Synchronicity: Animals Do the Cleverest Things

I love the presence of synchronicity in my life, that simultaneous rising to the surface of seemingly unrelated Life threads; their disparate occurance such that the interweaving of Life seems nevertheless obvious.
Such was the case for me this AM when I discovered the post Animals Do the Cleverest Things on AlterNet by Steve Conner today. This after myself posting earlier: Intelligence in Nature: Chimps vs. Humans.

The latest studies into the unusual behavior of a range of species suggest that we should no longer assume that animals are just the dumb creatures that we’ve been led to believe since the days of St Thomas Aquinas, the 13th-century Italian monk whose moral philosophy formed the basis of our modern-day ethical treatment of animals. Indeed, scientists have found that animals are capable of all sorts of clever behaviour that we normally associate with human intelligence. They not only have good memories and a perception of the world around them, they also display feats of apparent far-sightedness and understanding that seem to go beyond the mental abilities of many people.

The article deserves a read and a review, but will have to settle here for now with this note to its presence.
Also discovered this AM is PETA’s Amazing Animal Facts site. It is full of interesting and provocative information such as this bit of religiously heretical and politically dangerous knowledge:

There are more than 450 species of animals that have documented homosexual pairs, including grizzly bears, flamingos, salmon and penguins.

or this

Orphaned chimpanzees are adopted by their aunts, older siblings, or other members of their tribe who teach them how to find natural antibiotics, avoid poisonous plants, and build tree nests.

There is knowledge and intelligence and empathy there that frankly, I myself do not possess.
and this

Alaskan buffalo have been observed charging down hills and sliding across icy ponds, bellowing with delight, and then climbing back up the hill to do it again.

Now here are these animals doing by nature, following joy, something I had to relearn because I had the trust of life beaten out of me as a kid. So much for the human intelligence in some of our religions.
I’m right glad for our innate wild resiliency! I would not be here without it; and I’m betting our future is sure enough gonna require it for our thrive-ability.
You know, there might just be as many varieties of resilience as there are of intelligences. And I guess if you start to figure out how many varieties are expressed within any one species? Well, we might want to get a bit more intimate with some of our non-human neighbors to see what we might learn… given the challenging times a coming.
I think we’re going to want to get real up and close with the principles of synchronicity too: how it is we are woven into the larger invisible tapestry of Life, and yes, co-create our experience of it. I just discovered my friend over at the Golden State blog just posted Nature’s Intelligence or The Nature of Intelligence. It’s a good post, worth the Grand Canyon photo alone, not to mention his insights and perspectives.
Guess I’ll just hang on and keep looking to follow my joy, charging down hills and sliding across icy ponds, cause it’s looking to be one of those kind of days.