1 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:13,520 Speaker 1: From Mediators World News Headquarters in Bozeman, Montana. This is 2 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:17,479 Speaker 1: Kel's we Can Review with Ryan kel Kell in now 3 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:23,279 Speaker 1: Here's Kel. New research published in the journal Frontiers in 4 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 1: Veterinary Science shows that elephants share a strange, unexplainable quirk 5 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 1: that all people are familiar with. Yawns are contagious. Specifically, 6 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:38,879 Speaker 1: elephants can catch yawns from people. Scientists don't really know 7 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: what causes contagious yawning, but most of us have experienced it. 8 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:46,479 Speaker 1: You're sitting around staring at a friend or family member, 9 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:50,519 Speaker 1: you see them yawn, and then you know, suddenly and explicably, 10 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:55,560 Speaker 1: you yawned too. Some cross species yawning has been observed 11 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:58,440 Speaker 1: in dogs and chimps, who wouldn't like to see that, 12 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:04,040 Speaker 1: But this is the first study that shows elephants can 13 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: catch yawns from humans. The study draws on observations and 14 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 1: experiments with captive elephants at zoos and rescue facilities. In 15 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:17,640 Speaker 1: one case, Zoe Rossman, a researcher from the University of 16 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:22,399 Speaker 1: New Mexico, studied ten African elephants at the conshasa elephant 17 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 1: park in South Africa, and over the course of thirteen 18 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 1: consecutive nights observed elephants catching yawns from their handlers, as 19 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:34,680 Speaker 1: well as nine instances of elephants catching yawns from each other. 20 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:39,120 Speaker 1: Although yawning is common among many animals, the phenomenon of 21 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 1: contagious yawning seems to only happen in intelligent and social animals. 22 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:48,640 Speaker 1: In this study, a sense of connectedness between elephants and 23 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:52,800 Speaker 1: their regular handlers was key to the cross species yawned spreading. 24 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 1: As a note here, if somebody doesn't catch a yawn 25 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 1: in your vehicle, you kind of know that you know 26 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 1: they're not intelligent or social. And for the record, I 27 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: don't hang out with many elephants, but I recently shacked 28 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:09,360 Speaker 1: up with another smart, social animal, my lab pop Snort. 29 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: I've been focused on training her for our first waterfoul 30 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:15,600 Speaker 1: season together, but maybe I should pay more attention to 31 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 1: if she's catching my awns, or maybe I should do 32 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 1: some experimentation of my own to see if I can 33 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:23,520 Speaker 1: catch you on from her on those mornings when I 34 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:25,920 Speaker 1: just can't get a duck in the decoy spread, which 35 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: you know that's probably not gonna happen, but it'd be 36 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: pretty humiliating to look over and catch her yawns of boredom. 37 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:35,359 Speaker 1: In case you haven't figured it out, I thought it'd 38 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: be great to start episode seventy five from the Cute Desk. 39 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 1: This week, we've got bird brains, ghost frogs, and Louisiana. 40 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 1: But first, I'm gonna tell you about my week. And 41 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:55,359 Speaker 1: my week, as you know, is sponsored by Steel Power Equipment. 