Ancient Human-Chimp Link Pushed Back Millions of Years

Humanity's genetic split from an ape-like ancestor came about 13 million years ago, far earlier than the long-supposed era of a common ancestor of early humans and apes, suggests a first study of chimp gene mutations.

Along with shining a new genetic light on human origins, the findings published on Thursday in the journal Science point to the role that evolution plays in fostering mutations, some linked to inherited diseases, in our genes.

On the surface, this and other recent studies contradict the general consensus suggested by the fossil record: that the last common ancestor of the two species, a flat-footed ape, lived some seven million years ago.

But both observations could still be true, said paleoanthropologist John Hawks of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who was not involved in the new study. The ape-like common ancestor species might have endured until 7 to 10 million years ago, long after the genetic split between chimps and humans, he said.

That would largely explain the difference seen between gene-based and fossil-based estimates of the date the species diverged.

"We also don't know if mutation rates varied widely in the ancient past; maybe they were different than now," says study senior author Gil McVean of the United Kingdom's Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics in Oxford.

That could also change estimates of the age of an ancestral genetic split between men and chimps. "That's something only looking at more primates might help tell us," McVean says.

Chimp Mutation Rates

According to the analysis released Thursday, the promiscuity of chimps seems to drive a higher genetic mutation rate in chimp males. Gene mutations in chimp offspring also greatly increases with the age of the ape father. (See video: "Baby Chimp.")

"You really don't want an older chimp as a father," says McVean. "The vast majority of mutations are, at best, neutral," he says, though some can be "very harmful."

Chimps and people share about 99 percent of their DNA, making them our closest living genetic relatives. The rate at which human genes are altered, or mutate, has come under wide study in the past five years. Some studies have raised concerns about older fathers passing disease risks on to their children. But in chimps, the generational mutation rate was uncertain, until now.

"It's one of the fundamental questions," McVean says. Such alterations in genes play a role in inherited diseases and allow for glimpses into our evolutionary history, he says, when compared to other mammals.

In the study, the researchers looked for mutations in the genes of nine chimps: two fathers, two mothers, and five of their offspring.

While overall the chimp genetic mutation rates are the same as human ones, the analysis showed that male chimps contribute three to four more genetic mutations to their offspring than do female chimps, who typically contribute in the range of about 40 mutations per pregnancy. The authors suggest that the much higher rate of cell division in chimp testes (compared to humans) produces more mutations in chimp sperm, and hence passes more mutations on to their offspring.

As the chimp males get older, more cell divisions happen, producing ever more mutations in their sperm. According to the study, chimp fathers contribute two additional genetic mutations for every post-puberty year.

"What they have done is provide us the first direct measure of the mutation rate in another primate," says population geneticist Philip Awadalla of the University of Montreal. "This isn't just a clock for evolutionary time, but something that offers us real insight into evolution."

Sperm Competition

One insight from the study is that the reproductive pattern of chimp males, which frequently mate with multiple females, itself seems to lead to a higher mutation rate in their sperm.

Here's how it happens: Cells increase their numbers by dividing. When cells divide, they provide copies of their genes to their new daughter cells. But each cell division offers an opportunity for a mistake to happen in the gene copying process—a gene mutation.

In the multiple mating milieu of life as a chimp male, a lot of new sperm cells are made and a lot of opportunities crop up for mutations, says geneticist Kári Stefánsson of deCODE Genetics in Reykjavik, Iceland, who led a 2012 study in humans that similarly found higher mutation rates (though not as high as in chimps) in the offspring of older fathers.

"What they are finding here [in the study] seems completely plausible and in line with what you might expect," Stefánsson said. He thought the small sample size, with only two chimp fathers, was a limitation, but "the methods and conclusions seem reasonable," he said.

What's the Difference Between Rabbits and Hares?

Hares and rabbits look similar, and some may hop to the conclusion that they're the same animal.
Not so fast. Our Weird Animal Question of the Week comes from Tristan Ishtar, who asked: "What's the difference between a rabbit and a hare? And is that where 'hare brained' came from?"

The short answer: A lot, and yes—the adjective "harebrained" likely refers to hares' skittish tendencies, especially in captivity.

Hares and rabbits are in the same family, Leporidae, but they're "different species, like sheep and goats are different species," Steven Lukefahr, a geneticist at Texas A&M University in Kingsville, said via email.


Opposites From Birth

Hares are also larger, have longer ears, and are less social than rabbits. The "most profound difference" is seen in baby hares versus baby bunnies, said Philip Stott, a wildlife ecologist at the University of Adelaide in Australia.
First off, a hare's pregnancy lasts 42 days, compared with rabbits' 30-31 days with a bun(ny) in the oven.

Newborn hares, called leverets, are fully developed at birth—furred with open eyes—while newborn rabbits, called kittens or kits, are born undeveloped, with closed eyes, no fur, and an inability to regulate their own temperature, Stott said.

Their nests are also worlds apart—"hares live completely aboveground, lacking the normal burrow or warren system of rabbits," said Michael Sheriff, an ecologist at Penn State in University Park, Pennsylvania.
That's why, as a hare that burrows, "Bugs Bunny is a fraud," Stott joked.

There is an exception to the burrowing-bunny rule—the cottontail, a type of American rabbit that does not burrow.



Are We Fair to the Hare?

As for "harebrained," which means flighty or foolish, Stott suspects it stems from the animals' unease in captivity, where they're prone to spooking at the slightest stimulus (sometimes accidentally causing their own deaths).

Stott, who has tried hand-raising hares, said even those that are bottle-fed from day one never really relax in his company.

The expression "mad as a March hare" is no doubt a reflection on hares' behavior during mating season, which involves leaping into the air, among other antics, Texas A&M's Lukefahr said.

The female hare, called a jill, tests the male, called a jack, by making him give chase over several miles, Stott says. If he catches her, she'll mate with him; if not, "he was poor paternal material anyway," Stott says. (Also see "Wild Romance: Weird Animal Courtship and Mating Rituals.")

But if a female isn't ready to mate with a male who is chasing her, she might stand up and throw a punch right at him—or several.

Life in the Fast Lane

Such a zany courtship is not just about fun—it's also about staying fit, Stott said.

Speed is crucial to hares' survival, especially for species that live on open plains, such as the European hare, which can run at 37 body lengths a second, he said. Cheetahs, he noted, "can only manage 23 body lengths per second."

Those speedy reflexes may be great for avoiding predators, but it makes hares a "poor pet," he said. That's another way they differ from rabbits, which the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals describes as "delightful companion animals."

Despite its name, a jackrabbit wouldn't make a good pet, either. It's called that because of its fabulous ears, which reminded its namers of a jackass, but it's not even a rabbit. It's a hare.

Your mind has to be as quick as a bunny to keep these animals straight.

So About That Hairy Guy on the Bus … True-Life Animal Commuters

When one commuter boarded Seattle's D line bus, a fellow rider was astonished at her insistence in finding a window seat.
But Eclipse really needed that window seat. She's a two-year-old black lab-mastiff mix, and she knows to watch for her stop, the dog park, where she meets her owner Jeff Young.

The first time Eclipse took the bus by herself, Young had not yet finished his cigarette when the bus arrived. Rather than wait for her human to finish what he was doing, Eclipse jumped on the bus alone and took a window seat. When the bus stopped at the dog park, she knew to get off.

Young, only a few minutes behind on another bus, met up with Eclipse at the park. Since then, Eclipse has been known to hop on the bus by herself and wait for Young to catch up. Though Young was surprised the first time this happened, it has become part of their routine now. "Probably once a week I get a phone call," Young told KomoNews.com. "'Hi. I have your dog Eclipse here on Third and Bell.' I have to tell them, 'No, she's fine. She knows what she's doing.'"
Eclipse is not the first animal to prefer the comfort of modern public transportation. From birds on a train to goats on a bus—adaptable animals are learning how to get around our expanding cities.

Some are domestic—like cats—but coyotes, monkeys, and other wild species have also found their way onto public transportation.

