Tag: animal

Wojtek, the Soldier Bear

Wojtek (1942-1963) was a Syrian brown bear, found by a child in Iran. The child traded him to the Polish army in exchange for some food. The soldiers adopted him during World War II, first as a mascot, but soon trained him to carry ammunition, including artillery shells, during combat. He even became an official member of the Polish army and was promoted to the rank of corporal.

After the war, Wojtek was sent to a zoo in Scotland, where he spent the rest of his life. He died at 22 years old.

Statues honoring him have been erected in a park in Edinburgh, Scotland, and another in Kraków, Poland. A film titled A Bear Named Wojtek was scheduled for release in 2020 but remains unavailable in France.

Wojtek, often depicted standing with a shell in his front paws, has become a symbol of bravery.

Lin Wang, the Military Elephant

Lin Wang (1917-2003) was an Asian elephant who served in the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). Born in Burma, he was captured at age 6 and sold to a circus.

When Japan invaded China in 1937, Lin Wang was used by the Chinese army to transport ammunition. After his many acts of bravery, he was sent to a zoo in Taipei, Taiwan.

While the average lifespan of an elephant is 60-70 years, Lin Wang lived 86 years, making him the oldest captive elephant ever recorded in the Guinness World Records.

He became Taiwan’s most beloved animal, known as “Grandpa Lin Wang”, and remains an icon of Taiwanese national identity.

Tirpitz, the War Pig

It wasn’t just dogs, bears, and elephants that served in the military—pigs played their part too! Tirpitz was a pig rescued by the British navy during World War I. He was named after Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, and legend has it he was a survivor from a German warship that sank in 1940.

After the shipwreck, the British sailors found the pig and took him aboard, originally planning to eat him. However, he became the crew’s mascot and was lovingly nicknamed the “war pig”.

Tirpitz sailed into many naval battles with his crew. He was fed leftovers from the sailors’ meals and even had his own sleeping area! He was awarded a medal for his service.

After the war, his fate is debated:

• Some say he became a celebrity, attending public events and living until 1950, after which he was stuffed and displayed in a museum.
• Others claim he was sold for meat in 1919, but his head was preserved in a museum.

Regardless of the truth, Tirpitz symbolized resilience and survival during wartime. His story boosted the morale of British troops.

Flipper, the Spy Dolphin

For decades, both the Russian and U.S. militaries have trained dolphins for military operations. These highly intelligent animals have been equipped with weapons, including poisoned darts, and used to attack enemies, sabotage enemy ships, and neutralize combat divers.

In 1962, the U.S. Navy launched a dolphin research program in Key West, Florida. A dolphin named Flipper was selected and trained to detect mines and locate submarines.

Flipper was also taught to bump a buoy with his nose when he wanted to alert humans about a dangerous or enemy zone.

His name became famous due to the TV series Flipper (1964-1967), which depicted a brilliant dolphin helping people in distress at sea. However, the dolphin in the show was actually played by two female dolphins, Susie and Kathy.

Military dolphins were used in the Vietnam War (1963-1975) and later in the Iraq War (2003). Since then, both sea lions and dolphins have continued to serve in various naval operations.

Koko, the Communicating Gorilla

Koko was a female gorilla, born in 1971 at the San Francisco Zoo. She became famous for her exceptional intelligence. Trained by psychologist Penny Patterson, Koko learned American Sign Language and could use over 1,000 signs to communicate with humans. She even invented new signs.

Patterson worked with Koko for nearly 40 years, starting her training when Koko was just one year old. She quickly showed remarkable linguistic skills—able to express emotions, state her needs, tell stories, and even make jokes. She also seemed to understand the concept of time.

Koko displayed sensitivity and compassion, especially towards other animals, including cats she adopted as pets. She even showed sadness upon learning of actor Robin Williams’ death.

Koko’s story was featured in multiple films, documentaries, and TV shows. She became an icon of human-animal communication.

Koko passed away on June 19, 2018, at age 46, leaving behind a legacy that enriched our understanding of interspecies communication.

Cher Ami, the Messenger Pigeon

Cher Ami was a carrier pigeon gifted by the British, trained by the Americans, and used in France during World War I. His role was to carry messages between troops on the battlefield. He was fast, agile, and skilled at evading predators.

Cher Ami played a crucial role in one of the most famous battles, Verdun (1916), where he delivered critical information. He participated in many other military operations.

• Battle of Verdun: One of the Longest and Bloodiest Battle of World War I

During one mission, he was shot by German forces but managed to save 194 soldiers. Though he survived, he lost a leg, and army medics crafted him a wooden prosthetic.

