Wild & Wondrous - Favorite World Press

The FWP weekly digest of wondrous wildlife happenings
and other interesting items from the natural world

Creatures to meet | Things to learn
Things to do

Lisa S. French

From Mary Oliver

What did you notice?
The dew-snail;
the low-flying sparrow;
the bat, on the wind, in the dark;
big-chested geese,
in the V of sleekest performance;
the soft toad,
patient in the hot sand;
the sweet-hungry ants;
the uproar of mice
in the empty house;
the tin music
of the cricket’s body;
the blouse of the goldenrod…

Who Did We Notice?
The kindness curators,
the hope merchants,
the nature protectors,
the planet appreciators,
the friends of the finned,
feathered, and furry,
our readers—you.

Thank you for stopping by,
coming back, and hanging in.
We are so grateful for your support.

Wishing you peace
this Thanksgiving and always.

LSF • WW • FWP

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Lisa S. French November 23, 2023

Tilda is Here!

Dear readers—old friends and new friends—hello!

We’re excited to introduce you to our latest release written by LSF (me) for FWP (Favorite World Press) and illustrated by the brilliant, award-winning Lithuanian artist Marija Smirnovaitė (genius).

Inspired by our love of the living world and the uniquely amazing wildlife of Australia, Dear Earth, I Love You Too! features Tilda, the intrepid koala, in a story of courage and cooperation, hope and healing, created to foster the appreciation and protection of nature and all its furry, feathered, slippery, and scaly inhabitants.

Hugs all around to the new pals of Tilda out there, your dedicated support of the wild ones means the world to us! Here’s just one good reason why: ‘I need your help saving koalas’.

And a leafy, green reminder: for every print or e-book sold, we plant one native tree in a community-based conservation project in partnership with Tree Nation—for people, for nature.

Learn more about how reading with FWP contributes to a healthier planet here.

LSF • WW • FWP

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Lisa S. French November 16, 2023

New Zealand’s Bird of the Century is…

Following a Forest & Bird campaign gone massively global, thanks to the unbridled enthusiasm of Last Week Tonight host John Oliver, the Bird of the Century results are in, and it’s Mr. Oliver’s pick for the win: the orange-mulleted, prolific puker, the one and only Australasian crested grebe, a.k.a. the pūteketeke.

Even though we’re kākāpō loyalists, because a clumsy, slow-moving, flightless bird needs all the love it can get, every New Zealand bird is a winner as far as we’re concerned. And if all that media frenzy ratchets up the global enthusiasm for protecting endangered bird species everywhere, we’re all in—keep the critical conservation momentum going!

And congratulations pūteketeke! Long may you weed dance!

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Lisa S. French November 14, 2023

Support the Birds Down Under

What could possibly be 100 times more exciting than choosing Forest & Bird’s New Zealand Bird of the Year?

Choosing the New Zealand Bird of the Century!

Voting opens today, 10/30. It’s time to get behind your feathery favorites and celebrate and support the conservation of some of the rarest and most spectacular bird species on the planet.

So, which winged wonder do you think should capture the centennial crown?

The charismatic kākāpō, magnetic morepork, or maybe the tenacious takahē?

You can check out all the candidates and vote for the birdiest New Zealand Bird of the Century right here.

Good luck! Here’s to another hundred years of Forest & Bird conservation.

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Lisa S. French October 30, 2023

Humpback Whale Play: Water Toys, and Spa Treatments

2-minute read

Have you ever wondered what baleen whales get up to in their spare time? Do they even have spare time? Sure, whales work from home, make their own schedules, and come and go as they please, but nature can be a harsh taskmaster, and the business of surviving in the wild is a 24/7 endeavor. To fulfill basic physiological needs, the giant marine mammals spend most of their waking hours migrating, foraging for food, caring for young, and, more recently, ship dodging. But according to a new study, humpback whales also make room for fun—engaging in seaweed-centric play known as kelping.

Water Toys and Spa Treatments
Thanks to video and photo contributions from keen-eyed citizen scientists and whale watchers in the U.S., Australia, Canada, and French Polynesia, researchers from Griffin University have reported that humpbacks intentionally seek out and interact with kelp beds and floating seaweed. They swim through it, drag it, and roll in it. They throw it in the air and rub it on their pectoral fins. They kelp alone, and they kelp with other whales.

