Animals are Magical

[RunningDeer]

Posted by Rawhide68 (here)
Next week I'll receive "Rapparn" witch is a 5 year old female cat.

Does anyone in this forum have experiense from a Ragdoll cat?

About Ragdolls
As their name implies, Ragdolls love to be carried around and will often happily flop like a doll into your arms when cuddled. Loving, quiet and laid back, most Ragdolls make a great addition to any family with kids or other animals.

Origin: United States 

Breed Appearance

The Ragdoll has a characteristic medium-length, silky coat that is soft to the touch and piercing blue eyes. Ragdolls come in seal, lilac, chocolate, lilac, blue, red and cream, lynx or tortoiseshell colors, and although they are one of the largest cat breeds, it can take up to four years for a Ragdoll to reach their full size.

CONTINUED - characteristics, care and cost.

[Rawhide68]

I feel so excited about getting this cat.
I can't explain why
And now I broke a sentense starting with I in it , dumb stupid right

I suppose its the closest Ill to get into reach to the point of me beeing a father to a 5 years mobbed off by her family ragdoll cat named by her breeder Rapsody of rocknroll stem tree, then been outcast

Wish us luck, Ill embrase her this Monday

[Rawhide68]

Posted by RunningDeer (here)

Posted by Rawhide68 (here)
Next week I'll receive "Rapparn" witch is a 5 year old female cat.

Does anyone in this forum have experiense from a Ragdoll cat?

About Ragdolls
As their name implies, Ragdolls love to be carried around and will often happily flop like a doll into your arms when cuddled. Loving, quiet and laid back, most Ragdolls make a great addition to any family with kids or other animals.

Origin: United States 

Breed Appearance

The Ragdoll has a characteristic medium-length, silky coat that is soft to the touch and piercing blue eyes. Ragdolls come in seal, lilac, chocolate, lilac, blue, red and cream, lynx or tortoiseshell colors, and although they are one of the largest cat breeds, it can take up to four years for a Ragdoll to reach their full size.

CONTINUED - characteristics, care and cost.

Thanks running dear!

[Harmony]

It would be lovely if you can post a photo of your beautiful new kitty friend Rawhide68. I think we all wish you the best with your new lovely kitty companion

Posted by Rawhide68 (here)
I feel so excited about getting this cat.
I can't explain why
And now I broke a sentense starting with I in it , dumb stupid right

I suppose its the closest Ill to get into reach to the point of me beeing a father to a 5 years mobbed off by her family ragdoll cat named by her breeder Rapsody of rocknroll stem tree, then been outcast

Wish us luck, Ill embrase her this Monday

[Johnnycomelately]

Edit: Oops, posted the wrong thing. I’ll be back, but this is imo interesting too.


Dipped my toe into AI again, seeking info about how we humans classify the critters. Also asked the same abt the plant kingdom, so some superfluous text here re this thread.

Hey machine-brain, what’s yer name?


I’m Perplexity, an AI assistant. What can I help you with?


Mind if I call you Lexi?


That works. You can call me Lexi. What’s up?


Nothing important. Or, maybe a deep look at Rupert Sheldrake’s idea of Morphic Resonance. Please add a few live links to his published papers and his best YouTube vids or anything.


Completed 2 steps

Here’s a solid starting map of Sheldrake’s morphic resonance idea: his own site gives the core claim, the historical framing, and a paper list, while YouTube has a mix of talks, interviews, and critiques. The idea is that self-organizing systems inherit a kind of memory from prior similar systems, so “laws” of nature behave more like habits than fixed rules.


What the idea says

Sheldrake argues that morphic resonance is a process where similar systems across time influence one another through a kind of collective memory. In that framing, memory isn’t just stored in brains, and biological inheritance isn’t only genetic; both can be shaped by past members of a species. He first laid this out in A New Science of Life and later expanded it in The Presence of the Past.


Papers and live links

A useful entry point is his research page, which aggregates papers and chapter PDFs. A few direct paper links from that page are below:

Morphic Fields (2006): DOI link.

Mind, Memory, and Archetype: Morphic Resonance and the Collective Unconscious – Part I (1987): DOI link.