Pigeon

Birds on a train? Believe it. Pigeons have been known to take the A Line on the New York City subway. According to a 2002 New York Times article, when trains lay over at Far Rockaway Station at the end of the line, pigeons walk onto the trains in search of crumbs.

"But being pigeons, they do not listen for the announcement that the train is leaving, and the doors close on them. They ride generally for one stop, exiting as soon as the doors open again," the Times reported.

But they're not total bird brains: The article reported that a train conductor would see them promptly fly back to the Far Rockaway terminal for more free food.
Domestic Goat

Talk about getting your goat—an owner in Multnomah County, Oregon, was asked to retrieve her pet goat after it escaped and hitched a ride on a Portland school bus in 2008.

The goat was "taken into custody by transit police for lack of proper fare," Portland news station WCSH reported, citing a Multnomah County Animal Control official.

Also in 2008, in Mahoning County, Ohio, news station WFMJ reported on a pet goat that would follow its owner onto a school bus—giving new meaning to the term "new kid on the block."

Coyote

Wily as ever, the coyote has taken to city life, increasingly popping up in urban areas from Chicago to New York.

The predators are versatile—eating everything from shoe leather to fruit—and adaptable, shifting their normally daytime schedules to night to adapt to city life, experts say. (See city pictures.)

In 2002, a coyote hopped on the light rail at the airport in Portland, Oregon, and got comfortable on a seat—but wildlife specialists removed and released it before the train took off.

Even so, the sneaky interloper is forever immortalized in a song: Sleater-Kinney's "Light-Rail Coyote."
Domestic Cat

Famous for their curiosity, cats seem to be the most frequent commuters—especially in England. (Also see "Curious Cat Walks Over Medieval Manuscript.")

Take Macavity, the kitty who would get on a busy bus at the same stop in Walsall every morning, and then jump off at the next stop not far down the road—which just happens to be near a fish-and-chip shop, the Daily Mail reported in 2007.

"I suppose he is the perfect passenger really—he sits quietly, minds his own business, and then gets off," passenger Paul Brennan told the paper.

Then there's Casper the commuter cat, which BBC News reported in 2009 was a regular on a bus near its home in St. Budeaux, England. Sadly, Casper died in 2010 after being hit by a car while crossing the road to board the bus, according to the Daily Mail.

A commuting feline named Dodger liked to sit in laps as he rode the bus around Dorset, England, the Daily Mail reported in 2011. His owner suspects the cat was attracted to the warmth of the bus and recently vacated seats.

Rhesus Monkey

Delhi has a monkey on its back—well, make that several thousand. The Indian city's rhesus monkey population is exploding, bolstered by people who feed the critters, which are considered living representatives of the Hindu god Hanuman, according to a 2012 article in the New York Times.

The emboldened animals have also overrun parts of the city. According to the Times, the animals "treat the Indian Parliament building as a playground, have invaded the prime minister's office and Defense Ministry, sometimes ride buses and subway trains, and chase diplomats from their well-tended gardens."

This monkey videotaped on the Delhi metro looks like a regular commuter, responsibly holding on to the banister and settling into a seat.

Captive Killer Whale Is Ruled to Be Member of Endangered Species

The federal government listed a captive orca at a Miami aquarium as an endangered species on Wednesday, though the new designation doesn't mean the killer whale will be released anytime soon.

Animal activists have fought for years to free the orca, known as Lolita, from the Miami Seaquarium.

In response to a petition filed in 2013 by a consortium of animal rights groups, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries ruled Wednesday that "captive animals such as Lolita cannot be assigned separate legal status from their wild counterparts." Lolita came from a specific population of orcas that has been listed as endangered since 2005.

The ruling does not affect other captive orcas in the U.S., says Michael Milstein, a public affairs officer with NOAA Fisheries. Lolita is a special case because she is the only known captive orca in the U.S. from the only population of the species that is considered endangered according to the federal Endangered Species Act.

Wednesday's ruling does not have an immediate effect on Lolita, Milstein said, because "the Endangered Species Act does not prohibit keeping of captive animals." In fact, he said that releasing an orca that has been captive so long could put her and wild animals at risk from disease or aggression.

"Our primary concern is with the safety of wild whales," he said, "in addition to the safety of the captive whale itself."

A spokesperson for the Miami Seaquarium said it was not planning to make any changes.

"Just because she was listed as part of the Endangered Species Act does not mean that she is going anywhere," Seaquarium general manager Andrew Hertz said in a statement. "Lolita is healthy and thriving in her home where she shares her habitat with Pacific white-sided dolphins."
Unique Whale

Lolita was caught in Puget Sound and has been on display at the Miami Seaquarium since 1970. NOAA verified through genetic testing and physical characteristics that the whale originated from the population known as the Southern Resident Killer Whales, which spend much of the year in the inland waters of Washington and British Columbia. That population was classified as endangered in 2005 and is thought to include only about 80 whales.

NOAA Fisheries ruled on Lolita's status after receiving 17,000 comments from the public, most of which supported her inclusion in the endangered species designation, Milstein said.

This isn't the first time a government agency has included captive animals in endangered species designations. The government previously listed sturgeon; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently considering the status of captive chimpanzees.
Legal Battle to Come?

Animal rights activists hope the new designation moves Lolita a step closer to release.

"Now that Lolita has been given additional protection from 'harm and harassment' (how else can being confined to the smallest orca tank in North America, denied an orca companion or shelter from the sun, and forced to perform stupid tricks be described?), we'll work to ensure that these protections are enforced and continue to push for her retirement and release," the nonprofit group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said in a blog post on Wednesday.

A government official familiar with the issue said that PETA may try to use the Endangered Species Act as leverage to sue for the release of Lolita, under the legal precedent that endangered animals cannot be "taken" or "harassed."

Under that reasoning the ruling could be used as leverage to sue for Lolita's release.

"There is now significant precedent behind the idea that captive animals need to be protected just as wild members [of the species] are, and we are going to use everything in our power to make sure that Lolita is protected by the harm and harassment provisions of the Endangered Species Act," said Jared Goodman, PETA's director of animal law.

But the Seaquarium argues that it's in Lolita's best interest to stay there.

"There is no scientific evidence that the 49-year-old post-reproductive Lolita could survive in a sea pen or the open waters of the Pacific Northwest," the Seaquarium's Hertz said in his statement. "And we are not willing to treat her life as an experiment."

Why Do Dogs Watch—and React to—TV?

Dogs watch a Bakers dog food TV advertisement, created especially for canines, in the U.K. in 2012. The one-minute ad contains high-frequency noises that can be heard only by man's best friend.

Our first Weird Animal Question of the Week of 2015 comes to us from our very own photo editor Mallory Benedict, who's curious about why her sister's poodle pays such rapt attention to the television.
"He totally loses it when there's any kind of animal on TV. How does he recognize animals on TV, and why does he have such a strong reaction?" Benedict asked.

Domestic dogs can perceive images on television similarly to the way we do, and they are intelligent enough to recognize onscreen images of animals as they would in real life—even animals they've never seen before—and to recognize TV dog sounds, like barking.

A 2013 study published in the journal Animal Cognition showed that dogs could identify images of other dogs among pictures of humans and other animals, using their visual sense alone. (Also see "OCD Dogs, People Have Similar Brains; Is Your Dog OCD?")

However, there are some differences between ourselves and man's best friend—for one, dogs' eyes register images more quickly than do ours. So older television sets, which show fewer frames per second than modern televisions, would appear to a dog to be flickering like a "1920s movie," said Nicholas Dodman, a veterinary behaviorist at Tufts University, in Massachusetts.

Dogs also have dichromatic vision, which means they see a range of two primary colors, yellow and blue. Human vision is trichromatic, so we see the full range of colors, according to Binghamton University's Ask a Scientist web page.

