The Great Outdoors

Moss

Oh my gosh, I love moss. It's such a good plant. Did you know that moss can repair its own DNA? I sure didn't until I read an article about it this morning. That is absolutely wack. Moss is just so great for ecosystems. It keeps a lot of moisture in the soil and helps prevent erosion, which makes it much easier for other plants to grow. When nutrient rich top soil gets dried out and eroded away, it becomes much more difficult for other plants to grow. They're also great little ecosystems for tiny critters. Moss is also great for carbon sequestration. That means that it takes in a lot of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and photosynthesizes it. This is very helpful for fighting climate change and the loss of carbon sinks.

Its also great for helping soil regenerate. When a big disaster takes out all life from an area (like a volcano), pioneer species like moss and lichen are the first to grow and they eventually become soil! It's really cool how ecosystems evolve and grow where you can identify approximately how long an area of nature has gone undisturbed by disaster based on exactly what is growing there and how old it is.

Wolves

Fun fact, you know that big belief that wolves have alphas, omegas, betas and all that jazz? Well the study that "prooved" it was bogus! They studied wolves in captivity that did not know each other so they just had to figure it out and couldn't do normal wolf things, ergo, like with all animals, a hierarchy formed. In real wild wolf packs, its a family. There is no alpha or anybody who is in charge by being mean and aggressive and buff, its just the parents. The rest of the pack is their family. They're all just chilling. And the wolf that is the "alpha" is actually there to be a protector and ensure that all of the pack is cared for! It's not about aggression or control, its about keeping the family alive and well.

Dolphins

Dolphins are bastards, end of story.

Cows

So you know how people are so afraid of sharks, especially after the release of Jaws? Well it's justified because being scared of something is always ok, but its also misattributed! Cows kill more people annually than sharks, its just usually not the same sort of terror. We can't villainize cows because a lot of the world eats them or they are a passive part of everyday life. But sharks? Well they are a threat to fisherman because they eat fish and the only encounters humans have with them are either terrifying or bad. Very few sharks can actually kill humans. The shark responsible for the most deaths is actually the bull shark, not the great white shark. Most just nibble and realize its not what they were trying to catch and go away.

But cows? They are herd animals. They will do anything to protect their herd. And if a human is coming along to screw with a herd of cows and makes them feel threatened, those cows will attack without prejudice. Its like how donkeys treat dogs. They can even attack in herds. But you shouldn't be scared of cows either! Just be respectful and cognizant of all animals around you. Most animals don't want to hurt people because there is too much of a risk of getting hurt back. So, as long as you're paying attention, they won't attack. Just be conscious of your surroundings and you'll even be able to avoid a shark attack. There are usually signs, like fish running or just general warnings that there are a lot of sharks in the area. So just be cautious and aware whenever you're around animals.

Orangutans

Orangutans are one of my favorite animals of all time. They are so human like, it is insane. They can learn to use tools and they won't try to murder you at the first chance, like chimpanzees. They spend most of their time alone but are still very social. They're tree blokes and hang out with their moms well into what we would consider adulthood, however they are still solitary animals. Despite this, they still have compassion and a desire to help other animals. There is a documented case of an orangutan attempting to save a man from a pond full of dangerous snakes. The man was ok, he was there to get rid of the snakes for the orangutans. But its still a marvel of evolution that despite all of the things that try to kill them and the ways that humans have harmed them, they still choose kindness and compassion.

Orangutans are very intelligent creatures. They learn very well through observation and can recognize specific humans. So much so that in orangutan orphanages, they have to cycle keepers around so the orangutans don't get attached to one human which would cause them to struggle once they are released into the wild. And despite being very large for a primate, they spend most of their time in the trees. This is done by having their four appendages being akin to a combination of feet and hands. They can easily traverse between trees and they even make nests in the trees to sleep at night. They are generally wholesome creatures and I recommend watching the video below if you have time!

Orcas

Now Orcas are a really frickin cool animal. They travel in pods, have a matriarch, and are just the best dolphin. They are so awesome that when a Great White Shark even spots an Orca, it evacuates the hunting grounds for several seasons. They travel across the globe while migrating and eat a wide variety of seals, fish, and other marine life. They are also a natural predator of moose, which is disturbing. They live for about the same amount of time as humans and are actually more human-like than most people realize. Juvenile Orcas will go out of their way to mess with and torment humans and animals alike. They will bump boats just for the fun of it, there is no record of an Orca ever killing a human in the wild so it can only be assumed that they just think its funny. They like to punt seals out of the water and sometimes won't even go eat them. They are all around adorable mayhem-makers, just my type of animal!

They are also very social animals. Unlike how I discussed earlier with Orangutans who are social but live in solitude, Orcas live in pods for life. Even the males stay! They just leave when its time to breed then return for the rest of the year. This is because pods offer protection, food, and hunting strategy. The language and hunting strategies of Orcas differ from pod to pod. They develop and pass down these things down generation after generation through the matrilineal line so now ever pod is inherently different. I loved watching the Orcas swim by the fjords back when I lived on the farm, it was so cool.

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