Land Mammals, features and articles | Educational Science

Oct 3, 2018

Is Your Dog Super Smart? No, LOL

Dogs are smart. But they ain't special. Scientists recently examined hundreds of studies on dog intelligence and compared them to research into the minds of other smart animals. The researchers found that dogs are among the smarter carnivores, social hunters and domestic animals — but that they don't stand out...

Oct 22, 2018

Chocolate Labs Are Less Healthy Than Their Black and Yellow Puppy Pals

The color of a dog's coat could be linked to its health — at least for one globally popular pet. Chocolate Labrador retrievers tend to live shorter lives and have a higher rate of skin and ear diseases than their black or yellow-coated peers, according to a new study published...

Feb 9, 2019

Your Dog Can Get Sick from Marijuana. Here's How to Prevent Pot Poisoning.

If you live with a pet, there is a good chance you consider it to be a member of your family. It is well established that companion animals, ranging from cats and dogs through to birds and rodents, can have a positive health benefit in our lives. When cannabis was...

Mar 13, 2019

Pet Dog with Plague Exposed More Than 100 Veterinary Workers to the Disease

A sick dog in Colorado caused alarm at a veterinary hospital when doctors realized the animal was infected with a rare and deadly illness: the plague. What's more, the dog had contact with more than 100 people before its illness was discovered, potentially exposing them to the serious infection, according...

Mar 21, 2019

Chinese Researchers Cloned the 'Sherlock Holmes of Police Dogs', and She Is a Very Good Girl

How does a provincial police department build a small army of detective dogs as savvy as Sherlock Holmes? Why, it's elementary, my dear Watson (and Crick). Simply clone the best dog on the force. Scientists in China are already on the case. According to a report on the state-owned news...

Apr 23, 2019

Men's Beards Contain More Harmful Bacteria Than Dogs' Fur, Small Study Suggests

A small European study has found that the average man's beard is more replete with human-pathogenic bacteria than the dirtiest part of a dog's fur. For the study, published in the February 2019 issue of the journal European Radiology, researchers analyzed skin and saliva samples from 18 bearded men (whose...

May 7, 2019

Dogs Sacrificed by Shang Dynasty Were Just Pups. Some Were Even Buried Alive.

Life was short and sometimes brutal for many of the dogs of China's Shang Dynasty. New research shows that most of the canines sacrificed during this Bronze Age were just puppies, with some of them buried alive. The Shang Dynasty ruled China's Yellow River Valley between 1600 B.C. and 1046...

May 22, 2019

Being a Dog Lover May Be in Your Genes

There may be a genetic explanation for why John Wick (played in the film series by Keanu Reeves) cared so much about his puppy that he embarked on a murderous rampage after a team of hit men killed the innocent pup. OK, maybe not. But scientists did recently discover that...

Sep 29, 2020

Stone Age dog may have been buried with its master

Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a Stone Age dog that was buried alongside a human in a settlement in what is now southern Sweden. That honorary position suggests the dog wasn't wild; rather, it likely lived amongst people about 8,400 years ago. This is one of the oldest grave...

Jan 23, 2021

Why do dogs bury bones?

Chewing bones is a favorite pastime of dogs. If a bone is very beloved, the dog might even bury it. To humans, this behavior may seem odd, so why do dogs invest so much energy in burying their prized possessions? The reason why a dog buries something is to save...

Feb 24, 2021

Puppy born with 6 legs, 2 tails called a 'miracle'

Every dog owner likely thinks their canine is one of a kind, but a newborn puppy named Skipper is truly unique — she was born with six legs and two tails, according to news reports. Her vets say Skipper may be the first dog to be born alive with her...

Jul 12, 2021

Puppies are born with a knack for reading human gestures

If you've ever felt that your dog just seems to get you in a special way, you'd be right. Dog puppies have an aptitude for understanding human gestures that isn't seen in their closest relatives, wolves, even when wolf pups are raised by humans, a new study finds. Dog puppies...

Aug 4, 2021

Dogs know when humans are lying to them

Dogs may be able to tell when humans are deceiving them, according to a new study. Specifically, researchers found that dogs react differently to false information given to them by a misinformed human than they do to a human who is flat-out lying to them. The findings suggest that dogs...

Nov 23, 2021

Cyber Monday Deal: Save 32% on this dog DNA test kit

Have you always wondered exactly what breed your dog is? You may have adopted a rescue pup from the shelter and been told, Oh, he's just a mutt. With this deal on the Embark Dog DNA Test Kit, wonder no more. This Dog DNA test kit is on sale right...

Jan 6, 2022

Dogs can differentiate between familiar and unfamiliar human languages

If you were to move to a new country with a different language and bring along the family dog, your pet would likely have a hard time understanding commands from the locals, according to a new study looking at how dogs' brains react to different languages. MRI scans revealed that...