Other Animals and People

[Cerez]

Music-curious fawn:
Video

Casually harmonising with my cow:
Video

Bird medical emergency:
Video

Cat and deer - siblings:
Video

Cockatoo pranking cats:
Video

"You think you can keep this guinea pig jailed? Think again, buddy!":
Video

"Stop your bloody yelling!" - hawk drops/throws snake on people:
Video

Hawk in shock hides in car from hurricane:
Video

Cat comforts dog with separation anxiety:
Video

Wild woodpecker chooses to hang with their newfound human friend:
Video

 

[Cerez]

Defence of the buffalo:
Battle at Kruger

Playing with a hunsman spider (to show that there's no reason to fear them so):
'How to Handle a Huntsman Spider' by Brennan Hatton

(Yes, technically they can bite, but most won't if there's no reason to. They're quite shy and very gentle, and they don't seem to mind people much at all.)

The living world/experience of a cat:
How Do Cats Use Their Whiskers

 

[Cerez]

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

And they say that animals don't feel and think...

Load of nonsense that is, and a heavy load at that.

 

[Cerez]

The whale: "Oh, look at that poor little humanling, about to get eaten by a shark. It doesn't even belong in water by the way it's swimming. It doesn't stand a chance. It deserves a better fate. Better save it. Come on you little rascal, back to your floating-fish-land-thingy, where you can be with your kind."

An animal that shows both thinking/logic/evaluation and compassion for another animal it's not even remotely related to -- doesn't get any more complex than that!

But, oh no, it must be purely an instinctive reaction, right? RIGHT?! We can't admit to other animals having intelligence like us -- no, that would be preposterous!

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

Exactly, we think that we are the only animals that can show "real" compassion and protect other species.

While the opposite is confirmed by cases like this whale.

Also I found this ant, it is one of the biggest I have ever seen.
There are bigger in other parts of the world, but that's what I found.

 

[Cerez]

Also I found this ant, it is one of the biggest I have ever seen.
There are bigger in other parts of the world, but that's what I found.

That is a pretty big worker carpenter ant! Sure hope it's a stray. You'd better take it outside, far away from your home.

(Carpenter ants chew through wood, and can cause a havoc in a home setting if they decide to make a way/nest there. If this is the first time you've seen one, I'm pretty sure it's a stray. But take it outside nevertheless.)

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

That is a pretty big worker carpenter ant!

I zoomed in quite a bit, so the ant appears quite larger.

Here is another ant, with no zoom next to some pine needles. (Couldn't get a better picture that would give a sense of scale.)

Spoiler

Sure hope it's a stray. You'd better take it outside, far away from your home.

As of now I have seen three of them, but I am not at home, so I have no idea if they are stray.

At any case, it is miles away from my home.

Carpenter ants chew through wood, and can cause a havoc in a home setting if they decide to make a way/nest there. If this is the first time you've seen one, I'm pretty sure it's a stray. But take it outside nevertheless.

Well it was a first for me, I will have to stay longer here to see if they are stray.

Though it wouldn't surprise me if they aren't, I am quite far outside of actual city, so nature is very close.

 

[Cerez]

Oh, they are just regular size carpenter ants. Seeing three of them is not a good sign. It means they've made a nest somewhere near or inside the building. In nature they're quite harmless, but in a building they can cause considerable damage as they carve pathways through wood and build mounds from shavings/sawdust. Over time they can compromise the structure of a wooden foundation/building, a bit like termites. For this reason, they're considered pests. They are very common in regional areas.

List of Wood-Destroying Insects

The thing about ants to know is that they are practically blind and they move/communicate by scent trails they leave behind them. Which means they are largely following each other. When you see a lone worker ant, it is either lost or a pioneer exploring a new territory for their colony. But when you see more than one ant, it means that they've made their way to that area -- that their nest is likely not too far away.

 

[Cerez]

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

Though it wouldn't surprise me if they aren't, I am quite far outside of actual city, so nature is very close.

By the way, nature is so close that a few years ago I had a quite close encounter with a fox.

(A live one mind you, not like the last one I have seen.)

Seeing three of them is not a good sign. It means they've made a nest somewhere near or inside the building.

I think I know where there nest is, there's an olive tree that has lost many leaves next to the building.

And I do see quite a few ants walking on it.

In nature they're quite harmless, but in a building they can cause considerable damage as they carve pathways through wood and build mounds from shavings/sawdust. Over time they can compromise the structure of a wooden foundation/building, a bit like termites. For this reason, they're considered pests. They are very common in regional areas.

Yep, it is harmless in nature, unless you are a tree that is.

But as far as buildings go, things are different.
You wouldn't like your house to go down, would you?