42 00:02:55,919 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 1: If you feel like supporting this podcast and sneaking some 43 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:03,240 Speaker 1: gear into your rig, kitchen, or boat for hunting season, 44 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: go to your local independent steel dealer and tell them 45 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:10,480 Speaker 1: Cal say, then you know, explain who Cal is, and 46 00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:15,240 Speaker 1: tell them to listen to the podcast. Then everyone wins. Alright, 47 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:17,200 Speaker 1: we got too much to talk about this week, so 48 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:19,520 Speaker 1: I'm gonna make some of this real quick. I didn't 49 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:23,280 Speaker 1: make some promises to touch on cotton mouth snakes, as 50 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 1: I posted a picture on the old Cal four oh 51 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:29,080 Speaker 1: six Instagram account that featured some young buy you living 52 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:32,640 Speaker 1: kids holding up a large dead cotton mouth. This was 53 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: outside of Violette, Louisiana, not too far from New Orleans. 54 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:41,360 Speaker 1: Here's a short version. I camp full of kids and dogs. 55 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 1: Kids flipped over a boat and the cotton mouth underneath 56 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:47,280 Speaker 1: was quickly sentenced to death due to the possibility of 57 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 1: the dogs and kids getting bitten during play. I was chastened, 58 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 1: you could say, by some folks as to the propagation 59 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 1: of the pervasive snake killing mentality that some people have. 60 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: All aches are here for a reason. All snakes, just 61 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: like all animals, want to live, and sometimes we determine 62 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 1: that cohabitation and tight quarter is not gonna work out. 63 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:12,240 Speaker 1: Don't kill snakes just to kill snakes. There are ways 64 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: to safely remove them, safe for you and the snake. 65 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 1: I promise. I'll circle back to this at a later 66 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 1: date with some fun cotton Mouth facts, but I ran 67 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:25,160 Speaker 1: out time this week. Next fun fact, I managed to 68 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:28,560 Speaker 1: get a kind of buyou trifecto while I was down there, 69 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:32,919 Speaker 1: a hog, neutria and a gallon ule. The hog and neutria, 70 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:37,120 Speaker 1: through their natural rooting and undermining of marsh plants, actually 71 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:41,719 Speaker 1: exacerbate the land lass situation in Louisiana. On acres of 72 00:04:41,839 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 1: land every sixty minutes recedes underwater wave action, tide action, 73 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:51,479 Speaker 1: storm surges have the usual erosion effects on land, but 74 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:54,320 Speaker 1: when that water is channeled through the paths of a 75 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:57,919 Speaker 1: hog snout by their rooting or a nutrius tunnel. The 76 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:02,040 Speaker 1: effects are greatly exacerbated. Think about like throwing a bucket 77 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:04,400 Speaker 1: of water on land versus hitting out with the garden hose. 78 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:08,000 Speaker 1: To be clear, I found all of this stuff interesting, 79 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 1: but you know, I just wanted to eat them. I 80 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:12,719 Speaker 1: don't want to give you the impression I was single 81 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:18,039 Speaker 1: handedly solving an erosion by invasive species problem. Neutria, which 82 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:22,560 Speaker 1: is a big rat giant Central American muskrat, pretty darn cute. 83 00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:25,920 Speaker 1: By the way, is delicious. I'll have to work up 84 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 1: a recipe for the meat Eater website. Very very good. 85 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:32,160 Speaker 1: I'll come back more on a future episode of Louisiana. 86 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 1: I also shot a big stinky bore that's a male pig, 87 00:05:37,279 --> 00:05:40,320 Speaker 1: which is something you'll see hog hunters turn their human 88 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:44,640 Speaker 1: snouts up at on occasion. But it was, of course delicious. 