In the spirit of the upcoming holiday, I will explore black cats and the myths around them this week. Ever since I was a little girl I’ve always associated black cats with Halloween, and most of you probably have as well. With there rumored roots in paganism, black magic, and superstitions.

Folklore varies from place to place and century to century. It had once been alleged that witches could change into cats, in fact it was believed that they could change nine times and today people believe that this is the origin of cats having nine lives. Most of you have probably heard that a black cat crossing your path is bad luck, in fact this superstition has roots in European folklore. It claimed that a black cat crossing ones path, especially in moonlight, was a signal of a death epidemic.

Out of all twenty one breeds of black cats the most common is the bombay, this is the type that appears in Hocus Pocus, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Coraline. Bombay cats are characterized by their all black appearance, excluding their yellow irises.

In the times of Ancient Egyptians black cats were actually held in the highest esteem, to kill one was a capital crime. They were seen as symbols for the cat-headed goddess of protection, Bastet. Sailors kept black cats to bring good luck on ships, and fishermen wives were in the habit of keeping black cats to influence their safe return. In present times many owners claim that there black cats are more intuitive and empathetic than other cats.

Yet, today black cats- according to the ASPCA- are consistently less likely to be adopted than all other breeds. There is no concrete theory why, but a combination of the superstitions and the fact that they are less likely to stand out may be at hand.

Some Fun facts:

• In Scotland a black cat arriving at your doorstep signals prosperity.
• The richest cat in the world is a black cat from Italy named Tommaso. His owner left him $13 million when she died, giving Tommaso a place in the Guinness world records.
• Black cats are “melanistic” the opposite of albinism!
• In the 16th century, Italians believed that a black cat laying on the bed of an ill person would bring on certain death.
• In Asia or the U.K. the belief its reversed: Black cats are considered good luck. That is, unless you happen to be in Yorkshire, England, where the locals share the American superstition about black cats crossing one’s path.

So hopefully all you wonderful readers realize that black cats are just as lovable as any other cat, and are not bad luck. Maybe when one of you goes to pick out a cat you’ll reach for the black one instead of the calico. Until next week!

Honey Badgers are part of the weasel family, meaning they are related to skunks, ferrets, and (you guessed it) otters. They get their name for their favorite food, but interestingly enough they eat the bee larvae that is found in the honey comb. Their appearance is very similar to their cousin (the skunk), they also have a gland at the bas of their tail that releases a stinky odor. They also have claws for defense an digging holes, they burrow up to nine feet long and five feet deep. Honey Badgers will use tunnels created by other species and alter them to their needs. They are nocturnal creatures (like owls) which means they sleep during the day and are active at night.

Honey Badgers are native to Africa and Asia, preferring dry areas, forests, and grass lands. These diverse animals can also swim, and climb trees. They are solitary creatures, tending to roam alone. They are not very friendly creatures, they tend to be very quarrelsome: with massive skulls, strong teeth, the odor, and thick loose skin Honey Badgers are not to be messed with! Their teeth can easily pierce a tortoise shell, and more importantly seriously harm a human (so I wouldn’t go anywhere near them).

Their birthing habits are much like humans, in that most often a single cub is born and sometimes two. Similar to bears, cubs will only stay with the mother for up to two years. In captivity a Honey Badger can live for up to twenty six years, in the wild it is unknown. Interestingly enough, these creatures can weigh up to thirty pounds and can be as long as three feet, personally I expected them to be much smaller.

Fun fact! The Guinness World Record book lists the Honey Badger as the most fearless animal. If you fast forward to the minute thirty two second point, you can see how a honey badger and a hyenna interact.

They are not close to extinction, but they do have threats. Bee keepers commit retaliatory killings for hive destruction, poachers kill these animals, and other predators are threats as well.

Its interesting to know that an animal as small in stature, is as fierce as this one, and even more the fact that they are mainly solitary creatures. As the record book states, they are fearless.

