When a pack of African wild dogs votes on whether to hunt, they sneeze. Seriously. Researchers found that before a hunt, adults gather in a circle and sneeze. The more sneezes, the more likely the pack is to move. Dominant dogs need fewer sneezes to trigger a hunt; subordinates need to sneeze more often to “pass the motion.” It’s a literal democratic voting system with weighted ballots.
explores "animal quality" through anthropomorphic characters. Members, known as furries, create "fursonas" and wear "fursuits" to express an interest in animal-like traits within a social subculture.
Perhaps the most socially provocative topic revealed by animal behavior is the widespread existence of same-sex relationships and gender-fluid roles. Documented in over 1,500 species, from penguins to bison, from albatrosses to fruit flies, same-sex courtship, pair-bonding, and co-parenting are not "aberrations" or "mistakes." They are stable, recurring strategies within the natural world. Consider the case of Roy and Silo, two male chinstrap penguins at New York’s Central Park Zoo. For years, they formed a pair bond, performed courtship rituals, and successfully hatched and raised a fertile egg given to them by zookeepers. In the wild, male albatross pairs on Oahu have been observed raising chicks together, often more successfully than opposite-sex pairs, as two males share incubation and foraging duties more equitably.
When a pack of African wild dogs votes on whether to hunt, they sneeze. Seriously. Researchers found that before a hunt, adults gather in a circle and sneeze. The more sneezes, the more likely the pack is to move. Dominant dogs need fewer sneezes to trigger a hunt; subordinates need to sneeze more often to “pass the motion.” It’s a literal democratic voting system with weighted ballots.
explores "animal quality" through anthropomorphic characters. Members, known as furries, create "fursonas" and wear "fursuits" to express an interest in animal-like traits within a social subculture. zooseks animal extra quality
Perhaps the most socially provocative topic revealed by animal behavior is the widespread existence of same-sex relationships and gender-fluid roles. Documented in over 1,500 species, from penguins to bison, from albatrosses to fruit flies, same-sex courtship, pair-bonding, and co-parenting are not "aberrations" or "mistakes." They are stable, recurring strategies within the natural world. Consider the case of Roy and Silo, two male chinstrap penguins at New York’s Central Park Zoo. For years, they formed a pair bond, performed courtship rituals, and successfully hatched and raised a fertile egg given to them by zookeepers. In the wild, male albatross pairs on Oahu have been observed raising chicks together, often more successfully than opposite-sex pairs, as two males share incubation and foraging duties more equitably. When a pack of African wild dogs votes