89 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:47,600 Speaker 1: I even tried out a pair of steel shears on 90 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:51,039 Speaker 1: the hide and it worked pretty darn good. I'll put 91 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:53,839 Speaker 1: up a picture on that on the Instagram account. We 92 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:57,480 Speaker 1: turned that hog or part of it into Buddin sausage, 93 00:05:57,600 --> 00:06:00,440 Speaker 1: which is a favorite of mine. Special thanks to Jared 94 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:03,400 Speaker 1: Srigney and his buddy Francois for the help on the 95 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:08,320 Speaker 1: Buddin gallon yule gay gallan ule is part of the 96 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:12,440 Speaker 1: Ralliday family, what we call rails, like snipes coots. A 97 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:15,680 Speaker 1: rail coots get lumped in with waterfowl for some reason, 98 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:18,720 Speaker 1: probably because their legs have some webbing to them. A 99 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:22,480 Speaker 1: gallon ule, however, as like a stork like leg, long 100 00:06:22,839 --> 00:06:28,039 Speaker 1: fingers and sharp nails also delicious. I would say it 101 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:30,760 Speaker 1: is like a bird version of a cotton tail rabbit. 102 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 1: Fifteen days the limit in Louisiana, and they are delicious. 103 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:39,359 Speaker 1: Another fun fact for you. These Cajun fellas I was 104 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: hanging out with, say it is a Cajun pheasant hunt 105 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:46,479 Speaker 1: when you hunt gallon nule. Francois says, bring plenty shells. 106 00:06:48,279 --> 00:06:52,920 Speaker 1: More on this later onto the news. Big news coming 107 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 1: out of the beaver department. That's right. We're such fans 108 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:59,640 Speaker 1: of the large industrious road that we dedicate an entire 109 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:02,919 Speaker 1: depart month to keeping up with breaking beaver news. It 110 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:06,240 Speaker 1: seems that for folks in Scotland, the hottest new wildlife 111 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 1: safari not the hunting kind of safari, but the looking 112 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:13,160 Speaker 1: and photographing kind. Isn't a trip to Africa for the 113 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:17,800 Speaker 1: usual suspects or some other opportunity to see charismatic megafauna, 114 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 1: but it's to go to Central Scotland to where folks 115 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:23,240 Speaker 1: help to catch a glimpse of a critter that is 116 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:27,200 Speaker 1: quite familiar to many Americans, the beaver. In this case, 117 00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:30,720 Speaker 1: it's the Eurasian beaver, which appears similar to our North 118 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:34,000 Speaker 1: American beaver, but has some important differences and are not 119 00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:38,280 Speaker 1: genetically compatible, which means the two species cannot successfully reproduce 120 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:43,240 Speaker 1: and create hybrids. Perthshire Wildlife runs beaver safaris from April 121 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:47,040 Speaker 1: to October and central Scotland and one of only three 122 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 1: places in the United Kingdom where the animals can be 123 00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:53,240 Speaker 1: seen in the wild along what's billed as quote the 124 00:07:53,240 --> 00:07:56,760 Speaker 1: Beaver Trail. Why is so much excitement over an animal 125 00:07:56,840 --> 00:08:00,200 Speaker 1: that American hunters, anglers and other outdoor folks and owner 126 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:03,520 Speaker 1: fairly regularly and that a lot of people consider a 127 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:05,880 Speaker 1: pain in the butt because of the animal's ability to 128 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:09,040 Speaker 1: flood fields and roads and block culverts and otherwise quickly 129 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:11,840 Speaker 1: make big changes to wherever they decided to settle down 130 00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 1: and raise kits. The reason that nature loving folks in 131 00:08:15,320 --> 00:08:18,200 Speaker 1: Scotland are stoked about the chance to see beaver is 132 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 1: because the animals were hunted to extinction over four hundred 133 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:25,640 Speaker 1: years ago. In fact, relentless hunting for the fur and castor, 134 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:28,880 Speaker 1: which is the secretion of their scent glands, once thought 135 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:32,720 Speaker 1: to have medicinal qualities, among many other uses, drove beavers 136 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:36,320 Speaker 1: to extinction in many European countries hundreds of years ago, 137 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:39,520 Speaker 1: with only small pockets surviving and a few