The Best Nonfiction Books About Owls

The Owl: In Art, Myth, and Legend

by Krystyna Weinstein

This is a book that every owl enthusiast should own. Hardbound and in coffee table book format, this book creates an interesting bridge between folklore and owls. The idea for the book sprung from the author's interest in folklore and her husband's fascination with owls. Many of the works reproduced in the book are from their private collection of owl-related books, photos, and materials.

The book is heavily illustrated with photos and works of art depicting owls. It does seem like there's an art genre out there which is solely focused on the depiction of owls in drawings, paintings, and even sculpture. Humans have always been fascinated by the owl. We have been drawing and painting them for the longest time. 

This book offers a quick examination of the many ways that humans make art and stories because of their fascination of the owl. Weinstein takes readers on a journey around the world and across time periods. If you love owls, legends, myths, and stories, then read this book. It's really fascinating. It's richly illustrated with more than a hundred photos and art works.

Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl

by Stacey O'Brien

Why Do Otters Juggle Rocks? What's Their Purpose In Playing And Juggling Stones?

Otters are often observed - both in the wild and inside the enclosures of zoos - playing and juggling with stones and pebbles. There are several videos of such strange behavior that you can watch on YouTube. These cute little animals have been recorded juggling one rock, two rocks, and sometimes three rocks. The question is why do otters juggle rocks? What's their purpose in doing so? What do they gain out of it?

Unfortunately, it's still unclear why the otters do it. Some believe that it's merely an act of play solely for entertainment purposes. Think of a cat playing with a ball of thread. Or a dog having fun with a twig. It's possible that the otters are just juggling for fun. However, the bizzareness of the act makes some to propose that there's more to the act than just a mere source of entertainment. The otters doesn't seem to play with other things the way other animals do. They prefer pebbles over anything else.

One theory is that this activity has something to do with eating behavior. This is because otters often use rocks as tools in smashing the shells of mollusks to gain access to the meat inside. Some suggest that there's a connection between the two. Some otters have been observed vigorously defending the rocks they have against other otters.

One theory suggests that the activity resembles the act of gathering food and that it may signal hunger. This is because the act of juggling declines when the otters are fully fed. But then again, as we mentioned above, it could be just a case of them otters killing time and entertaining themselves.

Turkish Company Creates A Machine That Feeds And Waters Stray Dogs In Exchange For Used Plastic Bottles And Cans

The presence of stray dogs is a major problem in a lot of the world's cities and urban centers. The city of Istanbul in Turkey is facing such a problem. However, because of the ingenuity of one Turkish company, this problem might go away or at least minimized. The company Pugedon has come up with a machine that feeds and waters stray dogs in exchange for the used and empty bottles and cans that people feed into the machine. It's a very clever idea. The person with the used bottle gets rid of it while helping the city stay clean as well as feed and water the city's stray dogs.
The machine works in a very simple way. If you place an empty bottle into it, dog food trickles into a built-in feeding bowl which stray dogs can easily access. There's also a bowl where the dogs can drink their fill. It's a great idea and here's to hoping that it spreads across the globe.

The Heart-Warming Friendship Of A Goat And A Donkey

When their owner can no longer afford to take care of them, a goat and a donkey were brought to separate animal sanctuaries. Mr. G, the goat, was taken by the Animal Place sanctuary in California while Jellybean, the donkey, was taken by another sanctuary. The bond of friendship between the two is so strong that their separation took its toll especially on Mr. G.

After arriving at Animal Place, Mr. G went on a hunger strike that went for several days. He simply refused to eat no matter how hard the sanctuary staff tried to coax him. They gave him molasses, apples, and sweet grain but he refused to touch them. That's when the Animal Place staff decided to go get Jellybean from the different sanctuary and reunite him with Mr. G. Their reunion brought back Mr. G's vigor and had him eating again after over six days of not eating anything. The two animals have been brought to a permanent sanctuary in Grass Valley (also in California) where they will live out their lives in the company of each other.

Baby Goat Gets A New Lease On Life Through A Special Wheelchair

Due to a disease, Frostie, a baby goat lost his ability to fully walk. Although he can use his two front legs, the disease has incapacitated his hind legs. When he was brought to Edgar's Mission (a non-profit organization based in Australia), he was also suffering from a severe case of lice infestation and he was dehydrated.

