prairie dogs

Prairie Dog First Date Ends in Embarrassment

by Scott Friedstein, FluffPo Correspondent

Frank was never one for romance – that is, until he met Leila.

“He’s a bit of a workaholic, and it’s just him in his burrow right now,” says Ryan Bing, a friend. “It took some prodding, but he finally fired up his old OkCupid account a few weeks ago. They randomly just started chatting.”

The two hit it off so well that they decided to meet last Friday.

“Frank was a bit apprehensive, but they ended up having a really nice time,” says Bing. “He took her to dinner at this new Thai fusion place, and then they went up to the lookout point to check out the stars.”

The evening had gone off without a hitch – until the time came for the pair to say goodnight.

“He went in for the kiss, and apparently she was just going for a hug,” says Bing. “They bonked heads, and is was really embarrassing – he could barely muster a ‘bye.’ He’s a bit down right now, but he’ll get back on the horse – or whatever the appropriate prairie dog saying is.”

Via John Morris.

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REPORT: Prairie Dogs Are Lousy Secret Keepers

According to new research from Pepperdine University, prairie dogs are among the worst at keeping secrets in the entire animal kingdom. The species topped the list of most loose-lipped animals.

“Prairie dogs are loquacious by nature,” said study author Dr. Greg Papprikash. “They love to gossip and they can’t help trading juicy bits of information.  As a result, they’re really crummy at keeping confidences.”

Also in the top five: whales, moths, polecats and arctic puffins.

Via Lance and Erin.

STUDY: Prairie Dogs Are Natural Harmonica Players

By Scott Friedstein, FluffPo Correspondent

According to a new study just released by the American Zoological Society, prairie dogs are much more musically inclined than previously thought.

 In particular, researchers were amazed to find that the burrow-dwelling critters are especially skilled at the harmonica.

 "We weren’t sure what to do with them at first,“ says lead researcher Andrew Fricke. "As luck would have it, we had this tiny harmonica lying around the office. One of them grabbed it and just started ripping into this sick 12-bar blues riff. Science can be rewarding sometimes.”

SEE ALSO:Prairie Dog Bluesman to Be Honored at House of Blues

Via PictureWendy.

PHOTO OP: Prairie Dog Smooch

Via Thomas Hawk.