of the 138 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:43,560 Speaker 1: wilder regions of the continent. Of course, the fact that 139 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 1: Europe's beavers were wiped out long ago would have major 140 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:51,199 Speaker 1: impacts on the history, development, and politics of North America 141 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 1: and the United States. From the earliest days of white 142 00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:57,880 Speaker 1: settlement in the New World, this remarkable rodent was at 143 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:01,800 Speaker 1: the center of colonists trade and relationships with Native Americans, 144 00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:06,760 Speaker 1: inadvertently escalating inner travel warfare as different groups battled for 145 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:11,280 Speaker 1: access to prime beaver country to satisfy the newcomers. Insatiable 146 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:14,880 Speaker 1: appetite for the first as hats have felt made from 147 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:18,559 Speaker 1: beaver became all the rage. In Europe. Platoons of trappers, 148 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:22,000 Speaker 1: from early French Canadian voyagers to the famous mountain men 149 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:24,680 Speaker 1: of the Rockies, were usually the first white men to 150 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:28,760 Speaker 1: push into unexplored areas of the continent, Fortunes were made, 151 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:31,560 Speaker 1: battles were fought, and the beaver was the source of 152 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:34,680 Speaker 1: some of the coolest stories and legends in our history. 153 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:38,520 Speaker 1: Imagine if it hadn't been for europeans merciless treatment of 154 00:09:38,559 --> 00:09:41,960 Speaker 1: their own beavers, we'd have no cultures, run, no huge 155 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:46,720 Speaker 1: glass and I shudder to think, no Jeremiah Johnson. Beavers 156 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:49,480 Speaker 1: were eventually trapped out of many areas in North America, 157 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:52,800 Speaker 1: but never to the extent they were in Europe, and 158 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:56,080 Speaker 1: as anyone who has spent time along virtually any waterway 159 00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:59,600 Speaker 1: in the US and Canada, the animals have long been recovered. Here, 160 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:02,360 Speaker 1: the Meat Eater Crew would like to tell the folks 161 00:10:02,360 --> 00:10:05,240 Speaker 1: over in Europe keep up the good work on reintroduction, 162 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:08,120 Speaker 1: because we are huge fans of the beaver. I'm sure 163 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:11,600 Speaker 1: a beaver safari is kind of fun, but just wait 164 00:10:11,679 --> 00:10:14,960 Speaker 1: until you're hunting ducks and flooded beaver ponds, or better yet, 165 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:17,200 Speaker 1: when you have enough of the critters you can take 166 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:21,640 Speaker 1: after our own Stephen Ronella, who takes beaver trapping very seriously, 167 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:25,040 Speaker 1: check out the beaver episode of Meteor Hunts on YouTube, 168 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:27,480 Speaker 1: and just wait until you see what we make out 169 00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:31,040 Speaker 1: of those incredible hides. As for me, beaver ham call 170 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:34,120 Speaker 1: fee spread on a crusty baguette is a real treat, 171 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:37,640 Speaker 1: and I'd bet if more Frenchmen had the chance to 172 00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:40,720 Speaker 1: throw a lip over that delicacy, they'd end up putting 173 00:10:40,760 --> 00:10:47,360 Speaker 1: beavers in every stream in the country. Moving on to 174 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:50,479 Speaker 1: the trust passing desk, this story is out of Alaska 175 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:53,120 Speaker 1: and it just may prove that a bear will do 176 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:56,840 Speaker 1: anything for a meal. A few weeks ago we brought 177 00:10:56,880 --> 00:11:00,960 Speaker 1: you the story of Pepillon, the three sixty pound four 178 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:04,120 Speaker 1: year old brown bear who has become well known across 179 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:07,320 Speaker 1: Europe after multiple escapes from his enclosure at the Alpine 180 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:11,240 Speaker 1: Animal Center in Italy. Well in Alaska, the bears aren't 181 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 1: famous for breaking out there in the news for breaking. 