Jolly Monday — Food, Fun, and QUOKKAS!!!

Posted on August 15, 2022 by jilldennison under animals, Bits 'n Pieces, cartoons, Humour, Politic-Free Mondays

Good Monday morning, dear friends! Are you ready to face the week head-on, to meet all those challenges that are out there just waiting for you? Yeah … me too … let’s all just go back to bed. But, since we can’t do that, let’s have a little snack and some fun stuff to fortify us for the week ahead, shall we? Joyful has been working in the kitchen for a while now, so let’s go see what she’s got for us …

You might remember that I love quokkas, those cute little critters that are mostly found in Australia. I came across some fun quokka memes and pictures that brought a smile to my face and I thought you might enjoy them, too!

I found some funny ‘toons for you guys … I hope you like ’em …

Here are a few things to jog your memories of days long gone …

And last but never least, we simply must have a cute critter video, yes?

Well, we’re sad to see you go, but … time stands still for no one, so we must get on with the business of the day, right? There is a load of towels in the dryer calling out for me to come fold them, so … onward! I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead and that you’ll share the smiles you found here today! Love ‘n hugs from Filosofa, Jolly ‘n Joyful!!!

Saturday Surprise — Critters From Down Under

Posted on February 13, 2021 by jilldennison under animals, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Saturday Surprise

For the sake of my sanity, I need Saturday Surprise this week as much as you guys … anything besides impeachment just for this morning, please! Well, you guys know where I turn when I’m stressed and need a smile, right … CRITTERS!

When we think of Australia and critters, a few come to mind right off … kangaroo, wallaby, koala … but there are many more critters that are native to Australia and I thought it might be fun to take a look at some of them.

More than 70% of Australian wildlife is found nowhere else in the world, but sadly much of it also is vulnerable, threatened, or endangered. The 2019-2020 bushfires didn’t help, destroying over 18 million hectares (approx 46 million acres) of land, and it is estimated that it killed over 1 billion animals. 😢 And a few endangered species are now facing the risk of extinction especially with the loss of habitats. So, let’s learn a little bit about these (mostly) cute critters.

(Header image: Wombats have very interesting butts. Not only do they produce cubed poop, they also protect themselves from predators by diving into their burrows and block the entrance with their butts. Their bottom mostly consists of cartilage that is resistant to bites and scratches.

Quokkas have been labelled one of the friendliest animals on the planet because of their cute smiles. They will even happily live in big groups without being territorial and have no problems with sharing food or shelter with other Quokkas. But even though they are pretty friendly, they are still wild animals and will scratch and bite if they feel threatened. It is prohibited to touch them and can result in a fine, as irresistibly cute these creatures are DO NOT TOUCH.

Galahs can travel in flocks of 1000 birds and are known to fly at 70km/hr. Since these birds main diet is seeds, They are vital in helping with seed dispersal by dropping germinated seeds into other areas.

These beautiful birds are often considered the bullies of the birds as they chase and pick on other bird species. Male and female rainbow lorikeets are pretty much identical so the only way you can really tell is by a DNA test. Their diet mainly consists of nectar and pollen.

These leafy sea dragons can only be found off the coast of South and East of Australia. They are near threatened due to divers taking them home as pets but are now protected. They have no known predators because of their spiny fins and camouflage. Whilst they are closely related to sea horses they cant grip onto things with their tails and they mainly drift in the current than propel themselves with their fins like sea horses do.

The fairy penguin is the smallest in the world. They are the only penguins to breed in Australia but have found themselves to be a great target for predators. Which makes them highly dependent on human intervention and protection and not just humans but one specific colony relies on Maremma sheepdogs to protect them from foxes. They even made a movie about the first dog to look after the penguins, called “Oddball”.

Red bellied black snakes are one of the most encountered snakes and are responsible for a number of bites annually. But they are generally a shy snake and will usually slither away or stay still in the hopes of not being seen. Most victims of bites suffer mild symptoms with very few cases needing hospitalisation. There have been no confirmed deaths from a red bellied black snake bite.

This colourful octopus is the only octopus that is toxic to humans. So much so that they can kill 26 adults within minutes. When they flash their blue rings it is because they are NOT happy so you should stay away, although best to keep away from them in the first place. In saying that there have only been very few deaths from this tiny octopus. The blue ringed octopus is very small, reaching the size of a golf ball and love to hide under rocks and inside shells.