Cher Ami became famous in both France and the U.S. for his heroic service. After the war, he was brought back to the United States, where he was awarded the French Croix de Guerre and an American gold medal for bravery.

After his death, Cher Ami was taxidermized and is now displayed at a scientific research institution in Washington, D.C..

Keiko, the Orca

Keiko was a male orca, born in Iceland in 1976. Captured at two years old, he was sold to an aquarium. In 1985, he was transferred to a theme park in Mexico, where he remained until 1992, kept in poor conditions.

Actor Michael Keaton discovered Keiko’s terrible captivity and helped bring attention to his plight. An animal welfare group spent years fighting for his release, eventually raising enough funds to purchase Keiko in 1998 and transfer him to a rehabilitation center in Iceland. There, he was trained to regain survival skills in preparation for a return to the wild.

In 2002, Keiko was moved to Norway and released into the ocean to join a wild orca pod.

Keiko died in 2003, but his story inspired the 1993 film Free Willy by Simon Wincer, followed by three sequels. The film’s huge success helped raise awareness about the harsh reality of captive marine animals, sparking a global movement for better conditions and respect for their natural habitats.

Bucephalus, Alexander the Great’s Horse

Bucephalus was not unfamiliar with Alexander the Great’s numerous military conquests. Born around 355 BC in Thessaly (Greece), Bucephalus was raised in the royal stables. Alexander received him when he was just 12 years old. It is said that Bucephalus was black with a star-shaped white spot on his forehead and another on his hindquarters. The horse was considered untamable, and even the best riders feared him.

However, Alexander the Great discovered that the horse was afraid of his shadow. So, he placed Bucephalus facing the sun, preventing him from seeing his own shadow. Bucephalus then allowed himself to be ridden and became the king’s horse.

The horse accompanied his rider in most of his major conquests, including the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC, one of the greatest battles of antiquity. Bucephalus was injured several times but was always treated with care and returned to full health. He died in 326 BC, at the age of 29, during the Indus campaign. His death was a great shock to Alexander, who honored his loyal companion by founding the city of Bucephala (modern-day Pakistan), where the horse was buried.

Able and Baker, the Astronaut Monkeys

Able and Baker were two female monkeys sent into space on May 28, 1959. They became the first American living beings to return alive from such a journey. Able was a female rhesus macaque, and Baker was a squirrel monkey. Both were trained just like the astronauts they would become. Their journey began when the Jupiter AM-18 missile was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The monkeys were outfitted with sensors to monitor their heart rate, breathing, and brain activity.

Despite the stress of the mission, the monkeys were quickly recovered after their return. Baker passed away in 1984, but Able died shortly after the flight due to complications from anesthesia. Their successful return opened the door for manned space flights. Their journey was widely covered in the media and remains a symbol in the history of space exploration.

Binti Jua: The Gorilla Who Saved a Child

Binti Jua (1988-2022) became the subject of worldwide admiration for her human-like behavior. This female gorilla lived at the Chicago Zoo and was already popular due to her gentle nature. On August 16, 1996, a 3-year-old boy visiting the zoo with his family accidentally fell into the gorilla enclosure. Binti Jua immediately rushed to the child, gently lifting him and carrying him toward the zookeepers. The child was later hospitalized for a skull fracture and some other injuries but made a full recovery.

The story of Binti Jua’s act of kindness spread across the globe, and she became an icon of Western gorilla conservation, a species that was endangered. After the incident, the zoo organized fundraising efforts to support the conservation of gorilla habitats. Binti Jua passed away in 2022 at the age of 34.

Animals can be truly exceptional. Through their generosity and selflessness, they can work miracles. Many animals have helped humans, and choosing the most courageous ones was no easy task. Without them and without biodiversity, our lives and our world would be much sadder and less meaningful.

Sharovipteryx — A Mini-Dragon with Winged Legs

Zoologists from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles praised Game of Thrones for its realistic depiction of dragon wings. In fantasy works, dragons typically have four legs and wings on their backs, which would actually be impossible, as evolution has not produced animals with six limbs. The dragons in Game of Thrones are more believable, having only two pairs of limbs, with the front pair transformed into wings.

However, evolution in the real world has produced even stranger creatures than anything George R.R. Martin could imagine.

Take Sharovipteryx, for example. This gliding reptile’s remains were discovered in the Fergana Valley in Kyrgyzstan. It’s thought to be a distant relative of pterosaurs, which, incidentally, were not dinosaurs, despite the common misconception.

Unlike pterosaurs, which had wings on their forelimbs, Sharovipteryx had a membrane stretched between its hind limbs, allowing it to glide with its legs spread apart.