182 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:17,800 Speaker 1: In Last week, a six hundred pound male brown bear 183 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:21,439 Speaker 1: broke into the alpaca enclosure at the Alaska Zoo by 184 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:25,320 Speaker 1: tunneling under the zoo's perimeter fence and breaking through another 185 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:29,880 Speaker 1: cedar split rail fence. Inside, the bear found too alpacas 186 00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:34,320 Speaker 1: Fuzzy Charlie, Kozak and Caesar, who have entertained visitors for 187 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:38,320 Speaker 1: over a decade. Caesar, a fully white male with an 188 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:42,800 Speaker 1: especially fluffy appearance, had been at the zoo for fifteen years. 189 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:46,640 Speaker 1: This would be his last day. Upon entering the enclosure, 190 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:51,040 Speaker 1: the bear killed Caesar. Fuzzy Charlie was reportedly left unhurt, 191 00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:55,360 Speaker 1: but turned up wide eyed and skittish. In a typical 192 00:11:55,480 --> 00:12:00,480 Speaker 1: prison situation, I'm sure Fuzzy Charlie would be question thoroughly. 193 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:03,840 Speaker 1: But you know, this is a zoo located in South Anchorage, 194 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:07,520 Speaker 1: among a residential area that borders Checatch State park. Bear 195 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:10,959 Speaker 1: sightings are common, but state officials have never seen anything 196 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:15,640 Speaker 1: like this attack. Again inside job looking at Fuzzy Charlie. 197 00:12:17,440 --> 00:12:20,800 Speaker 1: Alaska Fishing Game had already targeted the bear for removal 198 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:24,760 Speaker 1: after it started toppling bear resistant dumpsters in nearby neighborhoods 199 00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:27,840 Speaker 1: the week prior, but the death of Caesar spurred them 200 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:30,320 Speaker 1: to act. They killed the bear a few nights later 201 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:34,240 Speaker 1: on a steakout with Alaska Wildlife troopers near some dumpsters 202 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:37,520 Speaker 1: just outside the zoo fence. This is a quote from 203 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:41,960 Speaker 1: Patrick Lampy, the director of the Alaska Zoo quote. We 204 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:44,920 Speaker 1: are deeply saddened by this tragic loss of both the 205 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:48,920 Speaker 1: wild bear and Caesar, the alpaca. We care deeply about 206 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:51,680 Speaker 1: all animals and feel saddened by the deaths on both 207 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:55,080 Speaker 1: sides of this situation. We take this as a reminder 208 00:12:55,120 --> 00:12:58,800 Speaker 1: that our city of Anchorage is indeed bear country. Wild 209 00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:02,079 Speaker 1: bears are still active, gathering food and resources before their 210 00:13:02,080 --> 00:13:05,400 Speaker 1: winners sleep. We asked the public to stay vigilant with 211 00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:10,200 Speaker 1: bear safety protocols in neighborhoods by securing trash and other attractants. 212 00:13:10,679 --> 00:13:13,880 Speaker 1: How many times have we heard that story? Officials told 213 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:16,480 Speaker 1: the Anchorage Daily News that the zoo plans to get 214 00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:20,000 Speaker 1: another alpaca and that they reinforced and repaired the fencing 215 00:13:20,440 --> 00:13:23,280 Speaker 1: the hopes that this extremely rare occurrence won't be a 216 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:27,040 Speaker 1: problem going forward. This one really makes you think of 217 00:13:27,040 --> 00:13:30,720 Speaker 1: a quote from another breakout story. The funny thing is 218 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:34,200 Speaker 1: on the outside, I was an honest man, straight as 219 00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:36,640 Speaker 1: an arrow. I had to come to prison to be 220 00:13:36,679 --> 00:13:40,560 Speaker 1: a crook. You can't name that one. It's Andy Dufraine 221 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:44,600 Speaker 1: from the Shallow Shank Redemption. Rest in peace, Caesar, Long 222 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:50,480 Speaker 1: live Fuzzy Charlie, Get busy living. You're good busy died 223 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:55,600 Speaker 1: Now onto the bird brained desk, where we apparently have 224 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:59,960 Speaker 1: to rethink how we use the term. We normally reserve 225 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:03,280 Speaker 1: it for all you mugs that are annoyingly dense, But 226 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:05,840 Speaker 1: thanks to a new discovery, we might have to give 227 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:09,720 