In case you’ve ever wondered why dogs get up in the middle of the night and bark it is because, unlike humans, dogs and other animals do not have a day-night rhythm. Humans have a prolonged sleep of about eight hours each night but dogs have a number of naps...
Compared with many animals the sex life of the humble spider can seem bizarre to say the least. Before looking for a mate the male spider needs to prepare himself for the deed. First he builds a specialised sperm web used to catch a droplet of sperm which is then...
In 1990 a striped sheep was featured on ‘Burke’s Backyard’ that was black with white stripes. She was a one-off mutant (born in 1982) in the Canberra region. Don Burke conducted genetic research into the mechanism involved and the information and...
One of the most exciting events in owning horses is the birth of a foal. The next responsibility of the new ‘parent’ is introducing the foal to humans. Do the right thing and you have a valued companion, take the wrong advice and get a worthless...
One of the world’s most specialised careers would have to be chicken sexing. Melbourne man, Bob Martin, has spent sixty years studying and practising vent-sexing. His book, The Specialist Chicken Sexer is a fascinating documentation of this obscure but vital...
Freshwater eels, those big brown slimy things you accidentally hooked when fishing the river with grandpa, deserve a longer look. To get to those fishing holes in creeks and rivers, each eel has travelled about 5000km from its spawning grounds 300m below the Coral...
Over the last century, enormous developments have occurred in dogs. There are over 160 breeds of dogs available in Australia and the colours, sizes and shapes are truly a great achievement. Despite what most dog clubs claim, modern dog breeds virtually all started...
Glossy Black-Cockatoo An uncommon sight in the eastern states of Australia is the Glossy Black-Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami) also known as the Casuarina Cockatoo as it feeds on She-oak (Casuarina) cones. They are unobtrusive but large (46-51cm...
Classic mistakes made by many riders get horses offside before the rider is even mounted. This is according to Pat Parelli, an American horseman whose natural horsemanship philosophy has won admiration worldwide. He says holding a horse close on a tight rein makes it...
Having an aviary in your backyard can be a wonderful experience as it is a sanctuary for birds as well as somewhere to unwind after a stressful day. An easy-to-build aviary can be constructed from treated pine logs and wire for under $500. This style of aviary can...