The Delaware Bay beaches will soon host an annual (and enormous) get-together, unrestricted by any unusual “social distancing” guidelines. But local police will not issue punitive fines. Neither will distancing-enforcement drones monitor, hovering above, to broadcast admonitions unto the teeming crowds that accumulate on the beaches. Why not?

For many in America and around the world, these are very turbulent and troubled times. But for some, not so much. For example, consider the wild cervids like mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), one variety of which is popularly called black-tailed deer. Since they live in national forests and wildlife refuges, for them these times may be a bit of a relief.

High-speed creature communication has been making the news recently. There was underwater research on deep-sea squid,¹ and now bird communication. In fact, the rapid signaling discovered in the honeyeater bird is all part of an intricate multi-part message that has scientists in awe at both its rapidity and complexity.²

In the deep, dark, cold waters of the Pacific Ocean—about 1,500 feet below the surface— hundreds of Humboldt squid the size of small humans (~ 5 feet long) were recently observed feeding on a school of lantern fish only about 3 to 4 inches long. The scientists used a high-tech remotely operated vehicle (ROV) with highly sophisticated photographic equipment to document the squid’s behavior.

Higher temperatures appear to correlate with a lower spread rate for the coronavirus, according to an early hypothesis.¹ The climate seems to have an impact on other respiratory viruses like the SARS virus.