Topic

Animals in Culture

A collection of 47 issues

Vultures Over the Seven Hills: The Bloody Augury That Founded Rome

Rome's legendary founding began with fratricide. When brothers Romulus and Remus sought divine guidance through augury—interpreting bird behavior—to choose a location, a dispute over vulture sightings ended with Romulus killing Remus and establishing the city that would bear his name.

History Religion & Philosophy Animals in Culture

The Unsung Canine Chef: Remembering the Turnspit, the Dog That Cooked Dinner and Was Erased by Technology

Meet the Turnspit, an extinct dog breed bred for one purpose: to run in a wheel, powering a rotating spit to cook meat. Once a common kitchen appliance, this hardworking canine was sadly rendered obsolete by machinery, a poignant tale of a living engine forgotten by time.

History Animals in Culture Technology & Innovation

The Friendly Wolf That Swam to its Doom: A Tragic Tale of Trust and Extinction

The Falkland Islands wolf, or warrah, was the islands' only native land mammal. Its remarkable tameness towards humans, often swimming out to greet ships, made it an easy target for settlers who hunted it to extinction in 1876, a tragic end for a unique creature.

Science & Nature History Animals in Culture

The Unlikely King: How a Lost Donkey Named Diesel Became an Elk Herd's Leader

A donkey named Diesel vanished in Northern California after being spooked on a hike. Five years later, he was spotted on a trail cam, not just surviving, but thriving as the apparent leader of a wild elk herd. His incredible story of adaptation and leadership has captivated the world.

Science & Nature Animals in Culture

The Guano Empires: How 17th-Century Persia Built Palaces for Pigeons

In 17th-century Persia, thousands of massive, ornate mud-brick towers were built around Isfahan. Their sole purpose: to house wild pigeons and harvest their nitrogen-rich droppings, creating an enormous and highly valuable supply of fertilizer for the region's prized melon crops.

History Technology & Innovation Animals in Culture

The Strange Tale of Australia's Giant Worm Museum: From Wonderland to Abandonment and Rebirth

In Bass, Victoria, the Wildlife Wonderland Park housed a unique Giant Earthworm Museum. After the park's 2012 closure over welfare concerns, the iconic worm-shaped building was abandoned before being saved and relocated, preserving a piece of weird Australian history.

Geography & Places Animals in Culture History

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