("Did you see that bit in the paper about……?")



(It turned out to be a bit of an Urban(?) Legend, but it was a good story while it lasted) Penguins were supposedly falling over backwards when planes flew overhead - apparently because planes were a novelty in their breeding grounds penguins hadn’t had time to adapt their behaviour, so they just kept moving head back and back and back as the plane flew over, and eventually toppled over - would have been an amusing effect in a large colony as domino effect cascaded thru …. Someone actually got a grant (and the loan of some RAF helicopters) to study the phenomenon in Falklands (pilots probably just as bored as the penguins)(maybe they started the story in the first place) and found that the birds completely ignored the aircraft.

Animal revenge – numerous stories of animals taking revenge on supposedly smarter humans:
- kangaroo knocked out in road collision; motorist dresses him up in his flash jacket and hat to take photo; animal wakes up and hops off into the sunset ….
- similar story of deer, this time with expensive rifle posed in its antlers …..
- Banjo Patterson wrote a hilarious short story called The Loaded Dog about guys in Outback town trying to get rid of a rabbit under the pub; tied a bomb to a mongrel dog and chucked him under the building - unfortunately he didn’t like it there and ran under a brand new truck …..

Wild horses in the Camargne in France – some conventional herds with alpha male and harem, and bachelor stallions without any mares - but also groups of mares with 2 stallions, who were lifelong friends - useful way to break free from low social status by co-operation

Suggestion that should clone the extinct Tasmanian Tiger, but tweak genes to give it by 10% more muscle mass and so strength to see off dingoes etc

Botanist who trained monkey to climb up into forest canopy to get flower specimens – once they were travelling along steep mountain path – saw specimen growing on a liana hanging down from path – "Go down" instructs botanist monkey looks at him , SHRUGS, pulls up liana …

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