short story

An Introduction To The Dingo. AI-Generated.
You might have heard the phrase “everything in Australia is out to kill you,” and while that might be a slight exaggeration, it does have a grain of truth to it. In this land of deadly spiders, venomous snakes, and boxing kangaroos, there exists a creature that, while not as overtly terrifying, can still make you rethink your stance on “man’s best friend.” I’m talking about the dingo—Australia’s wild dog. So, what exactly is a dingo, and just how dangerous are these cunning canines? Let’s dive into the world of dingos with a sprinkle of humor, of course. What on Earth is a Dingo? Picture a dog. Now, make it a little more wolf-like. Add a dash of cunning, a sprinkle of mischief, and place it smack in the middle of the Australian outback. Voila! You have yourself a dingo. Dingos (Canis lupus dingo) are wild dogs native to Australia. They’ve been trotting around the continent for about 4,000 years, which means they’ve had plenty of time to master the art of survival in the wild. Dingos are medium-sized canines, typically weighing between 13 to 20 kg (29 to 44 lbs), with a lean build and a somewhat feral appearance. They have a short, reddish or sandy coat, pointy ears, and a bushy tail that looks like it’s perpetually engaged in a game of “who can stand the tallest?” They’re often mistaken for domestic dogs that decided to ditch the collar and embrace their wild side. Danger? Ding-ding-dingo! Alright, let’s address the burning question: are dingos dangerous? The short answer is—potentially, yes. But let’s not start clutching our pearls just yet. Dingos are opportunistic hunters, and their diet primarily consists of small mammals, birds, and reptiles. While they’re not out to turn humans into their next meal, there have been instances where dingos have attacked people. These encounters, however, are relatively rare and often involve dingos that have become habituated to humans—mostly due to tourists who think it’s a great idea to treat wild animals like fluffy pets. Spoiler alert: it’s not. Feeding dingos or encouraging them to approach humans can lead to aggressive behavior and potential attacks, as they lose their natural fear of people and start associating us with food. Think of it as the canine version of your friend who always shows up when you have snacks. The Dingo’s Role in Ecosystem Despite their potential danger, dingos play a crucial role in the Australian ecosystem. As apex predators, they help control populations of smaller animals, like rabbits, kangaroos, and feral cats. This, in turn, helps maintain a balance in the food chain and protects vegetation from being overgrazed. Essentially, dingos are like the bouncers of the outback, making sure everyone’s behaving and not overindulging at nature’s buffet. Dingo Vs. Domestic Dog One might wonder, “Can’t we just domesticate these wild dogs?” Well, it’s not quite that simple. Dingos are fiercely independent and have retained much of their wild instincts. Unlike domestic dogs that have been selectively bred for specific traits, dingos have survived based on their ability to hunt, scavenge, and thrive in harsh environments. Trying to turn a dingo into a house pet would be like inviting a wolf to live with you and expecting it to fetch your slippers—impractical and potentially hazardous. Comedy of Errors: Tourist Edition Let’s sprinkle a bit of humor into this wild dingo tale. Picture this: you’re an unsuspecting tourist, fresh off the plane, ready to experience the wonders of Australia. You’ve got your sunscreen, your wide-brimmed hat, and a naïvety about wildlife that’s almost endearing. You spot a dingo in the distance and think, “Wow, what a cute dog!” You approach it, cooing and clicking like you’re at a petting zoo. The dingo, sensing an easy meal ticket, trots over. You’re about to give it a piece of your sandwich when a local swoops in, yelling, “Are you mad?! That’s a wild dingo!” In your defense, dingos do have that charming dog-like appearance. But remember, while they might look like Fido, they’re more like feral Fred—cute from a distance but better left unapproached. Co-existing with Dingos For those living or traveling in dingo-populated areas, co-existing with these wild canines involves a bit of common sense and respect for their wild nature. Here are some tips: 1. Don’t feed dingos: Feeding them encourages them to approach humans and can lead to aggressive behavior. 2. Secure your food and rubbish: Dingos are expert scavengers and will rifle through anything that smells remotely edible. 3. Keep a safe distance: Admire dingos from afar, preferably with a good camera lens. 4. Stay informed: Learn about the areas where dingos are common and follow local guidelines and advisories. In Conclusion So, how dangerous are Australian dingos? They’re not the cuddliest of canines, but they’re not out to get you either—unless you happen to be a small mammal or you’ve tempted fate by feeding them. Dingos are fascinating creatures that play an essential role in their ecosystem, and while they should be respected for their wild nature, they don’t need to be feared excessively. Remember, in the grand Australian wildlife danger spectrum, they’re somewhere between a mildly miffed kangaroo and a crocodile having a bad day. Treat them with the respect they deserve, and you’ll have a memorable (and safe) Aussie adventure. Relevant Resources - [Australian Government: Dingo (Canis lupus dingo)](https://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/species/dingos) - [National Geographic: Dingo Facts](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/dingo) - [BBC Earth: The Truth About Australia’s Dingoes](https://www.bbcearth.com/blog/?article=the-truth-about-australias-dingoes)
By Vishnu venugopal about a year ago in Earth
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Unexplored places we are still not sure exsit