The cassowary is considered one of the deadliest birds but in fact there have only been two recorded human fatalities from a cassowary, one in 1926 and the other in 2019. These birds have talons that look similar to a velociraptor and is one of the reasons the cassowary is often called a “living dinosaur”. They are fast runners, high jumpers and good swimmers so it’s best to steer clear.

Koalas solely live on eucalyptus leaves and spend up to 4-5 hours eating, the rest of the time they are sleeping (approx18-20hours a day). Sadly koala chlamydia is quite prevalent so there are sterilisation programs to stop infected koalas from procreating. The biggest colony of koalas that is not affected by chlamydia is on Kangaroo Island, but after the 2019-2020 bushfires there has been a huge decline in koala numbers and are now considered endangered in many parts of the country.

Kookaburras are part of the kingfisher family but do not need to live near water and don’t really eat fish. They mainly eat small animals like mice, chicks, lizards and insects. They have a very distinguishable sound, which is a bit like a laugh and often call loudly during dusk and dawn.

The pig-nosed turtle is the only surviving member of it’s family, which are the only freshwater turtle with large paddle like flippers. Their shell is not hard but is in fact leathery feeling.

The blue-tongued lizard is the largest member of the skink family, when they feel threatened they will puff up their bodies, sticks out it’s tongue whilst hissing. Whilst they don’t have the best teeth, they do have a powerful bite and tend not to let go.

The bilby is a nocturnal animal about the size of a rabbit. They have poor eyesight so rely on their sense of smell and acute hearing. The bilby is kind of an Easter icon in Aus as you can get chocolate Bilby’s just like the bunnies and a portion of the sales gets donated to Bilby conservation programs/organisations.

Numbats are one of only a few marsupials that don’t have a pouch. They have about 4 babies and the young attach themselves to the teats for the first 5 months. Then the mother will dig a burrow for them to finish their development and will stay in there until around late spring, where they will leave and go off on their own.

Potoroos are mainly solitary animals and are also non-territorial. They are nocturnal animals but have been known to come out during the day in winter months, particularly on cloudy days foraging for food. The potoroo is the oldest species of the kangaroo family and have undergone little changes, essentially becoming a living fossil.

The frill on the neck of the frill-necked lizard can reach 30cm (12in) in diameter and is erected by cartilage spines that are connected to the jaw bones. They unfold their frill during mating to get rid of excess heat and also as a defence with a bit of a hissing sound too. They can also run pretty fast upright on their hind legs.

Tasmanian devils are the largest living carnivorous marsupials with an estimated 544kg (1199lbs) of bite pressure per square inch so they can crush bone. Sadly tens of thousands of Tassie Devils have died since the 90’s from starvation due to a contagious disease that causes tumours to grow around the mouth area, making it hard to eat. Tasmanian Devils can only be found in Tasmania in the wild but many wildlife parks and zoos have them on the mainland.

The flying fox (megabat) is the largest flying mammal in Australia with a wingspan of over a metre. They are vital in the survival of many native plant species as they are major pollinators for over 50 types of trees. They are pretty harmless but if you get bitten or scratched seek medical attention as they can carry the lyssavirus which is closely related to rabies.

Just like the Platypus, the Echidna is also a monotreme (egg laying mammal),. The female deposits a single egg into her pouch and 10 days later a baby echidna hatches, which is called a puggle. Echidnas are solitary animals but will meet to mate and spend about a year looking after their babies.

These are only some of the fascinating wildlife found in Australia … for more, hop over to Bored Panda and check out the rest!

Saturday Surprise — Cursing Parrots and Cute Critters

Posted on October 3, 2020 by jilldennison under animals, Bits 'n Pieces, Humour, Saturday Surprise

Well, it’s certainly been another of those exhausting, nerve-wracking weeks, hasn’t it? Time for just a bit of humour, for ‘just a bit’ is likely all I can muster tonight, but I wanted to see if I could help you start the weekend with a smile.

Curses!!!

