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The Bus Station Cat

“Bus Station cat” is a well known Persona around the Carmel area in my hometown Haifa.

In these last few years he has been sitting on the same bus station sit, looking stoically at the traffic.

About a year ago I accidently discovered that the role of “but station cat” was actually played by TWO identical cats.

Apparently they were taking turns manning the bus station.

Last week my husband and I visited a near by resturant called “Sintabar”. And what do you know- one of those weirdo cats was there. This time he was sitting in the security guy’s coat.

He said the cat (or cats) belongs to the owner of the restaurant. Every now and then he comes up to him and jumps into his coat like a boss.

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Amazing Creatures: Tardigrade water bear

This is a Tardigrade water bear, and it actually exists. Not only that, but they are EVERYWHERE. There are probably some in your back yard right now (You may not have noticed them - they are about 1mm long, and almost transparent in real life).

After talking to some people at work, I realized that there is no way of knowing that this picture above is of the water-bear’s front side. Perhaps that tubby thing is not his mouth…

Front or back they are without a doubt one of the most amazing creatures to ever to paddle the face of the earth.

Here are some mind-boggling facts about Tardigrade water bears:

· Tardigrades are able to survive in extreme environments that would kill almost any other animal. Some can survive temperatures of close to absolute zero (−273 °C (−459 °F)),^[6] temperatures as high as 151 °C (304 °F), 1,000 times more radiation than other animals,^[7] and almost a decade without water.^[8]

· They are natural astronauts: Since 2007, Tardigrades have returned alive from studies in which they have been exposed to the vacuum of outer space in low earth orbit. Tardigrades can survive the vacuum of open space and solar radiation combined for at least 10 days

· They were first described in 1773 and given the name Tardigrada, meaning “slow stepper” by the German pastor J.A.E. Goeze

· They reproduce through “Parthenogenesis”, meaning they have sex.

· Also known as moss piglets. That’s right - Both bears AND pigs.

Other than that, relatively little is known about these animals. This makes them ideal research subjects for which students and amateur microscopists may contribute novel data.

Care to join the studies? Here’s how you can find and raise your own water bear:

How to Find Terrestrial Tardigrades

1. Collect a clump of moss or lichen (dry or wet) and place in a shallow dish, such as a Petri dish.

2. Soak in water (preferably rainwater or distilled water) for 3-24 hours.

3. Remove and discard excess water from the dish.

4. Shake or squeeze the moss/lichen clumps over another transparent dish to collect trapped water.

5. Starting on a low objective lens, examine the water using a stereo microscope.

6. Use a micropipette to transfer Tardigrades to a slide, which can be observed with a higher power under a compound microscope.

This is how they might look under your microscope:

Hypsibius

Watch more here:

The water bear (tardigrade), the most extreme animal on our planet

Sources:

Microbial life educational resources.

Wiki

xsafam

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Rays

You gotta love’em.

Here’s another sign at the “Underwater Observatory Park” in the southern city Eilat:

The spotted eagle ray in our tank is named ‘Amit’, Meaning “Comrade”. He was cought in a fishnet, and was brought here injured. For a month the medical team nursed him back to health. A bond formed between him and his care-takers, and his name was chosen. Whenever a scuba diver comes underwater Amit immediately approaches him to be stroked. The scuba diver on his part treats him to shells, which Amit breaks with his strong jaws.

And another story about rays after the jump…

Smile Everybody

The dog that loves Dolphins

I got acquainted with Joker - The dog who loves dolphins last year, when we were visiting the dolphin reef in the southern city Eilat by the Red Sea.

In the passage by the reef there were planks on the wall, introducing each one of the dolphins who lived there. Among them was a plank devoted to a dog Joker, the darling of the reef.

The part in Hebew is not the same as the English one. It reads:

“Joker, the dog that everyone loves. Joker decided to adopt the Dolphin reef as a daily hangout, for meeting old friends both on land and in sea. The dolphins got used to joker’s presence in the water, while he playfully swims after them”

I read those lines and I fell in love. I really wanted to meet the dog, but he was no where around. We went diving with the dolphins.

The next morning we came to the reef again. This time I asked the employees if anyone had seen the dog around. A young apathetic girl said she saw him walking to the reef earlier. We walked where she had pointed, and there he was. Lying on this floating wooden bungalow, staring peacefully at the dolphins going about their shenanigans.

In person he was very dirty and neglected. His “winning smile” was made of an extreme overbite of pointy rotten teeth, and he’s fur was Rastafarian-like. I believe that if he had ever had a good scrub, his fur would turn out to be white and not “sandy”. But he was evidently a laid back and independent creature.

We sat beside him and took turn on snapping pictures of each other petting him. Before long he had enough of us, so he got up and sat further away. We tried not to take it to heart.

When we got back to our room I started searching Joker over the internet. I found that there was quite a lot written about him in the local and national press. Apparently no one knew where he spends his nights, but he would show up in the reef almost every morning. Many people spotted him walking from the city center a few miles away. When the weather was bad, or when he just wasn’t in the mood for walking, he would stand on a specific crossroad and wait for a taxi driver, any taxi driver to pick him up. They all know him, and they are happy to give him a ride to his destination.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRyApeJCVgo Joker on |Youtube.

Be sure to wait and see him jumping in the water, and playing with the dolphins.

Our dog has a similar fascination with our guinea pigs, But for some reason I don’t find it to be story worthy…

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The pig farm in the sky

There was a time when my grandmother and father had a pig in their farm. My dad said he was as cute as a button, and friendlier then most dogs. Whenever someone approached him, he’d fall on his back, and demand to be petted.

One day my grandma felt it was time to slaughter him, and so they did.

Now I ask you, is that any way to treat a friend?

Even if the winter is long and cold…

And one more pig related story After the jump…

The heart of a chicken

This next story took place about a year and a half ago.

My husband and I were visiting the stone carving festival in Maalot- tarshiha. Among the attractions there was a little petting corner, with some Bunnies, Guinea pigs, and for some reason-Chickens. I don’t know how you would go about petting a chicken, but there they were.

Now I should point out that as of principle I am against petting zoos, but whenever there is one around, I find myself gravitated towards it despite myself. This goes to say that I’ve witnessed some ungodly scenes in petting zoos in my day, but this one was particularly horrid. The commotion was unbearable. Kids were screaming, Parents were yelling, flashes were flashing and the little critters were treated like plushies.

We were about to turn away in disgust when something strange caught my eye. There in the corner sat a half chicken half guinea pig inbreed. I had to come closer to figure out what it was. One of the chickens was sitting face down in the corner, and under her spread wing sat a terrified little guinea-pig. She appeared to be hiding and protecting him like a mother would.

I took this picture and walked away.