Image: Nick Wiggins/ABC

When wildlife expert Caitlin Raynor spotted a bird mesmerized by its own reflection in a window, she thought that people might be worried about what it was doing. So Raynor posted a little note that reads, "I'm a Bush Stone Curlew. I'm fine. I just like to stare at myself in the window."

Little did Raynor knew that she'd be launching the bird into Internet stardom, with images of the "Narcissist bird" rattled 'round the web. But Raynor said that the behavior was actually quite normal for this bird species.

"They're primarily nocturnal so they're not used to seeing their reflection," she told the BBC, "They're not being aggressive. They're just fascinated with the 'other bird' in the reflection."

If I were that cute, I'd stare at myself that much, too!

These puppies want to be on the couch so bad! They're too young to jump and too short to climb, but they give it their all because the couch is where the humans sit!

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Puppies will learn soon enough, with a little growth and a lot of practice, so enjoy them when they're little, and be sure to take video. Enjoy this compilation from MrFunnyMals. -via Tastefully Offensive   

All images via Kasper Mariusz Kaproń Ofm

Meet Carmelo AKA Fray Bigotón or "Friar Mustache," an abandoned stray schnauzer who just joined (er, adopted by) a Franciscan monastery in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

"His life is all about playing and running," fellow friar Jorge Fernandez told The Dodo. "Here, all of the brothers love him very much. He is a creature of God."

Cats are known for their hunting skills, but that doesn't mean they always know what they're doing. This little kitty found out the hard way that hunting is not always as easy as it seems. 

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Unfortunately for Marianne, she ate the snake from the tail end and the snake saw a convenient hole to escape in, which happened to be her nose. Marianne's humans were there to help remove the snake, but while the kitty was obviously happy about having the snake pulled from its nose, the snake didn't survive the encounter.

Via PetsLady

Breeders who want to create a new and original breed start their genetic mix 'n' match wherever the jaguars and servals prowl.

Designer cat breeds, like the Bengals and Savannahs, are born from a breeder's desire to own wild cats, so they mate typical domesticated breeds with wild felines until they achieve the desired look.

Jean Mill was the first American breeder to breed Bengals, a cross between domestic cats and wild Asian leopard cats, and her cool looking designer cat continues to inspire breeders to mix it up and see what happens.

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Vox created this informative video to trace the roots of designer cat breeding in America and show what it takes to make those "small cats that look like big cats" that drive pet people crazy.

Justine Kobylka is a snake breeder who specializes in making creatures with new and fascinating scale patterns. Her newest creation took eight years to perfect, and it has made her quite famous on the internet as she created a snake adorned with emojis. 

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A lot of people dislike snakes, whether because they think they look gross, because they aren't cuddly or because they don't seem as loving as other pets, but these smiley pythons might change some of those perceptions (though they still won't feel very cuddly).

Via PetsLady

Canine Freestyle Dancing has come a long way since we last posted a routine. At the Cruft's Dog Show over the weekend, Lucy Creek and her dog Skiffle King performed a spooky little act to "Danse Macabre" flawlessly. Skiffle not only dances, but sets up the props, too!

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Creek and Skiffle King took top honors in the Freestyle Heelwork To Music competition. And then there's Flyball, a competition that's new to me. It's competitive relay fetch with hurdles! Here are the final four teams competing at Cruft's; skip to about 5:30 to watch the dogs fly.

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That's a bunch of good dogs! -via Metafilter

If you've been on the internet, you've seen the adorable drawings of the fat cat known as Pusheen. What you might not have seen are real-life recreations of the precious pussy cat.

Thanks to photographer Julien Therrien, now you can see Pusheen in some truly fluffly glory. 

You can see the rest of these great photo recreations over at Bored Panda.

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This little kitty just wanted to play, but her pup buddy was ignoring her -so she found a new fun toy to play with instead. Surprisingly, the dog doesn't seem to mind all that much even though it seems like biting and scratching on the testicles might be a little uncomfortable at the very least. 

Via Amazing Animal Tails

Chris Newsome noticed that night after night, the same toad kept showing up on his porch. He loved seeing his toad friend every day and decided to help improve the little guy's life by adding a little flair to his style by making him stylish foam hats.

The toad kept coming back after he gave him the first hat, so Chris kept making him new hats every day. 

Maybe the toad liked getting to play dress up or maybe he just liked having a friend to hang out with every day, but either way, the two certainly have a strange and wonderful relationship.

Via The Dodo

The Crufts Dog Show is going on this weekend in Birmingham, England. Here we see Olly the Jack Russell terrier taking part in the agility competition, in the class for rescue dogs. Olly steals the show with his performance.    

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I love how the announcer blows off the technicalities in favor of praising Olly's energy and joy, especially during his grand exit: "You'll never catch him now!" A good time was had by all. There's a version of this video with sound effects added, too. -via Tastefully Offensive

Simon Tofield and Nicky Trevorrow bring us another edition of Simon's Cat Logic, in which they address a cat's complicated relationship with water. The average cat knows there's a big difference between water for drinking and water that gets on one's fur. And there's a difference between falling rain and water one can drown in, like a bath.   

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There's also a difference between the water in a cat's water dish and the more delicious water found anywhere else. You'll find some really good tips for cat owners in this video. It ends with two Simon's Cat cartoons about cats and water.  

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This parrot must be around a baby 24/7 because he sure has all of those cries and wines down. To test how accurate his sounds are, I made sure to crank the volume up to see if my dog noticed -he is fascinated by baby cries. Sure enough, he sure fell for it, so it must be dead on.

What do you parents think about the bird's impression? Dead on, or dead wrong?

Via Incredible Things

Some pet owners seem to know little to nothing about which foods their dog can eat and which ones will make their pup feel ill, so they feed them random foods without a second thought.

And unless their dog becomes so ill they need to go to the vet they don't make the connection between these random foods and the fact that their dog always has an upset stomach.

So if you want to know what your dog can and cannot eat and avoid giving them a gut ache then this "Can My Dog Eat That?" infographic put together by Here Pup! is a perfect primer. 

-Via Lifehacker

Firefighters in Nanticoke City, Pennsylvania, were called to a home last week over a report there was a dog on the roof. A husky inside the second floor had managed to open a window, popped out the screen, and went outside on the slanted porch roof. His owner was not at home. A firefighter climbed to the roof and got the dog back inside, then closed the window. But that wasn't the end of the story. 

About an hour later, firefighters received another public assist call to same location for the dog on the roof. The dog apparently wanted to be back outside again and reopened the window and let himself out again.

That's one determined pooch! So they got the ladder out again and a firefighter once again got the dog back inside. This time, they made sure the window was secure. -Thanks, John Farrier!

(Image credit Nanticoke City Fire Department via Facebook)