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“You and [coworker] need to talk things out and get along. I don’t know why you get along with everyone but then and are being mean to them.”
Me: tries to be nice to [coworker] all day.
Coworker: *is snappy, giving me attitude, and actively avoiding me*
If this keeps up and my coworker keeps being a bitch ISTG I’m just gonna quit. Our job is stressful enough without the unnecessary drama. They’ve already just fucking walked out and left me to finish the shift alone once because I truthfully answered the questions they asked (I said it as nicely as I can, but don’t ask questions if you don’t wanna hear the answers…especially if you’re asking why I’m being snippy with you when you know damn well you stood around and watched me do a ton of work without even offering to help…I’m not gonna lie to you if you’re gonna be brave enough to confront me about it).
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wolves in eastern USA are a really bizarre case actually because. okay, so, we have coyotes right? they’re everywhere. And supposedly wolves haven’t been in the eastern USA for a long time.
however. I’m on inaturalist and gray wolves have presence in many areas across the globe, whereas coyotes are restricted to North America. And iNaturalist maps largely corroborate this
However. if you just pull up coyote observations you’ll see a huge variety of animals with a great range of sizes and appearances. Which is like, okay, wolves are still way bigger, the people ID-ing the photos must know what they’re talking about
HOWEVER. look at observations of gray wolves, specifically in Eurasia, (where there is no overlap with coyotes) and you’ll see animals that make you think. That’s a Coyote. The size and shape is fully indistinguishable from the coyotes you were just looking at. BUT IT CAN’T BE A COYOTE. ‘CAUSE IT’S IN POLAND.
So basically what’s happening is that all photos taken in an area of the USA where wolf presence isn’t officially documented are confidently identified “coyote” no matter what even if they can’t actually be distinguished by a low quality photo
Looking up how to distinguish coyotes and wolves makes my brain dissolve entirely, because in Connecticut (example) there are numerous trail cam photos of BIG coyote- or wolf- like creatures with rounded, blocky muzzles, stout bodies, short, rounded ears, walking with their tails held horizontally, all definitively identified as coyotes, so it’s like…is there some diagnostic trait I don’t know about or is everyone just assigning taxa to an indistinct animal based on what they’re “most likely” to be
What do you mean red wolves are 45-80 pounds
…
I’m trying to read about the relationships between canid species in North America and I’ve completely lost the plot.
So Wikipedia cites this study as evidence that red wolves are distinct from coyotes, which basically…examined their external morphological characteristics? and determined that…red wolves are more similar to red wolves than coyotes and their hybrids and they have distinct morphological traits? Is it me or is that circular?
Meanwhile the coyote page cites this study which seems far more rigorous in that it actually analyzed the animals’ genetics, and this found that red wolves and coyotes form a clade separate from gray wolves, and that all the wolves, coyotes included, are monophyletic. It also found that all North American wolves contain coyote DNA, and that red wolves are around 60% coyote, whereas Eastern timber wolves and Great Lakes wolves are around 40% and 25% coyote respectively (though they are considered to be in the gray wolf clade). See also this study, which largely agrees with the idea that red wolves and coyotes are closely related and that there is a ton of hybridization, meaning essentially all North American wolves and all coyotes have some of the other’s DNA. A quote from the second study linked:
An exhaustive search of wolf genomes from the Great Lakes region including Algonquin Provincial Park, where pure eastern wolves are thought to exist, and from red wolves from the captive breeding colony reveals little unique ancestry and instead demonstrates a distinct geographic pattern of admixture between gray wolves and coyotes. We argue strongly for a less typologically oriented implementation of the ESA that allows interim protection of hybrids while encouraging the restoration of historic patterns of variation through habitat protection.
This earlier study treats Eastern Wolves as conspecific with Red Wolves and identifies “Coywolves” as a genetically distinct population with wolf and coyote ancestry. It also notes that North American canids “do not conform to the species concept” because they are not reproductively isolated from each other. Here’s a quote:
Coyote/Wolf hybrids are likely harboring Wolf genes that would otherwise be lost due to genetic drift in a small isolated population … and hybridization is moving towards a Canis that is better adapted to anthropogenically modified landscapes.
This is my first time diving into actual studies about this subject, and I’m just kinda stunned because the evidence appears to very clearly show that wolves and coyotes are basically the same thing existing on a spectrum of phenotypes.
This is just utterly at odds with the policies surrounding the species, where wolves are treated as this noble, essential keystone species firmly protected by law whereas Coyotes are vermin to be slaughtered by the thousands.
