© New Guinea Highland Wild dog foundation via: CNN
Vocabulary:
- exploration /ek-spluh-REY-shuhn/
[noun] — the activity of searching and finding out about something
A new space exploration was launched last month by Space X.
- specimen /SPES-uh-muhn/
[noun] — something shown or examined as an example; a typical example
The blood specimen were carefully collected and transfered to another laboratory.
- predecessor /PRED-uh-ses-er/
[noun] — someone who had a job or a position before someone else, or something that comes before another thing in time or in a series
His predecessor worked in the company for almost ten years.
- reproduce /pronunciation/
[verb] — When living things reproduce, they produce young plants, animals, etc.
Birds reproduce by laying eggs.
- habitat /HAB-i-tat/
[noun] — the natural environment in which an animal or plant usually lives
I like to see these animals in their habitat.
New Guinea’s breed of “singing” dog was found again in the wild after 50 years until 2016, when an exploration found and studied 15 wild dogs in Papua. Another exploration in 2018 was conducted and the team of researchers gathered specimens to check if these wild dogs are the predecessors of the singing dog breed. There are only about 200 New Guinea singing dogs in captivity and none had been seen in the wild for half a century.
This rare breed is known for their howls and are even similar to the calls of humpback whales. “The singing dog’s howl sounds like a yodel, with the tones going up and down. And when in a group, one dog starts singing and others join in at different pitches, each with its own unique voice,” according to San Diego Zoo. The researchers are hoping that more wild singing dogs could reproduce in their natural habitat.
True or False:
- The extremely rare breed of singing dogs were found after five decades.
- A group of researchers found 15 wild singing dogs in Papua in 2016.
- There are only around 200 singing dogs in the wild.
- The howls made by the singing dogs are compared to sounds made by humpback whales.
- If singing dogs are in groups, they create the howling sounds in the same pitch.
Discussion Questions:
- Why do you think it is important for researchers to go on an exploration for wild singing dogs?
- The article said that there are only about 200 singing dogs in the wild. What do you feel about this?
- Do you think endangered species can be bred in zoos or captive breeding programs and then released into the wild? Why or why not?
- Why are so many species becoming endangered?
- What do you think of the sale of products made from endangered species and how can we stop it?
Express Your Opinion:
- “Wild animals are less wild and more human than many humans of this world”
― Munia Khan
- “Wildlife is something which man cannot construct. Once it is gone, it is gone forever. Man can rebuild a pyramid, but he can’t rebuild ecology, or a giraffe.”
― Joy Adamson
- “The wildlife and its habitat cannot speak, so we must and we will.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
[noun] — the activity of searching and finding out about something
A new space exploration was launched last month by Space X.
[noun] — something shown or examined as an example; a typical example
The blood specimen were carefully collected and transfered to another laboratory.
[noun] — someone who had a job or a position before someone else, or something that comes before another thing in time or in a series
His predecessor worked in the company for almost ten years.
[verb] — When living things reproduce, they produce young plants, animals, etc.
Birds reproduce by laying eggs.
[noun] — the natural environment in which an animal or plant usually lives
I like to see these animals in their habitat.
This rare breed is known for their howls and are even similar to the calls of humpback whales. “The singing dog’s howl sounds like a yodel, with the tones going up and down. And when in a group, one dog starts singing and others join in at different pitches, each with its own unique voice,” according to San Diego Zoo. The researchers are hoping that more wild singing dogs could reproduce in their natural habitat.
― Munia Khan
― Joy Adamson
― Theodore Roosevelt