Society, Spirit & Ritual: Morphic Resonance and the Collective Unconscious – Part II (1987): DOI link.

Extended Mind, Power, & Prayer: Morphic Resonance and the Collective Unconscious – Part III (1988): listed on his papers page.

An Experimental Test of the Hypothesis of Formative Causation (1992): listed on his papers page.

Can Morphic Fields Help Explain Telepathy and the Sense of Being Stared At? (2019): listed on his papers page.

The Hill Effect as a Test for Morphic Resonance (2021): listed on his papers page.

Memory In Nature: A Study of Morphic Resonance, Predictions on Learning (2026): listed on his papers page.


Good YouTube picks

For video, there’s an official-style morphic resonance playlist and several talks/interviews on YouTube. Good places to start:

Morphic Resonance | Dr. Rupert Sheldrake: a 2020 interview-style video

Rupert Sheldrake Interview: The case for Morphic Resonance: a 2023 interview that covers evidence, falsifiability, and related ideas.

Rupert Sheldrake: Morphic Resonance: a 2023 evening talk/Q&A.

Morphic Resonance - YouTube playlist: a broader playlist with multiple talks.


How to read it critically

The strongest way to engage with morphic resonance is to separate the metaphysical picture from the experimental claims. The papers on Sheldrake’s site include both supportive interpretations and direct criticism, including a response from Steven Rose, which makes the controversy easy to see in context. That makes the page especially useful if you want to trace the idea from theory to specific test cases rather than just hearing about the headline concept.


Fast path

If you want the shortest route, start with Sheldrake’s own research page, then one of the interviews, then the 2006 Morphic Fields paper and the 1992 chick-learning experiment. That sequence gives you the theory, the popular explanation, and one of the more concrete empirical claims in one pass.

Would you like a skeptical appraisal next, or a plain-English breakdown of the main arguments for and against morphic resonance?


Follow-ups.

Morphic Resonance: Create a research briefing on Sheldrake’s key experiments, methodology, and the academic critique across the field
Computer.
​

Turn Sheldrake’s papers and talks into a curated study guide that maps his hypothesis against standard evolutionary biology models
Computer.
​

I would like a skeptical appraisal of his work next.

Please provide a plain-English breakdown of the arguments for it.

What are the main arguments against morphic resonance specifically?

[Inversion]

In this wild footage, a bear is seen opening multiple car doors and trunks in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

The couple who caught the act all on film are heard yelling, sounding alarmed, as they watch the bear perform the unthinkable.

The bear eventually walks away after those watching begin to throw items at the animal to steer it on a different path.

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

[RunningDeer]

Curious Rescued Hippo

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=L0ajS5mN_9I

[Johnnycomelately]

Young busy student of science pops up eloquently slamming the authors of a viral peer-reviewed paper. Viral, as lots of mainstream news has run with the dumbass original source, no exaggeration necessary.

80 million years ago, some octopuses had big beaks. From there, the story gets complicated. Young scholar tackles it with courage, imo. He seems smart enough to know that Science is defensive, covetous of its standing/face, and can be vindictive. I wish him well.


Everyone is Wrong about this Prehistoric Octopus - Here's Why

Bugs and Biology
40K subscribers

REFERENCES:

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/s... - Nanaimoteuthis haggarti publication

https://www.researchgate.net/publicat... - Cirrate octopuses

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rs... - Cirrate octopus benthic foraging

https://www.lyellcollection.org/doi/a... - Squid ammonite predation


Recent news headlines speak of the discovery of an ancient leviathan, akin to the legendary Kraken of Scandinavian folklore. Meet Nanaimoteuthis haggarti, a colossal octopus that patrolled the oceans 80 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous period, and thanks to a recent study, is now regarded by many as one of the greatest predators of its age. But do the dramatic headlines tell the full story of this prehistoric beast, or is the reality perhaps a little more nuanced? Let’s find out.


Music:

Midnight Tale by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song...
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license


Chapters:

00:00 Introduction
01:44 Octopuses
04:15 Nanaimoteuthis size
07:33 Nanaimoteuthis ecology
10:49 More plausible food
13:51 Concluding remarks

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=O8AObaTZluk

[mountain_jim]

We are having black bear sightings on our land almost every day now. Single bear just passing through at 2 different times yesterday.

