Oh yeah. Wool dogs. So like almost everywhere in the world, the dog friends that people kept across Turtle Island (and Tahuantinsuyu, there were dogs in South America too) were selectively bred mostly for hunting, running, and to pull sleds or travois. But the Coast Salish had another idea. Around the Salish Sea, populations of dogs were kept separate from other village and wild dogs, penned in caves and lodges just for the dogs, so that they could be pure-bred for the thickest, whitest, softest, fluffiest fur you could possibly imagine.

Like… that’s a sheep. Except in that it’s a dog. As people on the other side of the Bering divide were doing the same thing with Caucasian mouflons, the Salish bred dogs into the niche of domestic sheep. And yeah, they were sheared annually and the wool was spun into thread which was woven into textiles. Dog wool blankets were one of the most esteemed potlatch gifts of any that could be exchanged. Here’s one from the collection of the Burke Museum in Seattle:

Heartbreakingly, the Salish wool dog is now an extinct breed. The cultural genocide and displacement of settlement did them in by around 1900. Salishan people still weave traditional blankets, but the wool has to come from imported sheep. The closest thing to a live specimen we have now is this taxidermy held at the Smithsonian:

... which is less wooly than it would have been at its wooliest in life.

Spotted wobbegong!

PREVIOUS EPISODE COMPILATION: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_4CVZSGIBo

Episode seven is up at last! Wow!!! Thank you so much, everyone who's helped so far!!! Hope you're ready for weevil time!

And by the way, major thanks to DDX.exe for doing the music for this episode, it wouldn't have been possible or sounded half as cool without her! @theelectricdreamsofddx

You can listen to the OST here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMbXMLM1TRR5f6oJDOdZfC3ai7ASc1JnH

As always, Gregorsa's cool, eerie theme was composed by @zestychille !

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Very cool find from last spring- a Florida vinegaroon (Mastigoproctus floridanus) that was hiding inside a rotting log.

despite her impressive size, this rarely encountered Florida endemic is actually the smallest of the 3 vinegaroons in the US, and some of the Mastigoproctus species from Mexico and southwards get even larger.

and yes they’re called vinegaroons (among other fun names) because they squirt concentrated vinegar from their butt as a chemical defense

I would keep the critters after the unit ( I’ve always wanted some and it’s a great excuse to get work to buy it)

Do you have a recommendation on beginner critters that we would be able to observe easily?

I think isopods are a great option since they are harmless, can be colorful, and do well on minimal care! I’ve always thought isopods would be great class pets since they also are good at demonstrating laws of genetics, convergent evolution etc. for older students.

you’d probably do well with Porcellio scaber or Armadillidium vulgare, both hardy temperate species available in a rainbow of color morphs (and often sold in mixed-color cultures). since they eat dead tree leaves, it might be a fun idea to have your kids go outside and gather dead leaves to feed their class pets (make sure it’s away from pesticides). one issue might be that both species are strictly nocturnal and aren’t reliably visible in captivity, spending their time in hiding. you can still flip their hides to find them, but it's best to keep that to a minimum.

if isopods are too mundane, I also suggest cockroaches like dubia or Madagascar hissers. while hissers can climb, dubia can't, and both are harmless and popular insect ambassadors at museums. hissers are good for handling but they still need to be treated gently, and have sharp spines on their legs that they can use to enforce that. if you’re in the southeast esp. Florida these are not legal to keep but I can suggest alternatives.

mealworms and superworms are beetle larvae that eat just about anything and are very hardy to dryness. their complete metamorphosis makes them good teaching species; the superworm Z. atratus avoids pupating in a colony setting so it’s perfect for isolating in little vials so you can watch its transformation into pupa and beetle.

Texas Blind Salamander (Eurycea rathbuni), family Plethodontidae, found in cave systems in Central TX, USA

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