In fact, all animal issues are ‘mega’ to advocates

So “mega” means big.  OK.  But just how big would a “megalodon shark” be?  Try about 50-60 feet long, with teeth that won’t quit.  Those teeth explain the origin of this creature’s full name: “big tooth shark.”

Last alive some 3.6 million years ago, this biggest predator fish of all time could eat a whale.  The blue whale’s current reputation as the largest creature in the world suffers when compared with that of the megalodon shark.

That giant makes today’s great white shark look like a pygmy fish.  Its jaw size would allow a human to stand inside it with ceiling height to spare.

All my superlatives about a long-gone fish are occasioned by an exhibition opening next month at New York’s American Museum of Natural History: “Sharks!”  A partial replica of the megalodon will join replicas of other sharks, including great whites and hammerheads. 

Because the intended gallery can’t fit an entire megalodon, its front end is all that’s now being fabricated in the museum’s workshop.    https://tinyurl.com/p78xzcpt

But megalodons were long ago and far away.  Now let’s turn our attention to some tiny but crucial things: cats’ whiskers.

Besides aesthetic appeal, those whiskers serve as very useful tools for cats – which is why when, years ago now, a cat with cropped whiskers turned up in a shelter where I volunteered, everyone who saw him was aghast. 

Billy

They must have known at least some of the ways cats depend on their whiskers – and could literally be lost without them:

·        as cats’ sensory organs, whiskers can sense vibrations in the air, alerting felines to nearby predators

·        because cats can’t see too well up close, whiskers help them navigate their surroundings by sensing what’s around them

·        the position of their whiskers shows how felines are feeling

·        whiskers protect cats’ eyes, acting like eye lashes

Now take a look at this article to learn how chubby cats have a “whisker advantage.”  

https://tinyurl.com/cmj5y5db

The clock’s ticking

There’s still time for you to adopt a senior cat, this being “adopt a senior pet month,” which I’ve altered to be senior cat month since cats are in far more jeopardy than dogs in animal shelters.  And bringing an older cat home now allows both you and your new feline to really enjoy the holidays (and long beyond).

Suggestion: visit your nearest animal shelter or contact an area rescue group to find out whether they’re caring for older felines.  If so, visit and meet them.  Then, if you’re inclined to help a homeless cat to begin with, you may just bring one home.  (Please do!)

Lab animals rejoice

Earlier this month, Governor Murphy signed New Jersey’s Humane Cosmetics Act into law.  This action capped intense effort by members and supporters of the Animal Protection League of NJ, who phoned, tweeted and emailed the governor about the importance of this legislation.

Laurie Perla, APL’s legislative liaison, was a driving force behind passing this bill, anticipated to become a forerunner of a federal law banning the manufacture and sale of animal-tested cosmetics in the US.  

“Untold numbers of rabbits, rats, mice, guinea pigs and hamsters suffer and die each year” in now-needless cosmetic safety tests, according to the Humane Society of the US.  You can find a list of companies that are certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny at leapingbunny.org.  

Oh, deer!

What can you do with leftover pumpkins?  Why do deer have good reason for eating quickly?  What are a few reasons for why deer-vehicle crashes spike in November?  Why should you leash your dog in wildlife areas?

You’ll find answers to many such questions in “The Bleat,” November’s newsletter from Save New Jersey Deer.  Here’s the link:  https://conta.cc/3DbmJR9  

 

#

\

Please comment at 1moreonce.blogspot.com.