Buzz
Animals are often taught basic commands like sit, stay, roll over, and fetch. But then there are the overachievers, who break world records and exceed expectations for their species.
At times, animals even outdo us, accomplishing feats in ways that many humans could only dream of. Here are 10 remarkable feats performed by the animal kingdom.
10. Mice That Ride Waves and Skateboard
Shane Willmott resides on the Gold Coast in Australia, where he and his pet mice spend their summers surfing the waves.
Over 30 years ago, as a teenager, Willmott began training his pet mice to surf. The idea came to him while at the beach with friends when he saw small waves forming near the shore and wished he could ride them. Realizing that a mouse would be the perfect size to take advantage of these tiny waves, the idea took off.
Willmott’s training starts in his bathtub, where his mice learn how to balance on the boards. They then move to his backyard pool, where they get used to the water’s movement by being pulled behind a remote-controlled boat. Once the mice are proficient at being towed in the pool, they are ready for the beach.
When winter arrives and the water becomes too cold for the mice, they switch to skateboarding in the park Willmott built for them in his backyard. The mice perform stunts, including racing down ramps and jumping through a ring of fire.
9. Dogs Who Drive Cars
Rescue dogs at an animal shelter in New Zealand have demonstrated an unexpected talent – they’ve learned to drive a car.
The Auckland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals wanted to show the world the incredible skills of some of their canine residents. Their mission was to promote adoptions by showcasing the amazing potential these shelter dogs possess. After eight weeks of training, Porter and Monty were able to drive a specially modified Mini Countryman.
In the adapted car, the dogs can turn the key to start the engine, use their paws to press the brake and gas pedals, and steer the wheel.
Their achievement was broadcast on television in December 2012. Monty, a giant schnauzer, drove the straight section of the track completely on his own, while Porter, a bearded collie mix, skillfully navigated a curve with only a small swerve onto the grass.
8. The World-Record-Holding Cat
Didga the cat has mastered more tricks than most dogs could ever hope to accomplish. Despite cats being known for being difficult to train, Didga holds the Guinness World Record for the most tricks performed by a cat in a single minute.
Didga initially performed 20 distinct tricks in one minute, but she soon surpassed her own achievement with 24 tricks. Among her impressive abilities were rolling over and jumping over a bar while riding a skateboard.
Her owner, Robert Dollwett, adopted Didga from an animal shelter. Dollwett recalls that Didga began showing off her wide array of tricks to capture his attention when he visited to adopt a pet. Her display worked, and Dollwett took her home, helping her hone her remarkable abilities.
While cats are not typically fond of water, Didga enjoys swimming and surfing. She can also skateboard and perform gymnastic tricks. Perhaps most impressively, and conveniently for her owner, Didga uses a human toilet, even flushing it after she’s finished.
7. Pigeons Are As Good At Counting As Primates
While many animals can distinguish between one and many, counting in an ordinal sense has been largely considered a skill unique to primates. Traditionally, the ability to count has been linked to chimpanzees and gorillas, but birds have shown they are equally adept with numbers. Pigeons, for instance, can count just as effectively as rhesus monkeys.
Pigeons are known for their excellent vision and their ability to be easily trained. A team of researchers from New Zealand sought to explore if these abilities could extend to numbers.
The researchers started by teaching pigeons to count up to three. They used a touchscreen displaying images of one, two, and three shapes, and the pigeons had to peck at them in order from the fewest to the most before receiving a reward.
After learning the fundamentals, the pigeons were presented with images containing between one and nine items. Without further instruction, the pigeons showed an impressive ability to peck at the numbers in the correct order.
6. The Renowned Rabbit Artist
Aspiring artists know the struggle of getting paid for their work, but in this tough field, Bini, a six-year-old Holland Lop rabbit, has managed to find success.
Bini paints by holding a brush in his mouth and has produced over 300 paintings. According to his website, it takes the rabbit between 40 to 90 minutes to finish a canvas. Bini’s masterpieces are highly sought after and can sell for up to $300 each.
Bini’s skills extend beyond the canvas. He can style and comb hair, play arcade games, and even shoot hoops. Bini holds the Guinness World Record for the most basketball slam dunks by a rabbit in one minute, setting the record with seven dunks in 2017.
5. Bumblebees That Play Soccer
A group of biologists from Queen Mary University of London successfully trained bumblebees to play soccer.
