first hatch, they are a drab grey; they develop into glorious shades of peach and coral primarily because of their diet. The red and blue-green algae they eat is chock-full of beta carotene, which contains a reddish-orange pigment, and the mollusks and crustaceans flamingos favor also possess pigment-rich carotenoids. Although flamingoes group in flocks that can number in the hundreds of thousands, they generally mate for life.

Published 22nd July 2023 by Melissa Breyer – Treehugger
https://www.treehugger.com/pink-animals-4859264

[Bluegreen]

More Pink Hippos

(1:34)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=nEjPDS8Jp1E

[Chip]

https://x.com/thecurioustales/status...90054386098370

JUST IN: A migratory bird just shattered world records — flying 8,425 miles (13,560 km) NON-STOP across the Pacific without landing once.

The bar-tailed godwit doesn’t stop to eat, drink, or sleep during its migration across the Pacific Ocean. Its journey from Alaska to Australia takes roughly 11 days of continuous flight, covering over 13,000 kilometers through storms, headwinds, and open ocean with zero land beneath it the entire time.

Before departure, it does something almost surgical to its own body. It shrinks its digestive organs down to almost nothing, converting the stomach, intestines, and liver into raw fuel. The bird essentially eats its own gut to make room for fat reserves that will power its wings for nearly two weeks straight.

The brain doesn’t fully sleep either. Half of it stays active while the other half rests, alternating in shifts mid-flight at altitude over the open Pacific. The godwit is simultaneously unconscious and navigating with magnetic field sensitivity that no human instrument in the 18th century could replicate.

What makes this genuinely staggering beyond the physical record is the navigational precision involved. The bird leaves Alaska and arrives in New Zealand with accuracy that would embarrass early GPS systems. It reads Earth’s magnetic field, atmospheric pressure gradients, star positions, and potentially quantum-level compass mechanisms inside its eye that literally let it see magnetic field lines overlaid on its visual field.

Evolution spent millions of years building an aerospace navigation system inside a 300 gram animal.

We spend billions engineering machines that do what this bird does on instinct, fat reserves, and half a sleeping brain.
The longest recorded non-stop flight by a commercial aircraft is around 20 hours.

This bird does 11 days

Without a runway.

[Ravenlocke]

PROTECT ALL WILDLIFE

Mar 7
🔊 SOUND UP 🔊

It’s true, an Elephant never forgets 🐘.

This is Darrick Thompson. He left his career as a Toronto firefighter to devote his life to caring for Elephants at the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand. He had to leave them for 14 months due to a family emergency. He couldn't have expected this upon returning.

🎦 Credit:
@ElephantNatureP
.


https://x.com/Protect_Wldlife/status...81325144428946

[Johnnycomelately]

Posted by Chip (here)
https://x.com/thecurioustales/status...386098370?s=42

JUST IN: A migratory bird just shattered world records — flying 8,425 miles (13,560 km) NON-STOP across the Pacific without landing once.

The bar-tailed godwit doesn’t stop to eat, drink, or sleep during its migration across the Pacific Ocean. Its journey from Alaska to Australia takes roughly 11 days of continuous flight, covering over 13,000 kilometers through storms, headwinds, and open ocean with zero land beneath it the entire time.

Before departure, it does something almost surgical to its own body. It shrinks its digestive organs down to almost nothing, converting the stomach, intestines, and liver into raw fuel. The bird essentially eats its own gut to make room for fat reserves that will power its wings for nearly two weeks straight.

The brain doesn’t fully sleep either. Half of it stays active while the other half rests, alternating in shifts mid-flight at altitude over the open Pacific. The godwit is simultaneously unconscious and navigating with magnetic field sensitivity that no human instrument in the 18th century could replicate.

What makes this genuinely staggering beyond the physical record is the navigational precision involved. The bird leaves Alaska and arrives in New Zealand with accuracy that would embarrass early GPS systems. It reads Earth’s magnetic field, atmospheric pressure gradients, star positions, and potentially quantum-level compass mechanisms inside its eye that literally let it see magnetic field lines overlaid on its visual field.

