Prairie dog and Caturday

Bad Astronomy
By Phil Plait
Sep 10, 2011 5:00 PMNov 19, 2019 11:41 PM

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Yesterday I went out for my first real bike ride in a couple of weeks (Dragon*Con took up a lot of time!) and had a wonderful excursion. Besides seeing the Mork and Mindy house (which I've biked and driven past a million times but never stopped to look at), I saw this cute couple by the road:

Awwwww. Funny-- I knew if I got off my bike they'd run, so I had my phone out and ready, biking slowly so the picture would be steady. I was surprised at how well it came out! It's actually fun to hang out near a colony and listen to the noises they make; they have different sounds for various things they want to communicate, like getting another's attention, or warning about a predator. I know the picture looks, um, prurient, but prairie dogs are actually highly social, and like to stand near each other. When they want intimacy, they go underground. I'll have to bring a better camera with me next time I go past this colony. They were pretty active, and just too adorable.


Related posts: - Dramatic Caturday - Dun dun dunnnnnn! - Look hoos back - Owl be seeing you - Hoo barfed?

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