Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Petlife.
Civil War in the Rainforest - Two Primate Groups in the Great Conflict
Every single piece of the ecosystem is important and precious. Every plant, insect, germ, animal and man. Do we really separate ourselves from animals as in "man and beast?" "Humans and animals?" That's a bit arrogant. Especially considering as children, we all knew the question, "Is it animal or mineral? Animate, or inanimate?" Hopefully, by the time we all got to biology, we learned that humans are "primates." And so are the great apes, and that includes our Orangutan cousins. We share 97% of our DNA.
By Lisa LaRue-Baker7 years ago in Petlife
Your Pet Might Have Introduced You to Some Surprising Lifestyles
Most of us plan to take on healthier lifestyle choices. There's always room for more self improvement. No matter where we are in life we tend to plan for the future. We often pick up a surprising amount of skills without even knowing it. Pet owners in particular might be surprised by how many lifestyle related skills they've picked up without noticing.
By Paisley Hansen7 years ago in Petlife
Great White
Terror strikes fast and swift, leaving a wake of blood after these predators of the deep. I guess it was the movie Jaws that truly awakened everyone to just how terrifying, and yet so misunderstood Great White Sharks really are. Myself I was very fortunate in all my adventures in diving that my only encounter was with a small sand shark. A quick thump on the nose, and it scurried off to more lucrative morsels. It is so unfortunate that shark attacks happen. But, we all have to remember that any time we enter the ocean waters, we are intrusive into their realm of reality, and not the other way around.
By Dr. Williams7 years ago in Petlife
How to Store Your Dog or Cat Food Properly
When dog food is made, it may have oil added to it from animal fat, sometimes even sprayed onto it to add to the flavor and aroma so that dogs find it more palatable. This oil can potentially become rancid from exposure to high temps and it will also become out of date and stale from air exposure. Here are some ideas to help your dog food last longer and taste better to your dog.
By Gloria Lipson7 years ago in Petlife
New Female Calf in J-Pod Brings Hope to the Southern Resident Orca Population
In May, researchers based at the Center for Whale Research sighted a newborn calf off the coast of Tofino, Washington. At the time, the calf, who was later determined to be a healthy female, was seen swimming with two females. One was named Tsuchi, who is also known as “J31”, and another was named Eclipse, who was also known as “J41”. At first, the researchers were not really sure which of these two female whales was the calf’s mother, but after a second sighting of the calf that occurred two months later, the researchers were able to determine that the calf was in fact, the daughter of Tsuchi. In fact, her May 24th birth helped bring the population’s numbers up to around 76 orcas.
By Jenna Deedy7 years ago in Petlife
Squee’s New Home
The trip "home"—time has no meaning for cats like us—not like humans. We eat when our tummies say we’re hungry, we sleep when we’re tired, we play when we have bursts of energy... I can’t tell you exactly how long or how short the time was to the next visit that the people that smelled similar to our caretakers was, all I know is that I was taken away from my siblings and never saw them again—or at least not in the same light anyway. I was picked up, placed on a lap, and stayed there the whole trip—might have even fallen asleep for a bit. The trip there wasn’t unpleasant, but it was rather jarring to be introduced to a new environment, minus all my siblings. I was put in a room, why I don’t know, and I protested... loudly. I escaped first chance I got—but wait, who was this? Not one of my siblings, for certain, but it was certainly another of my species; at that moment I didn’t really care. I hissed at him, and hissed back at me; I was mad—how DARE they take me away from the only family I knew and drop me in a strange place, with a stranger? I was closed in the room again, unhappy and confused. Time wore on, and I got to meet this other member of my species, this time having decided to make the best of my situation.
By Laura Gieg7 years ago in Petlife
River Walker
I meet a lot of interesting people while living full-time in a 5th wheel RV. But I think Willow the marine and her pack of enormous dogs take the cake as the most obviously colorful. I met Willow in the desert of Quartzite, Arizona, where I spent the winter. Quartzite is a hotspot for snowbirds and other types of nomadic RVers. Willow was living in a trailer with her husband and 9 huge dogs, 7 of them puppies.
By Kaatje Jones7 years ago in Petlife
