Yahoo!7 Answers Blog Australia

I just moved into my very first home. It’s all very exciting, for the first time in my life there are no flat-mates slobbing on the couch, no one else is hogging the bathroom and I can do the dishes whenever I want. The freedom is breathtaking.

Yet after a month, I feel that something is missing. Ever heard the adage, ‘A house is not a home without a pet’? Obviously Barack Obama felt the same way, which is why he recently bought a Portuguese Water Dog for his family after moving to the White House.

My yearning was further exemplified after reading Marley and Me. This cute story is about a young family and their rambunctious Labrador, Marley. It has to be said that Marley wasn’t the most obedient dog in the world. He was so friendly and excitable but his brute strength and size made him a challenging dog to have around. Training him was an insurmountable and teaching him any tricks completely laughable. Despite these challenges, he was a much loved member of the family.

Of course, like all good books, Marley and Me has been made into a Hollywood blockbuster, with Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson in the starring roles. Both celebrities have asked questions on Answers recently about pets.

Jennifer Aniston asks What is your funniest family pet moment?

Owen Wilson asks What are some good tips on how to train a puppy?
Perhaps if his character had that advice, he might have done better training Marley!

Once I read all those great funny family pet moments, I really felt the urge for my own furry friend. My one concern is that I’m living in a flat, obviously a huge dog like Marley would be out of the question.

I’ve always had cats but they’re usually outdoor cats that love climbing trees and chasing lizards. How do you keep pets occupied in an apartment so they don’t chew up the furniture?

Hope you can help!

Caitlin
Community Manager

This week, countries all over the world are celebrating 200 years since scientist Charles Darwin was born. People are doing their bit to celebrate evolution and we are no exception. While many Answers users may be marking the day (it was the 12th February) in their own way, few people are as qualified as biologist Calimecita, who we just happened to spot sporting a tribute to him in her Answers nickname. This is what Darwin Day means to her, in her own words…

“First and foremost, I don’t like the idea of “idolising” a person. Charles Darwin was a man, an individual that was clearly as multidimensional as each of us, and therefore any analyses of him as an individual can and will be very complex – and also widely contradictory.

Yet here I am, celebrating his birthday anniversary – even with my Answers nickname,  – Why?

Because what I’m celebrating is the fact that a single individual’s intellectual production can be a major contribution to the human species. To me, that is truly inspiring. So what did he do?

In an outstanding example of conceptual synthesis, Charles Darwin was able to “catch” concepts and data that were “floating around” in different spheres of human knowledge, put them together and come up with a new corpus of ideas (it’s important to note that Alfred Russell Wallace achieved the same synthesis separately – and that perhaps without him, Darwin’s work would not have been published at the time). This corpus integrates the fact of evolution with the mechanisms that make it possible (Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection), and has been since that time the cornerstone of biological science.

The famous geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky once said “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution”. I’ll just add that even though it is possible to use a non-evolutionary approach to study some aspects of biology, everything just makes much more sense in the light of evolution.

In my daily work, I’m constantly trying to understand the evolutionary processes that underlie the diversity I see. My awareness of evolutionary mechanisms does not detract from my appreciation of life… On the contrary, it enhances the delight I feel when I find myself not only contemplating life on Earth, but also studying and understanding a part of it and trying to make my own tiny contributions to our collective knowledge of biological evolution.”

Calimecita

* Read more about Calimecita’s work here and here and here.

Questions on evolution:

• How does evolution apply to the use of insecticides and antibiotics?
• What is Darwin’s theory about evolutionary progression?
• Why was Darwin considered to be a “revolutionary?”
• Are ants an argument against Darwin’s theory of Evolution?
• Who submitted “Theory of Evolution” other than Darwin?

After putting a couple of Australian animal questions in the Best of Answers module this morning I got to thinking about how may animals are special to this part of the world.

Australia is the native home to so many amazing native animals with unique features. For example the echidna is one of the only two mammals that lays eggs, setting it apart from species like the porcupine and hedgehog. Kangaroos have amazing gestational abilities, even being able to halt their joey’s development in the pouch.

I am always excited to have foreign guests and to see their reaction to possums in my backyard or to the sound of kookaburras laughing in the trees. (One of my friends stopped, listened and said “I think I can hear monkeys!”). People from other countries are often naïve about our wildlife – some thinking that there are spiders lurking around every corner – waiting to make a flying leap for the jugular. Others wrongly assume that just because something looks cute and furry doesn’t mean it won’t lash out if provoked. Even the toothless emu and the cute looking platypus can inflict a lot of pain to a human.