The Lincolnshire Wildlife Park located in Friskney, England, adopted five African grey parrots back in August, but you won’t see them on display if you go there. The parrots, Billy, Elsie, Eric, Jade and Tyson, seemed to be causing the zoo some problems, or rather their language was. Turns out they knew more swear words than a lot of humans and they weren’t afraid to use them. With more colorful language than plumage, the birds used different curse words in different British accents, but they were all unprintably coarse. At one point, a group of women walking past the aviary thought the lewd comments shouted at them were from a hidden staff member. The park had no complaints — in fact, visitors reveled in swearing right back at the birds — but the park officials feared children and parents might not enjoy the experience as much. So, the parrots were moved into a temporary space away from the public eye, giving them time to be around more family-friendly birds and hopefully clean up their language.

Steve Nichols, the chief executive of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Park, said …

“When a parrot swears, it’s very difficult for other humans not to laugh. And when we laugh, that’s a positive response. And therefore, what they do is they learn both the laugh and the swear word. It’s not so bad with one on its own, but then, if you get five together, once one swears and another one laughs, and another one laughs, before you know it, it sounds like a group of teenagers or an old working men’s club. Billy is the worst one.”

Now that the birds have been removed from the public exhibits, some guests are arriving who have heard about the vulgar birds but don’t know which cage they’re in. So they have taken to swearing at all of the birds, hoping they’ll get some abuse back! Personally, I find this entire thing hysterically funny, but I’m sure there are some who would be offended. The birds seem to have calmed and are due to be back in the public venue soon.

I was RIGHT (for once)

Y’know how I always try to end Jolly Monday and sometimes Saturday Surprise with a cute or funny animal video? I’ve just always thought it seemed like seeing cute critters would start the day off right. Well, turns out there is scientific evidence to support my theory!A new study conducted by the University of Leeds has discovered that watching videos of cute animals is great for your health!

Tourism Western Australia and The University of Leeds partnered up to explore the physiological and psychological impact of cute animals on students and staff at the University of Leeds.

The sessions involved 19 subjects — 15 students and four staff members — and was intentionally timed during winter exams, a time when stress is at a significantly high level. The participants were asked to watch a 30-minute slide show that included photos and video clips of various cute animals, such as puppies, kittens and quokkas.

In all cases, the study saw blood pressure, heart rate and anxiety go down in participants, 30 minutes after watching the video.

The average heart rate of all participants fell from 72.2 bpm to 67.4 bpm: A reduction in heart rate of 6.65% in just 30 minutes.

The average blood pressure across all participants dropped from 136/88 to 115/71. In percentage terms, this represents a 14.9% drop in systolic blood pressure and a 18.28% drop in diastolic blood pressure.

Anxiety rates also went down by 35%, measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.

In a post-study questionnaire, some of the participants comments included:

“I felt happy and calm”

“I wanted to be on that beach with those little kangaroo things (quokkas)“

The study also found that most participants preferred video clips over still images, particularly of animals interacting with humans. And so, rather than me rambling on and on, let’s watch a cute animal video!!!

And … got time for one more?

And on that note, I hope you guys have something fun planned for the weekend! Keep safe and be happy, my friends!

Saturday Surprise — Critters!

Posted on August 22, 2020 by jilldennison under animals, Bits 'n Pieces, Environmental Issues, Humour, Saturday Surprise

Saturday Surprise almost wasn’t again this week … I thought I couldn’t find a smile, couldn’t find any humour. But a voice inside my head kept whispering … “You got this. Your readers depend on you to help them smile. It isn’t all about just you, y’know!” And finally, after the voice, one of my two alter-egos, invaded my thoughts one time to many, I set aside what I was working on and went in search of … something fun. Actually, it didn’t take me long to find several things and the hardest part was deciding which was the most fun!

Now, most of you who have followed Filosofa’s Word for any time know that if I’m looking for a pick-me-up, it’s almost certainly going to involve critters, and today is no exception. Living in a world populated only by the human species would be, to me, the worst nightmare imaginable!

Remember I told you a couple of weeks ago in a Jolly Monday post about Tucson the dog, who kept hanging around a Hyundai dealership until finally they adopted him and gave him a job? Well, in Richmond, Australia, a similar thing happened, only this time with a cat … Elwood, the cat! He hung around the Epworth Hospital so long that they finally gave him a job as a security guard, complete with his own badge!