And what is the purpose of kelping? The whales aren’t talking, but marine scientists have proposed several possibilities: it’s fun—the playful interaction stimulates the giant mammals’ senses and enhances their motor abilities; it’s soothing—they enjoy the sensation of seaweed on their head and jaws; it’s medicinal—they use it to remove parasites and dead skin; it’s a communications tool—they use it to signal other whales.

Humpbacks aren’t the only marine animals known to use random floating objects to engage in what could be interpreted as fun-seeking behavior. Innovative object-oriented activity has been documented in a variety of species, including otters, dolphins, orcas, grey whales, and walruses. Some biologists believe that participating in behaviors outside of the essential tasks of daily living may help animals acquire knowledge, adapt to a changing environment, or build life-sustaining relationships.

Continuing to study how various whale species spend their time in the wild can contribute to conservation efforts by increasing our understanding of how to maintain the ecosystems they depend upon for survival. We may come to learn exactly how important a bit of clean, green, exfoliating whale fun is to their existence.

ICYMI Nature News

This She-Bear Chomps Salmon Like a Boss
Well, it’s official. The really big winner of Katmai National Park’s annual Fat Bear Week contest is the formidable female feaster, Grazer. She out-chomped our pick, second runner-up, Chunk, by a salmon-scarfing mile to be crowned Queen of Katmai. And long may she reign.

Humans Make the Scariest Sounds of All
Apparently, human voices are more frightening to South African wildlife than the roar of lions. Now, researchers are conjuring ways to use recordings of human chitter-chatter to deter animals from entering high poaching areas. So, we’re a good kind of scary, then. Sort of.

Kangaroo Moms Form Clubs to Deter Predators
According to a new study in Animal Behavior, kangaroo moms form neighborhood watch networks to keep their joeys safe from foxes and dingoes. Don’t mess with the socially savvy sisterhood of marsupials.

Even More Glow-In-the-Dark Mammals
It seems a whole lot more mammals have fluorescent fur than previously believed. New research found that 107 of 125 species evaluated had fur that glowed under UV light, including bats, zebras, and polar bears. Solar-powered, we presume?

As If You Need an Expert to Tell You, Cats Are Perfect
A biologist from the Natural History Museum in London has determined that felines have achieved evolutionary perfection. Here’s why. Also, a few thoughts on the matter from FWP resident catnip curator Stella: “Who am I to argue with the scientific community? Now, how about a treat?”

And How Does Your Hammer Grow?
If you’ve ever wondered how a hammerhead shark develops its tool-shaped snout, for the first time ever, you can watch it grow.

Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards
Dancing bears, scolding birds, or lazy lions? You have until November 23rd to cast a vote for your favorite Comedy Wildlife Photograph for 2023. Check out the 41 funniest finalists here.

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Lisa S. French October 11, 2023

Re-Habitat That

2.5-minute read

Loss of habitat resulting from deforestation is one of the greatest threats to wildlife on the planet. In tropical forests alone, home to red pandas, lemurs, and pangolins—Bengal tigers, Asian elephants, and orangutans, researchers estimate that some 75,000 species have already been wiped out or doomed to extinction.

According to a study by the United Nations, we are losing approximately 10 million hectares of forest per year to land use change, and since 2001, an additional 3 million annually and counting to wildfires. The same forests that benefit humanity by cooling the atmosphere, capturing carbon pollution, filtering water, and supporting livelihoods provide habitat for 68 percent of the world’s mammals, 75 percent of bird species, and 80 percent of amphibians.

Beyond the lovely-to-look-at value of iconic creatures, each of the one million species now at risk represents a thread in the web of life that helps to keep ecosystems that we depend on functioning as nature intended. Half of the 85% of at-risk species threatened by loss of habitat live in rainforests, and that’s why restoring and protecting tropical landscapes is critical to their survival and to the health of the planet.

We Plant Trees Where the Wild Things Are
Through our partnership with Tree-Nation, we’re grateful to have the opportunity to support forest conservation with organizations like the Eden Restoration Project, planting trees in some of the world’s most remote locations that not only restore habitat for endangered wildlife but help to improve the living conditions of local communities. Places like Madagascar, home to nine species of lemurs, with only 10% of native forests remaining, and Nepal, where Bengal tigers, Asian elephants, and red pandas roam and forests have been diminished by 70%.

By educating rural populations on the benefits of maintaining the environment they live in, Eden is helping to preserve wildlife habitat through community-based tree-planting projects that generate long-term, social, economic, and biodiversity benefits. Empowering people to care for nature by restoring and protecting forests will help to ensure that the last places on Earth where the wild things are will continue to exist. Thank you for helping us help them re-habitat.

