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Barbara J. King

@bjking.bsky.social

10K followers 1.7K following 1.5K posts

Anthropologist; animal advocate; science writer, next book coming on cats; caretaker of aging cats. Books include How Animals Grieve; Animals' Best Friends: Putting Compassion to Work for Animals; see www.barbarajking.com for more.

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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · Aug 21

Nice piece by @katewong.bsky.social @sciam.bsky.social on why we humans aren't as unique as some of us like to think... Great examples here from primates, fish, insects, and more. A nice shout-out to my work on animal grief too. #animals #nature #anthropology #evolution 🧪

Whales Mourn, Birds Show Self-Awareness, Plants Remember—Are Humans Really So Special?

Other species exhibit capabilities that were once thought to be exclusive to Homo sapiens

www.scientificamerican.com

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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 18h

Always handsome. #birds #birding #nature

A male red cardinal stands on a branch in a green bush. His head is turned so we see the red beak, one eye, and slightly raised crest. He is shades of red from bright to less bright.

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 1d

In Setauket, Long Island, for a book event tonight- I'm talking about animal emotions like grief and love, and ethics of animal-human relating. Went on a peaceful nature trail to relax before the event, and saw beautiful mute swans. #birds #birding #nature

Two white-light brown swans together on grass. One is sitting still, the other self-grooming.

An old stone building behind a fence, with water wheel in the side.

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 1d

"The mistake, however, is to presume – a priori – that animal communication is anything like ours. All too often we try to crowbar animal communication into a human-centric framework..." By Helen Pilcher @theguardian.com, with great examples. #animalcommunication #language #nature #anthropology

Dogs name toys while elephants name each other. Animal language is more complex than we imagine | Helen Pilcher

If we really want to grasp what animals are ‘saying’, we need to understand their communication on their terms, not ours, says science writer Helen Pilcher

www.theguardian.com

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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 2d

A good side-by-side internet photo comparison should help, between the two. Red-headed has an entirely crimson red head, Red-bellied a more limited red stripe on the top and back of the head; Red-bellied have distinct black-and-white barring on their backs and wings.

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 2d

I wasn't aware there's a field called veterinary epidemiology! Experts in that + related fields adding to the scarce existing research "on how environmental toxins and pollutants affect our animal companions." Piece by @emilyanthes.bsky.social #cats #dogs #multispecies #pets #pollution #veterinary

In a Toxic World, Pets Could Be Vital Health Watchdogs

www.nytimes.com

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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 2d

It's definitely red-bellied!

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 3d

Red-bellied woodpecker foraging way, way high up in our backyard canopy. So fun to have spotted this! #woodpecker #birds #birding #nature

The bird perches on the side of a tree with an open cavity hole at top. The red head is visible, and white breast plus black and white feathers. Something small, tan, and round is in the bird's mouth.

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Reposted by Barbara J. King

Scripps Institution of Oceanography @scrippsocean.bsky.social · 4d

🌿 🌊 Kelp forests are vital habitats that support marine life, buffer our coasts, and keep our oceans healthy, and Scripps Oceanography scientists are dedicated to protecting them!

🌏 This #WorldHabitatDay, thank #KelpForests for all they do for our planet.

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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 4d

To friends who send me octopus gifts- you are the best! I always weave stories of how to protect octopuses into my public writing and speaking about animals. (No octopus farming!) #octopus #cephalopod #nature

The cover of this writer's journal features a bright orange-red octopus with 8 unfurled arms.

A white teapot sits on a counter. Its handle is made to be an orange-red octopus arm with suckers and the other arms unfurl around the pot.

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 4d

Big congratulations to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi on their Nobel Prize win. Their research relates to regulatory T cells and immune responses in the body. #medicine #NobelPrize #science #womeninSTEM #womeninscience 🧪

The medicine Nobel Prize goes to 3 scientists for work on peripheral immune tolerance

Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi were honored for research into how the body helps the immune system avoid attacking your own tissues instead of foreign invaders.

www.npr.org

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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 4d

Keeping the orb-weavers, corvids, and cephalopods around is more than adequate!

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 5d

I can imagine not....! That sentence just really sings.

Reposted by Barbara J. King

Christian Bauman @christianbauman.bsky.social · 5d

Back to Graham Greene again for my #sundaysentence this week: "Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose, or paint can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic fear which is inherent in the human situation."

