And then there was a frog at Christmas.

6 Cutest Things We Learned about Animals in 2024
From morphing beluga noggins to birds that practice singing in their sleep,
science produced plenty of adorable findings this year.
Singing in their Sleep
Some people talk in their sleep. Dogs
"sleep bark"
. Certain birds, it turns out, practice their singing while they snooze. Scientists had previously noticed that some birds seemed to make movements that resembled lip-syncing (beak-syncing?) while they dozed. To see what was a going on, researchers implanted electrodes in the brains of Zebra Finches and Great Kiskadees. The finches, which tend to learn new sounds and songs, seemed to silently rehearse their tunes, whereas the Great Kiskadees, with their more limited repertoire, did not.
Zebra Finches
Mighty Morphin’ Melons
Belugas are pretty adorable on their own, but it gets even better: These whales have a mass of fat tissue on their forehead called a
"melon"
(yes, that’s the technical term), which they move around to communicate with one another. Researchers monitored belugas at Connecticut’s Mystic Aquarium and found that they morph their melon in distinctive ways, such as shaking it or pushing it forward or back. What the whales are communicating isn’t yet clear, but certain morphs could be used to flirt or to signal aggression.
Beluga whales touching heads as a way to communicate with one another.
Bear Hugs?
"If not friend, why friend-shaped?"
So goes the Internet meme that wants to know why bears looks so cuddly when they are definitely not an animal you’d be advised to hug.
Some of it likely comes from their role in our cultures (in folklore, for example), as well as humans’ and bears’ similar preferences for where to live and what to eat. The animals’ particular physical features might draw us in, too. Bears have a big nose you kind of want to
"boop"
like you would a dog’s, as well as fluffy fur and rounded ears. And their chubby face may trigger our nurturing reflexes by reminding us of our own babies.
Close-up of playful European brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) cubs in the woods of Finland.
We dare You to resist that Face
Any dog owner knows the expression well: the pleading look of a pet pooch giving you
"puppy-dog eyes"
. It turns out that, contrary to the suggestions of previous research, it isn’t just domesticated dogs that possess the eyebrow muscles to make this forlorn expression. New research this year found that African wild dogs have them, too.
"It opens a door to thinking about where dogs come from, and what they are,"
said Anne Burrows, a biological anthropologist at the Duquesne University, in an interview with Nature.
Wild Dogs
Impeccable Avian Manners
We’ve all been in the situation where we arrive at a door at the same time as someone else, and one person will usually say and/or gesture "after you" to allow the other person to proceed first. Well, it turns out Japanese Tits (Parus minor) do this, too. When mates are seen outside their nest box, one will flutter its wings to the other in an apparent
"after you"
gesture. The behavior evidence that nonhuman animals may use symbolic gestures versus ones with a more literal meaning, such as pointing. And it’s delightfully polite.
Japanese Tit
Cutest Sauna Ever
Frogs and other amphibians have had a rough go of it in recent decades, with a deadly fungal infection called chytridiomycosis devastating populations. Scientists had noted that chytrid disease, as it is also called, seemed to be deadlier in cold, wet climates than in warm, dry ones. And thus was born the charming idea of the frog sauna: A group of researchers built black-brick structures with frog-sized holes that would absorb heat. And sure enough, the frogs were better able to fight off the fungus. That’s definitely a reason to jump for joy.
Green and golden bell frogs inside a frog sauna thermal shelter.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-6-cutest-things-we-learned-about-animals-in-2024/
December 10, 2024
https://www.spektrum.de/news/die-6-niedlichsten-fakten-die-wir-2024-ueber-tiere-gelernt-haben/2246385
December 12, 2024

TarasTaters September 25, 2024 10:07 PM
Member since July 20, 2024
Caught this miscreant trying to break in the other night!
My frog always steals the headphones.
​​

Caught this miscreant trying to break in the other night!
Cold comfort for change? Did you exchange
A walk-on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?

QUIT RUINING OTHER PEOPLES' THREADS.
My password is password.

‍️ Christina 1986-05-20

½ S/N Asian (40%+ Chinese) ½ Norwegian/Danish-Irish Swiss (Amish/PA) German French Dutch? French+Dutch Celtic-Irish English-Irish? ..?

Nothing you said makes any sense. You are insane and will hopefully die soon.
My password is password.

‍️ Christina 1986-05-20

Some of them can no longer be found.
I played Zoo Tycoon at all hours of the night. It was my younger brother's. The animals can reproduce like crazy.
I tried to play WoW. I think my dad got me a pack of more than one. I couldn't figure it out. It's MMORPG, "massive multiplayer online rope playing game?"
We also played an educational game, which included outer space. I seemed to have that going for a good while, for some reason.
I hopped onto some fantasy one, as well.
I've owned SIMS. Early on, I liked Dogz or Catz, I think just had one of them.
I loved virtual pets, all along. It seemed better than "the internet." So were microwaves and girls in "computer science."
½ S/N Asian (40%+ Chinese) ½ Norwegian/Danish-Irish Swiss (Amish/PA) German French Dutch? French+Dutch Celtic-Irish English-Irish? ..?

