Weird Animals

• In Victoria, British Columbia, photographer Tony Austin was out for a nature walk on May 31 when he ran across an inexplicable sight: A murder of crows had landed close by, and one was sort of flopping around in the dirt. "It would sort of ... hop into the air and ... then hop back onto the gravel," Austin said.

As Austin grew nearer, he saw that the bird was covered with ants. He was concerned for the bird's welfare, but when he posted a picture on a Facebook page for bird enthusiasts, he was relieved, NPR reported.

The crow was "anting" -- spreading ants on its feathers and wings. Experts aren't clear about why birds do this; it may be related to cleanliness or to share the ants' defensive secretions of fungicides, miticides and insecticides. [NPR, 6/7/2021]

• The Independent reported on May 13 that a new BBC documentary has revealed that dolphins chew on and pass around puffer fish in an apparent effort to get "high."

Puffer fish release a nerve toxin when provoked; large doses of it can be deadly, but small amounts can produce a narcotic effect. Dolphins, having partaken of just the right amount, appear to enter a trancelike state. Rob Pilley, a zoologist who worked as a producer on the series, said the dolphins "began acting most peculiarly, hanging around with their noses at the surface as if fascinated by their own reflection.

It was the most extraordinary thing to see." [The Independent, 5/13/2021]