Scientists once thought that there were eighty six different species of brown and grizzly bears, but today they know that there is only one, with many different subspecies. The color of their coats ranges from a light cream to an almost black shade. These animals are native to northern regions of North America as well as Eurasia in wooded and forest areas, they are the most widespread species of bear across the Earth. They’re omnivorous and mostly solitary creatures, excepting mothers and their cubs and special occasions. They are not very territorial creatures and can be seen feeding together.

Dramatic gatherings can be seen at prime Alaskan fishing spots during the summer spawning of salmon. In this season dozens of bears may gather together to eat up to ninety pounds of fish. The bear may weigh up to twice as much upon hibernation as it will in the spring. Brown bears dig holes to hibernate in the winter, often holing up in suitable hillsides. Females den while pregnant and give birth during the winter months, often to two cubs. The cubs nurse on the mother during the winter, and often stay with the mother for as long as two and a half years, therefore females only give birth every three or so years.

While the mating season occurs between May and July, the female’s reproductive system often delays implantation until October-November. If the female has not gained enough fat over the summer implantation may not ever take root. Thus, a female’s ability to gain weight is not only for her hibernation, but also the success of reproduction.

Brown bears may weigh anywhere from 220- 2,200 pounds and are anywhere from 6.5 to 9.75 feet in length. In the wild their life expectancy is up to thirty years, but in captivity it is up to fifty. Despite their enormous size, these bears have been clocked at speeds over thirty miles per hour. Brown bears are the third to largest bears on the planet, following the Grizzly and Polar.

One of the largest subspecies is the Alaskan or Kodiak Brown bear, there are only about 3,500 left in the wild. The main reason they are so much larger than other species of the Brown bear is simply due to the overabundance of food in their habitat. They inhabit the Kodiak archipelago in Alaska, they are protected by the government- only about three hundred hunting licenses are issued for the 5,000 native Alaskans that apply for one. Non- Alaskan licenses cost anywhere from ten thousand to fifteen thousand dollars.

Although bears get a rather bad rap of being ‘man eaters’ and ‘vicious’, albeit my own mother who lives in a suburbia is terrified of them, they’re not all that bad. They even wave for the camera. Maybe one day humans and bears will live in piece together.

The western lowland gorilla is the most numerous and widespread of all subspecies of gorilla. They live in the Congo Basin in Africa, in a rainforest habitat. Although there exact numbers are unknown, they are listed as critically endangered. There are significant populations that live in remote swampy forests of the Congo, which makes their population hard to determine. Their average lifespan is thirty five years, they can be up to six feet tall, and weigh up to four hundred pounds. This particular subspecies can be distinguished by their slightly smaller stature, grey-brown coat, and auburn chests.

Gorillas have been documented as ground dwellers, that can be found in troops of up to thirty members. This troop is lead by an older male gorillas known as the ‘silver-back’ because of his slightly lighter back, but otherwise black fur. He is responsible for all the group activities such as eating, and moving the troop about its 3/4-16 miles squared home territory. Also present in the group would be significantly younger males, females, and their offspring.

Gorillas are actually quite intelligent creatures, with the ability to learn to communicate with humans through sign language. One of the most prominent cases is that of Koko, who learned over one thousand words in American Sign Language. Dr. Penny Patterson underwent the lifelong research experiment of teaching a gorilla sign language in the early 1970’s. Koko is now fourty four years old, and understands over two thousand english words. Koko has met many famous actors, including Mr. Rogers, and Robin Williams. Here is a video of her interacting with Williams, even thirteen years later upon his passing she remembered him and looked somber upon the news of his passing.

Because of poaching and disease the gorilla population has decreased by sixty percent over the past 20-25 years and Scientists estimate that it would take seventy five years for them to fully recover. These animals are still killed for bushmeat or captured as babies for pets, illegally. Killing about five percent annually. The ebola virus had also ran rampant in these areas, and in many habitats killed up to ninety percent of the population of gorillas and chimpanzees. The WWF has contributed to antipoaching efforts, as well as the scientific pursuit of a vaccine for gorillas against ebola.