TulsaPets Magazine November 2023

November / December 2023 • TulsaPets 35 lady beetles, produces a pound of resin that we call shellac. It’s food safe and is used to coat candies and as a preservative to protect from humidity for many things we eat — and it makes many treats attractive- ly shiny. Shellac isn’t limited to food aesthetics, though; it has been used in hair sprays and phonograph records and as a wood finish. And that, dear reader, is the unvarnished truth. Getting Ahead of Oneself A CONSORTIUM OF OCTOPUSES. So much is left to learn about these fasci- nating animals! Octopuses are boneless, which allowed a 600-pound fella to squish himself through a plastic tube no wider than a quarter, and I’m not lying. National Geographic has it online. Octopuses can solve mazes, use tools, and unscrew jars from the inside. Their kind of intelligence and its source are very different from ours, but oddly, they kinda like us. There are plenty of recorded incidents, particularly in aquarium parks, when an octopus wants attention, stimula- tion, and play from a human it recognizes. As for the love of camo fashion, the octopus is a master. An octopus can shift colors to blend seamlessly into any under- water setting, avoiding predators while waiting for prey to appear. Not only do they handle color well, a species exists at 3,000 feet called a glass octopus, and it is transparent. Watching footage of this rare creature is eye candy, and I highly recommend taking a few minutes that you might usually use to scroll through TikTok and expand your horizons instead. Translucent and lumi- nous, octopuses are some of nature’s most unique works of art. But then again, nature IS art. Animals, plants, landscapes — even farting honey badgers. OK, maybe not the honey badgers. Sometimes I get carried away. DEAR SANTA We need sponsors for our senior and special needs bulldogs. SPONSORED BY KEO ASIAN RESTAURANTS WWW.BULLYFORYOU.ORG www.zooberpettaxi.com 918-896-4207 Serving Tulsa and surrounding areas Accessible