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A Time Magazine (and thus credible and creditable) feature


The 11 Most Influential Animals of 2013

By Samantha Grossman
@sam_grossman
Nov. 18, 2013

They pawed around the West Wing and comforted people after tragedy. Sometimes, like pandas, they made their biggest impact by not being there at all. Here’s an unranked look at four-legged and finned creatures that shaped our year.

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Olinguito


Olinguito (Photo: Mark Gurney)

It’s 2013. You’d think that mankind would have classified and catalogued every animal by now. But for the first time in more than three decades, scientists discovered a new mammal in the Americas. Native to Ecuador and Colombia, the cute, fluffy olinguito — technical name: Bassaricyon neblina — officially became the smallest member of the raccoon family when the Smithsonian announced the discovery in August. Previously, scientists thought this animal was part of a sister species known as the olingo, but extensive research showed that the cuddly creatures were in fact their very own species.

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my eyes moistened over this next one, lorenz.

Bowser the Rescued Tornado Dog


http://www.cbsnews.com/

Following the massive tornado that slammed Oklahoma in May, a touching story — captured on live TV — provided a bit of hope. During an on-air interview with CBS News, Moore resident Barbara Garcia described the unthinkable devastation that had just whipped through her town. Her home was decimated, and her dog was trapped somewhere beneath the wreckage. But soon, someone off-camera noticed something moving nearby. Garcia looked closer and realized it was her dog, Bowser, buried alive beneath the rubble. Garcia and the news crew managed to lift the debris and rescue the pup. She later told CBS News, “All of the other things … you know, one by one they can be replaced. A lot of it wasn’t even important, but I couldn’t replace him.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUc1ZgXiQGs#ws

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The Missing Cicadas


Julia Schmalz / Bloomberg / Getty Images

As soon as it became known that the East Coast — and, in particular, New York City — was in for a major cicada invasion, all hell broke loose. Hell in the form of a plague of media attention. (See: trillions of terrifying red-eyed bloodthirsty monsters will emerge from all possible crevices to ruin your life). The invasion, which comes once every 17 years, did happen in some areas, sure, but in the end it was all very underwhelming. NBC Philadelphia dubbed it “The Cicada Invasion That Wasn’t” and New York magazine simply declared that in the Big Apple, the invasion had been canceled.

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Rescued ‘Gay’ Shelter Dog


www.gaystarnews.com

A pit bull in Tennessee ended up at an overcrowded kill-shelter because his owner, after seeing the dog mount another male pooch, thought he was gay. The story made its way to Facebook, spreading the word that the pit bull would be put down if no one adopted him immediately. The post was shared more than 5,000 times, and soon enough, local veterinary technician Stephanie Fryns came forward and agreed to adopt him. Just hours before he was scheduled to be euthanized, the “gay” shelter dog — who Fryns renamed Elton — found a new home.

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Rupee


Rupee, a formerly homeless dog rescued from a dump by his current owner Joanne Lefson, is thought to be the first dog in the world to climb Mount Everest. (inhabitat.com)

A former stray dog has pulled himself up by the bootstraps and created a better life for himself. A life that includes becoming the first dog ever to climb Mount Everest. Rupee, the formerly homeless pup who was found starving in a dump in India. His owner, Joanne Lefson, rescued him and helped nurse him back to health, feeding him a high protein diet of boiled eggs and rice, according to the Daily Mail. Now, Rupee is strong, healthy and capable of climbing mountains. This year, he became the first canine on record to climb Mount Everest after trekking for 10 days with Lefson to base camp, 17,000 feet above sea level.

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Grumpy Cat


Grumpy Cat (New York Magazine)

There are famous Internet animals, and then there is Grumpy Cat. The one-year-old feline, whose perpetually frowning face turned her into a massive online sensation over the past year, officially became a one-cat empire when she graced the cover of New York magazine’s “Boom Brands” issue in October. The world learned that the estimated value of the Grumpy Cat brand — which includes a coffee line, a New York Times-bestselling book and even a movie deal — is worth an estimated $1 million. The lesson from all this, according to New York magazine? Invest in cats.


http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/11/20/

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