The thing about ants to know is that they are practically blind and they move/communicate by scent trails they leave behind them. Which means they are largely following each other. When you see a lone worker ant, it is either lost or a pioneer exploring a new territory for their colony. But when you see more than one ant, it means that they've made their way to that area -- that their nest is likely not too far away.

Over the years I have observed ants and saw this in practice, and it is awesome!

You can see how when the ants meet, they "greet" each other, or when there is danger so sometimes the warrior ants come out.

I have also seen ants streightning their antennas, after they get a bit "tangled".

 

[Cerez]

By the way, nature is so close that a few years ago I had a quite close encounter with a fox.

From what I know of them, they're quite shy (a bit like squirrels) -- so having a relatively close encounter is like having a really close, intimate encounter with them. Pretty amazing!

I think I know where there nest is, there's an olive tree that has lost many leaves next to the building.

And I do see quite a few ants walking on it.

Makes sense. But check the basement for rallies of carpenter ants just to be sure. They like hidden/dark and damp places, and wet wood to nest in.

Yep, it is harmless in nature, unless you are a tree that is.

They will generally not nest in and burrow through live trees. Live trees are much too hard for them to chew through and the tree has its own live defence system that will deter them (trees can protect themselves). What they mostly use for nesting in nature is thick, dead, wet logs/branches and rotting wood on the forest floor, close to the ground. So they are actually responsible for helping break down dead wood -- big natural 'litter' on the forest floor -- to smaller pieces. That's one of the main ways they contribute back to nature's balance.

You wouldn't like your house to go down, would you?

Nope! That's definitely no fun! The main concern here is that if they unwittingly damage the wooden infrastructure/support, parts of the house or the whole house can come crashing down under the slightest impact/wind. This is why termites are so dangerous in the home, too.

Over the years I have observed ants and saw this in practice, and it is awesome!

You can see how when the ants meet, they "greet" each other, or when there is danger so sometimes the warrior ants come out.

I have also seen ants streightning their antennas, after they get a bit "tangled".

They're actually cleaning them of all the scent particles that collected on them. Blowing their nose, if you will.

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

From what I know of them, they're quite shy (a bit like squirrels) -- so having a relatively close encounter is like having a really close, intimate encounter with them. Pretty amazing!

They do usually run away, but for some reason it didn't, it just looked at us.

It hasn't happened to me since, and it probably won't happen in the future, but who knows.

Makes sense. But check the basement for rallies of carpenter ants just to be sure. They like hidden/dark and damp places, and wet wood to nest in.

There is no basement, so most probably it is clean, as I haven't seen any ants inside.

They will generally not nest in and burrow through live trees. Live trees are much too hard for them to chew through and the tree has its own live defence system that will deter them (trees can protect themselves). What they mostly use for nesting in nature is thick, dead, wet logs/branches and rotting wood on the forest floor, close to the ground. So they are actually responsible for helping break down dead wood -- big natural 'litter' on the forest floor -- to smaller pieces. That's one of the main ways they contribute back to nature's balance.

If they usually don't kill trees then it's indeed no problem for trees.

Nope! That's definitely no fun! The main concern here is that if they unwittingly damage the wooden infrastructure/support, parts of the house or the whole house can come crashing down under the slightest impact/wind. This is why termites are so dangerous in the home, too.

Yep, if they don't damage something they are harmless. If they do damage something then it can prove catastrophic.

They're actually cleaning them of all the scent particles that collected on them. Blowing their nose, if you will.

Yep, after all after a while they will have touched on many things, so they will smell these things.
And if smell is your main way of navigating, this I imagine is very uncomfortable.

 

[Cerez]

If they usually don't kill trees then it's indeed no problem for trees.

The only live tree they may choose to 'attack' -- if they are really desperate for a home -- is a dying tree, whose immune system can no longer defend it. So if that olive tree is indeed dying, that's why I said it makes sense they may have made a nest in its roots.

Yep, if they don't damage something they are harmless. If they do damage something then it can prove catastrophic.

To human-made buildings, yes.

And if smell is your main way of navigating, this I imagine is very uncomfortable.

Yep, getting their nose 'clogged up', so to speak, means they can no longer keep in contact with their colony and 'see'. And a worker (or soldier) ant losing their scent-link with their family/colony stands no chance of survival on their own. That's why they're so fussy with cleaning their antennas.

 

[Cerez]

They do usually run away, but for some reason it didn't, it just looked at us.

It hasn't happened to me since, and it probably won't happen in the future, but who knows.

I saw a squirrel once in my life. The encounter was so peculiar that to this day I find it hard to believe it actually happened, and that I wasn't imagining it.

I was walking down a row of old trees in a rural area, and as I casually looked up, I suddenly had the sensation of being watched by an animal. I strained to see what it was that gave me that feeling, and I spotted the small face of a squirrel right in my sight, above me on the tree ahead, looking straight at me (the road was going down on a slope). It was casually peeking out from the side of the trunk, and intently watching me with apparent great curiosity.