ICYMI Nature News

Jellyfish Learn Without Brains
According to new research, jellyfish don’t need grey matter to acquire knowledge. The gelatinous sea creatures can learn from past experiences through neurons in their eye structures. Read about it here.

Silkworms Can Out-Spider Spiders
Through the process of gene editing, scientists have enabled silkworms to replicate the bulletproof silk of spiders. No copyrights for spiders, apparently.

Rhinos are on the Rebound
On the conservation yay front, finally, some good news for rhinos. According to the IUCN, global numbers of the critically endangered animals have reached 27,000. More work to be done to reach the 20th-century pinnacle of 500,000, but it’s an encouraging milestone.

Maui Banyan Tree Keeps on Treeing
After the devastating August wildfires, the iconic 150-year-old Maui Banyan tree is sprouting new leaves—a hopeful testament to the resilience of nature.

Thank an Earthworm for Your Loaf
Never underestimate the importance of earthworms. A new study has revealed that the little wrigglers going about their earthworm business significantly boost wheat yields, adding one slice to every loaf—that’s 140 million tons a year to the global food supply.

Behold the Dumbo Octopus
The rare ghostly deep-sea creature was spotted in an expedition off the coast of Hawaii, and you can see it here. Beautiful!

Who’s the Fattest Bear of All?
Fire up your chooser, Fat Bear Week is from October 4 through October 10. You can cast your vote for the most proficient salmon scarfer in Katmai National Park right here. We’re liking the looks of Chunk—now that’s a power eater if ever we’ve seen one.

Dolphin Drones in NYC
Climate Week NYC may be over, but you can still see 1,000 drones light up the skyline in support of the Amazon rainforest, courtesy of Avaaz.

FWP Carbon Capture Report
For people and for wildlife, here’s the Favorite World Press carbon capture update from April 2022 through August 2023. From April 2022 through September 2023, the trees that we’ve planted across 13 projects in 12 countries bring our carbon capture to 4076 tons of CO2. That’s the equivalent of 4,566,261 pounds of coal burned, 10,450,204 miles driven by an average gasoline-powered passenger vehicle, and 458,699 gallons of gasoline consumed.

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Lisa S. French September 27, 2023

Dolphins: They Care a Lot

3-minute read

When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we’ll see
No, I won’t be afraid, oh, I won’t be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me.

Ben E. King

Marvels of complex intelligence, dolphins are widely acknowledged as one of the brainiest animal species on the planet. Scientists studying how the clever communicators and determined problem-solvers apply their cetacean smarts to assisting other dolphins in distress have concluded that the marine mammals also have a remarkable capacity for caregiving.

Active assistance aimed at relieving another’s suffering can take many forms, but the most important is the simple willingness to answer a call for help—and that’s a trait our finned friends share with humans. According to researchers documenting caregiving behaviors in animals, dolphins will respond to the distress calls of an injured or dying member of their pod and attempt to provide aid.

Leave No Dolphin Behind
And what does dolphin aid look like? It starts with a whistle. Individual dolphins establish contact with one another and communicate through signature whistles. An increase in the intensity and frequency of a whistle accompanied by a stream of bubbles can signal a cry for help from a dolphin in trouble. Dolphins typically swim to the rescue by staying close, rapidly circling, showing aggression toward a threat, or offering direct help by lifting a suffering pod member to the surface to breathe.

You might imagine that the resourceful animals learn triage from trainers, but both captive and wild dolphins have been observed attempting to provide caregiving. In a recent report, a group of 20 wild bottlenose dolphins filmed in the Red Sea instinctually formed teams to offer support to a struggling female. Responding to distress whistles, one team pushed and lifted her to the surface for air while another swam below, supporting her lower body. For as long as she whistled for help, the caregiving cetaceans stayed with her, pushing and lifting, listening for the distress cries to stop.

Scientists have yet to determine exactly what motivates helping behaviors in dolphins. Could the ability to recognize and try to alleviate the suffering of a fellow creature be a “scratch my fin, I’ll scratch yours” survival strategy or perhaps a demonstration of animal altruism? Advances in AI aimed at decoding animal communications could hold the key to understanding what drives their actions. Until we know for certain, we’d like to believe these whip-smart cetaceans show caring out of the goodness of their dolphin hearts.