At least 7 different identified this season, mama with 2- 1-year+old cubs, a huge male, 2 older juveniles together, and 1 fairly large adult.

They have developed some thru-routes down to the stream it appears.

I have in the past pushed the panic button on my outside parked car to discourage a bear curious about the car but bear horns and yelling seem to work a little better.

They don't run, they mosey along their way, looking back in irritation at being bothered.

One keeps checking out the chestnut trees impatiently waiting for that bounty to return, we are sure this is the one that climbed and damaged them greatly in last 2 seasons.

[RunningDeer]

Posted by mountain_jim (here)
We are having black bear sightings on our land almost every day now. Single bear just passing through at 2 different times yesterday.

At least 7 different identified this season, mama with 2- 1-year+old cubs, a huge male, 2 older juveniles together, and 1 fairly large adult.

They have developed some thru-routes down to the stream it appears.

I have in the past pushed the panic button on my outside parked car to discourage a bear curious about the car but bear horns and yelling seem to work a little better.

They don't run, they mosey along their way, looking back in irritation at being bothered.

One keeps checking out the chestnut trees impatiently waiting for that bounty to return, we are sure this is the one that climbed and damaged them greatly in last 2 seasons.

Links:

• Scare the Bear
• Bear Wise - Basics, Resources and Safety Tips
• Electric Fences Keep Bears Out

Deterrents:

If bears are using the property as a regular route, the most effective deterrents are those that consistently make the area unpleasant without putting people at risk. Wildlife agencies commonly recommend combinations of the following:

• Motion-activated sprinklers – Effective around gardens, orchards, and landscaped areas. The sudden burst of water often convinces a curious bear to move on.
• Motion-activated lights – Can discourage nighttime investigation around buildings, though bears may become accustomed to them if used alone.
• Motion-activated alarms or speakers – Devices that emit loud sounds, sirens, or recorded voices when triggered can reinforce that the area near the house is undesirable.
• Air horns – Useful when you're safely inside or on a porch and need to encourage a bear to leave. Avoid approaching the bear to use one.
• Electric fencing – One of the most effective long-term solutions for protecting:

• Fruit and nut trees
• Beehives
• Chicken coops
• Gardens
• Livestock feed
• Garbage storage

• A properly installed electric fence provides a memorable but non-lethal shock that teaches bears to avoid the protected area.

• Bear-resistant trash containers – Secure garbage until pickup day. Garbage is one of the strongest bear attractants.
• Remove attractants

• Bring bird feeders in during bear season or when bears are active.
• Clean barbecue grills after every use.
• Store pet food and livestock feed indoors.
• Pick ripe fruit promptly.
• Clean up fallen nuts and fruit when practical.

• Brush management – Trim dense vegetation near the house to reduce hiding cover and improve visibility.
• Consistent hazing – If a bear is near the home and there is a safe escape route, making loud noises (yelling, banging pots, air horn, vehicle alarm) every time it approaches can help maintain its natural wariness. Consistency is important—bears quickly learn when people are predictable.
• Secure outdoor storage – Lock sheds, freezers, coolers, and any place with scented items.

**************

RE: A stream that bears use as a travel corridor and chestnut trees that repeatedly attract one bear:

Homeowners probably won't stop bears from traveling through the property. Instead, the goal is to keep bears moving rather than stopping to feed or investigate. Protecting the chestnut trees with a temporary electric fence during nut season is likely to be more effective than repeatedly chasing the same bear away.

If the bears begin lingering around buildings during the day, repeatedly damaging property, showing little fear of people, or attempting to enter structures, it's a good time to contact the state's wildlife agency for site-specific advice.

[mountain_jim]

Thanks RunningDeer.

After my post from yesterday, but before I saw yours, we almost lost our treasured cat who was hanging out on front yard sidewalk, saw one of 2 fairly large juvenile bears that had showed up due to wild blackberries and blueberries (after not being seen for a few weeks) came around the house and chased him into high weeds under hemlocks and down a slope, only a few feet behind him when they disappeared from view.

