Baker's Dozen Challenge Book 9

For Learned Something I read Animals Make Us Human by Temple Grandin. Each chapter is about a different sort of animal. It was a good way to structure it but I inevitably got more out of some chapters than others. Here’s some of the stuff I learned:

-Animals born in the wild then taken into captivity had normal brain development and are therefore healthier animals than most animals born in captivity.

-Wild wolves don't live in packs but rather family units with a breeding pair. Wolf packs with an alpha as we know them are a result of captivity. Lone wolves are mature cubs who are now looking for a mate.

-Cats chose to domesticate themselves since humans was where their prey was rather than be domesticated and shaped the way dogs were. They are also more scent based hence head rubbing and kneading.

-Horses have hyper specific fears. Seeing a white cowboy or a ball cap won't remind them of the bad experience but a black one cowboy hat will.

-Dairy cows only produce milk after birthing a calf. Because they do this so often, they've been breed to have lower social bonding so the mother and baby aren't upset upon separation.

-Broilers are chickens sold for meat. Layers are hens who lay the eggs we eat. Hens require privacy when they lay their eggs.

-Thousands of years ago, cheetahs were so scarce they had to inbreed to survive leading to a lack of genetic diversity. It is also ladies choice when it comes to mating which was only discovered through fieldwork.

-The biggest determinate of repetitive behavior in zoo animals is the range they usually cover in the wild. Polar bears are some of the biggest offenders because they usually range around 5 miles on a typical day.

Much like her last book, it was very interesting and informative. Some of her points seem so obvious it’s a wonder they don’t occur to other people more often. Inevitably I found the dog chapter more rewarding than the chicken chapter but this is definitely one of my new favorites.

1) Another World – Wild Cards edited by George R. R. Martin (Wild Cards #1)

2) Learned Something – Animals Make Us Human by Temple Grandin

3) Movie-Book – The Fault in Out Stars by John Green

4) Graphic Novel – Fanboys vs. Zombies Vol 1 by Sam Humphries

5) Dust – You Don’t Sweat Much for a Fat Girl by Celia Rivenbark

6) Nonfiction –

7) Reread – Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (as read by Wil Wheaton)

8) Shorts – 20something Essays by 20something Writers edited by Matt Kellogg and Jillian Quint

9) Fiction – The Rosie Project by Graeme Simison

10) Shiny – Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay

11) Retelling –

12) Wild Card –

13) The End –

Music: Good Guys by Aqua