Awesome Animal News!

[Nerdanel]

Dolphin saves beached whales

Thought it was worth mentioning: there's something really interesting going on there if it's true. Communication between these two different species.. Not unbelievable, we too do that to some extent, but darn interesting.

[Mari]

That's nice
It would be great if it would happen more often.

[Rían]

Wow, that's very interesting, Nerdy!

[Nerdanel]

More cool animals:

Moonwalking and other amazing bird behaviours

[Mari]

Wow! Amazing how they can be so fast. And they are pretty. The female bird didn't look so pretty at all! (You could see one in the last seconds of the video I think)

[Nerdanel]

Originally Posted by Mari

Wow! Amazing how they can be so fast. And they are pretty. The female bird didn't look so pretty at all! (You could see one in the last seconds of the video I think)

That's how it often is: many female birds (and other animals as well) evolve camouflage colours, while the males evolve ornaments. Sometimes it's the other way around, though: it mostly depends on 1) in which way the sexual selection is working and 2) which way natural selection is working. 1) often leads to the elaborate ornaments we can see in many species, while 2) is behind the camouflage colouration.

[Earniel]

Moonwalking, of course if any bird has to come up with it, it has to be one of them...

Did anyone ever caught the episode of Planet Earth with the birds of paradise? Those funny mating rituals with the odd feathery shapes, I nearly died laughing.

[Nerdanel]

Yeah.. Funny stuff. Maybe that's the interspecies mating barriers: all other species run away laughing.

[Nerdanel]

Did you guys see this already? XD

Mother of the Year

[Mari]

Awww!
*is suddenly reminded of a Bible verse about children playing with snakes and the lion sleeping besides the lamb...* (I just read the Theology thread, that's probably why )

[tolkienfan]

lol! That's so sweet!

[Nautipus]

Originally Posted by Nerdanel

Dolphin saves beached whales

Thought it was worth mentioning: there's something really interesting going on there if it's true. Communication between these two different species.. Not unbelievable, we too do that to some extent, but darn interesting.

That is definately neat, Nerdy. Communication between two species as advanced as cetaceans is definately believable, even predictable, with the precedent set by many other far more primitive marine animals. Certain morays and groupers, for example, hunt cooperatively to catch meals, certain gobies and shrimp share a commensal relatinship for protection. Even bacteria (slime molds) have been shown to comunicate,if only among themselves.

[Nerdanel]

Originally Posted by Nautipus

That is definately neat, Nerdy. Communication between two species as advanced as cetaceans is definately believable, even predictable, with the precedent set by many other far more primitive marine animals. Certain morays and groupers, for example, hunt cooperatively to catch meals, certain gobies and shrimp share a commensal relatinship for protection. Even bacteria (slime molds) have been shown to comunicate,if only among themselves.

Damn. Why do I never remember to copy my replies before I post them? >.<

Anyway: That's really interesting, I didn't know they did that. So that actually involves communication then, I guess? I mean, because there's a relationship between two species doesn't mean they can communicate with each other. And communication is, indeed, found even in slime molds - but as you say, that's intraspecific.

I don't really agree with your claim that interspecific communication in more advanced animals is predictable just because more primitive lineages have it. I have a hard time believing (but would be happy to be proven wrong) that interspecific communication is a basic trait that more advanced species share - in my mind, it seems more probable that this property has been aquired independently in different lineages, and preserved in those where it has been of use.

Then again, it naturally depends on what you mean by communication. Is eavesdropping, in your opinion, a form of communication?

So I still think it's cooler than you make it sound. Maybe it's just because you know a lot more about marine mammals and I'm totally wrong about this.

[Nautipus]

Originally Posted by Nerdanel

Damn. Why do I never remember to copy my replies before I post them? >.<

Because I'm here, sabatoging everything.

Anyway: That's really interesting, I didn't know they did that. So that actually involves communication then, I guess? I mean, because there's a relationship between two species doesn't mean they can communicate with each other. And communication is, indeed, found even in slime molds - but as you say, that's intraspecific.

The grouper-eel relationship is still not entirely understood, but it seem to be a complex behavior that would need some coordination. I agree that a relationship between to species doesnt mean they communicate with one another, but the gobie-shrimp relatinship involves primitive coordination, through the form of the gobie using body-language.

I don't really agree with your claim that interspecific communication in more advanced animals is predictable just because more primitive lineages have it. I have a hard time believing (but would be happy to be proven wrong) that interspecific communication is a basic trait that more advanced species share - in my mind, it seems more probable that this property has been aquired independently in different lineages, and preserved in those where it has been of use.

All I was saying there was that since these much more primitive animals are capable of doing it, it follows that animals capable of more complex "brain activity", for lack of a better word, would be capable of doing it. It is a fact that cetaceans communicate among themselves (something like the intraspeciic communication between members of a slime mold), and they are extremely intelligent animals, so it follows that communication between species could be possible, especially with the common form of intraspecific communication that they use.

Then again, it naturally depends on what you mean by communication. Is eavesdropping, in your opinion, a form of communication?

Nope, notice the co in communication.

So I still think it's cooler than you make it sound. Maybe it's just because you know a lot more about marine mammals and I'm totally wrong about this.

Oh, I definately wasnt downing it (at least I didnt iintend to), but there is simply a precedent, that's all I was pointing out. I have a functional knowledge of certain marine mammals, but not as much as fish or invertebrates.

[Nerdanel]

I think I see your point now - but many things could be possible that aren't realized. But yeah, thanks for your quick reply.

I'll read more about the eel-grouper relationship, it sounds really interesting! And I'm sure there's so much communication going on that we're not at all aware of.. Since we tend to be rather restricted.

Oh, so you're not yourself a marine creature? o.O

EDIT: we should've had this in the science thread instead.. that place seems to need something else to talk about.

[Nautipus]

I'm not a marine mammal.

Yeah, the Gore discussion has ripened like bucket of offal over there. I hardly ever read it anymore.

[strider8]

the one with the tiger and the piglets was so sad and sweet

[Nerdanel]

They're babbling in Finnish, but it's worth watching anyway: the reptile house in Helsinki (the one I have free access to since I did some translations for them ) has, again, new snake young! This time the yellow anacondas (Eunectes notaeus) were the ones who reproduced. And these ones like to bite. X)

Yellow anaconda babies

[Nautipus]

Cute!

I love sneaky snakes. To bad you fellers gots to steal our Anacondas.

[Nautipus]

http://www.cyberthing.net/video-play.php?id=105

Warms the heart, doesnt it?