Hello folks who sometimes wonder if gulls eat our chips because humans eat their fishes,

Recently I found a gang of ants pillaging a dead mouse, but they were as tiny as my confidence while speaking in public.

Turns out these are
Thief Ants, these ants are fascinating because they find their lives are much easier by stealing from other ant colonies rather than spend their energy foraging for food themselves. Their tiny size allows them to get in and out of a colony without the inhabitants even blinking an eye.

So here it is in all its glory, but don't let those innocent eyes sway the jury in finding them not guilty for their crimes. Acting all helpless and cuddly, we know who you are behind that mask!




For a size comparison, since I didn't have a banana at hand, here is another species of ant i.e. the velvety tree ant worker.



Landfill sites or recycling centers that handle refuse often have to deal with a colony of rowdy gulls hanging out looking for a quick snack just like a bunch of drunk adults hanging around a Jack In The Box after the bars close.

There are many creative solutions employed to ward off the gulls like using a Falconer who uses a falcon or a hawk to scare the gulls, as well as using pyrotechnics.

Sunnyvale SMaRT station which accepts garbage and recycling materials from the city, employed the use of fake dead birds hanging on the wires to scare off the
California Gulls.

Clearly that gull is not buying this scam.




Have you ever seen a Cormorant spreading its wing and wondered if they saw Titanic last night. Turns out the reason they spread their wings has more to do with drying their wings, rather than show their appreciation for the James Cameron flick.

Their plumage is not water-repellant unlike those nerdy ducks who I doubt even watch any movies. Over here you can see a
Double-crested Cormorant with its wings spread open to dry.



The next one on the list is a cute turtle that you will often see across wetlands, lakes, ponds and rivers. Turns out this one is actually in the list of the world's 100 most invasive species. Bet you did not think that cheerful elderly lady you see everyday living down the street was running a drug cartel. Red-Eared sliders aren't native to California, and were popular as pets because of their size and similarity to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The owners then released some of these turtles in the wild because they simply became too big, lived too long or became too demanding. These turtles are aggressive towards the native turtles and drive them out of basking sites, which is critical for their metabolism and mood regulation.

Over here you can see a Red-Eared Slider basking in the sun because it likes the compliments it gets from its friends about its tan.




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