Penguin Playing On iPad With Beak

A California zoo is believed to be the first in the world to give its penguin residents access to an iPad.

Staff at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach let two it its Magellanic penguins, Jeremy and Newson, play on an iPad game originally designed for cats.

The team were astonished when the birds instantly took to the game, chasing an on-screen mouse and managing to score highly on the game by tapping their beaks on the screen.

‘Just like cats penguins are very curious and the idea of these birds following a virtual mouse on a screen was just too appealing to me not to try out.

‘Dusting off my old iPad 1 and loading Game for Cats app on it we set up a penguin video arcade in the exhibit last week.’

‘Sure enough when Jeremy and Newsom noticed the iPad in the exhibit they both waddled on over. Jeremy was the first to try it out but Newsom was the one that really got into it.

‘Stalking the virtual mouse intently he tried to pick it up repeatedly with his beak.

‘Newsom especially seemed to like the squeak that the mouse made when he put his beak on the virtual critter.

‘The mouse was self reinforcing for this penguin.

‘Newsom set the penguin high score of 1600 for the game.’

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Patterned Animal Illustration

It would be hard to tell from these strikingly detailed animals but artist Iain Macarthur got his start drawing cartoon characters. Now he carries his sketchbook on the bus, to the cafe and everywhere else as he includes more realism and in this case pattern in his illustrations.

See more of his animals (and even some cartoons) at iainmacarthur.carbonmade.com.

Overtoun Bridge

The Overtoun Bridge is an arch bridge located near Milton, Scotland, over the Overtoun Burn. A burn is a term used to describe a type of stream which is smaller than a river. Milton is a village in West Dunbartonshire, which is just on the outskirts of Dumbarton. The Overtoun Bridge has gained public attention because of the unusually large number of dogs that have allegedly leaped to their deaths off the bridge. It is not known exactly
when or why dogs began to leap from the bridge, but news stories and studies have indicated that these deaths might have begun during the 1950s or 1960s, at the rate of about one dog a month.

Overtoun Bridge

The long leap from the bridge onto the waterfalls of the Overtoun Estate almost always results in immediate death. Inexplicably, some dogs have actually survived, recuperated, and then returned to the site to jump again. These dogs are known to the locals of Dumbarton as “second timers.” The
dogs have mostly jumped from one side of the bridge, during clear weather, and have mostly been breeds with long noses. No explanation has yet been
found.

There have been a number of theories as to why dogs are choosing to end their lives by jumping off the bridge, ranging from the bridge being haunted to the canines suffering from depression, or even picking up depressed or suicidal feelings from the bridge. However, the explanation which seems to be the most logical involves the presence of minks on the banks of the burn. The mink’s powerful anal glands leave marks wherever they go and the strong musty smell they produce is of interest to dogs.

It has been suggested that the height of the bridge’s granite walls significantly impairs the dogs’ sense of sight and hearing, so when they go to investigate the smell, they are unaware of the massive fall that awaits them. However, this explanation doesn’t satisfy all. It is still puzzling why the dogs all jump from roughly the same spot or why they return for a second jump if initially unsuccessful. There is something quite eerie about this bridge.

Soldiers Bonding with Kittens

And just in case you like dogs more check out Soldiers Bonding With Puppies

Two Face Cat : Frank and Louie

Frank and Louie the cat was born with two faces, two mouths, two noses, three eyes — and lots of doubts about his future.

Now, 12 years after Marty Stevens rescued him from being euthanized because of his condition, the exotic blue-eyed rag doll cat is not only thriving, but has also made it into the 2012 edition of Guinness World Records as the longest-surviving member of a group known as Janus cats, named for a Roman god with two faces.

Every day is kind of a blessing; being 12 and normal life expectancy when they have this condition is one to four days. So, he’s ahead of the game; every day I just thank God I still have him.

… Stevens said, stroking Frank and Louie’s soft fur as he sat on her lap purring.

Frank and Louie’s breeder had taken him to the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, where Stevens was working at the time, to be euthanized when he was just a day old. Stevens offered to take him home, but experts told her not to get her hopes up.

Janus cats almost never survive, and most have congenital defects, including a cleft palate that makes it difficult for them to nurse and often causes them to slowly starve or get milk in their lungs and die of pneumonia. The condition is the result of a genetic defect that triggers excessive production of a certain kind of protein.

But Frank and Louie did not suffer from most of the common Janus problems. Stevens used feeding tubes to nourish him for three months, hoping that would also save him from the danger of choking on food going down two mouths.

It turned out she didn’t have to worry about him choking, because Frank and Louie used just one of his mouths to eat.
Frank and Louie’s two faces have a complicated relationship. Both noses work, but one mouth does not have a lower jaw and isn’t connected to his one esophagus, so he can’t eat with it. Stevens discovered that only after the cat got an MRI later in life.

The animal can see out of only two of his three eyes. The middle one can’t even blink and makes Frank and Louie appear to be staring even when his other eyes are closed.

Frank and Louie does not seem to be bothered by his condition and has developed a friendly personality. The breed is known for its soft and silky fur, docile temperament and penchant for relaxing in a person’s arms like a rag doll.

Thirty years ago, a cat like Frank and Louie might not have been given a chance to live.