Vargr speak.

[Blue Ghost]

A Vargr says its first Gangalic words.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPr-5TOKqGM&feature=fvhl

More Mishka the Vargr;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRw-lfXy_tQ&NR=1

 

[Zedwardson]

I have not laughed/been impressed for a LONG time.

 

[BlackBat242]

In the winter of 1982-83, I made the acquaintance of Foxy... a short-legged Alaskan Malemute.

She also could speak... so well that strangers could understand her the first time.

Her owner (Mike R.) then lived in Whidbey Island, Washington (he was stationed at the Naval Air Station there), and had formerly been stationed at NAS Key West, Florida.

Foxy had a certificate from the South Florida chapter of the American Kennel Club (AKC) certifying she had won "most unusual in show" by demonstrating a 50-word spoken English vocabulary, and that she knew the meanings of the words (she used them with proper meaning in a test with the judges, with Mike across the ring to eliminate any possibility of ventriloquism or prompting).

My most favorite incident with her came when Mike invited a co-worker to come over... this guy had all but called Mike a liar... little did he know.

This guy rode a motorcycle... and when Foxy was a pup, Mike had fixed up a basket on his motorcycle to take her for rides.

We heard the motorcycle pull up, and Foxy ran for the door.

When the guy knocked, I reached over and opened the door, and he entered, taking off his helmet.

In clear (if accented) English, Foxy said 'Oooh, I want ride"! (Yes, it sounded more like "Oooh, ri raant ride", like Astro from the Jetsons cartoon from the late 1960s-early 1970s, but he understood it clearly).

The look on his face was priceless... I really wish I had had a movie camera ready, it would have made a great short!


She had had several litters of puppies herself, but only taught one of her sons to speak English.

 

[Vargr]

That was impressive!

I didn't know Alaskan Malamutes had the ability to learn and vocalize words, I though only grey parrots could do that.

Has there been any scientific research into this canine matter? Does anyone know if it is limited to Malamutes or if other dog breeds can also do it?

Edit: Good Lord! What are Malamutian vochal cords made of? I saw a couple more of Mishka's videos and the range of sounds she can vocalize is impressive.

Looks like the Ancients made a good choice on what Terran animals to uplift.

 

[Blue Ghost]

I don't know of any studies, but my dog had nearly a similar capability. Though she didn't capitalize on it like Mishka.

 

[BlackBat242]

Mishka is a Siberian Husky.

However, Huskies and Malemutes are very similar breeds, both in conformation/color* and in their "bred-for-purpose" usage... and both are very close to their wolf ancestors both genetically and chronologically.



I suspect that the ability to vocalize complex sounds for effective communication over distances is a positive survival trait for wild canids, and nowhere nearly as important for domesticated canids.



Both Huskies and Malemutes are bred for intelligence, as their Arctic hunting/draft usage requires a certain amount of independent reasoning ability. The lead dog on a sled team has to be able to both feel & understand the footing/snow conditions it is encountering and to decide whether to turn to better footing despite the human in the back telling him to continue forward... or else the team and the human might be in real trouble (thin ice, hard slick snow-crust on a slope, etc). The human also might be lost/confused, and if the dog detects uncertainty it should be able to decide to stop and try to convince him that "no, the trail is this way", rather than blindly obeying.


This combination of vocal dexterity and intelligence occasionally produces a Foxy or Mishka.




* Huskies have their ears on the side corners of their heads, and Malemutes have theirs closer together and on the top corners of their heads. Huskies average 50-75 lb for females and 70-100 lb for males, while Malemutes average 70-90 lb for females and 85-125 lb for males (breed standards).

Huskies tend towards lighter colors (lighter browns & greys) where Malemutes dent toward darker ones (blacks, & darker browns & greys).