Speaker 1: actual birds a bit more credit. A study published recently 228 00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:12,600 Speaker 1: seems to show for the first time that crows possess 229 00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:16,960 Speaker 1: some degree of subjective experience and sensory consciousness. Why is 230 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:20,480 Speaker 1: this a big deal, Well, experts had always assumed that 231 00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:24,640 Speaker 1: primary or sensory consciousness is only possessed by humans and 232 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:27,840 Speaker 1: a few of our primate cousins. Thanks to scientists at 233 00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:31,200 Speaker 1: the University of Tube Injin in Germany, there is direct 234 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:34,880 Speaker 1: evidence that, as crazy as it sounds, these corvids are 235 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:39,200 Speaker 1: capable of conscious perception. The studies, centered around the recording 236 00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:42,400 Speaker 1: of behavior and brain activity at the same time determine 237 00:14:42,560 --> 00:14:45,920 Speaker 1: if these birds are aware of their own internal experience 238 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:50,200 Speaker 1: and external existence. Another recent study at the University of 239 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:54,040 Speaker 1: Auckland and New Zealand showed that new Caledonian crows actually 240 00:14:54,080 --> 00:14:58,640 Speaker 1: make tools with a sophistication that arguably surpasses any other animal. 241 00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:01,680 Speaker 1: There were also lindes that the crows were learning from 242 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:05,720 Speaker 1: each other and advancing their own forms of technology. Those 243 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:08,240 Speaker 1: facts would be amazing on their own, but they pale 244 00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:11,920 Speaker 1: in comparison to the idea of a conscious crow. So 245 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:17,000 Speaker 1: how did researchers in Germany figure it out? Here's the breakdown. One, 246 00:15:17,440 --> 00:15:20,920 Speaker 1: they trained two carrion crows Corvus corona to move their 247 00:15:20,920 --> 00:15:24,240 Speaker 1: heads in response to seeing different colored marks on a 248 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:28,680 Speaker 1: screen while recording brain activity using electro's implanted in the 249 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:33,200 Speaker 1: crow's brains. Two. Some colors were vibrant and clear to see, 250 00:15:33,280 --> 00:15:35,800 Speaker 1: and the crows picked up on them, but others were 251 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:39,080 Speaker 1: so faint and fleeting they skirted the edge of perception. 252 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:42,760 Speaker 1: For the fate stimulus, the crows sometimes indicated that they 253 00:15:42,760 --> 00:15:45,760 Speaker 1: had seen it, but in other cases they reported there 254 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:50,000 Speaker 1: was no stimulus. Three. By looking at the brain activity 255 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:53,000 Speaker 1: during this the researchers were able to show that the 256 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:56,040 Speaker 1: nerve cells of the crow's brains were being influenced by 257 00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:59,960 Speaker 1: subjective experience in reporting their answers. Because they were conscious 258 00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:04,080 Speaker 1: sleep perceiving sensory input from the stimulus, their brains were 259 00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:07,160 Speaker 1: not just reacting to the brightness of the color by instinct, 260 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:12,440 Speaker 1: but responding to their own internal assessment. Quote. Nerve cells 261 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:16,880 Speaker 1: that represent visual input without subjective components are expected to 262 00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:19,720 Speaker 1: respond in the same way to a visual stimulus of 263 00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:25,320 Speaker 1: constant intensity. Professor Andrius Neater, a neurobiologist at the Universeity 264 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:28,880 Speaker 1: of Tuba Gin, said in a statement are results, however, 265 00:16:28,960 --> 00:16:32,680 Speaker 1: conclusively show that nerve cells at higher processing levels of 266 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:36,360 Speaker 1: the crow's brain are influenced by subjective experience, or more 267 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:41,080 Speaker 1: precisely produced subjective experiences. For all of you folks at 268 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:44,240 Speaker 1: stare at crows and get that feeling that you're being judged, 269 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:48,000 Speaker 1: well it turns out you're right. Moving on to our 270 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:54,040 