As long-time readers of this blog know, I love dogs. Small dogs, big dogs, skinny dogs, and fat dogs, I love them all. And I have a particularly soft spot for older dogs in shelters (I’ve adopted three in the last decade). So it was with much interest that I watched the latest TED-Ed lesson about dogs.
A Brief History of Dogs traces the evolution of dogs from their origins as wild wolves to their current state as domesticated lap dogs. In the lesson you’ll also learn how dogs and humans came to be as bonded as they are today.
A Brief History of Dogs isn’t the first lesson that TED-Ed has published about dogs. How Do Dogs “See” With Their Noses? was released about four years ago. It provides a great explanation of how dogs’ noses work. The most interesting part of the video is the explanation of how dogs’ senses of smell allow them to identify friends, foes, and potential threats. The video is embedded below. You can find the full lesson here.
If you’ve ever wondered why dogs tilt their heads in response to a question or other prompt, SciShow has some answers for you in the video embedded below.
Why dogs pant is another question your dog-owning students may wonder about. SciShow Kids has that answered in the following video released last week.
Whether its from a deer, a moose, a horse, or any other mammal, my dogs have a hard time not scooping up a mouthful of poop. While I don’t like the habit, thanks to Why Do Some Animals Eat Poop? I know why they do it. Why Do Some Animals Eat Poop? explains why and how some animals get nutrients from eating the excrement of other animals. The video also mentions why the feces of some animals has more nutrients than that of other animals. Like all MinuteEarth videos, the description notes on YouTube for this video include a list of the references used in producing the video. Watch the video on YouTube or as embedded below.
“why do animals have tails?” SciShow Kids has the answer to that question in their latest video. The video explains how some animals use their tails to communicate and some use them for balance. The video also explains why humans don’t need tails.