According to his co-worker, Chantel Trollip …

“He is lovely and friendly, but not overly affectionate. He enjoys a good pat, but likes to keep things short and move around a fair bit. He is on the security team, after all, has to make sure everyone coming and going gets checked. I think any potential criminals are thwarted by his sweetness when passersby see him! He has a very sweet chirp of a meow and I think anyone with any ill will would automatically change their plans upon hearing it and so I assume this is his way of getting the job done.”

I bet most of you have never heard of the Somali elephant shrew! In fact, I hadn’t until last night when I was digging around for fun critter things. This little guy has been considered extinct for the past 50+ years, since 1968, and was just found safe and sound in Djibouti, a country in the Horn of Africa, by a group of scientists.According to Steven Heritage, a research scientist at the Duke University Lemur Center …

“We did not know which species occurred in Djibouti and when we saw the diagnostic feature of a little tufted tail, we looked at each other and we knew that it was something special. This is a welcome and wonderful rediscovery during a time of turmoil for our planet, and one that fills us with renewed hope for the remaining small mammal species on our most-wanted list.”

In order to catch these Somali elephant shrews, researchers set up more than 1,000 traps at 12 locations. To lure these cuties in, they used a mixture of peanut butter, oatmeal, and yeast.

At first sight, it looks kind of like a mouse. But there’s also this tiny trunk-like nose that resembles an elephant’s. Apparently, some of the Somali sengi’s closest living relatives are the aardvark, elephant, and manatee.

Foxes are known for being friendly and curious, and they aren’t above paying a visit to people’s homes and gardens on occasion. I came across some fun pictures of such fox guests, invited or not …

Snack Time!!!

Our Humane Officer Was Called Out To Ocean Beach Yesterday Because A Resident There Reported A Critter Had Gotten Into Her House. The Resident’s Dog Was Playing With An Unknown Animal, Who Ended Up Running Into The House

Well, folks, that’s all I’ve got for this Satur …

What, Jolly??? What are you doing up this early on a Saturday? Huh? Oh … that’s right … I can’t believe I almost forgot the cute critter video you picked out last night! One of the cutest animals in the world is the quokka …

Okay, now we’re finished! Have a happy weekend, my friends!

Jolly Monday!

Posted on February 27, 2017 by jilldennison under animals, Humour, Politic-Free Mondays

Blogger-friend Mary recently referred to my Monday morning posts as Jolly Monday, and I liked that, so it is today’s title. A number of new readers have come to Filosofa’s Word in the past few weeks, so rather than have them wondering if I have completely lost my bloomin’ marbles with today’s post, I will explain about Jolly Mondays. Mostly I write about socio-political issues, which of late tend to be rather dark. At the behest of a friend some time ago, I decided to make my Monday morning post completely politic-free. Since then it has evolved into basically a venue for humour, good news, cartoons, and most important of all, cute animal stories and pictures! As most already know, and the rest of you will soon see, I am a sucker when it comes to furry critters … which explains our family of ten, seven of whom walk on all fours. Soul-mate Herb was only mildly incredulous the other night when I told him I had spent ten minutes apologizing to one of our felines, after calling her a b—- for knocking my ashtray onto the floor.

So, it is Monday again dear friends. I know you are all scattered ‘round the world, but I have to tell you about our weekend weather! On Friday, we set a new record high of 76° F (24° C), and the next day, barely made it above the freezing mark (0° C), with snow, sleet and wind! What a quick change, and not necessarily a welcome one! Mother Nature is being contrary!

Grab your coffee and pull up a chair … you have just a few minutes for a chuckle to start your work week out right, get in the right frame of mind to deal with whatever life throws at you this week …

A tale of courage

I first saw this story in the Guardian one-day last week, read the piece, had a chuckle, then moved on to more serious topics. Later that afternoon, perusing the more serious sites I visit daily, it came back onto my radar in, of all places, Foreign Policy magazine! Okay, I thought, obviously this guy is not going off my radar until I write about him, so welcome to Filosofa’s Word, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, President of Iceland!