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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 5d

Barbara frowned, looking up at the ceiling, where there was nothing to see save a row of fluorescent lights, of the type that made everyone look like they'd just been released from hospital while still profoundly ill. - Elizabeth George, A Slowly Dying Cause (Lynley series) #SundaySentence #Booksky

The cover image shows a lonely rural road with an old building in the distance. The words "A Lynley novel" appear in-between the author name and title.

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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 6d

Today and everyday, we can honor Dr. Goodall's memory by following her outspoken urging of us to eat way more plants than animals, in honor of other animals' lives and of our Earth. #WorldAnimalDay #JaneGoodall #vegan #vegetarian #reducetarian

An inscription in a book dated April 1988 to me reads: "For Barbara, wishing you all the luck in the world with baboons and pigs. Jane Goodall."

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Reposted by Barbara J. King

Daryll Marie @daryllmarie.bsky.social · 7d

The Marine Life feed has hit a whopping 2k likes 😱 so my friends, POST CELEBRATORY SEA CRITTERS. Birds Feed folks, seabirds count 😉🪶 come join us in the feed if you are a lover of ocean life!
bsky.app/profile/did:...

A dolphin above the surface of the ocean, mid-leap.

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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 7d

I enjoyed the Oscar-winning animated film FLOW- and because of the cat character in it, adoptions of black cats are on the rise. In my forthcoming book, I write a lot about the love I've shared with black cats in my life. #cats #adoptdontshop #pets #animals #movies

Black Cat Adoptions Are on the Rise Thanks to a Cartoon Cat

An animated film following a beloved black cat has had the unexpected benefit of increasing the stigmatized felines’ adoption rates.

www.vice.com

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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 8d

Please join me in following here @panworks.bsky.social, a fabulous center for animal ethics focused on animals' wellbeing, where I am honored to be a Research Fellow. This piece by @pablopcastello.bsky.social is a don't-miss read! #animals #anthropology #multispecies #ethics

PAN Works @panworks.bsky.social · 14d

In this new article, PAN Works Research Fellow, Pablo P. Castelló, PhD, invites us to experience the vibrant multipspecies tapestry that is the foundation of our democratic communities.

#animals #ethics #wellbeing #compassion #empathy #multispecies #justice #communities #intrinsicvalue #democracy

When Animals Sustain the Fabric of Our Democracies

By Pablo P. Castelló, PhD.

panworks.medium.com

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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 8d

A sweet mourning dove greets the morning in my yard. #birds #birding #nature

The birds, gray and speckled with black, perches on the rim of a dish of seeds. Their head is turned and we see one eye, the beak, and the fully body and tail. And pink feet!

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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 9d

Yes she has-- at first chimpanzee-focused, as you know she soon became an advocate for all beings and for our Earth. How much she will be missed.

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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 9d

Jane Goodall's death is an immense loss for the world. She changed my field (primatology/ animal behavior) forever and for the better. I will never forget the times I met and talked with her. My sympathies to those who knew her best and loved her. #anthropology #priimatology #animals #JaneGoodall

NBC News @nbcnews.com · 9d

BREAKING: Dr. Jane Goodall, an animal rights advocate, has died of natural causes at age 91, the Jane Goodall Institute says in a statement.

Dr. Jane Goodall, legendary animal rights advocate, dies at 91

"Dr. Goodall's discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world," the Jane Goodall Institute said in a Wednesday statement.

nbcnews.to

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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 9d

Donkeys and camels, life size! Rock art in Saudi Arabia from around 12,000 years go: "They are the oldest large-scale naturalistic animal art ever found in the Middle East and are among the oldest in the world." #art #rockart #anthropology #archaeology

Stunning 12,000-Year-Old Rock Art Emerges in Saudi Arabia

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Barbara J. King

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 10d

the president of the united states wants to use the american military to kill american citizens on american soil. that's the whole story!

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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 10d

It's wonderful that more people see the charm of spiders, including jumping spiders---- fabulous animals. But it's not cool to celebrate sales-focused, high-volume spider-breeding of this nature: "tens of thousands of 'web puppies'" in a single shop. They're not toys. #spiders #pets #nature

Scared of spiders? Some former arachnophobes now are keeping jumping spiders as pets

The jumping spider pet market is booming, particularly with women. And for many, the journey to spider enthusiast began as an arachnophobe.

www.npr.org

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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 11d

We have a winner! The fast-flying kārearea is Aotearoa/ New Zealand’s only falcon. #birds #birding #nature #birdoftheyear

Threatened kārearea falcon wins New Zealand’s 2025 bird of the year

The country’s fastest bird has taken out the top prize in a scandal-free year for the annual poll

www.theguardian.com

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