Snakes are not for everyone, but those who love them enough to keep them as pets tend to know a lot about them. Most snake owners do thorough research on the type of snake they want before purchasing. So imagine one snake lover’s surprise when her Texas rat snake had a bizarre reaction to a YouTuber.

Taylor Dean recently turned to social media for help figuring out what was happening with her snake. She noticed something peculiar while watching YouTuber Markiplier (real name Mark Fischbach): Tofu, her Texas rat snake, would become visibly annoyed at the sight of his face on her computer screen.

Dean has been conducting mini experiments to determine whether her snake reacts to all YouTubers who use a corner reaction camera, or just Markiplier. Time and again, Tofu reacted aggressively only to him. Given her knowledge of snake eyesight and facial recognition, Dean grew more confused.

“The reason this was so intriguing is because snakes don’t typically have the ability to discern and recognize different faces, so I’ll forever be confused over how a hatred can be so strong that it can transcend everything I’ve ever learned about snakes,” she wrote in the caption of her Instagram Reel.

According to Animal Club, snakes don’t recognize people by sight. Instead, they rely on scent and movement. The organization also notes that rat snakes are generally easygoing—like Tofu, when he’s not forced to see Markiplier’s face.

This isn’t a passing dislike. Tofu is openly hostile toward Markiplier any time he appears, no matter where his face shows up. Luckily for the YouTuber, his real face has never been anywhere near Tofu. When the rat snake spots him, its attention shifts, its noodle-like body stiffens, and it strikes the screen.

According to Dean, rat snakes have normal eyesight, but because they aren’t known to distinguish faces, she isn’t sure what Tofu is picking up on.

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In her experiment, she watched multiple other YouTubers who also use a corner reaction camera. Tofu showed no interest, slithering along and minding his own business. That is, until she switched back to Markiplier.

Tofu clearly hates the guy, and his specific reaction may actually warrant further study. While it may seem like this Texas rat snake can distinguish between faces, science suggests they aren’t supposed to be able to do that.

To confirm that Tofu was indeed reacting to Markiplier’s face, and not something in the background, Dean took the experiment IRL. She printed color photos of the YouTuber and attached them to a crafting stick. Tofu was neither fooled nor amused.

Every time his owner brought the photo close, he recoiled, nearly folding himself into a knot to get away. It seemed that if she hadn’t been holding the stick, he would have struck, just as he did at the laptop screen.

Dean assured viewers that the snake is not experiencing stress, but instead shows a “passionate hatred” toward Markiplier. In the video, she said she had seen enough to conclude that Tofu recognizes and hates the YouTuber. Tofu will be safe from any further exposure to Markiplier content.

People in the comments found Tofu’s hatred of Markiplier amusing, while others offered theories about his reaction.

“What’s most hilarious to me is this is unironically possibly rewriting what is known about snakes,” a commenter wrote.

One commenter joked that the snake might be a bit prejudiced, writing, “Imma say it again, you might need to show other Asian/wasian people to rule out racism.”

Another commenter wrote, “Markiplier’s continued silence on Tofu’s damning accusations is very telling… what did you do to Tofu, Markiplier? The people deserve the TRUTH!”

One commenter noted that snake science might never be the same, writing, “I love how Tofu’s hatred is cutting-edge snake science.”

This commenter shared a theory they came across on Tumblr:

“Saw a theory on tumblr that, long story short, Tofu has seen you respond to jumpscares in his videos and thinks Mark, Personally, is a threat to you. Like crows recognizing the faces of people that have wronged their flock. Tofu doesn’t understand that humans like to be a little scared for fun and he’s trying to protect you.”

A single door can open up a world of endless possibilities. For homeowners, the front door of their house is a  gateway to financial stability, job security, and better health. Yet for many, that door remains closed. Due to the rising costs of housing, 1 in 3 people around the world wake up without the security of safe, affordable housing. 

Since 1976, Habitat for Humanity has made it their mission to unlock and open the door to opportunity for families everywhere, and their efforts have paid off in a big way. Through their work over the past 50 years, more than 65 million people have gained access to new or improved housing, and the movement continues to gain momentum. Since 2011 alone, Habitat for Humanity has expanded access to affordable housing by a hundredfold. 

A world where everyone has access to a decent home is becoming a reality, but there’s still much to do. As they celebrate 50 years of building, Habitat for Humanity is inviting people of all backgrounds and talents to be part of what comes next through Let’s Open the Door, a global campaign that builds on this momentum and encourages people everywhere to help expand access to safe, affordable housing for those who need it most. Here’s how the foundation to a better world starts with housing, and how everyone can pitch in to make it happen. 