DogTV, an HDTV cable channel designed for dogs, interests canines because HDTV has a much higher number of frames per second and is specially colored to accommodate dogs' dichromatic vision, said Dodman, who is the channel's chief scientist.
DogTV has modes for relaxation, which shows images like dogs chilling out in a grassy field; stimulation, which depicts scenes like dogs surfing in southern California; and exposure which shows things like a dog reacting to a ringing doorbell and obeying commands to acclimate them to such situations at home.

Doggie Style

Beyond biology, how dogs react to TV—whether it's running around, barking excitedly, or just ignoring it—may come down to personality or breed.

"Different dogs, like people, have different personalities," Dodman said. "Some are territorial, some are not; some like people, some hate people; some are predatory, some aren't; some are pushy, some are shy.

"It takes all types of dogs to make the world go round," he added.

Hearing a barking dog on the set often gets TV-watching dogs excited. (Check out this YouTube video of a German shepherd that barks only when another dog appears on the TV, totally ignoring those boring humans.)

Some dogs not only bark at animals on the screen, but also run behind the TV looking for them.

Others "have been desensitized to television. When they see a dog [on TV], they [may] think, 'Those guys just hang out on the television. They never actually walk around,'" Dodman said.
What breed a dog is may influence its reactions to TV. Hounds, which are driven by smell, aren't as interested in visuals, but herding breeds, such as terriers, may be more stimulated by moving objects they see on the small screen.

Watch Dog

Many of us leave a radio or TV on when we leave the house to keep our dog company, hoping that the sound is more comforting to our pets than silence, Dodman said.

Channels that feature animals might be preferable to news programs, but, like many humans, dogs often just half-watch TV anyway.

"They orient to things they're interested in, look at it for a couple of minutes and go 'hmm, interesting,' and then look away," said Dodman. Even so, "that's better than spinning your wheels all day while your owners are away."

What Makes a Great Sled Dog? Breed, Ambition, Tough Feet

Like many top athletes, Sultana trains hard and has no time for the shenanigans of younger teammates. But you won’t find her in a stadium. Sultana is a sled dog born and bred to work in the punishing winters of Alaska’s Denali National Park and Preserve, and she’s gearing up for another season on the trail.
Right now, sled dogs around the world are busy preparing for the upcoming racing season or for jobs hauling equipment or tourists. Premier events like the Iditarod, the Yukon Quest, or the International Pedigree Stage Stop kick off over the next couple of months, drawing as many as 1,300 dogs and thousands of people to frozen places from Alpine, Wyoming, to Nome, Alaska.

Like Sultana—a trailbreaker who moves supplies for researchers and park staff—the animals competing in these races are a cut above your normal dog.

Contrary to popular belief, Siberian huskies or Alaskan malamutes are not the most popular sled dog breed. That spot belongs to the Alaskan husky, an unofficial breed with a hodge-podge heritage that’s custom-made for the rigors of racing and hauling.

Don’t let their scrappy looks fool you. Generations of breeding have produced animals that love to run, are capable of pulling hundreds of pounds through the snow, and that work together like a well-oiled machine.



The Crucial Ingredients

To breeders, sled dogs’ looks don’t matter as much as performance does. No matter the breed or whether they’re racers or freight-haulers, all these dogs have an insatiable need to go. Howard Thompson, a former racer who now breeds sled dogs near Mondovi, Wisconsin, calls it wanderlust. It’s the idea that “somewhere else is better,” he explains.

A healthy appetite is essential, Thompson adds. Long-distance sled dogs—those competing in events over 300 miles (483 kilometers) long—or freight-haulers like Sultana are out for days or weeks at a time. They can’t be finicky about their meals or prone to digestive issues, he says.

Sled dogs also need tough feet, says Charlotte Mooney, a racer and breeder in West Yellowstone, Montana. Racers can use booties to protect a dog’s paws, but the footwear slows the animals down, she says. Not ideal for sprint races—events less than 30 miles (48 kilometers) long—where dogs run full blast for the duration.



Leaders, Swing Dogs, and Wheel Dogs

Teamwork is also key. Attach a pack of “normal” dogs to a sled, and they’re not likely to go far before chaos ensues.

Lead dogs—the ones out in front—help maintain order. They execute a musher’s commands, set the team’s pace, and ensure everyone’s going in the right direction.

A good lead dog can also think for itself, says Jennifer Raffaeli, manager of Denali’s kennels. They must have the confidence to disobey if a musher’s commands will send them over bad ice or off a cliff. And it helps if they can keep the others in line. Sultana is part of the Denali kennel, and she’s one of Raffaeli’s best leaders.

She’s tough enough to keep the young males focused on work, Raffaeli says, and smart enough to take advantage of inexperienced drivers, or mushers.

When the blue-eyed, eight-year-old Alaskan husky wants a break, she’s been known to stop on a trail, turn around, and come back to the driver while dragging the rest of the team behind her. When Sultana is with an experienced driver, though, she’ll do whatever is asked of her, the kennel manager says.

Backing up lead dogs like Sultana are the swing dogs—positioned right behind the leaders. They help to turn the team left or right. Wheel dogs may be last in line, but they help to steer the sled. The good ones know to go wide on turns to guide the sled around trees and other obstacles, says Thompson.

The dogs in between the swing and wheel positions are called team dogs; they provide the muscle. Their job is to keep pulling until it’s time to stop.



“A Strong Dash of Greyhound”

That willingness to work is a hallmark of sled dogs. But Raffaeli, who breeds all the dogs the park uses, also looks for a sociable personality. The animals interact with visiting tourists during the summer months, so aggressive dogs just won’t do. (Watch how the park raises its puppies.)

A tendency toward aggression is likely one reason why Alaskan malamutes—historically used as sled dogs—have fallen out of favor with many racers, says Thompson, who used to use them. “They have a bad reputation in the sled dog community.”

They’re also slow. “If you want to come in last, race malamutes,” he says.

Siberian huskies, another iconic sledding breed, have also been overtaken. The Alaskan husky, which owes a good portion of its heritage to Siberian huskies and malamutes, are now the “premier” sled dog breed, Thompson explains.

The American Kennel Club doesn’t officially recognize the group, but Alaskan huskies are genetically distinct from purebreds, research has shown.

Breeders looking to boost speed mixed Alaskan huskies with German or English pointers, says Thompson, and added “a strong dash of greyhound.”

The “marathon” runners—including dogs running in the Iditarod—have some border collie, hound, or pointer mixed in, says Stuart Nelson, Jr., head veterinarian for the Iditarod.

Dogs Know What That Smile on Your Face Means

Whether it's with a sympathetic tilt of the head or the excited sweep of a tail, dogs seem to be saying they can sense exactly what we're feeling.
Science is still undecided on the matter, although evidence in favor of the idea is stacking up.
Now, a new study has found that dogs are able to tell the difference between happy and angry human facial expressions.
Biologist Corsin Müller of the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria, and colleagues tested 11 dogs—including border collies, a fox terrier, a golden retriever, a German shepherd, and some mutts—using a touchscreen. The scientists trained the dogs to touch either a happy face or an angry face for a treat.
They presented dogs with either the top half or the bottom half of the faces to ensure the animals weren't just responding to a smile or the baring of teeth. Emotions show on all parts of a human face, not just the mouth, says Müller, whose study was published February 12 in the journal Current Biology.
"If you're angry, a wrinkle between the eyes shows up," he explains. The shape of the eyes can change too.
So if the dogs were truly able to spot an emotion, they should be able to do so regardless of which part of the face they looked at.

Face Time

Once Müller and colleagues trained the dogs, they ran them through choice trials, in which the animals had to pick between strange faces with either happy or angry expressions. The researchers presented the pooches with either the top, bottom, or left half of a face. The scientists chose the left half because previous studies found that dogs prefer to look at the left side of a face.

