Tag Archives: mammals
museum tourist: california academy of sciences
I’d been to the Cal Academy in San Francisco once or twice before, but it was about a decade ago, and I didn’t remember much other than a bunch of fish. So I went into this expecting your basic natural … Continue reading
apropos of nothing
The Macy’s near Union Square in San Francisco has kittens in its display windows at Christmas time. It’s an ASPCA fundraiser or something. Whatever. KITTENS. I prefer kittens on the other side of glass, where they can’t make me sneeze.
chimp poop
Male chimps compete to set up dominance hierarchies. The males on top – the alphas and other high-ranking males – get the most access to females. Wednesday for ScienceNOW I wrote about a study on what this means for their … Continue reading
ivory comes from somewhere
My post about visiting the natural history museum at Yale inspired a friend of mine from college to blog about ivory, and how you can forget it’s made by animals.
the ecosystems in our guts
Yesterday for ScienceNOW I wrote about a study of primate poop. (Heh.) Ok, the fact that it’s about poop is amusing, but it’s also interesting science. The researchers were interested in the makeup of the microbial community in primates; they … Continue reading
are you my mother?
So, it turns out, “Thoroughbred” isn’t just something you say about horses that have a known lineage; it’s a particular breed. There are tons of horse breeds, like Clydesdale and Barb and Arabian and Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse. Thoroughbreds are … Continue reading
dogs with separation anxiety
Some dogs have a really rough time when their owners leave home. They whine, they howl, they cry, they pee on the floor, they chew up the furniture. Last week I wrote for ScienceNOW about a study of what’s going … Continue reading
how meerkats work
Meerkats are adorable little mongooses that live in the Kalahari Desert in tight social groups. Each group is dominated by a female who does most of the reproducing. Others help raise her pups, even lactating so they can nurse them. … Continue reading
men with sexy dance moves
Lots of male animals perform dances as part of their mating display. They’re trying to impress females, the theory goes, by showing how strong/agile/graceful/whatever they are, with the idea being that these are qualities the females would like to pass … Continue reading
sled dogs are sled dogs
A new genetic study finds that Alaskan sled dogs, the mutts that pull sleds, are actually their own breed. Despite coming in all sizes, coat lengths, and ear shapes. The people who breed Alaskan sled dogs feel free to mix … Continue reading