The latest population estimate for Iceland is 333,443 people. Iceland does not appear to have much of a problem with immigrants, perhaps because if its climate. As the name implies, it is somewhat cold in Iceland. However, Iceland is not without troubles, but luckily they have a president who is not afraid to tackle even the toughest of problems: pineapple on pizza!!!

Jóhannesson was giving a speech at a local high school when a student asked whether he thought pineapple was a viable topping for pizza. He said he was fundamentally opposed to the concept of pineapple as a pizza topping and if he had the power to do so, he would ban the practice entirely. Well, wouldn’t you know that his remarks caused a virtual UPROAR! People on both sides of this burning issue took to Twitter and Facebook, including frozen pizza king DiGiorno. In light of the potential divisiveness of the scandal, Jóhannesson issued the following statement on Facebook:

“I like pineapples, just not on pizza. I do not have the power to make laws which forbid people to put pineapples on their pizza. I am glad that I do not hold such power. Presidents should not have unlimited power. I would not want to hold this position if I could pass laws forbidding that which I don’t like. I would not want to live in such a country. For pizzas, I recommend seafood.”

It is to be hoped this puts an end to it and Jóhannesson’s approval rating, which stood at 97% prior to his remarks, will not be damaged.

Old McDonald had a … restroom?

Ever wonder where McDonald’s keeps their chickens until they’re ready to be turned into chicken nuggets? Well, wonder no more! A five-year-old boy in Cobough, Ontario, not far from Toronto, has found the answer. While his mom was ordering his Happy Meal, the little boy went into the restroom to wash his hands and discovered … you got it … a live chicken! He came running out to tell his mom, who didn’t quite believe him at first, but upon investigation by restaurant staff, sure enough … there was a live brown chicken bobbing around the floor of the restroom.

McDonald’s spokesperson Michelle Yao confirmed staff contacted Municipal Animal Services to take the chicken. She also said officials are conducting an investigation to determine how the chicken ended up in the washroom. I’m not sure how one conducts such an investigation … DNA testing, perhaps? But more power to them. Meanwhile, there is at least one chicken who will not end up as a McChicken!

You better slow down, else I will … dry you!

Imagine for a moment that you live in a small, peaceful village, but lately tourists have been speeding through the village on your quaint, cobblestone streets, endangering lives and disturbing your peace. What do you do? Well, duh … you get out the hairdryer, of course! The place is the tiny village of Hopeman, Scotland, population approximately 1,720, where villagers ranging from elderly men to little girls have begun donning reflective vests and standing along the street, holding a hair dryer that they hope speeding drivers will mistake for a speed gun. Don’t laugh … it would probably make me take my foot off the gas! A matter for the police, you say? Well, the police response is “We are aware of complaints regarding speeding in Hopeman, which we are continuing to address.” Sounds like the stock-in-trade answer, don’t you think? Hats off to the citizens of Hopeman for trying to keep their village safe!

The quokkas are back!!!

Remember on January 17^th … yeah, me neither … when I included a blurb in my Monday morn post about the cute little animals of which I had never heard, quokkas? Well, seems like you can go 65 years and never hear of something, then all of a sudden they are all over your radar! So, the cute little quokkas are back in the news …

Look at that smile … doesn’t it just melt your heart?

Campbell Jones was riding his bike on Rottnest Island, off the coast of Australia, when he passed a quokka alongside the roadway. He did what any of us would, pulled over, got off his bike, and actually played with the quokka for a few minutes. Then, as he was preparing to get back on his bike, the quokka, apparently not wanting his newfound friend to leave, leaped into his arms! He (Campbell, not the quokka) was wearing a GoPro camera that just happened to capture the flying leap! They say a picture is worth a thousand words … this one certainly is!

I usually sense if one of my posts is ‘good’, ‘not-that-great’, or ‘just-hit-the-delete-button bad’. I sense this is not one of my better “Jolly Monday” posts, and for that I apologize. For some reason, I am just not feeling particularly humorous tonight. But alas … I tried … and I shall top it all off with a few cartoons to make up for my lack. So now, go scrape the ice off your windshields and have a safe journey to work this fine Monday morn. Remember to share a smile, a chuckle, maybe even half your peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich today … we all need someone to smile at us once in a while. Keep warm and safe … and have a GREAT MONDAY!