The pets trained to pick out happy expressions could do so when presented with different halves of a face, as well as when presented with faces the animals hadn't seen before. (Watch a video on working dogs.)
The dogs trained to respond to angry faces were also able to pick out angry expressions among the choices they were asked to make. However, it took them longer to learn their task than the dogs trained on happy faces.
Müller thinks the lag could be because the dogs had negative associations with angry faces. Perhaps angry faces meant a dog wouldn't receive any pats, while happy faces meant a belly rub, he suggests. (See "Dogs Get Jealous, Too.")
Man's Best Friend
Researchers don't yet know whether the dogs' ability to discriminate between the two expressions is because of past experiences or the result of the domestication process.
Whatever the reason, it's not so surprising that dogs can tell facial expressions apart, Müller says. "Because they spend so much time with humans, they have a lot of opportunities to see human expressions." (See "5 Amazing Stories of Devoted Dogs.")
Marc Bekoff, a behavioral ecologist who specializes in canines at the University of Colorado, Boulder, agrees. People and dogs have forged an incredibly close connection over thousands of years together, says Bekoff, who wasn't involved in the study. Along the way, dogs have been bred for certain traits, and "one of the traits would be the ability to read us." (Read "How to Build a Dog" in National Geographic magazine.)
The question now is whether dogs that spend a lot of time with people would be as good at picking up our expressions as dogs without a lot of people experience, Bekoff adds.
Müller plans to pursue that question, and to look at whether domestication played a role in the ability to read human expressions. For that study, the biologist plans to test species such as cats, pigs, and hand-raised wolves.

The Daily Treat: Christmas Miracle Cat Saved After Being Trapped for 2 Weeks in Storm Drain

By our calculations, Stormy the cat has exactly eight lives left.

The small gray kitten was stuck in a 15-foot-deep storm drain in Antioch, California, for two weeks before rescuers could help lure her out on Thursday with a tuna-soaked towel.

According to the Contra Costa Times, the kitty caper started when residents began hearing the cat's distress calls coming from a dungeon-like drain. Neighbors were concerned but didn't know how to help.

The feline's situation became even more dire when the area was hit by two big rainstorms, but somehow she survived by hiding in a space under a pipe where water didn't rise.


Things began to look up for Stormy on Thursday when rescuers from the Homeless Animals Response Program hatched the purr-fect plan: They soaked a towel in tuna as a way to lure her into a trap. It worked, and now the kitty is convalescing at HARP volunteer Ray Zeeb's home, where she's getting lots of food and affection.

"It was a Christmas miracle," resident Arlen Dumin told the Contra Costa Times of the rescue. "You should have seen it. It was amazing."

While HARP played an integral role in saving her, they are calling it a team effort, crediting members of the Antioch Police Department, two unidentified good Samaritans and more helpful hands. "This was not a HARP rescue – this was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen," Zeeb said. "Everybody was just so concerned – it was unbelievable."

As for Stormy, she's presumably crossed storm drains off her bucket list and will be available for adoption if she isn't claimed within 30 days.

4 Weird Dog Products That You Probably Didn’t Know Existed

Doggy high chairs, flavored bubbles, canine IQ kits, and pet doorbells. Sound bizarre? Maybe, but all of these products exist and they’re not even the strangest out there. Maybe you’re looking for a truly unique gift for the dog in your life or just need proof that these items are real. Either way, we’ve got you covered in this guide to some of the weirdest dog gear around.

Bubble Buddy Flavored Bubbles
Because what dog owner hasn’t sat around wishing that their dogs could eat bacon flavored bubbles? The Bubble Buddy is a bubble machine that spits out doggie delicacy flavored soapsuds, guaranteed to leave your dog as thoroughly confused as you will be amused.

1. Pet Doorbell Mat
For when scratching at the door just won’t do, this ingenious creation makes knowing what your dog wants foolproof. Imbedded in the seemingly innocuous door mat is a sensor that transmits the message to a chime, letting you know that your furry friend needs to go out… again. With 36 chimes to choose from and an impressive 100 foot range, this contraption has it all. Except earplugs.

2. Pooch IQ Kit
Most dog parents are divided firmly into 2 camps. On one side, we have those who boast that they have the cleverest canines known to mankind. On the other, those who have resigned themselves to a life of run-ins with screen doors and inability to play ‘find the treat’. Wouldn’t it be swell if you could know for sure just where your dog ranks? With the Pooch IQ Kit, the power of this tremendous knowledge is in your hands.

Happy Tail Ale
Ever wish you could kick back, relax, and crack a cold one with your pooch? No? Well time to reevaluate your summer plans because now you’ve got a brand new drinking buddy in the form of your favorite canine companion. Happy Tail Ale is a non-carbonated, non-alcoholic brew designed to tickle the taste buds of even the most discerning dog. Available in a handy 6 pack, it’s the perfect libation to pack for your next trip to the beach. Don’t forget the doggy pint glasses!

3. The Bow Lingual
Remember the episode of The Simpsons when Uncle Herb invented the Baby Translator? Well, someone’s gone ahead and made the canine equivalent. The Bow Lingual is a dog-to-human translator that interprets your pal’s barks and whines into easily understand human equivalents. A great idea in theory but whether or not it actually works is up in the air. As is the question of if you really want to know what your dog is thinking.

4. The Pet High Chair

While there are some instances when dogs require a specially built chair to facilitate eating, we can only surmise that this version isn’t intended for medical use. This snap-on booster seat is eerily similar to those used by parents of toddlers and is made to clamp on to dining tables so that your pint sized pal can join you for a meal. While you’re more than entitled to have your dog be a part of the family dinner, you may want to leave this handy invention at home when you set out for a fine dining establishment. We suspect that the other patrons might not be so fond of the idea.

Man Mistakenly Sells Mattress Set with Cat Inside

When an Oregon man sold his girlfriend's mattress set for $100 because she was moving in with him, little did he realize her cat was hiding inside.

While his girlfriend was at work, Roy Dufek helped strap the mattress and box spring to the top of the buyer's car. When he went back inside his girlfriend's suburban Portland home, Camo the cat was nowhere to be found.

Dufek said it was impossible for the cat to slip outside undetected because there are three sets of doors in the apartment complex.

After a 20-minute search, Dufek called his girlfriend, Hayley Crews, who told him Camo liked to hide in a hole in the box spring.

Crews had previously taped up the hole and had filled the space under the box spring with boxes. But in preparation for the sale, she removed the boxes and the tape that covered the hole.

"I knew right away what had happened," Crews said. "When the furniture was being hauled out, Camo got scared and that's where he would have hidden."

She said Camo "freezes" in frightening situations and does not meow. Crews raised the 5-year-old feline since he was a kitten, she said. He's an indoor-only cat, and he was her companion – her "fur child" – when she lived alone, she said.

The couple think it's likely the cat scurried out of the box spring when the mattress buyer took it off the car roof in his neighborhood, or he jumped out while the car was moving.

Dufek and Crews have searched the mattress buyer's home and yard, and they've set up an animal trap with food and water in the garage where the buyer stored the mattress. They even rented a thermal camera to search the neighborhood.

A week later, Camo's still missing. Dufek and his girlfriend are offering a $200 reward to whoever finds him.

"I am worried and devastated," Crews said. "Bad weather is coming, and time is of essence when it comes to finding him."

Crews said she's not mad at her boyfriend – after all, he didn't know about the hole.

Male Mandarin Ducks Are Flashy Suitors But Poor Fathers

Mandarin drakes and ducks, which have been introduced in Europe and the United States, are native to East Asia. Because they usually mate long-term or for life, the birds are symbols of fidelity and marital bliss in Japan and China.

The mandarin drake "possesses an amazing and bizarre plumage which makes him one of the most beautiful and striking ducks—indeed one of the most beautiful birds—in the world." So says Christopher Lever, an eminent British conservationist and one of the world's leading authorities on mandarin ducks (Aix galericulata).

His statement begs a footnote. A mandarin drake hoping to mate is definitely a looker—but after he's achieved that goal? Not so much. (See National Geographic's backyard bird identifier.)

In Europe drakes sport what Lever calls "full breeding finery" in fall: green-and-copper head, purple breast, rust-colored ruff, orange-gold wings. Through the winter the courting male will preen, shake, and flash those feathers to entice the duller-hued female to mate.

