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Elephant 'smoking' footage baffles experts

theguardian.com

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Re: Elephant 'smoking' footage baffles experts

#31

Post by zaarn »

arama471 wrote: post #25
lovelearning wrote: post #22

I don't see much value in trying to use logical speculation to generalize such behaviors to an entire species. Anybody who has observed animals and pets will have noticed how each and every animal has its own personality, likes, dislikes and peculiarities. Just like people, who, despite our airs, are just another species. Some of my pets eat people food which my other pets don't even look at. Some of them play with b…

How is the the youtuber making sure the cat still gets stuff like taurine? I ask because I've always heard that cats are obligate carnivores and cannot live off a vegan/vegetarian diet[1]. [1] https://pets.webmd.com/features/vegetarian-diet-dogs-cats

At the very least a vegetarian diet would require a cat to eat dietary supplements, though I doubt it would be healthy (and still vegetarian)

Re: Elephant 'smoking' footage baffles experts

#32

Post by ThoAppelsin »

According to this video [0], it is not something of carbon that the elephant puffs, but a "puffball mushroom". I was very eager to believe in his words when I watched that yesterday. It was because that the day before, I had watched another video [1] of from that channel featuring something really similar that he calls "earth star fungi" this time, at 1:35.

Leaving his words aside, it also is much more believable to me that an elephant eats a puffing mushroom than charcoal.

[0] https://youtu.be/V0Lzym6XjoQ

[1] https://youtu.be/nyrIKtFZx3s?t=95

Re: Elephant 'smoking' footage baffles experts

#33

Post by ben_w »

PhasmaFelis wrote: post #28
nitrogen wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

...a pure vegetarian pet cat... How does the cat obtain whatever missing nutrients cause most cats to be obligate carnivores?

It seems plausible that those nutrients might be found in certain plants, and could be identified and concentrated. I wouldn't risk it with my cats, but plenty of people do feed their cats veggie kibble and I haven't heard of them dying of malnutrition in droves.

IIRC the nutrient that makes cats obligate carnivores is taurine. Although it can be found in seaweed, or synthesised in a lab, cats and water makes me think this is unlikely in nature. (That said, human edible != cat edible, don’t just feed seaweed to your cat without asking an expert).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/28849526/

Re: Elephant 'smoking' footage baffles experts

#34

Post by nasredin »

lovelearning wrote: post #22

I don't see much value in trying to use logical speculation to generalize such behaviors to an entire species. Anybody who has observed animals and pets will have noticed how each and every animal has its own personality, likes, dislikes and peculiarities. Just like people, who, despite our airs, are just another species. Some of my pets eat people food which my other pets don't even look at. Some of them play with b…

"pet cat"

And the other type being a stray cat?

Confused about the term. Not a cat person myself.

Re: Elephant 'smoking' footage baffles experts

#35

Post by TeMPOraL »

ben_w wrote: post #33
PhasmaFelis wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems plausible that those nutrients might be found in certain plants, and could be identified and concentrated. I wouldn't risk it with my cats, but plenty of people do feed their cats veggie kibble and I haven't heard of them dying of malnutrition in droves.

IIRC the nutrient that makes cats obligate carnivores is taurine. Although it can be found in seaweed, or synthesised in a lab, cats and water makes me think this is unlikely in nature. (That said, human edible != cat edible, don’t just feed seaweed to your cat without asking an expert). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/28849526/

> IIRC the nutrient that makes cats obligate carnivores is taurine.

> That said, human edible != cat edible, don’t just feed seaweed to your cat without asking an expert

Or energy drinks.

Re: Elephant 'smoking' footage baffles experts

#37

Post by YesNoYesNoNo101 »

nitrogen wrote: post #24
lovelearning wrote: post #22

I don't see much value in trying to use logical speculation to generalize such behaviors to an entire species. Anybody who has observed animals and pets will have noticed how each and every animal has its own personality, likes, dislikes and peculiarities. Just like people, who, despite our airs, are just another species. Some of my pets eat people food which my other pets don't even look at. Some of them play with b…

...a pure vegetarian pet cat... How does the cat obtain whatever missing nutrients cause most cats to be obligate carnivores?

Probably it doesn't and will die early.

Re: Elephant 'smoking' footage baffles experts

#38

Post by alex_hitchins »

nasredin wrote: post #34
lovelearning wrote: post #22

I don't see much value in trying to use logical speculation to generalize such behaviors to an entire species. Anybody who has observed animals and pets will have noticed how each and every animal has its own personality, likes, dislikes and peculiarities. Just like people, who, despite our airs, are just another species. Some of my pets eat people food which my other pets don't even look at. Some of them play with b…

"pet cat" And the other type being a stray cat? Confused about the term. Not a cat person myself.

I made the automatic assumption the poster meant a cat that was well domiciled and enjoyed human contact. Come cats that are pets exist in a more co-living agreement, where you just agree to live alongside them and you keep your lives separate. Very much a cat person myself.

Re: Elephant 'smoking' footage baffles experts

#39

Post by thinkloop »

rectangletangle wrote: post #15
Monk_NT wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some bird species eat fermented berries to get drunk. https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/12/141203-drun...

Animal drunkenness is a well documented phenomena. Many species of monkeys and apes will "recreationally drink," given the opportunity. Interestingly enough, the rate of "alcoholism" among many simians is inline with that of humans. (skip to 0:55) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIDJ-sTuoO8

Every kind of animal getting wasted together in the same area, why don't we have a camera permanently pointed at this spot
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