Blog 3: 4/16/24

Introduction

Hi everyone! This is week 3 of my WR60 class journey. This week, I began choosing my specific area of interest. I chose to focus my research on the species of Canidae known as coyotes.

Scientists and Organizations

I followed quite a few scientists, researchers, and organizations this week on Twitter (X)! Here are some of my favorites:

• @WolfInfoNow: I love this page because they highlight the popularity of wolf-hunting, specifically in Wisconsin. I think this is an important issue to raise since hunting is oftentimes just for the pleasure of the hunter. I believe hunting should be discussed more since anyone can purchase a gun for hunting and do so if they wish. Go check them out!

• @LWWolves: This page stood out to me because I loved their emphasis on the fact that wolves play an important role in our ecosystems. I think a lot of the time humans forget that we are not the only creatures who can think, live, and are an important part of this world. Sometimes, we get out of touch with nature and I think it is important to reassure the importance of animals. Go check out their page!

• @WolfWatch_UK: I found this page interesting because I liked how they focused on wolves displaced from captivity. Since humans captivate animals, it is important to know what to do after displacing animals to ensure that they survive and live a long, healthy life. Go read more about their work!

ChatGPT Exercise

We did a ChatGPT exercise to help write our Twitter posts this week. I gave ChatGPT a couple prompts about my topic, coyotes, and had it elaborate on topics I found most interesting. I have used AI tools in the past, and I find them extremely useful for generating quick, interesting facts that I can use to elaborate on in my own words! I think when I asked for interesting/little-known facts I gained the most ideas for my Twitter.

[ My favorite original Twitter post! ]

Interesting Facts

I learned so much about coyotes! Instead of focusing on well-known facts, I chose to look into facts I thought most people would not know, and even a funny one:

• Coyotes are able to reproduce very quickly, largely due to the females' ability to have a second estrus cycle! Click here to read more about this!

• I learned what coywolves are! They are beautiful hybrids of a coyote and a wolf, click here to learn more!

• If you love fruits, you'll love this fact: coyotes love to eat fruit! Click here to look into this!

[ These posts are also all available on my Twitter page (CLICK HERE) ]

Interesting Facts By Peers

I also learned so much about different Canidae and Ave species from my fellow WR60 peers! Some of the most interesting facts I learned are:

• Crows have become adapted to eating human food and can even open containers and unwrap wrapped foods...click here to learn more!

• Dogs always sniff us, but I didn't know there was a purpose to it rather than simply enjoying our smell! Click here to learn about how dogs can read our emotions by smelling us...that's incredible!

• I've never thought about organ transplant when it comes to animals...one of my peers had an interesting explanation of this! Click here to explore!

Summary

Overall, this week's Twitter opened my eyes to many new facts about Canidae and Ave species, helped me explore several wolf conservation organizations and animal researchers, and helped me take a step forward with my coyote research!