By April or May the connubial deed is done, and the duck lays 9 to 12 eggs. (See "Beyond Testicles and Dads: 5 Legit Studies of Male 'Gear.'")

The drake stays nearby for the 28- to 33-day incubation. But once ducklings hatch, females must rear them alone, while males adjourn to a summer-long molting party. (Watch a video of day-old Mandarin ducklings following their mother’s lead and diving from their nest.)

Dropping their come-hither feathers leaves drakes in what's called "eclipse plumage." Having also shed their primary wing feathers, they're temporarily flightless, so their drab looks serve as helpful camouflage from would-be predators.

As fall returns, the ugly-duck phase passes. Drakes suit up once more in nuptial plumage and go looking for love.

Deadly Frog Fungus Pops Up in Madagascar, an Amphibian Wonderland

Madagascar is home to a mind-boggling array of frogs, 99 percent of which are found nowhere else in the world. But a study released Thursday finds the island nation now also hosts the greatest threat to amphibian biodiversity in modern times—the chytrid fungus.

As many as 7 percent of the world's amphibian species live only in Madagascar, says Molly Bletz, a researcher at the Braunschweig University of Technology in Germany. Chytrid is responsible for the decline or extinction of hundreds of amphibian species around the world.One forest in Panama lost 30 amphibian species to the fungus in about a year, according to a 2010 study.

Why It Matters

Researchers had thought Madagascar was chytrid-free. A 2014 study found chytrid on Madagascar frogs shipped to the U.S. for the pet trade, but researchers weren't sure whether the animals were contaminated en route or infected in Madagascar.
But a new study in the journal Scientific Reports finds that chytrid is present in multiple Madagascar frog species. Bletz and colleagues examined skin swabs and tissue samples from 4,155 amphibians tested for chytrid from 2005 to 2014. They found, to their surprise, that the fungus began to appear on frogs starting in 2010.

What they haven't found yet is sick frogs. "It could mean we just caught it very early," Bletz says, or it's possible the chytrid strain in Madagascar isn't very lethal.

The Big Picture

"It's the best worst-case scenario," says Jonathan Kolby, a researcher at Queensland's James Cook University, who was not involved in the study. "[Chytrid] is there, but the frogs aren't dying right now."

Scientists need to figure out where the chytrid came from, though, he says. If it was introduced, scientists need to know how it got into the country and how they can prevent another introduction. "Because next time, it could be a strain that's supervirulent," says Kolby, a National Geographic grantee. (See "Killer Fungus Threatens Salamanders.")

What's Next

Meanwhile, experts are working on a multipronged response to the threat. Bletz is working on a possible preventive treatment using frog skin bacteria that may fight off the fungal invader. Other groups around the world—such as in Panama—are setting up breeding facilities for especially vulnerable amphibians just in case, while others in places including Madagascar and Panama are working on long-term amphibian monitoring efforts.

Many Animals—Including Your Dog—May Have Horrible Short-Term Memories

The next time your dog happily greets an old friend, remember this: Your pup likely can't remember the last time they met.

We often say someone has "a memory like an elephant," or, if it's a forgetful person, "a goldfish." But in comparing our memory with that of animals, what's the truth?

A recent investigation of short-term memory suggests animals don't remember specific events much at all—instead, they store away useful information about what could help them survive.

Covering 25 species that ranged from dolphins to bees, the study found the average short-term memory span of animals was 27 seconds (which was the midway point before the memory is lost), according to a team led by Johan Lind, an ethologist at the Centre for the Study of Cultural Evolution at Stockholm University, Sweden. 

Dogs forget an event within two minutes. Chimpanzees, at around 20 seconds, are worse than rats at remembering things, while the memory spans of three other primates—baboons, pig—tailed macaques, and squirrel monkeys—exceeded only bees (the sole study participant that wasn't either a mammal or a bird).

Since chimps are our closest living relatives, Lind said he was surprised by their poor performance. It suggests human capacity for memory evolved after we branched from the most recent shared ancestor with chimps, over six million years ago.

Reported in late 2014 in the journal Behavioural Processes, the findings drew on data from almost a hundred studies of captive animals that used a memory test of recent random events known as the delayed matching-to-sample (or DMTS) method.

In this test, an animal is typically shown a visual stimulus such as a red circle. The red circle disappears, then, after a delay, it's shown again with another sample stimulus—a blue square, say. The animal, usually with the incentive of a food reward, has to select the original sample it saw.

Compared with animals, humans find this type of test a breeze—we pick the correct sample effortlessly after 48 hours or more, studies have shown. (Also see "A Message From Your Brain: I'm Not Good At Remembering What I Hear.")

"The data tell us that animals have no long-term memory of arbitrary events," Lind said. Based on the new study, "we think humans' ability to remember arbitrary events is unique."

Memories Not Created Equal

This ability is also called episodic memory, and it allows us to remember almost any occurrence, however trivial, for long periods.

"We experience this daily when we remember where we parked the car or that we have to pay a bill next week," Lind said.

While there are plenty of examples of animals with long memories—elephants never forgetting a face, the cat that's scared of the pet carrier after a past visit to the vet, swallows returning to last summer's nest—they aren't using episodic memory, according to Lind.

Such cases "are due to associative memories," he says. They're not based on "memories of specific events. In the second case, the cat associates the carrier with danger. Such memories are very robust and will stay for a long time—for life—in animals."

That's because animals may have specialized memory systems hardwired to remember certain "biologically relevant information" (such as where to find food), the study authors proposed.

Take the example of the western scrub jay, a food-caching bird whose ability to remember and choose between its buried stores has been reported as evidence of episodic-like memory in animals. (See "Bird-Brained Jays Can Plan for the Future.")

But, said Lind, "if these scrub jays had an episodic memory, as humans do, they would have no problem solving the matching-to-sample experiment."

The scrub jays' performance in the experiment is really no different than that of other birds, however. Their "memory will decay within half a minute," he said. (See pictures of animals that are smarter than you think.)

Mental Time Travel

Scientists see this memory distinction as key to trying to understand what mental skills we share with other animals and what's unique about the human mind.

"The study of episodic memory is crucial, since it is still under debate whether other animals can retrieve memories of personal past events in the same way humans do," Gema Martin-Ordas, who studies animal and human cognition at Newcastle University's Institute of Neuroscience in England, said in an email.

"For example, I remember that I went for a run to the park yesterday, and I am perfectly aware that this memory is part of my personal past experience," said Martin-Ordas, who wasn't involved in the new study.

Given our current knowledge, however, "it might be too early to argue that humans are the only ones who are able to mentally travel back and forward in time," she added.

Martin-Ordas's own research has found evidence that great apes do remember episodic-like details for days and even years, noted Victoria Templer, a psychologist at Providence College in Rhode Island.

Both researchers urged caution in interpreting the results of the new study.

As the study authors themselves observed, "some species or individuals might adjust well to a laboratory environment, and some may not," Templer said.

For instance, it could be that chimpanzees recollected worse than rats in the DMTS experiments because the rats had more training in the memory task.

But if the short-term memory spans of chimps and other primates really are as mediocre as the DMTS tests indicate, "the study reminds us that evolution is not a unidirectional ladder of improvement with humans at the top and apes close behind," Templer said.

That's something for us humans to remember—we might not be as smart as we like to think.

Dogs aren't color blind - and 10 other surprisings about pets

1. Dogs are colorblind

Truth: The dogs see in color. However, its appearance is different from most people do and are less able to distinguish colors. Veterinary ophthalmologists determined that dogs see as people who have / red color blindness. Dogs eyes have receptors for blue and green, but there is no red shadows. So it seems that dogs can not easily distinguish between yellow, green and red, but you can identify the different shades of blue, purple and gray. The color is just one of many visual stimulation detected in the dogs their environment. Brightness, contrast, and especially the movement, are extremely important for the interpretation of a dog you see.

2. Cats always land on their feet

Origin: In the world of cats, the most popular cliché is, "cats always land on their feet." In fact, although the cats instinctively trying to get feet often break bones or other injuries from falls from height.