there's a mysterious island that appears and disappears like magic just like Schroder's cat this Schroder's Island exists and doesn't exist at the same time officially it's called Sandy Island and it once appeared in maps but it was never there in real life Australian scientists decided to solve the mystery once and for all by embarking on an adventure to find this elusive archipelago but when they reached the coordinates all they found was endless blue Waves it's like the island was playing a game of hide and seek with them this story goes back to 1876 a whaling ship was crossing the area and reported an island whoever saw it said it was over 15 M long north to south and around 3 Mi wide about the size of Manhattan so not so tiny at all but every time researchers went to visit the area they found nothing so in 1974 an official mission from new Cal Ona declared that Sandy Island was simply not a thing and excluded it from all maps people went on with their lives until they noticed that the island was appearing on Google Earth as a black blob in 2012 another Australian Expedition went out to check out the area to get some explanations they had to write a eulogy for the long lost island and explain what could have created this mess for starters mapping technology wasn't at its peak back in the 1900s it was easy to get the coordinates wrong then there was the fact that the area is big on volcanic activities it's likely that volcanic lava cooled down and created a raft of some kind let's say that the Wailing ship went by saw the volcanic raft and thought it was land from a distance but hey it's just a guess humans have ventured far and wide across the globe and it may have seemed at some point that we discovered each and every nook of our planet but when Mount Leo popped up on Google Earth scientists were overcome with excitement this Hidden Gem in Northern mosambique is no ordinary rainforest it's nestled inside a volcano determined to confirm the existence of this mysterious Forest experts assembled a team of top-notch scientists and Specialists from around the world the journey to mount Leo was no walk in the park with a daunting vertical rock climb standing between them and the forest but after 6 years of planning and preparation they were ready for the challenge once they got there they saw it was even better than they imagined the place was like a perfectly tented Garden the forest sounded unique and different from other rainforests there were some insanely huge caterpillars that looked dangerous and they even found ancient pots and evidence of an untouched human ecosystem ooh Terra incognita means unknown land and one of the largest unknown territories being uncovered today is the land beneath Antarctica's ice sheets below the snowy surface there is an entirely new world of canyons waterways and lakes which are now being mapped one can't help it wonder is there really liquid water below Antarctica's Frozen surface yep water can exist without freezing due to pressure the liquid water is the result of Earth's warm interior and that's how we get things such as Lake VTO now you can't see it but lake vajto is right here located in East Antarctica it Lies Beneath 2 and 1/2 miles of thick ice this huge lake is about 4,800 s Mi humans could only Discover it with the help of some top-notch technologies like seismic soundings and Ice penetrating Radars according to these scientists it's likely that the lake has been there for up to 15 million years Bhutan is on the map for among other things being the happiest country in all of Asia but it kept a Hidden Gem for all these years one of the world's tallest unclimbed mountains kunar panum Bhutan is IM mesed in the Glorious Himalayan Mountains that's why the climbing Community was beyond excited when they discovered an untouched Mountain imagine being the first person to climb an unexplored Peak that would probably guarantee you a spot in the Guinness World Records for sure the mountain has been untouched because of a botines law for locals the mountain peak is a sacred site shrouded in mystery and legends one of their beliefs is that the sacredness of climbing a mountain lies not in reaching its peak but in truly communing with the mountain and enjoying the process we got to admit that is a bit of a news flash for westerners if you're ever in the state of New York make sure you check out the aglo General Store you'll have to drive somewhere around the cat skills to find a beautiful Grand big nothing aglo is one of America's most famous Paper Towns AKA a fake town but this case is different from Sandy Island ago Town never existed and it wasn't a mistake you see there's an old copyright practice amongst map makers they add in Paper Towns so they can know when someone is simply copy pasting their work what they didn't expect is that this would get completely out of hand some say that one day a guy picked up a map at a gas station that had ago Town marked in it the person decided to open a store over there and named it aglo General Store some say the guy who opened the store faced a lawsuit from the map makers anyways it only lasted enough years to become a national Joe Americans drove from all over the US to get a picture of the town's fake welcome on and then we've got Bera Island Island located in the Gulf of Mexico this funky Island appeared on many maps of the 16th and 17th centuries it was probably drawn by Spanish explorers sure the exact location varied from map to map and its name sometimes appeared as Vera but its existence was certain enough the Vera Island was last seen in a 1921 Mexican map and then poof it dropped out of the Horizon all together people started talking and wondering did the Island sink was it destroyed in 2009 three official investigations happened to search for the island they used high-tech Technologies to scour the Mexican seab bit but burha was nowhere researchers had multiple guesses on what it could be let's delve on one of these ideas the idea was probably made up by old day explorers to mislead their enemies in search of land and gold well that seems plausible now now let's take a look at Rio de Janeiro once the city was filled with informal territories these places are known as slums or favellas they're like many cities inside the big city some favellas are known to be underprivileged territories where dwellers don't get the same Urban perks as other citizens such as the sewage system and garbage pickups these slums grew so quickly that the government didn't have time to keep track of their developments so today it's usually the Dwellers that themselves that name the streets and make do with whatever they have at their disposal one of the biggest slums in Brazil is located in Rio de Janeiro the so-called hinia and it was only recognized as a neighborhood by the local government in the 1990s our own ocean floor is less M than Venus Mars and the Moon in fact 95% of our oceans are unexplored strange right we do have the available technology which is mainly Sono soundings sending wave sounds to the ocean bed and registering what they hear back one of the main advantages of mapping the seabed more thoroughly would be to get more insight to Marine hazards such as earthquakes tsunamis and volcanic eruptions plus there are so many unidentified marine life this could give us a great insight into preservation and discovering the true dynamics of our marine ecosystems that's it for today .
By Filomena about a year ago in Earth
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By ...about a year ago in Earth