Speaker 1: National park desk kind of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Park in 271 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:57,040 Speaker 1: England is having a bit of a row with a 272 00:16:57,080 --> 00:17:01,920 Speaker 1: band of swearing parrots harassing onlookers. Lincolnshire, one of the 273 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:06,320 Speaker 1: UK's largest animal sanctuaries, houses everything from Bengal tigers to 274 00:17:06,440 --> 00:17:09,720 Speaker 1: ring tailed lemurs to some fifteen hundred parrots who had 275 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:13,840 Speaker 1: become quite the attraction recently. A viral video earlier this 276 00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:18,280 Speaker 1: year of Lincolnshire resident Chico the Parrot seeing beyonces if 277 00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:20,760 Speaker 1: I were a boy drove a ton of visitors to 278 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:24,320 Speaker 1: the park, But those tourists probably weren't expecting to be 279 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:27,720 Speaker 1: cussed out by Chico's newest buddies, a group of five 280 00:17:27,840 --> 00:17:30,760 Speaker 1: African gray parrots were newly adopted by the park in 281 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:33,720 Speaker 1: August and placed in quarantine in the same room to 282 00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:36,760 Speaker 1: monitor them for any illnesses. During their stay in this 283 00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:40,399 Speaker 1: separate enclosure, staff noticed that these birds like to curse. 284 00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:44,720 Speaker 1: It's not reported exactly what foul language they used, but 285 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:47,840 Speaker 1: it was enough to make workers laugh pretty hard. That 286 00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:52,439 Speaker 1: laughing apparently spurred on the parrots. As the cursing increased, 287 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:56,440 Speaker 1: The park CEO Steve Nichols called the parrots an old 288 00:17:56,440 --> 00:18:00,760 Speaker 1: working men's club. Nichols said, just by coincide, we took 289 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:03,720 Speaker 1: in five in the same week because they were all 290 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:06,480 Speaker 1: quarantined together. It meant that one room was just full 291 00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:09,520 Speaker 1: of swearing birds. The more they swear, the more you 292 00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:13,239 Speaker 1: usually laugh, which then triggers them to swear again, just 293 00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:16,880 Speaker 1: like a toddler. Despite the language, the birds were moved 294 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:20,679 Speaker 1: into a public display and you guessed it, they immediately 295 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:24,000 Speaker 1: started swearing. It guess seems to me that a parrot 296 00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:26,720 Speaker 1: exhibit where I can hear it Beyonce tune and a 297 00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:30,800 Speaker 1: few choice insults, would be pretty darn entertaining worth the drive, 298 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:34,640 Speaker 1: you could say. But Lincolnshire staff eventually did the right 299 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:37,399 Speaker 1: thing and moved the birds to an enclosure far away 300 00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:42,159 Speaker 1: from the ears of the many impressionable little kids who visit. Which, gosh, 301 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:45,200 Speaker 1: if you think about it, the excuse of mom, I'm 302 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:49,160 Speaker 1: just talking like a parrot would probably work. Parrots themselves 303 00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:54,200 Speaker 1: are highly intelligent. Another African gray named Alex in Cambridge, 304 00:18:54,240 --> 00:18:57,080 Speaker 1: mass was once known as one of the most famous 305 00:18:57,080 --> 00:19:00,560 Speaker 1: parrots in history for pioneering new avenue as an avian 306 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:03,760 Speaker 1: smarts before passing away in two thousand seven at the 307 00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:06,639 Speaker 1: right bold age of thirty one. Alex had more than 308 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:11,040 Speaker 1: one vocal labels for different objects, actions, and colors, and 309 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:15,639 Speaker 1: could identify certain objects by their particular material. Alex exhibited 310 00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:19,399 Speaker 1: math skills that were considered advanced and animal intelligence, and 311 00:19:19,560 --> 00:19:22,520 Speaker 1: was learning to read the sounds of various letters and 312 00:19:22,560 --> 00:19:25,800 Speaker 1: had a concept of phone emes, the sounds that make 313 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:28,760 Speaker 1: up words. If only Alex was around us straighten out 314 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:31,639 Speaker 1: the foul mouthed parents of Lincolnshire, maybe they wouldn't have 315 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:39,080 Speaker 1: had have been moved. Everyone needs a good interpreter. Kids, 316 00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:46,240 Speaker 1: Now onto the smoking trees desk. It's seldom visited where 317 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:49,360 Speaker 1: I've just discovered a new way to study the forest. 