A No Brainer
My Uncle Robert posted this picture on Facebook last week. I thought it was funny so I re-posted it on some social media platforms I use. Someone on Bebee asked me what’s the point I’m trying to make. I was going to message him I just thought it was funny and he should get a sense of humor. Then I thought it would be something interesting to write about so I did some research. I read online articles about: Animals Without a Brain, Smart Animals, and Human Intelligence. After digging a little deeper on what appeared to be something funny, this is what I found.
Animals Without a Brain
Jellyfish
Jellyfish are carnivores- they eat other animal. Small ones eat algae and plankton. They have simple nervous systems and aren’t smart enough to attack. Tentacles with poisonous stings are used to catch prey and are used as a defense mechanism. Its venom is designed to paralyze victims and can kill small ocean animals. They can cause pain, skin rashes, muscle cramps, and fever for people but aren’t usually fatal to us. Some jellyfish have stronger venom than others.
Jellyfish have been swimming together in huge colonies called blooms since 2003. They have done a lot of damage to coastal industries. One bloom damaged a desalination water plant and cut its output by 50%. Another clogged a nuclear power plants cooling water intake pipes three times in two weeks.
They seem to be taking over the oceans. One reason is they don’t have many predators. Sea turtles and the fish that eat them like salmon have been hunted and over fished by us. Another reason is they don’t have babies like other animals. They create polyps, or bunches of clones. The polyps will attach to a hard surface and wait for the right time to release small jellyfish.
Coral
Corals attach themselves to the ocean floor and permanently take root there. They have a partnership called symbiosis. Most of them have algae living in their tissues. The algae get well protected and make use of the coral’s body waste for photosynthesis to make their own food. The corals get oxygen, removal of wastes, and building blocks it needs to build up the reef. It’s a partnership that has lasted millions of years and lets corals get the benefits of animal and plant life.
Hard corals have a growth and death cycle. Over time the lay the limestone for the coral reef. A colony can live for a long time. Some of them live as long as old-growth forests.
Smart Animals
Ravens
Most Birds Aren’t considered smart animals. Crows, magpies and ravens are exceptions to what people mean by bird brained. They are considered smart, fun, and clever. Some scientists think they’re as smart as wolves and dogs. In the wild birds in the Raven Family get other animals to do things for them. They call for wolves and coyotes to break open carcasses so they can get to the meat and even steal food from birds-of-prey.
A zoologist at the University of Vermont worked with ravens. One of the tests was opening a box with a reward. The ravens opened the box then taught other birds how to do it. They showed they could think ahead and act on their thoughts in all the tests they were given.
Rats
Rats are small scavengers that are pests in urban and rural areas. They have been known to kill small farm animals. The rat’s origins have been traced to Asia. They migrated as accidental passengers – most likely as stowaways on trade routes. Black and brown rats are the most common.
Rats live in colonies with their own hierarchy and are hunted by snakes, wildcats, and birds of prey in the wild. They can be found in small dark places and are one of the most adaptable animals in the world.
Rats are kept as pets all over the world today. Tame rates are very friendly and will do tricks for food. They’re fast breeders and males need to be separated from females at four weeks old. Pet rats pose the same health risks as any other pets. Not to mention the black plague wiped out two thirds of Europe in the Middle Ages from infected fleas carried by rats.
Since rats use people to migrate, eat our food, and we keep them as pets I wonder if they see us as their allies .
Human Intelligence
Douglas Detterman is a professor at Case Western Reserve University and has done lots of work in the field of Human Intelligence. He thinks Cognition or the way people process information is the most interesting part of the field. This includes perception, attention, language, memory, and thinking. According to Cognitive Psychology a Cognitive Psychology all behavior can be reduced to a few simple processes.
Since the man writes in academic journals a lot of what I read are augments for people to think about. One of them is that education has nothing to do with intelligence. He says Richard Herrnstein first pointed out. “I’ve got a PhD. I’m not that smart. If I can do it then anyone can do it.”
So What Does This All Mean?
According to what I found, life forms that live in communities and have allies with one or more different species increase their odds of surviving. I guess that’s what’s called A No Brainer . It’s probably why people have pets and service animals, talk to house plants, and feed birds in the park. Could that also mean the Crazy Cat Lady really isn’t crazy?
Written By Mark Blevins
Thank You For Reading
Sources
Stephanie Watson How Jellyfish Work How Stuff Works/Animals, Corals, and Jellies Accessed 8/4/16
Gwynn Guiliford Quartz Attack of the Blob. Jellyfish Are Taking Over the Seas and It Might Be Too Late 10/15/13 Accessed 8/8/16
National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration National Ocean Service Are Corals Animals or Plants? Accessed 8/4/16
pbs.org Nature Ravens Discover the Power of the Bird in Black 6/10/08 accessed 8/4/16
a-zanimals.com A-Z Animals Animals Facts and Information/Rats Accessed 8/8/16
Jonathan Wai The Creativity post What Do We Know About Human Intelligence? 9/8/14 Accessed 8/4/16
simplypsychology.org Cognitive Psychology by Saul McLeod published 2007 updated 2015
About me
I was a Construction Worker and Commercial Fisherman. An injury on a fishing boat in Alaska forced me into early retirement. Now I'm a Writer and Blogger. Having to start over forced me to realize people are more than their job title. Check out my blog at https://morethanatitle.net/blog
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Comments
Mark Blevins
7 years ago #1
cool