Evolution spent millions of years building an aerospace navigation system inside a 300 gram animal.

We spend billions engineering machines that do what this bird does on instinct, fat reserves, and half a sleeping brain.
The longest recorded non-stop flight by a commercial aircraft is around 20 hours.

This bird does 11 days

Without a runway.

Great story, Chip (#2573). Wow. Thanks.

Am curious how we learned about that half brain sleeping thang. My tech savvy imagination has a bar-tailed godwit in a wind tunnel, with appropriate cues to make it think it’s not safe to land for five or ten days, and husbands/wives explaining why they’re always late and exhausted.


Something just as cool, which I learned pre Covid on the YT chan Royal Tyrrell Museun, about how far the big flying lizard/reptile Pterosaurs flew on their migrations. Intercontinental, and I know that those continents were positioned different in past. They said it was many days’ journey, and hypothesized the critter continually gaining lightness (the easier to fly) by consuming itself. Oof.

Cheers, Chip. 😳👻😎👽©️

[Ewan]

Posted by Johnnycomelately (here)
........lizard/reptile Pterosaurs flew on their migrations. Intercontinental, and I know that those continents were positioned different in past.

I'm curious to know how they knew the creature migrated at all. (end of the Cretaceous period, around 228 to 66 million years ago.) All they've ever found, obviously, is fossils. There were many species around the world, everywhere.

[Johnnycomelately]

Posted by Ewan (here)

Posted by Johnnycomelately (here)
........lizard/reptile Pterosaurs flew on their migrations. Intercontinental, and I know that those continents were positioned different in past.

I'm curious to know how they knew the creature migrated at all. (end of the Cretaceous period, around 228 to 66 million years ago.) All they've ever found, obviously, is fossils. There were many species around the world, everywhere.

Cool info, Ewan. Nice to know.

Imma trust the speaker that I heard, that evidence has been found to back that claim. There are two vids about Pterodactyls at the museum site, within a year iirc. Dunno which has that nugget.

[Ewan]

Could have been in Acts of Kindness also.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=qddTl2MM0FU

[Ewan]

Posted by Chip (here)
https://x.com/thecurioustales/status...90054386098370

JUST IN: A migratory bird just shattered world records — flying 8,425 miles (13,560 km) NON-STOP across the Pacific without landing once.

The bar-tailed godwit doesn’t stop to eat, drink, or sleep during its migration across the Pacific Ocean. Its journey from Alaska to Australia takes roughly 11 days of continuous flight, covering over 13,000 kilometers through storms, headwinds, and open ocean with zero land beneath it the entire time.

Before departure, it does something almost surgical to its own body. It shrinks its digestive organs down to almost nothing, converting the stomach, intestines, and liver into raw fuel. The bird essentially eats its own gut to make room for fat reserves that will power its wings for nearly two weeks straight.

The brain doesn’t fully sleep either. Half of it stays active while the other half rests, alternating in shifts mid-flight at altitude over the open Pacific. The godwit is simultaneously unconscious and navigating with magnetic field sensitivity that no human instrument in the 18th century could replicate.

What makes this genuinely staggering beyond the physical record is the navigational precision involved. The bird leaves Alaska and arrives in New Zealand with accuracy that would embarrass early GPS systems. It reads Earth’s magnetic field, atmospheric pressure gradients, star positions, and potentially quantum-level compass mechanisms inside its eye that literally let it see magnetic field lines overlaid on its visual field.

Evolution spent millions of years building an aerospace navigation system inside a 300 gram animal.

We spend billions engineering machines that do what this bird does on instinct, fat reserves, and half a sleeping brain.
The longest recorded non-stop flight by a commercial aircraft is around 20 hours.

This bird does 11 days

Without a runway.

Just in case any of you were wondering.... A Bar-tailed Godwit




.... and this evolved by survival of the fittest! - leading me to wonder just how many survived the first attempt, etc. etc....

(Evolution vs Design argument.)

[Ewan]

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=i3kFROZmtvE

GO Baby, GO!