Then, as I was stopped in my walk by the small face intently staring at me (feeling like a live exhibit), and blinked twice to focus my eyes and get the picture to my brain (trying to make sense of it), the face of the squirrel suddenly vanished. At this point I became convinced that I was imagining things, worriedly shook my head, and resumed my walk.

Then, as if to deliberately prove me wrong, I spotted the squirrel again, now whole, extremely quickly twirling up the tree on a thick branch on the other side into the thick canopy. It was a squirrel, it moved exactly like one -- and I saw the quick-jerky movement in all its details! It stopped to take one last glance at me, then sped up the tree.

They can be so light and quick that even when you see them, you strain to believe they're real!

Close as I was to it, that's probably the closest that a human being can get to a squirrel. And it only happened because the squirrel chose to stay as I approached, curiously watching me on this slope.

Even though they're generally shy, apparently squirrels, too, have both great curiosity and intelligence. Your fox must have been doing much the same: studying you and thinking.

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

I saw a squirrel once in my life. The encounter was so peculiar that to this day I find it hard to believe it actually happened, and that I wasn't imagining it.

I was walking down a row of old trees in a rural area, and as I casually looked up, I suddenly had the sensation of being watched by an animal. I strained to see what it was that gave me that feeling, and I spotted the small face of a squirrel right in my sight, above me on the tree ahead, looking straight at me (the road was going down on a slope). It was casually peeking out from the side of the trunk, and intently watching me with apparent great curiosity.

Then, as I was stopped in my walk by the small face intently staring at me (feeling like a live exhibit), and blinked twice to focus my eyes and get the picture to my brain (trying to make sense of it), the face of the squirrel suddenly vanished. At this point I became convinced that I was imagining things, worriedly shook my head, and resumed my walk.

Then, as if to deliberately prove me wrong, I spotted the squirrel again, now whole, extremely quickly twirling up the tree on a thick branch on the other side into the thick canopy. It was a squirrel, it moved exactly like one -- and I saw the quick-jerky movement in all its details! It stopped to take one last glance at me, then sped up the tree.

They can be so light and quick that even when you see them, you strain to believe they're real!

Nice encounter!

I haven't met a squirrel yet, but I adore them, easily one of the cutest animals for me.

Close as I was to it, that's probably the closest that a human being can get to a squirrel. And it only happened because the squirrel chose to stay as I approached, curiously watching me on this slope.

I guess so, at least when talking about wild squirrels.

Because cases like these exist:

Even though they're generally shy, apparently squirrels, too, have both great curiosity and intelligence. Your fox must have been doing much the same: studying you and thinking.

Yep, it certainly looked like it was studying us.
Magnificent creatures they are.

 

[Cerez]

I guess so, at least when talking about wild squirrels.

Because cases like these exist:

In the glass enclosure -- the new home -- the squirrel is actually freaking out -- it's panicking! I can't believe the owner could not see that!

I'm not fan of domestication -- because it goes against the natural balance -- so I didn't share this video:

Magnificent creatures they are.

Would love to meet one in real life (a live one that is, that wasn't killed on the road ).

You may appreciate this film:

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

In the glass enclosure -- the new home -- the squirrel is actually freaking out -- it's panicking! I can't believe the owner could not see that!

And it makes sense, I mean you are suddenly thrust in a new environment.

I'm not fan of domestication -- because it goes against the natural balance -- so I didn't share this video:

Personally I am fine with it, if the animal was not going to survive on the wild on it's own.

Would love to meet one in real life (a live one that is, that wasn't killed on the road ).

Funnily enough the live ones I have seen out number the dead ones.

I saw one up close, and one night I saw one running.
As far as dead ones go I have seen one, in a gravel road next to the forest area nearest to my home.

You may appreciate this film:

Seems nice, don't know how often humans get that close to foxes, but it's a movie.

 

[Cerez]

Funnily enough the live ones I have seen out number the dead ones.

Wish I could say the same...

Australians are vicious murderers on the road, apparently...

Seems nice, don't know how often humans get that close to foxes, but it's a movie.

It's one of those special encounters you've just talked about.

The trailer makes it look too easy -- too movie-like. It's not a very good representation of the film. The film is a fairy tale, sure, but a real-life one, true to nature! You'll see.

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

Australians are vicious murderers on the road, apparently...

Depends, maybe if you look at countryside roads in Greece you will also see this image.

But I don't live there, so I can not confirm it.

It's one of those special encounters you've just talked about.

The trailer makes it look too easy -- too movie-like. It's not a very good representation of the film. The film is a fairy tale, sure, but a real-life one, true to nature! You'll see.

Ah good to know!

The trailer really does make it seem too easy, but I guess they wanted to show a bit of everything quickly.