You are a known liar so no one believes you.
My password is password.

‍️ Christina 1986-05-20

I've played some of a handful of computer games, mainly for youth. Frogger is very easy, at least very to learn.
½ S/N Asian (40%+ Chinese) ½ Norwegian/Danish-Irish Swiss (Amish/PA) German French Dutch? French+Dutch Celtic-Irish English-Irish? ..?

No one believes you.
My password is password.

Christina 1986-05-20 February 02, 2025 09:09 AM
Member since October 4, 2017
I just mean that if you think someone else will talk to me, they'll say it's racist if a good German won't, generally possibly that much like they would otherwise or with others maybe.

‍️ Christina 1986-05-20

I just mean that if you think someone else will talk to me, they'll say it's racist if a good German won't, generally possibly that much like they would otherwise or with others maybe.
½ S/N Asian (40%+ Chinese) ½ Norwegian/Danish-Irish Swiss (Amish/PA) German French Dutch? French+Dutch Celtic-Irish English-Irish? ..?

Christina 1986-05-20 February 01, 2025 07:37 PM
Member since October 4, 2017
No one will talk to me because they either believe

1. If they are from "my country" the U.S. on my dad's side then they will complain they are as good as someone from Europe..
2. If they are "Black" or "Colored" they will then say I don't deserve anything … maybe because I really believe I act European.
3. bs
4. bs
5. Christina-Troll is an annoying racist and showed that in zillion threads.

‍️ Christina 1986-05-20

No one will talk to me because they either believe

1. If they are from "my country" the U.S. on my dad's side then they will complain they are as good as someone from Europe..
2. If they are "Black" or "Colored" they will then say I don't deserve anything … maybe because I really believe I act European.
   ½ S/N Asian (40%+ Chinese) ½ Norwegian/Danish-Irish Swiss (Amish/PA) German French Dutch? French+Dutch Celtic-Irish English-Irish? ..?

Christina 1986-05-20 September 25, 2024 10:07 PM
Member since October 4, 2017
https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2017/02/02/stay-keepers-story-lois-lowry-illustrated-by-true-kelley/
Christina 1986-05-20 February 01, 2025 06:56 PM
OP
Member since October 4, 2017
Tara?
Just because I'm "good," she'll follow. So does other people.
https://www.filmboards.com/t/General-Discussion/Is-this-board-full-of-racial-bullies-from-Europe%3F-3555033/
Apparently
Christina-Troll
wants to continue our little talk in her thread.
Actually, it's not necessary to repeat everything again.

‍️ Christina 1986-05-20

https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2017/02/02/stay-keepers-story-lois-lowry-illustrated-by-true-kelley/
½ S/N Asian (40%+ Chinese) ½ Norwegian/Danish-Irish Swiss (Amish/PA) German French Dutch? French+Dutch Celtic-Irish English-Irish? ..?

Christina Ann Joanna Barrett 1986 FL NO September 25, 2024 10:23 PM
Member since October 4, 2017
Well, it affects my brain and maybe my nerves.
Aha, the pity-card approaches.

‍️ Christina 1986-05-20

Well, it affects my brain and maybe my nerves.
½ S/N Asian (40%+ Chinese) ½ Norwegian/Danish-Irish Swiss (Amish/PA) German French Dutch? French+Dutch Celtic-Irish English-Irish? ..?

Christina Ann Joanna Barrett 1986 FL NO September 25, 2024 10:18 PM
Member since October 4, 2017
Well, I don't actually drink alcohol, though I love it in food, affects me even if cooked now.
That's a relief.
That effect shows, you don't have much time left.
Liver kaputt. ​

by /.ㅤ September 25, 2024 10:21 PM
Member since January 25, 2022
YOU'VE RUINED THIS THREAD YOU STUPID BITCH.
Nope.
This thread serves its purpose.
A troll revelation!

YOU'VE RUINED THIS THREAD YOU STUPID BITCH.
My password is password.

‍️ Christina 1986-05-20

Well, I don't actually drink alcohol, though I love it in food, affects me even if cooked now.
½ S/N Asian (40%+ Chinese) ½ Norwegian/Danish-Irish Swiss (Amish/PA) German French Dutch? French+Dutch Celtic-Irish English-Irish? ..?

Christina Ann Joanna Barrett 1986 FL NO September 25, 2024 10:09 PM
Member since October 4, 2017
I was looking at my Latina roommate's pastas, don't need it, anymore. I bet they used to eat things like hamburger helper in Florida.
Please go ahead.
Everyone can see what you really are.