Plastic Coyote and the Prairie Dogs. Introduced by Pablo Orlov.
Thursday, February 4th, 2010Hi, no the heading is not a new punk band, or GG’s playmates, but the stars of last night’s BBC Natural World documentary: Prairie Dogs - Talk of the Town. It contained both very funny footage, and very important information about their ‘culture’.
The funnies were when Professor Con Slobodchikoff, who has been researching prairie dogs for thirty years, wheeled out a fake coyote and other predators to hear the reaction of the prairie dogs. Turned out the PDs had a different call for each animal, and passed it on to their young, which is thought to be evidence of a ‘language’. They also have a call for the all clear, which is like a raucous prairie dog Mexican wave!
Anyway, for an expert view I’ll pass you over to Pablo Orlov, distant prairie dog cousin of Alexandr Orlov, the star of the Compare the Meerkats website:
‘Hello Greezygreyzters, Pablo Orlov here. Pleez excuz mi Eenglish. It eez great to be here wiz youz. Alexandr recently told me he owz loads to the Greezygrey one, and earlier influences such as Scoobzy Doo, as their travels and rise to cebrity status paved zee way for udder anthromorphic stars like Alexandr.
Anyway, of course we prairie dogs can communicate. Simples.’
Thank you for your expert opinion Pablo, and thanks also to Alexandr for the acknowledgement to GG.