A dog can be a wonderful companion — whether at home or on adventures. For an Australian sailor, this companionship was essential for survival as he and his dog were stranded at sea before recently getting rescued. However, after this fateful ordeal, the sailor said goodbye to his canine friend.
Sailor met his dog Bella while traveling in Mexico
Sailor and dog after rescue | NBC News via YouTube
Tim Shaddock, a 51 year-old-man from Australia, met the dog while traveling in Mexico — and named her Bella. The dog grew attached to Shaddock and followed him around, per the Independent.
“Bella sort of found me in the middle of Mexico. She’s Mexican,” said Shaddock. “She’s the spirit of the middle of the country and she wouldn’t let me go. I tried to find a home for her three times and she just kept following me onto the water.”
Caught in a storm in the Pacific Ocean on their catamaran
With a strong bond between them, Shaddock decided to take Bella with him for a journey across the Pacific Ocean — and on to French Polynesia. Three months ago, they set off with their white catamaran from La Paz, Mexico.
The first part of their journey was tranquil, as they traveled westward across the Pacific. However, a month into their excursion, a strong storm struck their catamaran. It severely damaged the boat, wiping out the electronics — stranding the sailor and his dog at sea.
Stranded at sea: ‘Like finding a needle in a haystack’
The next two months were harrowing for Shaddock and Bella, but they managed to survive by being resourceful and relying on the bare essentials. As detailed by 9News, they survived by drinking rainwater and eating raw fish.
The sailor and his dog spent many days waiting. Given how small the boat was compared to the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, getting rescued seemed unlikely. Ocean survival expert Professor Mike Tipton described it like “finding a needle in a haystack.”
The companionship between Shaddock and Bella was essential for keeping their hopes up — and the will to survive.
“I think that may have well made the difference,” said Lipton. “You’re living very much from day to day and you have to have a very positive mental attitude in order to get through this kind of ordeal and not give up.”
Rescue and emotional goodbye
Bella with crew on boat | Guardian News
After many days of waiting and hoping, the sailor and his dog were miraculously rescued. A helicopter accompanying a Mexican tuna trawler spotted the catamaran. The trawler then took Shaddock and Bella back to Mexico, where they received medical care.
Considering the circumstances, both the sailor and canine were in relatively good health — and good spirits. However, both still need more time to recover from the ordeal. “I’m just needing rest and good food because I have been alone at sea a long time,” said Shaddock.
Shaddock reiterated the importance of Bella, describing her as “amazing.” “She’s a beautiful animal,” he said. “I’m just grateful she’s alive. She’s a lot braver than I am, that’s for sure.”
Nonetheless, Shaddock decided it was best to find a new home for Bella — and a more stable living situation. A crew member from the rescue boat promised to give the dog a “happy and loving home” in Mexico.
Before he flew back to Australia, the sailor said an emotional goodbye to the dog that helped him survive while stranded at sea. Bella waited patiently on the deck of the boat with the crew as Shaddock rode off to the airport.
I’m Mark Putzer, and my passion for animals and all things nature is a life-long love affair. Growing up in Wisconsin, I had many cherished memories of hiking, skiing, and enjoying the abundant wildlife in the Badger State.
My passion for animals led me to marine biology research for my studies at the University of Wisconsin. I researched the behavior and communication of humpback whales around Hawaii and Orca Whales around the San Juan Islands of Washington State. The experience of being close to these massive and magnificent creatures is amazing. Later, I taught outdoor education to children in California — passing along my knowledge of animals and nature to the curious minds of the next generation. I also love pets. This includes a Labrador Retriever dog named “Molly” when I was a kid — and now, an adventurous tabby cat named “Rosy.”
I’m here to share the wonders of the animal kingdom with you. Whether it’s a cherished pet at home or an animal out in the wild, there are many unique stories and interesting information to share on Weird Animal News! Enjoy!
An abundance of birds surrounds my home in rural Wisconsin — bluebirds, sandhill cranes, cardinals, woodpeckers, robins, finches, and many more. They fill the air with their calls, chips, squawks, and melodies, creating a relaxing environment. I’ve found that listening to bird songs is a good antidote for lifting my mood — and researchers would agree, for studies show it helps improve mental health.
Hearing bird songs helps reduce depression and anxiety
Indigo bunting | Joshua J. Cotten via Unsplash
Psychology Today detailed studies that demonstrated the positive effects of bird songs on mental health. In a 2022 study published in Scientific Reports, Emil Stobbe and colleagues researched the impact of bird songs on a group of 295 randomized participants. They discovered that hearing these melodies helped alleviate anxiety and paranoia. Conversely, when exposed to traffic noise, depression increased for the participants.