The team conducted an experiment to determine if the insects could learn to roll a ball into a target area. The ball was approximately half the size of the bees. The purpose was to challenge the bees with a task they would never encounter in nature and assess if they had the cognitive skills to complete it.
Team Bumblebee amazed the researchers. The bees figured out how to “score a goal” in multiple ways. Some bees instinctively knew how to position the ball, while others learned by watching the ball move independently. The most successful bees observed their peers first, then adapted the technique to perform the task more efficiently.
The success of the bees proved that they have flexible cognitive abilities and are capable of complex thought processing.
4. The Rope-Jumping Beagle
Purin, a beagle, and her owner Makoto Kumagai, who reside in Japan, set the Guinness World Record in May 2016 for the most rope skips performed by a dog and human in one minute, with an impressive 51 jumps. They raised the bar in January 2017, pushing the record to 58 jumps.
Purin also holds two additional Guinness World Records. In 2015, she set the record for the most mini soccer balls caught by a dog using only its paws within one minute, capturing 14 balls in total.
Additionally, in March 2016, Purin earned the world record for the fastest time a dog has traveled 10 meters (33 feet) on a ball, completing the feat in 10.39 seconds, beating her previous best of 11.9 seconds.
Purin’s talents extend beyond the records, as she also enjoys skateboarding, sledding with her family, biking, and practicing kendo, a Japanese martial art similar to fencing.
3. The Monkey Named ‘Person Of The Year’
In 2011, British wildlife photographer David Slater was photographing a troop of macaques in Indonesia. Among the photos, one of a macaque named Naruto smiling into the camera became an internet sensation. The selfie was actually taken by Naruto himself. Slater recalls showing the monkeys how to press the camera’s shutter button while looking into the lens.
Slater’s images, particularly Naruto’s selfie, went viral. However, in 2014, Slater discovered that a blog and Wikipedia were using the photo without his consent. He requested they either remove the image or compensate him. Both sites refused, with Wikipedia arguing that Slater could not claim copyright over the photo since it was taken by the monkey.
In 2015, PETA filed a lawsuit on Naruto’s behalf, asserting that the macaque should be recognized as the rightful owner of the photograph. This was the first case ever to seek recognition of a nonhuman animal as the owner of intellectual property.
In 2016, a judge ruled against PETA, stating that animals do not qualify for protection under the Copyright Act. Although PETA appealed the decision, the case was ultimately settled when Slater agreed to donate 25 percent of any future earnings from Naruto’s photo to charities that protect crested macaques.
In an effort to recognize Naruto as an individual, rather than an object, PETA named the macaque ‘Person of the Year’ in 2017.
2. Elephants That Landed A Record Deal
The Thai Elephant Orchestra was formed at a conservation center in Thailand that cares for retired work elephants. Knowing that elephants have shown an affinity for painting and other creative activities, it was believed that they might also take pleasure in playing musical instruments.
The orchestra’s creators designed oversized, nearly indestructible drums, xylophones, and harmonicas tailored to the elephants’ size and strength. After being shown how to use the instruments, the elephants played them enthusiastically, without requiring any further encouragement such as treats.
The music produced by the elephants has been likened to the sounds found in Buddhist temples. To date, the orchestra has released three albums.
1. The Published Siamese Cat Author
Jack H. Hetherington and F.D.C. Willard coauthored a groundbreaking academic paper on atomic behavior at varying temperatures, published in 1975 in the prestigious journal Physical Review Letters.
While Hetherington was the sole author of the paper, he unknowingly used the pronoun ‘we’ throughout his manuscript. Since the journal only allowed ‘we’ for papers with multiple authors, and Hetherington had written the paper on a typewriter, he would have had to rewrite it entirely to change ‘we’ to ‘I.’ Instead, he decided to add a second author.
Hetherington listed his Siamese cat, Chester, as the coauthor. To obscure Chester's feline identity, he gave the cat the name F.D.C. Willard. The initials stood for ‘Felis domesticus, Chester,’ and ‘Willard’ was the name of Chester’s father. The journal assumed Hetherington had collaborated with a colleague from Michigan State.
Once the paper was out, the truth about Hetherington’s feline coauthor came to light. The revelation amused most, including Hetherington’s colleagues and superiors.
Chester's journey as a published cat didn’t stop there. F.D.C. Willard was credited as the sole author of a 1980 paper in the French scientific journal La Recherche.
