Author Archive
World's Biggest Beaver Dam Found!
A Canadian ecologist has found the world’s largest beaver dam in a remote area of Alberta. The dam, 2,800 feet long, appears to have been built over the course of roughly 40 years and by multiple beavers. The Canuck researcher, Jean Thie, says that two other large dams in the same area are encroaching in on the third dam and may one day form a giant MEGA DAM that could extend one kilometer! The freakin’ big dam was visible in satellite photographs from as early as the 1990s (but was only discovered in 2007).
It’s the Great Beaver Wall of Canada! And no offense to our Canadian readers, but is anything else in Canada spottable by satellite? Or do only beavers build big things in the far north?
BTW, I realize that this post is totally not pet-related, but come on, it’s the world’s largest beaver dam!
(Image: jordon)
Your Pup is Middle Eastern, Not Asian!
In a March 17 New York Times article, scientists have used DNA sequencing techniques to trace the evolution of the dog to wolves that were first domesticated in the Middle East. The research overturns previous findings that indicated the dog originated in East Asia. This would set the dog's introduction into human servitude, I mean,
loving companionship, about the same time people were first
domesticating other animals, learning to plant seeds, and inventing
agriculture some 10,000 years ago.
Pitfalls on the Way to Insuring your Pet
Recently, I talked to my wife about getting pet insurance for our puppy, Henry. It seemed like a responsible and smart thing to do, especially after a friend just had told me a horror story about spending thousands of dollars in vet bills. In my research, I came across the ASPCA’s pet health insurance website. I was interested, because it seemed reasonably priced and I trusted the name. Thankfully, I did some extra research.
Walk a Dog, Give Up Your Walker!
Image: Stuart Luman
Interesting New York Times blog post this week titled "The Best Walking Partner: Man vs. Dog," which publicized a study by the University of Missouri (specifically, the Research Center for Human Animal Interaction at the University of Missouri’s College of Veterinary Medicine) comparing the improvement in fitness for those who walk with a human partner vs. a dog (hence the headline). Turns out that dog walking beats human-partner walking hands down! Yes! I knew walking Henry (that's my pup, more to come on him) this winter in sub-freezing Chicago was worth it!