For another study in 2022, also published in Scientific Reports, Ryan Hammoud and other psychologists detailed how encounters with birdlife had a positive impact on a group of over 3,000 participants. “Everyday encounters with birdlife were associated with time-lasting improvements in mental well-being. These improvements were evident not only in healthy people but also in those with a diagnosis of depression, the most common mental illness across the world.”
Businesses utilize avian sounds for positive effects
As these studies show, listening to bird songs is a good remedy for everyday stress and reducing suffering from mental health issues. Also, listening to these melodies is beneficial even when heard indoors or through headphones. And businesses utilize bird songs for positive effects.
For example, when BP gas stations in Europe played bird songs in their toilets, customer satisfaction increased by 50%. Also, a bank in Colombia uses an ambiance of bird soundscapes, which resulted in approval ratings rising from 64% to 90%. Additionally, the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport features a quiet lounge with bird songs piped in through real trees — for a relaxing effect. Plus, you can find an endless array of calming YouTube videos with bird songs.
Why are bird songs so relaxing?
There are multiple reasons why bird songs are so relaxing, as detailed by Psychology Spot and Gulo in Nature. For one, there are genetic and ancestral elements. It helps us connect to nature — our origins. The minds of human beings have a genetic preference for sounds that remind us of nature.
Over thousands of years, humans have learned that they are in a safe environment when birds sing. Conversely, when the chirping and melodies stop, that sometimes means that a predator is near. Also, the presence of birds often corresponded to a location with abundant resources.
Additionally, hearing bird songs helps bring us to the present moment — and away from thoughts that cause suffering. This results in calmness, peacefulness, and mental clarity. Plus, the sounds provide stimulation of the brain — without being too distracting.
Another reason for the improvement in mental health is that some people associate bird songs with the arrival of spring and good weather. Following a harsh winter, this creates a positive feeling and a sense of renewal.
So, the next time you’re feeling depressed and anxious, just head outside and listen to the beautiful melodies of birds. Hearing bird songs could help you beat the blues and get you out of the doldrums.
I’m Mark Putzer, and my passion for animals and all things nature is a life-long love affair. Growing up in Wisconsin, I had many cherished memories of hiking, skiing, and enjoying the abundant wildlife in the Badger State.
My passion for animals led me to marine biology research for my studies at the University of Wisconsin. I researched the behavior and communication of humpback whales around Hawaii and Orca Whales around the San Juan Islands of Washington State. The experience of being close to these massive and magnificent creatures is amazing. Later, I taught outdoor education to children in California — passing along my knowledge of animals and nature to the curious minds of the next generation. I also love pets. This includes a Labrador Retriever dog named “Molly” when I was a kid — and now, an adventurous tabby cat named “Rosy.”
I’m here to share the wonders of the animal kingdom with you. Whether it’s a cherished pet at home or an animal out in the wild, there are many unique stories and interesting information to share on Weird Animal News! Enjoy!
Cats are very popular in Japan. After all, it’s the land of “Hello Kitty” and “cat cafes.” Also, in Japanese culture, felines are believed to bring good luck — and many in the country spend a great deal of money on their care. Knowing when a cat is experiencing physical or mental suffering, though, can be a challenge. However, a new Cat Pain Detector app from Japan addresses this issue by telling humans when their cat is suffering.
Cat Pain Detector app from Japan detects pain based on facial expressions
Carelogy, a tech firm, and Nihon University, both in Tokyo, collaborated on the Cat Pain Detector (CPD) app. The app utilizes an AI program trained on thousands of cat photos, enabling it to determine a cat’s pain based on facial expressions.
A survey conducted by Nihon University shows that when cats are in pain, 70% of the time humans fail to take them to a veterinarian — primarily due to not being aware that they are suffering. Also, knowing a feline’s facial expressions can also be difficult for vets to determine — and the pain is often not discovered until after examinations.
However, Carelogy and Nihon University claim that the new app can detect pain with a high degree of accuracy.
How the Cat Pain Detector works
Cat under a rug | Mikhail Vasilyev via Unsplash
For the Cat Pain Detector app, Carelogy and Nihon University’s College of Bioresource Sciences trained an AI program with 6,000 feline photos. The researchers studied the photos, looking at small details, such as the positions of the eyelids, noses, ears, and whiskers.
Then, they sorted the data according to the “Feline Grimace Scale,” which is a cat pain index published by the University of Montreal. The index uses a scoring system that measures the differences between healthy felines and those in pain with challenging-to-detect illnesses.
After that, the developers of the app fed the data into an AI system, which further refined its detection skills from 600,000 photos uploaded by users.
In an interview with AFP, Go Sakioka, the head developer at Carelogy, said that the app has a pain detection “accuracy level of over 90%.” Sakioka added, “We want to help cat owners judge more easily at home whether to see a vet or not.”
The app is already being used by veterinarians in Japan
Since its release last month, the Cat Pain Detector app has already gained 43,000 users. Most of them are from Japan, but some are also from South America and Europe. Also, the app is already being used by veterinarians in Japan.
