Tuesday, July 30, 2013

That praire dog just said you're fat!

From the video

   If you have ever spent a little time hanging out with prairie dogs, you know they talk. And talk. And talk. One of the great pleasures of being a West Texan is being able to walk through a prairie dog town while they all chirp, bark, and occasionally even laugh at you. We used to walk our dog Fred (with a very tight hold on the leash) through Buddy Holly Park, and the prairie dogs would chatter up a storm at Fred. Fred was a smarter than average dog who had lived on his own in the wild for a while, and I always thought he knew what they were saying about him.
(This guy is smiling because he does not know what they're saying about the size of his butt.)

A recently published book adds credence to that idea. Apparently, the little chirpers have a pretty extensive vocabulary. Check out this video from Dr. Con Slobodchikoff ( a truly cool name) who demonstrates that the little guys are actually communicating things like size, color, species, and whether or not those shoes make your ankles look fat. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=y1kXCh496U0#!

And while you're out there researching the prairie dogs, be sure to watch for the burrowing owls. More on them later.

Now, go recycle something and have a great day!

No comments:

Post a Comment