For 20 minutes we did not know if our cat was alive or gone, we kept calling and he showed up, wary but not overwhelmingly shaken.

The second bear showed up in same area at sunset, likely tracking trail of first one and looking for his buddy. Yelling, bear horns did not cause him to run. He retreated slightly, stood up on his hind legs, fixed with me with a long glare, snorted loudly and started to leave deliberately before our shotgun could be retrieved and a warning shot fired.

Like the electric fence idea, and carried bear spray when opening driveway gate this morning.
Will have gun handy if they return today.

(We have no grill, gave up on bird feeders some time back, but the other long-growing attractants are spread out over large areas and difficult to get under control.)

A snort is not just an idle noise; it is a controlled expulsion of air through the nose, often accompanied by tightening of facial muscles and a characteristic huffing sound, signaling that the bear feels its space is being invaded or is warning off potential competitors (Institute for Research on Environmental Education)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc4cVQfe_OA

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Lc4cVQfe_OA

[RunningDeer]

Mudskippers - A Fish Out of Water (5 minutes)

Mudskippers are actually fish, but they sure don't act like it. They breathe using special gill chambers and absorb oxygen through their skin like amphibians. Scanning the lumpy mudscape with their periscope-like eyes, they fiercely guard their burrows and leap to impress potential mates.

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

[RunningDeer]

How Do Crickets Chirp? (Stridulation)(39 seconds)

• Stridulation is the act of producing sound by rubbing together specialized body parts. Found mostly in insects like crickets, grasshoppers, and beetles, as well as some spiders and snakes, it functions primarily as a mating call or a defense mechanism.

There are dozens of different species of field crickets in the U.S. And because they look so similar, the most common way scientists tell them apart is by the sounds they make.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=_nVpwkOWW4o

Longer version: - (4 minutes)

Why Crickets Just Won't Shut Up

Ask most people about crickets and you’ll probably hear that they’re all pretty much the same: just little insects that jump and chirp.

But there are actually dozens of different species of field crickets in the U.S. And because they look so similar, the most common way scientists tell them apart is by the sounds they make.

“When I hear an evening chorus, all I hear are the different species,” said David Weissman, a research associate in entomology at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.

Weissman has spent the last 45 years working to identify all the species of field crickets west of the Mississippi River. In December, he published his findings in the journal Zootaxa, identifying 35 species of field crickets in the western states, including 17 new species. California alone hosts 12 species. But many closely resemble the others. So even for one of the nation’s top experts, telling them apart isn’t a simple task.

“It turns out song is a good way to differentiate,” Weissman said.

How do crickets chirp?

On the underside of male crickets’ wings there’s a vein that sticks up covered in tiny microscopic teeth, all in a row. It’s called the file. There's a hard edge on the lower wing called the scraper.

When he rubs his wings together - the scraper on the bottom wing grates across all those little teeth on the top wing. It’s like running your thumb down the teeth of a comb. This process of making sound is called stridulation.

How do crickets hear?

Crickets have tiny ears, called tympana on each of their two front legs. They use them to listen for danger and to hear each other calling.

Why do crickets chirp?

Crickets have several different types of songs that serve different purposes. The familiar repetitive chirping song is a mating call that male crickets produce to attract females that search for potential mates.

If a female makes physical contact with a male he will typically switch to a second higher-pitched, quieter courtship song.

If instead a male cricket comes in contact with another adult male he will let out an angry-sounding rivalry call to tell his competitor to back off.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=fh3uNUrAnss

[grapevine]

My first swim with my best friend Bo the beaver

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

1:28

[Harmony]

Cornellskop: Freedom from Fear is a short documentary that explores the extraordinary relationship between wildlife conservationist Luke Cornell and the animals in his care at Cornellskop Animal Sanctuary in South Africa. …

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=C2tFWRY-1Wk

[Ewan]

Posted by Harmony (here)
Cornellskop: Freedom from Fear is a short documentary that explores the extraordinary relationship between wildlife conservationist Luke Cornell and the animals in his care at Cornellskop Animal Sanctuary in South Africa. …

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=C2tFWRY-1Wk

Beautiful, wish it had been an hour longer or more. In fact is that a short for a longer documentary, do you know?

