A quick glance at Urban Outfitters' or Hot Topic's websites shows that clothing and accessories with owls on them are all the rage right now. Maybe with school back in session, people are wearing wise owls to feel smarter? You'll actually be smarter after reading these intriguing facts about Harry Potter's favorite feathered friend:

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• Gorgeous snowy owls are a lot like people in their relationships—they may be committed to one owl, or they may date around. When food is scarce, committed couples may choose not to reproduce that year—very responsible parenting.
• Great horned owls are the weight-lifting champs of the bird world. They can carry animals several times heavier than themselves.  
• Much like you won't answer your phone for a telemarketer, barred owls roost high in trees with a heavy canopy so they won't be bothered by crafty crows.
• While most owls have feathers right down to their toes, Cuban screech owls have bare legs. Because they live in a tropical climate, they've evolved to wearing cut-offs.
• Ladies, your mate probably doesn't work as hard to impress you as male short-eared owls do for their females. Males perform complex spiraling courtship flights for their paramours.

Do owls inspire you to get active for all animals? If so, contact the Action Team at ATeam@peta.org to get started.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

As anyone who has ever forgotten to spell out "w-a-l-k" can attest, dogs can understand our language. One recent study showed that dogs can learn up to 165 words and gestures and that they can count. And dogs aren't the only animals you can depend on in an emergency either—a rabbit recently saved her human family from a house fire.

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Could birds call each other "humanbrain" as an insult? Like humans, crows and ravens are very social and have large brains for their body size. They also rival humans and monkeys in their ability to delay self-gratification for a greater reward. They are articulate, too, as evidenced by escaped former companion birds who are now teaching their flocks to understand English. If a family planning to welcome a new baby is having trouble picking a name, perhaps they should consult with parrots, who name their offspring.

Dolphins talk to each other in a way similar to humans, too, by adjusting their muscular tension and air flow. Words likely not in their vocabulary? "Imprison," "abuse," and "exploit" …. But if they are familiar with those terms, it could explain why scientists in Australia are just now discovering a new species of dolphin—maybe they were hiding!

Written by Michelle Sherrow

How far will a mother go to save her child? Straight into the heart of danger, such as in the case of a deer whose fawn had fallen in a crack in a rock wall. The mother deer kept returning throughout the night and morning. Then, while firefighters tried to rescue the fawn, the deer stuck close to the potentially dangerous humans and loud machinery to watch out for her baby.

While many of us would be doomed without our GPS systems, loggerhead turtles are born with the ability to navigate by reading the Earth's magnetic field. There is also evidence that many species, including pigeons, chickens, naked mole rats, and cattle, also detect the Earth's geomagnetic field.

Bees' eyesight rivals any advanced vision equipment our military has created. Bees navigate using only polarized light in the sky and the 5,000 individual dots that make up a single image in their compound eyes.

Since they don't make their own poison, African crested rats bathe themselves in tree poison to protect themselves from predators.

Few would question dogs' superior sense of smell. While we might think that all roses smell the same, dogs can detect different smells on each petal of a single flower, such as traces of other flowers' pollen left by insects and humans who have touched it. Another good reason to let your dog stop and smell the roses!

Written by Michelle Sherrow

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Groovin' on a Wednesday morning—these affectionate animals make this summer feel like the summer of love.

• That's what friends are for: Cows' stress levels go down when they're with their besties.
• Put on a happy face—pigeons will remember you even if your barista doesn't. Just remember to let pigeons be in peace.
• Reunited, and it feels so good. Rascal is glad his 75-day odyssey is over.
• If fish wanna rock, they rock.
• Desperado no more: These eagle soul mates are miraculously together at last.
• You must have been sent from heaven above. A rescued dog saves his family from a fire and gets a gift basket from PETA.

 
Written by Michelle Sherrow

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Whether it's for brilliance, bravery, or breathtaking ability, these animals take home the prize.

• What a mom. A sweet homeless dog deserves a parenting award for helping her puppies beat the heat.
• Brainy parrots deserve a spot on the kindergarten honor roll—not in a cage.
• Danny Ocean could get some pointers from these crafty crows.
• Therapists would commend honeybees' openness about their feelings.
• But maybe dogs, with their uncanny ability to understand us, are really the best therapists.
• Rescued feline Rusty snagged a catnip reward from PETA for saving his guardian's life.
• For best eyesight, it's not bats or flies. Look no further than the jellyfish. (Too bad experimenters can’t see that they need to be left alone.)

Written by Michelle Sherrow

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With their compassionate nature and love for family and friends, animals are truly remarkable, in this life and the one after:  

• Canada goose Lucy Goosey grew up and had a family of her own, but she never forgot where she came from.
•  It's not a fish tale—whales use names to identify themselves and each other.
• Sweet and friendly pit bull Louis Vuitton appeared in court to testify against the man who set him on fire.
• When a New York goose lost her mate, a deer stepped in to help her out. 
• Researchers are presenting evidence for something we've known for a long time—that all dogs go to heaven. 

 
Written by Michelle Sherrow

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Working together, showing off, winning awards … it's not a new reality show—it's more amazing animals:

• It isn't just human teenage boys who show off when girls are around, as proved by zebra finches. 
• We know that elephants never forget, but they also have such great teamwork skills that they could host your office's next Dale Carnegie seminar. 
• Maybe protective parents should go back to calling themselves "mother hens"  in lieu of "mama grizzlies."
• Which "throwaway" thoroughbred racehorse is now a Guinness World Record holder for intelligence? (Hint: It's not Mr. Ed.) 
• Maybe the appropriately named bird "Wisdom" should get a Guinness record as well.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

Animals find new ways to astonish us every day. Wouldn't it be great if we returned the favor by astonishing them with our compassion?

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• Dolphins  and researchers have learned to speak each other's language. Can a Rosetta Stone course be far behind?
• Perhaps those dolphins can help us translate a Compassionate Action Award into dolphinese for this pup-friendly pod who rescued a dog.
• A courageous canine has proved that true friends are there when you need them most.
• A goose has found her lovebird in a retiree who visits the park where she lives.
• The Daily Mail answers the question, can dogs (and cats and elephants) die of a broken heart?
• Gorillas have been caught on film having a family meeting. Maybe over who ate the last banana?
• Chimpanzees laugh at their friends' jokes, even when they aren't funny.
• Macaques question their own reasoning. A lesson in there for humans, perhaps?
• U.K. scientists have discovered that "sheepish" really means "brainy."

Written by Michelle Sherrow