Thursday, April 5, 2012

Bite Worse Than Their Bark?

According to African myth,Basenjis can't bark because Rukuba (the dog) stole fire for Nkhango (the man) and the Fire God took away the basenji's ablility to bark.
Known as the barkless dog from Africa,Basenjis are not silent. Their sounds range from a yodel to a scream as well as the usual growls,whimpers and whines made by all dogs. The reason for the lack of bark is due to an unusually shaped larynx. One theory on how the basenji became barkless is the result of selective killing of the barking dogs so that the sound would not lead enemies to their camps. The basenji is thought to be the most ancient dog breed. Dogs resembling basenjis can be seen in the tombs of Egyptian pharoahs.
Basenji

1 comment:

  1. why do certain dogs tails' curl? Is it like us with our straight/curly hair? Or is there some deeper more historically relevant reason?

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