There is so much to learn about Australian animals – for one thing koalas aren’t bears, and did you know that a sulphur crested cockatoo can outlive many humans? It’s a wonder they aren’t running the country!

Have a great weekend!

Clea

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There has been renewed talk of whaling again this week, with activitists being captured by Japanese Whalers while protesting whaling in the Antarctic. There are so many people who feel that whale hunting is archaic and unnecessary and should be banned all together so this issue is constantly in the headlines. While the debate over whaling is widespread, I thought I’d take a look into what makes these beautiful creatures the object of focus and wonder for so many.

For instance, it is suggested that whales were originally land animals but that they evolved over time to live in the water. That can help explain why they are one of the few mammals that do so, as some of their features seem more suited to land dwelling. Even the fact that they have to breathe must make things difficult, but fortunately they have changed over time to make that easier, and they’re also able to hold their breath and dive great distances, unlike other mammals.

I was also fascinated to learn about how whales are able to drink saltwater to stay alive, and how they wouldn’t survive if you did put them in freshwater. And I was relieved to note that while their cousins are ominously name Killer Whales, it is unlikely that a human will ever be the victim of one in the wild!

Clea

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There are 8,862 questions about elephants on Yahoo!7 Answers, on all aspects of their existence, from the saying that they never forget to the length of their tusks. It is amazing to learn that these tusks are actually just extra long teeth that never stop growing throughout their lives.

Elephants really are fascinating creatures. They can swim across lakes and oceans, but they can’t jump in the air. They eat and drink several times the body weight of a human every single day and they have the longest gestational period of any mammal on the planet. They will willingly transport humans and have even been used at war throughout the ages.

There are two distinct types of this amazing animal, found in Asia and Africa. Unfortunately neither has been able to escape the threat of extinction over the years, with so many factors contributing to their gradual decline in numbers. It is terrible to think that these amazing creatures may go the same way as their close relative, the woolly mammoth, to become the yet another creature that existed in days gone by.

If you get the chance, see what other elephant questions you can find on Answers! I’d love to see them!

Clea

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Anyone who has met me a few times will know that I am a huge cat fan. My first cat was a stray kitten – all black with white paws, belly and a diamond shape on her forehead. She was a nervous cat her whole life, but after the first year she settled a lot.

As I grew more and more attached to my cat, I found out about the whole word of cat fanatics! While I wouldn’t say I fit into this sub-culture, it is definitely fun to see what they are into. On Answers you can also find all manner of interesting cat facts – Have you ever wondered how a cat can squeeze through seemingly impossible passages?

Six years ago I bought 2 bengal cats (not to be confused with the bengal tiger!), which are very exotic looking cats that look like little leopards. They will keep you entertained – and occasionally without sleep – with all their crazy antics, but each cat is different with a different personality. One of my cats recently went missing and I have been trying to find her, to no avail. It has been a month, which seems like too long to still have hope, however I recently read that cats can go walkabout for many months and then return – that gives me some hope.

Whatever type of pet you are into, at Yahoo!7 Answers you can find the answer to your question.

Alana

Photo by invad3r.

Hands up if you hate ants! Even the cleanest household can end up overrun by the pesky little creatures, who are able to burrow their way through concrete and wriggle inside the lids of jars to get to a source of food. They invade our houses even when there isn’t a nearby box of biscuits or pot of honey and getting rid of them is practically impossible!

However when you put aside the fact that they are pests, ants are actually one of the most amazing creatures on the planet. They are able to work together to find food, if they were human they would be classed as superheroes because of their amazing strength and they are incredibly resourceful, even consuming their dead as a source of protein! The work together on little sleep to provide for their whole colony, especially for their Queen, who they remain loyal to until the end.

Many people come to Yahoo!7 Answers looking for solutions to their ant problems, or just for explanations as to why they are so persist-ant (teehee). In fact there are so many related questions we almost need a sub-category called … wait for it… Antswers!

See you next week!

Clea

When Joanne B was wondering how to check whether her rainbow lorikeet was a boy or a girl she turned to Yahoo!7 Answers and was very quickly informed that in the absence of a freshly laid egg one can only determine the sex of such a pet via DNA testing.

And when Claire P wanted to know if she could train her rabbit to walk on a leash… yes that’s right – a rabbit on a leash… the Answers community had all the necessary pointers.

Whether trying to diagnose a case of doggy ringworm or wondering if turkeys can be kept for a purpose other than Christmas dinner, the Pets category is a great place to go for help. Users ask how to heal sick goldfish, request advice about chickens, seek tips on how to get dogs and cats to be friends and they even discuss my favourite animal – hamsters!

One of the most common questions in the Pets category is what names to give them – here’s one you can answer yourself!

Woof!

Clea