ICYMI Nature News

Innovative Strategies to Save Corals
As rapidly warming waters continue to devastate corals globally, scientists are racing to develop strategies to help them survive. You can read how shade, fog, supplemental feeding and cool water mixing might help here.

A Beaver on Every Block
Could New York City parks benefit from the introduction of beavers? A proposal to bring the industrious rodents to city ponds aims to increase biodiversity in urban areas. We think it’s a dam good idea!

Extinct Prehistoric Bird is Back
In a welcome conservation victory, a big, blue ball of a flightless bird long extinct in the wild is getting a second chance to roam free in the Alpine slopes of New Zealand. You can watch the handsome fellows strut their feathery stuff here.

The Real Reason Why Cats Love Tuna
If you share your space with a house cat, you know that tuna is the holy grail of feline feasting. So, why does a creature that evolved in the desert crave a particular type of seafood? Scientists believe it’s all about umami.

The Key to Bringing Back Bugs
Major environmental indicators point to the fact that beneficial insects are in serious trouble. The good news is that no matter how small your patch, you can pitch in and provide habitat to help reverse their decline. Read all about it here.

Time to Tidy the Planet
World Cleanup Day is September 16th. If you’d like to help make the planet a little more pristine, you can find a local tidying crew here.

Bird Photographer of the Year 2023
We’ll leave you with a hit of beauty from the natural world: the winning photos from the 2023 Bird Photographer of the Year. Enjoy!

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Lisa S. French September 11, 2023

Emperor Penguins: 60 Million Years on Earth

I hope you love birds too.
It is economical.
It saves going to heaven.

Emily Dickinson

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Lisa S. French August 30, 2023

Murmurations: Starling Sound Shapes

2-minute read

Whirring, thrumming waves and swirls. Pulsing, whooshing twists and twirls.

Murmurations, the mesmerizing sound shapes of hundreds to hundreds of thousands of common starlings, are one of the most spectacular displays of collective animal movement in nature. How and why these feathery shapeshifters gather to perform their synchronized aerial maneuvers has long captured the imagination of both scientists and curious casual observers of evening skies.

From late fall to early spring, these birds of a feather flock together at dusk in continuously morphing configurations before descending in one fell swoop to roost. Are the massive gatherings a safety-in-numbers strategy to confuse predators or a signal to attract more birds to create warmer roosts?

To determine what drives the ebb and flow of these spontaneous avian zoomies, scientists analyzed videos of starlings flying in formation and reconstructed the movements of individual birds, looking for patterns in behavior. The analysis revealed that starlings navigating in a murmuration at up to 20 m.p.h. have an amazing ability to rapidly maneuver in sync with fellow fliers, reacting to changes in direction in under 100 milliseconds. Each bird follows the behavior of the six or seven closest neighbors, and the wave of perpetual movement ripples through the flock forming fluttering sound shapes in the evening sky.

Researchers studying details of over 3,000 murmurations gathered by citizen scientists across 23 European countries believe that starlings form giant catch me if you can bird clouds and descend en masse to roosting sites to avoid being singled out and picked off by aerial predators.

Interestingly, the dynamic rotating shapes formed by the safer together survival strategy seem to follow patterns of collective motion found in other groups of animals, including wildebeests, fish, and ants.

Whirring, thrumming waves and swirls. Pulsing, whooshing twists and twirls. The hypnotizing movements of a gathering of birds at dusk—a reminder of nature’s eternal rhythms.

ICYMI Nature News

Rare Maui Birds Rescued
Out of the heartbreaking tragedy of the Maui wildfires comes a story of nature-sparing heroism. The staff of the Maui Bird Conservation Center, home to some of the world’s rarest birds, rushed in to save the critically endangered animals from the rapidly advancing flames. You can read about the avian heroes here and help support Maui Forest birds here.

Meet the Antarctic Strawberry Feather Star
The multi-limbed beasty discovered in the depths of the Antarctic’s Southern Ocean might look like it’s straight out of Alien central casting, but it’s a brand-new Earthly species. Hello there!

Fruit Flies Just Want to Have Fun
Apparently, fruit flies like playing as much as any vertebrate. Scientists have discovered that given the opportunity to go round and round on a simulated carousal, the insects jump at the chance. Whee!

The Creatures Below Your Feet
Did you know that more than half of the Earth’s species live in the soil below your feet? That’s right—ninety percent of fungi, 80% of plants, and 50% of bacteria. Tread carefully out there!