Professor Kazuya Edamura at Nihon University described how it’s challenging for owners to recognize distress in their cats, but the app can overcome this hurdle. “This tool is a very unique application that uses AI to detect such minute changes. Cats are not very good at complaining of pain by themselves. We hope you will utilize this tool as one of the tools to understand your cat’s condition.”
However, Sakioka cautioned that more refinement is necessary for the app. “The AI system still needs to be more precise before it’s used as a standardized tool.”
I’m Mark Putzer, and my passion for animals and all things nature is a life-long love affair. Growing up in Wisconsin, I had many cherished memories of hiking, skiing, and enjoying the abundant wildlife in the Badger State.
My passion for animals led me to marine biology research for my studies at the University of Wisconsin. I researched the behavior and communication of humpback whales around Hawaii and Orca Whales around the San Juan Islands of Washington State. The experience of being close to these massive and magnificent creatures is amazing. Later, I taught outdoor education to children in California — passing along my knowledge of animals and nature to the curious minds of the next generation. I also love pets. This includes a Labrador Retriever dog named “Molly” when I was a kid — and now, an adventurous tabby cat named “Rosy.”
I’m here to share the wonders of the animal kingdom with you. Whether it’s a cherished pet at home or an animal out in the wild, there are many unique stories and interesting information to share on Weird Animal News! Enjoy!
Sloths, as their names imply, are not in a rush to go anywhere. The adorable furry mammals dwell in the treetops of tropical forests in South and Central America, going about their day at a glacial pace. But why do sloths move so slowly? It’s not because they’re lazy.
The slowness of sloths is an adaptation to their diet and slow metabolic rate
The primary reason why sloths are so slow is that it’s an adaptation to their low-calorie diet and slow metabolic rate. They predominantly have a folivorous diet, feeding mostly on leaves.
Also, with their large, four-chambered stomach, sloths digest their food very slowly. While the precise rate of digestion is unknown, researchers estimate it can take anywhere from 157 hours to an astounding 1,200 hours (50 days) from the time a sloth eats a leaf to when it excretes it out the other end. Imagine going for 50 days before having a bowel movement for something you ate!
Sloth in a tree | Meg Jerrard via Unsplash
With their slow rate of digestion, sloths don’t eat much food, for their four-chambered stomach is constantly full, per the Sloth Conservation Foundation. The food in their digestive system can account for up to 37% of their body weight. With so much of their energy going into digestion, there isn’t much available for other activities, so sloths adapt by moving slowly.
And to survive on such a low-calorie diet, sloths have one of the lowest metabolic rates for mammals. Everything they do is geared toward saving energy. Even their body temperature is low — thermoregulated to as low as 50°F. A higher temperature expends more energy. And for speed, if sloths moved at a faster pace, they wouldn’t survive, for their slow metabolism wouldn’t be able to support it.
Low muscle mass
An additional element of conserving energy is the low muscle mass of the sloths. They sacrifice their muscle tissue to minimize energy expenditure. Plus, while sloths might appear to be large, much of this size is from their very thick fur, which also likely helps with temperature regulation. Underneath this thick layer of fluffiness, these mammals are skinny.
Furthermore, while the low muscle mass prevents sloths from going fast, it’s arranged to make them resistant to fatigue, while providing a surprising amount of strength.
Sloths are also slow due to their poor eyesight
Another reason why sloths are so slow is they have poor eyesight. They are colorblind. Also, they can only see a little in dim light. In broad daylight, sloths are completely blind.
These unique sight conditions date back millions of years on the evolutionary tree when sloths were originally ground dwellers — and much larger — as shown by the giant ground sloth. They were already mostly blind during this time, so moving into the trees presented a dangerous proposition. For an animal with poor eyesight, moving slowly at risky heights is safer and helps ensure its survival.
Good at hiding from predators
With their slow movement and poor eyesight, sloths can’t run away from predators. Their main predators are big cats such as jaguars and ocelots, as well as large birds (harpy eagles), which rely on sight to pursue their prey. In avoiding predation, sloths use their slow movement as an advantage. They go slowly so that predators aren’t able to identify them as prey.
Sloths further their stealthiness by using camouflage. The color and texture of their fur resemble their natural surroundings, making them more difficult to detect.
Despite their name, sloths aren’t lazy. They move slowly because it helps them survive. With their low-calorie diet, slow metabolism, low muscle mass, poor eyesight, and hiding from predators, going slow is advantageous.
I’m Mark Putzer, and my passion for animals and all things nature is a life-long love affair. Growing up in Wisconsin, I had many cherished memories of hiking, skiing, and enjoying the abundant wildlife in the Badger State.
