- The scientific name for the common raven is Corvus corax.
- They're highly intelligent, and playful. They've been observed sliding down roofs and hillsides after Snow, and they use found objects such as pine cones or sticks as toys, playing by themselves or with other ravens. They are among the most intelligent birds in the world and are said to be as bright as Dolphins or Chimpanzees. One study found they were more intelligent than small human children, because they figured out that they could get food out of a narrow space by bending a piece of wire into a hook. The toddlers didn't, and presumably just threw a tantrum. Ravens can also match flash cards for food with minimal training.
- They can imitate human voices, animal calls and other sounds, such as flushing Toilets or car engines. So Edgar Allan Poe's raven could quite easily have said, "nevermore". Among themselves, they make a wide range of sounds which have meanings, including one specific sound that means food. They can even use sounds to express emotions and have dialects within their social groups.
- There are plenty of myths and superstitions attached to ravens. Many cultures see them as messengers of the gods, or, in the case of Odin, their spies. Odin's ravens, Hugin and Munin (thought and memory) flew around the world each day and reported back to Odin each night, telling him what was going on in the human world. A Chinese superstition says that ravens cause bad weather as a warning that one of the gods is about to pay a visit. Some Native American tribes believe the raven is a god, who was involved in the creation of the world. In some parts of the world, they're seen as evil. In France, ravens were said to be the souls of wicked priests, and in Germany, they were damned souls. Satan himself. In Sweden, a raven calling at night was said to be the soul of a murder victim who didn't get a proper burial. A raven could even be an incarnation of Satan himself, or an exorcised spirit. In Denmark, if a raven flies overhead, it's inadvisable to look up at it, because if it has a hole in its wing, it can turn the observer into a raven. In Ireland, they were said to be omens of battle, and the war goddess would summon ravens to feast on those killed in battle. As scavengers, however, to do so would be within the range of their natural behaviour.
- In the UK, there are ravens at the Tower of London, and it's said that if ever they leave, the monarchy will fall. Charles II decided not to take any chances and decreed that six ravens must be kept there at all times. While the ravens living there may have their wings clipped to stop them flying away, they are well looked after.
- They're sociable, and have been shown to recognise other ravens up to three years after they last saw them, but act suspiciously towards strange ravens. They've even been observed showing empathy to one another. If a raven loses a fight, its friends will appear to comfort it. They're even capable of recognising humans. One experiment had a researcher eating a piece of Cheese instead of giving it to the birds - and they remembered, and would choose to go to a new researcher rather than the one who'd cheated them out of their cheese.
- They're not only sociable with other ravens but with other animals, too. They've been observed to hang out with Wolves. The wolves kill a large animal and the ravens home in on the kill and can make off with as much as 40% of it, depending on the number of wolves involved. Scientists believe that is why wolves evolved to hunt in packs. The ravens don't just steal food, however - they will lead the wolves to dead animals they can't eat themselves because their beaks aren't strong enough to break into the carcass (though no doubt they do help themselves once the wolves have torn it apart). They also act as lookouts and will alert the gorging wolves to any potential danger.
- Ravens seem to love smashing up Ants and rubbing them on their bodies. Nobody knows why they do this. The behaviour, known as "anting" isn't specific to ravens - other birds in the Corvis family do it, too. There are plenty of theories. Smashing up ants produces formic acid and what the bird is doing is boosting its immunity to formic acid so it can eat the ants with no ill effects; the formic acid has some soothing effect on their skin; or it gets them high, like a drug.
- The word for a group of ravens is an unkindness.
- Are ravens and Crows the same thing? No. How can you tell the difference? Ravens are bigger. They have longer tail feathers and larger beaks.
NEW!
A Tale of Two Sisters
During a battle with supervillains, a horrific accident leaves the Warner family with no option but to believe their youngest daughter, Jessica, is dead. It doesn't occur to them that the bad guys could, or would, save her.
Jessica wakes up with no memory of who she is or how she came to be on a space station with two bionic legs, a bionic arm and a bionic eye. She is told her family abandoned her and is sent back to Earth with a mission - to kill them. While Jessica wants to kill her family, along with the twin boys who once rejected her, she knows what the Alliance of Supervillains are asking her to do is a suicide mission. She decides to get her revenge in her own way.
As Jessica puts the first part of her revenge plan in motion, she finds herself with an agonising decision to make. Before she can decide, the Alliance come for her, determined to make her do their bidding. This time, it's the Alliance who leave her, crippled and at the mercy of the Warner family, who have no idea who the Alliance's Black Rose really is.
Jessica finds herself having to re-think her decisions in light of what she now learns about her family, the Alliance, the twins, and herself. It would appear the Alliance have left her with an unwanted and permanent reminder of her time with them. Or have they?
Jessica's older sister, Jill, knows her destiny is to be a doctor and specialise in bionics and genetic variant medicine. She is also hopelessly in love with Christopher, Crown Prince of Galorvia. Can their romance survive the lies Christopher told her when they were both at school, an unplanned pregnancy and Sophie, the wannabe princess who comes between them?
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