Truth: This is perhaps one of the most famous and dangerous of all the myths about cats because, unfortunately, many children have tried to show that it is true. It is not. Cats are very athletic and agile animals, and have a unique instinctive ability to turn in the air to correct its position during a fall. However, if a cat is shocked, sick, disoriented or injured, it is unlikely to be able to adjust its position to land feet first. Of course, if it falls from a great height, the ability of a cat to reposition does not matter, because the force of the fall can cause serious injury or death if the cat feet hit the ground first or not. Also, if a cat falls from a short period of time, you can not have enough to turn around the earth and all feet.

3. If the nose of a dog is hot, you're sick

Origin: Non identifiable source for this myth. People just seem to think that a dog with a hot and / or dry nose is ill, and a dog with a cold wet nose is good.

Truth: If a dog has dry or hot nose, which means it has a dry or hot nose. A dry nose slightly warm or nose has nothing to do with the overall health of a dog.

4. If a dog wags its tail, she is happy

The origin: Most dogs wag their tails when they are happy. As a result, people associate the tail wagging with a happy dog.

Truth: In most cases, a dog wagging its tail is happy, or at least expressed pleasure or excitement. Tail-wagging certainly expressed very strong smile as an emotional condition, does in people. However, as a human smile, tail wagging a dog does not necessarily reflect the happiness or something positive. Dogs often shake their tail when nervous, angry, tense, anxious, frustrated, scared, angry or aggressive. Interestingly, the researchers found that dogs usually do not wag their tails when they are alone, even though they are apparently happy or are in a nice situation. Behavior tail-wagging that seems reserved for times when the dog is in the company of others.

5. Cats have nine lives

The origin: This myth probably stems from the fact that cats are very stubborn and flexible animals, even when they are sick or injured. Cats have a great ability to get out of situations that would probably be the death of small animals. There are many reports of cats that survive for long periods of time in harsh conditions, including easy access, no food or water. The myth relates that cats always land on their feet may also contribute to the myth that cats have nine lives. Nine is considered by many to be a lucky number. In some cultures, the myth is that cats have nine lives. However, cats are considered lucky.

Truth: Of course, cats do not have "nine lives." Cats are fatal. However, they tend to be very abundant, healthy animals who can take care of themselves in almost any situation, be it inside or outside. They are agile, intelligent and witty. But, like all other mammals, cats have only one life to live.

6. A dog's mouth is cleaner than the mouth of a man

The origin: dog saliva was once considered an antiseptic, and some people still believe it has healing properties. The basis for this belief is not known.

Truth: The mouth of a dog is not "clean" the mouth of a person. Dog Saliva can be toxic to some bacteria, but carries its own population of bacteria and other infectious organisms. This population is just different variety of bacteria and other "seeds" in the human mouth, mainly based on differences in diet. There's a reason the phrase "dog breath". People whose immune system is weakened and young children probably should not be in direct contact with the dog or cat saliva.

7. A year of life of a dog is 7 years in the life of a human being

The origin: The basis of this myth remains a mystery. Probably just simple math: a dog's life average is 10 to 12 years and multiply by seven is 70 to 74 years or more the average life expectancy for people today.

Truth: Contrary to popular belief, there is no exact formula to measure the amount of a place or age in relation to aging is called dog as an individual for dogs than for people "people each year. ". Taking the age of a dog and multiply by 7 is a very simplistic formula and does not reflect the current state of development of a dog. A code is more specific:

* Dog 1 year is just a human being, 15 years,

* 2-year-old dog is like a human 24 years

* Dog 4 years, it's just a human being, 32,

* Dog 7 years, it's just a human being, 45,

* 10 dog years is like a man, 56 years old

* 15 dog years is like a human being would be 76 years

* Dog 20 years is just a human 98 years

Of course, there is a clear age difference between small dogs and large breeds. Large dogs have a much shorter life than small dogs. Its development in the early years is almost the same as other races; However, the large and giant breed dogs development are much older than the minor in his later years, about seven races.

8. You can not teach an old dog new tricks

Source: This myth probably started with someone who was not able to get your old dog to sit, roll, come or stay. He is one of the most common clichés (but false) in domestic dogs.

The truth: You can teach an old dog new tricks. Dogs can learn new tricks, skills and commands within their physical abilities until they pass. In addition, they usually want to learn. Their minds need stimulation, like ours. With patience, kindness, persistence and consistency, owners can teach old dogs new tricks of all kinds, such as sit, bark, rang the bell, sell, lie down, roll, dead and shake or "high five." While a dog is bright, alert, agile and healthy, there is no reason why you can not continue to learn new things throughout his life.

9. Cats purr because they are happy

The origin of this myth, like many others, has no precise origin. Just probably because most cats do not purr in the presence of their owners when they are pampered, which we interpret as a sign of happiness.

Truth: Most cats purr when they are happy. However, this is not the only time to purr. Sometimes, cats purr when they are sick, stressed, injured, frightened or in pain. They can also purr when they give birth, and even how they are dying. Purr seems to be more an expression of strong emotions - positive or negative - what is the expression of a particular emotion, including happiness. Purr of a cat could be similar to hum or whistle a human being is commonly done for happiness, but you can do as a result of stress, fear or discomfort.

10. Cats can see in the dark

The origin of this myth comes cats probably watch people surfing the night. Cats are often active at night and tend to move very well in the dark.

Truth: Although cats see better in the dark people who can not see in total darkness. Students of its much larger in low light than the people, letting more light during normal business hours of dawn and dusk eyes open hunting. But again, the cats can not see in total darkness.

What to Do When Your Cat Won’t Eat

People joke about cats and their bad eating habits, but in reality is a serious problem if your cat does not eat.
Although the refusal to eat is disturbing for all animals, it can be more dangerous for cats.
When animals do not eat enough, having to rely on its fat stores for energy. Before stored fat can be used as a fuel to be processed by the liver. This step requires an adequate supply of proteins.

With the rapid weight loss in a cat stops eating, protein sources are poorly drained and liver is overwhelmed by all the fat. This results in a dangerous situation called fatty liver, which can lead to liver failure.
The loss of a cat appetite often indicates the disease, so you should consult your veterinarian as soon as you notice a change in eating habits of your cat. The faster you answer the problem, the more you'll be able to do something to help.

Why your cat does not eat
Diseases. Loss of appetite is an important indicator that something is wrong. So be sure to pay attention if your cat suddenly stops eating. A number of different conditions may be responsible, including infections, kidney failure, pancreatitis, intestinal disorders and cancer. But it is not always serious - something as simple as a toothache can cause your cat to stop eating.

The recent vaccination. Have you noticed loss of appetite of your cat just after I took her to the vet for routine immunization? If so, why your cat does not eat can be an adverse reaction to vaccines. While vaccines have been millions of rescue animals, they do not cause side effects in some people. Loss of appetite is one of the most common of these side effects are usually transient and mild.

Travel and unfamiliar environment. Like many people, many cats are creatures of habit. Therefore, a change in current may cause loss of appetite. In addition, some animals feel bad when you travel by car or plane, which can cause nausea and lack of appetite.

Finickiness or psychological problems. If your vet has determined that your cat is not physically ill, and anxiety or depression could be the reason that your cat does not eat. The changes in the home can be irritating to sensitive cats, and sometimes new people or changes in family schedules can affect the emotional well-being of a cat. Or your cat could be demanding. Note that cats usually take a long time to adapt to new types of food, so that a recent change in diet may be to blame.

What you can do
If your cat is sick, anxious or just picky, remember that the total rejection of food can have devastating consequences. So even if you try to make your cat eats a doctor prescribed diet, do not starve your cat to eat certain foods.

If the disease is the reason that your cat does not eat, work with your veterinarian to design the best system for you and your pet. It can be a change in the type of food or consistency; some cats may be tempted to eat, offering canned food when ill. In the most extreme cases, veterinarians may prescribe drugs that act as appetite stimulants or recommend a baby syringe cat a liquid diet. Or veterinarian may recommend the establishment of a feeding tube to ensure adequate nutrition.

