Dolphins, like me in a bar surrounded by large angry dudes, do there best to talk their way out of fights:
“Burst-pulsed sounds are used in the life of bottlenose dolphins to socialise and maintain their position in the social hierarchy in order to prevent physical conflict, and this also represents a significant energy saving,” Bruno Díaz, lead author of the study and a researcher at the BDRI, which he also manages, said. … According to the experts, the tonal whistle sounds (the most melodious ones) allow dolphins to stay in contact with each other (above all mothers and offspring), and to coordinate hunting strategies. The burst-pulsed sounds (which are more complex and varied than the whistles) are used “to avoid physical aggression in situations of high excitement, such as when they are competing for the same piece of food, for example,” explains Díaz.
Aaaaaaaaah! couldn’t resist the alliteration. Sorry.
Seriously, though, a dolphin named Merlin is learning to speak using the iPad, so says Michael Leddy of Orange Crate Art:
[Jack] Kassewitz [of SpeakDolphin.com] explained the requirements of the technology. “Waterproofing, processor speed, touch-sensitivity, anti-glare screens, and dolphin-friendly programs are essential. As this database of dolphin symbols grows — we’ll need fast technology to help us respond appropriately and quickly to the dolphins.”
The research was being conducted at Dolphin Discovery’s dolphin swim facility in Puerto Aventuras, Mexico, along the picturesque coast now referred to as the Riviera Maya. The dolphin, Merlin, is a juvenile, born at the facility only two years ago. “Merlin is quite curious, like most dolphins, and he showed complete willingness to examine the iPad,” said Kassewitz.
My fave out of all of them is #8, the ever inventive octopus:
An octopus that uses coconut shells as portable armor is the latest addition to a growing list of tool users in the animal kingdom. The veined octopus apparently can stack coconut shell halves that people discarded just as one might pile bowls, sits atop them, makes its eight arms rigid like stilts, and then ambles the entire heap across the seafloor, using them for shelter later when needed. These new findings are apparently the first reported instance of an invertebrate that acquires tools for later use.
That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, this chicken is both a hen and a rooster:
The bodies of these hen-rooster hybrids, or gynandromorphs, have a mixture of genetically male and female cells, the research reveals.
Only about 1 in 10,000 chickens are born as gynandromorphs, which have male features—such as a rooster’s comb and a defensive leg spur—on one side of their bodies and dainty, henlike features on the other.
Researchers had thought a rare genetic abnormality causes the condition. To test this theory, Michael Clinton of the University of Edinburgh and his team analyzed cells from three gynandromorph chickens.
To their surprise, the team found that the chickens’ cells were normal. What was strange, however, was that male cells made up one half of the body, and female cells composed the other half.
What happens when nature creates an abomination of itself? Does that mean it’s not an abomination or that nature is just inherently abominable?
“Half-Male Chicken Mystery Solved” – Nat Geo
And other glorious cyborg animals. Raise your hand if you love photoshop. RAISE IT! [via Digg]
Jackrabbit + antelope + duck:
Who could object to an evil, moonshine-chugging, begoggled scientist creating such a cute, cuddly abomination of nature?
[Collegehumor]
No no no no no no no. The guy holding it is way too excited about the thing will haunt my nightmares. via Treehugger (jerks)
Laurie Santos, Professor of Psychology at Yale, talks about monkey minds:
Pop Transhumanism | Kyle Munkittrick | 
June 10, 2010 8:55 am | 
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