318 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:54,600 Speaker 1: This is thanks to Angelica Patterson a PhD student at 319 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:58,040 Speaker 1: Columbia University's Department of Earth and Environmental Science, who was 320 00:19:58,160 --> 00:20:02,320 Speaker 1: using a shotgun to blast high up branches, retrieving them 321 00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:06,040 Speaker 1: for research on how trees adapt and move. I can't 322 00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:10,040 Speaker 1: climb trees. Building scaffolding is expensive, and using a slingshot 323 00:20:10,119 --> 00:20:13,400 Speaker 1: requires a lot of skill. A shotgun is an efficient, 324 00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:16,600 Speaker 1: cheap and effective way to collect the high up leaves 325 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:19,440 Speaker 1: that have full exposure to the sun, she told The Guardian. 326 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:23,160 Speaker 1: Patterson works in New York's Black Rock State Forest, where 327 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:26,119 Speaker 1: extensive data has been collected since the nineteen thirties that 328 00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:29,960 Speaker 1: shows exactly how tree distribution has changed over the decades. 329 00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:33,520 Speaker 1: Among many things, Patterson is working in black Rock to 330 00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:37,360 Speaker 1: investigate how environments that are extreme to certain species can 331 00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:41,000 Speaker 1: influence physiology of the tree. She spent the eight years 332 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:44,840 Speaker 1: studying how hundreds of leaves from twenty two species functioned differently, 333 00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:47,720 Speaker 1: and likens it to working out which tree has the 334 00:20:47,760 --> 00:20:50,119 Speaker 1: engine of a Toyota and which has the engine of 335 00:20:50,119 --> 00:20:53,520 Speaker 1: a Ferrari. For some reasons, this subject really makes me 336 00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:56,440 Speaker 1: want to nerd out, and Patterson has all the data 337 00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:59,240 Speaker 1: I need to go real deep. She says that over 338 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:01,679 Speaker 1: the past nine in the years there's been a shift 339 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:06,119 Speaker 1: in forest composition. Three species have left the region or 340 00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:10,439 Speaker 1: become locally extinct, and eleven have migrated in naturally from 341 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:15,960 Speaker 1: the south or been introduced. Ultimately, tree migration is incredibly complex, 342 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:20,560 Speaker 1: but it's also incredibly important. Patterson says that when compositions 343 00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:23,600 Speaker 1: of these four at shift, this affects their ability to 344 00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:27,120 Speaker 1: become a source rather than a sink of carbon dioxide 345 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:31,320 Speaker 1: which perpetuates climate change. This could really help forest management 346 00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:34,439 Speaker 1: in the future, which is essential to managing wildlife and 347 00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:38,800 Speaker 1: wild places in the East. So, Angelica, if you're listening, 348 00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:41,199 Speaker 1: I know someone that can get you a discount on 349 00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:45,200 Speaker 1: a weather be shotgun and federal premium ammunition. We need 350 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:48,240 Speaker 1: to up your game so you can target those trophy branches. 351 00:21:49,400 --> 00:21:51,359 Speaker 1: That's all I've got for you this week. Thanks a 352 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:54,320 Speaker 1: bunch for listening. As per usual, if you need to 353 00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:57,000 Speaker 1: send me straight right into a s k C A 354 00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:00,320 Speaker 1: L at the Meat eater dot com. That's asked Cal 355 00:22:00,560 --> 00:22:03,720 Speaker 1: at the meat eater dot com. More importantly, I want 356 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:05,320 Speaker 1: to know what's going on in your neck of the woods. 357 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:07,520 Speaker 1: Let me know what's happening and I'll talk to you 358 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:08,040 Speaker 1: next week.