Wolves by Strangers

From Torie in LaFayette, Georgia

After receiving this “tribal wolf” from Torie, I started thinking about the communal nature of wolves and decided to look up some information to better help me understand the pack mentality of the animal. Here is a sampling of some of the information I was able to find. Enjoy!

• A wolf pack may contain just two or three animals, or it may be 10 times as large.
• Though many females in a pack are able to have pups, only a few will actually mate and bear pups. Often, only the alpha female and male will mate, which serves to produce the strongest cubs and helps limit the number of cubs the pack must care for. The other females will help raise and “babysit” the cubs.
• Biologists describe wolf territory as not just spatial, but spatial-temporal, so that each pack moves in and out of each other’s turf depending on how recently the “no trespassing” signals were posted.
• Wolves howl to contact separated members of their group, to rally the group before hunting, or to warn rival wolf packs to keep away. Lone wolves will howl to attract mates or just because they are alone. Each wolf howls for only about five seconds, but howls can seem much longer when the entire pack joins in.

From Jenn (?) in Hertfordshire, England

Enjoy these nice thoughts about hugs courtesy of poofcat.com. And don’t forget to hug the ones you love today!

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From a stranger in reddit-land.

Pedobear is a meme that is meant to be humorous, but he does open the door for discussion about some very important issues. The facts below come courtesy of RAINN.org (RAINN = Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network). Please know that I appreciate the comical aspects of the picture but that these statistics are offered with serious (and not sarcastic) intent.

44% of sexual assault victims are under the age of 18.

Every 2 minutes, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted.

60% of sexual assaults are not reported to police.

15 out of 16 rapists never spend a day in jail.

Approx. 65% of assaults are committed by someone known to the victim.

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