My passion for animals led me to marine biology research for my studies at the University of Wisconsin. I researched the behavior and communication of humpback whales around Hawaii and Orca Whales around the San Juan Islands of Washington State. The experience of being close to these massive and magnificent creatures is amazing. Later, I taught outdoor education to children in California — passing along my knowledge of animals and nature to the curious minds of the next generation. I also love pets. This includes a Labrador Retriever dog named “Molly” when I was a kid — and now, an adventurous tabby cat named “Rosy.”
I’m here to share the wonders of the animal kingdom with you. Whether it’s a cherished pet at home or an animal out in the wild, there are many unique stories and interesting information to share on Weird Animal News! Enjoy!
In the past, orca whales, also known as killer whales, despite the latter name, rarely had harmful encounters with humans. Earlier in my career, I researched orca whales around the San Juan Islands of Washington State. Even though boats and the noise created by them are a problem in the area, the majestic cetaceans were a benign presence. However, recently a population of orca whales has been attacking boats around the Iberian Peninsula of Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. And researchers theorize that they are doing it for a unique reason.
Many incidents of orca whales ramming boats around the Iberian Peninsula in the past 3 years
Over the past three years, marine biology researchers have documented hundreds of incidents of orca whales approaching or colliding with boats around the Iberian Peninsula. These incidents typically follow the same pattern. The whales approach the back of the boat. They then ram into the rudder until it makes the ships stop.
While the damage caused by most of these encounters has been minimal, there were three cases in which the attacks sank sailboats. At first, researchers couldn’t figure out why these attacks were happening — and why they were exclusive to the Iberian Peninsula. However, now, some think they found the reason.
Researchers believe orcas are imitating the behavior of White Gladis, a whale traumatized after getting hit by a boat
Orca whale near sailboat | Good Morning America via YouTube
Marine biology researchers theorize that these attacks can be traced to a single event with a female orca whale named White Gladis. She is likely traumatized by a “critical moment of agony,” according to Alfredo López Fernandez, a marine biologist at the University of Aveiro in Portugal. He states that White Gladis was probably hit by a boat — and in response, attacked other ones when encountering them.
“That traumatized orca is the one that started this behavior of physical contact with the boat,” said López Fernandez in an interview with LiveScience. And then other orcas are intimidating White Gladis and ramming into boats as well.
Imitating behavior might be playful in nature
As I’ve seen with my research, orca whales are very intelligent and social animals. They adeptly learn and adopt behaviors from each other. Sometimes these behaviors are intentional — and other times they are not. However, what is clear is that the ramming behavior is spreading throughout the orca population around the Iberian Peninsula. Also, a greater number of whales in this population are partaking.
While some researchers postulate that the ramming of boats is tied to White Gladis being triggered by getting hit by one, there’s another explanation. The imitating behavior from the whales might not have an aggressive intent. Conversely, the imitation could be playful in nature.
It might not be accurate to describe the ramming of the boats as “attacks” — even though that’s what it seems from the perspective of people sailing them. Andrew Trites, the director of the Marine Mammal Research Unit, discussed this possibility with Insider.
“They’re very tactile. They have a sense of touch,” said Trites. The orcas engage in such activities as bumping and rubbing into each other — and raking their teeth over the body of other whales. With this in mind, Trites thinks the ramming incidents with boats are probably a “playful activity that’s gotten way out of hand.”
Ramming behavior is limited to the Iberian Peninsula — and unlikely to spread to other orca populations
Even if all of the whales in the Iberian Peninsula population engage in the imitating behavior, it’s unlikely to spread to other populations, such as the Southern Resident population around Washington State and British Columbia.
This is because whales from different populations typically don’t interact with each other. Also, they have different behaviors. “They’re not hanging out, swapping stories,” said Trite.
Nonetheless, the ramming incidents around the Iberian Peninsula are concerning — for they could lead to injuries or death to both humans and whales. However, Trites speculated that the incidents could eventually fade away — like most “fads.” The whales might stop partaking as they get “bored” with the ramming of the boats.
I’m Mark Putzer, and my passion for animals and all things nature is a life-long love affair. Growing up in Wisconsin, I had many cherished memories of hiking, skiing, and enjoying the abundant wildlife in the Badger State.
My passion for animals led me to marine biology research for my studies at the University of Wisconsin. I researched the behavior and communication of humpback whales around Hawaii and Orca Whales around the San Juan Islands of Washington State. The experience of being close to these massive and magnificent creatures is amazing. Later, I taught outdoor education to children in California — passing along my knowledge of animals and nature to the curious minds of the next generation. I also love pets. This includes a Labrador Retriever dog named “Molly” when I was a kid — and now, an adventurous tabby cat named “Rosy.”
I’m here to share the wonders of the animal kingdom with you. Whether it’s a cherished pet at home or an animal out in the wild, there are many unique stories and interesting information to share on Weird Animal News! Enjoy!
