Firefighting Rhinos?

wag.mado@evpl — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:11:00 GMT

OK, so it’s not your typical reference question. If it was, I wouldn’t be blogging about it. But, inquiring minds want to know, and they often ask the EVPL Reference department.

The question was – Do rhinos really go around stamping out fires? The person asking the question had just watched the 1984 movie, The Gods Must Be Crazy, where it was mentioned that if a rhino sees a fire, he always stamps it out.

Well, others have had the same question after watching the movie, so the answer was not hard to find. Apparently it is a legend. The legend began in Malaysia, India and Burma. In Malay, the rhinoceros has a special name, badak api, in which badak means rhinoceros and api means fire. However, there is no evidence in recent history that proves this phenomenon. It could be because rhino sightings are very rare in Southeast Asia due to poaching of these endangered animals. In any case, the rhinoceros that are still alive spend their time in the deep forest and high mountains, and are rarely seen.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that the legend is not alive and well in today’s modern world. If you search online, there are several fire protection products and businesses which use the “Rhino” name. There is also a 1999 Simpson’s episode that depicts a rhino “instinctively” trying to stamp out an SUV that has burst into flames. Humm…… I wonder if we got calls following that episode?

Bird Jammin'

wag.mado@evpl — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:08:00 GMT

The Reference Department at Central Library often gets questions regarding animal behavior. One recent question was "Can a giraffe lick its ear with its tongue?" On any given day, we have to be prepared for those perplexing questions that need to be answered. One of you out there may be wondering if animals can dance. Well, read on and see for yourself.

According to a new study from the Neurosciences Institute in La Jolla California, humans are not the only ones who have a sense of rhythm. Some birds, dolphins, elephants and seals might be able to move to a beat and actually dance. One of the subjects studied by scientist Aniruddh Patel and his colleagues was a cockatoo named Snowball. Snowball actually lives in Indiana at Bird Lovers Only Rescue. He appears to prefer rock music - especially The Backstreet Boys. You may have seen Snowball on YouTube. He not only moves his head, but his feet and other body parts to the beat of music.

In another study at Harvard University, researcher Adena Schachner and colleagues studied thousands of dancing animals on YouTube and concluded that several species of parrots and elephants have the ability to perform synchronized movements in accordance with various musical beats.

Snowball was one of the favorites in both studies. And after viewing his videos, you will know why.

Out of these studies came a theory that the ability to dance is related to a propensity for mimicking sounds vocally - that somehow the two are interconnected. What about elephants? Well, they have been known to mimic sounds in their environment also.

So, there's your answer - although additional studies are needed to prove the above theory.

Oh, and by the way - the answer to the giraffe question is yes. The length of a giraffe tongue is about 18-20 inches!

Read more about animal behavior by checking out these books. Or, contact us today with one of your own questions.

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Firefighting Rhinos?

Bird Jammin'