[RunningDeer]

Posted by Ewan (here)

Posted by Harmony (here)
Cornellskop: Freedom from Fear is a short documentary that explores the extraordinary relationship between wildlife conservationist Luke Cornell and the animals in his care at Cornellskop Animal Sanctuary in South Africa. …

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=C2tFWRY-1Wk

Beautiful, wish it had been an hour longer or more. In fact is that a short for a longer documentary, do you know?

• Official site @ cornellskop.co.za/

It’s a short documentary according to IMDb: Cornellskop: Freedom from Fear.

[rgray222]

Dolphin in distress - 3 minute

[Harmony]

This was a lovely short documentary Ewan, and I hope there will be a longer one in the future, but like Paula, I couldn't find any longer versions.

It seems, from what I can find out, that Cornellskop, who were involved in the Freemdom From Fear video above, also have a connection to the following videos which I have only had a short look at so far, but they look wonderful to view as well

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=9cm753kp0uo

time: 14:27

We are beyond excited to share this film with the world! Nick Kleer and his (now) wife, Kristina Perlerius - Kleer, head to the Free State of South Africa where they develop strong bonds with the wild cheetahs at Tiger Canyon Private Game Reserve. They strive to halt the downward spiral that cheetahs are facing such as habitat loss and the shrinking of their gene pool. Follow Nick Kleer and tag along on his adventures: / nickkleer Tiger Canyon Private Game Reserve: https://tigercanyon.com / / tigercanyon_sa My Website: https://jackzakrajsek.com

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ms7W5KRUAlQ

time: 20:11
Black Rhino conservation efforts in Africa are vital to saving this endangered species. In this short documentary, we follow rangers and ecologists fighting poaching and protecting the black rhinos in Namibia 🌍.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=r1tcvsku0aE

time: 13:47
A short section of description: " The deeper I went into nature, the louder I could hear it. These wolfdogs became more than animals to me. They became guides back to something I think many of us have forgotten. They reminded me that beneath all the distractions of modern life, there is still something wild inside us."

Posted by Ewan (here)

Posted by Harmony (here)
Cornellskop: Freedom from Fear is a short documentary that explores the extraordinary relationship between wildlife conservationist Luke Cornell and the animals in his care at Cornellskop Animal Sanctuary in South Africa. …

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=C2tFWRY-1Wk

Beautiful, wish it had been an hour longer or more. In fact is that a short for a longer documentary, do you know?

[Bill Ryan]

A fun report from Tasmania.

https://explorersweb.com/australians-fall-in-love-with-lonely-elephant-seal

Australians Fall in Love with Lonely Elephant Seal



Australia is home to a lot of exotic wildlife, but one creature in particular has become a social media celebrity.

Twice a year, a one-ton elephant seal dubbed Neil the Seal drags himself ashore near the beach towns around Hobart, Tasmania, to molt. He sprawls across the highway, catches a few winks in people’s backyards, destroys traffic cones, and rocks parked cars back and forth with his tremendous bulk.

Wildlife experts say Neil is just lonely; he has no fellow elephant seals to practice the behaviors he’ll need to secure a territory when he becomes fully grown in another five years. That’s because the nearest elephant seal colony is 1,500km away, in the subantarctic. Officials believe Neil’s mother got lost on her way there and ended up giving birth to Neil on the Tasman Peninsula five years ago, which is why Neil has no company.

Celebrity status

As with many stray large animals, like walruses in England or Norway, Neil has become a tourist attraction. His TikTok following of 1.4 million exceeds the entire half-million population of Tasmania, according to Science Alert. YouTube features dozens of videos of the lonely pinniped.

“There is a risk here of essentially loving Neil to death,” warns Kris Carlyon of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania. He begs that admirers not get too close; some have brought their babies up to Neil to get close-up photos for Instagram.

The twice-yearly excursions ashore where they are born are common for elephant seals shedding their old skin. Neil’s rubbing against objects is part of that process, while pushing against parked cars is jousting play that other young elephant seals do with each other.

While Neil is already gigantic, at three meters long and one ton, he will be five meters long and four tons when fully grown, and his call will be as loud as a chainsaw.