Globally, almost 3 billion people, including 1 in 6 U.S. families, struggle with high costs and other challenges related to housing. A crisis in itself, this also creates larger problems that affect families and communities in unexpected ways. People who lack affordable, stable housing are also more likely to experience financial hardship in other areas of their lives, since a larger share of their income often goes toward rent, utilities, and frequent moves. They are also more likely to experience health problems due to chronic stress or environmental factors, such as mold. Housing insecurity also goes hand-in-hand with unstable employment, since people may need to move further from their jobs or switch jobs altogether to offset the cost of housing. 

Affordable homeownership creates a stable foundation for families to thrive, reducing stress and increasing the likelihood for good health and stable employment. Habitat for Humanity builds and repairs homes with individual families, but it also strengthens entire communities as well. The MicroBuild® Initiative, for example, strengthens communities by increasing access to  loans for low-income families seeking to build or repair their homes. Habitat ReStore locations provide affordable appliances and building materials to local communities, in addition to creating job and volunteer opportunities that support neighborhood growth. 

Everyone can play a part in the fight for housing equity and the pursuit of a better world. Over the past 50 years, Habitat for Humanity has become a leader in global housing thanks to an engaged network of volunteers—but you don’t need to be skilled with a hammer to make a meaningful impact. Building an equitable future means calling on a wide range of people and talents.Here’s how you can get involved in the global housing movement:

Speaking up on social media about the growing housing crisis 

Volunteering on a Habitat for Humanity build in your local community

Travel and build with Habitat in the U.S. or  in one of 60   countries where we work around the globe

Join the Let’s Open the Door movement and, when you donate, you can create your own personalized door 

Shop or donate at your local Habitat ReStore

Every action, big and small, drives a global movement toward a better future. A safe home unlocks opportunity for families and communities alike, but it’s volunteers and other supporters, working together with a shared vision, who can open the door for everyone. 

Visit habitat.org/open-door to learn more and get involved today. 

Training a family pet can be hard, especially when you have an active breed that needs a certain level of stimulation. Some dogs are good to go after a few training sessions with a local trainer at a pet supply store, while others may require more personalized training in home. There are even some pet parents who opt to send their dogs to a sleep away training program that requires the dogs to live at a training facility for several months before coming home.

Many times these programs are expensive and used as a last resort option, when the other training programs aren’t providing the dogs with the skills they need to live safely with their family. This decision to send your fur baby off to a facility for months at a time is not an easy one to make, but with your pets’ best interest in mind, you put your faith in someone who specializes in the care your pup needs, and keep your fingers crossed that it pans out.

In 2024, one family thought they were doing what was best for their Huskies by sending them to a training facility. It’s unclear what prompted the family’s concern after dropping their four dogs off with their trainer, but after months of looking for their dogs with no luck, they contacted Anakin’s Trails Stray and Pet Recovery Team.

The dogs, which were from Ohio, where their owner Andrea lives, were entrusted to an unnamed animal training facility in Greenville County, South Carolina. It was suspected that the training facility dumped the dogs in the woods without contacting the family to retrieve their beloved pets. Thankfully, Anakin’s Trails Stray and Pet Recovery Team uses drones and other techniques to help locate lost dogs and give them an idea of where to place their traps, and they were eventually able to help recover the lost pups.

The first of the Huskies, Oakley, was found and reunited with Andrea after spending a whopping five months surviving in the wilderness. In a clip posted to TikTok, we see that poor Oakley was clearly unsure of the situation when she first spotted her human. It almost appeared that she was afraid of being in trouble. Anakin’s Trails referred to this as “lost dog syndrome.”

But after a few seconds of uncertainty, the pooch fully recognized her human mom and could not contain her excitement. Understandably—neither could Andrea.

@anakinstrails One of four pet Siberian Huskys that were dumped by a training facility in the southern part of Greenville county farmland , was found by the Anakin’s Trails Stray and Pet Recovery team and reunited with her owner after FIVE months of surviving in the wild on the run ! #anakinstrails#animalrescue#fromthestreettothesofa#fyp#sc#trustthetrap#lostdog#animaltrapping#laurenssc ♬ original sound – anakinstrails

One of four pet Siberian Huskys that were dumped by a training facility in the southern part of Greenville county farmland , was found by the Anakin’s Trails Stray and Pet Recovery team and reunited with her owner after FIVE months of surviving in the wild on the run ! #anakinstrails#animalrescue#fromthestreettothesofa#fyp#sc#trustthetrap#lostdog#animaltrapping#laurenssc

To make things even better, just a few days after Oakley was reunited with her family, her sister Marley was also found.

Ashley Raymond, Founder and Director of Anakin’s Trails told Upworthy, “We got involved after the owners found out about them being dumped about a month and a half later [after entering the training facility]. For about a month, we hung flyers, set food stations with high quality bait with surveillance cameras, and strategically placed them where we got sightings. Before........

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