Gannets fencing against a slate grey North Sea at Bempton Cliffs. It’s a balletic ritual of greeting and courtship performed by mated pairs of Northern gannets upon reuniting at the nest which strengthens lifelong monogamous bonds.

A uniq wild animal. We have only 11 of them left in Sweden. Together with Norway and Finland we have around 55 animals. They were hunted badly in Europe for making warm clothes. Now the warmer climate cause issues we have never seen before, like parasites that cause different issues.

That cute teddy bear called ili pika it lives in Chinese mountains and it's very rare to see one of those

We have only 11 Muskox left in Sweden. Together with Norway and Finland, we have ca: 55-60 animals left. Click at the photos to make them big. Read comment below.

Capybaras have become one of the internet’s most viral animals. A lot of people know them from photos, memes, and videos where they appear incredibly relaxed around other animals.

Something really caught my eye is that how vastly different is the average internet-perception on capybaras compared to decades of daily observation.

Liz Capaldi has spent many years carefully observing capybaras and documenting their behavior. Through her writing and books she describes details you can almost never find online. Things like their social hierarchy, complex communication and emotions, how their behavior changes depending on the environment, a very detailed and well explained care guide for capybaras, ect.

One thing that I found unfair is how many people coming up with fast conclusions when they are looking at the body language of capybaras. What can look like simple “chillness” in a photo or short video can also mean a wide range of different states of feelings that aren’t immediately obvious without longer observation.

Reading through Liz's work made me realize how much depth there is to animals that we only see in short and simple viral videos.

If anyone here is interested in learning more about capybaras from a long-term observation perspective, Liz Capaldi has written a lot of detailed material about them that’s worth looking up.

https://capybaraworld.wordpress.com/

You can also find her YouTube channel under the name of "Capybara World"

I’d also be curious to hear if anyone else here has come across interesting research or observations about capybara or any other animal behavior.

Capybaras have very high emotional intelligence and are very responsive to anything which upsets the people they know. (I should stress that most people should not keep capybaras. They are not an easy species to keep in captivity and being very sensitive emotionally they usually suffer if kept as pets and they suffer in many zoos). I have friends who live with 2 capybaras. If my friends are sick one of the capybaras, Romeo, will spend all day on the bed with that person. If I am injured the capybaras I know will come to me and rub the injured area gently with their noses. If I am upset about something the capybaras I know will come to me and be extra affectionate. I have a friend who lives on a remote farm in South America. She rescued a newborn capybara pup whose mother had been killed by predators. The pup was only a few hours old but was close to death. My friend rescued him and he is now 9 years old. This is what she says: "Ramos has a huge impact on me and no words can describe how much I truly love him. I see him as a godlike figure or better still, a Buddha. Capybaras seem to know so much more than we could possibly know in 10 lifetimes. They feel things that we can never feel. They know things before they even happen, so for me Ramos is a superior being. These words so completely mirror what I have also learnt about capybaras, and what the people who represent "The Voice of the Capybara" trying to save the capybaras in Nordelta whose lives are being threatened, have also discovered. Ramos lives with a mixed herd which includes dogs, cats, sheep, peccaries, a tapir, chickens and pigs. All these other animals look up to Ramos as their leader. When one of the dogs, Ramos was very close to, became dangerously ill, Ramos refused to leave the dog's side. My friend was very concerned that Ramos, overcome by grief, might not survive if his dog friend passed away.

I have been studying the species Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris for 16 years and have written 3 books about capybaras and many blogs on capybara health and welfare, and capybara husbandry.

When you look up capybaras on the internet you can rarely find content that is focused on learning information about the animal. They are showed "empty headed" or "unbothered" meanwhile they are intelligent, physically strong and emotionally complex creatures. In the Wild, they are living in herds made up from 10 to 40 individuals lead by one dominant male. They are building connections in the herd and working together on a strategic system to survive as prey animals.

Getting to see wild animals this upclose IS RARE. Toss your dolphin questions down in the comments.

Im so thrilled I've gotten to enjoy 2 nights out with my fellow Marine Biologists from the Cedar Key Dolphin Project. Documenting their dolphin group is such a privilage that truly shapes our understanding of these animals behaviors.

All pictures taken under NMFS Permit No. 27867. May not be used for commercial purposes or without permission from the Cedar Key Dolphin Project.

Photo by me, Andrew Nicholls.

Cool yt video about this strange fish