People are allowed to kill Coyotes with reckless abandon in the same territories where Red Wolves dwelt. This means that people are almost certainly slaughtering Red Wolves or at least slaughtering what remains of their DNA, because no one knows how or to what extent the two are different.
The second study I linked discusses how the division of the species has implications for the animals being covered under the Endangered Species Act or not. Basically, we had to separate the Eastern Wolf for Gray Wolves to retain protections, because if they were the same species, that would be considered a valid reason to kill 'em all. And obviously, the Red Wolves would not be protected if they were considered the same species as coyotes.
It’s almost like the most versatile and adaptable of the wolf phenotypes was offered as a sacrifice to sate the bloodthirst of the pro-wolf-killing faction, Coyotes separated from the rest so the other wolves could be protected and thus live.
But coyotes contain a ton of genetic diversity that could help the other wolves survive. One of the studies above mentions that the 14 founding red wolves of the current population have very low inbreeding coefficients despite being the last of a dying breed. It’s because the coyotes have served as a reservoir of diversity.
The divides are a political fiction, they’re a complicated family of species that together contain the diversity that holds the key to survival.
Wolves definitely exist in parts of the eastern USA but just get mistaken as coyotes
And yeah, some subspecies of grey wolf can be pretty small and more coyote-like. There are also golden jackals in Europe that look a lot like coyotes and sometimes get misidentified as wolves and vice versa.
This video at a zoo in Germany gives an idea of how small European wolves can be
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In a 2 week long polling tournament, the “Ultimate Feliform” was voted on in my Instagram stories.
So here are some fun facts about the teeny tiny termite-eating hyena who was deemed champion: the aardwolf!
(via purringfayestudio)
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My husband has told me multiple times that I should just quit my job and honestly depending on how this current drama between me and one coworker plays out I’m kinda tempted to say fuck it and listen to him.
I love the company I work for. My coworkers for the most part are awesome people whose company I enjoy. I like what I do for a job.
But I am breaking myself working here. My joints hurt so much. I am sick and tired of having coworkers who can’t pull their own weight and talk shit about me behind my back. If I’m apparently so stressful to work around I can’t help but wonder if the company would be better off without me working here. Evidently every kind thing I do, every time I bust my ass, every effort I make isn’t outweighed by the fact that I don’t have time for small talk or and that comes off as me “being mean.” I’m only one goddamn person. And I’m so, so tired.
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Ron Cobb, 1970
it’s a boomer meme, but it checks out
This is more of a “Greatest Generation” meme technically
why are these are still relevant
Capitalism still exists
That meme is half a century old, and yet still as relevant as if done yesterday.
Fun fact: this guy, Ron Cobb, also did concept art for just about every famous sf/fantasy movie of the 1980s.
(via zooophagous)
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I’m listening to a livestream about hunting/culling feral cats.and honestly the more I listen the more I agree with allowing culling (I don’t agree with hunting them though…which even the host doesn’t agree with here in the US so there’s that). I wasn’t sold on it before but the more I listen the more I’m like….yeah, actually, that would help the problem.
I don’t get why we have dog licenses and not cat licenses. If we had mandatory cat licensing and maybe even mandatory microchipping (WITH FREE/CHEAP CLINICS!!) it would be very easy to tell someone’s domestic cat apart from a feral cat. Behavior and grooming aren’t the best indicators (some pets are spicy, some owners can’t/don’t groom their pets well, and some strays are friendly), and most cat collars are literally made to fall off if a cat gets them snagged on something.
If we did culling and had mandatory chipping/licensing it wouldn’t be perfect (nothing will ever be). But I feel like if people heard “if you don’t do this and we catch your cat they will be euthanized” it’d get licensing/chipping numbers up really fast.
If that was successful then any cat who was caught in a live trap could be scanned/identified and owners found. If no owner was found we could still have the mandatory stray holding periods (3-5 days in most places in the US). After that time….sorry, kitty’s gone. I bet a lot more people would start keeping their cats indoors! (As people should be doing anyway.)
‘Cause fact is TNR isn’t effective enough. You have to fix SO MANY animals for populations to REMAIN STABLE, not even reduce. And we desperately need a reduction. There’s BILLIONS of feral cats in the US. They’re VERY good bird hunters, they spread disease, they’re a nuisance in people’s yards, and sometimes they even attack people’s pets/livestock.
