Comments by "Fumble_ Brewski" (@fumble_brewski5410) on "The Dodo"
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Rossini’s 1815 opera, "The Thieving Magpie," tells of a household maid who nearly goes to the gallows for stealing silver from her employers. At the last instant, it’s revealed that the silver thief was actually a magpie that had been hiding items in the church tower. The opera was so popular in its day that it’s believed to have helped cement the devious reputation of the magpie. Today, it “seems” common knowledge that the Eurasian Magpie is, by nature, drawn to snatch up and fly off with shiny things.
But scientists at Exeter University put the perception to the test. They placed food alongside shiny and painted objects and then waited for the magpies to come investigate. The result? The opposite of what everybody expected: the magpies were much more cautious around novel, flashy objects—and less likely to approach the food. Magpies are very curious, just like their relatives, the jays and crows. They may sometimes pick up shiny things, but they don’t show any preference for shiny over dull. A magpie’s more likely to grab your sandwich than your silver.
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Nice that you care for your pet. However, squirrels are capable of hosting and transmitting (to humans) several serious, and potentially fatal, diseases: Salmonellosis, Lyme Disease, Tularemia, Leptospirosis, and (rarely) Rabies. People should understand that, while cute pets, squirrels are still wild rodents, and should be treated as such.
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