Though modest in size—only about 20 centimeters in length and weighing around 75 grams—this Kyrgyz mini-dragon was highly efficient aerodynamically. It was arguably even more efficient than modern flying squirrels and bats, as its outstretched legs and tail functioned like delta-shaped wings on a modern fighter jet. It also used membranes between its front limbs to maintain stability and prevent uncontrolled spins during glides.

Pakicetus — A Terrestrial, Predatory Whale

Whales are mammals. Despite their fish-like appearance, this is merely an illusion. Once upon a time, whales didn’t roam the oceans, sieving plankton through their teeth; instead, they roamed the land, chasing down prey and striking with powerful fangs.

Take a look at this creature—Pakicetus, whose name Pakicetus literally translates from Latin as “Pakistani whale.” It lived about 50 million years ago and looked more like a wolf or hyena, measuring between 1 and 2 meters in length. However, instead of claws, it had small hooves at the tips of its fingers, and the structure of its legs resembled those of pigs or sheep.

Yes, a carnivorous, wolf-like hoofed animal with herbivorous ancestors that led a semi-aquatic lifestyle similar to a seal.

Pakicetus hunted both terrestrial animals that ventured too close to the water and aquatic animals and fish. Over time, its hooves disappeared, its fingers became flippers, its legs and tail fused, and it evolved into a mammal known as Ambulocetus, which later gave rise to modern cetaceans.

Few would have guessed that a predator would evolve into a peaceful giant feeding on plankton. But that’s exactly what happened. From an evolutionary perspective, this means that deer, pigs, camels, whales, and orcas are related and share common ancestors. This is why these animals are classified under a single order: Cetartiodactyla. Although, at first glance, whales and hooves seem worlds apart.

Hallucigenia — A Walking Stick with Spikes on Its Back

Looking at this creature, you might think it’s an artist’s fantasy envisioning alien life forms. But no, this was a real animal. Hallucigenia is a genus of extinct invertebrates that lived during the Cambrian period. They are distant relatives of modern tardigrades and arthropods.

Hallucigenia was first discovered in what is now Canada. It had a long body with numerous legs and spines along its back—essentially a spiny worm with two rows of clawed limbs. At the front, it had a proboscis-like head with teeth and eyes, along with several tentacles.

Initially, paleobiologists believed that this odd creature moved upside down, using its spines to walk. However, they later identified its correct orientation, distinguishing between its back and its legs.

Unfortunately, Hallucigenia was not large, reaching a maximum length of only about 6 centimeters.

Chalicotherium — A Horse Resembling a Gorilla

Gorillas are impressive creatures, blessed by nature with powerful arms and well-developed back muscles—imposing primates, indeed.

But gorillas only seem formidable because they never encountered chalicotheres. These creatures were relatives of horses that had not yet evolved hooves.

Chalicotheres could easily hold their own against any King Kong. They managed just fine against bear-dogs and saber-toothed cats without much trouble.

With their massive forelimbs, a single powerful right hook was enough to knock down any predator.

They had short heads, similar to zebras, and extremely muscular forelimbs, which they used to walk on their knuckles. A typical chalicothere stood 150 centimeters at the shoulder and weighed around 600 kilograms. They roamed Europe toward the end of the Miocene epoch, about 5.3 million years ago.

Dickinsonia — A Living Carpet with Frills

Around 560 million years ago, Earth’s conditions were vastly different from today. The land was barren, continents were arranged differently, and the Moon was closer to Earth, creating stronger tides. A year lasted about 400 days. This period is known as the Ediacaran period.

The “Gardens of Ediacara,” or the sea floors of that time, were paradise-like. Predation hadn’t yet evolved, and creatures hadn’t developed the concept of “chase and consume.”

One of the most fascinating and largest organisms of the Ediacaran biota was Dickinsonia. It resembled a round, living carpet, reaching up to 1.5 meters in diameter and segmented into sections.

Dickinsonia could crawl along the seabed using frilled edges but seemed to lead a mostly sedentary life, growing gradually larger. It fed on microorganisms, collecting them from the sea floor.

Scientists debated for a long time about what Dickinsonia truly was. Due to the presence of cholesterol in its structure, most biologists now believe it was an animal. However, some suggest it may have been a type of fungus or even belonged to an entirely extinct kingdom of life, unknown to science.

Infrared Vision

Infrared light has longer wavelengths than the visible spectrum, making it undetectable by the human eye. However, mosquitoes and bed bugs, frogs, certain fish, vampire bats, and many types of snakes can use infrared waves to locate heat sources emanating from their prey.

This is because heated objects emit light. Objects that are truly hot emit light visible to humans, which is why pieces of molten metal appear red to us. On the other hand, animal bodies emit infrared light, which is picked up by these creatures.

