Doggie detectives: How canines are becoming the new conservation superstars
Some of those irksome traits you tell your pooch off for—like sniffing out table scraps for a late night snack—are actually the basis of amazing conservation projects all over the world. Over the last few decades researchers have been trying to come up with less invasive sampling techniques, but it’s no easy feat to … Continued
There’s a scientific reason why dogs are so friendly
They say dogs are a man’s best friend, and if you’re a dog person then that’s a statement you can probably get behind. How else do you describe a faithful animal that’s always happy to see you, follows you around with doggy kisses, and at the end of the day just wants to be loved? … Continued
7 tips to train your cat like a dog
There are (mostly) two types of people in this world: dog people and cat people. And while dog people will expound on the merits of being able to train their trusty pets, they may be forgetting one small thing: you can train a cat, too. Sure, felines may not as readily beg, sit, speak, or … Continued
The must-see, totally magical, photos of Siberian huskies on a frozen lake
It’s a magical scene—a couple of beautiful huskies inquisitively wander over the mirror-like surface of a frozen lake in northern Russia. The world seems so still, so completely calm in the photographs that you could almost be forgiven for thinking the dogs are walking across the very sky itself. The photographer, who goes by the online … Continued
Do you know about nature's strangest symbioses?
Out in the natural world it’s survival of the fittest. Whether that means being the fastest or strongest, the best camouflaged or most poisonous, or perhaps simply the most intelligent—nature has thought of it all. Amongst the most ingenious strategies are symbioses. These are species that have adapted, through chance, to rely on and benefit … Continued
7 near-psychic animals that might just be able to predict disasters before they happen
Whilst precognition, the ability to see future events through extrasensory means, has not been proven in the animal kingdom (or anywhere in the known universe for that matter), anecdotal evidence still suggests that some creatures might react to disasters before they actually take place. Here are 7 powerful predictor species, who seem to be skilled … Continued
Virtual brutality—The cruel online world of animal atrocities
From live-animal smugglers to rare body-part merchants, puppy farmers to underground hunters—there’s a wild worldwide web of nastiness going on behind your computer screen, but thanks to a new app, you can help do something about it. The modern magic of social media gives us connectivity to entire communities at the swipe of a screen … Continued
And the world's greatest pack hunters are...
If you thought the world’s greatest ‘pack’ hunters are wolves, technically you’re probably right. But there’s quite a few species that cooperatively hunt like wolves whose social units aren’t called packs, rather basks, drafts, pods, prides, casts, clans, colonies, congregations and troops. While the vast majority of meat-eaters hunt alone, there are a small percentage … Continued
Canada’s ‘puppy-mill’ province pledges to clean up its act, just in time for International Animal Rights Day
Quebec has lagged behind most other Canadian provinces in regard to their animal rights laws for decades, but last Friday they become one of the most progressive of their peers, passing Bill 54 which recognises pets as sentient beings. There’s a lot to celebrate this annual International Animal Rights Day. Years after trendsetters like Germany … Continued
Dingoes and Aboriginal Australians have likely been tight from the start
For over thirty years now researchers have been trying to explain changes in the Australian archaeological records from around 5,000-years-ago, when people suddenly began using new tools, eating harder to process foods, and hunting a wider array of animals. While many would like to think these developments were the result of increasing human ingenuity, people like Jane … Continued
Three bears chased from property by tiny French Bulldog
A plucky guard dog has shown that enough courage can make even opponents five-times your size cower in their fur, after it chased away three bears from its California home. When the bears—believed to each be about a year old and weighing more than 100lbs—wandered into Jules’ front yard (and one onto the balcony, out of … Continued