When the disease is not the culprit, there are things that you can try to encourage your cat to eat.

You may have discovered that certain foods like liver or canned tuna, can act as appetite stimulants for some cats. Remember that just offer these foods in small quantities. Large amounts can harm your pet, causing deficiencies or excess of certain vitamins.

Instead of relying on food people, try to encourage your cat to eat canned food business. You may find that heating the mixture in food or fish oil, broth or a boiled egg could encourage your cat to eat demanding. If your cat does not eat the food always be taken away and provide fresh foods later in the day. If food is left to harden and become obsolete, your cat can learn to avoid it in the future.

If your cat has eaten human food exclusively, be sure to stop your pet for several weeks, mixing all your favorite foods cat food. Over time, you should be able to change the report until your pet only eats cat food.

Many experts recommend to turn on the cat among different brands from two to four times per year using a similar technique. This practice can help reduce finickiness and also to minimize the development of food allergies and intestinal problems.

Helicopter parenting is great for pets, study says

It's OK to be an affectionate, overprotective pet parent. (Photo: Mikael Tigerström/flickr)

Helicopter parenting, or hovering over your child's every move, is often criticized for being overprotective, but a recent study finds that this style of parenting is ideal for furry, four-legged children.

 

Scientists at California State University and the University of California found that the more neurotic and conscientious people are, the more attention and affection they give to their dogs and cats — and that's good for pets.

 

The researchers surveyed 1,000 pet owners to identify their key personality traits and nurturing styles and to determine whether they classify themselves as dog people, cat people, both or neither.

 

Almost 40 percent of participants reported they like dogs and cats equally, while 38 percent said they were dog people, 19 percent said they were cat people, and 3 percent favored neither.

 

The personality survey was based on both human and animal attachment assessments, including one that measures the "Big Five" character traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism.

 

Participants were also rated according to the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale, the most widely used instrument to assess our emotional attachments to animals. The scale measures both "anxious attachment" and "avoidant attachment."

 

Researchers discovered that those who scored highest in conscientiousness and neuroticism expressed the most affection for their pets.

 

They also found that participants scored high on anxious attachment and low on avoidant attachment, meaning they seek affection from their pets and desire close relationships with them.

 

"The fact that higher levels of neuroticism are associated with affection and anxious attachment suggests that people who score higher on that dimension may have high levels of affection and dependence on their pets, which may be a good thing for pets," said co-author Mikel Delgado, a doctoral student in psychology at University of California, Berkeley.

 

In other words, the qualities that make for overprotective, over involved parents, make for very affectionate pet parents.

 

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Popular pet names offer cultural snapshot

 

Just as baby names rise and fall in popularity, so do names for our furry, four-legged friends.

 

In recent years, traditional pet names like Fido, Fluffy and Rover have been replaced by popular baby names.

 

In fact, a 2013 report by John Lewis Pet Insurance, which looked at 50,000 cat and dog names, found that the top 10 pet names were also among the 70 most popular baby names.

 

Giving our pets human names may speak to how we regard our cats and dogs as part of the family. However, the names can also often be a nod to popular culture.

 

For example, Bella has topped the list of most popular female dog and cat names — in addition to being a top baby name — for years, which Toni Perling, co-founder of PetBabyNames.com, attributes to the popularity of the “Twilight” series.

 

Other common pet names have been inspired by hit books and movies, including Simba, Luna, Winnie, Mickey and Minnie.

 

Names may also reflect larger cultural trends, according to VetStreet, just like the 1960s counterculture increased names like Flower and Peace.

 

The names of actors, sports figures and other public figures also make popular pet names.

 

“Owners who name their pets after a public figure tend to want that constant reminder and connection,” Steven May, editor of The Daily Growl, told VetStreet.

 

This could account for the increasing number of canines and felines with names like Elvis, Kobe and Jeter.

 

Take a look at the most popular cat and dog names, and you’ll find plenty of name overlap.

 

Veterinary Pet Insurance analyzed a national database of 75,000 insured cats and created a graphic of the most popular names by state (above). Compare this to the Rover.com infographic below, and you’ll see that Max, Charlie, Bella and Lucy top the list for both cats and dogs.

 

In 2009, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals investigated whether a cat’s name made it more or less adoptable.

 

In the study, cats were assigned names from one of four categories: popular baby names, pop culture names, traditional cat names and serial numbers.

 

Participants then rated the cats on their health, playfulness, friendliness, ease of adaption to a new home, and ability to attract potential adopters — based only on a photo and a name.

 

Each cat’s picture was paired with every possible name and serial number four times throughout the study.

 

What did they find? The cats’ names had no significant effect on their “desirability.”

 

In other words, while studies of people names have found they can strongly influence first impressions, the same doesn’t seem to hold true for animals.

 

Below, check out 2014’s most popular dog names.

 

 

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What do you get when you cross a pit bull with a Dachshund?

Photos of Rami have received millions of comments on Facebook. (Photo: WALB/screen shot)

An odd-looking dog at a Georgia animal shelter has become a global sensation after a photo of him went viral.

 

The one-year-old dog named Rami arrived at Moultrie-Colquitt County Humane Society last week after a local man reported the dog in his yard.

 

When the man described the dog as "a pit bull dog maybe mixed with a Dachshund," shelter workers laughed, but animal control confirmed it.

 

"It is a true pit bull head on a Dachshund body," Dawn Blanton, president of the local Humane Society, told WALB News.

 

Shelter workers waited five days for someone to claim Rami, but when no one did, they put him up for adoption.

 

They posted a photo of the fully-grown, 25-pound dog on their Facebook page and announced that Rami was looking for his forever home. No one expected what happened next.

 

Overnight Rami's photo received more than a million likes and comments, and since the photo was posted on Jan. 27, it's been shared more than 41,000 times.

 

Soon, the shelter was getting offers from across the globe to adopt Rami, but with all this attention, the Human Society employees say they want to ensure Rami goes to the right home.

 

"It's gonna be a pretty tough test for people that are wanting this dog," said Don Flowers, the shelter manager. "They're going to have to answer questions. We're going to do follow-up inspections on him, go out to people's homes if they're close by and verify that that dog is OK."

 

The shelter says Rami is a sweet dog and will require some training. Although he may look tough, he's far from it. Flowers says Rami is terrified of the kittens at the shelter.

 

"If he's sitting up in your truck looking out the window, he's going to look like a pit bull dog until you let him out. And when you let him out, people are going to laugh at him because he's so short. But he's a cool little dog."

Visit Rami's Facebook page to see more photos of this unique dog.

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Does your chicken need a sweater?

You can knit your chickens sweaters yourself or buy them online. (Photo: IvonneW/iStockphoto)

Just as our furry friends sometimes need a little extra warmth during the winter months, so do our feathered ones, according to some chicken owners.

 

While chicken sweaters may seem more of a fashion statement than anything, the people who knit or buy them for their flocks say the knitted garments keep their birds warm during molting season and prevent the chickens from picking at new feathers as they grow in.

 

"In colder climates like ours it can get quite cold in the fall or the spring when the birds lose their feathers," said Maureen Schmidt, who lives in Kelowna, British Columbia. "Without adequate feathering, they can get quite cold, especially if they drop their old feathers all at once."

 

Schmidt's mother knitted several warm garments for her daughter's chickens (pictured right).

 

The sweaters have an opening for the birds' heads and wings, and they button to secure to their bodies.

 

Schmidt says the sweaters don't restrict her chickens' movements and that the birds adjust to them quickly.

 

"It usually takes anywhere from a few hours to a day before the chickens adjust completely to the sweater. Once they do they go about their daily scratch and peck as if they grew the sweaters themselves."

 

Chicken sweaters are also used by many rescue organizations that take in battery hens, which are usually sold for slaughter when they start producing fewer eggs. These birds are often missing a lot of their feathers because of the cramped, stressful conditions they live in.

 

However, while many people with chickens insist that sweaters keep their flocks healthy and warm, not everyone thinks the knitted garments are necessary.

