TulsaPets Magazine September 2023

22 TulsaPets • September / October 2023 CITY VETERINARY HOSPITAL Full-time groomer on staff. Please call for a grooming appointment! FULL SERVICE VETERINARY CARE IN BROOKSIDE SINCE 1942 Medicine • Surgery • Dentistry • Vaccinations Heartworm Prevention • Flea & Tick Prevention Boarding • Pet Taxi • Pet Sitting • House Calls On-Site Lab & X rays 24 Hour Emergency Service For All Of Green Country 3550 S Peoria Avenue (Corner of 36th & Peoria) 918.747.1641 dr.chet.thomas@gmail.com | city.vet.tulsa@gmail.com CHET S. THOMAS, DVM / OK LIC #3519 A CONFUSION OF GIRAFFES A clowder of cats…. Giraffes have black tongues with a sticky saliva that’s an antiseptic. Giraffes chew acacia leaves (and therefore the thorns that the tree is known for), so they probably developed the antiseptic for protection from bacterial infections. Cats have a substance much like deter- gents, which probably helps keep their fur clean — but they have a wide variety of very toxic bacteria too, which can kill other animals if it dries on their feathers or fur and they groom. A CHARM OF HUMMINGBIRDS These guys are so cool, I’m going to fire off several fun facts about them. They eat three times their weight daily (I wanna be a hummingbird). They are the only bird that can fly backward. They have a big brain-to-body ratio and are believed to be quite intelligent. Their brain makes up more than 4 percent of their body weight. (Human brains make up only 2 percent — some even less, if you ask me.) They can remember every flower and feeder ever visited, as well as when to return for more nectar. They go into torpor to sleep fully, which helps when the temperature drops because it saves energy. It’s also a near-death level, and it takes as long as an hour for them to fully wake. A CARAVAN OF CAMELS Built to last, camels can live as long as 50 years when cared for. They are desert-proof because their humps store fat to cover several days’ worth of survival. They have two sets of eyelashes and a third lid and the ability to seal their nostrils, all of which protects them in a sandstorm. These ungulates can drink more than 50 gallons of water in three minutes, leading me to theorize that they are reincarnated fraternity dudes. The term “camel” is Arabic for beau- ty (insert juvenile snicker). I’m betting, though, that this animal is life-saving in dire circumstances, lending cause for such flattery. Wanna Live Forever? A SMACK OF JELLYFISH When facing stress, such as starvation or injury, the jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii can reverse maturity and become a baby version of itself — like a butterfly sneaking back into its old cocoon, becoming a caterpillar again. In theory, one could live forever. This sounds like a genie’s curse when you make your first wish for immortality. The big blue guy snaps his fingers, and poof! — you’re a brainless blob. Eternally! And Even More? You might have guessed that I too sum- moned my inner adolescent to write this — and it was such a hoot, I think I’ll bug the magazine to let me do a Part II. There’s only so much fun to be had these days, and I’m more than game to have it. Or better yet — collect it!