We already take a hard stance against feral dogs. I’m sorry if this is news to you, but if a feral dog is caught (which is always the goal) their choices are “become domesticated or die.” Yes, even if they land in a no-kill shelter. And dogs are the poster child for domestication. They’re literally bred to want to interact with humans. Cats? Unfortunately for them, not so much. They don’t have the same domestication history as dogs.
People would absolutely bitch about it. “But my barn cats!” “Cats BELONG outside!!” “I don’t want to license/microchip them!” “What if my cat gets out and they’re not chipped/licensed yet?!” etc. in addition to the anticipated “You’re just cruel psychopath cat killers who want to murder cats!! What next, humans?!!??! Humans are the REAL invasive species!!!“ But so far nothing else we’re doing is working.
I dunno, I feel like this would never be a thing in the US ‘cause people care more about charismatic domestic animals than our wildlife. Just look at feral horses and the bitch fits people throw over GIVING THEM BIRTH CONTROL (not even culling or round-ups, people seriously complain about doing something that’s MINIMALLY INVASIVE to keep the populations in healthy ranges FOR THE HORSES’ OWN GOOD). But man I wish something would be done about feral cats and more people would stop letting their cats out. I used to be one of those people who argued ‘till I was blue in the face that my cat/situation was the exception. Now she’s happier than ever living life indoors-only. Progressing and learning is good.
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Is it just me, or does UK and US hunting culture have different mindsets? Sorry for my ignorance, but I’m an American that recently found your blog. It seems like my country has a more conservationist approach. From a few of your posts, it seems like people from the UK have a more negative view of predators
Anonymous
UK hunting attitudes very much go back to the Victorian era and earlier, where all predators are seen as bad and needing to be killed and only the privileged elites should be allowed to hunt certain game animals.
The US has a much more conservation-minded approach to hunting, however I will say there’s still a lot of anti-predator attitudes with US hunters, especially when it comes to wolves and coyotes. Coyotes are killed in huge numbers, often using very cruel methods, and they have little to no protection in most states. Deer hunters tend to hate coyotes in particular as they blame them for killing “their” deer. “Save a fawn, kill a coyote” and “the only good coyote is a dead coyote” are common slogans among hunters in the US.
Predator killing contests are also common in the US, where hunters compete for cash prizes if they can kill the most coyotes, foxes, wolves, raccoons or bobcats. Hundreds of animals can be killed during each contest. Not all US hunters support these contests or views towards predators, but a lot do.
That seems like a pretty poor excuse. I can understand if you’re growing food, but native wildlife is more important than some pretty ornamental flowers.
I am passionate about gardening and have to put up with a lot of damage from wildlife. The foxes love to dig up and destroy my plants, which can get frustrating when I’ve spent a lot of money on making it look nice, but I accept that as part of living alongside nature. I garden for wildlife as much as myself, so damage from wildlife is part of that. Killing is generally very ineffective at dealing with wildlife problems. There are ways to protect plants that are far more effective and humane.
While I don’t agree with the hatred raccoons get, there is a lot more to it than just, “They dig up the garden!”
I’ve personally gotten less than 5′ away from a raccoon that was dead-set on ripping my young ducks out of their pen through their fencing. Couldn’t care less that I was standing there trying to scare them off, I was about ready to go grab a broom or stick to whack them with before they finally backed off. Had a repeat of that a few more times before they figured out that I was too vigilant for them to get away with their little crimes. Those trouble hands are known for grabbing chickens, birds, or other small/young livestock through fences and ripping them through the fencing itself. Many people will happily shoot a raccoon on sight for going near their livestock for this reason alone.
My mom had a raccoon that learned how to open her sliding glass doors and would let itself into her house (yes the solution was an obvious “then lock your doors” but my mom didn’t want to do that and instead chose to hire someone to trap the raccoon…heaven forbid we use some common sense).
People who keep outdoor cats or feed their dogs outside will complain about them eating the pet’s food (WHAT ELSE DID YOU EXPECT??). Then of course there’s livestock feed. I had a skunk that kept trying to get at my chicken’s food, but I know other people who had that issue with raccoons.
My father-in-law had to keep the fridge they had in their garage closed with a tie-down ‘cause raccoons kept opening it to raid it and figured out how to disarm bungee cords. Raccoons are almost on par with monkeys when it comes to intelligence and sometimes that lands them in hot water with people. I still have the skull of one he shot then left to rot in his yard =/
Killing them still isn’t the solution, and there’s better ways to deal with just about all of these scenarios. But just wanted to shed some light on why some people are so mad about raccoons.