 

Other chicken keepers point out that the birds are warm-blooded and able to regulate their own body temperatures by fluffing their feathers, roosting and huddling together for warmth.

 

They argue that such natural behaviors can be restricted by sweaters. For example, when chickens fluff their feathers, this creates air pockets that keeps warm air close to the bird's body.

 

"We ought not confuse our comfort level with a chicken's comfort level," writes Kathy Shea Mormino, who maintains the Chicken Chick blog. "In freezing temperatures, the average backyard chicken that is molting furiously would be better served by a retreat to an indoor dog crate in the basement or garage than a sweater."

 

Still, other keepers say the use of chicken sweaters depends on several factors, including climate, the bird's health and the behavior of the rest of the flock, which sometimes peck at other chickens' exposed skin during molting.

 

And several animal shelters in cold climates say the tiny sweaters are beneficial to featherless rescued battery hens.

 

"The hens usually come out of farms quite bald and can be underweight,” said Miranda McPherson, who has knitted sweaters for England’s Little Hen Rescue. "They will soon fatten up and regain their feathers with the right care, but while they are waiting for their feathers to grow back, they can benefit from our knitted jumpers."

 

You can find knitting patterns and directions to make your own chicken sweater online, or you can purchase them from several Etsy sellers, including Schmidt's Folk and Farm shop.

 

Not sure if sweaters are right for your flock? Here's more information about how to keep your chickens warm this winter.

 

Below, check out more photos of fashionable fowl in sweaters.

 

Photo: Bags And More By Pam/Etsy

 

Photo: fadetofuture/flickr

 

Photo: LangsHandmade/Etsy

 

Photo: Happy Money Saver

 

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Cats look to their owners for guidance, just like dogs

Both babies and dogs rely on facial expressions and voice tones to determine how to respond to new situations — and research proves that cats do too. (Photo: SilviaJansen/iStockphoto)

Cats often get a bad rap for being aloof or showing disdain for their owners, but a recent study challenges that stereotype and shows that our feline friends rely on us for emotional cues.

 

Research has shown that dogs look to their owners to determine how to react to an unfamiliar object, a phenomenon known as social referencing.

 

Humans babies also do this by processing information from their parents' facial expressions and voices. A new study at the University of Milan offers evidence that cats do this as well, according to NPR.

 

In a paper published in Animal Cognition, Isabella Merola reports how she tested social referencing in cats in much the same way it was tested in dogs: by placing cats and their owners in a room with a "potentially frightening object."

 

Twenty-four cats and their owners participated in the experiment and were placed in either a positive group or a negative group.

 

One at a time, cat-and-owner pairs entered a room that contained an electric fan with plastic ribbons attached to it. At one end of the room was a screen that acted as a barrier for the cats and marked the only way out.

 

"The aim was to evaluate whether cats use the emotional information provided by their owners about a novel/unfamiliar object to guide their own behaviour towards it," the paper reads.

 

As the cats walked around the room, their owners were told not to react to the fan in a negative or positive way at first. Then they were instructed to respond either positively or negatively.

 

In the positive group, owners used happy expressions and calming voices as they approached the fan. In the negative group, they acted fearfully and stepped away from it.

 

Most of the cats — 79 percent — looked from the fan to their owner during the neutral phase, a number that closely matches the results for dogs in a similar experiment. The cats also "changed their behaviour in line with the emotional message given by the owner," the paper reads.

 

Cats in the negative group were more likely to alternate their gaze between the screen and the fan than cats in the positive group. The cats in the negative group also began moving sooner than those in the positive group, possibly seeking an escape route.

 

Although further research is needed, it's clear that cats are affected by our actions, expressions and voices — even if they don't always r espond to our voices the way we'd like.

 

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Dogs recognize and prefer happy human faces

(Photo: AntonioDiaz/Shutterstock)

If you ever get the impression that your dog can "tell" whether you look content or annoyed, you may be onto something. Dogs may indeed be able to discriminate between happy and angry human faces, according to a new study.

 

Researchers trained a group of 11 dogs to distinguish between images of the same person making either a happy or an angry face. During the training stage, each dog was shown only the upper half or the lower half of the person's face.

 

The investigators then tested the pups' ability to discriminate between human facial expressions by showing them different images from the ones used in training. The dogs were shown either the other half of the face used in the training stage, the other halves of people's faces not used in training, a face that was the same half as the training face but from a different person, or the left half of the face used in the training stage.

 

The researchers found that the dogs were able to pick the angry or happy face by touching a picture of it with their noses more often than one would expect by random chance.

 

The study showed the animals had figured out how to transfer what they learned about human faces during training to new faces in the testing stage, the researchers said. [ 10 Things You Didn't Know About Dogs]

 

"We can rule out that the dogs simply discriminated [between] the pictures based on a simple salient cue, such as the visibility of teeth," said study author Corsin Müller, an animal behavior researcher at Messerli Research Institute at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna.

 

"Instead, our results suggest that the successful dogs realized that a smiling mouth means the same thing as smiling eyes," and the same rule applies to an angry mouth having the same meaning as angry eyes, Müller said. (The researchers originally recruited 24 dogs for the study, but 13 of them dropped out for various reasons before the researchers started training them, for instance, because their owners did not have time to bring the animals to the lab.)

 

Previous research had demonstrated that dogs are able to distinguish between different expressions in people they are familiar with, even if the animals are shown only part of the face, such as the eye region. Researchers had also previously attempted to see whether dogs could tell the difference between emotional expressions of human faces, but the results were inconclusive.

 

"With our study, which was inspired by these previous attempts, we think we can now confidently conclude that at least some dogs can discriminate human facial expressions," Müller told LiveScience.

 

At this point, it is not clear why dogs seem to be equipped with the ability to recognize different facial expressions in humans, the researchers said. "To us, the most likely explanation appears to be that the basis lies in the life-long co-habitation of the dogs with humans, during which the dogs get a lot of exposure to human facial expressions," and this exposure has provided them with many opportunities to learn to distinguish between them, Müller said.

 

The study was published on Feb. 12 in the journal Current Biology.

 

 

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Goodwood's Moving Motor Show in pictures

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Audi R18 in pictures

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Pet subjects: is my dog too old for a lead?

Dogs are never too old to learn a few new tricks  Photo: ALAMY

Q Why do male dogs pee against vertical objects such as trees or fence posts, without actually leaning against them?

SB, Surrey

A For dogs, the vertical surface acts as a visible landmark for scent marking. Other dogs know to check such objects for traces of a passing dog. Most dogs are as happy on three legs as four so they have no desire to lean on anything.

Q We have inherited a 10-year-old collie; she has to be ambushed to put her collar on and she refuses to walk anywhere. Is she too old to get used to a lead now?

CGC, via email

A She can still be retrained, but you must be patient. A head halter often works better than a collar – give her treats and praise as you put it on, and take it off after a minute. Repeat this several times daily. Once she accepts it, start with 30-second walks. Dogs are never too old to learn new tricks.

Q My cat has daily drops for arthritis and needs a check-up every six months. The cost of this, along with routine care, such as flea prevention/wormers, adds up. Do you think vets’ fees discourage people from properly looking after pets?

KH, via email

A Animal medicine regulations aim to achieve a balance: ensuring that medicines are not given inappropriately while not insisting on unnecessary check-ups. If anyone has financial difficulties, it’s worth talking to your vet about budget options.

A cat-friendly cardboard box

^{(Make Them Roar)}
Cats love cardboard boxes, and a new idea develops this theme. The cat caravan is a custom-designed cardboard playhouse to entertain indoor cats.

To support this project via a Kickstarter campaign, visit kickstarter.com/projects/catcaravan/cat-caravan

Rescue Us

Six-year-old Daisy and Muffin would like to be homed together. Contact 01825 741349 or visit cats.org.uk.

To find out the outcomes of the rescued pets featured in this column, see petsubjectsrescue.petethevet.com

Send pet problems to pete.wedderburn@telegraph.co.uk. All sick animals should, of course, be taken to a vet.

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