This Kākāpō’s a Trier
If you’re in need of a bit of inspiration in the keep-on-keeping-on department, Steve the kākāpō has some thoughts to share on living your dreams. Because for New Zealand’s earthbound owl parrot, flying is believing.

Little Brown Bat: America’s Next Top Model?
Should a furry little night flyer be America’s Next Top Model? We think it’s about time. You can watch the little brown bat’s audition tape here.

And Bless the Rains Down in Africa
Since this week’s climate news has been, yeah, well, not okay—at all, we’re going to leave you with 18,000 strangers singing a Toto song because that might help you feel a little better between headlines. Hear it here.

FWP Carbon Capture Report
As always, thanks to our lovely readers, we’ve planted another batch of carbon-capturing trees with our pals at Tree-Nation to help give people and the planet a little more breathing space. From April 2022 through July 2023, the trees that we’ve planted across 13 projects in 12 countries bring our carbon capture to 3980 tons of CO2. That’s the equivalent of 4,458,726 pounds of coal burned, 10,204,103 miles driven by an average gasoline-powered passenger vehicle, and 447,897 gallons of gasoline consumed.

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Lisa S. French August 19, 2023

Darwin’s Bark Spider: Ultimate Webmaster

2-minute read

We still do not know one-thousandth of one percent of what nature has revealed to us.

Albert Einstein

If you spent 400 million years practicing a skill, chances are you would become pretty good at it. So, it’s not surprising that many of the 44,000 species of spiders on Earth have perfected the craft of silk spinning over the course of a few hundred thousand millennia. Now, scientists are working to unravel how and why one hairy little arachnid in Madagascar has evolved to spin the toughest threads on the planet—silks that outperform fibers produced by both eight-legged and human competition.

Just one-fifth to three-quarters of an inch long, Darwin’s bark spider can spool out silk threads up to 82 feet long and ten times tougher than Kevlar. The industrious orb weavers anchor these exceptionally strong bridge lines across rivers, lakes, and streams from which they suspend massive, super-sticky, ten-by-ten wheel-shaped webs to capture prey.

Researchers studying the spider’s weaving techniques believe the ability to spin such remarkably sturdy and stretchy silk developed as a gene-level adaptation to the animal’s habitat. Constructing giant webs that hang in flyways over water traveled by insects, birds, and bats expanded the bark spider’s menu options. The bigger, stronger, and stickier the web, the greater the catch.

The discovery of this little African webmaster is inspiring material scientists around the world, hoping to replicate fiber with the strength and flexibility of the bark spider’s silk in applications ranging from artificial tendons and ligaments to structural materials for bridges and vehicles.

Even if you’re a card-carrying arachnophobe and can’t imagine cozying up to these multi-legged creepy crawlies, there is no doubt they have much to teach us. That’s why protecting wild places and the creatures that inhabit them is critically important. Beyond contributing to the amazing diversity of life on Earth, newly and yet-to-be-discovered animal species may hold the key to addressing some of our greatest challenges.

ICYMI Nature News

Remember the Earth Angels
It’s been a heartrending couple of weeks for the good people struggling to save the world’s third-largest coral reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Extremely high ocean temperatures are bleaching and killing off newly transplanted corals before they have a chance to get established. How to lend your support? Here are ten actions you can take to help cool the planet—take a look. Because to quote the IPCC, “Every action matters. Every bit of warming matters. Every year matters. Every choice matters.” Remember the Earth angels.

Bearers of Bad News Birds
For two decades, the seasonal migration patterns of the veery thrush have helped scientists predict the intensity of the Atlantic hurricane season. What do these little fliers know that we don’t know? You can find out here.

Eavesdropping on Dolphins with AI
Scientists are using artificial intelligence to identify the unique clicks and whistles of two endangered species of pink dolphins in the Amazon River. The AI application was designed to help track the movements of the rare animals to aid in conservation. Can you hear us now?

Wild Horse Fire Brigade
Could grazing wild horses hold the key to managing the overgrowth of dried vegetation that provides fuel for wildfires in the Western United States? Read about one man’s mission to find out here.

A Brand-New Batch of Octo-babies
Researchers have discovered a rare deep-sea octopus nursery 10,000 feet down in the Pacific. You can find a video of the octo-moms and their adorable babies here.

Bees Leave No Pollen Behind
To expand their floral menu options, honeybees can turn their tongues into spoons or straws to accommodate the varying shapes and structures of flowers. See how the tiny tongue twisters do it here.

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Lisa S. French August 5, 2023