Through the care of Edgar's Mission, Frostie recovered from dehydration, treated of his lice infestation, and given a specialized wheelchair which enables him to move around.

Edgar's Mission is a "not for profit organisation that seeks to create a humane and just world for humans and non-humans. " They " endeavor to achieve this by education, advocacy and empowerment." For more, visit their website or connect with them on Facebook.

Here's more footage of Frostie enjoying his new set of wheels.

Meet Moe, The Cat Who Knows How To Play Jenga

Jenga is a game of physical and mental skill and it requires at least two players. If you ever find yourself wanting to play the game but you are alone, you might consider getting your cat to play with you (if you have one). Cats are smarter than you think. Take Moe for instance. He's a cat and he plays Jenga.

Elephants Rescue A Baby Elephant About To Be Carried Away By A Strong River Current

Elephants are very protective of their young. When a young member of an herd is in trouble, the ones closest to it will do anything to help it out. Tourist Sandy Gelderman while on a safari at the OI Pejeta Conservancy in the Laikipia district of Kenya saw this elephant trait first hand.

An herd of elephants was crossing the Ewaso Ng'iro river. Although muddy and the current is strong, the bigger elephants crossed the river with ease. The same cannot be said though with one baby elephant. The strong current easily swept it away. Fortunately, a young but much bigger elephant nearby quickly rescued it from being swept downstream. The mother elephant also came back from the banks of the river and helped push the baby elephant to dry ground.

Lioness Leaps And Catches An Antelope In Mid-Air

Apparently, lions can fly. In this amazing footage, a lion leaps several feet into the air to catch an antelope that's trying to escape. In a dramatic ambush, two lionesses waited on a ridge while a couple on antelopes were heading their way. One lioness attacked first but missed when the antelope leaped to the air in an attempt to escape. The other lioness then leaped after the escaping antelope, catching it by the neck mid-air.

Cat Heroically Saves A Boy From A Vicious Dog

Here's another reason why you should consider getting a cat. A boy who was biking around their house was viciously attacked by a dog. Luckily, his cat came to the rescue and chased the dog away. The vicious attack was captured on a security camera. If not for the cat, the boy whose name is Jeremy may have been seriously hurt. His leg which was bitten by the dog had to be stitched in two places.

Meet Ohagi, The Japanese Cat Who Can Wiggle Like No Other

Ohagi, an adorable cat from Japan has the best "cat wiggle" ever. Just watching him will have you wanting to go out and buy a cat (if you don't have one already). For more cute videos of Ohagi, visit this YouTube channel where his master regularly post clips of Ohagi and other cats doing their cat stuff.

Man Plays A Game Of Soccer With Wild Lions

Yes, this is a commercial promoting Van Gils suits but the lions and the man are real. Kevin Richardson who is often referred to as The Lion Whisperer because of his work amongst lions in Africa is shown in the video playing a game of soccer (football) with one male lion and two lionesses. Showing no fear, Richardson hugs and plays with the wild lions.

Don't Pet A Llama, It Will Spit On Your Face

The next time you come across a llama, whether in a zoo or in some mountain in Peru, it's probably best to not pet them. Or go very near them. Why? Because they'll spit on your face, that's why. This kid found out about this the hard way. The amusing part is that the man holding the camera seemed to have an idea that the spitting will happen. "Go on pet him on the neck." he told the boy. So pet he did. The rest is internet history.

Now, there are two main reasons why llamas spit. One, as a way of disciplining young or low ranked llamas in the herd. And two, when they are angry or irritated. The boy is not a llama. So the llama spit on his face because it got irritated by him.

Meet Eleanor, A Squirrel Raised By A Man Since It Was A Baby

Mark was remodeling a house when he accidentally tore out a squirrel nest. Finding a baby squirrel which at that time was about three to four weeks old, mark decided to take care of the baby squirrel.

In a post on Reddit, Mark narrated: "I immediately Googled baby squirrel care. You have to keep them warm and make sure they are hydrated. They get dehydrated extremely quickly! I fed her puppy milk replacement formula with a small syringe. It wasnt too difficult and there is a lot of good info on the internet. She now eats avocados, pears, apples, and whatever she finds in the yard. She comes inside a lot when the patio door is open. She usually just hangs out on the curtains. Its been really interesting and rewarding. I have a totally new perspective on these little critters."

