Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
One thing is for sure: a three-cat day is better than a three-dog night. Here, to end the weekend on a high note, is a lovely kitty asking its owner for a hug (and don’t you dare tell me that I’ve misinterpreted its behavior!).
h/t: Blue
No matter how insane an idea is, you can find it somewhere on the internet, often on YouTube. Here’s one: somebody wondered what would happen if they made a VERY SMALL burrito and fed it to a hamster.
This video is the result. It was put up two days ago, and already has 1.3 million views. Such is the power of the hamster, and the appetite of the public for bizarre stuff, which will only increase as posters push the limits.
Srsly, though, this is pretty damn cute. I just wonder what kind of a mind could think of something like this.
h/t: Diana MacPherson
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For lagniappe, a squirrel reading the newspaper! Srs bsns!! (From BookRiot):
I just know someone, somewhere, is gonna slam me for being “not serious” because I posted this, but really, I’m just as much a softie as anyone, and this tw**ted picture from Planet Earth was too cute not to share:
I wish my students looked like that!
How can you not look at—or post—a piece from ABC 15 News in Arizona called “Baby squirrel falls from tree, wears little red cast, gets help from City Wildlife Rehab Center“? (It’s based on a Tw**t from City Wildlife.)
First the photo, then the explanation:
WASHINGTON DC – A tiny squirrel is recovering with the help of veterinarians and a little red cast after falling 75 feet.
According to ABC News, the baby squirrel, who is only six and a half weeks old, fell onto the sidewalk from her nest in a Washington D.C. tree.
She was taken to City Wildlife, an animal rehabilitation center in the area to be treated for a bloody nose and broken tooth and ankle.
A cast was put on the squirrel’s leg and is checked every few days to make sure it heals correctly.
She is expected to make a full recovery and is reportedly doing well.
The rehabilitation center, according to their website, is a nonprofit group dedicated to helping injured and orphaned animals. They can treat 1,200 animals annually.
This video, taken in Battery Park, Manhattan, shows a biological instinct gone awry. This squirrel, given several peanuts, buries them in the clothes of the guy who proffered the nuts, hiding them in his hood and his pockets. What was that squirrel thinking—that the guy would remain on the bench all winter?
h/t: Barry
I believe I’ve put up a shorter version of this video before, but this is the full one, and much better. It’s about an Irish cat who actually nursed a brood of ducklings along with her kittens, and the ducklings actually drank the cat’s milk! That’s unbelievable. And watch what happens when the “yellow kittens” get older, more rambunctious, and the mother tries to control them.
h/t: Norm
It’s Friday! Which seat will you take?
Tigers swimming! Filmed underwater, where they appear to be grazing on the bottom of the pool! Well, who knows, but here, courtesy of reader Michael, is some nice video of. . .
The Tiger Temple at Australia Zoo has the only glass underwater viewing in Australia! What better way to see our amazing tigers cooling down and getting active in their pool during the tropical summer weather.
This short video, of a young polar bear cub encountering snow for the first time at the Toronto Zoo, has gone pretty viral: I saw it on the evening news as the requisite end-of-the-show “squee moment.” You have to admit, though, it’s pretty cute. According to reader P., who sent the link:
He was the lone survivor of a litter of three, and the zoo staff removed him from his mother, as she had a tendency to reject or neglect her cubs. I do hope they’ll be reunited some day.
The cub was born on November 9 and the video was just posted, so the little guy is less than three months old. And his squeak hasn’t yet turned into a roar—or whatever noise adult polar bears make.