They might be man’s best friend, but dogs aren’t man’s invention—mother nature claims that right…and sometimes, she likes to remind you that your adorable furry pupper you want to kiss and hug forever wasn’t born a pet. Sometimes, our favorite furry canines are reminded of their primal predatory instincts and the old world.
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The proud gray wolf was the forefather of our cute balls of squeezable fur. Wolves are carnivorous canines that tracked and hunted prey as a pack—a trait very similar to early hunter-gatherer humans. Though it’s not 100% known what the origin of dogs is, evidence points to wolves as the likely candidate for their origin. It would explain a lot of the pack-mentality behavior dogs exhibit.
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Humans domesticated dogs between 15,000 to 30,000 years ago, though the date in which dogs and wolves genetically diverged is still disputed. Based on the evidence, these dates imply that the earliest dogs coincided with the time of hunter-gatherers, not agriculturists. This also means that the dog was the first ever domesticated species—sorry cats.
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These facts bring us to our question: Do modern dogs still remember the old ways? Do they yearn to be in a pack, or hunt for prey in the battle of survival-of-the-fittest? While it’s unclear, dogs do certainly show signs reminiscent of their primal natures. An example is when dogs curl up before bedtime—it’s because of an old-world instinct that kept them warm and protected their vital organs.
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Another example of a dog’s strange behavior is the way they poop—they like to spin around. Believe it or not, scientists have been perplexed by this for a very long time, and for good reason. Things like curling up before bedtime seems logical to us, but the whole spinning-around-before-potty thing? There doesn’t seem to be any obvious logic to not—until now.
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Keep reading to find out why dogs spin before they go to the bathroom
Wolves are some of the most feared animals that stalk the wilds. With their astounding speed, sharp teeth and keen senses, they can truly pose a serious threat. Wolves tend to hunt in packs that range in size from between five and ten members, moving about effectively. They’re instinctively trained to hunt out their prey and kill them quickly. Still, in some parts of the world even the common gray wolf is facing the threat of endangerment.
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In the continental United States, wolves were hunted until they were nearly extinct. Some states still have populations of them, but these are still dwindling, despite the fact that wildlife officials have been trying to reintroduce gray wolves into the wild. It makes sense that urban areas would be free of wolves; they’ve long been enemies of humans.
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The fact of the matter is that wolves’ habitats are being destroyed to make room for urbanization efforts. Many wolves have simply been killed off because they’re dangerous to keep around humans. Most are ill-tempered and easy to excite, so you’re best sticking to a dog if you’re looking for a new cute domestic animal.
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Wolves are very interesting creatures, though. They’re very sleek and agile. It’s cool to see a wolf run around, especially in a snowy forest. They have ridiculous reflexes and never seem to miss a beat, whether they’re running from a threat or pursuing a target. At short distances, wolves have been known to sprint around at speeds between 36 and 38 miles per hour.
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The notion that a wolf can run faster than some vehicles is both terrifying and impressive. They traditionally stick to a diet of hoofed animals like deer, moose, caribou, elk and bison, so they have to be able to run fast. In some cultures, wolves are even revered and celebrated for their overwhelming ferocity.
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Keep reading as we delve into the story of one of California’s last remaining wolf packs.
I’m sure we’ve all been there. You’re staring at someone across the room, maybe checking them out. You know, sizing them up, seeing if you think they’re cute or not…or maybe they’re wearing something interesting; you’re like “Dang, I need to go compliment them on that shirt.” There’s no way they’re going to happen to look in your direction…there’s so much else going on for them to pay attention to.
Health Magazine
But then, out of nowhere, the person you were staring at turns their head and looks directly at you. You panic, turn the other way and try to pretend that you were doing something else. But I know, and they know and you know that you were giving them the old once over and there’s nothing you can do to hide that. As embarrassing as it is, this happens to people in public all the time.
NetDoctor
Especially in high school, I remember looking at the back of someone’s head in class for a little bit. They’d just be chilling there but, all of a sudden, would turn around and stare right at me. And the same is true of the other way around; I’ve caught people staring at me from afar. But how did I know that someone was staring at me?
Leafly
It turns out, science has a few answers for why this mysterious phenomenon occurs. You know, that feeling of being watched you get sometimes when you’re surrounded by people? That small uncomfortable pang that your actions are being watched, maybe even assessed by someone around you? And then you look around to find that, yes, indeed, someone was staring at you.
Pinterest
It’s downright spooky when that happens. And, according to a new scientific study, this sixth sense actually hard-wired into our brains. Sometimes, in fact, we can feel as though someone’s looking at us even when we’re not being watched. One of the reasons this occurs has to do with humans’ fascination with eyes. They’re often called “the window into the soul”.
National Review
Keep reading to find out where this obscure paranoia comes from.
Phones are great. They’ve made the world a much easier place to communicate in. They’ve also made the world a significantly more annoying place. Sure, phones are great, but what about the people using phones? Not so great. Most of them aren’t so bad, but I’m sure we all know our fair share of people blasting music without headphones. The absolute worst.
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What about those jerks who make calls at a restaurant? There’s a thing called table etiquette, it was invented about a thousand years ago, have you heard? These people are a nightmare to deal with. Their impossible to communicate with as a server, they’re loud and distracting to everyone around them, and worst of all, it’s embarrassing to sit at the same table as them.
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Oh, and get me STARTED on the inconsiderate scum that think it’s okay to liberally use the speakerphone. Why is it so difficult to use a handset? All it takes is a single functioning hand! But no, I’m very busy, I need to distract everyone within a thirty-foot radius because I’m too lazy to lift a six-ounce phone! There’s a special place in hell for these types of people.
Pixabay
But the most annoying thing you could possibly do with a phone isn’t any of that—it’s texting while driving. It hurts my brain imagining the mental state these people are in to think this is okay. It’s not only super annoying, it’s also ridiculously dangerous. Have you looked at the statistics? They’re sobering. Texting while driving is actually a death wish.
Free Stock Photos biz
We all know who these people are, we’ve all met them, talked to them, and secretly wished harm on them. But there’s one annoying thing they do that’s surprisingly a good thing, from a scientific standpoint—pacing. I know, I know, pacing while on the phone is mind-bogglingly annoying, but a recent study has found it’s actually useful.
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Keep reading to find out how pacing could POSSIBLY be beneficial
