Blood-Sucking Animals
Hank Green introduces us to 6 blood-drinking (or otherwise consuming) animals that you may not be aware of. Don’t freak out…
Call Me Stormy
Finding righteous currents in turbulent times
Archive for the tag “animals”
True Facts about the Tapir
Remember, if you never take any risks, you might fade away. Tapir takes advice from the bird, the bear, the pig and others, but should she heed the recommendations? H/T Ze Frank
The Majestic Grolar Bear
Although polar bears and grizzly bears aren’t all that similar and are definitely separate species, they can interbreed and create fertile offspring in the wild. Hank Green brings us the story of these misfit bears, which he likes to call grolar bears.
Bedbugs, Seriously
The lowly bedbug is making a huge comeback, its ranks swelled by worldwide bans on DDT and similar pesticides, as well as the uptick in global travel. MinuteEarth outlines the difficult quest to sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite.
The Science of Cats
Why do cats always seem to land on their feet? Is catnip an aphrodisiac for them? AsapSCIENCE offers the straight, scientific scoop on cats in this episode.
True Facts About the Sea Pig
Is this sluggish sea creature a relative of the common sow? Or a salty cucumber hybrid? Ze Frank lays out the facts, and it’s up to you to decide how to interpret them.
Green Tyranny
Who is really served by the heavy-handed EPA bureaucrats? John Stossel examines a federal agency that’s running amok, going over the top to ridiculous lengths to enforce obscure legal mandates.
Owls in Their Element
How do owls turn their heads around as much as 270 degrees? And what’s with their superpower hearing abilities? Emily Graslie, host of The Brain Scoop, shares the lowdown on these solitary, nocturnal creatures — sometimes feared by the superstitious, although also revered as wise and noble.
Truth About the Dung Beetle
Dung beetles do their dance at the ball. Language alert. H/T Ze Frank
How to Save Our Zoos
In nature, rare and endangered animals fight for their lives against poachers and predators. In publicly owned zoos, they face different but no-less lethal dangers: politics and budget woes. That problem will only get worse as local governments come to terms with decades of out-of-control spending and declining tax revenues.
For six years straight, notes Leonard Gilroy, the Reason Foundation’s director of government reform, cities have seen declines in overall revenues – and that situation isn’t expected improve dramatically anytime soon. In such an environment, says Gilroy, city governments rightly focus on core activities such as law enforcement and infrastructure. Given that public zoos on average get 40 percent of their budgets from taxes, shrinking public dollars means reducing operating hours, deferring maintenance, raising ticket prices, cutting education programs, and laying off workers.
The best solution? Privatize the zoos by turning over most or all of their operations to nonprofits and other groups that generally have more interest, resources and expertise in caring for animals and drawing crowds.
