Animals

even one of the cubs was hunting a squirrel this morning, i guess like cats the hunting instinct is inbred

ooops seem to be dominating this thread at the minute .... sorry / not sorry

this mornings action
dad watching the pigeon on the lawn
https://i.imgur.com/L8hHkKm.mp4

then some heart in mouth action, don't blink

https://i.imgur.com/INMkehw.mp4

missed but had a tail feather in his mouth when he had finished

You act as if you own the place. :)

There is a Foxes thread, you know:

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/303286/

Is there a flat shrew thread?

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Try the 'Things With Maggots' thread, the 'Eulipotyphia' thread has been quiet for years.

Thanks for the pointers CtB!

On the wider Internet 'Rancid Roadside Mustellids' and 'Hedgehog Frisbee' enjoy a justified, but niche, following.

That reminds me, back in the days before the internet (maybe 1987) I did a stupidly long ride from Cheltenham up into Worcestershire, west across the river and back down the Severn estuary and then down into Wiltshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire and, as I headed back past Andoversford I passed a fox that had clearly been a bit flattened and dried and had then had a white line painted over it. No mobile phone to capture the moment, so you will have to imagine it. After about 140 miles it lifted my spirits.

Squirrel eating some greenery.

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beavers on the otter

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-53658375

another pigeon casualty in the garden yesterday, came to the back door and saw a pigeon sitting on the lawn, went out to shoo it off it didn't move and only when i got close it started to flutter, well about 3/4's of it did, tail missing wing feathers missing and some exposed flesh, something had attacked it in the day time but had then left it, this morning lots of feathers over the lawn that weren't there last night, fox or cat i'm not sure

If it's a fox, the head is usually missing

it was still trying to fly when i first saw it, so head still firmly attached
nothing left when i came down the following morning just feathers on the lawn, haven't seen any hint of the body

a big old cat had a look at in in the afternoon but managed to lose it in my small back garden, it obviously wasn't too fussed, it may have come back for a 2nd go

isn't there also some way to tell by how the feathers have been chewed whether it's feline or canine, canine pluck, cats chew through ? or something

Just clearing up tabs I forgot about. I love these little teddy bears, so cute:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/09/yellowstone-grizzly-bear-399-conservation

Talking of bears, Italy's most famous bear, named Papillon looks like he's going to get the freedom he clearly craves;

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/09/papillon-the-bear-must-be-set-free-says-italys-environment-minister

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/13/killer-whales-launch-orchestrated-attacks-on-sailing-boats

On 29 July, off Cape Trafalgar, Victoria Morris was crewing a 46ft delivery boat that was surrounded by nine orcas. The cetaceans rammed the hull for over an hour, spinning the boat 180 degrees, disabling the engine and breaking the rudder, as they communicated with loud whistling.

This is really amazing. It's sad that this is probably caused by massive stress but good to see them fighting back.

damn beavers ..... ooops, i'm sorry i'll read that again

beaver dams

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-55125932

This is quite sweet. Worth watching if you've never seen a koala climbing a tree, which I hadn't.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ijRe4zvSFn4

I do enjoy stories like this, although of course it's sad that the macaques live in dependency on humans.

Bargaining between a monkey robber, tourist and a temple staff member quite often lasted several minutes. The longest wait before an item was returned was 25 minutes, including 17 minutes of negotiation. For lower-valued items, the monkeys were more likely to conclude successful bartering sessions by accepting a lesser reward.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/jan/14/balis-thieving-monkeys-seek-bigger-ransoms-for-high-value-swag-study

Nothing instinctive about this behaviour, it's learned from older monkeys, and stretches back a long time. And you can bargain with them.

Fell for a click-baity headline and ended up down a small rabbit hole.
UK are going to be introducing a small herd of European Bison.

Only 4 to begin with, to help restore an ancient forest with native flora and fauna.
It is quite fascinating reading about the impact such a small amount of (admittedly, massive) wildlife can have on an area.

I love a bit of rewilding, and reading that less than 100 years ago they were extinct in the wild and only a few existed in zoos, now there are enough to move them to other countries.

Hoping they can thrive and remain.

Also, they are recruiting for wranglers

Accidentally woke up two foxes in my garden this morning

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https://twitter.com/JoaquimCampa/status/1350843565790945284/photo/1

So cute:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/05/seed-sized-chameleon-madagascar-world-tiniest-reptile

I mean, I bet it's a fearsome predator to whatever it predates on. :)

These are great--missed them at the time.

#5 is amazing!