Tagged Questions
34
votes
1answer
26k views
Do sea otters rape baby seals to death?
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Nature isn’t always kind and cuddly. A study showed that sea otters
will restrain baby seals and then begin copulation; sometimes drowning
it during the 105-minute-long ...
6
votes
1answer
218 views
Can a skunk spray with its feet off the ground?
A colleague has a family story that if confronted by a skunk, if you can get its rear feet off the ground, it's unable to release its foul-smelling spray.
Evidence for or to the contrary?
1
vote
1answer
149 views
Can dolphins learn a symbol based language?
I recently stumbled across the following article:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1240334/Dolphins-clever-humans--treat-like-people-say-scientists.html
which makes the claim that ...
5
votes
0answers
185 views
Does chicken manure keep cats away from garden areas?
This article mentions that chicken manure can keep cats away.
Chicken manure around established plants can also deter cats as they don't like the smell.
Is it true?
11
votes
4answers
1k views
Do we know why animals have evolved to have sex for reproduction?
I've been reading 13 Things That Don't Make Sense: The Most Intriguing Scientific Mysteries of Our Time (2010) and Chapter 10 concentrates on the subject of Sex. The author argues that we do not know ...
28
votes
1answer
44k views
Do pigs have 30 minute orgasms?
A widely circulated internet meme (see e.g. the oatmeal) states that pig orgasms can last up to 30 minutes.
I've been trying to find any source or reference to back up (or refute) this claim, but ...
10
votes
1answer
1k views
Are there examples of exclusive homosexuality in non-human animals?
I have often heard the claim that homosexuality exists in non-human animals. Sheep and dolphins seem to be common examples. I find it easy to believe that homosexual activity exists - some animals ...
7
votes
1answer
4k views
Do dolphins attack dangerous sharks?
I've heard numerous anecdotal claims of people being rescued from shark attacks by dolphins. One source mentions that such rescues happen "surprisingly often", and cites three unreferenced incidents, ...
13
votes
4answers
1k views
Are some breeds of dog inherently dangerous, despite training?
On another SE site, this report was cited as evidence that some breeds of dogs are inherently more dangerous than others.
I have some serious issues with that report (not least of which is that it is ...
14
votes
1answer
12k views
Will cats eat their deceased owner, but dogs will starve to death instead?
A friend of mine is a former prosecutor for the Crown/State. He's observed that it was often harder to investigate whether a deceased person was murdered when they own cats because the cats will eat ...
10
votes
1answer
377 views
Do elephants never forget?
There is a ubiquitous belief that "elephants never forget".
I know we aren't suggesting that elephants have unlimited memory, but have there ever been any scientific studies/case studies that suggest ...
7
votes
2answers
3k views
Do cats always come back home from anywhere?
It is said that no matter how far you take away a cat from home, it always come back from anywhere. Is that true?
Obviously, this pre-supposes that:
Home is some place that the cat lived in for a ...
61
votes
1answer
3k views
Do Ostriches bury their heads in the sand
I have always believed that Ostriches when frightened bury their heads in the sand.
Upon closer re-examination of this belief, I came to the following conclusions:
Ostriches typically live in arid ...
95
votes
3answers
15k views
Will a mother bird abandon her young if touched by a human?
Welcome to installment #2 of my "the science of animals falling" series of questions....
I've heard it said many times since childhood that if you are to find a baby bird on the ground which ...
17
votes
2answers
2k views
Do dogs know when their owner is coming home through some form of telepathic link?
My friend cited a study by Rupert Sheldrake which ran an experiment over several years that video taped dogs, showing that dogs knew when their owner was coming home due to some psychic link. He ...
9
votes
4answers
3k views
Is eating cloven-hoofed animals, bottom-feeders or ruminants bad for you?
The Torah and Talmud claim (and I have Christian friends that also claim) that eating animals that
are bottom-feeders or ruminants—That is, eat the crud off the sea-floor, like shrimp, or digest ...
28
votes
2answers
8k views
Are humans the only species to have homophobes?
Here's a quote that's being passed around:
Homosexuality is found in over 450 species. Homophobia is only found in one. Which one seems unnatural now?
With all the good intentions behind what's ...
