Welcome to This Wild Life!

Also, be sure to check out our blog, Pets and the Planet.

This week on Pets and the Planet: Elephant songs, whale songs and more.  Check out the latest entries below.

Rumblings of Worth

Asian Elephant photo courtesy of Oregon Zoo

Every now and then I learn something that makes clear why our planet is remarkable beyond conception.

On “60 Minutes” on CBS and again on American Public Media, I’ve heard recent stories about the elephants that Katy Payne (and Andrea Turkalo, other members of the Elephant Listening Project)  studies in central Africa. Katy has learned about the changing songs of humpback whales (remember the Judy Collins song that popularized whalesong?).

Cornell University’s Laboratory of Ornithology is where Katy Payne,  has worked on her discovery that elephants make infrasonic calls that lie below the range of human hearing and travel exceptionally well.  Katy made the discovery about these rumbling calls at the Oregon Zoo in 1984.

Studies of African elephants in Kenya, Namibia, and Zimbabwe show that elephants’ powerful low-frequency calls attract mates and coordinate families over distances between four and ten kilometers and are highly dependent on atmospheric conditions.

Download the hour-long Speaking of Faith podcast  or a quick listen to whales or elephants, your choice of one minute or ten.

At first, I wondered why Speaking of Faith covered this story, but then I realized I’m among many who have faith in the wonderous nature of the planet.

For more information.

A Holiday Greeting