The ancestry of the domestic donkey is no longer a “wild ass” guess

Analyses  of African wild ass MtDNA have confirmed the identity of one of the ancestors of the domestic donkey. It turns out that the very rare and possibly extinct Nubian wild ass is the ancestor of one the two genetically distinct groups of domestic donkey. The ancestor of the other genetically distinct group is unknown, [...]

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The Mara Crèche

I wrote about this in my mara post. Source. Maras will raise their babies communally. However, females will allow only their offspring to nurse. So you do get tense situations when the guard changes at the crèche. *** This story reminds me of a documentary on sheep I saw a few years ago. This Scottish [...]

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Dik-Dik, Impala, and Gerenuk

Source This clip shows how three species of antelope utilize acacia trees. The dik-dik gets to eat only the leaves at the lowest level. The impala gets the leaves that are at the middle levels on the tree. And the bizarre gerenuk can eat the leaves from the higher branches. In this way, three species [...]

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Identify this strange fowl

The answer.

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I’m tweetin’

Yes, I know I have an old twitter account, but I am starting a new one for this blog. Please use this one. The “twi” just means twitter. It wouldn’t let me have more letters. I’m unsure of how twitter is supposed to improve the blogging experience. But it’s worth a try.

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Swimming flat-coated retriever puppy

Source. This is a relatively young puppy. It’s unusual to see such a young puppy swim without flailing its front legs in the water.

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Elusive and Rare Bornean Carnivores Captured on Film

Check them out. The big news is that an otter civet has been filmed. I had only read about this creature. I have never seen a photo or anything other than a crude sketch of one. To see one on film is quite remarkable. The Sunda stink badger is actually not a badger. It is [...]

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A great clip from Frasier

Source. The ethology is a bit off, but this is a great clip from the only sitcom whose reruns I can still watch. When it was part NBC’s Thursday night line-up, it was like spinach that followed the insanity that was Seinfeld. But as time has moved on, this show is still relevant. Ten points [...]

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Skunk with its head stuck in a peanut butter jar

Source. Don’t worry. Things do work out for the skunk.

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Bulldogs, Newfoundlands, and Britishness

Dogs are artifacts. They are the products of the cultural, economic, and sociopolitical systems in which they were bred. The dog is very much the product of the people with whom he lives. If a dog population evolves in a devout Muslim country, where dogs are viewed as unclean and unworthy of human respect, then [...]

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