Comments on: Reindeer, Bear, Cougar Close Encounters

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 02:21:44 +0000

I’ve often thought a rugby-football hybrid should be invented. Kinda like back-crossing.

I never knew much about rugby (other than that my friend Debra played it). Then, I found myself in urban South Africa during a major, major Rugby world cup thingie. I think it was the South African team vs. the NZ team. So, I watched a few matches and it is amazing how much it resembles football, and it is even pretty clear how football derived from rugby rather than the other way round.

By: Rick Pikul

Rick Pikul — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 01:51:49 +0000

Actually, American football is a variant of Rugby football. While it isn’t Association football, it’s still a close cousin, (the Rugby/Association split was over just two rules, one of which is a moot point without the other).

By: Lassi HippelÃ¤inen

Lassi HippelÃ¤inen — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:26:48 +0000

And American cuddle-an-oblong-object isn’t football at all.

By: HP

HP — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 06:10:05 +0000

American hawks are European buzzards, but American buzzards are not buzzards at all.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 03:19:11 +0000

And the European Robin, once thought a thrush, is a flycatcher, but the American Robin is still a thrush. I think.

By: Roland

Roland — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 03:16:00 +0000

The North American moose is the same animal as the European elk. The North American elk is the same animal as the European wapiti. If you’re not confused, you’re not paying attention.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:24:14 +0000

That photo of the cat is from the western part of the country.

By: Ol' Bab

Ol' Bab — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 23:49:14 +0000

What a tease! WHERE was that cat seen? I have seen a large cat near my home southeast of Rochester NY. Large as a poodle (not toy), slim, black, long long tail. Very definitely feline.
Ol’ Bab

By: Eric Lund

Eric Lund — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:02:58 +0000

The European version (or at least the Swedish version) of the Santa Claus legend places his headquarters not at the North Pole but in northern Finland. This location makes more sense than the North Pole because not only are reindeer native to the area, but there is a longstanding cultural tradition among the locals of herding reindeer–an ideal location to recruit and train reindeer to pull a sleigh full of toys.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:23:25 +0000

There is one species of “Reindeer/Caribou”: Rangifer tarandus. The word “caribou” is used in North America.

There is a lot of variation across this species, but the major variation is not really Old World vs. New World, but rather, tundra vs. woodland, which is more or less a north-south distinction. The woodland tend to be the larger ones. Among these broad types there are probably nine or ten subspecies known at present or recently (some extinct such as the Greenland form). In some subspecies, the males are double the mass of the females.

The smallest subspecies is probably the Norwegian tundra Reindeer. The largest reindeer

If you were looking at Norwegian females and comparing them to Canadian Woodland males, the difference would appear huge!