Prairie dogs foraging near their burrows frequently pop up on their back legs, front paws in the air, and cry "wee-oo," a behavior that spreads throughout the pack as quickly as "the wave" at a football game. Now, research suggests these adorable "jump-yips" are tests of the emergency broadcasting system.
Prairie dogs jump-yip to make sure their neighbors are on the alert, according to a new study published today (Jan. 7) in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. If the animals get a lot of responses, they relax a little, foraging more and spending less time scanning the horizon for predators.[Full Story: Furry Fans: Why Prairie Dogs Do 'the Wave']
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