Mark released Eleanor back into the wild but it insists on living at his house deck. Below are a couple of videos starring Eleanor courtesy of Mark.

Here's Eleanor playing with Mark:

Here's Eleanor feasting on walnuts:

12 Ducklings Attempting To Climb Three Giant Steps

While watching these twelve adorable ducklings attempt to climb three giant steps, you can't help but cheer them on. As the mother wait at the top of the steps, her cute brood of twelve ducklings scramble to reach her. In front of them are three giant steps that they need to climb over. They climb only to fall back to where they started. After many false starts, all of them finally were able to reach their mom at the top of the stairs.

Australian Camper Finds Something Unexpected In A Campsite Shower Room

At a camping site in Crow's Nest, Queensland, Australia, camper Stephen Paice wanted to take a shower one beautiful morning when he discovered something unexpected in one of the shower rooms. The facility makes use of shower bags with pulley systems. When Paice pulled one of the bags, he discovered a possum chilling inside of the bag. He decided to just let the possum stay there. He also returned with a video camera to film the cute animal who doesn't seem to be that all disturbed.

Paice said that "This morning, I went in to take a shower and the shower in here is a canvas bag with a pulley system. I came in ready to take my shower, pulled the canvas bag down and just before I pulled the water in, I found this little fellow."

By Peter Firminger from Wollombi,Australia via Wikimedia Commons

This Poster Found On A Pole In Colorado Isn't What You'd Expect It To Be

Someone on Reddit with the username numbhallow posted this on the social networking site. It's a poster featuring a picture of a dog and information about it. The poster was taped on a pole in Breckenridge, Colorado. By the way, the dog's name is Gilligan.

numbhallow; Reddit

Girl's Pet Iguana Runs Away, She Finds It Languishing In Jail

An iguana in jail. That's a sentence you'll never expect to ever come across. But a woman in Texas really had to pick her pet iguana in jail after losing it for about two weeks. Apparently, the iguana escaped from its owner's house, was found by the local police, and having no idea where to keep it, the police decided to put the iguana in a prison cell. The iguana which its owner has named Sid is about four feet long and weighs five pounds. So it's basically a small dinosaur.

Here's Sid, spending some time in jail:

The owner, who posted Sid's photo and story on Reddit said "I talked to my neighbor and let them know and they told me that the police department behind our houses came and were looking for the owner. I am in the process of moving houses which was how he escaped and why I missed them when they came looking for me. I called them and let them know who I was and then we worked out everything from there."

Sources: Imgur, Reddit

Scuba Diver Swims Among Friendly Seals At The Farne Islands In The United Kingdom

Jason Neilus, a scuba diver captured some of the moments he spent swimming with adorable and friendly seals in the seas around Farne Islands in the United Kingdom. Wild-eyed but unafraid, the seals seem to have no problems at all with the humans swimming alongside them. They even approach the divers and have their bellies rubbed.

Humans Can Learn A Lesson Or Two From This Unlikely Friendship Between A Bird And A Dog

A bird and a dog running around the green grass at some yard. They are playing and having a great time. If you're just reading the preceding lines from some book, you might not believe the story because it sounds rather unlikely. But it's very true. As you can see in the video below, such friendship exists. And it's absolutely fun to watch. If you're wondering about the kind of the bird, it's an Australian magpie.

Touching Video Of A Man With Alzheimer's Regaining His Power Of Speech When Around The Family Dog

Here's one good reason why you need to have a pet dog. Charles Sasser of Albuquerque, New Mexico is suffering from Alzheimer's and he has lost almost all of his speech. However, when he is around his family's pet dogs, he comes to life talking animatedly with the pets.

Lisa Abeyta, Mr. Sasser's daughter has captured on video one of these miraculous moments when Mr. Sasser regains his power of speech around the family dogs. In the video, Mr. Sasser can be seen talking to his dog Roscoe. The one and a half minute clip has touched so many people online. It has generated over two million views on YouTube just a couple of days after Ms. Abeyta uploaded it.