For example, snakes use normal vision during the day and infrared vision at night. Boas have special pits near their jaws lined with heat-sensitive cells that work even in complete darkness. To imagine how they see, think of the alien hunter from the movie Predator.

Ultraviolet Vision

Amphibians, certain iguanas, many insects, fish, reindeer, birds, and rodents have UV receptors in their retinas.

For example, this helps bees locate nectar in flowers. It allows birds to spot small prey from a distance and maneuver at high speeds.

Reindeer use this part of the spectrum to find food. Lichens absorb ultraviolet light, making them more noticeable and appear black against the snow.

This super-vision also helps reindeer see fur from afar, and wolves are often wrapped in it.

Additionally, reindeer can distinguish urine spots that humans can’t see. Urine also absorbs UV light, making it stand out and helping the animals avoid wolves and other rivals who don’t appreciate intruders on their territory.

Magnetoreception

The Earth has a powerful magnetic field that protects us from cosmic radiation and solar emissions. However, some animals have learned to use it for spatial orientation. Turtles, lobsters, sharks, and many species of migratory birds have built-in compasses, preventing them from getting lost.

Sometimes living organisms aren’t inherently sensitive to magnetic fields but are in symbiosis with Magnetobacterium bacteria residing in their bodies. These microorganisms literally grant their hosts superpowers, like in comic books. Some penguins, sea turtles, bats, and most whales have such bacteria.

This ability, by the way, isn’t always beneficial.

Scientists believe that due to solar storms, whales sometimes experience a malfunction in their “compass,” causing them to beach themselves. At least, that’s one of the reasons.

Humans also have organs capable of interacting with the magnetic field—the sphenoid sinus and the ethmoidal labyrinth in the nose.

Electrical Sense

Certain creatures, such as electric eels, catfish, as well as sharks and rays, can sense electric fields. They have a special organ called the ampullae of Lorenzini.

The bodies of living beings generate electrical impulses, and animals equipped with ampullae of Lorenzini can detect them in water. This helps them locate prey.

That’s why sharks can attack their prey even without seeing it.

Not only fish can sense electricity, but mammals too. Guiana dolphins also search for food by sensing electric currents emitted by fish. This sense is useful not only for hunting but also for simple ocean navigation.

Instead of ampullae of Lorenzini, dolphins use their hair follicles. Yes, they still have them, albeit in a reduced form, from the times when dolphins were hairy, ran on land, and were called Pakicetids.

Spiders are also capable of detecting electricity. Since they don’t live in water, they create conductors for electric currents. Some types of arthropods coat their webs with a special electrostatic substance.

Firstly, changes in tension alert the web’s owner about where to find a trapped fly. Secondly, an electrified web better captures various airborne particles and insects. Thirdly, many of these flying insects also sense electric fields, which is vital for their air navigation.

However, the web creates disturbances, confusing flying insects into approaching the “interesting” hanging object. And it works well.

Incidentally, pollinators like bumblebees also use electricity. They accumulate a small positive charge when flapping their wings. Most plants are negatively charged. When an insect lands on a flower, it feels a small electric discharge, indicating whether other pollinators have already visited and if it’s worth the effort. If the flower has been pollinated, it… changes its charge, signaling bees that there’s nothing left for them.

Echolocation

Echolocation is the ability to navigate through space by listening to sounds reflected from the surface of surrounding objects. For example, bats can emit an ultrasonic squeak through their larynx while flying, which is inaudible to humans. They then pick up the echo of this squeak and use it to determine distances to objects and prey.

This superpower is essential for bats to avoid obstacles when they’re flying around like crazy.

Besides bats, ultrasonic echolocation is also used by certain species like fat nightjars and swifts (here, “fat” refers to a specific species, not a description of their appearance). Blind lab rats also use it.

Blind people, incidentally, can also be trained in echolocation. However, naturally, their ability is not as advanced as that of bats, and humans are incapable of producing and perceiving ultrasound.

Dolphins, on the other hand, are so adept at integrating visual and acoustic information in their brains that they can literally “see” the data from their echolocator. This might resemble something like an image on an ultrasound screen.

Infrasound

In addition to ultrasonic, there is also infrasonic echolocation. Low-frequency sounds are preferred, for example, by baleen whales like humpback or blue whales.

Infrasound travels much farther in water than all other waves, and whales use it to communicate and establish useful connections. They gather in pods and sing in chorus.

Not only marine creatures but also terrestrial animals like elephants and alligators can hear infrasound. Although they can’t use it for navigation in the air, they can send signals to each other with it.