There’s also the concern about rabies and what-not. Where I grew up gray foxes were the main carrier of rabies but worrying about raccoons does make sense because they are a primary carrier in the US (raccoons, red and gray foxes, skunks, and bats). People always assume an animal they see during the daytime=it’s rabid. Since raccoons are highly adaptable they’re common in a lot of neighborhoods even in places like cities which people always seem to assume means they’re rabid.
Long story short: people are dumb and lazy.
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Pet peeve: animal rights activists who take advantage of people who aren’t aware that pigs will scream bloody murder at literally anything
Sir that could be the most spoiled pig on earth who eats food out of its humans mouth and it will still let out a bloodcurdling squeal if said human were to pick it up, that’s just pig antics
(via is-the-fox-video-cute)
- 2 weeks ago
- 1098 notes
- #I was recently having a convo about pigs screaming during the gassing process of butchering
- #I still don't agree with gassing pigs to render them unconscious
- #I don't think it's the most humane method for them specifically
- #but squealing isn't the best indication
- #studies showing that they'll avoid high concentrations of CO2 is
- #or that it takes 30 seconds to render them unconscious and can be painful while this occurs
- #those are good reasons to be against it
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I don't understand. Are cats not a part of nature? Wouldn't letting them be outside be the natural thing to do, letting nature do its thing even if birds are killed? They are animals, it doesn't seem right to me to lock them in a house for the majority of the time. They probably want to be free, they're supposed to be outside like other animals
Anonymous
Cats (Felix catus) are a domesticated variety of the African Wildcat (Felis lybica). This process occurred c. 10,000 years ago. The cats which reside in our homes are different from their wild ancestors on a genetic level which effects their temperament. They also have decreased cranial volume.
All this to say that domestic cats are, in fact, not a part of nature, in fact they are classified among the top 100 worst invasive species by the Global Invasive Species Database. This is why their presence, and predation, in the environment is so devastating.
As of 2016 cats were implicated in the extinction of 63 species, this is 26% of total distinctions attributed to invasive mammalian predators. That’s 40 species of bird, 21 species of mammals, and 2 species of reptiles. They are considered a threat to the continued existence of 420 species.
I don’t even know how to begin to describe the impact domestic cats have on the environment so here’s a huge list of various studies across the globe.
Do you believe that dogs should be allowed to free-range, to come and go as they please wherever they please? What about ferrets? Rabbits? If you’ve answered “No” to any of these, then why are cats exempt from the basic rules of courtesy other domesticated species are held to?
The idea that “cats want to be free” is an example of anthropomorphizing, or ascribing human emotions to animals. Cats do not have a concept of “freedom,” they do not yearn for something they don’t understand.
That being said, controlled time outdoors can be a good form of enrichment for some cats - this means on a harness and leash accompanied by a person, or in a secure enclosure like a catio. However while some cats may enjoy this others have no interest in, or are actively avoidant of, the outdoors and shouldn’t be forced.
Also leaving your cats to roam outside unsupervised is neglect, and I’d argue could even be considered abusive.
An outdoor cat allowed to free-roam can:
- Be hit by a car.
- Be chased/attacked/maimed/killed by a variety of animals (owls, hawks, eagles, dogs, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, bobcats, other cats, deer, etc.).
- Be poisoned (on purpose or on accident, by people or by nature itself).
- Be taken by someone (sometimes with bad intentions).
- Be exposed to the elements.
- Become lost.
- Get injured on/by something.
- Get stuck somewhere.
If you feel your cat is missing out on some kind of experience that they can only get in nature consider the following alternatives:
- Building a nice catio, or even a portable cat tractor or a run.
- Leash training your cat and taking them for walks.
- Taking your cat out in a pet stroller.
- Walking out with your cat while holding them in your arms.
- Putting bird baths/feeders outside of the window(s) your cat visits most often.
You should also make your home as appealing for your cat as possible to prevent boredom and generally make them feel safe and comfortable. Interact with them, give them high up places to perch, make sure they have hiding places around the house, give them toys and switch through them every now and then for a sense of novelty, give them other forms of enrichment like forage boards or snuffle boxes or even frozen treats in hot weather, etc. You can even train them as a way to work their mind a bit. They’re a similar maintenance level to dogs, just less demanding of your immediate attention (roommate vs child is the way I think about it). Your cat shouldn’t be so miserable in your house that they see no point of staying there.
