False pregnancies
-----------------
Is there some environmental factor which can influence females to have
false pregnancies?  Recently I've heard of several (but probably a
statistically insignificant amount) occasions here in Sweden.
 
The food chain
--------------
I used to think that ferrets were at the top of the food chain, with cat
food and some other things beeing at the bottom.  This week I found out
that reindeer is also a preferred ferret food, as I'm not able to keep
three of my four from trying to steal the reindeer sausage from my
breakfast sandwiches.  (I doubt they're able to kill a reindeer though.
Wolverines do, but they weigh at least 9 kg.)
 
But the other day when I was returning home I saw a buzzard circling a
knoll close to where I take my little darlings for walks.  So there's
obviously a reason why birds are one of the things my ferrets fear the
most, even though we live almost in the middle of the capital.
 
Brain mapping
-------------
I've noticed that when ferrets dream, which they do surprisingly
regularily, they almost only move their front paws and mouths.  Is
this because these parts are mapped to a major part of their brains?
The way their rear legs drag over obstacles seems to support my idea
that they have more consious control of their front legs.
 
Left or right pawed
-------------------
And speaking of brains, have someone studied the distribution of
ferrets who run with their rear legs to the right or left of their
front legs?  All of mine seem to be consistent in the way they make
their footprints.
--
Urban Fredriksson [log in to unmask]
http://www.ki.icl.se/urf/urf.htm Ferrets; Aircraft; Railways; Site of
the week
[Posted in FML issue 1171]