7 minute read
The Animal Connection
from WIN Times July 2022
by Mishal Faraz
Hello everyone! My name is Victoria Nedyalkova. I’m in Year 7J, and this is my second year as a very proud columnist for WIN Times. I love writing, baking, playing the piano, and playing with my dog, Teddy. With the start of a new school year, comes new beginnings, and new exciting experiences. I am glad to introduce my new column in WIN Times. As an enthusiastic animal lover with a passion for animals, I chose the topic of discovering different aspects of all the living things around us, other than humans. So, if you love animals just like me, stick around and I can assure you that you will enjoy the content of this column as much as I enjoy writing it!
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They are wonderful and they matter
Victoria nedyalkova, year 7
7.9 billion people. 8.7 million species of diverse types of animals in the world.
Everywhere you look, there are living creatures all around. We might call home four walls and a roof, but for 8.7 million types of animals, our interpretation is far from theirs. Here I will reveal some remarkable facts about animals you may never heard…
Turritopsis dohrnii is a jellyfish found in the Mediterranean Sea, although you can find them in most oceans nowadays. They have been labelled as “biologically immortal” as they are thought to be able to live forever. They were first discovered in 1883, and their immortality was first discovered in 1980.
When one of the jelly fishes’ tentacles gets damaged, or it feels stressed from predators, or even if it feels starvation, it will reabsorb its tentacles and lose the ability to swim and turns into a sack. After that, over the time period of 24-36 hours, the jellyfish returns to its first life stage. Now, even though it might seem to live forever, that is not the entire truth. During the 24-36 hours, this sack-like polyp that sinks to the ocean floor is a defenseless target for sea slugs and crustaceans. Now, because of this, their average lifespan is not known, however, they usually tend to live for about 1,000 years.
POLICE DOGS
Dogs are more than just pets for a lot of people. For most, they are part of their family, but for some, they are their partner for work… A dog’s nose is 10,000-100,000 times stronger than a human. This makes them a “paw-fect” partner for police officers, or people who investigate crime scenes.
When trained, they can learn to sniff out bombs, weapons, objects and even people. This ability makes them extremely helpful when human’s capabilities don’t come in handy.
Despite the fact that many dogs are smarter than most police dog breeds, trainers often look for specific strengths when training in a breed, such as obedience, agility, tracking, evidence searches in unsecured area and the ability to complete building searches. Police dogs usually work for 8-9 years, and then spend the rest of their days with their beloved owners.
THE 2ND SMARTEST ANIMAL
The Chimpanzee is a part of the great ape family, which consists of chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobo, humans, and orangutangs. The IQ of a chimpanzee ranges between 75-95, while the average human scores an average of 85-115.
The chimpanzee can also be taught sign language and learn over 2,000 symbols. Moreover, they can learn to understand the human’s signs, therefore communicating with us. Unfortunately, chimpanzees are listed as Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature, as the leading cause of endangerment being destruction of their habitat. Luckily, since 1931, there has been a law, stating that it is illegal to own, kill, or capture these species.
Even though people keep cats as pets, they have a deep and significant meaning. Cats symbolize elegance, curiosity, independence, protection, and magic. However, they aren’t just a pet. Not only is it scientifically proven that cat’s purrs can lower blood pressure and heart rate, but they have important meanings in some countries.
In Japanese folklore, they symbolize luck and good fortune. If you have ever been to Japan, or simply have watched videos about their culture, you most definitely might have seen a tiny figure of a cat waving its paw back and forth. It’s called a ‘Lucky Cat’ or in Japanese, ‘maneki-neko.’
But not only that! In Egypt, cats are worshipped like gods, and serve as a reminder of the power of gods. They are incorporated into Egyptian artwork, patterns and ornaments.
Pigeon mathematicians
You might know that in the past, pigeons were used for many different purposes: sport, food and message carriers. Pigeons are the smartest type of birds, evolving from the “rock dove.” They have been domesticated over 10,000 years ago and have been kept as pets.
Would you have ever guessed that pigeons can do math? That’s right! How cool is that?
Over the span of a couple of years, pigeons can be taught to peck numbers on a screen, solving simple math problems. They can complete numerical questions.
In monitored tests, pigeons have been established to be intelligent enough to differentiate between photographs, and even recognize two different people in photographs.
VAQUITAS
The vaquita is one of the world’s least known animals. This species of dolphin evolved from the “Burmeister's porpoise” when they moved into warmer waters one million years ago. They are also the rarest sea mammal in the world. Unfortunately, despite being studied on for less than a century, they have already made it in the list of “Critically endangered.” With less than 20 remaining in the wild. Due to illegal fishing practices, Vaquitas get stuck in the fisher’s nets, and drown within minutes after not being able to reach the surface for air. Luckily, there is a chance that this magnificent animal can be saved. Scientists have informed us that in order for that to happen, we would have to put an end to Gillet fishing in the area that they live in. These mesmerizing creatures, who are labelled rather shy, and secretive, and serve as both predator and prey in their natural environment. They are the food for sharks, and without them, there will be a tremendous change in the food chain, effecting all the animals in its ecosystem.
The planet is full of animal’s species that are remarkable and incredible. Every one of them is unique and different in its own way. From the tiniest insect to the largest mammal, all of them are interesting. Did you know that scientists are still discovering new species of life on Earth, even today, after all these years? We are not aware exactly how many types of life are yet unrecorded in scientific literature, but a study in 2011 suggested that 86% of species are still waiting to be found.
We are living in time of a great biodiversity loss, with reports of massive extinction. There is a large chance that by the end of the next decade, we not going to be able to witness these wonderful creatures.
But we should not give up, on the contrary, we can change the world and the statistic. The change can begin with the animal lovers like you and me and spread the compassion and respect towards the animals, because they matter.
