Blog 7: 4/29/24

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. This week on X (Twitter), I researched stories about coyotes and shared them.

Stories

I used ChatGPT to help me find interesting stories related to coyotes. I found two interesting stories:

• My first story was about a coyote named Hal who was tracked by researchers. Hal sadly died in 2006, but his research has led to promotion of coyote mental health, specifically coyotes that reside in urban areas. Click here to view my post!

• My next story was about one of the only known human deaths by a coyote—Taylor Mitchell. Mitchell was attacked by two coyotes while on a hike, leading to her tragic passing. Despite the gruesome event, this case has led to advocacy for human-coyote interaction, especially since coyotes are becoming more urbanized. Click here to view my post!

Twitter Updates

This week on Twitter, I followed five new profiles. Here are the top three profiles I followed:

• @VoyaWolfProject: I followed this account because coyotes are a species of Canidae like wolves. This account is the official Twitter account of the Voyageurs Wolf Project, which studies wolves in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem. I believe the information from this account will provide me with updates on wolf-conservation efforts.

• @wildearthguard: I followed this account because I wanted to be up to date with the protection and restoration of wildlife. This account promotes such things, specifically in the American West which is where I live. I believe this account will provide me with updates not only on coyotes, but also animals in general.

• @CAWolfCenter: I followed this account because I wanted to keep up with the California Wolf Center's dedication to returning wild wolves to their natural habitats. I believe this page will help me brainstorm ideas, specifically solutions, to helping coyotes adapt to or return to their natural habitats, or wherever they will thrive.

I also scrolled through my peers' Twitter posts. Here are the top three posts I viewed:

• Penguins can tell each other apart quite well! One of my peers introduced an article that explains how African Penguins tell each other apart by their polkadot patterns. I found this interesting because I would think that polkadot patterns would be hard to memorize for us humans, but birds can do it, showing how smart they are.

• The eerie screams you hear at night may not be humans but...foxes? One of my peers shared an article about the mating calls of red foxes, which can be mistaken for a human shriek.

• The same peer shared an article about foxes eating the leftovers of wolves. I found this interesting because I noticed that this relationship was beneficial for the foxes, since they get food, and beneficial for the environment, since the wolves' scraps are being eaten up.

Blog Posts

I had the pleasure of reading my peers' blog posts today. A post that stood out to me in particular was Caitlin's blog about an article they found, "Human-like Social Skills in Dogs?" It's incredible to think that our furry companions can actively participate in our conversations, thanks to their ability to decipher our gestures and expressions. They've evolved alongside us, mastering the art of communication by interpreting subtle cues like body language, tone, and even movements.

Conclusion

All in all, it's been a wonderful week, and I can't wait to read more next week!